Catgyrl68

Hey Lisa! Just thought I'd chime in and say that mine was slightly delayed, too. I was supposed to start last Thursday, but I actually started this morning. 3 days late isn't too bad. I was worried about the cramps, but I tried some Tylenol, and it worked great.

Yay! That's one I'm definitely looking forward to.

So far, I've mixed the Unjury unflavored into my Jell-o, as well as my Crystal Light, and though it does change the appearance a bit (makes them a bit "creamier looking" as opposed to clear), it does not change the flavor whatsoever.

Thank you, Heather! I, too, thought some of these responses were a bit harsh (especially while using all caps and exclamation points). I went to my 2nd post-op meeting 3 weeks after surgery, having only lost 3 pounds since my last visit 2 weeks prior. I was fine with it, because I know that many times big losses are followed by small ones (Hey, I watch "The Biggest Loser", so I know about the "Week 2 issue"). My doc was not so happy, however. Told me that it was less than he had hoped, and that he has patients who have lost 5 pounds per week. My response to him: "Really? Good for them!" That's the kind of stuff I don't like - being compared to other patients. He has no idea that many of those patients may, conceivably, have not been eating anything at all. I know someone who had tons of problems keeping food down and is now down 70 lbs. in 3 months simply because she could not eat. And here I am busting my butt to try to get all the Protein and liquids in. So, I'm proud of those 3 pounds that are no longer on my body! :-) I was only 225 on the day of surgery, so I know I'm on the lower end of the weight loss spectrum for this surgery, so I know that my loss numbers may be smaller than most in the beginning. In the end, it will all even out. For those who get annoyed at the "stall" questions, maybe you just shouldn't respond to them, if they're going to annoy you so much. All of us need all the support we can get around here.

I get that full feeling right above my ribs, and if I continue eating, my nose will start to run and I start producing more saliva. (Sorry, kinda gross). After pushing myself too far last week, I'm learning to listen to my body better.

Yes!!! I discovered that a week or so ago. My nose starts running right before I feel the fullness in my chest. So weird, yet kinda cool, too.

Praise Jesus! I finally found a meat I can eat that tastes good and stays down. chicken just aint cutting it right now, and hamburger is bit and miss. I remember eating Steak-Ummm's as far back as middle school (when I was on the Atkins diet with my mom). They're thin, tasty, quick to prepare, and have 5 grams of Protein per slice. I put a little salt and a teeny bit of ketchup in it and its deelish!

I see RICE KRISPIES on there!!

Cool! Please post back here after you've tried popcorn! I have a bag of pretzel crisps here, and I eat one per day to satisfy my "crunch" cravings.

Thank you so much, everyone! I'm feeling better today. I'm going to try Cream of Wheat again (didn't agree with me a couple of weeks ago) and am going to take it easy until my next appointment on Thursday. I'm supposed to be moved from puréed to soft foods, so I'm hoping that he does that. (not like I've puréed anything this far, anyway! LOL) My morning shake went down with no problems, as did my prescriptions, Vitamins and Water, so I'm sure yesterday was just a matter of eating too much, too fast, and not chewing well. I love all you guys! Thank you, as always, for your encouragement!

I was wondering how far into this process I would have "buyer's remorse". Now, just over 2 months from my initial consult, today was the day. I had my first (and hopefully ONLY) vomiting episode this afternoon. I had tried to drink my Protein shake a bit too soon after eating a piece of turkey bacon. Oh Lordy, I almost didn't make it to the bathroom fast enough. That was the strangest puking I've ever experienced. Everything came up exactly as it went down, including the cold shake. LOL (Sorry, TMI) After that, I got so depressed, thinking, "How on earth am I supposed to get any food protein in? One day I can eat chicken... The next day I can't. One day eggs are fine... The next day they make me nauseous. It would be so much easier if I didn't have that "75 GRAMS OF PROTEIN" hanging over my head. Please, please tell me it gets easier.

Since my surgery on 1/18, I've been bumming around in sweats, leggings and baggy t-shirts. Today I had to actually go out in public, so I put on a pair of dress pants and a top, both of which are quite a but looser than they used to be (YAY!), yet in no way falling off me. I'm on my 2-week "stall", and have only lost about 2 lbs since my post-op appt. last week, so a total of 16 lbs. down. Nice comments from dad: "Wow, you're really losing a lot of weight!" Then mom chimes in: "You're not planning to lose any more, are you?" Uh... HELL YES I AM!! Like, at least 65 more pounds! That's really not a good thing to say to someone who just rerouted their insides 2 weeks ago. I must remember that she's old and showing signs of dementia, and pretty much anything she says should be ignored.

