Amanda 3.0

Maybe you need to spend some time with the dietician. It would be helpful to figure out exactly what you are feeling. Ask the dietician to point out where your stomach is now and where you might feel true hunger. Your stomach is probably higher up than you think it is, so you might be feeling "head hunger" in your gut. Three weeks out, I was still on full liquids and had no hunger. Even now, very rarely do I feel hunger. Mostly it is in my head.

A couple of days ago I had the gurgles all day and night! Ugh. That was the day I was very noshy and gave in to snacking. I didn't do too bad, ate about 200 calories of cherries and some corn chips, and a little chicken leg. Since then, and most days, I haven't had this problem to that extent. I wonder what exactly causes it because it is a pain.

I am no expert, that seems like a lot of food. How far out are you? Are you eating when you are not hungry? Do you stop when you are no longer hungry? Or are you looking for a full feeling? Sharp pains are not so good. I would try eating half of that and see how you feel.

If I read that right, you go out to eat as a couple, at his insistence, and then he sits there with Water while you eat? And you tell him you do not want to do this, but he feels he is treating you? If so, I think you should have a sit-down talk with him. You are being very accommodating but you still need to enjoy your food and life too. This is a huge adjustment for any couple. You stated that you have given in and let him take on the shopping and cooking. Like I had posted above, I am the sleeved one in our house, and if your husband is anything like how I was for the first few months, I simply was not interested in cooking, although I wanted to. And, I have always loved to cook! I loved to cook, eat, take pictures of things I made, post them on Facebook! lol And then I got the sleeve, and lost all interest. Whoa! Well, the interest is returning as life becomes normal but even at 2-1/2 months, it is hard to cook. There are always too many leftovers, etc. And then, of course, the conversation couldn't really be about food. What I did, and still do, is to come up with some topics throughout the day and make a mental note of them. Like a news story (could be world news, neighborhood news, human interest, etc.) , or an idea for a business, or a what-if scenario (what if we moved into the city and bought a triplex?), that sort of thing. But I try to have a couple of topics to discuss so there isn't the dreaded silence. I also have a little "game" called Table Topics (couples edition) which is just a bunch of cards with topics for discussion. You could keep a couple in your purse for if you have those silent moments. Maybe you could come up with a compromise? Maybe you could eat at home and let him take you out for a drink at a coffee shop, so you can just sit and talk or people watch? Also, now is a good time to take advantage of ready to eat Entrees. As an avid cook, I have always avoided these products but there are some good and healthy products out there that, while more expensive than made from scratch, are tons cheaper than going out to eat. costco has some great ready to eat stuff, like microwave rice and quinoa, etc. Surely you can find a middle ground until the true "new normal" works out. You are obviously a very caring wife to seek out help on this board! Good luck to you!

Are you sure they don't offer a beef or chicken entree? If it were me, and I were celebrating a 5k (and I do have one scheduled), I would do a steak! I haven't tried Pasta yet, so not sure what to say about the ravioli. Maybe eat the filling from the spinach and cheese?

I have tried scrambled eggs, they sat in my stomach like rocks. The only other type of eggs I have tried are boiled and they are heavenly. Just one is all I can manage though.

I am not sure how it works out with your husband not working, but it is very hard to eat out all the time for us, although it seems easier in the short term because it is hard for me to be motivated to cook. In our case, I had the surgery and my husband is just a normal guy. I don't work outside the home. I am not sure if I understand your post correctly - is he not working because he is going to school? Is he waiting to get healthy before he starts working? If he has all day to himself to go to the gym, while you are at work and school, why is he waiting until you come home before he goes to the gym? Are you pretty average in size, or are you dealing with him losing while you don't? I know, lots of questions!

I am afraid of too much sugar. I kind of like being afraid of the ice cream! I have bought the no sugar added Italian ice for a little treat.

I am sorry you are going through all this. Could you just eat out one time per day? Does your hotel room have a mini fridge? If so, you could get some yogurt or single serving cottage cheeses, or single servings of cheese. Even without a mini fridge you could get some fruit and some Protein bars. I've lived in places where ice storms knock out the power. That is certainly no fun at all!

Shell, your success is fantastic! Congratulations!

There are so many pre-op regimens out there. My surgeon only required that I eat very low fat and vegetarian for two weeks prior. My BMI was at 40. Oh, and nothing to eat or drink after midnight before surgery, of course! But if I were you I would do whatever I could to optimize the surgery. You'll never regret doing the pre-op diet.

You might well be the hottest chick! I think I am one of the smallest in our pool. There is a nice camaraderie in the class. As the new person, some of the regulars will help me if I am not doing something quite right. I know some overweight people are embarrassed to go to the gym, but the Water aerobics class is very different than the weight and cardio areas, in my experience.

Our gym has a pool and Water aerobic classes three days a week. I have been stalled (scale-wise) for a while but I am getting smaller. Well a few water aerobic classes has the scale moving again. Most of the people in the class are much older than I am (47). Some of them have limited mobility. It is a very good workout, and not intimidating at all, even though (OMG!) I am in public in my bathing suit, which is now kind of too big! lol

I was walking many laps in the hospital, and was walking the neighborhood the day I came home from the hospital. I had very little pain at the incision site, but horrendous shoulder pain from gas. I have a home elliptical trainer and I was on that the first week, but not using the arm action. My surgeon approved anything that I felt like doing that didn't involve lifting more than 20 pounds. He suggested biking as a good exercise for soon after surgery.

