Bufflehead

My surgeon's plan progresses his patients very slowly -- I think maybe that's the reason I've never had anything get "stuck." That and I take very small bites and eat slowly. I wouldn't worry so much about appetizers vs. meals. Just pick out something that looks tasty and is sleeve-friendly. If there is too much of it, get a to-go box and make several meals out of it. I started going out to restaurants occasionally when I was cleared for soft foods, which for me was 8 weeks out. I would order things like halibut, scallops, or chicken salad. My dietician cleared me for as spicy as I could tolerate as soon as I moved on to purees. One of the first things I made was chicken pureed with sriracha sauce. I kept using various hot sauces probably 4-5 times per week and still do. I haven't had any problems with it. I would say that with any new food, test it out in small amounts and at home - if you do have a disastrous reaction, you don't want it to be at a restaurant, or a dinner party at your boss's house, etc. Good luck!

I don't know if I would say I have been "really successful" -- but my weight loss has stayed steady since surgery in June and I have stayed on my doctor's plan 100%. For me the key has been weighing or measuring (weighing is better) everything I eat and then journaling it on myfitnesspal. When I see my goals for the day and how everything has been fitting in, it really helps me focus and see that my target should be "how well can I stay on track today?" not "how much weight can I lose this week?" or "I wonder if my sleeve likes pizza?" My program has very strict rules, so I just plug them in to myfitnesspal and tell myself I am succeeding every single day that I meet those rules, as well as the ones that don't fit into a "macro" category (no grains or refined sugar until goal, no snacking, etc.). For dealing with the mental part of weight loss and staying on track, I really recommend The Beck Diet Solution: http://www.amazon.com/Beck-Diet-Solution-Train-Person/dp/B002PJ4I2U/ Also, I just want to throw out there -- don't compare yourself to other people in terms of how much/how fast you lose weight! Some people are lucky, others not so much. You can only control what you put in your mouth, not how fast you lose. I notice you comparing yourself to a man, and that's especially dangerous. They tend to lose about twice as fast as us women, per my surgeon and dietician. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by weight loss rate/amount comparisons IMO. Just challenge yourself to follow your plan as best you can. If your surgeon didn't give you one, find one that you think is tough but fair and follow that. Good luck to you!

I take Trader Joe's Chewable High Potency Multis (bought at Trader Joe's of course). I pick up whatever Vitamin D supplement is on sale at Kroger or CVS. The rest I get from Amazon - Wellesse liquid iron, Citracal Petites (for the first 4 weeks after surgery I used Wellesse liquid calcium instead), and Bariatric Advantage Chewable Probiotic. I buy the Equate brand of sugar free fiber supplement -- same fiber as in Benefiber but fewer calories and carbs, also cheaper -- and add it as needed to my protein shakes and yogurt. Wellesse also makes liquid multivitamins and B complex if you prefer liquid to chewable or gummy.

At my initial surgery consult I was wearing a 34/36 (yes that is a real size) or 6X - maybe a 5X on a "good" day. I'm now in a size 16 bottom and an XL top. Got a ways to go but so far, so good!

I wish I could do or say something more than I am so sorry for your loss. I'm sending you all my wishes for peace, strength, and comfort.

This is going to sound weird but one way to help along that body dysmorphia is to spend a couple of minutes each day looking at yourself without any clothes in the mirror.

I'm allowed to take NSAID's occasionally but I went ahead and asked my dr. for a prescription for Tramadol for cramps, just a couple days' per month worth. Might be worth checking in to, especially if Alleve isn't helping all that much anyway.

Why aren't you able to take Tylenol? I was told by my practice that it was the only allowable painkiller in the four weeks prior to surgery. I had to avoid NSAID's due to blood thinning but was encouraged to use Tylenol. Not saying that your practice is wrong and mine is right, but I've seen other people here say the same thing.

I take Wellesse liquid iron. It tastes like grape juice and the iron is more bioavailable when in liquid form.

