Bufflehead

Most of the time I tell people I had surgery (generally have to explain the sleeve because they only know bypass and lap band, just like @@Kindle says), and that since my surgery I am eating a high-protein, low carb diet and tracking everything I eat on MyFitnessPal. I also mention I try to keep up with exercise. I don't mind talking about surgery -- after all, it might help the people I am talking to, or someone they know. But I also don't want people to think that surgery is some sort of magic wand and that you don't have to work at it after. I've only had one person give me a negative reaction to surgery.* The times when I don't talk about surgery are in large social settings - like at a party with people I don't know well, or one time when I was actually in a receiving line at a funeral -- no one actually wants to get into gruesome surgical details or boring minutia about how MyFitnessPal works in those sorts of situations, so there I kind of brush it off and tell people to email me or message me on Facebook if they want the whole story. *this woman was a total jerk about it and kept talking about how it was "unfair" and "cheating" that I "got to have surgery" and she just has to diet and exercise to get from a size 14 to a size 12 and she just can't do it. So I silently gritted my teeth and made it my next goal to get to a size 12 -- I was a size 16 at the time. Yes I am competitive! So I am now hovering between a size 12 and a size 10 and I love being smaller than her. I won't lie, I also enjoy being smaller than another woman at work who used to lecture me about my weight and how horrible it was and how I needed to lose weight.

I know a fair number of teaching hospitals offer this. Johns Hopkins does, for example: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/plastic_reconstructive_surgery/plastic_surgery/chief_resident_clinic.html Here is a list of teaching hospitals in the Boston area: http://www.cobth.org/Memberhospitals.html You can explore each of their websites - once you go to the website, try doing a search for "plastic surgery" or "cosmetic surgery." If you can't find the information you need, call the hospital and ask for their department of plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery -- calling the department should get you the information you need. If you are willing to travel, maybe look for teaching hospitals in NY, or even check out the Johns Hopkins program if you are willing to go that far. I know they are very highly regarded overall and my understanding is that their plastic surgery teaching program is supposed to be one of the best in the country. Good luck!

water black coffee protein shakes black tea (Yorkshire gold!) with a little vanilla milk and some Splenda

Soup isn't going to fill you up because it goes right through your pyloric valve. Refried beans can be a similar slider for some. Plus your stomach is still healing from surgery, where nerves were cut and tissues bruised. It isn't sending signals properly to your brain yet because it isn't healed. If I were you I would stop wondering why you aren't feeling restriction (it will come - provided you don't keep abusing your healing stomach) and start wondering WHY you are choosing to eat an entire can of soup or refried beans. Is that okay under your plan?

You are doing great. I don't know where you are seeing "all these posts" about people losing 60 lbs in 2 months, that sounds crazy to me. And you are right on track for the infamous "third week stall" after surgery - virtually everyone experiences it. Keep following your program and you will do fine. Head hunger is when your mind is telling you that you want something but your body doesn't really need it. If you think you are hungry, ask yourself, would I be happy to eat some plain, skinless, roasted chicken breast right now? (or, a plain vanilla protein shake/glass of milk?) -- if not, you are not really hungry. "Head hunger" is your mind telling you "I want a bagel" "I want some pizza" "I want a cookie" -- NOT - I am hungry, feed me something nutritious. If you are not on a PPI such as Nexium or omeprazole, you may want to ask your doctor or surgeon about that. Many sleevers have stomach acid post-op and you will experience that as "hunger."

@@bluesclues I am sorry, I truly didn't mean to be rude to you. I just have a snarky way of expressing myself sometimes, I don't mean it *at* anyone, I promise! Again, my apologies.

My plan called for 3 tablespoons max on puree stage.

I started on liquid multi-vitamins a couple days after surgery. That said, my opinion (not a medical professional!) is that waiting a month or so won't kill you. Vitamins are something that people need long-term. Going a few weeks without getting enough vitamins is not going to give you beri-beri or scurvy or rickets.

Trader Joe's High Potency Chewables - two a day (one with breakfast, one with dinner) - meets the ASMBS guidelines except for molybdenum and is much cheaper than specialty bariatric vitamins - and most other regular multi-vitamins as well.

If you think you should have strep, you should contact your PCP or go to one of those minute clinic type places at a CVS or Walgreen's if you don't have a PCP. I am sure everyone here is sympathetic but we aren't in a position to diagnose you or tell you what meds to take. I hope you feel better soon!

Raw veggies are hard to digest, even with lots of chewing. If your surgeon or dietician told you not to eat salad right now, follow their directions.

A lot of times if you are just starting exercise or adding in a lot more exercise, you will gain some weight temporarily because your body retains water to help repair the muscles you are straining. It could also be something completely unrelated to your workouts - time of the month (if that is applicable to you), constipation, just some random blip on the scale. If you are following your program, don't worry - the scale won't go down in a smooth manner, you'll see randoms ups and downs and leveling off throughout the process - but the scale WILL go down over the long haul! I would suggest backing away from the scale for a bit. Just follow your program and relax. Stress isn't good for weight loss!

