loris

I will second the caution.....however I purchased my "compression" garments at Walmart, without trying them on. When I got home and put the 2x t shirt top on it was like a boa constrictor had me. I literally could not get it off! I tried, then stopped, tried again. stopped. I was wondering how I was gonna get this thing off, i really needed someone to remove it, with my hands up in the air, like a mom takes a shirt off of a child! I was contemplating CUTTING it off when I was finally able to get it off. I took all $60 worth of the compression garments back the next day I'd like some firming on my stomach and hips/thighs. I might try spanx but this sizing thing is iffy. I am a 1x on top and a sz. 20 bottom. guess i'll have to try things on at the store but I fear having another boa constrictor incident in the dressing room! lol

I had about 1/4 of a super large baked potato (i specifically waited until my daughter was visiting so I could share it with her) with some broiled chicken the other day. no issues, however I have had ZERO swelling and only experience the tight-chest feeling when i unknowingly push my sleeve capacity. it is an ongoing process to determine how much of each type of food your sleeve will handle/tolerate. You can determine a standard measurement (by volume, as I have....which is no more than 3/4 to a max 1 cup per meal total of protein/veggies and 100% dependent on the density of the food). I eat for the nutrients I will receive from the foods...so with that mindset baked potatoes have a necessary nutritional purpose for me: POTASSIUM. I log all of my foods on myfitnesspal.com and am always below the RDA for potassium. Most foods high in potassium are also high in carbs, so every night I plan my next days menu....and adjust accordingly. I will choose to not put 1% milk in my Protein shake and choose lowest carb veggies/meals so I can eat some avocado, baked potato or some lima Beans and still stay under 40 grams of carbs. I try to choose potassium rich foods that are no/low sugar. There is no "one correct way for everyone". Some people are carb sensitive. Some are carb addicts. For those people a baked potato could wreak havoc on their progress. For others such as myself an occasional potato yields better nutritional stats, so I eat it. I avoid empty carb items like Pasta and breads because I have no desire to eat them, they have no value for my nutritional goals, and they take up space that could hold protein and Vitamin rich foods. As others have suggested, try a baked potato again in a few weeks. While I haven't had any foods disagree with my sleeve (YET!) based on all the posts I've read here you will likely be able to eat them eventually. Everyone heals/swells differently, so be patient! and don't avoid baked potatoes just because they are a carb! they DO have a place in a well planned sleever's menu.

I'm ljsc (that's LJSC but all LC, not sure it matters...the LC L looked like an I, lol) but I don't know how to add/become friends with anyone! Otherwise I LOVE MFP, it is awesome!

lunch and dinner are usually 1/2 cup of dense Protein and 1/2 cup of vegetables. tonight it was 3.1 oz of shrimp (7 pcs), 1T cocktail sauce. 1/2 c. frozen chopped cooked broccoli with a melted laughing cow triangle thingy of cheese. for lunch I had 5-6 oz. of grilled seasoned chicken breast with onions and swiss cheese. I ate about 2/3 then baggied up the rest and finished it for my afternoon snack. (this was 1/2 of a coworkers leftover sandwich (got rid of the grinder roll it came on) so that's why I am guessing on the measurement) i usually have a shake for Breakfast, a mid morning snack (1/2 c CC or a string cheese stick) , lunch (above), an afternoon snack (yesterday it was 6 cherries, today nothing as I was full from lunch), and dinner (above). anywhere from 650-800 calories total. I use myfitnesspal.com to track my intake and work hard to make sure I get my protein in plus high values of my vitamin/mineral needs. even thought I take Vitamins I feel it's best to actually work to eat nutritional stuff, plus I LOVE veggies. I cannot imagine only getting in tablespoons or 1-2 oz. per meal.....that just doesn't sound like enough nutrition. I guess if you can do Protein drinks also but my dr. wants me eating my protein not drinking it. I feel like I get to eat a lot, am very satisfied with what I get to eat and haven't hurled yet so me and my tummy are getting along quite well so far, lol.

I know, a lot of people can't eat much that early out. Strangely, I kinda' felt disappointed that I wasn't experiencing some of the same problems other newly sleeved people were! (now I am thankful!) I thought maybe my Dr. didn't make my sleeve small enough/right, lol. I've found out he did dense protein/real food = restriction lol From the beginning I was able to get all of my Water in, and pureed food just went right through me, between the diarrhea and lacking nutrients/+hunger I progressed myself to softer meats and foods faster and it was good for me. I've had zero issues mainly because I listen to my body/sleeve and with all of the knowledge I've gained here nothing came as a surprise! I guess I didn't have any swelling at all! As of today I am down 24 lbs. post op/ 40 lbs. w/pre op diet, and I feel GREAT!

