joatsaint

I agree with the others, walk walk walk AND sip sip sip. Get those fluids in.

I can tell you that the pre-op diet was the hardest part for me. I was mentally suffering every moment of it. Post-surgery, I never felt the same way about food again. The obsession and cravings for food completely went away. If I had to do the pre-op diet again, it would be a breeze - just because I don't "need" to eat certain flavors anymore. Hang in there, I promise that a few weeks after surgery you'll look back and wonder why you thought the pre-op diet was such a challenge.

Don't feel alone. I was right where you are. I even backed out on my 1st attempt at scheduling the initial doctor visit. But in the end I asked myself 2 questions that cemented my resolve. 1. Am I ready to do what it takes to get out of this situation? 2. Do I want to be in this same situation a year from now? Anytime I am ready for a life change, those 2 questions always give me the resolve to make the change. I had my pre-op freakeout. I got worried that I wouldn't be able to eat as much after surgery as I could pre-surgery. That's when I had to break out my inner PIMP and PIMP SLAP myself and say, "Hey Stupid, that's why you're having the surgery - so you CAN'T eat as much as you can now!"

It's so taboo because so many people - junk food companies/fitness gurus/drug companies - have a vested interest in keeping people fat and continually buying the next "miracle cure". They spend millions marketing their products to us and telling us it's our fault we are fat. I'm not saying it's not my fault for being fat, but there are more factors at play that got me to 375 lbs than just my lack of self control over my eating habits. Food companies spend millions trying to find that "sweet spot" where the perfect combination of salty, sweet and fat combine to get the highest response from the test group. They are designing foods to target and increase our desire for the flavors. I've often eaten a bag of chips, and as I ate more, I got hungrier - I was driven to eat till I was stuffed. How many times has that happened when eating an apple....NEVER! :-P

No offense meant to FitnFabfor2014. Please take this as meant - tongue in cheek - :-P Other famous articles from the same author: Stacy Finz "Miss Manners’ response to diabetic triggers firestorm" and "Go ahead and shack up" Thank God for all these articles, written by people with little or no credentials.

During my 1st week post-op, I was eating about 1/2 sugar free Popsicle a day and drinking little sips of Crystal Light. I couldn't drink more than enough to wet my tongue or it'd come right back up. I got in as much Fluid as I could hold, but I really wasn't worried about it. I figured with all the Water and fat stored in my body, I could go at least a week and not be concerned. I wasn't getting in near the water and calories/protein my doc wanted me to. But it turned out okay, day by day, I could eat a little more and drink a bit more.

My 1st 10 days, I didn't eat much of anything either. I was living on sugar free popsicles and Crystal Light. Since you're not taking too much in, don't expect much to come out the other end. :-p Including fasting the day before surgery, I basically didn't eat for 11 days. My system was used to processing 3000+ calories a day. That's a lot of empty storage space to fill, before it needs to clear out. Just keep drinking as much as you can and give your new stomach a chance to heal. In the first few months post-op, it wasn't unusual for me to only go once a week. I had one spell where it was almost 2 weeks, I got concerned and took some Milk of Magnesia. If you're concerned, you really should consult your doc. He can decide the best course of action. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31570-constipation-and-milk-of-magnesia-or-how-fema-declared-my-bathroom-a-national-disaster/

I have to go with what bellaaa said: I can tell you what guidelines my doc gave me, but I'm not qualified to tell you what to do - every situation is different. My doc wanted me to stay around 60 - 80 grams of Protein and 800 calories a day. It took me at least 6 months before I could eat that much per day. It was a least 11 months post-op before I could get in over 1200 calories a day.

I was in and out in 48 hours.

My 1st visit was all about filling out questionnaires. Pages and pages of medical history and lifestyle questions. Then the doc spent about 20 minutes interviewing me - explaining the types of surgery he did and making sure I understood what to expect before and after surgery. He had to make sure that my insurance would cover my surgery and that I met the minimum requirements to be covered. He made sure I knew this wasn't a "miracle pill" and that I'd have to be ready to change my lifestyle and eating habits for it to work. The next visits were for nutrition counseling, blood-work, psychological evaluation.... I think I had 5 or 6 visits before surgery.

Congrats on your 1st NSV!

I'm at 15 months post-op and I am at my goal weight - not the weight I want to be, but the weight my doc said to expect. I've little trouble staying where I am or losing the extra lbs I gained over the holidays. I've never been one to write down my intake, but I've learned through trial and error how much to eat and what to eat during the day to maintain my weight. So it's an unconscious automatic habit and I'll catch myself saying to myself, "200 calories for Breakfast, 180 calories 9am snack....lunch...dinner... getting close to 1400 calories for the day, gotta be careful." And then there are days at work where I'll walk past the birthday cake in the break-room and suddenly, "I HAVE TO HAVE A PIECE OF CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!" And I let myself have 1/2 coffee cup (the 6oz cup, not those Grandes from Starbucks!) size scoop of cake. The problem is getting to and staying below 230. I seem to have gotten to a sticking point at this weight and it's really tough to eat any less than I currently am. I'm really happy with my weight and health right now, but like everyone, I feel I need to lose a few more lbs.

I'm not sure how fast mine started to fade, but at 15 months post-op, my 4 small incisions look like (dime sized) faded freckles. The big incision is very faded (compared to right after surgery) and just looks like someone made a 2 inch horizontal line on my stomach with a brown highlighter! :-P Here's the big scar, the small ones don't even show up when I try to take a pic.

