Bufflehead

What phase are you on? I take it your surgeon didn't provide any guidance about how much to eat? The guidelines from my surgical practice were: puree stage: 3 tablespoons per meal, 3 meals per day, no snacks (other than protein shakes) soft foods: 3 ounces max per meal, 3 meals per day, no snacks (other than protein shakes) what to eat while still losing but past the soft foods is something the dieticians worked up with each individual patient. For me, that was 4 ounces of food per meal, no snacks (other than protein shakes). And I only got graduated to 4 ounces six months after surgery, just because that's how his plan works: 4 weeks of full liquids, 4 weeks of purees, 4 months of soft foods. Each surgical practice seems to have slightly different guidelines they want you to follow -- I'm not claiming that everyone should follow my surgeon's rules, just putting them out there as an example.

My MFP username is SibylDiane - feel free to add me. I am over a year out, log every day, and my diary is open to friends. ETA - if there are any non-vets lurking this thread, you feel free to add me too if you like - I love having friends at all stages

As others have said, it depends on what I eat. I'm over a year out. A few days ago I had about 5 ounces of a salmon & succotash salad for lunch and I was satisfied but not overfull. A few weeks ago I tried to eat about 5 oz. total of scrambled egg, salmon, avocado & cheese and could only finish about 3 ounces before I was just too full. So my dog got the rest! But I'm happy with the small amounts I eat. It's very satisfying. I can eat just about anything, no food intolerances, and I enjoy my meals. I don't need to pig out to enjoy my food anymore, and that's great! I know it's hard to understand when you are looking at it from the other side of surgery, but really, it's a good thing.

I thought you said you were losing a pound every other day now? That's 15 lbs/month which is a pretty spectacular rate of weight loss to my mind, no matter what kind of surgery anyone had. Am I misunderstanding what you are saying? Because losing 15 lbs a month is not the same thing as "not losing very fast" or "not losing pounds." I feel confused . . .

If you are mixing protein powder with hot liquid, you need to use a food thermometer to make sure the liquid is under 130 degrees, or it will clump like that. At least most protein powders will. There are some soup, cappuccino, and hot chocolate flavors that are optimized for mixing hot, and those you can mix as hot as you want as long as the liquid isn't boiling. If they are permitted under your diet plan, you might want to check them out if you are craving something hot -- especially the soup if you are craving something savory and hot. Soup variety box: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-soups/healthsmart-soup-variety-pack-7-box.html You can also buy boxes of individual flavors at the same store. Hot chocolate variety box: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-drinks/healthsmart-hot-chocolate-variety-pack-7-box.html Same deal, you can buy boxes of individual flavors as well. Cappuccino: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-drinks/healthsmart-hot-drink-cappuccino-7-box.html They also sell amaretto cappuccino and vanilla cappuccino flavor. For the cappuccino and hot chocolate, I recommend adding in some extra flavor via instant coffee granules, Torani SF syrups, Sweet Leaf Sweet Drops, etc. They are really good but to me they are a bit weak in flavor and I like to strengthen them. The cappuccino and hot chocolate I mix with a heated 50/50 blend of water and skim milk, and the soup is fine (to me) with plain hot water.

What are you using to mix the powder with the liquid? I use an immersion (stick) blender and I've never had this problem with any Syntrax Nectar flavor.

I mixed the roadside lemonade syntrax nectar with iced tea and it was really good. I think the strawberry kiwi would also probably be good, and fuzzy navel.

I feel weird even talking about this sort of thing with someone I don't know. But I will say that (1) I think counseling is a great idea, providing of course you find a counselor you have absolute trust in; and (2) unless there is physical abuse or severe emotional abuse going on in the relationship, I think it is wise to wait at least 9 months and preferably a year after surgery before making any major decisions regarding it. Best wishes to you going forward whatever your ultimate decision is. Sounds like a very difficult place to be in for you right now.

