borntothewind

GNC has a vitamin supplement called BioSil that has collagen and other goodies in it... really helps with hair loss and preventing the loose skin from rapid weight loss...

Like Pookeyism mentioned... had any Pepto lately? It looks like you ate a charcoal briquette, after. Or.. Heaven FORBID... Oreos? The preop diet is tough to take, and I am sure has had its share of cheaters... (I cheated with a Rockafeller Oyster and felt cheap for having done it) and on the protein shakes, anything off-diet will show itself quicker and more obvious than usual, if you know what I mean . That being said, I think that at this point, black stool is nothing to mess around with... get to your doc and don't count on the forum to give you definite answers. Play it safe on this one! If you're having the surgery out of the country, go to your general practitioner for testing.

I agree with Dooter! Like you, I never felt restriction, and I worried about it... obsessively! But the first foods I tried that were a little more substantial (mashed avocado) had me quickly understanding my limits! And pureed tuna was something I couldn't handle much of AT ALL! Liquids go through much faster, and that's one of the reasons that you're not supposed to drink during and after meals.. the liquids push foods on through and you lose that 'full' feeling (you will feel it, I promise) quicker.

I'm blushing

I had my surgery on the 9th of May, and on the 23rd, I started eating soft foods. I had avacado, and even had a TINY slice of pizza with thin, crackery crust. The next night I had (gasp) liver and mashed potatoes with gravy. I just ate very carefully, and picked out all of the fibrous bits, chewing to an almost liquid pulp. This made me feel SOO much better, physically, as well as emotionally. I had my surgery in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and the instructions were a little sketchy. I was worried about everything I did until I found a great set of post-op instructions online with EXPLANATIONS about what to do and WHY. Things like the 'no drinking' rule. I was told to NEVER drink with my meals, or for 30 minutes before or after. I read in a few places that this was because I would stretch my stomach out and render my surgery pointless. Harsh. The PDF I downloaded explained that this was not the reason, but the purpose for not drinking before was so your meal would comfortably fit, and not drinking after was to hold the 'full' feeling as long as possible. Makes sense, now. This made my life so much easier, as I stopped feeling guilty about everything I put in my mouth. And if I REALLY need to wash my mouth out with a little water to clear lingering taste, I can take a sip and swallow without blowing a gasket. I also learned the importance of protein and fluids, and that (THANK HEAVEN) i don't necessarily have to combine the two. I purchased a protein powder that I sprinkle on my food, and can actually enjoy the taste of the 2 liters!! of fluid a day I need to drink. I LOVE my 1liter smartwater bottle, filled 2x/day with sugar free hawaiian punch! I take 3 Flintstones gummies and 2 Viactive chocolate chews for dessert and skip the nasty liquid vitamins, protein drinks/shakes... I am a wild child and eat a scrambled egg for breakfast with 1/2 slice of 2% American cheese melted wickedly on it. For lunch, I even ate garlic mashed potatoes with protein powder sprinkled on them! When my family had a cookout this weekend, I grilled a portobello mushroom beside their hamburgers and dipped it in (gasp) cheese dip with a few slices of avacado! I have a few basic rules I follow. 1. keep it low/no fat. 2. no more than 1/2 cup 3. drink the 64 oz. of fluid 4. 60 grams protein powder 5. keep meats tender, and don't eat the kind that swell as you chew. This will continue once you swallow, and that ain't good. 6. move your butt 7. avoid skins, seeds, and fibrous bits... spice is ok in moderation, just no pepper seeds! 8. Don't do it if it hurts! (food) I don't eat lettuce or uncooked veggies, either. But a little cooked spinach is great. 9. ONLY EAT IT IF IT TASTES GOOD! This pirate attitude toward the rules has helped me achieve a 30lb loss in less than a month, the ability to be happy with my decision and NOT feel deprived when eating with family and friends, the descent from a size 20 to a 14/16 in less than a month, and a perma-grin plastered to my face! BOTTOM LINE. Don't sweat the small stuff. And don't be miserable. Lose the guilt and find a way to enjoy living your new life.

I want to CHEW something... sick of drinking my food. I'm not necessarily hungry, but I want to crunch on some carrots in a BAD way!

This is too funny! I hadn't heard about the 'always being cold post-op' thing, and the sweating issue has never been a problem for me (usually always cold), but since my surgery, I have been FREEZING all the time. It was so bad the first night out of the hospital that I snatched all of the towels out of the hotel bathroom and laid them over the covers on my bed, just to stop shivering! I am still sleeping with an extra blanket on my side of the bed, even though it has been in the 90's here in TX, and feel like a lizard with all of the sun basking I have been doing this week... can't seem to soak up enough rays. This little revelation explains a lot!