swimmom

My doc is fine with coffee, and I have continued to drink it post-op. HOWEVER, I drink a LOT less, and my sleeve cannot handle it straight up black anymore - too acidic. However, I enjoy drinking starbucks non-fat lattes - they are a good source of protein AND caffeine! And my sleeve is fine with them. Also, I use American Bariatrics Cappucino mix - I have one every morning mixed with a cup of regular coffee. 90 calories, 15 grams of protein, DELICIOUS, and it gets my morning started on the right foot. I used to drink a lot more coffee - I have definitely cut back. But I am still able to get in my coffee in a protein-rich form, so I feel better about it. I also enjoy unsweetened iced tea in the afternoon if I need a little caffeine pick-me-up.

I always carry some powdered protein drinks with me when I am on the go - I can just buy a bottle of water somewhere and mix it up. I also keep a cooler with me with cheese sticks, greek yogurt, and cottage cheese (you can buy the individual serving containers). My latest discovery that has been a HUGE help (because it does not need any refrigeration) is Crunch-a-Mame - freeze-dried edamame in individual serving packs. I try to keep them in my car and my purse at all times for emergencies. Since you will still be in a soft food stage, you will need to check with your doc to see if s/he approves of them at that stage. But my doc was fine with me eating these at 6 weeks out. They come in different flavors - tasty, convenient, low in calories, high in protein. You can buy them on Amazon. My local Whole Foods and SaveMart both carry them as well. My favorites are the salt and pepper, and the onion and chive varieties.

Thanks for posting this! I think that these are EXACTLY the kinds of posts that everyone should read BEFORE surgery so that people know this is NOT easy and NOT a magic bullet - it is a lifetime commitment! You DO look Amazing! I had two children long before getting sleeved. I gained 70 pounds with my first, and it really never left... To think that you have a very young daughter and are within 10 pounds of your target weight is AMAZING - you are way ahead of the curve!

Thanks for your posts! I had gotten some samples from American Bariatrics, but these are some samples which I had not found. I am ordering some to try!

This is completely normal, and you will probably feel really depressed about it in the first few weeks after your surgery as well - your hormones are all out-of-whack from surgery, and you see everyone else eating this stuff you want, and you are on pureed lentil soup.... However, HANG IN THERE! It gets MUCH better and you WILL turn this corner! I am almost 4 months out and life is pretty good - down 60 lbs!

Oh - one thing I always get at our local Whole Paycheck is PB2 - powdered peanut butter. Comes in regular and chocolate. It is in the isle with the nut butters. I mix in 2T of this stuff with my vanilla NF Greek Yogurt and add a few blueberries - delicious and super high protein!!

This is an AWESOME post - and one that I think EVERYONE should read before deciding on surgery! So many people get this surgery thinking it will be the "magic bullet" and that they can just go back to eating "normally" afterwards - as you have eloquently pointed out, we will spend the rest of our lives watching our intake, even WITH the sleeve - the sleeve is just an aid in the process, but we still must change our lifestyles!

I drink a cup of coffee every morning (regular) and I have iced tea almost every afternoon. My Dr. is fine with it, and I have had no problems. One of my favorite ways to get in some extra protein is to mix in a K20 packet in with my iced tea to make an "Arnold Palmer" - the K20 packet is 30 calories, but has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

I think the key is that we find a way to keep ourselves accountable - be it the scale or MFP or whatever. Unfortunately, I know that for me, even WITH the surgery, I will never be one of those people who can just eat "whatever" and not worry about it and maintain a weight loss. Period. I am still a ways from goal, but I use MFP faithfully, and I know that I will need to do this (or something similar) for the rest of my life to keep things on track. The surgery was IMMENSELY helpful, but as we have all discovered, it is NOT a magic pill that takes away obesity forever no matter what. We will have to be vigilant about our weight for the rest of our lives. Obesity is a disease that way - and it is always lurking around the corner, ready to pounce. I hate the fact that I need to be obsessive about it, but it's a choice - be obsessive about some accountability, or accept that the weight will come back.

My favorite way to have it is to mix it in with my nf greek yogurt, and thow in a few blueberries. It's AWESOME!!

