kermit_ojp

I think they are working. Not to the full extent of what I would like it to be, but I'm definitely able to take more food and liquids in after starting the Reglan. Thanks for checking on me, and I'll keep you posted. Just taking away half the gas in my throat and chest has helped tremendously!

Rachel, Try doing what Tiffy says and keep the carbs low. I bet you anything, you'll see results. Think Atkins diet...even if only trying it for two weeks. It really does sound like the carb content might be the problem. Protein shakes...EAS makes one where there is 17 grams of protein and only 2 carbs. I would stay away from anything that has more than 10 carbs in the content. Glad you brought this up. Once I'm eating a bit more normally, I'm really going to watch the carb content. Right now, I'm just lucky to get anything down. Let me know how it goes! Olivia

I'm in Fort Worth, but I travel to Austin sometimes for business. I'll definitely let you know when I'm out there next. Probably in February, actually. Do you all ever get to DFW?

Well, the pro-biotics really didn't do anything. My doc called to check on me today, so I told him what was going on. He called in two meds--a nerve med, and an anti-ulcer. Received one, and waiting on the other to be approved by insurance. So hopefully this will work. Otherwise, he said he's admitting me for dehydration and starvation. Frustrating. Please keep your fingers crossed that this will work. I really want to drink and eat....I swear! :confused1:

I received no calorie guidance from the nutritionist, just 60 grams of Protein, 64 ounces of Water, Vitamins, and one hour of cardio daily. I asked the doc about calories, and he said as long as I'm getting in 60 grams of protein, then there won't be very much room left for carbs, etc. He said if I follow that, I will never go over 1000 calories. So we'll see. If following that (once I'm on real foods), isn't working, then I will reevaluate and start counting calories.

Congrats, Barbara!! This journey is so much fun, huh? We should plan a meet up in Dallas or Austin in the spring for all the Texas crew.

I have never done a half marathon before. However, when I lost a ton of weight in my early 20's, I was jogging regularly, so I'll probably do a walk/jog routine, to keep it under the 4 hour time limit. And if I don't finish, at least I tried, right?? :thumbup: It will just make me want to do another one so I can complete it. The blue raspberry crap is this Protein drink that packs 60 grams of protein in 24 ounces. It's hard to take in. The amount of Water I need to cut down the crazy taste, turns it into about 70 ounces. Ugh. So what stage are you in now for your nutrition? I was so excited to start mushies, but have barely been able to tolerate anything more than a tablespoon at a time. Even a few sips of water is causing me so much gas in my throat and on my chest, it's making me nauseous (I'm physically unable to burp--long story--so there's no relief for it). Anyway, the doc called me today to check in, so I told him about it. He freaked and said he was going to admit me to the hospital for dehydration and starvation since I'm not getting near enough liquids or foods in. He called in two meds for me...I have one so far, and am waiting on insurance approval on the other, so keep your fingers crossed that it works! I have this posted in another thread, so I guess I need to update that as well. I hope your appt goes well and you can move on to other foods. I'm barely feeling that hunger anymore, too. But it might be due to the fact that I'm constantly nauseated. Congrats on the weight loss so far! How often are you going to weigh? I think I'm going to aim for once a week.

Heck ya, it's worth a try. I'm googling it now and will go after work to find some! Thanks so much, and I'll let you know! :crying:

ha...yes, I've had friends hit me on the back. You can imagine how that looks in public...:biggrin0: But that doesn't help either. Maybe this early on, a tablespoon of food is too much? I'll try cutting that in half and see if it helps. Or maybe I need to return to only liquids for a while. Ugh...this SUCKS! :thumbup:

Well, it was interesting. He didn't mention moving me to mushies until he asked if I was feeling hunger. When I told him yes, he seemed really surprised. That's when he said, ok, I think you're ready to move to mushy foods then...take it slow and try it out, etc, etc. Maybe when you start feeling physical hunger, that's a sign to move to the next stage?? He also moved me to solids a week earlier than my original plan. He said I can start trying them out Monday the 11th. Congrats on your weightloss as well!! Some move faster when they have more to lose, etc. But it looks like, eventually, most everyone reaches their goal weight or even beyond!

Yeah, EAS might be the way to go. Even my very picky mother and sister tasted it and thought it was good. I've only really had the chocolate flavor. Just make sure you get the one that's low carbs...2 or 4, I think....and it has 17 g of protein. Ok, I did have the hunger thing like you did, too. But for some reason, I'm easily satisfied when I drink/eat something after it. How much mushy food are you able to tolerate at once? And it very much got easier when I went to mushies yesterday. My mom was baking homemade flour tortillas the night before and I thought I might kill her over one. I think everyone goes through this whole thing, "will it work? It's not working, etc" I wouldn't worry too much about that. I'm also craving stuff....like all of a sudden, cottage cheese sounded really really good last night. So I made myself a little bowl and after a few tiny bites, I was "done." And now the thought of cottage cheese doesn't appeal to me at all. I would def say up your protein in any way you can, and maybe that will help with the hunger. I'm leaving for the gym in a bit. I also cannot wait for weights! My doctor is kind of weird though and acts like weight training should never be apart of my workout routine ever. Also, at his seminar, he want on and on about loose skin and there is nothing we can do it about it....there's no workout that can curb this, it's a fact of life, you're going to have loose skin, etc. And, of course, in my suspicious mind, I'm thinking he must be saying this so that his patients will eventually need to have plastic surgery with the new doc they hired at the hospital who specializes in plastic surgery after wls. Am I crazy?? lol Oh...and so far, I'm onl.y doing the treadmill at the gym. I'm training for a half marathon in March, so I need to get my mile down to under a certain amount of time. Even tho the doc cleared me for any cardio workout, I think I would have overdone it with a class or the elliptical machine. Just doing the tread mill yesterday at a very reasonable pace, wiped me out. However, I think that had more to do with nothing in my system. So I've started drinking that watered down blue rasp crap before I leave. lol

