dargar27

WCG, that's great news! Congrats!

15 to go until goal? Wow, that's awesome! Congratulations!!

Hi Kaiser Peeps, I'm just checking in to see how everyone is doing! It's been a quiet forum these days, so I'm hoping all is going well. I'm 7 weeks out and down 29 pounds since surgery on June 6th. Very happy about that! I know it's a no no, but I tried ice cream the other night during our bbq with some friends, and oh my gosh was it the WRONG thing to do. Wiped my stomach out. I also had some milk yesterday and it did a similar thing on a smaller scale since I didn't drink too much. I think I've developed some lactose intolerance that they warned me could happen. So far cheese doesn't bother me, and I hope that doesn't change. I love cheese! Anyone else having any weird food issues? Talk to you all soon! Darlene

Hi Pen, I ended up with a kidney infection from the catheter during the surgery. I had intense pain on the left side coupled with fever, back pain, and chills. If you get a fever or chills, get yourself to the hospital asap. I know this will sound weird, but if it's gas from your surgery the nurse told me to do this and it totally helped me. It's weird, but it works. Lay on your bed with your booty up in the air sort of like an infant would sleep, you know? It helps take the pressure and pushes it towards your rear and alleviates some of the pain. I had major gas pains after my 2nd C Section and the nurse was awesome. When did you have your surgery?

I also get the caramel chews...they are delicious. I just ordered the chocolate but haven't tried them yet. You need to eat 4 per day in order to get all your calcium, but I eat them on my way home from work each night during my 45 min drive home

That's awesome! By the time you're allowed to get prego, you'll probably have lost all your weight....go for it!

Hi there, I'm only 6 weeks out, and doing great. I've lost 24 pounds since surgery, and 15 pounds pre op. I'm still in Phase III of my post op diet, but so far nothing has bothered me. I should be released to phase IV this week, which means I'll be able to eat harder stuff like nuts, salads, etc. I also have 2 small children, and was worried about my energy levels. My husband helped out a lot at first, thankfully. I was pretty low energy for the first few weeks, although nothing too atrocious, and week 5 was really when I felt my energy return, but mostly because I can eat a little more and my body has recovered more from the surgery itself. I've basically had to learn a new way of eating, such as how much I can eat, what I should eat, what i CAN eat, etc. As far as your stomach stretching back to its normal size, the surgeon leaves the smaller, muscle part of the stomach so although it will stretch a little, it's unlikely to stretch too much. You will always have to watch your calories though or you will not lose. It's so much easier now though because I can seriously only eat about 1/2 cup of food at a time. It's an awesome tool, but also a huge commitment to eating right. Also, it's a big learning curve, and some people really struggle at first. I've been really lucky in that I can eat what I want, just smaller portions, and of course I go fat free or sugar free when I can. Most of my focus is getting in the Protein and liquids. I have not been sick or thrown up, but I have definitely felt the restriction of my sleeve when I've eaten too much! My best suggestion is really to attend some support groups if you can, and talk to other people who are post op. This website is awesome as far as information. You get the good, the bad, the ugly, and the great. Keep reading, ask questions, talk to people who are going through the same phase as you as well as people who are further out post op. I had my surgery through Kaiser and they had a mandatory orientation class. It was great. It provided a nice over view, although the best info I got was really from the message boards and from other sleevers who were post op. Good luck with your decision!

HI, I was able to eat eggs any style by week 3, and I started off with a deviled egg....basically ate the middle and left the white part at first. Now I'm 6 weeks out and can eat one half of a deviled egg with the white too. Um, I'm not too sure about the pureed scrambled egg...ew....lol I can eat about 1/2 of a scrambled egg with cheese at this point

Hi My, The first couple of days are tough, but concentrate on getting your fluids in. Everything else will come, don't worry. I remember when I started taking Calcium. I bought these delicious little chewy things from bariatricadvantage.com but they filled me up and then I couldn't eat! So now I eat them on the 45 minute drive home from work. They are like a little candy style snack...and I get my calcium in for the day...lol

Hey Tnt, I'm pretty much hungry every 2-3 hours throughout the day and it drives me nuts! I was hoping I would be one of the lucky ones who doesn't experience hunger, but nope! I have found that I seriously need to watch my calorie intake or I will over eat. I am able to eat way more than most people at only 5 1/2 weeks out and it freaks me out.

I completely understand! I lost 15 pounds my first week, and hardly lost anything in week 2, nothing in week 3. Then, all of a sudden in week 4 I started losing again. Then TOM hit and I'm stalled again...lol Don't freak out, do what Chef and the rest say and you'll be fine. Protein, protein, sip, sip

I'm having that issue too right now. I had some chips on the 4th of July and they were the most delicious things in the world to me. I've been struggling to stay away from them ever since!! I have been on a major salt kick lately. really have to be careful and eat my Protein first so I fill myself up or i will get myself in trouble. I'm only 5 weeks out but I haven't had any food issues and can eat pretty much anything. I almost wish things made me sick but I do understand it's about using the sleeve correctly and re-learning how to eat properly and healthy.

