Indymom

Glad things are looking up, best of luck and I hope they get things figured out!

If you find the refried Beans or other purees to be too thick, you can always add a small amount of broth to thin them out. I found that adding flavors/spices to my foods helped me "enjoy" them more (so I would add a small amount of salsa or mild taco bell sauce to my refried beans, for example). I was allowed canned meats like tuna and chicken during my pureed/mushy stage, I just made sure to chew everything VERY thoroughly. I would mix with a bit of mayo and dill relish (check your food plan for the relish, some plans may not allow this).

My nutrition plan allowed soft, canned meats during the purees/mushies stage. I made tuna and chicken salad (I was allowed a bit of dill relish) with light mayo. I also ate lots of SF pudding, applesauce, yogurt, etc. This stage was pretty monotonous but it goes by quickly!

Congrats on your surgery date, I can't believe how quickly it happened for you! The pre-op testing was crazy, I was there for almost 5 hours!!

Welcome! This is a great site with lots of good resources. Congratulations on your loss so far, that's fantastic!

You look fantastic. Congrats!

Yowza . . . congrats!

Congratulations! Your blog is very inspirational.

I "officially" weigh in once a week but I jump on the scale when the mood suits me (or when I feel like I've had a bad couple days). Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and other times not! I have not thought about how I will handle this once I get to goal . . . I'm hoping I can be like you and stay away from the scale more often than not.

I'm sure it's the ketosis, once you're able to start having mushies/purees and you add a few carbs back in, it should subside. I hated the feeling of ketosis!!

I had a "last meal" too, and for the weeks leading up to surgery I ate sensibly but also enjoyed some of the foods I knew I wouldn't be able to have for a few months (steak, salads, etc.). Don't get too hung up on the concept of a 'food funeral' or saying goodbye forever to certain things, though. One thing I've realized already at 4 months out is that there is really nothing that is completely off-limits. I know from my pre-surgery eating habits and yo-yo dieting that if I really, really want to try something or have a craving for something, I'm better off allowing myself a small treat/taste of it rather than completely abstaining and then making a bad decision later on. I've allowed myself tastes of sweets, carbs, etc. without overdoing it (like I would have pre-surgery).

I've had a pretty major flare-up of my ulcerative colitis which resulted in me getting severely dehydrated on Wednesday and ending up in the ER for an EKG, fluids and bloodwork. All was OK except the dehydration, so I was sent home with strict orders for gatorade, a potassium drink supplement for 10 days (YUCK) and my gastroenterologist prescribed me a 5-week course of prednisone. I'm hoping the prednisone works quickly because the flare-up is pretty miserable and has kept me from working out for close to a month. My weight loss has stayed pretty consistent but I expect that the pred will cause some temporary water-weight gain and facial swelling, so I'm preparing myself for looking like the "old me" for a bit. I know any weight gain will drop right off when I taper down from the pred, but I reserve the right to be whiny for a while about this. Carry on!

I only did the "chew & spit" once and felt really guilty about it. I didn't crave 'bad' foods during my first few months of purees/mushies, I craved salads, veggies and fresh fruits. Hang in there, it seems like it's going to be forever but you'll be surprised how quickly the time passes and you'll be eating "normal" again.

I can't say more than what anyone else has already said. That nurse is an a*****e, and you need to immediately file a written complaint with your surgeon's office about her. Way to go on your weight loss, don't get discouraged and keep up the good work!!

My surgeon and nutritionist both advised it was OK to drink right up until eating. They said no drinking for 30 mins to an hour after, though. I have sipped a bit during meals and didn't notice any huge difference, I eat a lot of spicy food so I honestly sometimes need a bit of a sip to calm the fires down. Once I accidentally took too big of a drink during eating and that was the closest I've come to vomiting since being sleeved, so for me I feel like it will always be more of a comfort issue than a concern that I'm helping my food "slide" through (though i do believe that can occur as well).

I am so glad I can still eat spicy food! I was finally feeling "human" again tonight after over a month of being sick with gastrointestinal problems, so we splurged and went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Eating slowly, I was able to eat one mozzarella stick (appetizer), 5 chicken wings (30 grams Protein, woot!) and I picked at a few of my daughter's french fries. Now, mind you, I was extremely full after this and probably overdid it just a bit, but I took my time and enjoyed every bite of it. Normally at that restaurant I do the naked tenders with side dipping sauce and a small salad, but the celebration tonight was really nice, and a great treat to have for a change. I'm glad I still like chicken, it's honestly my all-time go-to food. You can't really beat the protein it packs without much fat or calories. I've gotten very creative with how I prepare it, though.

