joatsaint

1 bite of anything isn't going to cause weight gain. The main thing is to be vigilant in the future and not let 1 bite lead to a 2nd, and then to a 3rd. (I can't claim to be completely perfect about this, so I'm not throwing stones, just a handful of of Nerf rocks. ) You might call me lucky/unlucky because I wasn't able to tolerate much of anything my 1st month. So I wasn't tempted and was really forced to change my eating habits. I ate only the few things Frankensleeve would put up with - Cream of Mushroom Soup and Peanut Butter. I kept testing new foods, but it was a long time before I could eat more than a tablespoon full of anything.

My first impressions out of surgery was immense pressure in my chest. I never really felt any pain in my sleeve or the incisions. But the gas pressure had me hitting the pain meds button like I was trying to win a prize on a game show!!! Until I had done the leak test, they didn't give me anything to drink except ice chips. When I did start drinking Water, I could only drink a thimble full at at time. I was in and out of the hospital and on the way home in about 30 hours.

Yes, it does get better and eventually you'll feel completely normal again. It was 6 months before I could eat "most" foods again without getting some kind of sign from Frankensleeve that he wasn't happy. I tried to take advantage of this time to keep my calories down, train myself to eat slowly and not eat when I wasn't truly hungry.

That is the best advice! I know it can be frustrating when I'm the one caught in a stall. And all those little voices of doubt are asking me if I'm eating the wrong things, eating too much, not drinking enough.????? It took many stalls before I was comfortable in the belief that if I just stuck with the plan that was working, it would start working again.

Here's a couple I took just a week ago at my favorite Mexican restaurant. Everything was some form of chicken or pork. Before After But normally Monday - Friday this is my normal meal and portion size ~ about 1 cup of food per meal. I think this was a mix of turkey hamburger and black Beans.

During my puree and even into the full food phase, Frankensleeve would only tolerate Cream of Mushroom Soup. It took him a while to readjust and heal from surgery. I would try different foods during that time, but the bites I took could be measured in teaspoons. One or two teaspoon full would be all that I could eat before Frankie started acting up and it felt like rocks in a garbage disposal - the way my stomach churned and cramped.

I too wanted the Lap Band - in the beginning. It seemed like the perfect blend of restriction without the permanence of stomach removal. But I watched a friend get the Lap Band (about 5 years ago) and for a time it worked. He was in the 400 - 500 lb range and lost over 100lbs. Then he found a way to "eat around" his band. He started having problems with the band slipping and getting the fill size right. Now he's bigger than ever and may have to have the band removed for health reasons. After watching his journey, I ruled out the Lap Band. Everyone is different and has different reasons for being overweight - but in my case I believe my head hunger was cause by the hormone ghrelin. And once my stomach was reduced, the production of ghrelin was drastically reduced and my constant hunger and cravings went away. The Lap Band wouldn't have fixed my problem.

Being so soon after surgery, I believe you'd be in terrible pain if you stretched your sleeve. You've only started healing. Plus, from what I've researched, it takes a lot of deliberate effort to stretch your sleeve permanently. You didn't say what you've been eating, but different people have different "slider foods", meaning, the food doesn't seem to be very filling. salad and Peanut Butter are slider foods for me. But chicken and hamburger fill me right up quick. And some foods like rice, Pasta or anything with sugar in them, cause me to get hungry again in about an hour. So I have to avoid them or just be aware of how they will affect me. One last thing. Since you're still healing, your brain may be making you hungry to get more nutrients for healing. If you're losing weight at the rate your doc thinks is healthy, then I'd say you're on track.

I can only tell you about my experience. And I went through the same nervous/excited feelings and thoughts. As far as food and drinks and alcohol go, I was able to eat anything and drink anything I wanted at 1 year. Up until then, I could eat and drink anything I wanted, but Frankensleeve was still adjusting and would grumble and complain sometimes. My hunger feelings went away, starting the week after surgery. I only feel real hunger now - meaning I can feel my stomach complaining it's empty. But daily head hunger and food cravings are a thing of the past. I'm now in control of my food and for the most part, really don't care what I'm eating. The hardest part was getting out of old habits, eating when I'm bored or eating because I think it will taste good. I've had a few moments where I'll pass the donut tray at work and just have to have 1, but it's only 1, I don't have to eat 4 or 6 to be satisfied. Or during the holidays, I'll allow myself to over eat a bit on all the goodies. The difference is, now I know I'm in control and can easily go back to my regular eating and drop the weight. I'm in control now. The hunger no longer controls me.

