SpaceDust

Try unflavored Protein and add sugar free syrups and skim milk so that you can choose your own sweetness level. You could also use unflavored protein in warm (NOT hot) broth for a savory option - just make sure the liquid is below 140° F. before you add the protein or you end up with a bit of a nasty mess. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

Straight from liquids to soft foods here, and I'll be transitioning this weekend as well. Basically, my requirements are that I be able to mash it with a fork, that it's not too fibrous, and no bread, no white Pasta, no seeds. Two weeks of that and then I'm ready for regular food. So far I seem to be the sleeve of steel type, too. I'm not sure if that's good or bad! Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

I think you'd have to work pretty hard to stretch your sleeve with Coke, honestly. Not that I'm saying you couldn't do it, but my first thought is that there was probably more excess going on than having an occasional Coke, or even a Coke every day.

It's perfectly normal. You'll likely be nervous and excited at the same time, and honestly I'd be more worried if you weren't at least a little scared. This is major surgery, after all, and it's a huge step. But hang in there. You can do this. Just remember why you made this decision in the first place and focus on what you're trying to accomplish, and you'll be fine! Good luck! Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

Ugh, sorry to hear you've been pushed out again, but it sounds like you have a good attitude about it. Hopefully this will be the last setback for you!

You want to take your calcium and iron at least two hours apart, for one thing.

Per the experts I've spoken with, that's only partly true. Whey isolate is one of the best, but casein is good for sustained release (keeps you feeling full longer) and both soy isolate and egg protein are acceptable, especially if you don't tolerate whey well. What isn't good is collagen. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

I totally get not being a breakfast person, but I've done my best to get over it, because the sooner you get a little somethin' in the system, the sooner your metabolism wakes up and realizes it's a new day Right now I'm on full liquids, so it's pretty much been a Protein shake, but before my pre-op diet I was alternating Protein shakes on some days with a non-fat greek yogurt with a dab (seriously, maybe a teaspoon) of honey or maple syrup, and some fresh fruit like banana, strawberries or blueberries. Honestly, if you can manage it it's really a good thing to get at least a few ounces in within that first hour, even if it's something small like a half-glass of skim milk or a baby bel. I know my energy levels improved a lot when I started making myself get on track with that. Good luck!

Per my guidelines, the New whey is a big no. It's 42 grams of Protein, but only about 11 grams of it is something your body can process well as protein, so the rest of it is essentially meaningless from a protein standpoint. From the looks of things, the Body Fortress brand is similar in that the first protein on the list is collegen. The whey and casein are fine, but collegen is, again, not processed effectively by our bodies as protein and it's the largest share of the protein in the shot. I'm not a nutrition specialist by any means, this is just based on what I've been told to look for before using a protein shot by people who do have expertise. Bottom line - they won't hurt you, but they won't give you the bang for the buck that you might be looking for.

The first three days are the worst. You should start feeling a bit more normal on the 4th and 5th days, and by the second week it will probably not be any big deal anymore, just annoying because your head wants something besides Protein shakes If you're allowed, you might want to try some broth as part of your Water, just to break up the unending Protein shake sweetness.

Good luck, shoebutton! We'll be waiting for you here!

I think a nurse might be overkill, but you will probably need someone to get you home and maybe stick around that first day you're home (many surgeons require that before they'll release you). Do you have any local friends who might stand in for that short of a time? As far as looking after yourself and your dogs, you should be pretty much good to go. I was reasonably mobile and functional within the first 36 hours after surgery. I probably wouldn't want to be hoisting a heavy dog around, but if it's a matter of letting them out, going for a short walk with them, and feeding them, I didn't have any issues doing that for my dogs during the day while my husband was at work, and I could have done it in the evening if he didn't do it.

Welcome, Paula! Come on in, grab a nice glass of cool Water (there are lemon and cucumber slices to add if you're so inclined!), find a place on one of the comfy chairs or that couch over there, and kick off your shoes. We're a big, dysfunctional family - we quarrel now and again, but there is no family that cares more about each other and wants to help more than this one. Congratulations on being so close! It's so normal to be both nervous and excited at the same time, but it feels weird, doesn't it? This next week and a half will both fly by and crawl by, and then it will be time. It's all good. Just enjoy the ride

Good thoughts, all. I don't go back to work until next week, but thinking back on other surgeries, I would suggest adding a couple of things. Get up and move at least once an hour. I know you have lots of work to do and you're probably trying to catch up. Trust me, you're better off stretching your muscles and clearing your head for 5 minutes if you can. (this could probably be considered a corollary to your point #1, actually!) Don't forget to bring a bottle of water to your desk. And then, don't forget to DRINK IT.

Diehard Android fan, here - but I admit that Apple is good for you folks who don't like to have configuration options Seriously, thanks, Alex - you know I like the beta of the new app - I'm just waiting for another beta drop so I can see all the fixes!

Hang in there! I won't tell you to be calm, because it's normal to be a little anxious and excited, but take deep breaths and try to relax as much as you can tonight. This time tomorrow you'll be joining the rest of us in the newbie section of the Losers Bench, and while it's challenging, it's actually a pretty good place to be You'll be pretty out of it for the first 12-24 hours - at the least you'll be pretty tired, and they'll likely have you on pain meds. That's a good thing, as you can be a little "ouchy" right after the surgery. Get up and walk as soon as they'll let you. No lollygagging around, you really wanna do the walking to get the gas moving out of your abdomen, because it's not comfortable when it settles in your shoulders. As soon as you are allowed, start sipping water/juice CAREFULLY - remember, small sips, and not too quickly, but work to get the liquids in. Hang in there. For me, the first 2-3 days were a bit challenging, but not horrible, and at 6 days out I'm mostly feeling pretty darned good.