Where did I say that people can ONLY phone their surgeons? You are free to do whatever you want, post whatever you want, ask any question you want, but if you want the real, drama-free answer from a medical professional, your surgeon is (usually) your best resource. My guess is that if you called your surgeon's office, you would be told to dial back the eating for a while. You might be reminded of things you were told before the surgery. Surely your surgeon's program included education on this life-altering surgery. As a medical student, you surely know how to research the side effects of a surgical procedure. As a medical student, you would be able to comprehend that some foods may never be tolerated again, ever. It is possible that you may never be able to enjoy cheese panini again! You are getting exactly the responses you were looking for so enjoy your day.

Most intelligent people are totally open to criticism of the sleeve or any other procedure. It is in the way the criticism is presented. People who post in an overly dramatic or inflammatory manner will usually get the exact result they are seeking. Unfortunately too many people can't resist responding to dramatic and inflammatory posts. Anyone with a young child can attest that immature folks love to cause a reaction, be it positive or negative. That said, I have to wonder what percentage of folks with complaints were either undereducated on the procedure, or chose not to listen. People sign contracts all the time, even mortgages, without reading them. or thinking the terms don't apply to them. Whatever. People with real questions and concerns should be on the phone with their surgeon's office, not posting nutty stuff here about burgers and mac n cheese. DOH!

This made me laugh so hard!

I am sure that there are other protein powders besides Unjury that would be as good. I was able to buy it from the diet doctor's office, which is right next door to the surgeon's office. So, that was a no brainer. Does your surgeon know where you can get some? I am going to check out the Isopure the next time I need to buy protein. If you read the labels, you probably want to check how many calories you are getting with your protein. For example, the label might say 20g of protein, but does that mean two scoops of protein and up to 300 calories? Hope not! My Unjury strawberry sorbet is 20g protein and 100 calories. Muscle Milk chocolate is 16g protein and 150 calories. Unjury chicken is 21g protein and 90 calories. But, when I was at the gym today, I was checking out some of their supplements and some of them had 300 calories per serving! Those are for bodybuilders or someone else but me! Another day, I bought some protein supplement at Sam's club, and when I got it home, I realized that it had (if I recall) something like 150 calories and only 9g protein. It can really be dizzying to sort through the protein, just whatever you decide, maybe don't buy too much. You are so fortunate to have a caring husband who wants to make everything ready for you. Mine is like that too. It breaks my heart when I hear about unsupportive loved ones.

Well I am glad they know what was causing it and hopefully they will get on with the business of resolving it. Has this been going on since surgery or did this come about later? Hope you get relief soon!

So true! Stick your chest out. I had to stay an additional day as well, but what a difference that day made. I left the hospital feeling fantastic!

Are you home or still in the hospital? Glad you made it through without too much pain! Congrats!

Worst/hardest: Still have to work pretty hard, and waiting for the results. Best: I have HOPE that I haven't had in decades. And, I already feel so much better! I spent a lot of years waiting to be thin to start living, and it wasn't happening.

Kim, Can you go to Houston, or Dallas, to try to see a new surgeon? I know word gets around and if you can't find someone in your area, at least you can get some help elsewhere. Texas seems to be weight loss surgery heaven these days. It seems like you are having to go through everything on your own. Have you not been able to talk to anyone with more experience at all? Are there any support groups in your area, even at one of the different hospitals? Many of the support groups are led by nurses and you don't have to be their patient to attend. I kind of lost track of who said what because I was trying to keep up with the forum while on my phone. But regarding participation here (or anywhere on the internet) - please do not think of this as "bullying". Some people think that anything other than blind acceptance and soft words is bullying. The internet is a crazy honest place and you can use those less than soft words and that criticism to better your case. What if you were able to take what the naysayers and disbelievers wrote and turn that into a better way to state your case. What if using that as a way to hone your story resulted in an attorney picking up your case? Please don't write off the criticism. Because of that, you have been able to draw out most of the facts of your story and I am sure your experience is a lot more helpful now. This would not have happened if everyone just patted your back. It's a blessing in disguise!

I used Powerade Zero because I couldn't find the Gatorade I wanted. Also, Crystal Light has been great for me. I make the pitcher of lemonade flavor and mix it with a scoop of the strawberry sorbet flavored unjury powder. I have one Crystal Light and Unjury drink every day. Crazy thing is that there is no way I would have drank that before surgery. You just can't tell. Even if you liked something a lot before surgery, you may tire of it afterwards. Samples are great, but not foolproof. When something that would have been a small snack or less (a vitamin) becomes a large part of your food intake, you can have very different feelings about it. An example would be the Vitamins. Before surgery, I tried them and they were fine. After surgery, they were okay, but day by day they became less pleasant. Then, they became gross. Then they made me feel sick. And in spite of how important I know they are, I wouldn't even take them every single day. And, that is how it can be with any product! Plus, you might not find yourself too interested in variety. A chicken Protein Powder is very versatile, and one you can add to a drink is great. But to buy too many products, I think you will find them taking up space in your pantry or on your counter! Another shocker for me was how little I can really eat. Like, a can of beans: Maybe you don't like Beans, maybe you do, but that little ol' can of beans would last six days if I didn't throw it out after a couple of days. I totally get where your husband is coming from, he wants to be ready. But in reality you will be up and around in a few days. Hopefully you won't buy what ends up being six months worth of stuff, or stuff you will have to give away or pawn off on your family. lol

It would be nice, now that you've found this site, if you joined some of the other discussions. You could help some other people by becoming a regular participant. There is, for example, an insurance forum, you could probably really help some folks there. I think people get suspicious of people who do "drive-by" posting, where they post something, get a reaction, and then disappear. Not saying you are doing that, I am saying I hope you stick around.