Katie713

Are you taking a PPI?

Any kind of soft fish including tuna, steamed or baked tilapia, salmon or other fish including crab & lobster. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, steamed cauliflower, carrots or squash. Chili Beans, in fact any type of beans. Yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta Soups with more body like lentil, clam chowder, split pea with ham, bean with bacon Soup. Lunchmeat Braised meats - crockpot type meals are great during this time Good Luck!

Food is such an integral part of our lives, obviously we need it to survive, but the social aspect of our own experiences comes into the picture so strongly. Like you, I come from a family of wonderful cooks and the mantra at our table was the 3 ups, "Sit up, shut up, and eat up!" There were 9 of us at the dinner table, me and my 6 brothers and Mom & Dad, not to mention all the big family parties and my grandparents had a Mexican Deli so food was a huge part of our family life. During hard times, I remember that worry...how are we going to feed all the kids? As I grew up and had my own family and then became a single mom, the same thing rolled through my head, food, food, food. I have always loved food, and consider myself a foodie! The change in food intake is paramount now, as well as tracking and keeping myself in the weight loss mode, but I still love to cook and hang out with friends - I will never give up my love of food, I just have a new perspective! Thanks for your story!

One thing is for sure Ashlee...after you get through this, you will never take your health for granted again! You are a trooper, I have been following your story and I am blown away by all you have gone through! I had my gallbladder out years ago will no ill side effects from that. Hopefully this part of your ordeal with go like clockwork. Hang in there and let us know how you're doing.

I like almost all of the Atkins protein bars, they are 150-200 calories and 10-13 grams of protein. They have daybreak bars in cranberry almond and peanut butter fudge crunch with 2 net carbs and they are delicious for a breakfast on the go. The most decadent protein by far are the Power Crunch Bars they are basically a form of wafer cookie and really good. I only allow myself one bar a day and still drink one shake with 25 grams of protein.

I found that chicken especially white meat - is hard for me to tolerate. It feels awful going down and sits like cement block in my tummy. Hamburger meat does not sound appealing to me anymore, and actually I had been having a hard time digesting it, but strangely, tender steak goes down like a dream. Almost as easy as fish which is the best choice so far for me, it goes down easy, has plenty of Protein and is easy on the calories. I do eat nuts as a high protein snack. They don't bother me at all. I do not eat much corn as it is high in carbs, but I had one ear on the 4th of July and it went down fine. Popcorn is a no-no for me. I hate the way the gets stuck in my teeth! I drink both coffee and tea - caffeinated. I tried it out after 4-6 weeks with no issues.

Just incredible !! Congratulations !! What has been your dietary strategy? Calories/Protein/Carbs...just give me a glimpse of what a typical day of eating is for you. Thanks!! You look great !!

Here's something I picked up from the internet for high Protein foods: Beef · Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein · Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams · Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce chicken · Chicken breast, 3.5 oz - 30 grams protein · Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size) · Drumstick – 11 grams · Wing – 6 grams · Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams Fish · Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce · Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein Pork · Pork chop, average - 22 grams protein · Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams · Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams eggs and Dairy · Egg, large - 6 grams protein · Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams · Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams · Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label · Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz · Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz · Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz Beans (including soy) · Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein · Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams · Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams · Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans · Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein · Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams Nuts and Seeds · Peanut Butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein · Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams · Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams · Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams · Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams · Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams · pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams · Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

A good chewable multi-Vitamin, B12 sublingual 1000 mg., D3 1000 chewable to start. Your multi vitamin should have some Iron otherwise you may need a chewable iron as well 18mg. If you don't like the chewable Vitamins that are tablets, kind of like sweet tarts, then get gummy vitamins. You add calcuim citrate after 30 days. Isopure is a clear Protein drink you can get at Vitamin Shoppe or GNC, even Rite Aid carries it. It counts as a liquid in your daily liquid intake. Also get sugar free drinks, teas, and broth, maybe sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello. After a few days you can start with thinned out hot Cereal, creamy Soups and Protein shakes. Alot of people like the Premier shakes from costco. Good luck!!

Good Luck! By now you've probably already had your surgery. Come back and visit the group so we know how you're doing!