Hate me if you want. But, sometimes a bad example can be a good thing. It reminds us of what not to do if we want to be successful.

I was allowed string cheese during my pureed/mushy food stage, along with sugar free pudding and Jello. As far as to count it as a meal or snack? I was only eating a tablespoon or 2 per meal at that stage. And I could only eat about once every 1/2 hour - so everything was "snack size" for me.

If you can, contact your doc or nutritionist for clarification. They are in the best position to advise you. During my pre-op diet, my doc allowed me any sugar substitute I wanted. My favorite being Splenda. There weren't any limitations on coffee. I was using CoffeeMate liquid creamer (one that has no sugar) - and Splenda in my coffee. The main focus was on drinking high Protein, low carb shakes - shakes with less than 5 grams of carbs. I was drinking EAS Carb Control Shakes, from Wal-Mart. I later discovered Premier Protein Shakes, which I like better. I could eat that way up to 24 hours before surgery. The 24 hours before surgery, I was only allowed Water.

Congrats on getting your surgery. You can always PM me with questions. I'll be happy to share my experience. If you have any questions that you feel are more private, you can always post them in the ladies powder Room - http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/432-powder-room-ladies-gone-wild/

I too was afraid to start regular foods again, mainly because I thought I'd break the "magic" of my weight loss. It would be very difficult to do any permanent damage to your new sleeve, as long as you don't test it's limits. Don't expect to be able to hold but a few bites. Eat slowly at first, different foods are going to fill you up at different rates. chicken and hamburger are still the toughest foods on my sleeve. Turkey hamburger and pork loin seem to be the easiest. Here's my own hard learned method for testing Frankensleeve's tolerance for any food. Eat 1/2 teaspoon of food, wait 5 minutes, eat another 1/2 teaspoon, wait 5 minutes. I found that if Frankensleeve did not have a negative reaction within that time, it was a safe food for me.

That would be great. Frankie could use a friend.

Baked yellow squash and steamed pureed cauliflower were my 2 favorites. But Frankensleeve really didn't like them for some reason. So I wound up eating a lot of refried beans... good thing I live alone!!!! AROMA!

I mean, seriously!!!!! I haven't see a new Zombie Apocalypse thread in over a year!! What's up with that???? P.S. I no longer consider myself in the "one of the 1st to go" category! (watch the beginning of Zombieland to get the reference)

Congrats on such a great NSV!!! Had one myself last week. I tried on an old leather jacket that my dad couldn't wear AND it fit! Size large - I haven't fit into a size large since junior high.

I've only used ISOPURE unflavored powdered protein. I mix it into all kinds of foods - after cooking them. I'm not sure if you're suppose to cook protein powder or not. I've read some who say it's okay and some say the cooked powder messes up the recipe.

Too bad there wasn't an abbreviation for that list, so you weren't forced to type all that out. LOL Thanks for going to all the trouble. P.S. Could I add one to your list? NTF = Never Trust a Fart!

I couldn't see any changes in my looks for a long time. Although my friends could see the changes when I'd lost my 1st 30lbs. It takes a while for your real image to overcome the mental picture we've built up of ourselves. And who says it's not okay to become obsessive about the scale. My 1st week post-op, it was a cold and rainy December and I was trapped in the house. So, I needed entertainment. I'd weigh right when I got up, then before a pee, after a pee, before a poop, after a poop, in the evening and again before bed. I just didn't let myself take it too serious. I started out with the ground rule that only the 1st weigh in (when I woke up) counted. The rest had too many variables that could affect my weight - intake of solid food, Water, salt content, how much I sweated.... ect. Have a good time with it.

Most of my indigestion/cramping with meals went away by 6 months. There were some foods, like whole wheat bread and pineapple - high Fiber foods, that still caused some mild cramps. By 1 year, I could eat nearly everything with no complaints from Frankensleeve. At 2 years, there are only 2 things that Frankensleeve sometimes complains about - baked chicken and Taco Bell taco sauce (the version you can buy at the grocery store - I've never been to Taco Bell since surgery ).