PdxMan

I think I was a little more swollen then the average bear as I was at least a month out before I could take what I would call a drink, not a sip. 11 months post-op, I still do not take drinks like I used to do and, of course, the amount I can drink is drastically reduced. I used to be able to drink two 8 oz glasses of water without blinking an eye. Now, I can drink about 1/3 of a glass and I am done. I have to take two drinks to get that 1/3 in.

And your with them because ... I dropped my PCP because he was clueless about WLS. It wasn't that he was non-supportive, but any question I asked him regarding nutrition or hormones, he would answer, "I don't know ... with your WLS, it changes everything ... I'm not a bariatric surgeon" OK ... perhaps that is the issue with your PCP. They don't know anything about it and don't want to take the time to learn. Time to move on.

Just be sure to chew it real well. Take small bites and wait before you take another. Assess how it makes you feel and decide from there. You are not going to get the 'normal' full signal, so only have a couple pieces and stop.

Nice to see you on the other side, Candyman. Let us know if you have any questions. Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions you don't want to post publicly. Happy to help.

Just got back from Vegas (Baby!) . As Katyb pointed out, there are a couple Walgreens on the strip, so you can pick up a Muscle Milk. I ate a lot of Soups and salads for dinners and lunch. How far out are you? Just be sure you're cleared for alchohol before you indulge and know your limits. I'm not a drinker, so I do not know, but I understand it hits you faster and leaves you faster with the sleeve, but I don't know. Where are you staying at? First thing I did was to hit Trader Joes and pick up a case of Water, Protein drinks, beef Jerky and other supplies. Set yourself up for success and have a great time!

Self-pay in the Portland, OR area is $35,000 as of May, 2011. I don't know if this has changed since, but I could not do that, needless to say. I did not want to go to Mexico, so I opted for Dr Umbach in Las Vegas (Baby!) for $10,400. Worked out great and I would recommend him. I don't know why there are vast differences, but I do know they whole healthcare/insurance gambit in these United States is corrupt. Barriatric cost and coverage is but a symptom.

I agree with CowGirlJane. Your body can't maintain that rate of loss. Stalls are a necessary part of the journey and should not discourage you. My weight is tracked in my signature which you can see if you view this post through a web page.

On days I exercise, about 120. Day before a race, about 200. On a day off, about 60.

Yeah, I lived on watermelon post-op. Great source of water and wonderful flavor. I say go for it, but be sure to chew it well.

As soon as I was off of pain meds. 4 days. Not a big deal.

Yowsers! Congrats and sleep when you can!

I've learned to time my bites and drinks. Last Saturday night, the wife and I went out for dinner. I had a race the following morning, so I was looking to "carb up". We split a Shrimp Scampi with cream sauce on linguini. Oh, there were also these little rolls. I ate one. I take a bite, put the fork down and chew the life out of it. Swallow and wait a minute. Take a drink ... wait a minute ... repeat. I was able to pretty much eat my half doing this. My wife actually didn't finish hers, either, but she also had a side salad. Basically, we had a whole (our size) portion to take home. The next day, ran my race (won my age/division ... yea!) and came home a couple hours later. I was hungry, so I pulled out the leftovers. Again the portion was the size of what I ate the previous night. Since I wasn't trying to "carb up" at this point, I did not drink with my lunch. I was only able to eat half of that portion. So, the night before, drinking with eating I was able to eat twice the amount of the same meal the following day ... and I didn't have one of those rolls at lunch, either ... So, yeah, I can definately eat more when drinking.

Check this out. Lots of great things to get started.

A Google search revealed this. I think it depends on your activity level and the food you normally eat. Talk to your NUT about the activity level you are currently maintaining and whether casein supplementation makes sense for you. I choose to supplement with whey knowing that I will be getting casein from natural sources, so I do not supplement casein, but your needs may be different.

I have not had that problem, but I have read many threads where people share the same issues. Try using the search functionality in the upper right corner on a web page. From what I remember, people suggest usings a ppi (acid reducer). Also, be sure that you are chewing your food REALLY well. More than you did pre-op. And, of course, take smaller bites.

Lots of posts on this topic. Use the search functionality to read a bunch of thoughts. Here is where I recorded mine.

I know I can eat A LOT more when I drink and eat at the same time. This is what I do to prepare for races when I need to increase my calories. It triggers the pyloric valve to open and send food on down to the intestines creating more room in the stomach.

Candyman, check out the Fitness and Exercise forum. There is a thread there for FitnessPal friend joining.

I haven't heard of the Cookies, but costco also sells the Protein bars. Same deal ... 30 grams of protein. 3 flavors ... Can't remember them exactly ... chocolate Peanut Butter, double chocolate and yogurt something. They are big, so it takes me awhile to eat one, but they are good.

As long as it takes ... Everyone is different. Your stomach swelling may be more/less than others. Just try to do the best you can. Be sure to get your Water in, too. How far out are you?

Gosh ... I'm not saying I'm an authority on this by any means, but from my experience at 11 months out, this couldn't be farther from the truth. I hope no one has this expectation. The sleeve is a tool which helps you restrict your portion size and that is about it. Anyone can still make poor food choices and if you drink liquids with your meals, you can eat a large quantity. I know this because I practice this. For those who haven't read some of my posts, I am a runner now, post-sleeve and race competively. I ran just last Sunday and won my age division. Nutrition is my biggest challenge and the only way I can get enough calories in is to break the sleeve rules. Starting two days before a race, I eat and drink at the same time and can put away a lot of food. I am eating chocolate and all sorts of things which I am sure is not recommended by bariatric dieticians. Buuuut ... I am at goal and exercise A LOT. So, I wouldn't recommend anybody else follow my diet unless you, too, were committed to serious amounts of exercise. Bottom line, the tool is not going to teach you to eat properly. You still have to do that and you can still make bad decisions with the sleeve, so please don't believe the sleeve is going to do it for you.

I get them in the mail from costco. Their little booklet of coupons you get like 6/8 times a year. If you don't get them, then you need to have your address updated in their computer. Go to the service desk and explain you didn't get one and they will give you a booklet. Also ask to have your address confirmed so you get them in the future. And no, I don't work for Costco, either.

I know I have sounded like a salesperson for Premier Protein shakes in all my previous posts regarding protein supplements ... but really, I'm not on the take. I have tried dozens of RTD and powders and I have settled on these. Yes, they can be chalky at the end if you are sipping and taking awhile, so I tend to put my thumb over the opening and give a shake before each swallow when I drink them slower. OK, here's the sales pitch ... Right now at Costco in my neck of the woods, they have $5 off coupons bringing the price per case down to $20 for 18 pack. The coupon allows you to buy 2 cases for $10 off. I have stocked up. I think I have about 8 cases. Hey ... they keep well. I have the vanilla and chocolate. I would like to try the strawberry, but my Costco doesn't stock them.

I think people would say I am a risk taker, too. But when it came to post op eating, I was the opposite. Let's take a look at what has been done to us. We had 80-85% of our stomachs removed with a titanium staple line going from the top to bottom of our stomach ... no small scratch, there. This is our stomach. One of the most active organs in our bodies as it is the mechanical part of eating process. It secretes the acids and churns the food to get it into a paste to pass through the pyloric valve and down into your intestines for absorption. Do I really want to hinder it's healing process? Is jumping ahead a week in my diet progression really worth it? I'm going to have this sleeve for the rest of my life and I want it to heal solid. I was not going to throw it curve balls. Was I too passive ...? Perhaps. But now I am going on 11 months out and I can confidently eat anything. I am glad I did not try to test my staple line with advancing my diet too quickly. What's the point?