I am 1 mos. and 1 day out. I can eat 1/2 cup of meat/protein (chicken breast, roasted pork shoulder,eggface ricotta bake with chicken added to it) PLUS some veggies. I put my foods in 1/2 cup plastic containers.....i finish the veggies at my desk nibbling on them for apprx. 1/2 to 1 hr. my day is like this- 7 am Protein shake, 9-10 am morning snack, 12:30 lunch, 3-ish afternoon snack, 6-ish dinner (dinner is my "lightest" meal) I also get apprx. 80 oz. of fluids in

Can you add me for June 27th? THANKS! and how do I add the little Jewels of June thingy? Can someone explain? Thanks, Loris

today B- Protein Shake: CLICK mocha espresso made with 1c. 1% lowfat milk, 4 oz. Water and lots of ice. frappaccino YUM! I am ADDICTED to my protein drink! mid-morning snack- 1/2 c. cottage cheese L- 1/2 c. chicken breast grilled + 1/8 haas avocado. (this was 1/2 of a wrap from our monday catered lunch @ work. tossed the tortilla and ate some of the "insides". grilled zuchinni & summer squash (4 pieces cut round, not long) afternoon snack- 1 frigo mozzarella string cheese stick dinner - 1/2 cup of beef with cheese, onions & peppers (the insides of 1/2 of a leftover philly cheese steak sand) this gave me 845 cals/35 g. carbs/67 grams protein tomorrow (I preplan whenever possible) B- click mocha espresso Protein shake made WITHOUT milk this day mid morning snack- 4 taco breakfast bites (crustless quiches theworldaccordingtoeggface recipe sort of) L- small shrimp (3 oz) with 2T cocktail sauce. 4 pc. grilled zuchinni/summer squash (leftovers from yesterday's lunch) I also have a piece of gilled beef rolled up with some spinach left from yesterdays luncheon and am hoping to have a "surf and turf" lunch but doubt I can eat it all....and hate to not eat the veggies cause i LOVE THEM!!! afternoon snack - 1/2 cup edamame (shelled soybeans, will nibble on for an hour or so) dinner - 3 oz. grilled tilapia fillet, steamed green Beans (1/4 c) 771 cals/48 g carbs (this would be why I am skipping the milk today, the corn & beans in the taco breakfast bites are carbing me out)/93 grams protein. See how pre-planning helps? I feel like I can eat a lot, about 2/3 to 3/4 cup at a time and I am only 1 month out. I vary my days between 700-800 calories, try to stay below 40 g. carbs and aim for a range of 70-90 grams of protein, most from real food, not Protein drinks. I usually have to eat the mid morning & afternoon Snacks, and always eat all of them. however my actual meals are oftentimes only 3/4 or so consumed. my dog appreciates my new lifestyle at dinner time for sure I have never hurled or got the foamies, however I have eaten too much 2x and almost hurled not fun I eat kinda fast I think, compared to how others here describe how they eat. I feel normal now (comparing myself to non-sleevers) in terms of bite size, chewing and total time to eat a meal. however my coworkers think my portions are ridiculously small (i use 4 oz. plastic glad containers for all my food) oh....and i've lost 23 lbs post op so far. Others might lose faster, my goal is to #1 be/stay healthy by getting my required protein/nutrients THEN #2 lose. Everyone says I GLOW....and I have a lot of energy so I'm thinking I'm doing ok!

I just had Panera cater our sales meetings at work and it was a HUGE hit. I took over the scheduling the lunches from my bosses assistant because I wanted to make sure I'd have something I could eat for these long days of our meetings, lol (plus she always got NASTY lunches!) anyway the cool thing on their website is their nutritional area, it allows you to remove ingredients from their sandwiches so you get accurate calorie/nut info; I ended up eating 2 half sandwiches over the day (both without the bread/spreads,just meat veggies & cheese) and was still able to accurately track my foods that day. Yeah Panera! Our office has a catered luncheon every Monday and they are talking about doing Panera maybe 1x a month now. I am excited because I always have to skip Monday lunch, awkwardly bring my own food, or worse, eat some and be unsure if I am blowing my calories for the day

thanks everyone! I think I'll be real happy with this new option for a healthy, Protein filled veggie snack! lori Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

