esskay77

Yes, up your protein intake and always have protein first. Regarding acid reflux -- all doctors are different. Even with this surgery, some doctors (like mine) require you to be on something like pantoprazole, while others don't. It makes it really hard to know what the right thing to do is. My guess is if you are having reflux, then take the pantoprazole but also avoid the trigger foods.

Oh, I had replied to your other post without reading this one which has more information in it. Do you get reflux all the time or just sometimes? I do know that before my surgery I had reflux and discovered what the triggers were: garlic, tomatoes, red wine, caffeinated beverages, carbonated beverages, citrus fruit (pineapple was the worst for me!), chocolate, peppermint, cigarettes. I personally think there are others but those are some of the ones listed. Imagine going to an Italian restaurant -- pasta with a tomato/garlic based sauce, diet coke, chocolate and coffee for dessert, and a mint on the way out and then a cigarette in the car. Whew! I had to carry plastic bags with me for when I got sick. Glad that is over now for me!!

Sometimes. But when I stop and think, I realize it is my head that is craving sugar. Specifically chocolate. I "think" I'm craving chocolate and then I have it and I realize I don't really like it as much as I think I do. It's really hard for my head to catch up to my actual tastebuds. For reflux, does your surgeon have you on something for it? My surgeon automatically requires that we all take something. I am on Pantoprazole but there are others. I can eat a LOT when I don't follow the plan. If you follow the plan and have protein first, you actually can't eat as much or don't want to. Junk food -- can fit a lot of that in so I really try to stay on track. It's hard but if you do, it works. Best of luck.

Thanks! I remember mentioning to my surgeon about the hunger being back and how surprised I was because I had thought it was gone for good. She said no, it comes back and when it does, it comes back like a beast! Luckily, once you get a handle on it, it really isn't that bad, it's just relearning how to react to it.

Every doctor is different. Every program is different. And every patient is different. It might depend on how much you need to lose. What they are trying to do is reduce the size of your liver and as much of everything else as they can so the surgery goes well. If you don't have as much to lose as some, you are probably good. I didn't have to go on any program before my surgery. Your surgeon knows what is best for you and for them. Best of luck!!

Yes, the return of the dreaded hunger/cravings! I have not yet tried the Paleo diet but am looking into it. I'm trying to go back to basics. I have also returned to a nutritionist but this time not the one at my DR's office. So far she's really good. I made sure that she had experience with people who had WLS and she seems to. I've been to NUT's before but so far she has been really good while the others were not. She actually helped me with a meal plan, not just showed me plastic food portions. One of the things she is having me do and is what I have read on sites like theworldaccordingtoeggface.com and others is to not be afraid of foods that are not low-fat. In fact, when I have cheese or yogurt or things like that, it's ok to have the full fat version. It will be tastier and actually better for me. And, she said that I have not been eating enough of the right foods which is why I eat more later. Try to go back to basics, make sure you don't drink with your meals, etc.

Yes -- this!! Putting it into a container, putting on the dressing and then shaking it to get the dressing all mixed in is exactly the best way to do this.

So, first let me get this off my chest--Salads freak me out! The thought of salads anyway. lol. I have a book somewhere that is called "nobody ever lost weight eating salads". It's not really 100% true but... Anyway, to answer your question: I also can't get by on a tablespoon of dressing. I don't know how anybody can. I have switched to using just balsamiq vinegar. Sometimes a little bit of olive oil but usually just the vinegar and I use a fair amount. But it helps to get the expensive balsamiq vinegar -- such a difference!! One other thing that i have used is Salsa as my salad dressing. It's a lot of veggies in it so I don't get too worried about how much I use. But now, I don't really do salads like I used to. I do go to the salad bar at work but start with some chicken, add some green and red peppers, some red onion, pretty much everything but lettuce. I use balsamiq on these too. I just find the whole idea of salads exhausting and I get really angry when someone hears that I'm trying to eat healthy and that's ALWAYS the response -- "well, they have salads". Grrr. I'd rather have a chicken breast thank you very much. lol

So I am sure everyone has their own way of thinking on this. For me, I keep trying to avoid noodles because my Dr. says no white flour, no white sugar. So, when I make homemade chicken noodle soup now, it is really chicken soup -- no noodles. But, I really don't know the hard and fast rule on noodles. It is just something I was told to avoid. But the broth and everything else in there would be great to have. I think the thing for me is that you are only 6 weeks out and if you start giving in now to things that aren't on the preferred list of things to eat/avoid, it will only get worse. But I may be projecting my own fears on you. lol. Will it kill you? No. But, how you handle it now will be an indicator of how you will handle things going forward. Again, just my opinion.

So, we all wan to eat like that but if you are doing that so quickly after surgery, you are setting yourself up for failure. Talk to your NUT about the best options for you. And really think about your priorities!! This is the time when it is easier to eat right so you should take complete advantage of it. Do everything right at this time because later it will be even more difficult if you don't set your good habits now. Keep a food log and be honest with what you are eating. Show this to your NUT. And if that scares you to show them, then you know you aren't doing it right. No burritos right now!!!! And just a warning about the wine -- there is a really good reason why they tell us to not drink wine/beer/alcohol, especially early on -- it is very common for people who have had WLS to transfer food addiction to alcohol. It may start out as a small glass of wine but that becomes bigger until it is a problem. I don't remember the statistics but the % of WLS patients becoming alcoholics is really high so please put the wine down for now!! Later on when you are in maintenance phase you can slowly bring it back. Besides, it is full of calories and sugar that you don't want to have right now. Best of luck to you -- keep us posted on how you are doing. We are all pulling for you.

