SuperMom

ConGraTs! You are a ROCKSTAR!!!!

I just can't do the Protein shakes. Have you tried unjury chicken broth? 20 grams of protein in 8 oz and tastes just like chicken broth. I was sleeved May 23, 2011. I find I can do the broth better twice a day than the shakes which are just too thick (I have tried several now) and even with Water, stuff added etc they just don't do well on my tummy. I am just now getting to 70 grams of protein some days. It does get better. And I find I do better to do all water and then wait an hour and do broth or eat etc. Doing them back and forth I fill up faster and can't finish the broth. (I think I saw you are from near me - I live in Pass Christian had surg with Dr. Warden Surgical Specialists of La.) as for the Vitamins....they started me on Bariatric Advantage...which worked well before surgery but after made me sick....now taking Vitamin Shop pineapple multi which doctor said had lots of great stuff in it....and it goes down fine (in the am better.....don't know why but in the afternoon not so well)

I did notice that a couple of weeks out from the surgery I started "drooping". I think it is just your body's way of catching up with the trauma of the surgery? Also protein drinks do a number on my stomach! I get kind of a sick at my stomach feeling and heartbeat starts pounding and stomach starts rolling. My nut said rapid heartbeat right after eating can be a "dump" signal from my stomach saying it does not like what I ate. I do notice that when I get the "sick at my stomach feeling" I feel better if I lay down for a while. Have you noticed anything like that? Maybe the shakes are not agreeing with your tummy?

I carried the chewable gas x around for the first 3 weeks. Don't worry it gets better!

Heather, I am not diabetic either (never was) Was 230 at my highest weight. They determined I had PCOS after clomid (they had me up to 5 a day) and I had multiple eggs and still none of them were dropping (they determined this by ultrasound daily). I always had regular periods. Just saying if you have any trouble getting pregnant after being diagnosed as PCOS those are good lab tests (testosterone and insulin) to get. You don't have to be diabetic to have PCOS. Actually with too much insulin your blood sugar runs low (hypoglycemia)

Same here. Just started cooking again for all of us together (May 23 surgery). Quiche, baked fish, etc....trying to figure out stuff we can all eat together. Hubby has been eating healthier too . He showed me the other day his pants are loose! We have a teenager and a 3 year old so I have to keep stuff for them to snack on but trying to veer to fruits etc (healthy stuff)

I tend to be very independent. Did so well at hospital I sent hubby home because he was making me nervous. He stayed home with me the first couple of days but I really did not need him. I had everything ready (broth, crystal light, chewable gas X, sugarfree popsickles, pain meds) and I just slept most of the first couple of days so he really did not have to do anything. I felt so good I drove myself one hour away to 7 day post op. Good luck!

So I check in here alot. (esp when my 3 year old is cartooning) I kept reading about "get your protein" "drink enough water" "eat a certain amount of calories"....well I am/was having alot of problems with the shakes (just cannot stomach them). Hit a stall. Lost 40 lbs like it was nothing but scale stayed where it was after that for almost two weeks. I really was not eating much (boiled egg for Breakfast, 1/4-1/2 cup refried Beans with cheese lunch, small amount of some kind of Protein for dinner, couple of sugar free pops for snack) was getting Water in and exercizing. Told my hubby scale stopped moving. He said what does the chat board say? and I said "think I need to eat more and get more protein in". Well I did this weekend. Made myself get more protein & calories in and lost 3 lbs over the last two days! I also read online where the protein breaking down makes your blood acidic and your body dumps Calcium to neutralize it.......wow....and that it takes 8 lbs of water to break down 3 lbs of fat.....and extra calcim from neutralizing ends up in kidneys.......thus the need to drink even more water....funny how no one (nut) mentioned this to me? They do tell you what to eat but it would be nice if they explained WHY! Thanks for all of your posts! You guys RoCk!

Thanks Kelly and I forgot to put - I felt better and had more energy this weekend so I think my body was saying "Good job!)

We did three different fertility doctors. The last one did testosterone and insulin levels to determine my PCOS. He recommended and endocrineologist. Maybe they could check those on you? Good luck!

Playing around with recipes. Trying to figure out some that I can eat and feed family too (which is a challenge!). Played around with quiche recipe. I usually make them with just eggs...got a wild hair and added greek yogurt. The yogurt quiche came out lighter in color than regular quiche and I had to put it under the broiler to brown the top which I usually don't do. After I did all that......which is not easy with the "help" of my 3 year old daughter (love her but she makes a mess) sat down to look up the Protein count of the eggs vs greek yogurt.....and actually the eggs have better protein so I could have stayed with my usual recipe. My usual quiche recipe: 6 eggs 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 tsp nutmeg salt pepper premade pie shells 1 cup grated cheese per quiche (I like sharp cheddar but yesterday used mozerella & cheddar) filling (see below) Filling (choose and pick whatever you like): bacon precooked crispy and cut up into tiny pieces (1 lb bacon does 4 large quiche) fresh tomatoes (if you use these salt them, remove seeds and and let some of the moisture come out first so your quiche is not soggy) onions (saute them in butter or olive oil until brown before you put them into quiche) I used two large onions and it worked for 4 quiche turkey lunch meat cut into small squares ham cut into small squares 1 cup cheese per quiche Prebake pie crust for 10 min BEFORE you fill it and rebake it so your piecrust stays crisp (mom taught me that Fill empty piecrust with fillngs (pick whatever you like) presleeve I also used to add baby spinach (yum). Sprinkle cheese all over filling. Pour egg mixture over the filling up to rim. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Greek yogurt version: 1 cup greek plain yogurt 3-4 eggs 2/3 cup heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Follow the same steps as above . Bake for 350 for 1 hour. Brown top under broiler after baking. enjoy! also these fit in gallon size freezer bag and after baking freeze really well Rene'

TRUE LOVE! It is the little things that show support and love! You are very lucky! and by the way....the magic bullet I bought makes shakes WAY too foamy (too much burping) so all it is good for is snowballs....just in case you were thinking of getting one.....the Protein just does not work well with it....