Please don't chew food and spit it out, this is not a harmless practice . . . link to a post from Laura-Ven explaining the reasons you definitely don't want to do this! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/252757-chewing-food-and-spitting-it-out/

For samples, I weigh how much protein I use. I track calories, protein, etc. so I need to know exactly what I am consuming. First I figure out how much a standard serving is in grams per the manufacturer (either the myfitnesspal food database or the seller or brand website can tell you). Then I measure out the liquid I am going to use in my blender cup. Put the blender cup with liquid on my food scale and tare it out to zero. Then starting adding in powder to get the right number of grams for a serving. For some high calorie/carb protein powders (Chike, BSN Syntha 6, etc.) I usually do a half serving rather than a full serving, and add in other things to bump the flavor up -- instant coffee granules, Sweetleaf Sweet Drops flavors, Torani SF syrups, etc. For most of my protein drinks, I mix with CarbMaster milk and think plain water would be disgusting! For the HealthSmart hot chocolate and hot cappuccino, I mix with 50/50 water and CarbMaster. But just plain water . . . blech! No thank you!

The cheapest place I found was Amazon, if I bought enough for free shipping or bought the Prime-eligible items (I have Amazon Prime). Another cheap place for Syntrax Nectar is http://luckyvitamin.com - great prices plus free shipping on orders over $49.

@@une nouvelle vie I take Trader Joe's sublingual B12 2x/week. I used to take it every day but my labs showed my B12 was super-high so I cut it back. High B12 levels aren't dangerous, but I figured, why waste money taking more than I need? (yes I am very cheap!).

That's for solid food. Some people have trouble with liquids at the outset but that's mostly because their stomachs are swollen and traumatized after surgery. Sounds like your surgeon did careful, meticulous work and/or you are naturally a swift healer. If you do feel like something might be wrong (pain etc.), contact your surgeon.

I've taken Trader Joe's High Potency chewable multi's and Wellesse liquid calcium since surgery. My labs have always been great and I don't miss paying tons of extra money for special "bariatric" vitamins. One thing, if you are looking at Calcet or Caltrate make sure you are getting calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate. That is something that sleevers need to be very aware of! Calcium carbonate doesn't work well for us.

I waited 3 months before going back to regular coffee. And sshh, don't tell my surgeon or dietician, but I started drinking Chike protein shakes (with real caffeine) almost immediately after surgery - and adding instant coffee granules to them as well. So far neither one seems to have hurt me!

Agree with Selena Hay - hiccups, burping, runny nose are signs you are over full, and ate just a little too much. It means you have so much food stuffed in your stomach that your vagus nerve is irritated. I get a runny nose as my "overfull" reminder to eat slower and eat less next time.

Unjury Chicken Soup protein was something I relied on a lot early on. That and the HealthSmart protein soups. I started with the variety pack, figured out my favorites, and then got another box of each of those flavors. http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-soups/ http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-chickensoup-sample.html Make sure you follow the directions with respect to adding protein to hot liquid, or you WILL regret it!

You can use this site to re-size or crop your pictures, if you don't have any photo editing software on your computer or device: http://www.picresize.com/ Good luck!

At ten weeks I was eating ground red meat, including beef, pork, bison, elk, etc. Also lots of turkey. Non-meat options such as cottage cheese, eggs, tofu, and refried beans. Good luck to you!

I've noticed a lot of people using Bariatric Advantage chewy bites or Celebrate chewable calcium. You can get them on Amazon, bariatric specialty websites, etc. You have to be really careful with gummies and brands that are not specifically made for people who have had bariatric surgery, as they are often made with calcium carbonate which is not what you need - be sure to look for something with calcium citrate. Good luck!

It is because your stomach is smaller. Eating too fast or over-eating (and they often go together -- eat too fast and your stomach won't have time to signal the brain that it is full) can lead to pressure/irritation on the vagus nerve. Because the stomach is so much smaller, and the vagus nerve runs along the top of the stomach, it is easier for food to press against it up there at the top then when you had a big stomach and the food had lots of room down at the bottom. The vagus nerve controls all sorts of reactions in the top half of the body, such as coughing, sneezing, runny nose, etc., which is why many sleevers get a runny nose or a cough as a signal that they have eaten too much. So, your vagus nerve gets super-irritated and it responds with foamies/slimies sometimes. Also, if you eat too fast or too much there is pressure on your esophagus, again, because your stomach is so much smaller and there is nowhere for the food to go. The body may respond to the pressure by "thinking" that there is food or something lodged in the esophagus and that you need to vomit it out, so it will start producing huge amounts of mucus and salivary juices in your mouth and throat in order to prepare for vomiting -- which never comes because you don't actually have something stuck. This is the way my bariatric nurse explained it to me -- I hope it makes sense and that I have passed it along correctly! Not a medical professional for sure, just trying to relay what was told to me.