JamieLogical

There are countless studies that show that it DOES work. But not for everyone. Do your research and try to figure out if it can work for you. WLS is only a tool. It's still up to you whether or not to use that tool correctly.

I just posted this in another thread where someone was asking about how I can get 85-100 grams of Protein in per day. I'm only one month out and still on soft foods. This is what I ate yesterday. It was 101 total grams of protein. Breakfast: Protein shake (17g) Morning Snack: Reduced Fat String cheese (8g) Lunch: Leftover Wendy's Chili w/ .5 oz. of Reduced Fat Cheese (12 g) Afternoon Snack: Leftover Lobster Bisque with some Reduced Fat Cheese (11g) Pre Work-out Snack: 1/2 Whole Wheat Mini Pita with 1 TBSP Hummus (4g) Dinner: Shelly's Ricotta Bake 1.5 servings - I usually have 1/6th of recipe but last night had 1/4th (19g) Evening Snack: Protein Shake (30g) This is what I plan to eat today. It's 90 total grams of protein. Breakfast: Protein Shake (17g) Morning Snack: Reduced Fat String Cheese (8g) Lunch: Scrambled Egg w/ .5 oz. of Reduced Fat Cheese and Taco Sauce (10g) Afternoon Snack: Dannon Fit & Light Greek Yogurt (12g) Pre Work-out Snack: 1/2 Whole Wheat Mini Pita with 1 TBSP Peanut Butter (6g) Dinner: 4 oz. Jack Daniel's Pulled chicken (7g) Evening Snack: Protein Shake (30g)

I'm 4 weeks post op and I've only managed 100 grams one time, yesterday in fact. I have managed t get 98 a couple of other times. Here's what I ate yesterday: Breakfast: Protein shake (17g) Morning Snack: Reduced Fat String cheese (8g) Lunch: Leftover Wendy's Chili w/ .5 oz. of Reduced Fat Cheese (12 g) Afternoon Snack: Leftover Lobster Bisque with some Reduced Fat Cheese (11g) Pre Work-out Snack: 1/2 Whole Wheat Mini Pita with 1 TBSP Hummus (4g) Dinner: Shelly's Ricotta Bake 1.5 servings - I usually have 1/6th of recipe but last night had 1/4th (19g) Evening Snack: Protein Shake (30g) Yesterday was the most food I've eaten in one day since my surgery. I was exactly one month post-op. I've planned out my food for today and I've only come up with 90 grams of protein. I really just try to keep it over 85. Edit: I thought I'd go ahead and list out my planned food for today so you can get some more ideas. Breakfast: Protein Shake (17g) Morning Snack: Reduced Fat String Cheese (8g) Lunch: Scrambled Egg w/ .5 oz. of Reduced Fat Cheese and Taco Sauce (10g) Afternoon Snack: Dannon Fit & Light Greek Yogurt (12g) Pre Work-out Snack: 1/2 Whole Wheat Mini Pita with 1 TBSP Peanut Butter (6g) Dinner: 4 oz. Jack Daniel's Pulled chicken (7g) Evening Snack: Protein Shake (30g)

I'm only a month post op, but I took my measurements before surgery and then a couple of days ago. I've lost all over. A 15.2 pounds loss meant the following losses in inches: Neck: -0.5 Upper Arm: -0.5 Forearm: -0.5 Wrist: No Change Above Breasts: -0.75 Across Breasts: -1.0 Below Breasts: -0.75 Waist, Narrowest: -1.75 Across Belly Button: -1.75 Hips: -2.0 Upper Thigh: -1.25 Above Knee: -2.5 Calf: -0.5 Ankle -0.25

My nutritionist told me 85-100 grams of protein for life.

If you are limited to shakes like I was, there's not much you can do. You're going to be hungry and tired and weak. And you're probably going to get bad headaches a day or two into it. Hang in there, though. Even though it seems like eternity now, two weeks isn't really that long.

You should stick to the plan that your surgeon/nutritionist provide you for both pre-op and post-op diets. Without knowing the specifics of your pre-op diet, we really aren't going to be able to offer much advice on what types of things are best for you. Some surgeons require a liquid pre-op diet. Some require a specific brand of Protein shake. Some allow you to eat normal food. Until you have those details, we can't tell you how to make the most of your specific plan. Also, I don't know what "Spark" is? Is that some sort of energy drink? If it has caffeine, you won't be able to have it immediately post-op. My nutritionist told me no caffeine until 30 days post-op. Yours might have a different guideline, but I can guarantee you won't be allowed caffeine right out of the gate, because it hard on your stomach. They definitely won't let you have it until you're fully healed up.

Ah! That makes much more sense! Thanks for clarifying.

Glad you had such a good experience. Posts like this really help when choosing a surgeon. It's great to hear first-hand accounts and personal experiences. It's what helped me ultimately choose my surgeon (Ariel Ortiz). Thanks for sharing and I hope your recovery is smooth and quick!

I was lucky enough to be allowed scrambled eggs and cottage cheese on my pureed stage, even though they require a little chewing. Thank goodness, because actual pureed food grosses me out!