There was a very recent four page thread on this, you might find some ideas there: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/315037-what-was-your-favorite-thing-to-eat-in-the-pureed-stage/

@@onlybroomegirl sure, here are some of my favorite recipes. For iced coffee drinks I use Chike, and for Hot Drinks I start with either the HealthSmart cappuccino or hot chocolate. For iced drinks using Chike, I do just use one scoop of Chike + instant espresso powder. I like my coffee drinks very strong so tend to go heavy on the added in flavors - adjust to taste! Pretty much all of these you can make either hot or cold. basics on prep for hot drinks - my preference for hot drinks is to use half Water and half CarbMaster milk (I am guessing you live near me based on your surgeon - you can get CarbMaster milk at Kroger, it comes in plain, vanilla, and chocolate and is AWESOME for sleevers - low calorie & carb, high protein). For cold drinks, I just use 8 ounces of CarbMaster milk. For either hot or cold, you can use vanilla or chocolate Carbmaster depending on the recipe, or just use the plain. Whatever you have on hand. Okay, so I start with my 8 oz of milk & water and heat it up in a big ceramic mug in the microwave for about 1 & 1/2 minutes. Then I transfer it to my blender beaker (I use an immersion blender), add everything else in the shake to the beaker, blend, and pour back into the mug, which is still nice and hot from the microwave. For the cold drinks, I use 8 oz of cold Carbmaster milk, either plain, vanilla, or chocolate - whatever works best or I feel like having. hazelnut mocha - Protein powder + 1 shot SF Torani Classic Hazelnut syrup + instant espresso powder + SF Torani chocolate syrup or Sweetleaf chocolate Sweet Drops orange mocha - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF Torani chocolate syrup or Sweetleaf chocolate Sweet Drops + Sweetleaf valencia orange sweet drops peppermint mocha - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF Torani chocolate syrup or Sweetleaf chocolate Sweet Drops + SF Torani peppermint syrup pumpkin spice latte - protein powder + instant espresso powder + 1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice + SF Torani pumpkin pie syrup caramel latte - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF Torani classic caramel syrup amaretto mocha - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF Torani chocolate syrup + couple drops almond extract gingerbread mocha - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF Torani chocolate syrup + SF Torani gingerbread syrup white chocolate peppermint mocha - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF Torani white chocolate syrup + SF Torani peppermint syrup (note for iced version, you can also use Designer whey white chocolate protein powder and just add in more instant espresso. You can also add in SF FF white chocolate pudding mix - about a tablespoon - and make it thicker and more flavorful) raspberry mocha - protein powder + instant espresso powder + raspberry chocolate Sweetleaf sweet drops eggnog latte - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF DaVinci eggnog syrup + eggnog flavor cinnamon dolce latte - protein powder + instant espresso powder + SF Torani cinnamon vanilla syrup (note - this is really best made with vanilla milk IMO) Also - there are lots of ways to get a certain flavor into your drink. You may not have what I call for on hand, but you might have something else! For example, you can use a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder instead of SF Torani chocolate syrup or Sweetleaf chocolate sweet drops for just a few more calories. If you don't have peppermint syrup, maybe you have peppermint extract and can use a few drops of that. Any kind of instant coffee that you like works to add flavor, it doesn't need to be espresso specifically. No rules! But I will say if you like hazelnut flavor in your coffee, Torani offers two different versions - "classic hazelnut" and just plain "hazelnut." I found the classic hazelnut MUCH better! Good luck!

Every practice is going to vary with the "numbers" and rules they provide. My typing out all my surgeon's rules won't help you unless we had the same surgeon . . . just keep following your program and don't stress about the scale right now. Hide it from yourself if you have to! As long as you are being compliant with a reasonable program, the weight will start to come off again.

I'm a librarian so probably a somewhat more sedentary job than you have. I went back after two weeks but I was still tired - I wouldn't have minded another week off.