You have to space it out during the day. I used to do it something like this.... First thing: Cup of hot decaf chai tea with PPI 30-60 min later: Breakfast - Thinned out hot Cereal like cream of wheat Mid Morning: Protein shake 8 oz Vitamins Half hour before lunch: Iced decaf green tea 8 oz Lunch: Creamy soup 1/2 cup SF Jello (if still hungry) Mid Afternoon: Protein Shake 8 oz. 30-60 min before Dinner: Crystal Light and PPI Dinner: Creamy soup Evening: SF jello or Diet Hot chocolate Hope this helps!

I'm going to agree with ShapeShifter here. When you are tracking, you start to see the impact of your diet on your weight loss, along with other things like your nutritional status once you have your labs done, hair loss, energy levels, etc. If my carbs are too high, I stop losing, even though my calories might be low. Regardless of the mechanics of my body - I can see it in black and white. Reduce the carbs, lose weight. I've gotten out of every plateau the same way, even if I increase my calories. I love many of my old favorite foods and find ways to incorporate them into my new little sleeve life. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. But yes, everything in moderation. When I hit my goal, I will consider adding those items that hindered me from my initial weight loss. Time goes so fast too....it's worth the discipline for ME.

Rest assured, this is totally normal to be nervous before surgery and maybe a part of ourselves is afraid to totally commit to the process. No going back and all that. I worried a bit about having complications, then I thought back on previous surgeries, including 3 C-Sections, gallbladder removal, and a leg injury surgery....and all of those surgeries went well - I know that I heal well and tolerated general anethesia well, so my fears were just limiting my ablilty to go into this with a totally positive attitude. I just started picturing myself healthy, seeing myself being wheeled out from recovery, hearing the nurses telling me that all was ok, and that is exactly how it went. Hardly any pain, able to walk up and down the halls, tolerating liquids the next day and being discharged as planned. What you are doing is committing to your good health. YOU can do this, tap into your own well of strength and know that this is the beginning of something wonderful.

I am battling these last two pounds to get to ONEDERLAND. So far I have been feeling good and do not regret my decision to have the surgery. Eating still presents some challenges, some things my sleeve cannot tolerate. I hate finding that out a few bites in...that it will not work out...and then having to feel uncomfortable until the offending item is digested. For awhile I was having a really hard time with solid protein for dinners, had many evenings of vomiting. I switched to easy to digest/soft foods for evening and that helped. I have a nice solid protein at lunch and that works well. Fish is my #1 food right now, it always goes down easy and so I have been enjoying lots of ceviche and shrimp cockail, scallops, talapia, etc. I go back and forth with carbs. I had company for two weeks, and the crackers and chips found their way back into my cupboards. I have cleaned them out and working to get back to my under 40 carbs per day. Hopefully that will kick in soon so I can get into the 100's.

I was so busy trying to get in all my fluids, Protein shakes and meals in that I was able to address my hunger early on. Full fluids included creamy thinned out cereals in the morning and creamy Soups. So I would basically start my day with hot tea and take my PPI, wait about 30 minutes and have about 1/2 cup of cream of wheat or malt-o-meal thinned out, then about an hour after that have as much beverage as I could tolerate, then a Protein shake, and an hour after that it would be time for lunch, 1/2 cup of cream Soup, then I might have a SF Jello....later in the afternoon some diet iced tea, then another protein shake....then dinner (more creamy soup) and maybe some diet chai tea in the evening and another SF jello. It did seem like I was always eating or drinking something...but that helped to get in my protein and liquids and it help in dealing with hunger because my new little tummy was never really empty. It does get better after you move to solids but I still eat little Snacks and I would say I eat more like 6 little meals - something every two hours or so. I factor in calories, protein, fats, carbs....a snack might just be a cheese stick or a couple of nuts or a Protein Bar. In this way I am addressing my hunger directly and not letting myself get into a binge mode. By the way, I am 14 weeks out.

Atkins is actually very effective for quick and dramatic weight loss. You can get all the info on their website. You'll do 2 weeks of induction for maximum loss and then what they call ongoing weight loss. This diet works well for many men, as you can still have enough food to stay full...as you probably know, this is a very low carb diet. Good Luck!

I have heard of life-long problems with the gastric bypass which is probably because of malapsorbtion issues. There is also the factor that you still have your stomach tissue (fundus) in your body generating ghrelin - the hunger hormone. Many people I personally know lose weight like crazy - then gain it all back and their stoma (stomach pouch) is all stretched out. Your profile indicates a body type much like my own. I am around 5 feet tall and my highest weight was almost 280. I have done great with the sleeve and will soon be in ONEDERLAND. It works!!!

