What foods can you not eat since your VSG?

There is a big difference between the weight loss phase and the long term maintenance phase. some people have intolerances for things such as dairy or eggs early on but eventually do fine with them.

I am now 2.5 years out and have lost all my excess weight and there is nothing  I am unable to eat though I never eat anything carbonated. However I choose to avoid processed carbs and sugar because I can't keep from regaining weight if I eat those things in any more than the most minimal amounts. Its about quantity and quality.

When you get to your goal weight you will be able to eat modest quantities of ceral with milk. I eat oatmeal sometimes. Lots of people eat cereal with milk. Also eat soup with broth and other stuff in it.

Prepare yourself by accepting you will have a changed relationship with food and it will no longer be a main source of entertainment or medcation or whatever reasons you overeat. You have to be willing to let go of it but what you get in return is so fabulous. Having been overweight since childhood I can't begin to express how liberating it is to be slim. Worth every cookie I have turned down.  Diane

 I have tried cereal with milk and after just a couple bites, I felt very ill. It made me feel sick like I had eaten too much sugar, even without any added and a lower sugar cereal. I also could not eat breads, although now I can eat a wrap. I also cannot eat rice.

I CAN eat pretty much anything - the only thing that causes distress is real ice cream, and I need to limit myself, on the rare occasions I have some, to about half of a kid's size scoop.

If I want to maintain my weight loss, I need to continue to restrict calories and carbohydrates - that is just my reality and accepting that it kind of sucks, but it is what it is, has been a key to maintaining the good health I worked so hard to achieve.

So I have treats and excursions from my usual eating plan on vacations and occasions, and usually have a square or two of 85% dark chocolate for an evening treat 2 or 3 times a week, but other than that I eat mainly the following foods:


My core diet
Protein shakes (I like them and they work for me) mixed with coffee and almond milk
Solid protein - all types of meat, fish and fowl
Eggs
Low carb vegetables: Cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, pumpkin, turnip, asparagus, all kinds of greens, mushrooms, herbs - plus small amounts of higher carb veg: carrots, red bell peppers, yams, winter squash
Fats to cook with including butter, olive oil, ghee and coconut oil
Limited amounts of lower carb / high protein dairy
Some soy products
Nuts and seeds
Avocado
Very small amounts of fruit in season, mainly berries and melons
Some air popped popcorn with butter and salt as a treat once a week
Mayo, salsa, tamari, asian sauces, etc for flavour and to make protein easier to eat

Extras
I eat very limited amounts of:

Grains (and have pretty much given up all wheat and gluten)
I almost never have white potatoes or rice, and if I do eat them, only a spoonful or so.
Instead of regular pasta I use shiritaki noodles or tofu noodle (AKA bean curd skin)
I do make occasional low carb and sugar free desserts, but only every couple weeks or so
During the holidays, vacations etc, I do indulge a bit in the real thing when it comes to desserts, but I pay for it with a few extra pounds that take some effort to lose. I am learning to indulge less!
I drink alcohol seldom and usually just a glass of wine when I do indulge (Trips to see my friends in the UK involve some Guinness consumption, but these happen rarely!)

What I almost NEVER eat:
Commercial desserts, breads, tortillas, pastas, candies, cookies etc
Drinks with calories, other than my protein shakes
Potato chips, tortilla chips etc.

At 2+ years out, it really is a matter of what I choose to eat rather than what I can or can not eat -and I have to often ask myself whether I am feeding a craving or feeding my body- and make decisions with open eyes - I do sometimes feed the craving, but I don't get to pretend to myself that I am doing anything else.

Good luck - I LOVE my VSG and am enjoying a level of health and strength that I never imagined would be possible!

 Thank you so much thats really helpful! May I ask why you dont eat a lot of fruit?  Is it because of the sugar? 

Yep the higher carb fruits work against me in a few ways:

1. I am carb sensitive, so it cranks up my bodies production of insulin, which causes fat and weight gain.

2. They don't really fill me up, so I end up eating more.

3. I end up with increased hunger and increased cravings for more carby sugary stuff - and the cycle continues.

I am by no means a saint when it comes to what I eat every single time I put something in my mouth, but I find that if I avoid carbs that I can be the boss of my food, instead of it being the boss of me - and that is the way I like it!

Your post was very helpful. Thanks!  

I do have one question for you though... I'm planning to have a VSG soon. Does the procedure in fact help to "remove" that feeling of wanting to eat even though you're already full OR eating beyond hunger, like to the point where I only stop once I'm in physical pain?  That's my current problem that I'm hoping the procedure will help with and from what I'm reading that's what the sleeve helps with because the fundus is removed along with the greater portion of the stomach.   

It definitely helps, I do not eat past the point of feeling full - and definitely do not eat to the point of physical pain. BUT ... at three years out I am only too aware that there are foods that I can eat large quantities of without feeling full - mostly junky carbs like chips, cookies etc. These do not tend to fill the sleeve the way that protein does, and it becomes possible to eat enough crap to put weight back on. Still, I continue to have great restriction, and if I eat protein first, low carb veg second, this just leaves room for a bite or two of potato, or grain side dish or whatever, so the sleeve continues to be very effective for weight control, as long as I don't actively try to work around it.

I'm 7 weeks out and I can pretty much eat whatever I want.

I stick to cheese, meats, and veggies. There are a few things that I've notice are little harder on me then others- beans sit really heavy on my tummy...black, kidney, baked beans, etc. I fill up very very fast and  then feel sort of sick. I also don't tolerate cheddar cheese very well anymore either. I've tried a sip of diet coke and it didn't really feel good and I burped 4 times off one small sip so I think I'll keep away from the carbonation for awhile.

From time to time I'll have a piece of sugar free chocolate or a small serving of sf ice cream. I had my 6 week appt last week and the dr said to try some whole wheat or multigrain pasta and that did pretty good. Of course I couldnt eat very much but the few bites that I did have were really good and felt find.

I was pleasantly surprised on the things I can still eat....everything's just a quarter of the serving I used to have! :)

I also have a sleeve of steel! Nothing has caused a problem except the first post op bite of carbs: bday cake. I just wanted a bite but it felt a little stuck and I didnt like that feeling! I eat eggs, dairy, nuts, steak,chocolate, all meats,salad...its all good! I just eat very little but I'm satisfied with it bacause I feel nice n full! I love my sleeve!!!!!

 I am a year out of surgery, April 25th.  I have problems eating rice, breads, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and grapes.  Sauces do not settle well either.  Because your going to need all the protein you can get you'll realize that cereal can be a waste unless it is high in protein.  Good luck:)