I love love love Chike iced coffee protein and I like the Syntrax Nectar Cappuccino. For hot coffee protein drinks, I use the HealthSmart/Pantry Selections (the brand name changes depending on what site you buy from but it's the same stuff) Cappuccino protein powder. I like to doctor up my coffee protein drinks and can pretty much re-create any Starbucks latte, cappuccino, or mocha style drink, iced or hot, using various SF syrups and flavorings. Later tonight I am going to have a hot orange amaretto mocha. Yum! I really didn't care for Click or JavaPro but lots of people do like them. You can get individual packets of Chike to sample here: https://www.chikenutrition.com/buy-chike-coffee.html If you like it, you can buy tubs from the same site or from Amazon. I will say that with Chike I use a half serving and then add in instant espresso granules to make up the flavor. Otherwise it is too high calorie and carb for my plan. For the other brands I mentioned, you might want to try the coffee lovers sample pack from My Bariatric Pantry to see what you like. It's a really individual thing. http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Coffee_Lovers_Sampler_p/mbp-coffee_sampler.htm Vitalady also sells a coffee and tea lovers sampler pack. Some tea flavors as well plus different coffee flavors such as Optimum Nutrition Mocha Cappuccino (really good IMO) and Dymatize Mocha (didn't like it, YMMV): http://www.vitalady.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=3805XVAR Keep in mind that for most hot coffee protein drinks, you need to keep the temperature under 130-140 degrees. However, with the Pantry Selections/Health Smart powders, they are optimized for mixing with very hot liquids. As long as your milk or water isn't actually boiling they will mix just fine.

I haven't experienced it but it sounds like something to ask your surgeon and/or PCP about. Not fun at all! Good luck.

With respect to the divorce rate after wls, I have done a fair amount of research and most of what is out there is anecdotal and doesn't provide any published research to back it up. There's a lot of "people say" "the doctor told me" "they said at support group" -- not a lot of real data! The only actual data I found is from a JAMA article in 1982 that followed about 50 wls patients for three years and found that after three years, they had a divorce rate of approximately 20% where a control group had a divorce rate of about 11%. The abstract is available here: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=369322 Not sure if the full text is available to everyone -- my employer subscribes to the JAMA backfile so I can read it by clicking on the "PDF" link -- it may or may not be available without a subscription, I am not sure. If anyone else has citations to published studies with data about divorce rates after wls, I would love to see them! I don't claim to be a perfect researcher so they may very well be out there, I just didn't find them.

There aren't a whole lot of them out there as the sleeve hasn't been widely offered as a stand-alone weight loss surgery for very long -- only really about the last four years or so. It's been around as the first stage of the DS as well as treatment for stomach cancer and ulcers for much longer -- but those folks aren't likely to be hanging around this particular forum! I know cross-posting is frowned upon but if you don't get responses here you might try posting in the band-to-sleeve revision forum. You might also see if you can find a similar thread in the Veterans' forum, although I don't think you can post there. Good luck!

@@rriggins you buy Syntrax Nectar protein powders online, lots of places carry it. But I would definitely recommend getting samples of different flavors before committing to a tub. You can Google it, or here are some links: http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/SYNTRAX_NECTAR_PROTEIN_POWDER_SAMPLES_p/nectar-sample.htm http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html (use the drop down arrow to select which flavors you want - also tons of other types of protein powders if you want to sample them) http://bjsbariatrics.mybigcommerce.com/products/syntrax-nectar-sample-variety-pack.html

@@astalsby here's a link to an earlier post I did with places to buy samples: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/307990-need-names-of-good-protein-powder/?p=3476426 Another good place to get protein powder samples that I forgot about when doing that post is Vitalady: https://vitalady.com/protein-supplement/ Just click on the brand of protein you want then pick out "individual sample" of whatever flavor interests you.