I am taking Viactive Calcium Plus D....20 calories....500 mg Calcium 500 IU Vitamin D.....but it is calcium carbonate.....(but guess it is ok because last two months of labs are fabulous) They are chocolate and taste just like tootsie roll...yummy!

From what my nut said first protein on lable is supposed to read "whey isolate" . Collagen (she said) is not as good of a protein.

Go to local urgent care and get celestone shot and antibiotic. Same thing happened to me right before surgery. Once well bleach everything and get new toothbrush. Good luck!

Dear Crosswind, Thank you for that! I am a worrier and keep thinking to myself what if I do this and not that etc......you are right. Each day I am doing the best I can do and the weight is coming off. I am trying to also start a positive thinking campaign in my own head! I went for my second post off doctor visit and got a high five and two thumbs up!!! After years of being fussed at for gaining weight, high bp, elevated glucose.....this was great. BP was 20 points down, glucose was normal, and labs looked better than before sleeve!!!! Amen, AMEN!!

Yes darn it that jack-you-know-what Tom showed up at my surgery. Actually he had the nerve to show up the night before when I could not even take anything for pain and had really bad cramps! Well surgery went fine. They will not let you wear tampons during surgery ....booo.....and give you a device long enough to wrap around your waist (hahahah the old kind my mother used to use)...but right after they let you use tampons. My doc leaves catheter in until the next morning (supposed to be something about if your sleeve leaks) anyway....was a little uncomfortable with tampon and catheter (sorry if this is too much info for guys here)....but the super pain killers you take make you even forget anything is down there so you have nothing to worry about. And I swear the anest. gives you abnesia because I was really cramping and uncomfortable before the surgery and don't remember any cramps after at all....hahaha........so go ahead Tom crash this party.....sleeve will be fine!

I was just thinking what you described was what I felt when I had to have my gallbladder out (before being sleeved). Do you still have your gallbladder?

Take alot of pics at your wedding......they are the only thing you get to keep for years and years! You are BeAuTiFuL!!! Thanks for the pics!!!! Keep up the good work! You GO GIRL!!!!!

Chef Neil....now that I am adding in some soft meats, crab, tuna etc it is easier to add in the protein. I have been trying to eat small protein "snacks/meals" all throughout the day 5-6 as I really can't eat more than 1/2 a cup of anything right now and except for the Unjury chicken broth I am not having much luck with shakes. I have been using these for my afternoon "snack". I made them the other day with 3 scoops of powder and one cup of peanutbutter and they came out good too....so you could prob go down on the 1 cup peanutbutter if you wanted.

Even getting out of the tub I noticed my knees don't hurt like they did! I know what you mean! YOU GO GIRL! Congratulations on climbing the ladder of success!

Am having a very hard time with shakes. They all so far have gagged me. Getting quite a collection in the pantry. Even Jay Robb which my nut said was "fabulous" too goopy and won't go down. Doc gave me some samples and unjury chocolate Splendor with Sucralose actually tastes like choc milk and not goopy! Bariatric Advantage oatmeal and vanilla capuccino (also samples from Doc) weird. Oatmeal ok but not really oatmeal. Capuccino....wierd and gagged me too much wierdness foam on top??? Unjury chicken Soup ok....not really soup kind of broth. I laugh everytime I try a new one.....yep monkeybutt.....hahah.....my hubby even says it now!

Get a friend to run to the Chinese resturant and get some egg drop soup and strain out the eggs! It is a little bit thicker than broth and yummy when you don't feel good! Also the won ton soup broth was good too!

I feel your pain and am going through EXACTLY the same thing as you. Weight is coming off. Water intake is fine and sipping plain water is the easiest for me (guess my new tummy doesn't like sweet either go figure) Unjury chicken BROTH ...hahaha...no noodles goes down fine the only thing I find is it is a bit salty. There is a slight foam weirdness that occurs when you stir it up and I remove some of that (hopefully that is not all the protein hahaha) I just tried the Chocolate Unjury and it really is thinner and tastes to me anyway like choc milk (it has splenda in it and I like splenda in my coffee so maybe that is why it tastes fine to me?) Now that I can eat I am doing much better on protein (hard cheese, boiled eggs etc) but still having to MAKE myself eat is really weird! Cottage cheese & yogurt are repeated alot too. Good luck and if you find any magic "protein" wands let me know!

I did not need anyone here. In fact, I rest better if someone is NOT hovering. Love my hubby but he "HOVERS". Everytime I rolled over he was there saying, "You need anything? Are you in pain?" and I really was not in that much pain. Gallbladder surgery was WAY worse. Not sure why? Anyway...good luck!