Hi, I'm scheduled to have my VSG on 3/14! Looks like we might be doing the procedure around the same time.

Hi...I had my VSG 7/13/11. It has been the best thing for me. I did the research and also thought it was the best overall choice. There is support here on MFP which is great. You can see what others are eating and it gives you ideas. Your tastes will change after surgery so what you like now protein wise might not be the same after. I have found that I like Pure Protein shakes. My husband is going to have VSG at the end of February or the begining of March. He drinks 2 shakes a day and then a sensible supper. He has cut out all pop which I did too. I cut my caffeine (big for me) before. I will drink some coffee now but not regularly. I don't miss drinking pop. We also have bought sugar free syrups made by torani or davinci to put in with the protein shakes. That adds alot of variety. I started doing protein bars about 3 or 4 months post op. Any bars made by bariwise are good. Those are a treat. Quest makes some very good bars as well. I buy most of my items online through dietdirect.com or netriton.com. Amazon will send me the pure protein each month with free shipping and about $4 cheaper than Walmart. I also bought a Cuisinart CPB-300 SmartPower 15-Piece Compact Portable Blending/Chopping System from Amazon. We use it daily to make our shakes. We mix and take it on the road with us. It makes it very convenient. Feel free to contact me or add me if you have any questions. Good luck on your journey...the first part isn't a cake walk but now it is normal living and I am very happy.

Hi there,

I also drink shakes made with Pure Protein that I get from Walmart. The nutrition stats are good for our needs which is really important. I have found their chocolate flavor is a good hot chocolate drink in the morning and I add their vanilla to my fruit shakes for some variety. I also like their chocolate peanut butter bars. Early on it was important for me to get into a pretty controlled routine as far as foods, liquids and exercise so that it just became habit. I don't mind having the same things for breakfast/lunch/snacks so that was a life saver for me. Definitely find a protein powder that you like because you can have one a day forever and you may as well love them! There are a ton of recipes out there that will help you doctor them up to taste like great coffee shop drinks etc. so be creative.

I am on another really helpful website that you might want to check out. It's called Bariatric Eating (beforeandafterhelp.com) and I really learned a lot from them. (One note: the community is supportive but gives a lot of tough love- people really have changed their lives so I know that folks who are looking for ways to cheat or let old habits slide back in feel like the board is too strict. I love it though because the members are successful and healthy and really "get it.") They have TONS of info about eating plans, recipes, supplements etc. so it might be worth looking there too. I'm just a member so I hope it doesn't sound like I'm pushing them!

I also recommend going SLOWLY after surgery. You might feel great but you have to remember that most of your stomach is going to be removed and things will be very tender inside. Someone once likened it to the inside of your lip- tender skin that needs to be babied! Don't rush to eat foods that you shouldn't. We all made it through those tough first months and what you do in the beginning really sets you up to be successful (or not) for the rest of your journey. Walking is the best physical activity you can do and even if you have to start off with a short walk that doesn't get you far, it's something, and that's great!

Best of luck and feel free to contact me if you have any questions!