NLWC.Christa

Our surgeon recommends a high-Protein diet pre-op. I used the Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacement shakes for Breakfast and lunch and then had a dinner that consisted of a lean protein and a non-starchy vegetable. Turkey burgers with Weber grill seasoning and steamer bags of broccoli and cauliflower were my mainstays. I know in my previous, no-carb dieting days, having a dense protein for breakfast helped to keep me satisfied until lunch. A few tricks I learned during my pre-op diet: 1. Drink lots of Water and no-sugar Clear liquids (ie crystal light). I really paid attention to my hunger signals and learned to differentiate between "head" hunger and actual hunger. A lot of times I found that thirst would mask itself as head hunger, so constantly drinking fluids helped me to get through it. 2. If I ate a "real" breakfast, as opposed to a shake, the later in the morning I ate, the better. If I ate too early in the day, I would feel the need to pick at something all day long. 3. Keep "good" veggies on hand for those times when you do get peckish. I always had cucumbers and green peppers handy. Good luck!

I had surgery on a Tuesday and my follow-up appt was on the following Wednesday. I had originally planned to go back to work the next day (that would have been post-op day 9), but my surgeon left it up to me and I went back to work on the next Monday, post-op day 13. I decided to get a little more rest as I was still feeling less-than-energetic from being on clear liquids for the first 2 weeks.

I watch all of my normal food Network shows and now that we have the Cooking Channel, I'm constantly on the lookout for recipes I can use now or tweak into something WLS-Friendly. Nigella Lawson is one of my favorites, David Rocco, Giada, French Food at Home, Food Crafters...I'm a foodie at heart, so I take it as a personal challenge to take their ideas and make them work for me and my tiny tummy. On the flip side of the coin, I know that my sleeve is only a tool, and that I have to really work on my food triggers and my will power. If I can't watch a TV show without running for the cupboard, how will I be able to keep my hands out of the next candy jar, cookie packet or bag of sour cream and onion chips that I run into?

For me, it was lemonade. Prior to surgery, Lemonade was a drink that I would choose ONLY if there was no other non-carbonated option, and even then I could only *just* tolerate it. Post-op: I make crystal light lemonade EVERY SINGLE DAY! I toss in some slices of orange and omg so yum! I literally can't get enough. What foods/beverages did you love before surgery but after surgery, not so much? And vice versa?

I made this recipe last night, the eggs stayed nice and soft and it was really delicious. I took the leftovers to work with me and we all had it today...it was a hit with the girls in the office. Cheesy Egg Bake I picked up an Xpress Redi Set Go cooker at Target and cut the recipe in half. It made 4 half-cup servings, 16g Protein each. a half-cup might be a bit much at just two weeks out (it was almost too much for me at 1 month out) but it was light and fluffy. So it is a really good source of protein. To add to Tiffy's list, I also eat ricotta cheese, 100calorie Nesquick chocolate milk (8g protein, I find it at the convenience store), and my doc approved low-fat string cheese (chewed well).

I have no idea how to add friends, it seems.

I'll be 4 weeks post-op tomorrow. At 15 days post-op, I had lost 25 lbs. Then I was hospitalized for nausea and dehydration. I was released on a soft/mushy diet and when I went back to work on post op day 20, I had gained 3 lbs (I am well aware that is because of being properly hydrated, finally) since then (August 30) I'm sitting at 22-23 lbs lost. Just hanging out, apparently. Here are my food diaries since August 30, have a look and see if anything jumps out at you. I'd love to know what you all were eating at 3-4 weeks post-op and if you have any suggestions. My dietician is concerned about my Protein intake, so for the last few days I've really been working to get in at least 60 grams. 2-3 ounces is really about all I can do at this time. Anyway, if you have any input/insight, I'd love to hear it. Thanks! Aug 30 - Sept 5: http://www.fatsecret.com/export/3588352/AD302/14851/week/food/FoodDiary_100830_foods.pdf Sep 6 - Today: http://www.fatsecret.com/export/3588352/30F8E/14858/week/food/FoodDiary_100906_foods.pdf

I love love love the Oikos Caramel flavor. It is just sweet enough and an easy breakfast. I keep our fridge at work stocked with it!

