Which Postop Week Did You Start Salad And Green Smoothies?

Hi. I'm back with more VSG questions. I can't have raw veggies or salads until 4 months as per my program. Which week did you guys get to have salads and green smoothies? Any issues with them? Thanks in advance.

We don't have much room anymore, so protein has to take precedence for good nutrition. Even 13 months post surgery, I don't have room for green smoothies, only the 11 oz. daily whey protein drink.and I eat small servings of berries and green veggies only after solid proteins. That's what my program emphasizes and it's working: down 123 pounds as of today! When I do eat salad, I can't eat more than 2-3 bites after having my chicken, fish, or other protein.

I was clear for raw veggies and greens at 8 wks, with 2 caveats: chew the heck out of them and protein first. After protein, I can get in a few bites of salad or veggies?not much more than that. If the protein topping is flavorful or juicy, I skip dressing. If not, I add a splash or olive oil and balsamic. I've had no problems. But again, I've only eaten it in small amounts and after eating the protein first.

Sounds like your program differs and maybe there are good reasons why.

I cant speak to green smoothies, as I?ve never really gotten into those. I?m surprised that those would not be permitted at an earlier stage, provided it was made with low sugar ingredients (ie, no orange juice, etc)

My plan has me skip liquid calories, since they're too easy to consume - so never on the green smoothies. I was allowed to have raw veggies at 6 weeks. But I rarely had room for them after eating my protein for close to a year.

I have to agree with the others...I wouldn't waste my time with smoothies. They're just another word for "slider foods" and won't keep you satisfied. Nothing wrong with salad, though, as long as you eat your protein first and have the salad as an add-on. I was allowed raw lettuce at 6 weeks, and other raw veggies at 8 weeks post-op (chew, chew, chew!). However, I found that, in order to get my protein in without having to continue using protein shakes (which I despised and still do, and stopped using at about 3 months post-op), I rarely had room for more than 1 or 2 oz of veggies.

At 22 months post-op, I can eat 6-8oz total depending on what I'm having. That usually includes 4-5 oz protein and no more than 2-3 oz of veggies.

Smoothies are crap. All sorts. Outside of protein drinks when you need them, you never want to be drinking calories of any kind. Its a guaranteed route to regain.

Salads are a waste of stomach space. You need to prioritize protein until you reach your goal. You just don't have room now. And later on, salads evolve into calorie delivery vehicles. The toppings and dressings add up to a huge number of calories.

Thanks everybody. I had been looking at videos from Dr. Vuong talking about green smoothies being key to reaching our goals, and was considering them. It's easy for a newbie to become mesmerized and confused, and not know which way to go. Thanks again for pulling me back from the edge.

I think that it is important to distinguish smoothies as a calorie trap and green smoothies in the context of the entire message of Dr. Vuong. I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. I would caution against putting anyone on a pedestal and weigh the results based on the results you are looking for. I hardly think green smoothies are "the edge" but I do think it could be easy to drink way excessive calories for some people, depending on what the rest of their diet looks like. Green smoothies have their place but it probably is better/best to get your greens in food if you can. I also added/add protein to mine when I have them, (which is not what he teaches). I still learned a lot from his videos about mindset, etc.

Yes, sometimes it's confusing. I'm trying to stay in ketosis. I have remained in ketosis since the preop diet although the scale isn't moving. I didn't want to do smoothies to drink empty calories. I wanted to get some raw greens in so that I wouldn't become dependent on laxatives. I can't have raw veggies or salads until 4 months. I have trouble enough getting my solid protein in. Dr. Vuong acknowledges the benefits of ketosis, but then when he talks about the green smoothies, he adds a banana and other fruits in with it.

I know the VSG is just a tool and that I have to do something else along with it. I want to do Keto with intermittent fasting, but can't really find a lot of others with the combo of VSG, Keto, and IF. It's a struggle but I'm keeping on until I get frustrated enough with the scale not moving. At that point I will take out a loan and get the bypass so I don't have to see the same number on the scale week after week while eating next to nothing.

I wouldn't jump to bypass just yet (hugely different anatomically than VSG having experienced VSG restriction and bypass now for medical reasons); how far post op are you? It can be normal to plateau for some time before the scale resumes even if you are doing all the right things. If you are consistent for long enough it will move. There are a number of VSG patients who eat Keto or some combination of IF and lower carb. You might just need to tweak a few things and play around with macros and be patient. I would not focus on ketosis personally just make healthier choices. If you do a protein powder supplement/shake, why not add some baby spinach and/or avocado? It doesn't have to be fruit. I would really caution against cutting out fruit altogether but maybe you want to eat some berries with greek yogurt or something from Pintrest. If you go over to the RNY forum you can find plenty of frustrated posters who have had a bypass dealing with stalls or regain too, so try not to think you are failing somehow so soon. Just some encouragement.