Well, on the other side of things now and really this has been a breeze. Yes, the gas pain was not very fun but other than that, I really don't have any complaints. My Doctor has me on 4 weeks of a liquid diet. I am 3 weeks in, thank God, and SO ready to chew something other than a vitamin! I'm ready for the puree stage but also nervous. I haven't been successful in getting the ideal protein amount per day yet. I have been choking down the protein shakes but I feel like I have to have a cup permanently attached to my hand to get in all the fluids in and so far, that's going so so. Any tips or suggestions so I might be able to get the 60g and going forward with the post op diet? If I can't get the 60g now, advancing the diet makes me nervous to get it in then as well.

During the day i am constantly sipping. I have found that helps. You drink more than you realize when you are sipping every few minutes. At one point i was getting my 64 ounces in before the end of my work day.. or at least close to 64 with my dinner protein being the last i needed to get in. Now that i am on puree, it is definitely a lot harder. If i get all my protein in, i dont get all my liquid in. It seems i have to sacrafice one for another. Today is day 4.. So i added protein powder to my food today.. helped a great deal. I have all my protein in for the day and now just the last 30 ounces of liquid before the end of the night. It is going to be trial and error. As of yesterday, couldnt get enough in.. Today all in by 4pm.. Too fast.. Will need to keep revamping so i am not over doing it and going the rest of the night without protein.. One thing is for sure.. with the added protein i can cut the mozz cheese from my egg, not needed. Maybe i will do the protein shake for lunch and then i can have a protein meal and get more fluids in during the day. The kicker is.. you have to wait 30 min before eating to take your last sip, and then 30 min after. So the more food you consume, the longer time frames you go without drinking.. can make it hard to get the liquid in. I am still playing with a schedule and pretty soon i hope to find my groove..

@Jazzy1125, Thank you so much! I know this might sound silly but there is comfort in numbers. Glad I am not the only one still working on it lol. I didn't even think about spreading it out more, I need to do that. And the whole not drinking for 30 mins before and after is going to take some adjusting for sure! Last night I ordered some unflavored protein powder that will hopefully help during the pureed stage. After a month of liquids I am getting really excited about a change to the menu. This is so helpful, thank you again. I will continue to trial and error until I find my groove. Good luck on your journey!

3 hours ago, sarahe said:

@Jazzy1125, Thank you so much! I know this might sound silly but there is comfort in numbers. Glad I am not the only one still working on it lol. I didn't even think about spreading it out more, I need to do that. And the whole not drinking for 30 mins before and after is going to take some adjusting for sure! Last night I ordered some unflavored Protein Powder that will hopefully help during the pureed stage. After a month of liquids I am getting really excited about a change to the menu. This is so helpful, thank you again. I will continue to trial and error until I find my groove. Good luck on your journey!

So I think someone on Instagram helped me with this - they suggested and I bought unflavored protein (I bought Unjury brand but there's tons) and I add it to my water bottle with a packet of crystal light. That way I am getting in protein and liquid simultaneously. Since I started doing that, I haven't had a problem hitting my protein goal of 60-70 grams per day. One scoop is 21 grams, I normally just do one scoop per day, 1/2 scoop in 2 bottles of water. That 21 grams is HUGE, since I already get 30 from a protein shake then the rest from whatever foods I eat.

FYI I am 19 days post-op, on day 5 of my 2 week puree diet, and I personally do not have any issues getting my fluids in as I drink pretty much all day. There's literally a 32 ounce water bottle not 6 inches from my hand as I type this. Hope things get easier!

@TomCruzMomShoes, Yes, great minds think alike. Amazon is currently working on sending me the Fusion bariatric unflavored protein powder. If I remember correctly theirs was 27g per scoop so in 2-3 business days, I will be on that gravy train with you. Is it truly unflavored or do you get a little after taste? I wanted to add it to some of the food too like refried beans or hummus. They were recommended to me but have very little protein in them so I was going to give them a boost.

I start the puree stage on Monday and I am ready but also nervous bc I REALLY don't want to fall back into any bad habits. But I am trying to stay positive and keep working at it. I am 25 days post op but my Doctor had me on 2 weeks of liquid then 2 weeks of full liquid (protein shakes/powder) so I am beyond ready for texture back into my life!

Thanks for the tip! I really appreciate the advise.

15 minutes ago, sarahe said:

@TomCruzMomShoes, Yes, great minds think alike. Amazon is currently working on sending me the fusion bariatric unflavored Protein Powder. If I remember correctly theirs was 27g per scoop so in 2-3 business days, I will be on that gravy train with you. Is it truly unflavored or do you get a little after taste? I wanted to add it to some of the food too like refried Beans or hummus. They were recommended to me but have very little Protein in them so I was going to give them a boost.

I start the puree stage on Monday and I am ready but also nervous bc I REALLY don't want to fall back into any bad habits. But I am trying to stay positive and keep working at it. I am 25 days post op but my Doctor had me on 2 weeks of liquid then 2 weeks of full liquid (protein shakes/powder) so I am beyond ready for texture back into my life!

Thanks for the tip! I really appreciate the advise.

IF there's an aftertaste or some sort of taste, the Crystal Light drowns it out. I did try half a scoop in a guacamole mini cup and did taste the protein a bit. But either way it doesn't bother me.

@TomCruzMomShoes Okay, fair enough! Thanks again for all your help!