This is why the doctors and NUTS say to never drink because it is very common and very easy to replace one addiction with another and apparently alcohol is the biggie and many become alcoholics. I'm not judging you or putting any labels on but I would suggest you find a way to stop drinking altogether. Obviously because it is bad if you can't control it and also because of those pesky calories!!! A whole bottle of anything is not good -- count the carbs and calories in that and add it to the food journal that you are still keeping (I know, you probably aren't but need to get back to) and see if all those fit in to your days' calories, carbs/proteins. Best of luck to you and keep us posted. We are pulling for you.

I have never heard anything about teeth rotting. Sounds like a myth to me. Follow the program and you (and your teeth!) will be fine.

No straws!!! At least for quite a while. Someone just said 6 months and I think that would be about right

If they have chili, that might be safe. Protein but soft. Or, eat before and just hang out with everyone. Dining out, especially at the beginning is really really tough. I still make sure I check menus before I go someplace so I can find something to eat.

Oh! I didn't know they had titanium/permanent staples! I wonder why/how they choose between the options. Our pre-surgery weights weren't that different. Must just be a surgeon's choice?

It's really difficult. When I am in that situation, I try to find the healthiest but I just peeked quickly at the menu. Yikes. I would probably look for either a grilled chicken sandwich or potentiallly a burger but without the bread and then just eat it with a fork and knife. Sometimes the wraps or sandwiches use grilled chicken rather than deep fried but I couldn't tell here. If they have a turkey burger, that is a far better choice, again, without the bun.

I think the problem is that if you haven't read all the posts, you might not realize that this person has been banned already. So glad that is over though! I remember when I first had my surgery I was under the impression that "the pounds would just melt off" so assumed I would lose a lot of weight immediately. In all the up front training before surgery, they never really touch on that part so I don't know if they really set expectations properly, at least where I went. (Though I love my surgeon and her staff!!). So I was also disappointed at first when I would lose 10 pounds in a week. It's funny now and of course in the rear view mirror 10 pounds in a week is fabulous! But that isn't what I expected at the beginning. I know that every hospital, every surgeon, every NUT is different but I wish they would start to standardize a bit and really lay out the expectations on all of this. I even remember about 3 months after surgery, feeling like there was crushed glass in my stomach--the pain was strange and really hurt. I called the doctor and they had me come to the emergency room. It turned out that it was just the staples dissolving and they were "right on time." Really wish they had just told me to expect that. Could have saved time and money.

Thank you @Alex Brecher!!

I have heard from others that they increased their protein intake a bit and that helped move the scale again. Are you getting in all your protein? Are you logging everything? Based on what I see, it looks like you could add a bit more lean protein. But, please check with your NUT and surgeon team. If you haven't been tracking, make sure to write everything down (and be honest) and have them look it over. That can help determine what to do differently. Other than stay away from the chips of course!! We've all been there and we all know we shouldn't. It's just way to early to be doing that. Go to the website theworldaccordingtoeggface.com for some recipes. Do a search for the Ricotta Bake. I heard that people LOVE this one. Good flavors which will keep you from getting bored, it's soft food (couldn't tell which stage you were on), and is protein. Best of luck!

Wow, that would be terrible! Definitely talk to your surgeon or nurse or someone to get something else. Or, if possible, go without. Everyone's pain is different. My pain meds made me nauseous. I thought I was feeling sick from having the surgery but when I got home, I stopped taking the pain meds and the nausea went away. But, as I said, everyone has different pain and different tolerances but it sounds like you should definitely ask for something different. No reason to suffer like that.

Thanks for this topic! I am about 4 years out. As of last year I have fallen off the wagon and it shows and I'm really struggling to know/remember how to eat right. So I'm not. I started seeing a food therapist but she doesn't "get it" on how we are supposed to eat -- I think she is just good with behavior. My surgeon's NUT started out fantastic but then he turned into a robot that just said "you're doing great" even when I said I was struggling. Anyway, I'm not going to post what I eat because I know I'm doing it wrong these days but will be looking at what you all are doing and use that to get back on track!! Oh, and you would be surprised at how often my stomach does NOT tell me when I am full anymore. Sometimes it does and I'm so grateful but other times, I can eat and I have really intense hunger pains with growling. Thanks to all who are responding as well!!

I was told to always and forever avoid juices.

Absolutely @shedo82773. Frankly, none of them are very good. I am amazed at how bad they are or how they don't "get" us, before surgery and after. They are good for some general guidelines but frankly I find this group much more helpful

Semantics. My "NUT" is part of the surgeon's team at the bariatric center so assume he is really a registered dietician but frankly I am not going to keep spelling that out when I mention it. NUT is so much easier to type and I assume you all know what I mean?

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