I love those meatballs. They are an easy as bfast, lunch, or dinner. I can eat three and I'm stuffed...no room for any junk

Hi there, I'm almost 6 weeks out and I've also felt the need to cheat. I don't really think of it as cheating, however, since I really can't eat very much at a time. I bought a box of those mini ice cream cone things, and they are 120 calories and perfect as a cheat. My kids love them, and as long as I'm good on calories and carbs for the day, I have been allowing myself to have one at night. Some nights I have one and some nights I'm just too full from dinner, which is great! I love the sleeve and definitely appreciate the restriction it gives me.

Wine Country, that's awesome!

Hi Babysista, Sorry to hear about your infection. Hope you feel better soon

Hey Tamz, I was sleeved on 6-6 so we are really close. I have found that I can eat a lot more food than a lot of other people can too. I've been on solids for a couple of weeks now, but I can eat a good 4 ounces of food, and often I will need to eat again in a couple of hours because I get hungry again. I probably average 800 - 1000 calories in a day! At first it freaked me out, but I'm still losing, so I must be doing okay. An example of Breakfast for me is 1/2 slice of sour dough toast with butter and a piece of turkey bologna or something like that. lunch was about 1/2 cup of egg custard, and two hours later i had three pieces of sliced colby cheese. I then drank 1/4 of a Protein shake on the way home for some extra protein since I still struggle getting it all in. For some reason I've been on a toast kick and seem to crave that piece of sourdough every morning...It's so delicious to me I just can't help myself....lol

Chef, I love spinach and mushrooms together, and green onions...do I get the same health benefit with the green ones? Also, you can probably omit the margarine in the recipe. I used only about a teaspoon and it was fine I'm glad you're feeling better! Oh, and since you're only a week behind me, um, you might want to invest in some benefiber soon....be pro-active there...lol I'm going to make your lasagna today too. Thanks for the recipe I'm back on the road for work this week, so now comes the hard part. I need to pack a lunch that will keep all day and doesn't need to be heated up. Probably basic lunch meat, fruit cup, and cheese, but that should be fine. I can't wait until I'm released to eat salad. What I wouldn't give right now for a salad with chicken on top! I'm glad you're feeling better and the dizziness has decreased. Is it completely gone now? That must have been a little scary for you and your wife to go through. Did she have similar issues with the bypass surgery? Oh, and what is SF frozen yogurt? What does the SF stand for?

Hey Everyone, I got this recipe from someone on another forum, but I tried it and it was delicious! I'm going to add spinach and onion next time and see how it goes 1 1/2 cups ham (cubed or shredded) 6 oz plain Greek yogurt 1/4 cup crushed crackers (saltines/Ritz) 1/4 cup shredded cheese 2 tablespoons margarine 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion (I used onion flakes) 6 eggs Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8x8 pan. Melt the margarine in a large bowl. Add the ham, yogurt, crackers, cheese and onion. Stir. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then stir into the first mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until center is firm. Let stand before serving. 9 servings.

Neil, I'm so glad you didn't have to do the upper G.I. again...it makes me woozy to think about drinking that god awful stuff and then laying down on the moving machine...ugh, I need to lie down now....lol I agree with you about SSF. They are really great and very responsive! When I did my second upper G.I., Dr. Alami came down and watched me do it, watched the computer, then looked at the results afterwards. It was very cool that he came down there as he could easily have left it up to the on call doctor that does those.

Feel better Baby!

Neil, that happened to me in week 2. Dr. Alami told me my stomach was swollen, although I was having pain whenever I ate, and had to do another upper G.I. It sucked, but luckily it calmed down within a week or so. Hopefully yours will as well. Good luck!

I've had that happen a lot recently as well. I'm 4 weeks out and have lost 24 pounds since surgery, and people have noticed. I just tell them bluntly that I've had weight loss surgery when they ask me about it (don't want them to think I'm dying or anything...lol) At a unit lunch recently, I ordered guacamole for lunch because it was the only thing I knew I could eat. It was totally fine because everyone knew about the surgery, and for the most part people have been receptive, have asked lots of questions, and have been supportive. Good luck! I hope your co workers are respectful and supportive of you as well

Hey Tanya, It sounds like you're doing great on the pre op diet! SSF was a little different and didn't require us to have a food journal. They recommended it, but it wasn't mandatory and they never asked to see it. I'm really bad at that, so it was a good thing for me. Did they give you a specific number that you need to lose before surgery?