I picked up a box today in the freezer section. It has 6 microwavable bags of shelled edamame (soybeans). each bag is 2 servings with the following nut. stats per serving: 90 cals.; 2.5 g. fat; 8g carbs (3g dietary fiber); and EIGHT grams of protein!!! Is this ok to eat? It's a vegetable but it's not too much Fiber like celery or coconut right? (i read the horror story someone posted about the coconut fiber staying in their stomach). It's more like a firm pea. I want to try these for my afternoon snack at work......does anyone else eat them? I really feel like I need VEGGIES! i work so hard to get Protein in with little room left for veggies, so it would be nice to "double dip" and get BOTH at the same time

I LOVE my morning CLICK mocha espresso! i even dropped my usual cup of hot tea with coffee mate creamer which i have been addicted to for years! The click has 120 cals, 1.5 g fat, 12g carbs, and 15 g. Protein. It's worth the carbs love, love, love it! i make it with 14 oz. cold Water, 2T sugar free vanilla torani syrup, and ice. i whirl it up in the blender, then put it in a Blender Bottle with a few more cubes ( i like it cold!) and drink it on my commute. it usually takes me 1+ hr. to drink it all...very rewarding fix

I just ordered something called PB2 from Amazon. I'll let you know how it is! I love the idea of adding Protein without the fat so i'm willing to try it. It's actually peanuts that have had all the oil squeezed out of them and then the leftovers grounded into a powder. There are a lot of things you are supposed to be able to do with it, from mixing with Water or milk (and more!) to make a creamy butter, to adding to shakes, adding to cooking (stir fries and such) and much more. OH....and they have chocolate PB2 also......I only ordered the regular so far..... here is a link to the manufacturers website: http://www.bellplantation.com/ I'll try to attach the nutritional stats too (1st time adding a file so we'll see!) <br /><br /><br />

Hi CJ- My surgery was the June 27th. I had -0- complications, no swelling, no issues swallowing or tolerating any food/drink. My Dr. wants me to stay on mushies for another week because "he doesn't want anything to get stuck and cause vomiting/wretching". ummm...ok but i've had -0- issues along those lines so ??? I'm gonna try to stay with it but find that eating pureed/mushie (slider food) makes me hungrier sooner (not the same kind of hunger as b4 though) i think i eat from purees, mushies, and soft, you judge from the following- my fave (and many others) is eggface's ricotta bake- http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ i add some pre-cooked chicken to the bottom layer (some add ground beef) eggface also has a lot of other great recipes, I've tried the bites, and even cheated a bit and had one of the pizzas (with very soft/mushy toppings (finely chopped chicken and artichokes) and chewed well. guess i'll try her crock pot roast recipe this weekend, I eat tuna salad to which I add a chopped hard boiled egg and (per the recipe) parmesan cheese to up the Protein (google barbie's best tuna salad to find the recipe on allrecipes? I think....) a scrambled egg with cheese/real bacon crumbles or salsa turkey meatballs from trader joes with tzatziki sauce (TJ's also, makes the meatballs taste like a gyro! sprinkle a tiny bit of greek seasoning over the meatballs. the tzatziki sauce even has protein! chile-lime chicken burgers (TJ's) i've had mashed potatoes (very little, I didn't want to eat a lot of carb-rich foods early on) and one time taco bell pintos and cheese. i'm thinking about having Wendy's chili tomorrow but i'm a little nervous. beef sometimes give sleevers trouble. my portion size is 1/2 cup total or less, depending on what it is: cottage cheese is easy, turkey meatballs (2); chicken burger (4 oz b4 cooking) 1 if nothing else, 1/2 burger if i have a few tablespoons of green Beans with it. fave veggie right now is canned green beans as they are soft and easy and i feel safe with them, kinda afraid of others even though i love them. i have had a spinach/tomato/feta cheese side dish a deli near us makes...it's chopped up super well and i am really feeling veggie-deprived. turkey or chicken lunch meat grilled talapia filets boiled shrimp as I said all of these things have agreed with me, i have to eat slow and chew a lot but I don't think anyone else thinks i eat abnormally EXCEPT for the portion size. i'm satisfied and track my calories/nutrients on myfitnesspal.com and am getting a fair share of nutrients via food. i have done well on my protein and Water too (i drink click espresso Protein Drink (LOVE IT!)) hope this helps! Lori

try some chicken broth, since it's warm it might help relax your sleeve? I added cooked chicken to mine and the put it in the blender....still easy to sip but extra calories/nutrients/protein. i noticed when i was in the hospital the broth there (which tasted WAY better than my pre-op diet boxes of chix broth!) had some pulverized chicken AND it had fat blobs floating on the surface...maybe you could add a teaspoon or so of butter or cream to add some calories? since you can get in so little i'd make sure what i was able to get in was as helpful as possible. heck at this point if i were you i'd try hagen daz ice cream with some Protein powder added to it. your body needs some fuel.