I've had a bit of caffeine here & there (for example, I really splurged at dinner with the family tonight and ordered a regular Coke!). I'm 4 months out, I probably had 5-7 sips of the Coke before dinner and only one during (because I was eating spicy and needed a bit of a cool-down). In general I'm avoiding caffeine and carbonation, but like the treat every once in a while. I really miss my regular iced tea, but I know that when I start drinking tea I like too much of it so I'm just not giving into the temptation at all. I wasn't a big soda drinker pre-op but love a taste here & there. My surgeon never said anything about carbonation or caffeine stretching my sleeve, just that both should be avoided.

Congrats, I just got there too! My starting weight was just a bit higher than yours and my surgery was the day after, so you and I are pretty much on the same track. I attribute all my early loss to exercise as well, and while I had some recent health issues that tipped me over to onederland I'm still going to take it. WAY TO GO for you and our fellow August sleevers!!!!

Thought I would post a quick update. I'm still on a high dose of prednisone and as I wasn't having much relief, my doctor did a colonoscopy Weds and found that my colitis has gotten a bit more severe (though hasn't spread through more of my colon). He has added in a script for Cipro which I'm not thrilled about because it's got some pretty harsh side effects. So far on day two I'm doing OK with it and am hoping to start tapering off the prednisone in the next few days (I'll still have to taper for about 5 weeks so I have a while with it). Luckily I haven't experienced the weight gain or extreme hunger that prednisone can cause (yet), so my weight loss has continued. I've definitely not been able to get my protein targets in and haven't for probably about 3 weeks, but as I'm starting to feel better I think it will be easy to get back to my routine. I hit ONEDERLAND this week! (nothing like raging diarrhea and no hunger to help along those lines) so I'm still motivated to move my weight loss forward. Thanks to all of you for your kind words, it really helped when I was feeling so wretched. Now that I'm feeling better I'm anticipating getting back to the gym next week, if only to do some walking on the treadmill or track to get back in gear. It feels good to almost be myself again!!

I've had a rough month with some health issues, and after a colonoscopy, change in meds, and not being able to work out for a month (UGH!) I'm still on track to hit my goal!! Most importantly, I finally hit ONEDERLAND!!! I still can't believe it. Indymom ~ 215 SW . . . . . 198 CW . . . . . 190 GW . . . LBS to GOAL: 8 October 31 ~ 215 lbs November 14 ~ 209 lbs (-6 lbs) November 21 ~ 205 lbs (-10 lbs) December 6 ~ 198 lbs (-17 lbs)

I take a softgel multivitamin complete (w/ iron) - made by NatureMade. It's a pretty big pill but since it's a softgel I don't seem to have problems with it.

If you don't mind the extra expense and like the convenience, you could buy those pre-cooked grilled chicken strips. Not sure about the sodium content, but those would be a high-protein "grab & go" meal or snack. I usually grill 2 big chicken breasts at the beginning of the week and eat from them for a few days . . . I've even found myself grabbing some for breakfast as I'm getting a little tired of eggs.

I never had heartburn/reflux issues pre-op - in fact, I always bragged about my "stomach of steel" (I could eat anything from spicy buffalo wing sauce, jalapenos, hot salsa, etc.) but I've had reflux since my surgery. I was originally on omeprazole twice daily and I've just been switched to Dexilant in the morning and OTC Zantac at night. My surgeon and nutritionist said that most people may only need the PPI for 6-12 months so I am hoping that is the case for me!

I'm like Wishes - I might feel a buzz pretty quickly but it disappears quickly too. I went out with friends for my birthday and drank beer all night, and felt good but never got overly sloshed like I might have pre-op. I waited until I was close to 3 months out, but I'm not drinking as frequently as I did pre-op. I have found the best thing for me to drink is a vodka mixed drink (usually a vodka/tonic goes down OK, the carbonation doesn't bother me) and I can also do a bloody mary or two . . . extra spicy!!

Suzanne, that's a ton of great info for pre-op sleevers! Just a reminder to all, though - keep in mind your nutritionist's food plan may differ from Suzanne's. For example, I was only on clears for 5 days and was able to start eating mushy foods more quickly than she did - but I stayed on mushies for longer and couldn't add in solid Proteins until month 2. Make sure you're always referring to your plan (but there are tons of good suggestions for foods for each stage!).