Kindle

You just had MAJOR SURGERY! You had most of an organ removed. Would you expect to feel great only one week after a liver transplant or hysterectomy? Would you be playing basketball a week after breaking your leg? Your poor tummy has been cut and stapled along it's entire length yet still has to take in and process what you swallow every day. Give yourself a break and take some time to heal. Don't rush your food stages if you are uncomfortable. I was back at work after one week, too, but I didn't feel "normal" until 3 months out. As for the hunger pains, it's probably acid. Are you on a PPI or antacid? My surgeon sent me home with two months of 40mg Omeprazole and I still took Maaloxx or Rolaids when I felt "hungry ". If you are in pain, nauseous, or experiencing other symptoms that is making it hard to drink, you need to contact your surgeon. As for your weight loss, my best advice is STAY OFF THE scale. Just follow your meal plan, get in all your fluids and Protein, take your Vitamins, don't eat crap, be patient and trust the process. You WILL lose weight. And, BTW, you will not ever feel full on liquids. They flow right through our sleeves and into our intestines. Puréed will pretty much do the same thing. You won't feel the restriction until you are on solid food. I highly suggest you don't cheat your postop instructions because you risk causing a leak to your sleeve since it takes several weeks to heal. The diet sucks, but we all did it. Between pre and postop, I was on liquids for over a month, and didn't get back to "normal" foods until 6 weeks postop. WELL worth it in the long run.

I started with peaches, pears, mangos and bananas because they were soft and had no seeds. I didn't eat the fruit alone, I always added it to something that was high in Protein.....besides Greek yogurt or even blended with my Protein shake, I also love peaches and cottage cheese. Around 3 months out I was allowed seeds, so I added berries and more fibrous fruit. Since passing goal, I have added more carbs to my diet in the form of whole grains and fruits. My newest favorite snack is frozen pineapple, cantaloupe and watermelon cubes...very refreshing summertime treat. But I wouldn't recommend too many of them while you are still trying to lose.

Back then I snacked on cheese, guacamole, edamame, deli meat, plain Greek yogurt flavored with Protein powder or a little puréed fruit, Popsicles I make from freezing my favorite Protein Drink flavors, 1/2 Protein Bar (GNC Lean Bars come in many flavors and have the texture of a rice crispy treat), kale chips, and apple slices with PB2. I still eat all those things, but have added mixed nuts, seasoned pumpkin seeds, toasted soy Beans and beef Jerky once I was OK'd for crunchier, denser foods. For me, it was a matter of redefining what a snack was....it doesn't have to be about carbs or something sweet.

My dogs love quest bars. That's who got to eat all the samples I ordered. I couldn't stand that gooey, gummy texture and overly sweet, artificial taste. I think I am in the minority, however.

Sugar or no, they are still loaded with carbs, calories and almost no protein, so this soon after surgery, I'd look for more nutritious snacks. Your choices should be all about the fluids and protein at this point. Too soon to start back with bad habits.

I passed my doctor's goal 14 pounds ago and my personal goal 4 pounds ago. I guess I could stop the weight loss by upping my calories, but I'm eating what I want, when I want, and am happy doing what I'm doing. I decided to just let my body figure out where it wants to be. I've read so many times (and seen it with friends that have had WLS) that you lose a certain amount, then gain a little bit back before you "stabilize". So I'm totally alright with being under goal right now in anticipation of a slight rebound back to goal.

I was planning on taking two weeks, but ended up going back to work after 7 days. I am a vet tech/part owner with a mobile vet practice, so very active job with lots of standing, bending, twisting and lifting. I did have a 25 lb weight limit for 3 weeks, so we had to schedule surgeries and large animal appointments accordingly. I was tired but had no real issues. The important part was making sure I had plenty of protein drinks along since I was on full liquids for 18 days postop.

Sleevenewbie, I take Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women. I used to take Source of Life Gold chewable (also a very good whole food vitamin) but postop everything tasted too sweet to me so I switched to Vitamin Code because it came in capsules.

I had to sip every minute of the day from the time I got up till the time I went to bed. If I stopped for even an hour I couldn't get enough in. I made sure everything I drank had Protein in it to kill two birds. Either Protein shakes (diluted with milk) or unjury unflavored added to cream Soups and broth. I never bothered with Popsicles or crystal light, etc because they had no protein. As for hunger, it's probably acid. Are you on a PPI or antacid? I was on 40mg Omeprazole but still took Maaloxx or Rolaids when I had "hunger" pains.