When people at work started noticing my weight loss, I just told them the truth. I cut back drastically on how much I was eating and was walking as much as I could every day. Unless they flat out asked me if I had surgery, I never mentioned it. It was almost a year post-op before I was asked if I had surgery. By then, I was comfortable enough to tell them that I had.

At 7 days, I tried a variety of mashed foods. When I say tried, I mean 1/2 teaspoon full. My stomach felt like it was trying to grind rocks together when it didn't like a food. Besides the grinding sensation, I'd feel extremely full and some pain as the gas bubbles worked their way around the food. Prepackaged processed food (like Peanut Butter or Vienna sausage) seemed to be easier to digest than chopped meat or any kind of vegetable/fruit. It was about 6 months before I could easily eat tough things like pineapple/grapes/apples or salad. I tried some potted meat, Vienna sausage (beef and chicken), boiled egg, egg salad, creamy peanut butter - I think that was about it. I was really living on a diet of Protein drinks and Cream of Mushroom soup for about 3 months. Frankensleeve really didn't like real food for a looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg time!

I was never diagnosed with either, but pre-surgery I would have periods were I'd get these burning sensations in my heels, on the tops of my feet and on the outside of my knees. The pain would last for days or weeks and I'd be limping or on crutches. After I'd lost 60 or more lbs, I was having less trouble and the pain faded faster. Now that I'm down 145lbs I don't have the episodes of pain lasting for weeks. I still sometimes get pain in my feet, mostly after stressing my feet too hard on the walking track. But it only lasts a day or two at the most and I only have a mild limp. The days of being stuck in my chair for the weekend are long gone!

Welcome to the board, feel free to ask anything. Someone on here has probably experience it. :-P

I didn't drink till after 6 months. I never asked my doctor how long to wait, since I'm not a regular drinker in the first place. But I figured once I was on full foods again, it was safe. I thought I was a cheap drunk before, now 1 Mike's Hard Lemonade and I'm feeling good. :-)

I was only on each phase for 1 week before allowed full foods. But my new stomach didn't like real food for at least 2 months. The 1st week, I only ate sugar free Popsicles and drank Water. I mostly ate Cream of Mushroom Soup after the 1st week and for the following 3 weeks. When I moved onto soft foods, it was scrambled eggs\egg salad\refried beans\super finely chopped chicken. I stayed on soft foods for months and added in solid food here and there till Frankensleeve would tolerate more regular foods. Now my diet revolves around pork loin/lentils/black beans/turkey meat/chicken. I do go out and eat whatever I want for 1 meal per week. And I do eat the occasional snack at work. I haven't eaten fast food in 16 months and don't miss it. I don't want to come off as some kind of ant-fast food purist, it's just that my whole mental outlook on food changed after surgery and I don't have the cravings I had pre-surgery.

The info packet the doctor sent home with me said 75% protein 25% good carbs. Now, I'm not going to lie and say I stick to that, but I do try and limit myself to only 100 - 200 calories of sugar a day. During my 1st 10 months I stuck religiously to the guidelines. But now that I'm eating more than 1000 calories a day, getting the most nutrition out of every bite isn't as critical. :-).

I buy them too. I get them in a variety pack at Sam's club. I feel uneasy about having 300 calories per bar, so most of the time, I break them in half. I have found another brand that Sam's and Walmart carries that I'm finding myself buying instead of Premier. Pure Protein bars. 20 grams of protein/180 - 200 calories per bar. But they are a smaller bar. What I've discovered is that almost all the Protein Bar brands I've tried are 4 to 4.25 calories per gram, so of course Premier Protein is higher in calories/protein, since it's a bigger bar. The Pure Protein Bars I've eaten were - chocolate Peanut Butter/Chocolate Peanut Caramel/Chocolate Deluxe. They all tasted as good as or better than Premier Protein. I tend to favor the Chocolate Peanut Butter, but I like all 3 flavors. Now they are made with sugar alcohols, so if you can't tolerate them, stick with the Premier Protein - I couldn't find an old wrapper, but I think Premier is made with real sugar. I have to buy the variety pack at Sam's, but Walmart sells the individual flavors in separate 6 pack boxes. They all run me about .95 cents a bar.

Since you say you're not normally a snacker, my first thought is that it's your body craving carbs. I've come to realize that when I'm tired or feeling weak, I start craving carbs. I think my mind knows that I'll get a temporary energy boost by eating some sugar. I wasn't perfect on my pre-op diet, but I was able to stick to eating low carb. I never got carb cravings, but I did miss eating solid food and I ate some meat.

I got a sever case of the hiccups the day after surgery. I think it stretched my stomach sutures, cause it hurt like Hell for a few days afterwards. Fortunately that was the only time it happened.

I'm right there with ya. Pre-surgery I never understood why some people took reading materials into the bathroom - when I had to go, I had to go - no messing around. Post-surgery, I had to learn to poop all over again in order to stay regular and begin paying attention to the new signals my body was sending when I needed to go. Otherwise I'd wind up constipated. :-P http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31570-constipation-and-milk-of-magnesia-or-how-fema-declared-my-bathroom-a-national-disaster/

600 - 800 is the range my doc set for me, but it was weeks before I was able to get in that many calories. Everything cause stomach distress. I thought my sleeve was trying to grind up rocks with every bite! :-P