I'm a mexican...so hell yeah, to the refried beans with cheese! lol Actually, I was going to put some pinto beans on to soak tonight, so I can make them tomorrow. I never thought of adding cheese for flavor and a little extra protein...heck, and at this point, extra calories. Even moving to mushies, I'm not getting enough calories in. I will make them tomorrow and let you know they go down! :thumbup:

My stomach growls, but is easily satisfied with a Protein shake or pudding or something. The doc got on to me about not having enough protein or Water, so I bought these things from GNC....250 calories...24 ounces...zero carbs or sugar...60 grams of protein. GNC Pro Performance? AMP Amplifed Wheybolic Extreme 60™ - Fruit Punch - GNC PRO PERFORMANCE - GNC Today is my first day to drink them....I got the blue raspberry flavor. They have a really strong whey/protein after taste, so I had to cut it with water. My plan is, to add some to every water bottle I have throughout the day, that way I'm getting at least 60 grams of protein by the end. I've been moved to mushies, but as of now, I'm only able to tolerate about a tablespoon per meal. Because of this, I have to rely on Protein drinks until I can take more in. EAS makes some tasty, ready made shakes, but only 17 grams of protein. I was just trying to drink the least amount I can, with the most protein. But....you pay for that. This definitely harder to get down. What about you? What are you tolerating or not tolerating? Are you feeling hunger? Have you started exercising yet? My first day at the gym was today, and I probably over did it considering I had nothing in my stomach but a bit of water. I'll drink some protein stuff tomorrow before I work out.

This made me laugh out loud. I was in college about 10 years ago, when I got on Body for Life and did squats for the first time in my life. I did the whole routine, no problem. The next day, I, too, fell onto the floor when I got out of bed. I was trying to go up and down the stairs on campus, and literally looked like a crazy person, extending my leg out to the side, while I grabbed onto the rail for dear life, trying to make it to the next step. Then, a tornado hit Austin, I was home alone in my apt which was right off the highway, which was where the tornado was basically heading down. I couldn't move fast enough with my legs, so I literally dragged myself across the floor, and into the closet, with couch cushions dragging along with me. Anyway, so moral to the story....take it slow on squats, if you haven't done them in while. LOL

Congratulations! I always look to your posts for guidance and inspiration. Thanks for taking the time to keep everyone updated.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I just got home to Fort Worth today, been spending the time post in Dallas with my mom. Anyway, I got all my jeans out that are a size smaller and half of them fit. So exciting. I went and joined a gym today also. I start cardio workouts tomorrow. The doc released me to do everything but strength/weight training. He also said to go ahead and start on mushy foods. I tried some really smooth mashed potatoes, and was able to get about a teaspoon in at lunch and another dinner. So.......protein drinks it is until I am able to take in more mushies. I was able to walk pretty much the day of surgery. Not much, but some. Now I am feeling almost normal and cannot wait to start working out. Thanks to you guys for all the support! It makes my day to get on here and read everyone's progress, questions, etc.

Good to know about the processor from Walmart. And deviled ham => makes me want to hurl in addition to skin crawl...lol. Ugh. Can't wait until January 18th when I can get my protein from real protein sources.

Exactly what kind of texture am I looking for when I puree tuna or chicken? I just can't imagine that tasting good. But I'm pretty sure the Protein shakes are going to get real old real fast by next week.... So smoother than tuna salad.....maybe like the consistency of a smooth egg salad?

What a relief! I was worried. This made my day!

Hi There! I'm Olivia and I'm getting sleeved on Monday. I started looking into the lap band about a month ago and got turned onto the sleeve at the seminar. Because there was an exclusion on my insurance policy, I was able to get this ball rolling quickly, and, geez, Monday is right around the corner! I'm in my early 30's, single, and would like to lose around 130-140 pounds. I'm not that nervous yet, but I'm sure it will hit me Sunday night. My surgeon is Dr. Dirk Rodriguez in Dallas, TX and I just finished my last pre-op appt and nutrition class today. I've been lurking for awhile, so already took advice of Tiffany and ordered the multi-pack of Protein powder from bodybuilders.com. Anyway, just thought I would finally say hi. I'm sure I will need this forum for support post op. I'm really excited about this new life and everything that will come with it...including the exercise! One question though, my surgeon's post op diet includes full liquids the first week. Anyone have thoughts on that?? I'd rather play it safe, than get sick, etc. Thanks for listening! Olivia

I'm sure things will get better from here on out. I was sleeved the day before you on 12/21. I, too, was questioning my decision, and I really didn't have ANY problems after surgery. So I'm pretty sure it's normal. I was doing great until this morning. I really wasn't drinking enough Water or Protein drinks post-op and it caught up with me today. I was lethargic, sleepy, nauseous, and could not snap out of it. I made the decision to hydrate myself out of it, instead of going to the hospital for an IV....and good thing I did, as I feel 100 times better this evening. So.....I have to make sure I have a drink in my hands at all times. This is the only way that keeps me drinking constantly. Keep me posted on your experience! I think these next few weeks are crucial for us.

Yay! You sound better then me the night I got home from the hospital. I'm with you about the pain meds. I can't tolerate any of them....so liquid Aleve was what I was sent home with. I don't think Frank has been on since a couple of nights before his surgery. You'll feel better and better each day. Yesterday, I wasn't sure if I'd be back to work by Monday, but today I'm sure I will be. Speak to you soon!