DeniseM

I get a tall, skinny, iced decaf coffee with one pump of SF vanilla syrup. It's mostly coffee with a dash of skim milk, so maybe 30 calories and 3 carbs from the skim milk. The barista told me it has the lowest calories of all the drinks aside from black coffee.

The Isopure to me had a very strong taste, the way I was able to drink it was by mixing it half water, half Isopure and adding a splash of juice. I used coconut Isopure and added a splash of Orange Tangerine Juicy Juice. I tried to convince myself it was a tropical drink One time I blended some coconut Isopure in the blender with ice and added a splash of juice and it came out like a slushy, but I didn't tolerate really cold foods well, so I couldn't finish it. But if you like really cold drinks, you might want to try that too for something different. Anyway, Isopure is clear, so you would be following your dr's orders, and the protein will make you feel better.

One thing I ate a lot of when I was on liquids was wonton soup- my hubby ate all the wontons, and I drank the broth. It just tasted so good to me- way better than anything from a can. Hang in there- it really does get better! Follow your doctors plan and you will be eating before you know it.

This is true. I am never hungry, not even in the morning when I wake up after not eating for several hours. I have an eating schedule that I follow during the day so that I can get in my Protein. I have seen that many people on this forum say that they are hungry though, so I don't think that everyone who has been sleeved is never hungry, but I don't know why one person is and one person is not.

I don't eat bread, and I cannot stand lunch meat, so I feel you on this one. I think that they should understand that with your surgery comes certain restrictions, but it is very easy to work around those restrictions. Seems to me that your BF should talk to his family about being more understanding and supportive of you, and the least they can do is not be offended if you bring your own food! You are not asking them to make anything special for you or to change their plans for you- the point of a family get together is to spend time together, not to get mad if someone is eating something different.

Has anyone tried doing a boot camp class right after surgery? My surgeon cleared me for all exercise starting this coming Monday, which will be six weeks post op for me. She said she wanted me to "punish my body" and do exercises that would leave me "dripping with sweat and gasping for air." So, I immediately thought of the time I took a boot camp class about three years ago, and she said that is perfect. I am wondering if anyone else has done something so strenuous so soon? I am only eating about 600 calories a day at this point, so I am concerned that I will not have the physical strength and stamina, not to mention I have not done any serious exercise since that boot camp class three years ago, only walking. The gym has assured me that even at a beginner level, I can do the class and I can modify some of the exercises until I am able to do them. I can't decide if I am just looking for excuses to not work out hard, especially since my surgeon is very supportive of intense exercise. I would appreciate your thoughts or experiences...

I had the same problem with one of my incisions- four of them were fine, one of them is still not healed after almost six weeks. My Dr. told me I waited too long to be seen when I realized my incision was not healing- apparently there was a deep suture that did not dissolve properly under the dermabond and it kept everything from closing up properly. All of my dermabond came off between weeks 2 and 3, and my Dr. told me that I should have gone to see her once the dermabond came off my incision and I saw that it was not healed like the others. So, once the dermabond is all the way off of your incisions, if it looks different than your other incisions, make an appointment and have it checked out. I waited too long and now I have to go in every 2-3 days to have mine checked which is annoying.

My doctor told me I could take Tylenol- I know it doesn't work as good as an NSAID, but it will take the edge off the pain.

The amazing thing about the sleeve, at least for me, is that I am never hungry! I was really worried about being hungry and feeling like I was going to be on a diet for the rest of my life, but the reality is that I struggle to eat the required amount of calories some days. The other day I was craving a taco from Taco Bell, so I got one, I ate two bites which filled me up, and threw the rest away. I was able to satisfy my craving with only two bites! Amazing! That was the only fast food I have eaten since surgery, but that was a good moment for me when I realized that my food previous food addiction no longer ruled my life. Before surgery, I would have eaten three taco's. I had several sessions with my therapist before surgery to identify my food issues and that really helped me. My number one addiction before surgery was Starbucks, and I even had made a plan with my hubby to stop at Starbucks on the way home from the hospital after my surgery, but after surgery Starbucks was the last thing I wanted. All the things I thought I would miss, I really don't. I used to eat chocolate every single day, but now after surgery, I have not wanted it once. I found that most of the junk I craved before I do not crave now, and now the things I am craving are meat and fruit, which I feel is my body telling me what it needs to meet it's nutritional needs, and not my food addicted brain demanding sugar and carbs.