Didn't happen to me but I have seen tons of posts here about this. Just make sure that the nurses getting you admitted know. They have seen it all and believe me will treat you very professionally and not bat an eyelash - but they do need to know. Good luck!

individual serving size packets of tuna or salmon turkey pepperoni individual serving size packet of peanut butter or almond butter protein powder + a shaker bottle (you should be able to get bottled water or milk at the courthouse - most courthouses will have a snack bar type place - also if they do, they should have things like yogurt & cottage cheese for sale. You may want to check with the courthouse in advance and see if they have a snack bar or other place to buy ready to go food, or perhaps even a cafeteria which would likely have food you can eat).

@@VSGAnn2014 I used a mini food processor, this one specifically: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DLC-2ABC-Mini-Prep-Processor-Brushed/dp/B0000645YM/ I had never owned or used a food processor before (always just chopped things the old-fashioned way or used a blender) and I found it super easy to use and clean.

Another vote for refried Beans here. I like mine with melted cheese and hot salsa. Another favorite thing to do was puree meat with a tasty sauce and heat it up. Depending on the meat, top with some cheese too. This makes a little casserole type dish. I mostly used the little individual serving size packets or cans of meat because I really couldn't eat enough to get through fresh meat before it went bad. Some favorites: thai spice tuna with sriracha sauce chicken with low carb bbq sauce and cheddar cheese turkey with peanut satay sauce and jack cheese lemon dill salmon with remoulade ground beef with horseradish sauce and gruyere cheese chicken with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese sweet & spicy tuna with chipotle BBQ sauce for me anyway, meat pureed with Water or just plain broth/stock was disgusting - like baby food. Bland and blech. But meat pureed with a very flavorful sauce and heated up was really good.

@@HalloweenBaby24 regarding the blender, it really depends on what works for you. I hate the premixed shakes and the only way I like to mix shakes is with an immersion blender - I find that nothing else mixes enough and and that every other method of mixing puts too much air in the shake. So I definitely needed my immersion blender as soon as I got home from the hospital. But other people think pre-made shakes and blender bottles are great. @@want2besleeved the only things I truly needed in the hospital were my phone, charger, and lip balm. Everything else the hospital supplied. My post op liquids that I relied on a lot were HealthSmart soups, unjury Protein powders (especially the chicken soup and chocolate splendor), Chike iced coffee protein, low sodium V8, sugar free popsicles, Syntrax nectar protein powder, and Powerade Zero. Oh and vanilla chai tea bags! With respect to amounts of food - your surgeon/dietician should provide you with guidelines. My guidelines were purees - 3 tablespoons max, 3 meals per day, no Snacks other than protein shakes/other liquids. For soft foods, 3 ounces per meal, 3 meals per day, no snacks other than protein shakes/other liquids. I had to weigh or measure everything. No guesstimating. My other piece of advice echos what @@LindafromFlorida said. Keep reading! Go into the post-op forum, the "journey" forum, the "general discussion on the gastric sleeve" forum etc. and read posts from post-op people with questions, and do it a lot! Obviously it doesn't apply to you right now, but it will really help you out a lot in terms of knowing what to expect after the surgery. So then you won't be freaked out when you (temporarily) stop losing weight 3 weeks after surgery, your post-op stomach sounds like a creaky floorboard, you can drink an entire Protein Shake more quickly than you thought you would be able to (no you haven't "broken your sleeve"), you feel hungry after surgery, you are constipated, etc. There is a lot of stuff out there that is very common for many post-op people - learn about those things now rather than letting them make you anxious after surgery. Good luck!

I told my immediate family and three closest friends about a week before surgery. Mostly I didn't want them to be completely unaware of my surgery if something awful were to happen! All three of my closest friends and most of my family are normal, healthy weight and we had never talked about my weight issues. Everyone was completely supportive and on board. I am sorry to say that as I have told more people after surgery, the very few negative reactions I have gotten have been from overweight people. The thin people have been, unanimously, completely kind, understanding, and supportive.

I haven't choked at all. Maybe people who take too big of bites or don't chew well enough when they are transitioning back to solids have a hard time with this? But if you are careful I can't imagine it being a problem? You probably want to ask your surgeon about it to be sure.