What I Ate and Drank Week 1 and 2 Post Op From Gastric Sleeve Surgery

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week one post op foodLooks gross I know but the picture above is actually chicken teriyaki pureed and pureed tuna with mayo. I love these small containers that I got at Target. They hold 3 oz which is pretty much what my stomach can hold right now so they are perfect. I’m working on an upcoming post with about items that really helped in the first few weeks after my surgery.

Here’s a peek into my fridge right after I had gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. Ignore the wine in the back. Sadly it is no longer for me. But the protein shakes, jello, protein drinks, and sugar free drinks like Vitamin Water are all mine. 🙂

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Anyone who thinks that gastric surgery is the easy way to lose weight couldn’t be more wrong. Here’s what I wrote on my facebook page to explain to my family and friends what it’s like:

May 3rd- 1 Week 1 Day Post Op

I go back to the surgeon later today. I’m feeling better day by day but this is certainly a tough road. Right now I feel like my life runs around my eating and drinking schedule. I know that it will become second nature soon, I’ll be able to have larger quantities when the swelling goes down, and things will get easier so I’m not worried.

In case anyone is curious…..Here’s an example of what I mean. I have to wait 15 minutes after drinking to eat food and 30 minutes after eating to drink again. I can only take small sips right now and then have to wait a minute or two between sips to get more in. I woke up, had a few sips, and then made an egg for myself. I chewed a few bites (seriously like 4 SMALL bites) with a few minutes in between and then there was a pressure in my chest and my nose started to run. Yup, a new sign that I’m LITERALLY full. From 4 bites of ONE EGG. I didn’t even finish the egg and the whole time I was thinking (great, I didn’t finish the egg do I can’t count all the protein towards my daily protein count).

20160429_092159All my meals are in small baby bowls and plates these days. It makes me feel like I’m eating a whole meal and a little more “normal”. If I ate on a large plate it would make my tiny portion seem even smaller.

It took almost 45 minutes for the feeling to go away and I was miserable during those minutes. I was still full but need to get some of my required 64 oz of liquids in so I sipped a little water after the 45 minutes and pressure was gone. By this time it was already after 11 a.m. so I drank my protein shake (35 g of protein and I need 80 per day). That took about 30 minutes (but at least it adds 11 oz of fluids off of the 64 oz total). After the protein shake I’ve been sipping water but I know I need to eat my lunch soon. So now I wait 15 minutes for lunch and try to get in as much protein in 3 or 4 SMALL bites as I can. The whole meal- just 4 bites- might still take me 30 minutes to finish because everything goes down so slow. Then when I am done with lunch I need to keep drinking all afternoon, squeeze another protein drink in, and then figure out dinner which will be another whole production.

SOOOOOOO no, this isn’t easy. I know when the swelling goes down more, things will go down more easily. It’s tough right now. My appetite is much less but I do still get hungry. I was hoping I wouldn’t get hungry like some people report BUT I’ve also heard that some people are hungry for a few weeks after surgery and then the hunger goes away. I am really trying to figure out what is hunger, what is head hunger, and what satisfied feels like instead of FULL. And the difference between the two can literally be the size of a baby food spoon which is what I’m using to eat right now.

Would I do this to myself again. ABSOLUTELY! But I just wanted to give a little incite into what it’s like. I know most people are quiet about having the surgery, etc. but I want to educate and help people so I’m putting it all out there. The good and the bad. Please feel free to ask me any questions.

Meds-

I only took the pain meds for the first 2 nights at home to help me sleep. Luckily I didn’t need pain meds other than that while at home. For the first 14 days home I have to give myself daily blood thinner injections. I am also taking an acid reducer (Protonix) for daily for 6 months. I start taking a multivitamin 2 weeks post op. 1 month post op I start taking a medicine to prevent gallstones. 6 weeks post op I will start taking other vitamins like iron, calcium, B12, D3, and a few others. I’ll update on those when I start taking them.

Incentive Spirometer-

Post op for 10 days I need to inhale into this Incentive Spirometer to make sure my lungs stay open, I don’t get a fever, and I don’t get pneumonia. My lungs were tight the first few days after surgery but after a few days it was much easier to inhale the incentive spirometer ten times every hour that I was awake.