I drink and eat very slowly. I actually use a stopwatch app on my phone and take a sip of whatever I am drinking every five minutes. So, drinking a protein shake usually takes me an hour. I found that using the timer helps me to not drink too fast so that I get too full, and it reminds me to keep sipping all day long and I usually have no problems getting in my daily fluids.

I prefer plain water so that's what I mostly drink. But, my NUT told me I could drink any sugar free drinks like Crystal Light, Gatorade, herbal teas, or decaf tea or coffee. The only thing I could not drink was any type of carbonated drinks. Every now and then as a treat I get myself a SF iced coffee from Starbucks... yum!

I measure by volume because all foods have different weights. 1/4 cup of one thing will weigh different then 1/4 cup of another food. Everything I eat goes in a measuring cup which makes it easy to track my calories and protein.

Are you drinking protein shakes? I really struggled once I hit the pureed and mushy stages because I was afraid to get sick, especially while I was at work, and I am a super picky eater and most things just sounded gross to me. I just kept doing my protein shakes and trying different foods when I felt like it. My first two days of my "regular" diet, I continued to eat my soft foods for the same reasons. Now in week 5, I am really trying not to drink any shakes and get all of my protein from actual food. Some days I can do it, some days I can't. My advice would be to not stress yourself about it, and try foods when you feel ready. But please make sure you are drinking your protein shakes to get your protein in until you are ready to eat.

Good article! During my bariatric process it was said repeatedly that we need to measure our food for the rest of our lives to avoid overeating, and train ourselves mentally to eat smaller portions, even if we found we could eat more.

That happened to me the first time I ate something with sugar after my surgery- It was pudding (not sugar free). I didn't try pudding again for another week and it was fine.

At five weeks post-op I was on a "regular" diet and could start eating anything I wanted. I've had red meat several times this past week, including steak, with no problems- just a few bites, but it did not feel like it got stuck in my stomach or make me feel too full. But, I am very careful to eat very slowly (I use a timer and take one bite every five minutes), and chew extremely well.

Yes, it is possible, if you do not follow an appropriate eating and exercise plan after surgery, and a maintenance plan once you are at your goal weight. If you go back to eating the way you did before surgery, you will stretch out your sleeve and gain your weight back. Your stomach won't stretch back to it's original size before surgery, but it can stretch to the point where it is no longer restricting your food intake and you stop loosing weight and start gaining. The sleeve is only a tool for weight loss, not a magic cure. You have to do your part of living a healthy lifestyle as far as food and exercise goes to maintain your weight loss.

I was sleeping on my stomach at three weeks post-op.

I didn't mind wearing it at all- it helped SO MUCH to reduce the pain. I wore mine every day for the first two weeks, and then off and on for the next two weeks.

I've been eating a handful or raw cherries every day this week for my dessert and have had no problems with digestion or anything. I haven't tried any raw veggies yet.

One thing that has really helped me eat slowly is using a stopwatch app on my phone- I set it for 5 minutes, and take one bite every 5 minutes. It can get tedious, and my food always gets cold before I finish, but it ensures that I eat very slowly.

I was on a low-carb diet (under 20 carbs per day) for two weeks and then two days right before surgery of clear liquids. I lost 19 pounds.

I stayed one night, but my surgery went super smooth with no complications.

I am going to try to get pregnant in 18 months- we'll see what God has planned....

I brought a bunch of stuff to the hospital with me that I didn't use either- I only stayed one night, and I wore my hospital gown the entire time. They kept checking my stomach and injecting me in my stomach, so it was just easier. I brought a loose fitting maxi dress to wear home and some flip flops because I anticipated that putting on shoes would be hard, and I was right. I didn't shower or anything until I got home, so I never used any of my toiletries. I did not even brush my hair or my teeth (gross, I know, but just being honest). I did use my Kindle because I am not a big TV watcher, but only the afternoon of the second day when I was waiting to be discharged. I slept most of the first day. As far as a food shopping list, this should come from your NUT because everyone's post-op diet is different.