Shawn Morrison

The amount you can handle will go up over time. I'm not sure what and RTD shake is but maybe you just need to look for a shake with more protein in it. I found a great one at GNC that has low calories but high protein and it doesn't mix up thick so its like drinking water. That helped a lot in the beginning. But after the first week I was moving through my 8 oz. shakes pretty well. Took 15 min or so.

There are also flavorless protein powders you can put in food or soups if you want. That might help.

That sucks that you can't eat out with friends. I have been able to. I just look for healthy options and eat some small amount of it. No one thinks twice about it. Then again every single on of my friends knows what I'm doing, shoot I put in on Facebook. So no one really even questions what I'm doing. That would suck. But like some have said find other things to do other than going out for food. I hope you find some balance I feel like a million bucks. As for the skinny thing I didn't do this to get skinny, sure that is a nice side affect but I did it not to die of a heart attack in a few years.

Good luck bitsy. Like your mom said its your life. Its nice to have support but it doesn't have to be from your folks. Not everyone understands and they don't have to. I got lucky and everyone in my life was super supportive but I would have done it regardless Work the steps and love yourself and you will be successful The big thing is not to fall into that trap of getting a year out and saying oh I can slip this bad thing in. I look at it like a credit account. I took out all of my allotment of food on the front end now I only get rations from hear on out. I'm good with that. But back to your post, just keep your head up and surround your self with the people that do get what you are going through. Good luck!

I'm sorry to this poster but I have never read worse advice. Please OP do not take this advice. First off DO NOT speak for everyone. We were not all lied to. I certainly wasn't told my hunger would go away. I was told that was a possibility and that most likely it would be diminished in some about. So far that is very true FOR ME. I have yet to have anything more than the most mild and fleeting hungry feeling. It comes and goes very quickly and is hardly noticeable. The food issues and hunger will get better as you add in more and more whole foods instead of just the soft stuff, at least it should. I hated that first stage but it really changed for me as I added in more solid foods. Follow your nutritionists guide and you should get through all of the major issues you are having. Last DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF. I almost fell out of my chair when I read this persons "advice" to wait until you are starving. Sure you might see faster results but at what cost? The point is to be eating or drinking pretty much all day. Same advice Nutritionists give to people dieting without a VSG too. You need to be eating 4 or 5 small, in our case tinny meals a day. My day starts with a shake, I actually like the kind I found, then I drink 16 ounces of Water over the next hour then have 1 egg or something like that then some more water or milk by then its lunch time and I have something from my current stage's approved list then after lunch some more water then a snack like a yougert, sorry again I LOVE these. And then dinner later and end the day with some fat free milk. I hit my 75 Protein and stay around half that for carbs and around 800 calories I could bring this up I think to avoid putting my body in to starvation mode and all my other numbers are at or below the daily goals. The point being, eating all these tinny meals and drinking lots keeps that hunger away. If you wanted to starve yourself as this poster suggested you could have ton that without the surgery. Its dangerous and just plain stupid. We are not all the same we all have different experiences so take what you can from my advice but don't starve yourself and you are different even though this poster is trying to tell you other wise. We can't speak for everyone we are all on a similar but special journey. Good luck with yours.

This ^^^ Not to be mean but why would you spend tons of money and have a part of your body removed just to turn around and put that same old crap back in. I guess thinking of it that way is how I have been able to deal with those desires. Its just a waste to me. Good luck.

I didn't get the half protein guideline but that is where I have been falling. Good advice.

I found a really good low fat Basil Tomato bisque from Campbell that I would eat some days and it was great.

Good job man! Yea my gas pain was the worst part of the whole thing. It was gone by day two but I'm with you that sucked. Glad to hear you are doing good.

I'm sure every once in a while it would be cool. I would just worry about freezing it and using it as a regular meal.

The nurses at my hospital said the biggest signs will be sharp pains in your back and or chest. She also said the dead give away will be a racing heart beat and a sustained heart rate over 100 bpm for more than 2 hours.

You and the other person that mentioned Wendy's Chili should be careful. That has a pretty sizable amount of calories in it and a TON of carbs in it.

Same as Brandy. Oatmeal and Cream Of Wheat was the first "real" things I was allowed out of surgery.

Sounds like you are right in the zone you are supposed to be in. My NUT always says eat until you are satisfied and not full so really you are doing it right if you are only getting satisfied.