I am an MFP addict! I am almost 4 months out. My MFP name is Swimmom18

The World According To Eggface is another great blog/website with tons of good recipes! I made her "Florentine Bites" last week and love them! I froze a bunch. I plan to try her spinach and feta bites next...

From my research so far, it seems that nothing really stops it - it will be what it will be. However, the good news is that you only lose hair for a few months, and then it will begin to go back to normal. I have decided that I am far more self-conscious of it than I need to be - my hair person didn't even notice until I started complaining about it. I figure that I will just live with it for now because there doesn't seem to be a miracle cure for it.

I am almost 4 months out, and still only eating between 500 and 600 calories a day. When I saw the Dr last month, she said that was fine. I wouldn't worry about going beyond 700 calories yet - check with your Dr. because every Dr. is different in their "plan."

My doctor did not have me on straight liquids right after post-op - I went straight to the pureed stage. For the first couple of weeks, I LIVED on blenderized lentil soup! My favorite is the one from Trader Joe's in the big can. All vegetarian, inexpensive, high protein, and DELICIOUS!! My surgeon is a huge fan of lentils post surgery - calls them one of nature's most perfect foods. He says that fish is the other perfect food. Not sure if you are lacto-ovo, vegan, or a pescetarian, but if fish figures into your plan at all, it is a great back-up protein once you get to soft foods. I also do non-fat vanilla greek yogurt, mixed with PB2 (powdered peanut butter). The combo packs a huge protein punch and is absolutely delicious! Cottage cheese is also great in the soft food phase.

I was worried about cross-over addictions while I was researching as well. I do know a few people that had WLS and ended up dealing with alcohol problems. However, I quit drinking 5 years ago because I was uncomfortable with my drinking habits. When I made the decision to get the sleeve last Fall, I decided that I wasn't likely to have a crossover problem with alcohol, since I don't drink (and didn't plan to start). I was sleeved March 18th of this year, and I am very thankful that drinking is not on my option list these days. Can't go cold-turkey like that on food, unfortunately. Instead, you just really have to re-frame how you think about food - I try to look at it only as fuel, not as a pleasure thing.

I am at 3.5 months, and still averaging 500-600 a day. I was going to call my Drs office this week and ask the same thing - I know I should probably be bumping up the calories a little, but I am nervous about doing it.

It depends on the doctor, and on your insurance policy. I did not have to do a liquid diet, but I know many do.

I really like the cappuccinos and the fruit drinks from American Bariatrics - and no sugar alcohols. I just had my first experience with sugar alcohols in the Big Train Fit Frappe drink mixes - brutal - my system did not do well with it.

The Big Train Chai Frappe mix is delicious, but it also has sugar alcohol in it - a real bummer on the digestive system....

It is a form of dumping. I had it the first time I tried fish - any type of meat is a dense protein - it will take your body longer to adjust. You may need to wait a few weeks, and then try again - but only start with a bite at a time and work your way up!

I am in a group in Monterey - a hefty drive from Manteca.

If you look at the statistics, people with the lapband are FAR more likely to have complications, not lose the weight they want, and gain back what weight they have lost. I have had two different doctors tell me that the lapband is a useless procedure that should be banned, especially because of all of the complications. On the other hand, so far, the sleeve has virtually the same success rate (including losing and long-term maintenance) as bypass. In my WLS support group, almost everyone goes sleeve or bypass - only a few people are choosing lapband. We are also seeing more people that have been revised from lapband to sleeve.

It' totally normal to grieve your old stomach at this point. First of all, this soon after surgery, your hormones are going crazy, and most people go through some depression - I know I did. Second of all, you are super limited right now on your intake - in six months, it will be different. And third of all, it take a while to process this as your new reality. Give yourself time, and you will be much happier with the arrangement!

My insurance did not require me to lose any weight pre-surgery. My surgeon suggested trying to lose 10 pounds prior to surgery if at all possible in an effort to shrink my liver as much as possible - he recommended doing a "no carb is a good carb" diet. So I went totally no-carb for a month before surgery - and lost a whopping 3 pounds. No big deal, and no one seemed to care. I think the no-carb thing DID help me in my post-surgery food transition - I have always been a heavy carb addict. By the time the surgery rolled around, I learned that I could survive without carbs.