joatsaint

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For me, it really took a long time before I could eat anything I wanted, probably 9 to 11 months post-op. At 6 months, I still couldn't handle fibrous vegetables/fruits (lettuce, tomatoes, squash, apples, grapes, pineapple). And real whole wheat bread would make Frankensleeve roll up in knots. The ironic part was that the processed foods - white bread, Pasta, rice, sugar, all went down with ease. It just takes time. By my 1 year anniversary, I was able to eat anything I wanted, with the occasional grumble from Frankensleeve. I'm 16 months post-op and he STILL surprises me sometimes with the occasional complaint about pineapple - but no serious grumbling. There is one food he just won't tolerate, Taco Bell Taco Sauce! He seizes up like a python wrapped around bunny with the 1st bite! When I first started introducing foods back into my diet, I learned real quick to eat only 1/2 teaspoon full of a food, wait 5 minutes, take another 1/2 teaspoon, wait 5 minutes. If Frankensleeve didn't react by then, I was fairly confident I could eat the food with no problems.

I would strain it or run it through a blender really well. Stage 2 for me was full liquids, my doc said as long as there were not chunks or pieces (not even little pieces of spices float in it - nothing the might get lodged in my staple line), I could eat it.

If I was in the puree/mushy/soft food stage or later, I'd eat it! But is it going to put you over your calorie limit for the day?

Looks like you're only a few months post-op. If you haven't drank anything bubbly since surgery, be careful how fast you drink. The bubbles may fill you up quicker than you think. I think I waited till the 6 month mark before I tried my 1st fizzy drink post-op.

Well, I ate mine with a spoon. But I only ate the creamy version, I was afraid that if I ate the crunchy type, the little pieces of peanuts might get lodged in my staple line. P.S. I never mixed mine with anything - I like mine straight up!

Me too, surprised the crap out of me when I started noticing how I could feel the car seat pressing against my tailbone! I've been putting extra padding on my chair years before I lost weight, so I didn't really notice the difference, but sitting on wooden chairs at restaurants and at work is a whole new experience.

Yep, couple of bites is the limit at first. Your new stomach is still swollen and needs more time to heal. I was so happy when I was full after only 2 bites!

I don't believe you have. You didn't mention anything along the lines of eating till you're in pain. From learning the hard way, I've found that when I eat even 1 bite too many, my sleeve is really painful. Those days of eating too much and feeling that "oohh I ate too much" stretched belly are long gone. For about 6 months post-op, I was full eating about 1/4 cup of pretty much anything dense - chicken, turkey... At 6 months, I was able to eat a little more, maybe 1/2 cup per meal. Then at 9 months it was as though my stomach relaxed and I am now able to eat 8 - 10 ounces per meal. And it's been that way ever since.

I sit at a desk all day, so I was back at work on day 11.

I had to re-learn how much I could safely drink at one time. Now, it's an unconscious habit. I can glug down a few big gulps safely, but I'm sure the swallows are not as big as they were pre-op.

Yep, you are perfectly normal. People often make WLS sound like starting Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, but it is major surgery and not to be taken lightly. I still remember freaking out and being on the fence - right up till they wheeled me into the OR room!

Don't feel bad about asking. It's a very common question. I was worried a few times when it felt like it had been too long since the last trip to the bathroom. I had to resort to Milk of Magnesia a few times before I figured out how to get enough Fiber in my diet. But it was about 9 months post-op before I was semi-normal again. Here's my first experience with MOM! http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31570-constipation-and-milk-of-magnesia-or-how-fema-declared-my-bathroom-a-national-disaster/

Congrats on your surgery. A few of the things I learned the hard way post-op are: Learning to take tiny sips of Water. One big swallow too many, and it's all coming back up! Eating only a 1/2 teaspoon of food per bite. I never knew what Frankensleeve would tolerate, so I had to take a tiny bite of any new food I introduced into my diet. Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve!

Great to hear you're doing well. And it sounds like you are right on time to hit the dreaded 3-week stall. I've had many stalls over the past 15 months and I've learned that if I just stick to my eating and exercise program, the weight starts to drop again. Good luck and Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve!

I never missed food post-op. Even though I was hurting like Hell the 1st week post-op, I was so happy to be able to give food the middle finger! And say, "You have no power over me."

After 27 years of "miracle" diet pills and wishful thinking, I had to face the fact that I couldn't lose weight without surgery. I believe we are all victims of marketing hype that tell us if only we had enough self-discipline, we could win the battle over weight. But there are too many factors that come into play that over-ride self-discipline to boil it all down to just a lack of will power. We all have different genetics. I know there's a lot more at play than just genetics, but I believe it plays a big part in whether or not the body stores or burns up excess calories.

I try for 60 - 80 grams of protein daily, but it was several months post-op before I was able to get that much in.

I had both done at the same time. From talking to his staff, it is his normal procedure to go ahead and remove the gallbladder. One of the nurses told me that if it wasn't removed, I'd probably be back in few years to have it taken out anyway. He said that many overweight people commonly have gallbladder problems.

Me too, I had lost somewhere between 45 and 50 lbs at 3 months. Some of the fast losers that have posted say they have lost upwards of 60 lbs at the 3 month mark. I think it really depends on how closely you stick to your recommended diet plus the size of your new stomach. I don't care what you ladies say, size does matter!

During the 1st few months, I was eating so little that I was mostly eating protein. I didn't have much room for anything else and any kind of vegetable didn't agree with Frankensleeve. I was losing about 17 lbs a month. I made sure I was taking my multi-vitamins, calcium, and B-12. Other than the hassle of constipation - from not getting in enough fiber, everything was fine.

Good luck with your surgery.

Just get back on the wagon DaddyMarie. No one on this board is perfect and we all have our moments of weakness. It's not the failure that decides who you are, it's what you do afterwards. Do you learn from it and use it improve? Or do you focus on what can't be changed? P.S. Consider yourself "Pimp Slapped".

My doc said just take a good multi-vitamin, calcium, and B-12 sub-lingual tablet. He was fine with the Sam's Club brand of multi-vitamins. So I've been taking them ever since surgery.

I didn't eat popcorn for months post-surgery. Not because I couldn't have it, but because I was eating so little that I needed to get the maximum nutrition per bite that I could get. It was probably 6 months before I tried popcorn. I remember not being able to finish half the bag, it was months later before Frankensleeve could hold a whole bag of popcorn. I've had no problems with it. but now, It is a slider food for me. I buy the single serving microwave bags and limit myself to 1 bag - so I know exactly how much I'm eating.