Katie713

Campbells makes a few low fat cream soups like Mushroom and I enjoyed the V8 soups. You can make your own as well with roasted veggies you can then puree or blend, like bean or pea soup, sweet potato/carrots/red bell pepper or butternut squash. Broccoli cheddar was a fave of mine, and there are a few varieties out there. For breakfast cream of wheat, malt-o-meal, oatmeal all thinned out with non-fat lactaid milk. Sugar free puddings, SF jello. At least its alot tastier than clears....you can so do this!

I enjoyed canned dark& light meat chicken in a can of chicken gravy over mashed potatoes. Very homestyle flavor and very soft. Tastes like Thanksgiving. Wendy's chili pureed was wonderful.

I'm 7 weeks out. Usually I can eat about 1/2 cup of food, so I use that as my standard measure, and I have these little bowls I use that help me portion things properly. I have been able to add a small second item, yesterday a little big of salad with my 1/2 cup of ricotta bake. I made a birthday dinner for my son of lasagna, and I got all the same flavor without the pasta, even browned the cheese on top, let it cook at the same time. I didn't feel I was missing out on anything!

I start getting a sort of tight feeling in my chest...and the thought is, "am I getting full?" so when I am having that feeling, it is probably time to stop....I often get the hiccups at fullness too, but I have at times taken one bite too many and had to walk it off.

I went through so many feelings letting go of overeating too...glad I was put on 3 months of calorie restriction before being approved for surgery, it helped to have to track and turn in food journals. It was both educational and made me accountable. Even then I remember breaking down and crying at times because I could no longer go home and eat to my hearts content for emotional reasons...but what I learned was that the feelings passed and if I did not react to my cravings they dissapaited, and when it was time to eat I really savored it. Eating mindfully is a hard process to settle in with after decades of wolfing it down, but with the sleeve...(I'm 6 weeks post op) this works so well and now that I will begin full solids, salads and fruit....I am looking forward to the days ahead....and the old days of overeating are getting further and further behind me.

Trader Joes has these wonderful chile lime chicken burgers that taste great with a slice of pepper jack or the 45 cal Sargento thin cheese slices, some sliced avocado on top.

You look amazing Lissa. So life changing. And the sleeve made it possible. Gives me so much hope for myself!!

You are so right Lissa! Get some support, either a therapist or a bariatric support group. I know they have them at Kaiser. Most health programs that cover WLS should have some referral information. Good Luck!

The grape frost is ok and the Orange Ice...they are fruity but protein makes the liquid a little thick - like thinned out jello water. I added lots of ice and sipped it throughout the day. It counts as liquids too. As the ice melts it thins it even more, some people added a little extra flavor to theirs like a few drops of MIO. It's a great protein source if you don't like or can't have the protein shakes.

You are doing it for the right reasons. Good luck. You'll do fantastic!!

Just pour over the posts on this forum, there is so much information you can learn from. Or purchase one of the books on Sleeve Gastrectomy, perhaps on amazon. There are several things that should be at the top of your list: Get at least 64 oz of fluids in daily - this can be Water, sugar free drinks, etc. Do not drink with your meals (stop at least 30 min before and up to an hour after) Get at least 70-90 grams of Protein per day (protein from meats/dairy/beans/eggs/fish) (Supplement your protein levels with Protein shakes if you need to) With each meal, focus on protein first 60%, then veggies 30%, then carbs 10% (whole grains) Get some exercise everyday - at least 30 minutes, more when you can Track your fluids, protein, and calories - you should be getting 800-1200 calories (for your height/weight) (I use myfitnesspal.com to keep my food journal up to date but you can use a notebook) You need Vitamins, a good multi-Vitamin, Vitamin D3 1000 mg., and take B12 - 1000 mg sublingual 3 times a week, and thiamine 50 mg - or a good B complex, and Calcium Citrate during the day (3-4 times) You can do this. Reach out, research on your own, take this tool and make the best of it and you will be healthier and look better. We are all here because we had our own food addictions. We are not here to judge, but to help!!!

This topic is whirling around in my head....I am speaking to my doctor and nutritionist on Monday to discuss increasing my calories because I seem to be losing very slowly at under 800 calories/70-80 grams of protein a day. I think my body does not like being on such low calories. It's not that I can eat very much, but I think by adding some avocado or nuts as snacks I can bring myself up to closer to 1000 and see if that helps kick it in gear.