I am happy with abstinence, I don't think moderation would make me happy.

My doctor says time is the only thing that works. If biotin, nioxin, special shampoos, protein, or iron worked, people would have figured it out by now and no one would lose their hair. I had severe hair loss prior to surgery (thanks, bad genetics!) -- like much worse than most people experience WITH surgery. Really, the only thing you can do is work on covering it up. My advice -- cut your hair shorter, preferably in a layered cut with a side part. This helps hide the hair loss a lot. If your scalp is showing through, use a shake in powder such as Toppik or Nanogen to cover it up and make your hair look thicker. I used these a lot prior to surgery and they really do work. And take it from me, someone who will have horribly thin hair (if any) the rest of her life -- it may not feel like it, but you are really lucky this is a temporary thing and you'll get your hair back in some months. Consider it a short visit to my world. Not that I mean to make light of it -- trust me, I know the emotional pain that hair loss brings!

I think GNC sells Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard -- I like that one a lot. They have all sorts of different flavors. At 5 weeks I was still on puree and very restricted amounts of food. I think I was usually between 400 & 500 calories.

I wasn't allowed more than 3 tablespoons of food at a time for the first 8 weeks after surgery. I've only recently been able to eat 2 ounces of protein (chicken, fish), and I'm over seven months out. Sounds to me like your restriction is good - check with your doctor of course, but you may want to cut back the amount you are eating in order to avoid that nausea and discomfort.

Unjury makes a chicken soup flavored protein that is very different from your typical shake. You can order sample packs here to see if you like it: http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-protein/unjury-protein-samples.html Many people find it more palatable. You can also get high protein soups, pasta, cereal, pudding, chips, bars, etc. I like the soups but found the pasta and hot cereal and pudding revolting. I haven't had anything like high protein chips, biscotti, or protein bars since surgery because they are just too high carb for my plan. You can see some of the available types of food here: http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Bariatric_Foods_s/7.htm You can also get high protein hot drinks such as hot chocolate and cappuccino. I like those a lot, particularly the hot chocolate. I add in some sugar free syrups to make them more interesting - peppermint, caramel, etc. I also add in a teaspoon of instant coffee granules to the cappuccino drinks to make the coffee taste stronger. http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-drinks/ Good luck!

No one is going to force you to carry this pregnancy to term if you don't want to. But if you do want to, get some sound, informed medical advice before making a decision. For example, check with your surgeon to get a definitive answer as to whether x-rays were performed on you while unconscious. My understanding is that is not standard procedure. You shouldn't just assume it happened. Furthermore, this fact sheet from the CDC says that if an early stage embryo survives radiation exposure, the odds of having birth defects are very small. The fetus is made up of only a few cells during the first 2 weeks of pregnancy. Damage to one cell can cause the death of the embryo before the mother even knows that she is pregnant. Of the babies that survive, however, few will have birth defects related to the exposure, regardless of how much radiation they were exposed to. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/pdf/prenatal.pdf It sounds to me like your baby is alive and so, according to this fact sheet anyway, has a very small risk of birth defects even if an x-ray did happen. If you decide to continue with the pregnancy, ask your surgeon for a referral to a high-risk ob-gyn specialist that has worked with post-wls patients before. I would be surprised if they don't have a local doctor who has worked with their other patients. Getting accidentally pregnant too soon after surgery is pretty common, and mom and baby can be kept safe and healthy but you'll need to work very hard at getting your nutrition in. Again, though, the decision is yours alone. Best wishes to you.

I agree - my dietician and exercise physiologist both say that exercise is great, and you should do it, but you can't exercise your way out of bad food choices. You just can't. I haven't been in your situation, but I know the rules dished out by my team for anyone in this situation: 1. set up a myfitnesspal account or revive yours if you aren't using it. 2. set your goals for 800 calories, maximum 60 grams carbs, and minimum 75 grams protein. 3. track EVERYTHING you eat, no exceptions, no days off. 4. If you exercise, and track your exercise on myfitnesspal, only put in half the calories that mfp says you burned (max). You can manually change the calories burned for exercise - do it. 5. get rid of junk food and slider foods that may have invaded your house. Chips, crackers, cookies -- throw them away now. and oh yeah, 6. weigh or measure everything you eat unless it's a prepackaged single serving, such as a stick of string cheese. Good luck to you!

