Bufflehead

The latest science shows that coffee will NOT dehydrate you. Any medical professional who tells you otherwise is probably behind on their journal reading. Here's a link to just one article about just one study (there are more) that debunks the whole "caffeine is dehydrating" myth: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory That said, you should always follow your surgical team's instructions and there are definitely other good reasons to cut back on or eliminate caffeine for sleevers.

I absolutely despised the Isopure flavors but loved Syntrax Nectar - you mix it with ice water to get clear liquid protein. You can buy sample sizes here: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html The "Caribbean Cooler" flavor is coconut flavored. Some people add a packet of crystal light lemonade to it as well.

The anesthesiologist should offer you Versed or something similar (powerful anti-anxiety drug) pretty much as soon as your IV is hooked up in pre-op. If you aren't offered it, ask!

Yeah, just use a second hospital gown whenever you leave the room. Wear one opening in back and then cover the back with one that opens in front. That way you won't flash anyone.

It's perfectly normal to stall in your weight loss, especially between the two and four weeks out mark. If you don't believe me, use the search function here and look for "three week stall." You are not alone! Keep following your doctor's instructions and the weight will start to come off again. Don't be disappointed in yourself, you are doing great, I promise!

I was on full liquids for a month and then purees for a month. I followed my surgical team's instructions precisely. I didn't pay a bunch of money and take the risk of surgery to play fast and loose with the rules after it was over.

My surgical team allows us to drink up to the meal, but not during and not for 30 minutes after. We also aren't allowed soup or cereal because it's the same thing as drinking with your meal. Well, we aren't allowed cereal during weight loss phase anyway because it has grains and they are not permitted!

IMO (disclaimer: not a health care professional) two weeks is too long, even for post surgery. I would call your surgeon's office and see what they recommend or permit to get things moving again. My surgeon says Senokot and Milk of Magnesia -- but yours may be different! I know Dr. Aceves has excellent follow up and I am sure that he or someone on his team can help you out.

I've seen lots of other people with pre-op instructions similar to yours. Don't worry. And here's my totally uncalled for 2 cents -- I'm not saying don't question your surgical team. You should absolutely ask them any questions you have! But you trust them to cut out the vast majority of a very important organ in your body -- I wouldn't second guess them based on what you see internet strangers are doing or not doing. They should have a good idea of what works best for their surgical practice and patients. Do you believe that they do? One of the commitments I made to myself at the outset of my process is that I would follow my surgical team's instructions and not try to construct different or better rules for myself, either more lenient, stricter, or just different. Second guessing my doctors about how to get healthy never worked for me before and so I am not doing it anymore -- although I do ask them lots of questions to help me understand better! But even when I don't understand, or don't find myself agreeing with their rationale, I remind myself that I placed my trust in them and I am going to follow their plan for me. Good luck!

It's either water weight, your scale being weird (they do that -- by the way, is this the same scale?), or weighing at a different time of day. I promise you that you haven't gained two pounds of fat in two days given how you are eating. My best advice: keep following your doctor's instructions and STAY OFF THE SCALE. It will only drive you nuts.

Unless your stomach is very swollen due to the trauma of surgery, liquids go through quickly. You'll start feeling restriction when you move on to soft foods. Your sleeve is working fine -- the fact that you can drink a good amount means your surgeon did a great job (causing little trauma) and your stomach is responding well to surgery rather than freaking out and swelling up like a baboon's behind. Sounds like you are doing a great job keeping on track!

34 lbs in the first month is fantastic. That said, everyone experiences stalls along the way. You aren't doing anything wrong. Keep following your program and the weight will start to come off again. Exercise is great for your health but honestly won't help that much for your weight loss. Don't freak out about it or try to push yourself beyond your limits -- it will NOT help your weight loss. It's an old saying but it is true - the battle to lose weight is won at the kitchen table, not in the gym! So don't beat yourself up about exercise. As long as you are eating right, you will start losing again. I will say -- I think it would be a good idea, for now, for you to get rid of your scale. If you live with someone, have them hide it from you (or at least the batteries). If you don't, take the scale to a friend or family member's house and instruct them not to give it back to you for four weeks (and don't go running out to buy another). It seems like it is causing you a lot of unnecessary distress. Be patient with yourself, have faith in your ability to eat right, and things will get better. Best wishes.

I use the Trader Joe's High Potency chewables - one in the morning, one at night. They are cheaper and have fewer calories and carbs than the bariatric specialty chewables or the ones like Flintstones. I have my labs drawn regularly and my vitamin and mineral levels are always excellent.

