Indymom

I was allowed soft cheese from the day I got home from the hospital. I've been doing laughing cow, babybel, and even sliced cheddar/jack/etc. They want me to have the lowfat versions so that's what I have been buying. I wonder why that nutritionist is recommending against cheese? It's an awesome form of protein! I love costco, I am looking forward to trying the chicken burger (my parents LOVE them). They have 28 babybel for $10 . . . it's like $4 or $5 for 8 at the grocery. I need to check out the deli meats and I'm thinking that their rotisserie chicken (skinned, of course) will be perfect for chicken salad.

I've not had any trouble with this yet. Though I am a big spicy food fan, so when I'm able to start eating spicy again I'm worried about needing a drink while eating! Any opinions there?

I'm 4 weeks out and getting between 550-700 calories a day, INCLUDING my Protein shakes (2x day for about 50 grams) and 3 meals. I eat about 2 oz per meal, and try to stress protein . . . while also getting a few fruits/veggies. So for example I might have an oz of tuna salad and an oz of sliced cheese, or an oz of cheese and an oz of applesauce. I can't imagine hitting 350 cals per meal already! You might want to double-check with your nutritionist on that. Good luck!!

Yikes . . . not sure, but are you sipping slowly and taking small bites? That's the only thing I can think of. Otherwise, you might call the on-call doc and just make sure it's not indicative of something problematic.

Congrats, you look great! I take NatureMade Multivitamin softgels (complete with iron). They are big but I have been taking since about 5 days out with no problem. I'm also taking the citracal petites . . . I have to take 6 a day but it's really not that bad. Good luck!

What are you eating? Are you tracking your food? The weight gain might be from upping your Water and you may lose that very quickly. If your diet is carb-heavy, you might try upping your Protein and reducing your carbs. I would recommend tracking everything that goes into your mouth so you can see exactly how many calories you're eating (and what the mix of protein, carbs and fat is). Good luck, I'm sure it's frustrating!

I haven't really felt any 'real' hunger since surgery, only in my head. I hope yours resolves soon, and I also suggest the PPI if you're not on one.

Hell no! I can't say goodbye to carbs forever, it's not in my nature. Plus, with my medical history anything coming near my intestines was a no-go.

I received this at the first support group meeting I attended. I think it's all good information to remember. As far as the 64 oz goes, my nutritionist said that my Protein drinks counted towards this total, as did any non-caffeinated and calorie-free drinks (like crystal light, decaf iced tea, etc.).

OK, officially weighing in! 239 CW . . . . . 200 GW September 5 ~ 239 lbs

I would recommend finding out what is exactly causing you these issues by doing an exclusion diet. Eat only one thing the first few days, and each day add in something new. When the symptoms start up again you'll know what was causing the problem.

I was a bit of a carb junkie pre-op . . . not sweets so much, but savory carbs like potato chips, potatoes, etc. I have tried a few bites of various things since surgery - tried potato salad a week ago, tried mashed potatoes the other night, and tried mac & cheese tonight (mind you just a small bite each time). None have tasted good to me. It's the strangest thing! I find myself craving salad, veggies (my mouth was watering earlier thinking about pico de gallo of all things!), and protein. I really hope this continues!!

I can't help answer your question but a Del Taco taco sounds yummy right now! We don't have Del Taco here but when I lived in Phoenix I loved it!!

I'll have to look for that. Eggface makes pizza on whole-wheat low-carb tortillas, not sure how those taste but I'll be doing a lot of experimentation! I do remember trying to make some sort of egg-based pizza crust when I did Atkins years ago, and it was GROSS. I'm hoping that I can eat carbs sensibly and continue to lose without having to be militant about the low-carb thing.

I'm the odd man out that has never really cared for the dark meat. My husband and I always fight about what to buy at Costco, he wants to get the bulk pack of thighs but I just don't care for them.

I was just telling my stepson today that Qdoba will be one of my faves when I'm back on regular food. Their website has awesome nutritional info (you can build your own meals and customize) and their naked burrito bowls without rice are going to be a perfect option!

I don't track my meds online, but my husband found me something like this at Meijer and it's perfect for my daily pills: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B002VOZ5KS/ref=dp_image_text_0?ie=UTF8&n=3760901&s=hpc I can remove each day separately and take to work in my purse. I keep it right by my computer desk so I don't forget to take any.

I would have never given consideration to DS or RNY. I have ulcerative colitis so I did not want my intestines touched in any way. I was considering the band at first but my doc recommended the sleeve because of my colitis, and after I did all my research I knew the sleeve was what I wanted.

Assuming you recover well, you shouldn't need a ton of help. I stayed two nights in the hospital and of course my husband drove me home, but I was driving after about 3-4 days. My doc said I was OK to drive as soon as I wasn't taking pain meds and wasn't feeling much pain. I was very careful and just ran a few errands but I went back to work after 6 days and drove my normal commute. It might be good to have a friend who lives close by to be "on call" in case you have any issues or emergencies, but as long as you have your house stocked for post-op, I think you'll be able to be pretty independent.

I'm almost 4 weeks out. I just tried a soft scrambled egg for the first time today and also made chicken salad with canned chicken - this was the first day I actually felt a feeling of "fullness." During my full liquids stage I measured everything because I never noticed that I got full. Of course, I never really felt hungry either so I had to remind myself to eat. A lot of people have said that the hunger feeling could be an overabundance of stomach acid . . . are you taking a PPI (like Nexium, Prilosec, etc.)?

I was almost a week ahead of you and just tried egg for the first time this morning. It was a little heavy but not bad, so you just may need a few days and then try it again. I bought nectar unflavored powder and I have been doing 6 oz decaf, 4 oz 1% milk and 2 scoops of the Protein (and some splenda) and it tastes just like my morning coffee. you might consider trying that? I also did unflavored with sugarfree hot chocolate made with milk, and that was pretty good too.

Hang in there, the first few weeks can be rough but things will start getting easier every day!

I'm thinking this would be a great winter meal, my family would enjoy the potatoes (I'd probably skip the pasta) and I could always just fish out what I wanted, a serving of the meat and veggies would be awesome.

Mmm, grilled kabobs sounds so good right now! I usually just make a simple marinade with oil/vinegar and a lot of spices, and then marinade veggies and chicken (separate bowls of course!) then throw on the grill. That may be one of my first meals once I get released to solids!!

I made a big salad tonight for my family; of course it's still off-limits to me. I nearly started drooling. Before surgery, I would have never thought I would be craving rabbit food!!