I spoke with a woman in the TriCare authorization department today and she denied the sleeve as a non-covered service, but was able to change the code for me over the phone and approved the bypass. As Tiffy mentioned, she stated that they follow Medicare guidelines as far as covered procedures are concerned. BTW, we are a civilian doc and civilian hospital, there are no military facilities performing WLS in our area. I do all of the insurance pre-determinations and pre-certifications in our office and for the life of me, I can never figure out TriCare. I've always been very fortunate to speak with helpful provider reps though who walk me through.

I'm going to use my RSG tonight to make the Cheesy Egg Bake recipe from the Bariatric Eating website ( Cheesy Egg Bake ) UPDATE: I cut the recipe in half and used the divided pan to make 4 half-cup servings. I set the cook time to 7 minutes at first (all of the egg recipes in the RSG book say 7 minutes) but it needed more time, so I added 5 more. And let me tell you, it is delicious! I had just a tiny bit of egg stick to the top, but it wiped right off and the eggs came out of the pan easily. I cooked the second batch for 13 minutes to get a little more browning around the edges, and they came out perfectly. I'll definitely be using this little gadget regularly!

I'm one month post-op on Friday and I couldn't be more pleased. The first month has not been without its challenges, but overall, I feel really good! I'm trying to keep some variety in my diet and I log everything that passes my lips. That has been a tremendous help, as I struggle to get in my 60+ grams of Protein a day. Logging keeps me honest. I went back to work at 13 days post-op, feeling fantastic if a little tired from being on Clear liquids for two weeks. But, I made a couple of crucial errors. First, I wasn't diligent enough about getting a full 64 ounces of liquid each day and second, I stopped taking my reflux medication as it made me feel sort of ill. I justified that I'd never really had any reflux issues, so it wouldn't hurt. I was wrong. On the first day I tried to eat *real* food (ricotta cheese and some blended pears), I became nauseated and found myself vomiting in the parking lot of Starbucks. I went home and slept the rest of the day. The next day, I got very weak and nauseated and again went home to sleep. On Thursday, I was going to go home early, but my surgeon thought I might be a little dehydrated, so he sent me to the hospital for IV fluids (working for your surgeon has its advantages), I was vomiting before I got out of registration. It turns out (after an Upper GI and an EGD) that my stomach was full of acid and I was in a downward spiral of nausea and dehydration. Two days of fluids, instructions to take a PPI everyday and a prescription for Reglan later and I was as good as new. I'm vigilant about my Fluid intake now and I'm sticking to soft/mushy foods. I had actually gained 3 lbs by the time I was rehydrated and I'm in a little bit of a stall. My dietician thinks it is because I wasn't getting in all of my protein, so I'm watching that more closely, as well. I'm confident I will start dropping again soon, especially as I have been cleared to increase my exercise. (Hello, Zumba!) This past weekend I traveled with my mom, my aunt and my sister out of town for my mom to have an outpatient procedure. We ate out every meal and I found it very easy to find "sleeve-friendly" menu items at each place we went and I logged, logged, logged everything. I'm confident I will be a sleeve success story and I would choose to do it again in a heartbeat.

What guidelines did your surgeon give you? My doc and dietician recommend meals that are 2-4 ounces in size (depending on what stage ie, mushies, soft foods, etc) with a Protein goal of at least 60 grams per day. I always eat my protein first and then maybe a bite or two of something else, if I have room. More often than not, I don't. I'm in the mushy/pureed food stage at almost 4 weeks out, so about 2 ounces is about all I can manage at this point. I supplement with a Protein Drink for Snacks. I use fatsecret.com and their app for my mobile phone to keep track of everything I eat during the day. Here is a link to a good guide at bariatriceating.com if you need some more ideas: BariatricEating.com Health & Nutrition - The Bariatric Eating Plan

I'm an SLer, I never got into WoW.