For the first week or more post op, every single time I took a sip of liquid, I went through this whole thing where there was like this gurgling thing in my chest, then a constriction of my esophagus that was quite painful. It gradually went away over time to where it was only doing that when I was drinking too much/too fast, then only when I ate too much/too fast and now that I'm a month out, I never have it at all. I think it was due to the swelling.

I was on three shakes a day, one green salad with calorie-free dressing, and sugar-free jello and popsicles. I was making my own shakes with 4 oz. of unsweetened almond milk, 4 oz. of water, one scoop of Now Sports unflavored whey protein powder, and various Torani sugar-free syrups for flavoring. I eventually ended up replacing some of my shakes with EAS AdvantEDGE ready-to-drink shakes for the sheer convenience of having a ready-to-drink option.

I don't think you need to stress about getting much Protein in so soon post-op. I wasn't worried about protein at all until a week post-op when I was allowed to start having Protein shakes again. As for gas pain, mine was worst before I got my drain out. Do you have a drain? Once mine came out, I felt MUCH better. It all does get MUCH easier. I'm only a month post op and I feel a billion times better than I did those first few days. It will get a little better every day. You'll be able to get more Water in. You'll be able to start getting in more liquid foods and eventually move on to purees. Each step makes it better and better. I am feeling almost "normal" now and in those first few days I couldn't even remember what normal felt like! Be patient and hang in there!

How much are you eating? If you are physically hungry (not head hunger), you should eat! If you are tired, sore, and hungry, you probably aren't getting enough calories.

It's different for everyone and you may need to discuss persistent pain and nausea with your surgeon. I was on anti-nausea and pain medication, so I didn't experience much of either. I had random twinges of pain in my ab muscles for a couple of weeks, but nothing debilitating. As for nausea, I never really had any, though I did have some dry heaving on my second day post-op. It wasn't preceded by any nausea though, it just came over me like a wave. On the other hand, another patient who had surgery the same day as me with the same surgeon has had nausea and vomiting this whole month post-op. So it really is different for everyone.

I am so glad you went ahead with the surgery and that you are now recovering. In the early days post-op, it is definitely best to take life minute-by-minute anyway. Have some patience as it really will get better quite quickly. Your husband is going to do what he's going to do and there is nothing you can/should do about it right now. You should be 100% focused on yourself and your recovery right now. *HUGS*

I am glad I was in a financial position to self-pay in Mexico. My insurance doesn't cover VSG (only band and bypass). Plus in order to meet their minimum requirements, I would have had to stay fat for two more years, because they require a BMI over 35 for five years and three years ago I had gotten down to an "overweight" BMI by losing 90 pounds through diet and exercise. Way to punish people who TRIED to lose weight the "old fashioned" way before resorting to surgery! Anyway, being able to self-pay meant not having to jump through hoops, being able to schedule surgery as soon as I wanted to, and getting my pick of surgeons! Sure I had to borrow against my retirement, but it was definitely money well spent! And I've heard stories about people who had their insurance cover their surgery, but between deductibles and co-pays and whatnot, they ended up spending twice as much out-of-pocket as I did!

I hope everything goes smoothly and you have an easy recovery. The thing to remember in the beginning is that it really does get easier with time. The pain/nausea/gas will get a little better every day. Your incisions will heal up. It will get easier to drink and eventually eat. Just have patience. I think that's the number one thing I needed to keep reminding myself in those early days. You get so "in the moment" and caught up with whatever your current hardships are, but they really do pass quickly. I'm only a month out, as of today, and I feel a billion times better than in those early days. I feel almost completely "normal" and in the beginning it was hard to even remember what normal felt like! So, hang in there! You are making a great choice that is going to drastically improve your quality of life for years to come!

I just got moved up to soft foods on Monday and it's been great so far. I can finally get enough calories in to sustain some exercise, so I've been doing my 60-90 minutes of "brisk walking" and it's not nearly as tiring as last week. So far I haven't found any specific foods that disagree with me, just eating too much or too fast causes me discomfort and burping.

Yep! I was the exact same way. It was like all the cardio endurance I'd built up by exercising for two months pre-op went right out the window and I was huffing and puffing just trying to get ready for work in the morning. The good news is, that all started changing rapidly once I was able to eat more and get more calories in. I'm now consistently getting 850+ caloires in per day and now when I do my prescribed "brisk walking" for exercise, my heart rate doesn't get up as high and I don't get tired nearly as quickly.

Are you tracking calories. I was dead on my feet until I was able to get up over 800 calories a day. I was getting my protein in from the start, but your body needs a minimum number of calories to function. For me, that minimum was 800. Now that I'm trying to exercise at least every other day, I'm trying to push my intake up over 900, but it's hard because I still can't eat very much.

I'm surprised your surgeon would recommend them. It's absurd to drink 42 grams of protein in a tiny serving when your body can't possibly absorb that much protein at one time.

I pre-measure my portions so I don't risk overeating. Right now I know I can handle two ounces of "dry" foods like a scrambled egg or tuna salad and four ounces of "wet" foods like soup or anything saucy. If I do get overfull, my first signs are burping and tightening of my esophagus.

Shelly's Ricotta Bake was my savior through my pureed stage (recipe on this page). Even though I'm on soft foods now, I still have it several times a week!