I used unjury unflavored a lot, but definitely have to be careful with the temperature thing. I've read that some people have used powdered milk to boost their Protein. I haven't tried it, but maybe this wouldn't clump in hotter liquids. Since you are in mushie/puréed stage, you could have plain Greek yogurt sweetened with honey or puréed peaches or bananas. Blend Greek yogurt with milk and vanilla extract for a protein milkshake. Cottage cheese, puréed tuna fish, refried Beans, deviled ham, canned corned beef, string cheese, and eggs are other things I ate in that stage. Try adding unflavored Protein Powder to hummus, guacamole or mashed potatoes. As for treats, you can make your own Popsicles using dilute no sugar added juice. I found silicone Popsicle molds on Amazon. Good luck! P.S. Both Premier and Isopure are sweetened with sucralose.

I am a "chick" but I could out drink most guys I've ever met before surgery. It's almost like I'm immune to the effects of alcohol. Sure, I could get puking, stumbling, falling down drunk in college and in my 20's, but as I got older it's like I couldn't get "drunk" anymore. 12+ beers and numerous shots of whiskey and other mixed cocktails in a single day camping or boating would leave me a little buzzed but mostly sleepy. I had 2-3 very strong whiskey or vodka cocktails everyday after work just to "relax". (This was after my brother died and a food and alcohol daze is the way I chose to cope) I would definitely call myself a productive alcoholic. I was actually looking forward to alcohol affecting me more strongly after surgery, like so many people have reported. After 4 months out I had a glass of wine.....nothing. Then I had 2 glasses....nothing. Then one weekend at a golf tournament I had 3 vodka cranberries....got a little buzz, but nothing special. Had a Bloody Mary at a Kentucky Derby party but could only finish 1/2 because I got so full. As for carbonation, I've tried beer, sprite, and hard cider. They were all a no go. The bubbles burned and hurt. I've managed to take a sip or two if some new local brews, but a whole bottle would be out of the question. And to tell you the truth, I really haven't been that interested in drinking postop. I've been to several parties and out with friends and I am easily the only non-drinker in the crowd. The examples I listed above were more of "I wonder if I can" kind of experiments, but my craving for alcohol is totally gone. No one is more surprised about that than me! So I guess you will just have to wait and find out your yourself how you feel about drinking and whether or not you can tolerate carbonation.

Make sure you keep track of ALL your expenses associated with your surgery, including the surgery itself, any tests pre and post op, Rx Meds, hotel stay, and travel (plane and/or mileage). They are all tax deductible.

At 7 months out, I have had ice cream 3 times (and the REAL stuff, not the SF/low fat crap). But my advice for you is to maybe not indulge quite so soon postop. Yes, you CAN eat it, but SHOULD you eat it? You really want to take advantage of the early weeks and months to establish new eating habits. Protein and good nutrition should be your #1 goal. I've never been a counter or tracker, but I do read labels and make good choices based on what I find. I'd be willing to bet the SF ice cream still has a lot of calories with very little protein (or anything else remotely nutritious)

My favorite Proteins.... - Premier chocolate, vanilla and strawberry but I have to dilute it 1/2 and 1/2 with milk because all RTD shakes are too thick and sweet for me. - Muscle Milk banana cream, strawberry, Cookies and cream, and cake batter - Syntrax Matrix Vanilla powder - Syntrax nectar cherry, apple, lemonade and fuzzy naval - Garden of Life Raw Fit original and Raw Protein chocolate and vanilla - unjury unflavored for mixing in Soups, broths, casseroles, etc. - Natures Valley Protein Bars...all flavors - GNC Lean Bars...all flavors - Fiber One Protein and Meal a Replacement bars I am not a fan of Quest bars, Jay Robb or Isopure products, but that's a personal taste preference. My supplements..... Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Women's multi - daily Garden of Life Vitamin Code Healthy Blood Iron (6 month labs showed high iron level, so now I only take it 1-2 times/week Natures Bounty Vitamin D3 gel cap - 3x/week Twin Labs sublingual B12 - 3x/week I used to take a calcium supplement too, but my 6 months labs showed high calcium levels so I discontinued. Will recheck at 1 year.

I made my own Protein Popsicles... Just mix up your favorite Protein shake and freeze it in Popsicle molds. (I got mine on Amazon). chocolate = fudgesicle; Mio tangerine+water+vanilla Protein powder = dreamsicle; Syntrax nectar cherry, grape, citrus sky, fuzzy naval, etc. Way better than store bought. (No sugar, protein bonus) Other Snacks I lived on early postop were string cheese, guacamole, and no sugar added PB. But other than the protein pops, I wasn't into sweet stuff at all. 7 months later I still have the same SF pudding and Jello I bought in December sitting in my cupboard.

I'm so happy you had such a supportive response. My sister had to talk me into telling my parents (I told her first because she was accompanying me to Mexico). When I finally told them, they were a little shocked, but then totally on board for all the reasons you mentioned. Gotta love the folks!