Whenever I visit my friend, a former vegetarian, he often makes this for a light supper or late night snack. It has become one of my favorite dishes, so I decided to try to make it WLS friendly. I plan to try it once I get to the soft food stage. I hope you like it! Chick Peas Gratin 1 15oz can Chick Peas, drained 1/2 Medium Chopped Onion (about 1/4 cup) 1/4 c. Chopped Celery 1/4 c. Chopped Bell Pepper 1/2 c. No Sugar Added Tomato Sauce 1/2 c. Canned chicken Breast, drained 1/4 c. Low Fat Shredded cheese Drain and rinse the chick peas until they are no longer "foamy" Chop all vegetables finely. (For the mushy stage, I plan to saute them until soft in a little chicken or vegetable broth) Drain the chicken. (I listed canned chicken as my surgeon allows it during the mushy stage, but left over baked or grilled chicken, chopped, could work as well.) Mix all together with the tomato sauce in a shallow casserole dish. You may use a bit more of the tomato sauce, it is used just to coat everything and provide a little bit of cooking liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese and bake at 350 until the cheese is bubbly and the chick peas are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! The original recipe calls for A LOT more cheese and does not contain chicken. I added the chicken to up the Protein and cut back on the cheese for obvious reasons. :biggrin2: You can season this with salt, pepper or even a little garlic, basil or oregano, as per your tastes. I ran this through a recipe builder to get the nutrition info and for four servings, this is what I came up with: Calories 219, Carbohydrates 28, Protein 14 Fat 5 This used only "generic" brands and NSA Tomato Sauce was not an option, so you may want to check it against the nutrition values of the brands you use.

I made this tonight and it makes more than 4 servings...at least, I couldn't eat 1/4th of the dish. I've only been eating mushy foods for a week or so, and could only eat about 1/8 of it. But it was really good!

OH! Add me! Add me! I'm christamccoy on Fat Secret! I love this site...and I love the app for my phone even more!

Our office went to lunch at a local Mexican Restaurant last Monday, my first time eating out since surgery. I chose the only Soup on the menu, Caldo de Pollo, a tasty broth-based soup with shredded chicken, pico de gallo (tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, cilantro) and rice. (I found out later the rice was added right before serving and could be left out). After chatting with a friend, we came up with this version. I don't know the exact nutrition facts, but it is very tasty...not to mention fast and easy! CALDO DE POLLO Prepared Pico de Gallo (from the supermarket) Shredded Chicken Breast (I actually used canned chicken) Goya Sazon seasoning (check the latin foods section of your supermarket) Chicken broth Heat in a sauce pan and garnish with fresh cilantro. This is the Sazon seasoning - It gives an authentic flavor to brothy soups: http://mitiendapuertorico.com/All%20Picts/Seasonings-Condiments%20Picts/Seasonings%20Goya%20Sazon%20sin%20Achiote%203.5oz.jpg

I'm 3 weeks post-op and traveled this weekend with my mom, aunt and sister. I portioned some Protein powder into individual serving ziploc bags and chose yogurts for breakfast. At restaurants I often had egg beaters or Soup. One restaurant we chose had a crab cake entree that was only lightly breaded, and had very little bready filler. I just picked off the crusty edges. Basically, I tried to stick to soft foods that were good sources of protein. Of course, traveling with my own personal band of food nazis made it easier! I kept myself on track by logging every bite in my Calorie Counter app (fatsecret.com) that I installed on my mobile phone. ETA: Our post-op diet is 2 weeks Clear liquids, 2 weeks full liquids/pureed foods then 2-4 months of soft foods. My doc has been encouraging me to try more solid foods as tolerated, and the only thing I had any issues with was the pieces of beef in some minestrone soup I tried. The meat seemed soft and I chewed well, but it still seemed to "stick"

I just bought one as I thought the pan that makes little round muffins and stuff would be good for making small batches of the bites on eggface's blogs and for omelettes, etc. But I picked it up at Target and didn't have to deal with the telephone sales people or shipping costs. (I read several negative reviews about their ordering process). I've yet to use it, though. I'll update when I do.

I use the Calorie Counter by fatsecret also on my Droid and I love it! I especially love the barcode scanner, it is so handy.

I use fatsecret because they have a great app for my phone

That sounds really good! I'll have to try it this weekend! Thank you :scared0:

Would you mind sharing a sample of your mushy/soft diet? I don't mind the taste of protein drinks, but I'd like to get as much of my protein from "real" foods as often as possible. I start soft foods in two weeks so I'm trying to plan now and gather some soft food recipes that are high-protein. Thanks!

First, Congratulations! Those are some awesome achievements and exactly the kind of "tangible" changes that really push us towards our goals! Second, I don't think it is bragging. I think we HAVE to be honest with ourselves about our achievements, we all have our "cheerleaders" around us (at least, I hope we do) but on some level, I think a lot of us our used to seeing ourselves a certain way, and we tend to discount, or make excuses for, the compliments we are given. When we own up to our own progress and successes, they become more real. So, yeah, be confident in what you have accomplished and what you WILL go on to accomplish. If people see that as bragging, it's on them. Not you. YOU have earned it!