Bufflehead

I have always been fat . . . born small but when I was a toddler I won "biggest tummy" at the 4th of July pageant. I have never been a normal weight since then. Right now I have about 15 lbs to go to hit a healthy BMI. I can't wait!

oh I forgot to mention, there are protein soup mixes you can buy too: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-soups/ I used the HealthSmart soups a fair amount. My favorites were cream of tomato, cream of broccoli, and cream of mushroom. A nice thing about these is that they are designed to be made with hot water or milk -- you can go over 130 degrees as long as the hot water is not boiling and the protein won't curdle.

Unjury's chicken soup protein: http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/reg/chicken_soup_flavored_protein.shtml Use unflavored protein and stir it in to beef broth, creamy soup, or miso or egg drop soup. Just remember that if you are adding protein to anything hot, you should use a food thermometer to make sure it is under 130 degrees.

Leaks are extremely rare -- maybe .5% to 2% of all VSG's, depending on your surgeon. So even if you do vomit or dry heave after surgery, your chances of getting a leak remain very, very small. And I would think you would have to vomit A LOT for there to be enough effect on your staple line to have an impact on whether or not you get a leak.

@@Travelmego what I did was I got the starter kit to begin, before surgery. I decided I liked the chocolate splendor, vanilla, and chicken Soup, then I bought 3 individual size packets of each of those flavors: http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-protein/unjury-protein-samples.html that way I was sure to have enough on hand to try them after surgery and order a tub if I still liked them (I did).

@@Travelmego Unjury has great numbers in terms of calories/carbs/protein and most people find that it tastes really good, especially the Chocolate Splendor. It is very light and mixes well. Unjury also makes the chicken soup protein powder and for many people, they really enjoy that after surgery because you get sick of sweet stuff very quickly! You can buy a starter kit from their website before committing to a larger tub of any flavor, which I recommend doing for any protein if you can. And I would say wait until after surgery, taste it again, and only then buy anything larger than a sample size. Unflavored doesn't have no flavor. Whey protein tastes like whey, and unflavored just means they haven't added anything like chocolate or vanilla to mask the whey taste. But in small amounts it is fine, particularly if you add it to something that has a pretty strong flavor of its own.

I found the only reliable way to mix protein into hot liquids without getting clumps is to use a food thermometer. Make sure that you don't go over 130 degrees.

Protein shakes? For the first couple weeks after surgery, I did a lot of Unjury chicken soup and Unjury chocolate splendor. Unjury vanilla stirred into warm chai tea. Unflavored protein stirred into warm beef broth or warm miso soup. I also drank some Isopure RTD mixed 50/50 with G2 or Essence Water -- stuff tasted vile but it really helped me meet my protein targets for the day. Vitamins? I did liquid vitamins for the first four weeks after surgery: liquid multivitamin, iron, and calcium, all Wellesse brand. Foods? Do you mean solid food? I wasn't allowed solid food for four weeks after surgery so that wasn't really a consideration for me. Liquids? Different kinds of broths and strainable soups, G2 and G2 Natural, Powerade Zero, CarbMaster milk (mostly used for making protein shakes), Hood Calorie Countdown Fat Free milk (again, used for protein shakes), light juice, Essence Water, crystal light packets, kefir, sugar free popsicles and sugar free fudgesicles, chai tea, decaf coffee. Medications? I had what my doc sent me home with: liquid Lortab for pain, omeprazole for stomach acid, reglan for nausea (I never needed that). I also had Gas-X strips, Miralax, Milk of Magnesia, and Senokot on hand but of all of that, only needed the MoM once in the first couple months. The other stuff is still in my medicine cabinet, unopened, nearly a year later. Other misc? chewable probiotic, immersion blender (best way to make protein shakes IMO -- mixes everything really smoothly and no air bubbles or foam), food thermometer (most protein powders will denature and clump if you mix them with liquids over 130 degrees), sugar free fiber powder -- I used Equate brand -- to mix in with protein shakes or other liquids, digital food scale with tare function that weighs in both grams and ounces, a couple of well-insulated mugs to keep your drinks hot or cold (I used Bubba Keg brand -- love them), heating pad, recliner (consider renting one if you don't own one), body pillow or pregnancy pillow if you aren't going to sleep in a recliner, clothes that don't fit snugly around the waist or under the bust (think empire waist dresses, yoga pants, cotton leisure bras that fasten in front and are wirefree), and whatever it is that will keep you from being bored -- a Kindle loaded with books you want to read, a stack of puzzle books, lots of new yarn and knitting ideas, your Netflix queue loaded up with movies to watch, Amazon Instant watch list filled with tv shows to binge watch -- you get the idea. You also may want to make sure your house is clean, your laundry is done, and you are stocked up with any heavy supplies your house might need (laundry detergent, kitty litter) for the next few weeks, unless someone else is going to be taking care of those things for you post-surgery. Good luck!