Well, there are no absolutes and no way to predict the future. But chances are very, very high that you'll be able to eat a rich and varied diet -- just a lot less of it -- in your post-sleeve life. Will you focus a lot on protein during the weight loss phase? Yes, but even then you'll have more than just meat or tofu or Greek yogurt! Will you be able to have a bite of birthday cake without getting sick? Magic 8 ball says . . . yes! The work question is trickier. For most people, particularly if you have a sedentary job, 2 weeks is enough. But again, it's hard to predict how you will react to surgery, and of course there is the small chance of complications. If you use up your PTO, will you have access to unpaid leave under FMLA? Here is a fact sheet about which employees and employers are covered under FMLA: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs28.pdf Other than sick time, could you use vacation/annual leave for this if needed? If you aren't covered by FMLA, would your employer give you unpaid time off if needed, or would they be more likely to just fire you? Personally, if my only options at my job had been 1) being sure to go back to work in two weeks or 2) get fired -- I would have waited to build up another 5 days or so of sick leave/PTO. But that's me, and I tend to be conservative about that kind of thing, particularly because I am single and need my job to keep a roof over my head and kibble in my dog's bowl. That kind of of risk/reward calculation will vary for each of us. Just do your research with respect to how laws and policies work at your place of employment so that you can make your decision with confidence you know the possible outcomes. Good luck!

My surgeon's plan calls for up to 60 grams of carbs per day (not from grains, starchy veg, or sweets - only from green veggies, dairy, beans, nuts, and occasional fruit). I'm down 167 lbs, still have about 30 to go. I don't think it has slowed me down at all.

Completely agree! It's funny, just this morning I was thinking about making a post and calling it Ask Your Doctor -- because I have been seeing so many questions here that are really more appropriately addressed to a health care professional who knows you than to a bunch of internet strangers. I love this forum and, as you can see by my post count, spend way too much time running my trap on it . . . but my goal is to never ask a question seeking medical, diet, or exercise advice here. I paid a program fee to my surgeon's practice and I will get my money's worth by emailing them every question I have! Plus they are the ones with all sorts of degrees and access to my charts, so they really are the ones who should be answering my questions.

I wear New Balance for other things (aerobics etc.) but my absolute favorite walking shoe is the Clark Wave.Trek. It has a springiness to it -- it makes your footsteps kind of light and bouncy! I can walk on pavement all day in these shoes. Plus they come in colors other than white and black! http://www.shoebuy.com/clarks-wavetrek/560681

Since keeping your calories the same doesn't work, and bumping your calories up doesn't work, I would try lowering your calories. Maybe go down to 1100 or 1050 and see if that helps. You might also want to check out the Veterans' forum here and look for the thread on 5:2 intermittent fasting -- looks like a lot of people do well with that. Good luck!

There are two bariatric centers of excellence in my city. I checked them out and narrowed it down to one based on the strength of the aftercare program and the strictness of the diet afterwards -- I wanted something very strict! They also have a really good reputation for getting their patients' insurance approval, which was important to me. The program I chose has two surgeons in the practice. I forwarded the surgical profiles to my sister, who is a physician, and asked for her input. She recommended my doctor as he is the chief of surgery at their hospital, belongs to a prestigious surgeons' association, and went to a great medical school. Funnily enough the other doctor has a lot more experience, my guy is younger and doesn't have as much -- but I'm convinced my younger, less experienced doc was the right choice! That said, all the doctors in both practices get great reviews and have excellent credentials. I don't think any of them would have been a bad choice. Good luck to you!

Hmm, reflux to me is when stomach acid comes flooding up your throat and into your stomach, I have never experienced it as "something" (like a solid "something"?) in my throat. It sounds to me like you might have swelling in your throat or esophagus, either from being intubated or possibly having a hiatal hernia repair, if you had one? You should probably call your surgeon's office and describe your symptoms to be sure. As far as getting fluids in -- you should have something to drink within arm's reach and be sipping any time you are awake. If you are having trouble with cold liquids, try warm or hot (tea, coffee if permitted, broth), and vice versa.If you are struggling with just plain water, add something like Mio or Crystal Light. Try G2 or Powerade Zero. Get some sugar free popsicles and suck on those. Whatever it takes, just keep trying. If you have tried all of this and really physically can't get in more liquids, get in touch with your surgeon's office, they need to know if you are having that much trouble with drinking, so they can make sure you don't get dehydrated.

My dietician prefers regular milk because almond milk has basically no protein. I really like the taste and consistency of almond milk in my shakes but I switched to Kroger carbmaster milk: 60 calories, 11 grams protein, 3 grams carbs. They also sell a vanilla carbmaster milk with the same numbers and a chocolate carbmaster milk with slightly higher calories and carbs -- but still lower than regular skim milk.

You can stir unflavored protein powder into lots of things: soup, broth, yogurt, and cottage cheese, for example. If you are allowed to eat things like mashed potatoes or oatmeal, you can use it there too. But keep the amounts small or it will taste funky. For example, I used a half of a scoop of the Syntrax Nectar in my chai tea (approx. 8 ounces of tea). Be careful mixing into anything hot -- you need to test it with a food thermometer and make sure it is under 140 degrees or the protein will denature and clump, which is truly nasty. I find it works best with things that have a pretty strong flavor of their own and which are more on the savory side than sweet.

I don't have any stories of funny pain. I think you should contact your surgeon's office and get their advice if this either continues getting worse today or doesn't resolve by Monday.

I wasn't cleared to do anything other than walk for four weeks. When I was cleared, I started on super low impact aerobics and pilates, and then a little while later added in very light weights/strength training.

I had KP prior to surgery, just wanted to throw out there that if you have it, you may want to try the Cerave Renewing Lotion on it. That's what I use for mine and it works wonders for me. My dermatologist recommended it. You can find it at CVS or Target.