RedSalamander

I'm going to say something unpopular on these types of forums and tell you that I think your NUT has some issues. The amount of calories s/he is suggesting is not at all sustainable--I'm only 2 weeks out and in the puree stage and I'm averaging 700-750 calories a day from eating the minuscule amounts I can get down! As far as fat goes, no, you shouldn't be binging on containers of butter and lard. But there's no need to make all your choices "low fat". Our brains require fat. Fat increases the feeling of satiety you get from food. Eat fat. Eat GOOD fats, but eat some fat. If you can choose a reduced-fat (not fat-free, never fat-free!) dairy product like cream cheese or yogurt, etc., go for it. But you don't have to go fat-free. Frankly, the same thing goes for carbs. Eat a protein-forward diet, but there's no reason you HAVE to eschew carbs. You can have them! Just watch how they impact your bottom line, and try to choose veggies, fruits, and a small number of whole grains for your carbs, not french fries or whatever. (But have a couple of those, too, when you want them!) Being hungry isn't good, and isn't sustainable. Eat enough that you feel good. Pay attention to what it is, and how much of it, makes you feel good and keeps the scale moving the way you want it. Make mindful food choices. Tell your NUT what s/he wants to hear. Don't become one of those sad people who trade a life of feeling controlled by food and being obese to a life of feeling even MORE controlled by food but being thinner.

I agree with the sports bra suggestion. I'm 2 weeks out and wearing my bras, but those underwires poke an incision and it HURTS. I put on my super-duper running sports bra (the Enell, if any busty ladies need a suggestion!) that's incredibly binding but has no underwire, and it was way more comfortable than a regular underwire bra. I say get thee to target or old navy and get a few cheapie sports bras just to tide you over. Then whip them off at night and do a special shimmy for the hubs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY you beautiful, amazing creature! 36 is a great age!

Hey, I'm feeling great too, thanks for asking! It took about till the 2 week mark for me to feel "back to normal" (ish). I'm still having a Protein shake for Breakfast even though I'm on purees because otherwise I can't seem to hit my Protein goals. Guess i'm destined for shakeitude... Glad you're feeling good!

I think you've already gotten some great advice and thoughts. But just to reassure you even more--I am only 16 days out. And for quite a bit at first, I felt sad and prevented from living a "normal life". But now, a few things aside and other things tweaked a bit, things are back to normal. Are my husband and I going out for nice dinners? Nope. But that'll return in a few weeks! I have gone out to eat with my family (I had a cup of tomato Soup and ate probably 1/4 of it, ha!), gone for coffee with friends, gone to 2 parties, etc. I'm not eating at most of these things (although now that I'm on purees I could have had some yogurt and hummus if I wanted!), but no one has noticed or commented. And I feel totally fine now! I am not sad not to be eating, or hungry. It is a bummer that right now I can't meet my friends for lunch very easily, but that'll come soon. I'll be honest--the first week out, I felt tired and sore and sorry for myself. But now that I'm feeling better, my outlook is much better and I feel normal! And YES I'm going to hit restaurants and eat delicious food at them. Hell yeah! Just, not that much. WOOHOO LEFTOVERS.

I am 16 days out and I concur with everyone else--it gets MUCH better, fast! Are you still in the hospital? If you are, let them know that your pain and nausea aren't being handled by the drugs so they can up them or change them. That's their job--don't be afraid to rate your pain as an 8, 9, or 10! I felt better when I came home, then better at 5 days out, then incrementally better each day. Soon you will hardly remember how much it sucked, I promise!

My NUT cleared me for mushies today. My lunch after: a scrambled egg made in butter with half a laughing cow cheese. I could only eat half of it, but wow it was good after all those cloying chemicals. Next up: refried beans? Ricotta bake? Pumpkin-coconut curry soup?? THE OPTIONS ARE ENDLESS!

Hi all! I'm newly in the puree stage (woohoo!), and I'm not entirely sure how often I should be eating. For example, this morning for Breakfast I had maybe a 1/4 cup (if that) of cream of wheat made with GENEPRO. I saved the other portion (about half) and went back to have it about 2 hours later. I don't normally have a midmorning snack, but I really wanted to get in the whole 15g of Protein. How often do you guys eat? I don't want my protein Quest to become a grazing habit, and I'm not feeling hunger yet because I'm not far enough out.

It's amazing in coffee and tea! It lends this richness of flavor...yum.

I'm not far enough out from the surgery to quit the fake-sugar yet, but I asked my NUT point-blank when I was still pre-op if she ate any of that crap. She said "nope". I plan to go back to whole foods and regular sweeteners for the majority of things when I'm further out. Agave nectar is my coffee-sweetener of choice.

I was raised Catholic. I say fake-sip the wine for now. Just keep your lips shut against the chalice--no one will be the wiser. Let the host stick to the roof of your mouth and soften, then slowly get the bits down. I think you'll be fine!

Good ideas, all! I had cream of wheat (with a half-scoop of genepro!) this morning. FOOOOOD!

I'm only just shy of 2 weeks out, but I wouldn't totally judge your inability to lose weight before you've had surgical intervention. I don't know you or how you think you'd fail...i think that's the important part. If you're a compulsive binger, for instance, the surgery could be dangerous for you until you get that under control. But if you're just struggling with making the right food choices all the time, you'll probably be fine. Excellent time for some soul-searching, though. Right?

My back bothered me more post-op than my front! And now I'm almost 2 weeks out and still have some soreness. Some of the pain is definitely from the gas, but some of it is from how they position you on the operating table, how you "favor" your incisions and stress different muscles, etc. I can feel the trigger points in my back that need to be released and have been working on them, but so far, no good. But much better now than last week!

Acid can definitely mimic hunger, and that's probably what you're feeling that far out. That said, my friends who have had the surgery report that they DO feel hunger-that the not feeling hunger thing is B.S. But they're satisfied after a small amount of food, which is what's different.

My plan has no particular guidelines for any of that--how we metabolize food is such an individual thing. I would talk to your NUT to get a good baseline for you if you're concerned!

No crushing here for all the reasons mentioned above. I'll be 2 weeks out tomorrow and I've been swallowing all my pills with no problems.

I feel very strongly about bone broth. Holy duplicate posts, batman!

I feel very strongly about bone broth. Holy duplicate posts, batman!

Bone broth is seriously just a marketing term. It's just stock. I've been making it myself overnight in the crockpot using rotisserie chicken carcasses forever--and it's tasty and makes awesome soups!

Bone broth is seriously just a marketing term. It's just stock. I've been making it myself overnight in the crockpot using rotisserie chicken carcasses forever--and it's tasty and makes awesome soups!

Bone broth is seriously just a marketing term. It's just stock. I've been making it myself overnight in the crockpot using rotisserie chicken carcasses forever--and it's tasty and makes awesome soups!

Bone broth is seriously just a marketing term. It's just stock. I've been making it myself overnight in the crockpot using rotisserie chicken carcasses forever--and it's tasty and makes awesome soups!

Bone broth is seriously just a marketing term. It's just stock. I've been making it myself overnight in the crockpot using rotisserie chicken carcasses forever--and it's tasty and makes awesome soups!

Bone broth is seriously just a marketing term. It's just stock. I've been making it myself overnight in the crockpot using rotisserie chicken carcasses forever--and it's tasty and makes awesome soups!