I know this is going to make me sound shallow, superficial, and selfish, but I have to say that for at least the first few months of dating, I don't want to hear anyone's sad back stories, whether that is health issues, having been fired, bad relationships with parents, overcoming a childhood trauma, etc. I want to know who you are now and where you are going. Too much talk about negative things in the past makes me think a person is stuck in the past and will spend all their time dwelling on the bad things that happened then, and is possibly a bit on the self-pitying side. Also, too much overly intimate disclosure at the outset makes me think this person is looking to shack up right away and just wanting to glom on to any available person because they are desperate for companionship. I realize all of those things are unfair in lots of situations*, but that is just my reaction. If I am dating someone, I don't want to hear about her past surgeries until she takes me home to meet her parents, and even then, only if it's relevant to me now. *for example, I've read a lot of your posts and don't imagine any of them would be applicable to you!

My surgical practice requires a minimum of 30 carbs per day when starting out. Carbs can really help with your energy level. If you aren't getting that much and it is okay with your surgical practice (I know many want people to go super low-carb), maybe try adding in things like light juice, V-8, skim milk, and kefir. But really, it is normal to be exhausted after surgery. It is major surgery and most people feel exhausted for a few weeks, I know I did. Hang in there, keep working on your fluid and protein, and it will get better. If you aren't ready to go back to work, don't! I am sure you can get a letter from your surgeon or PCP if your work requires something like that.

My dietician said no need to wait after a protein shake, that's for solid foods only.

I was on clear liquids for 24 hours, then on to full liquids for four weeks. I know I would have found being on clears that long very frustrating, but if you are tempted to move on to the next phase without consulting your surgical team, I would strongly caution against that. Deciding to disregard their rules and do things your own way can be a slippery slope. If you don't want to be on clears any more, see if you can consult with your dietician or surgeon and get permission to move on early. That's what I did when I was sick of full liquids and wanted to be on purees. I talked to my dietician, explained that everything was going perfectly and I wanted to get onto purees a week earlier than scheduled, and she looked over my food logs and gave me the green light for that.

I have tolerated everything I've tried in the past 7 months but my processed/white carbs have been limited to two small crackers, a homemade cookie, and a bite of Yorkshire pudding, all on Christmas day. Other than that I've had no grains, no starchy veggies, and no refined sugar. My guess is that I won't have any problems with any of it except maybe bread. My sleeve seems to be made of steel.

Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi's taste good, are cheap, and are low calorie and low carb unlike a lot of the chewable or gummy multi's.

I took two weeks off of work and I have a pretty sedentary desk-type job. I wouldn't have minded taking another week off, frankly. I had a very easy recovery, comparatively speaking. I am imagining a preschool teacher spends time kneeling on the floor with children, getting up, walking around, maybe helping move furniture or toys around -- if I were you I would count on two weeks out to be safe.

I was supposed to avoid caffeine for the first six months after surgery and I didn't, I started up again with caffeinated Protein shakes (I love Chike!) almost immediately after surgery and added in black coffee three months out. I'm past six months out now so currently I'm not doing anything "wrong." As far as I can tell it didn't hurt me at all . . . I had a very easy recovery, no complications, I have hit my protein and Fluid goals every day since surgery while staying within my calorie and carb limits. My weight loss has been better than average for my clinic's stats. So I can't say I'm sorry for ignoring that particular rule. That's the only rule I've not followed though, and my plan is pretty strict.

Nah, I didn't want to make her feel bad so I just said, uh, thanks and ran out of there as fast as I could!