Whole grain crackers and pistachio's !!

What a great dialogue this thread stimulated! A myriad of things come to mind when I think about my ongoing weight loss journey. Tonight I am going to the Hollywood Bowl for a summer concert under the stars, to see Smokey Robinson. I am looking forward to the music of course, and hanging out with my girlfriends - but I am also looking forward to being able to walk that hill without feeling like I am going to pass out. Last year, I went to the same concert with some friends, and I used to huff and puff up the little hill that takes you into the venue site - I would always ask to stop at the restrooms at the mid-way point, even if I didn't have to use the restroom - I just needed to catch my breath! I would then get a few paper towels and moisten them to be able to cool myself off by the time we would get to our box seats. You know how it is or used to be, when you would stop walking - the heat in your body would just build up...and sweating was soon to follow. I can easily walk for miles now and I am nearly 75 pounds lighter than last summer...this is a milestone in my journey - oh how I used to wish I didn't have to go through the shame of being so overweight and out of shape! Well this is my little victory walk tonight! That's a NSV (non scale victory)! I was also thinking about the mechanics of the post-op hormonal changes that take place, one the decrease of the hormone ghrelin, but also what I think may be a change in our natural reward centers revolving around the eating process and the release of dopamine and serotonin - our natural feel good chemicals, many of which are released during the eating process. The process of eating pre-op without limitation offerred us more than the reward of just getting full, the "feel good" hormones were soon to follow, and that reward kept us coming back over and over. Feeling bad, lonely, frustrated....bring on the food. Feeling joyful, elated, excited...bring on the food. What I have noticed without the food binge opportunity, is that my reward isn't the same, whether it is because we are comsuming so much less, or whether the balance of hormones has changed, it is different. I think this is why so many say that eating is more of a chore than a pleasure. Also, once you experience a negative side effect of eating something you cannot tolerate, it sends the body a powerful aversion to that behavior which is held in our memory bank. This stuff is all probably instinctive, to prevent humans from consuming things that were toxic. But, hey...it works! The other side of this is that "feel good" hormones are coming from different strategies for me now. Feeling like I have a "can do" attitude makes me soar. Feeling good in my clothes is a secret little joy. Having control over my eating makes me proud of myself. I still enjoy cooking and I still enjoy food - I mean we need it to survive...but I don't turn to it first to make me HAPPY anymore. I get out more, I can do more physically, and I just keep feeling better and better about this decision I made ! Good luck DeterminedGirl !!

I'm 3 months out and I can eat 3/4 of a 6" flatbread at Subway. I very rarely eat bread at all, but once in awhile it is nice to have a little sandwich!!

Been going on for a while with me since pre-op dieting and going down to 1200 calories. After surgery it's continued but I have a lot of new hair growth too, I cut my hair shorter so I am not dragging the brush down the length of my hair, that helped. My hair is still ok - I can still style it so it looks healthy and even my stylist said it's doing ok, just be gentle to minimize the loss. I do take Biotin with my B-Complex and always get my protein in.

Glad I didn't have to give up my salsa & guacamole! Still my faves!!

Me too! I've got to try these!

Low carbing can be tricky - but you can have an omelette for Breakfast, perhaps a salad for lunch or a Protein style burger, fish or chicken for dinner with veggies, or make some fajitas without the tortilla...who can pass up on grilled onions and peppers with some good steak, or how about something on a skewer, like beef with cherry tomatoes, onions & peppers? Taco salad is good, seasoned ground beef on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and cheddar on top with some salsa. Snacks....beef jerkey, pork rinds, cheese sticks So many options...don't stress, you can do this!!

I was actually able to get all my fluids and protein requirements during those first few days on clear liquids. I was drinking 1 1/2 bottles of Isopure, in a large cup with ice, to just sip,sip,sip. I added chicken broth and beef consomme for my lunch and dinner to increase the protein and for variety. Started every morning with hot vanilla chai decaf tea and just totally got on board with the process. By day 3 post-op I moved on to full liquids/shakes and have stayed with Pure Protein as my staple (I buy one tub a month) as I drink 1 shake per day and I have protein bars in the afternoon plus what I get from regular foods.