That's dumping. My understanding is that it happens a lot to people with R-n-Y because there is no more functioning pyloric valve. That means that foods just get "dumped" very rapidly into the intestines, and they can't handle processing a lot of sugar so fast. It is much rarer with sleevers, because we do have a functioning pyloric valve. However, are stomachs are still very small, so food can empty rapidly into the intestines and so some sleevers do get dumping syndrome but it is not very common for us at all. I am not a medical professional, but I have known a fair number of people with R-n-Y and read a lot about dumping in various wls forums, and I have to say your mother's case does sound very extreme just based on the little I have observed and heard.

Don't be hesitant to take your pain meds! And if your doctor didn't prescribe them, or the ones prescribed aren't working for you, get in touch, explain your situation, and ask for help.

A lot of people like Premier Protein shakes and Pure Protein shakes. Where to buy Premier Protein: http://www.premierprotein.com/where-to-buy/ You can find Pure Protein in brick and mortar stores (Trader Joe's, Kroger, Costco) but they probably have better selection online. I think bodybuilding.com probably has the best selection and prices: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ww/pure-protein-shake.html honestly I am not crazy about any of the RTD stuff but Pure Protein was my favorite of what I did try.

I found I struggled to fit into one seat and to not need a seatbelt extender when my BMI edged over 45-46. I am 5'4 and for me that's at about 270. I do carry a lot of weight in my hips and lower tummy so that makes it harder for me to fit into airplane seats and use seatbelts than other people at my same height/weight.

Has your surgeon or dietician told you whether you can have coffee after surgery? Not all of them prohibit it, so check with them before cutting back. You might not have to give it up! Contrary to popular myth, coffee will not dehydrate you but there are other legitimate reasons a surgeon might want you to cut back or limit intake . . . so check with yours to be sure beforehand. If you already know you are going to have to go without coffee after surgery, yes, definitely wean yourself off it now IMO. You really don't want to be struggling with caffeine withdrawals as you come out of surgery (spoken as a diehard coffee drinker who had to give it up pre-surgery and was MISERABLE!).

The cup size represents the difference/proportion between the measurement around your rib cage under your breast and the measurement around the fullest point of your breast. So if you lose proportionally more around your rib cage, then yes your cup size will go up. But if you lose proportionally more around the fullest part/top of your breast, than your cup size will go down as you lose weight. So it just depends on luck/genetics I guess. Since it looks like you have more weight to lose (from your ticker anyway) your cup size might go back down even. This weight loss stuff is crazy!

water, iced tea, iced coffee.

Stalls are very common -- you lost a lot of weight very quickly. Your body just needs to rest and catch up. Keep following your surgeon's eating plan and the weight will start coming off again. Good luck!

Stalling at three weeks out from surgery is completely normal so don't worry about that. For pureed food, take meat you like, puree it with a sauce you like (NOT water or broth, gross and tasteless) and then heat it up in the microwave maybe with a little cheese melted on top. It will taste just like a casserole. What you make depends on what you like. But here are some that were favorites for me: Thai spicy tuna with sriracha sauce and pepper jack cheese Lemon dill salmon with tartar sauce Shrimp with buffalo sauce or remoulade Ground beef with low carb bbq sauce and cheddar cheese Chicken with marinara sauce and mozzarella Ranch flavor tuna with ranch dressing and swiss cheese Sweet & spicy tuna with chipotle bbq sauce and a Laughing Cow Chipotle Queso Fresco wedge Turkey with peanut satay sauce and jack cheese I mostly just used meat from the little packets and cans that comes already cooked and flavored and just needs to be heated up. Stuff like the Starkist tuna packets. For beef I just used frozen precooked burger patties. I did a lot of poached eggs on top of refried beans with salsa, cheese, etc.

I take Trader Joe's High Potency chewables. One with breakfast and one with dinner. I get my labs run regularly and my results are always great.