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My surgeon has his patients start eating pureed foods the first full day home after surgery. Here’s a peek into what I ate the first week home to give you an idea of what my meals consisted of. It was from my own log so sometimes I forgot to record calories, etc. but this will give you an idea.
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What I Ate Post Op Week 1

4/28- Thursday- 3 Days Post Op

Protein shakes-
1 pure protein- 35 g
1 muscle milk- 20 g

Liquids-
1 protein shakes- 11 oz
1 protein shakes- 11 oz
tea- 10 oz

Foods-
Tuna w/ mayo- 1.5 oz
½ hard boiled egg w/ mayo
½ hard boiled egg w/ mayo
Cream of chicken soup (half can)

4/29- Friday- 4 Days Post Op

Protein shakes-
1 pure protein- 35 g
1 tea with protein powder- 20 g

Liquids-
pure protein 11 oz
vitamin water 20 oz
Tea- 11 oz

Foods-
Tuna w/ mayo- 1.5 oz- 15 g protein, 110 cal
Scrambled egg w/ shredded cheese- ½ an egg- 4 g protein, 60 cal
Cottage cheese- 2 oz

4/30- Saturday- 5 Days Post Op

Protein shakes-
Premiere Protein- 30 g 160 cal
Pure Protein- 35 g 170 cal

Foods-
¾ egg with cheese- 4 g protein, 60 cal
1 oz tuna w/ cheese- 10 g protein, 75 cal
Ricotta bake– 2 oz
Eggs drop soup- 2 cups- 6 g protein, 120 cal

Liquids-
Premiere Protein- 11 oz
Pure Protein- 11 oz
Vitamin Water 20 oz

5/1- Sunday- 6 Days Post Op

Cold things don’t hurt any more!!! I can finally drink cold things!!!

Protein shakes-
Shake made with powder and milk- 20 g protein, 200 cal
Muscle milk- 15 g, 80 cal

Foods-

Cottage cheese- 2 oz, 6 g protein, 50 cal
Ricotta bake- 2 oz 16 g, 200 cal
Salmon- 2 oz, 11 g protein, 115 cal
Eggs drop soup- 1 cup- 3 g protein, 60 cal

Liquids-

Milk 8 oz
Muscle Milk 8 oz
Vitamin Water 20 oz

5/2- Monday- 1 Week Post Op

Protein shakes-
Pure Protein- 35 g 170 cal
Muscle milk- 15 g, 80 cal

Foods-

Crab w/ ricotta- 2 oz- 14 g protein, 120 cal
Laughing cow cheese wedge- 2 g protein, 35 cal
Ricotta bake-  1 oz 8g, 100 cal
Salmon- 1 oz, 5 g protein, 50 cal

Liquids-
Muscle Milk 8 oz
Pure Protein- 11 oz
Vitamin Water- 20 oz
Iced tea- 8 oz

5/3- Tuesday- 1 Week 1 Day Post Op

Protein shakes-
Pure Protein- 35 g 170 cal
Pure Protein- 35 g 170 cal

Foods-
¾ Egg w/ laughing cow cheese- 6 g protein, 75 cal
Crab w/ ricotta- 2 oz- 14 g protein, 120 cal
Grilled chicken- 2 oz, 16 g protein, 85 cal
Egg drop soup

Liquids-
Pure Protein- 11 oz
Pure Protein- 11 oz
Crystal Light Fruit Punch- 32  oz

5/4- Wednesday 1 Week 2 Days Post Op

Protein shakes-
Premiere Protein w/ 1 Tablespoon PB2 and SF chocolate syrup- 11 oz- 33 g 175 cal

Foods-
2 ½ oz Greek Yogurt
Bacon Ranch flavor tuna w/ low fat cheddar- 2 oz
Grilled chicken- 2 oz, 16 g protein, 85 cal

Liquids-
Premiere Protein- 11 oz
Water (fruit punch)- 16 oz
Jello- 3 oz

****This is about the time that I started using an app to track my meals. Here are my favorite apps for life after weight loss surgery.

20160430_190641 (1)One of my best tips for not feeling deprived (although I’m really only craving things that are healthy right now anyway) is to make meals for my family that either I can eat, too, or at least have a similar flavor profile so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. For example I made a delicious Ricotta Bake which has ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Italian seasoning, and no sugar added tomato sauce. It was allowed on my diet even when I was on pureed foods but I was able to use it as a base for baked ziti for my family. I just made the ziti on the side and put the ricotta bake on top. It felt like we were all eating the same thing and I didn’t feel deprived or left out.

Read more about my Gastric Sleeve Weight Loss Surgery Journey.

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Comments

  1. Thank you for taking the time to describe all this. It REALLY gives someone like me an idea of what to expect.

  2. As a person who is 3 days post op, this has help me what the early road is like.

    • Thank you for reaching out and congrats on your new journey. I wish I had been better at keeping up with writing about my experiences. Life, fibromyalgia, brain fog, and chronic fatigue got in the way. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll do my best to remember my experiences.

  3. Dian Keenan says:

    Thank you so much for posting everything. I have been having a hard time determining what to eat and getting in my protein. I am 1week post op. I will continue to follow your poss and again, than you for sharing. I wish I had the ability to share too.

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