I stopped at the Dollar Tree tonight after work and happened upon a couple of items I added to my surgery prep box. I found little packets of peanut butter powder, pouches of salmon, and a kitchen strainer. They also had some protein shakes and electrolyte water but I don’t know enough about either to buy any. I hadn’t really thought about that store as a resource for stuff I might need/want related to the surgery so I’ll definitely check back. And at $1.25, I’m not out much if I don’t like or need it.

You will likely not use a lot of what you are buying. Just follow the meal plan your dietician has given you after surgery. A lot of those "electrolyte" water items have tons of sugar. Get into the habit of reading labels. Get with your dietician to find out what your numbers are going to be. For example what is the total grams of suger PER DAY to target. While you are prepping for your surgery start logging in your food into an app or diary of sorts. Speak to you dietician about the macros (calories, total fat, carbs, sugars etc) you need to focus on and practice do this. I bout a bunch of stuff I ended up given to a food bank because 1. the site of it made me nauseated (your reaction to food changes after surgery) 2. I stocked up on popsicles because I am not very good with water. glad I did that.

I imagine your Dollar tree shops are the same as the Pound shops we have in the UK. If this is the case then you can never find the same thing twice. If you are pre surgery just buy a few things, as another person says - you may find the taste disgusting after surgery.

Dollar Tree finds are so fun! I wish I liked salmon, mini packets would be handy for snacks! It may not be the best place for electrolyte waters though as stated above, check and see if they have sugar in them. I have some that don't but they were pretty pricey and not from the dollar store. Who knows though, you never know what brand you are going to find at Dollar Tree, sometimes you luck out!

As for protein, it is the same thing, check the sugar, cheaper formulas often use sugar to sweeten and that will ruin your low carb efforts. Also check the protein source. If I recall correctly bariatric patients tend to do best on whey protein isolate or whey hydrolysate because they are gentler on the stomach and absorb better. Plus they should be lactose free, lactose intolerance is common after surgery as your stomach heals...

Oh, I have met with my dietician. She recommended a cookbook that has some full liquid recipes, a couple of which include powdered peanut butter, so I was excited to find that at the DT - I know it’s expensive. My dietician was also excited to know I really like fish because she said that’s usually well tolerated, so I stocked up on salmon packets. I didn’t read the labels for the water or the protein shake because I don’t like sweet drinks NOW so don’t anticipate drinking them after either, but noted them there.