Inner Surfer Girl

Also, plain water was the hardest thing for me to drink for a while. Try adding Mio drops, crystal light, or other water enhancers.

Sip, sip, sip, and sip some more.Set short term goals: for example, finish 1/2 of a protein shake by a certain time. Eat sugar free Popsicles. Put protein over crushed ice and eat it with a spoon. I put undiluted ProtiDiet liquid beverage concentrates over a little crushed ice early out and it really helped. Try different temperatures: warm broth, clear soups, decaf tea, Herb "tea", etc. I counted all liquids toward my liquid total, including protein shakes. Protein and fluids are equally important.

I'm allowed protein shakes, broth, sugar free Jello, sugar free pops and one lean protein and veggie a day Sent from my XT1585 using the BariatricPal App Then if you are feeling tired and lethargic then be sure and have another Protein shake (at least). Are you getting at least 64 oz of Fluid a day?

First, eating 400 calories a day probably won't do you any good in wright loss or being healthy for surgery. What does your pre-op diet entail? Make sure you stay hydrated and eat a lot of Protein. Avoid sugar, carbs, starches, high fat,... things that are stored in your liver. What your surgeon most likely is concerned about is the size of your liver. The purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver so it is more manageable. He actually has to lift it up out of the way to get to digestive tract. If he feels you have not done as he asked then he certainly may postpone or even cancel your surgery. It is for your benefit.

Syntrax Nectars (fuzzy navel is my favorite) and ProtiDiet liquid beverage concentrates (there are a variety of flavors).

@@Dub, I thought of you today. I went to a local BBQ joint today and got pulled pork sandwich (no bun) and a side of coleslaw. It was delicious and I brought home most of it as leftovers. That is all!

Here is a good article from Experience Life Magazine: https://experiencelife.com/article/making-friends-as-an-adult/

Actually, I think this topic is very WLS related. In the time I have been on these boards I have seen many people with similar issues. Friendships changing, losing friends, and learning how to make new friends is more common than you think. Fortunately, even though I am basically an introvert, I got a chance to learn how to make friends when I was growing up because we moved a few times. Some random thoughts: 1) It is ok to be by yourself and do things by yourself. Being comfortable and confident alone is important for many reasons. You don't want to seem desperate, clingy, insecure when you meet new people. 2) Go places where you can meet people: take a class, go to church, join a Y or other gym, attend community events, volunteer, etc. Do things you enjoy and you will meet people with similar interests. 3) Learn to make small talk. Learn to smile and speak to strangers. (Resist the urge to keep your nose buried in your phone when you are around other people.) 4) Show a genuine interest in other people. Ask questions. You need to learn to balance interest (without prying and being intrusive) and sharing your thoughts and ideas (without being self absorbed and talking only about yourself). It can be a challenge, but well worth the effort to work on communication skills: listening, conversation, etc. Practice makes perfect. 5) Have fun and enjoy yourself. Other people will want to be around you. 6) For me, I love meeting new people and have a lot of casual friends and acquaintances, but when it comes to real intimacy, I go for quality over quantity. Also, some friendships do run their course. If someone can't or won't invest the effort and time in your friendship, let them go and move on. You may reengage in the future, but we all need space at times. I hope this helps a bit.

I definitely had to eat it with a knife and fork and chew it very, very well.

One thing that may help you keep things in perspective that my surgeon explained really helped me: Our bodies are very well adapted to a world where famine is rampant. We are designed to survive times of extreme famine. We are not designed to survive perpetual feast/times of plenty. Our modern world is killing us: cheap, easy, low nutrition food available in large amounts at every drive-thru. For me, the surgery felt like it was the best chance for me to adapt to our modern world. Basically, one way I look at it is that my stomach is now the proper size for the modern world. (My old stomach was the right size for my distant ancestors' world.)

Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I think it's time to bump this thread again. For all the new folks: Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. Boone loses at a constant or steady rate. Everyone stalls periodically, and most of us stall about three weeks after surgery.

I agree. The only things I don't eat anymore that used to be staples was Cereal, bread, Pasta, and similar starches. I still have rice in my pantry but it's mostly in case other people want to eat it. I gave my mom some boxed pasta dinners. I think I gave her a box of cookie mix that I accidentally bought a while ago before surgery or at least intended to (I need to look and see if it is still in the cabinet). I still eat Peanut Butter, mayo, etc., just not in large quantities.

Hi Kip, Welcome! Congratulations on taking such a big step. It sounds like you are doing great. First, if you were sleeved you don't have a pouch, so if you follow your food phases and guidelines you don't need to worry about stretching a pouch. The stretchy part of your stomach was removed. Second, have you tried making your unjury with Water instead of milk? liquids (and semi liquids like yogurt and cottage cheese) are easier to consume early out. You won't really feel"full". I look to feel satisfied. If you slow down a little, you will give your brain a chance to catch up and you should feel more satisfied. Keep up the great work and make sure you get in your Protein and fluids and you will melt away! (Just a heads up, you will probably stall pretty soon. Almost everyone stalls about three weeks post-op for the first time. It is a completely normal part of the process.

I am a year post-op, and getting the Diet Coke monkey off of my back was one of the many blessings of this process. I did have trouble drinking plain Water for a while like many people, but now it is much easier. Today, I drink: plain water, infused water (cucumber, ginger, mint, other herbs/fruit, etc.), water with crystal light, sugar-free kool aid, Mio drops, etc., decaf tea, Herb "tea", an occasional unsweetened regular (black, oolong, or green) tea (caffeinated). I have no desire for carbonated soda of any kind.

I agree. I was positively allergic to tracking food pre-op, but now I don't think I would make it without tracking. 1) It is easy since I have the MyFitnessPal app. 2) My short term memory is terrible. 3) It helps me easily reach my Protein goal. 4) it makes me stop and think before I put something in my mouth and it helps me make good decisions. I can decide right away whether something fits into my daily plan, if it's something I can hold off and have another time, if it's not worth eating, or even if there is a healthier version/option.

My throat was a bit sore post-op. Probably from the tube they stick down your throat when you are under. Plain water was the hardest thing for me to drink for a while. Try Mio drops, crystal light, or something similar. Also herb or decaf tea. Try different temperatures: from hot tea, room temp, to ice cold. Crushed ice (I like sonic ice) and sugar-free Popsicles will also help you stay hydrated. Whatever you try, just keep sipping.

Welcome! Best of luck with your surgery. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

The reason you need to be careful with lifting doesn't have anything to do with your stomach as far as I know. It is because of the incisions through your abdominal wall.

I just did a bit of walking until I was cleared to get in the pool. Once I was able to get in the pool, I really started exercising.

I love the shape and the pattern. Very chic! I have no idea why the pictures load sideways.

It is a Non Scale Victory. Something positive that is not a number on the scale.

I don't really know. I had NO DESIRE for birthday cake the first time I was confronted with one post-op. It was my nephews birthday and I sat right next to the cake and it didn't appeal to me. If you really, really want to try it I would try a small bite first. I think you will be able to tell pretty soon whether you can tolerate a hit of sugar and starch that concentrated. I guess you would also get to figure out pretty quickly what dumping feels like if you were going to dump (which is more common with bypass than with the sleeve).