I was just about to say something about that horribly negative post, but you beat me to it! Totally not necessary... All your talk about Wendy's chili is making me want to go out and try it (and I hate chili!) Am going to try tuna today. But I must bow to you, Lisa, for actually attempting to purée your food. I just cannot do it. I'm just trying to chew everything well, and having a hard time with that, too. I sometimes wish we didn't need food to survive. I'm happy drinking my Water and Crystal Lite every day. :-)

I'm gonna miss popcorn, too. I just got my braces off last August, so I pretty much went 2.5 years without eating popcorn. Had a brief reprieve when I got them off, and now... No more. I wonder if you could try thin pretzel crisps, if you get a craving for something crunchy. I'm talking just a couple, not the whole bag. LOL

My pre-op weight on 1/10 (prior to liquid fast) was 233. Date of surgery weight (1/18) was 225. Post-op appointment weight on 1/24 was 219, for a total of 14 pounds down (YAY!). Fast forward to today, almost 2 weeks out... NO LOSS AT ALL. I've been getting in my Protein and liquids, and even exercising (and feeling great doing it), but that damn scale won't budge. I suppose I have another addiction to add to my list: scale addiction. A bit TMI, but I really have only had 2 "good" BM's since surgery. That could be the problem, too. Trying the Dulcolax he prescribed, but that doesn't seem to be working. Any other slow losers there that can give me words of encouragement? Or, am I just being impatient? LOL

OMG, I can totally contribute to this thread. I noticed after I started my antidepressants back in April 2012 that I no longer get very emotional about anything. Even the whole surgery process was actually very easy for me. However, I'm just about 2 weeks out from surgery, and this morning I cried over the STUPIDEST thing: I was watching the Katie Perry concert DVD and there's a scene where she realizes her marriage to Russell Brand (whom I cannot stand) is over, and she's just laying backstage, crying, barely able to make it onstage. She bawled all the way until she got onstage, and then put on a great show. I swear... I cried like a baby! It's ridiculous! I didn't even really like her, until I saw this DVD. Maybe I'm just having one of those melancholy days...

Thanks, Heather, for your encouragement! kparadisek - Thank you for sharing your friend's story. That would be cool - to all of a sudden start dropping weight. Haha My exercising is actually the "Walk Away the Pounds" DVDs. They're essentially walking workouts (walking in place, knee lifts, kicks, and side steps) I'm not sore at all and feel wonderful! I decided to take the full 3 weeks off from work, just so I can get the eating and meal planning thing down. I'm still experimenting with what works best for me: starting the day with a meal, or Water, or a shake, etc. Physically, I could probably go back this week, but... nah! Taking the time off while I have it.

I had my first post-op appointment since surgery last Friday, and it could not have gone better. 1) As of my pre-op weigh-in on 1/10, I'm down 14 pounds. 2) My incisions are healing perfectly, and I can remove the steri-strips on Monday. 3) I was given my "restaurant card" to use when I finally venture out to eat. 4) I am sloooooowly becoming able to get in more liquids, and even the Protein shake I gagged on when I tried to drink it on Sunday, I'm now able to tolerate. 5) The horrible alien gurgling sounds in my chest/throat that have plagued me for the past 3 days are quieting down somewhat. 6) Best of all, I've graduated to puréed foods for the next 2 weeks! My first experiment: instant mashed potatoes with ICBINB spray. HEAVENLY! 7) Oh, and I did two workout videos today (Walk Away the Pounds), for a total of 5 miles. I feel absolutely wonderful! This is the best decision I've made in my life. For those of you who are struggling in the early days: be patient, because every day gets better. Every day I wake up, I have more energy and more desire to see this through. I am so thankful and grateful that I came through this with no major complications.

Hi Pam It's a card given to me by my surgeon that basically says that I am a patient of his, and that I've had a procedure which prevents me from eating more than 1/2 cup of food, and asks that I be able to order from the kids menu, or just smaller portions. Of course, not all restaurants will honor it, but it's good to have just in case. *I forgot one more thing: my blood pressure was good, so he took me off one of my two blood pressure meds!

Had my surgery on Friday and came home yesterday. Everything went great; was able to get down my "meals" in the hospital (crystal light, Jello and broth) with no problems. My Water intake wasn't so great. But my scars look fabulous! Still have a lot of swelling and bloating, but no real "pain". Now that I'm home, I am trying to figure out how on earth I'm supposed to get in 64 oz. of water/liquids plus my 75 g. of Protein. All I've managed to get down today is: 1 SF Popsicle, 1 GNC Lean shake, 4 oz. of strained miso Soup, 1 SF pudding cup, and 12 oz. of water. Oh, and all my Vitamins and prescriptions. I AM SO FULL! How does everyone do it? Please tell me it gets easier once the tummy gas and swelling goes away. (And how long does that take, anyway?) Thanks

My bariatric nurse just called me to see how I was doing. I asked her which was more important at this point, and she said the protein was; however, the shakes did count as liquids right now. Today was a little better. So far I've had 30 oz. of water and a GNC Lean shake (18 oz., 25g of protein). I tried watered down Cream of Wheat - no bueno. I could feel it going down and was afraid it would get stuck, so I stopped. May try it again tomorrow.

Ditto! I think mine is from laying down for so long, especially on that hard operating table. I have heating pads both on my bed and on my living room recliner. It really does help a lot. My belly just feels like I did a crapload of sit-ups. Haha

Ooh lawdy... My breath is just FOUL! No matter how many times I brush my teeth, it doesn't help. A soon as I'm able to drive, I. Getting me some Listerine strips, Tic Tacs, anything. I hope this isn't permanent. LOL

Awesome! Thank you so much!

Thanks, everyone! My pee is perfectly clear, and I do go all day. Hopefully once my swelling goes down, it will be easier. I thought the Proteins didn't count toward the clear liquids. I will check with my doc on Thursday.