Hi, Aliese - Two things: Search for "3 week stall" or even just "stall" and you will find literally hundreds of posts discussing the lack of weight loss somewhere around the 2nd-4th week. It happens a lot. It is just your body taking a rest and adjusting. If you took measurements before your surgery and take some now, you'll probably see that the inches are still coming off even if the scale isn't dropping. If you stick with the plan, the weight will start coming off again soon. With regard to the yogurt - I know you're not a fan, so it may not matter, but don't write it off just because it didn't do so well now. A lot of people find that certain foods don't sit so well right away, but if they come back to them a few weeks or months later, all of a sudden they're fine with that food now. I'm mostly telling you this so if it happens to you with a food you really WANT to introduce back into your diet, you won't get discouraged from it too quickly Good luck!

Conngratulations! Don't wait for them to ask you to try to walk. Tell them you want to walk. Trust me. You want to get up and move to get that stuff started on its way OUT. If you aren't allowed any Water by mouth yet (and I know that some surgeons don't allow that till you've been through a leak test), see if they have anything else that will ease the dry mouth. Usually there is something they can offer you to help with that.

Yes, lots of us have cravings - also sometimes called "head hunger" (you can search for that here in the forums and find probably hundreds of posts about it). I crave a grilled cheese sandwich. Nothing fancy, nothing huge. Just cheddar cheese and bread toasted to a nice golden brown and oozing. I can't have it right now. I've accepted it, and moved along. The thing is, the sleeve isn't a miracle, and it wasn't an operation on your brain, which is where the cravings come from. The only thing the sleeve is guaranteed to do is make your capacity smaller. It MAY also reduce or eliminate physical hunger for a while, but that's not guaranteed. It's a lot of work, fighting the cravings. But you can do it!

At this point, most doctors want us focused on liquids and Protein, in that order. Carbs aren't important. Of course, follow your doctor's guidance if it's different from that, but since you're asking, I suppose he or she hasn't specified. Are you tracking your protein so you know how much you're getting? I use myfitnesspal.com so that I know for sure I'm getting enough protein. Your doctor's recommendation takes precedence, of course, but most of us are being told something along the line of 60-70 grams of protein a day. I know what you mean about the menu being a bit boring at the moment I try to at least change up the flavor a bit, even if I'm stuck with regard to texture (I'm still on full liquids, so cream Soups, Protein shakes, yogurt seem to rule my day). For example, my protein-enhanced cream of chicken Soup just got a bit of a Mexican spin with a little bit of seasoning. I adjusted my vanilla Protein shake this afternoon with a little bit of SF Torani Hazelnut syrup and some coffee. Haven't decided what dinner looks like, yet, but I still need about 20 grams of protein today, so I guess it will include Protein powder of some sort... If the cottage cheese and applesauce aren't working now, maybe give them a go again in a week - some things take a little longer for our tummies to accept.

And you DO look fabulous. Mahvelous, my dear, simply MAH-velous.

I doubt you'll find many, if anyone, on this site who thinks the band is a better option - too many of the people here are having band to sleeve revisions because the band isn't doing the job or is causing problems in the long run. Could you stretch your sleeve? Yes, of course, if you constantly push your sleeve past its limit it's possible to stretch it. The good news is that it isn't as easy or quick to stretch as the pouches you get from a band or from a gastric bypass. The reason is that the stretchiest part of the stomach, the fundus, is removed during a sleeve surgery, but is part of the pouch created for either the band or the gastric bypass. Your sleeve WILL relax to some degree as you get further out, as well. It will never be as big as it was before, but you may find you go from a sleeve that holds 1/4-1/2 cup to a sleeve that holds 1.5 cups, perhaps, which is still a pretty small amount of food! You should take supplements for life - although the sleeve isn't a malabsorptive procedure like the gastric bypass, it still impacts your ability to get all your nutrition needs via food because the volume of food you can eat is so much smaller. Some do manage to get all their nutrition needs from food, but it requires the kind of focused planning that most of us would find difficult to do in the long run. As far as risks, yes., there are risks. You can develop a leak, which can be a life-threatening situation. Like other surgeries, there are infections possible. You could develop a stricture, which is a sort of blockage that makes it difficult for food to move through your system and may require additional procedures. There are other risks that your surgeon will make sure you're aware of and sign off on before you will get the surgery. The good news is that the risk factor is pretty low. I don't remember the exact numbers right now, but you have a better chance of dying in a car wreck than dying from this surgery, for example. If you do a search for sleeve gastrectomy on the web, you'll find more information than you know what to do with about the surgery and its risks, plus YouTube videos of the surgery itself if you really want to know! I'm six days out right now. No regrets for me so far. It's not uncommon to feel a little regret in the first few weeks and months, but the majority of people seem to decide it was worth it in the long run. Good luck on your decision-making process!

I had cream of tomato/cheddar soup this morning, and sipped on half a premier shake in coffee for a couple of hours this afternoon, but I'm not feeling the motivation to really have anything more right now. I need to get in more liquid and protein, though - I know I've only taken in about 25 grams of protein and perhaps 24 oz of water so far today. Don't know what's with me - I've been doing better than this up until now!