I have been using my bullet so much I got a second one I keep at work for blending my shakes and such. I use it for everything right now in the early stages. I also suggest a Blender Bottle, a water bottle with a small wire ball that helps blend up your protein shake and anything else like that. Its great for traveling or first thing in the morning if I don't have time to get the bullet out. I also use it with my drinkable multivitamin because it comes in a powder and it breaks up real well in the Blender Bottle. I got mine at Sams Club so I'm sure they have them at Wal-Mart as well.

I'm not judging but what does your diet consist of? You mention that your cholesterol is high. With our without an oddly shaped stomach it wouldn't be high unless you weren't eating well. At least that's how I understand it. Maybe along with working on getting the insurance overturned work on getting back to basics. Go back to what you did in the beginning when you were losing weight. Also, make sure you are in the gym every day for 30 min. Again I'm not judging just trying to give another option while you wait.

The shakes are mainly to make up the inability to get in protein the first few weeks. I was told to be on liquid or semi liquid the first 2 weeks post op. So creamed Soups are about the thickest it gets. Then on top of that you are only taking in like 4 - 8 oz. per meal. That makes it very hard in the early stages to get in enough protein. So to make up for it you take the shakes. I was told that as soon as I can get in enough, around 70 grams, with regular food I don't have to take the shakes any more. So yea as long as you can get that amount in you wouldn't need them but I would think it would be hard to find enough in the start.

Totally. Are you on all liquid for the 10 days? See I lucked out, I only had to do liquid twice a day and then could eat for dinner or well 1 meal a day. I just had the directive of keeping the day's total under 1k calories. Then only clear liquid for the last day before. If tomorrow is the start of the diet, treat yourself tonight. I did that and it helped a bit.

I felt like I wouldn't ever eat again so yea I had that feeling but I didn't really feel like I had to force myself to not eat that last day. I mean you eat and they can't operate or at least it becomes much more dangerous. Just remind yourself that you will eat and that you don't want to postpone the surgery just to go through this last day again later. Do it once and its done.

Also if your profile picture is a current picture, it looks like you are doing very well and are a very lovely woman so just keep it up and keep your eye on the end goal.

I think the two ladies above really nailed it. You have what you need just use it the way its intended. We have weekly meetings with pizza and pop and all that great crap but I just know its not worth it to get a slice. When people bring in those cupcakes and stuff just say no. If I eat something like that I feel like I dumped my money down the drain.

I do the same thing with eating. I'm only 2 weeks out but I have to just set a schedule and eat or take Protein shakes at certain times because I have no feelings of hunger or need to eat, which is a good thing. I just make sure to hit my protein number and stay under my calorie number and I'm good with it. I'm actually kind of prefer it that way. It makes food more of a fuel than something I'm looking forward to. As far has shakes go have you tried to add in a table spoon of some low fat Peanut Butter? I started doing this with one shake a day just to break up the otherwise boring taste and love it. Just be careful not to add to much or do it to many times a day as some peanut butter can have a high number of calories.

Oh God, I am at the point of hating the shakes but it is what it is. I use a kind that has 40 grams so I only really need 2 - 8 ounce shakes of those a day. I'm going to keep an eye on that though because the calories are a bit higher than some others. I figure this first 2 weeks during the fluids only phase that isn't too big of a deal because I'm not really taking in many other calories. As I ad in food I'll need to switch to something else. I'm sure you'll do great. I was prepared for the worst but it really has been a great feeling. The energy is amazing, I'm down 21 pounds from the start of pre op and can already see and feel the difference. That said, I was MISERABLE the day of surgery from the pain. It was all gas related pain in my chest not the actual surgical pain but they got me some IV meds for that so keep that in mind. The one thing I didn't think about is my Wedding ring keeps flying off when I'm gesturing as it has gotten to big. lol Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I went back to my office Job the same week I had surgery. I went in for surgery on Monday came home on Tuesday took all day Wednesday to reset and recover then I worked from home on Thursday and went back on Friday. Then Saturday I ran around all day with my kids including going to the circus that night and I am cleaning around the house today. My energy level has never been better. With that said, I do it a wall in the afternoon and have to crash for about an hour or two when I get home from work/finish with chores. Once I do that, I feel like a million bucks again. A key is getting that protein, water and vitamins in. It will help you heal and feel normal faster.

I did awesome on my 2 week pre op but then knowing it was my last full mean for a long long time I went out to Chilies and had way to much to eat. I then went to the Gym to make up for it so it was even. The point is its normal to have slips just fix it when you can and learn from the mistake. I still had my surgery and am doing awesome so far.