For clear liquids, maybe get a sample pack of different clear Syntrax Nectar flavors. Also the Unjury chicken soup protein powder makes a nice change from the sweet protein drinks. Other things I did that counted as clear liquids: --miso broth with a little unflavored protein powder --beef broth with steak seasoning and unflavored protein powder --Isopure mixed 50/50 with G2 or Essence Water (I couldn't handle straight Isopure, that stuff is disgusting IMO) --chai spice tea with vanilla protein powder stirred in --decaf coffee with chocolate or vanilla protein powder stirred in For full liquids, I had tons of samples of different kinds of protein powders to mix with milk to keep things different. I also got a bunch of Torani sugar free syrups, flavor extracts, flavored sweetleaf sweet drops, PB2, instant coffee, unsweetened cocoa powder, and sugar free/fat free pudding mixes to add to protein powders to change up the taste. Why have a plain vanilla protein shake when you could have a cinnamon dolce latte protein shake*, or a peach cobbler shake**? Why have plain chocolate when you could have chocolate peanut butter banana***? I was on full liquids for four weeks (and not allowed things like "runny oatmeal" or thinned out mashed potatoes that are allowed on some versions of full liquids) so I became an expert in doctoring up protein shakes! Just remember if you are doing hot liquids mixed with protein, you need to use a food thermometer and keep the temperature 130 degrees or lower. *vanilla protein powder + 2 tsp instant coffee + sugar free cinnamon vanilla syrup **vanilla protein powder + sugar free peach syrup + sugar free brown sugar cinnamon syrup ***banana protein powder + unsweetened cocoa + PB2 + chocolate sweetdrops --I mix my milk-based protein shakes with CarbMaster milk for higher protein, lower carbs, and lower calories than regular skim milk.

I asked a lot of questions about the surgery and hospitalization and aftercare, just so I would know what to expect. Not because I would choose a surgeon based on the answers -- I was pretty settled on my choice of surgeon before I met him! I just wanted a lot of information beforehand so I could prepare and be mentally ready for everything coming my way. Some questions I asked: --do you use a drain and/or catheter? --how do you test for leaks? --how long will I be in the hospital? What would cause you to keep me longer than that? Is there anything you need to see from me (i.e., drinking a certain amount) before you release me from the hospital? --what measures do you take to prevent blood clots? --lifting restrictions post-surgery? --exercise restrictions post surgery? --how often and when will I meet with you/your team after surgery? --how strict is your post-operative eating progression? (btw: I was looking for something very strict, not "eat whatever you want in moderation" which absolutely is proven not to work for me!) --what medications (otc and prescription) do I need to stop prior to surgery? How will I take meds after surgery and who is responsible for making sure I have detailed instructions about that? --what tests do you (not the insurance company) require before surgery and what are some possible results that would cause you to delay surgery or not do it at all? --how often will I see you in the hospital after my surgery? What will you be checking me for? --what do you think are the biggest factors leading to either successful weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, or lack of success in losing weight/maintaining weight loss?

That's what I had to do. Some plans have different requirements, just make sure you have your plan documents and work with your doctor to make sure you understand exactly what is required.

@@Rovobay I started adding in things like hot sauce and sriracha as soon as I moved on to purees (4 weeks out for me). One of my very first pureed meals was thai spice tuna pureed with sriracha sauce. Another was refried beans doused in chipotle hot sauce. No problems whatsoever. Love my spicy food and it doesn't bother me a bit.

Every program is different, so I can't tell you what "the" nutritional goals are, only what my program's goals were for me. When I was on soft foods, my rules were: --no more than 800 calories per day --at least 75 grams of protein per day --between 30 and 60 carbs per day I had a whole bunch of other rules about types of food I couldn't eat (potatoes, grains, etc.) and when and how much to eat -- but those were the basic rules for calories, protein, and carbs.

I've only had to take something very rarely (I'm lucky that way I guess) but when I do, Milk of Magnesia works like a charm.

I keep my carbs under 60 and my calories under 850 unless I've had a big exercise day. Here is what I ate yesterday: early morning snacks: Chike iced protein coffee shake made with 1 scoop Chike + 1 cup Carb Master milk; 3 cups coffee breakfast: sirloin wrap and yogurt. Sirloin wrap was 1.75 oz sirloin wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf with garlic mustard and sugar free pickle relish. Yogurt was 1/2 container Chobani Simply 100 Pineapple Greek yogurt. Lunch: 2 Trader Joe's turkey meatballs nuked with a little garlic marinara, 3/4 cup broccoli florets oven roasted with garlic, pepper, salt, and shredded parmesan. Mid-afternoon snack: mochaccino protein shake made with 1/2 scoop Champion Whey Stack + 1 cup Carb Master milk Dinner: buffalo shrimp and roasted brussels sprouts. Buffalo shrimp was 3 large frozen shrimp, sauteed and then added to a sauce made of melted blue cheese and hot sauce. About 3/4 c. brussels sprouts. After dinner snacks: 2 tablespoons chili lime roasted garbanzo beans, 10 cherries. I did a fair amount of exercise yesterday so I ended up slightly over on carbs at 62. I count ALL carbs, not net carbs and I do add in carbs for my vitamins, calcium, etc. I track them all. Calories: 841, carbs: 62, protein: 105. If anyone wants to friend me on MFP, my username there is SibylDiane. PS: yes, my favorite food group is garlic. Well, maybe garlic and coffee are tied!