I think your surgeon is crazy. If I read your post correctly he wants ANOTHER 50 pounds on top of the 30 you've already lost. That's almost 6 pounds per week and that's just not healthy....physically or mentally. What happens if you don't lose that much....he's just setting you up to feel bad if you don't. He should be more focused on making sure you are making healthy food choices and exercising. If you do that, the weight will come off at your body's own rate. Someone needs to explain to him that this is not a race. I think it's poor medical advice to give and expect timed goals. I say f.... k his goal, just concentrate on getting in all your Protein and fluids and being physically active. Start adding in non-starchy veggies as you are allowed, and take your Vitamins. All basic rules at your stage. And don't worry what the numbers on the scale say.

I am 7 months out and have had no hairloss. I have very fine, thin, slow growing hair, so any loss would be noticeable. I did not take any extra Biotin. I do not use special shampoos. I've always gotten in all my Protein (except for the first 5 days after surgery). I take a very good whole food based Multivitamin, including enzymes and Probiotics, not chemically synthesized Vitamins. (You really can't imitate nature). And I was a happy, optimistic post op patient. I did not obsess over the scale or stalls. I didn't stress or whine over the diet restrictions. I even had the added physiological stress of a bad C. diff infection from a dental procedure 6 weeks after surgery that resulted in 2 months of diarrhea and required a fecal transplant to cure. Still....no hairloss. So my "secret recipe" is protein, good nutritional supplements, and above all, a good attitude.... But in the end, I think it's all a crapshoot. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen.

I love the Garden of Life Raw Fit and Raw Protein, too. And I take their Vitamin Code for Women Multivitamin and Healthy Blood Iron. And just FYI, unless you are allergic or intolerant, you would get way more protein using dairy or even soy milk than almond milk. And when you are postop, the Raw Protein (any flavor) mixed with milk and plain Greek yogurt makes a very yummy, protein laden pudding. This weekend I had 1/2 piece of French toast where I used egg, milk and Raw Protein vanilla to soak the bread in.

So I was able to make my old saddle work by adding a seat shrinker pad. It was actually quite comfy. But now my butt has shrunk so much that even that is too big. So I splurged on a new (used) saddle this week! I've always ridden western until my last saddle which was an aussie with a horn. SO comfy! I will never ride anything but an aussie again. So in my search for one that fit both me and my horse, the winner was a Muster Master from Australian Stock Saddle Company. It is a crossover saddle, which basically means it fits and looks like an aussie, but takes a regular western cinch and has a western fleece bottom instead of the aussie serge panels. The other thing is this one doesn't have a horn. This will definitely take some getting used to and some creative rigging options, because I mostly use the horn to dally my lead rope, hook my drink holder onto, and drape my head stall and reins on when trailering. First ride is tomorrow....can't wait!

I remember reading that post, too. Are you sure they were talking about Dr. Ariel Ortiz and not Dr. Elias Ortiz? I had VSG at OCC in December (Ariel Ortiz) and he did not charge anything extra for hernia repair. You could confirm if there is a charge by asking Lori or Carolyn at OCC. I emailed and called them (mostly Carolyn) several times/week before scheduling my surgery and they were always very helpful.

$75 per month is a crazy amount. I take a relatively expensive whole food based multivitamin (Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women), a B12 sublingual (from Twin Labs) D3 3000 (natures Bounty) and a whole food based Iron (garden of Life Healthy Blood). They still don't come close to $75 per month. Actually, I've always taken these Vitamins, even before surgery, so there was no changes in expenses that way. The only thing I added postop was switch from oral to sublingual B12. Since bariatric and gastrectomy patients are succeptible to certain deficiencies... especially Iron, B12, Folate, Vitamin D and Calcium.... It is important to take your supplements for life. And just as important is to follow up with at least annual bloodwork to assess and adjust for any deficiencies. I just got my 6 month labs back and my calcium and iron were both high. I eliminated the calcium supplement I had been taking (I eat a lot of dairy, so I really wasn't surprised with this one). I also decreased my iron to only 1-2 days /week.

Thanks JCP. You will be riding before you know it. And hopping into the saddle without having to climb on a log or rock is another great NSV!

You're right! They do look similar. Kindle has the stockings, too,

You certainly dont have to stick with Bariatric Advantage. My surgeon has his own line of protein supplements and multivitamins and I never bought them. Just look for something with lots of protein and little to no sugar (the ones I drink all have 23-40g protein, and 0- 5g sugar). There are lots of ways to get samples before you buy a big jug....go to local health food stores or GNC, or order samples from Syntrax, Unjury, Jay Robb, etc. A lot of RTD shakes come as singles or 4 packs in local grocery stores....Premier, EAS Advantage, Muscle Milk....just read the labels and watch the carbs because a lot of the RTD's are loaded with sugar.