Do what works for your body. I've read that taking in too little calories causes the body to go into starvation mode and your body refuses to let go of weight, but when you fuel yourself up to a minimum of 1200 calories with high protein, veggies and healthy whole grain carbs that is your balanced diet approach which is the healthiest way to go. Primary is protein which is generally around 70-90 grams per day. Good Luck!

I was fortunate to have a great team at the Kaiser Options program beginning last September 2011 - classes once a week with a group, 6 sessions with the nutritionist and 6 with a behavioral therapist to help us uncover the emotional components of our eating habits and getting us ready to deal with many life situations and life after surgery. The nutritionist guided each of us in our pre-op weight loss (10% loss expected prior to surgical approval) I was started on 1400-1600 calories for 4 weeks, 1200-1400 for the next 4 weeks, and then 1200 from that point forward. It helped alot to do the tracking and at that time keeping a manual log, eventually I moved over to myfitnesspal.com, it's easy and the database has tons of values already there for you to just click the button. Today I'm six weeks out from surgery and from last Fall, I am down 60 pounds. The weight has come off slow but steady, even after surgery, but I am making subtle changes that I hope will increase the rate of my loss, mainly cutting carbs and increasing physical activity. Mostly I was doing daily walks on my breaks, and I bought some resistance bands to use at home, and a couple of exercise DVD's including Richard Simmons - Sweatin to the Oldies. Anything to get that heart pumping and burn some extra calories. You sound like you have a good attitude. Keep that up and try hard to follow any plans your medical team has for you. Good Luck!

There is nothing wrong with us physically except that our stomach's have been trimmed down 75%. The rest of the body needs exercise for generating muscle and increasing metabolism. This is a natural component of healthy weight loss, expending more calories than consumed, cardiovascular work and strength training to increase muscle mass. I was advised that at six weeks I should begin a full excercise routine that includes strength training and that's what I intend to do.

What do you mean by "open"? Are they not stitched or glued shut with the bandaid on top? I would advise remove the bandaid and let the incisions dry out naturally. That's what was recommended to me, but my incisions were glued shut.

I have also heard that increasing calories to between 1000-1200 helps with the weight loss, and that at below 900 the body goes into starvation mode and actually holds onto the weight. I am in a similar boat, I am pleased with my overall progress both pre-op and post-op but the weight loss is slow. I decreased carbs this week and it helped, but I have a follow up appt with my doctor on Monday and will be asking about increasing calories to speed up weight loss.

For those that are interested, on the official Atkins website they have a comprehensive food list indicating full nutritional information including Carbs/Fiber/Net Carbs that can be used for meal planning. I find this to be helpful in meal planning and of course their regular guidelines are on the last pages for each stage. I never thought I might have to use this info as a basis for contined weight loss, but I could tell that with the higher carbs, MY body was losing very slowly or stalling out. So whatever resources are there for me to use, it can only help me. Right now I'm trying to stay between 40-50 grams of carbs to see if that helps my weight loss. I see the NUT next Monday and will ask if I also need to increase calories. I'm losing slowly at 800 calories/ 80-90 grams of protein, 64+oz of fluids.

At taco bell I ordered refried Beans with red sauce and cheese, and lately I've added a scoop of taco meat to the order for more Protein. I also made mashed potatoes and used a can of dark & white chicken (drained) and added it to chicken gravy and just pour the concoction over the potatoes, very Thanksgiving like in flavor...the only drawback is that the potatoes are high carbs, but for the soft food phase it is easily tolerated. I am just starting regular foods and eliminating most high carb options to continue losing at a higher rate. Brocolli Cheese Soup was a favorite, and quiche if you can tolerate eggs. Good Luck!

Good for you. I started my weight loss journey at 276 lost about 50 on my own doing Weight Watchers and then pre-op dieting thru Kaiser Options program, had the sleeve surgery almost 6 weeks ago....and this morning I was 216 pounds. Best thing I ever did was commit to getting healthy - and now I have my little tool to help me down this path. It's not a magic wand, but it helps ALOT. It's great that you are focusing on yourself. I finally learned to do that...I have 3 young adult children, and I am my new priority after decades of looking out for everyone but me.

I can't wait until it happens to me!!! You rock!!