BLERDgirl

You can take them with your water 30 mins later. The point of taking pills with food is not to take them on an empty stomach. You still have food in your system 30 mins after eating.

I'm a coffee drinking but I never had to have a daily cup. I was told preop that coffee wasn't allow because of concerned with reflux and stomach acid and vitamin absorption. I bought some decaf and herbal tea. 2 weeks preop and up to week 3 post op I did no caffeine. Now I do a little regular coffee here an there but still not daily. Often I mix like 2 ounce with 4 ounces of a protein shake. Dunkin donuts has a special locally; if football teams wins they give away free medium coffee the next day. I get the free coffee and make ice cubes with it. I then add it to my protein shakes in the morning. it takes me a week to drink one medium coffee with cream and sugar. I still get that coffee flavor I like and so far no adverse effects. In fact my post op process has been completely chill. No pain, no gas, no nausea whatsoever.

I don't eat peanut butter. I 1tsp of almond butter and mixed the vitamin inside. The flavor mostly masked the bitter taste of the vitamin

You need to call your doctor. If you are so nauseous that you can't get any fluids in something needs to be done. Don't suffer in silence.

I'm a Black nerd = Blerd and I'm female.

I know. I have BPPV (sort of permanent vertigo).

You may still have to have a sleep study done. I had one done in 2004 and had to have new one done, but I had already received my precert letter as well.

I thought about this long and hard. Once I realized this was something I needed to do and chose my program, I never had one single doubt. In large part because the surgical changes make it really hard to over eat. Not impossible, but difficult and for many uncomfortable. I also knew there was no way I would go through all this testing and not follow it through.

Peaches sometimes a bit of spinach or occasionally a bit of almond butter. I HATE bananas.

The doctors office will handle it. If you received the letter Friday night they might not have been able to call you yet. They have to give the insurance co a date when submitting the request, if your sleep study isn't completed by then, they will contact the insurance co and negotiate for a new date. Don't worry it's not that big a deal. Your doctor's office will be able to get the date changed.

I was sleeved on a Thursday and didn't move my bowels until Monday morning. It was small but normal in color. I've never heard about the black stools before. It may be nothing but if it persist for more than a week, I would call the doctor's office. Are you on any pain meds still, or just regular supplements?

I am vegetarian, and allergic to ALL seafood, red dyes, processed foods, stevia, and most artificial sugars. 2 weeks prior to surgery I was told to increase my Protein to between 60-80gm and my Water to 64 ounces a day. Day of surgery I was liquids only and NPO after 9pm In the hospital I was offered tea, Liquid Protein, vegetable broth and Jello. I drank the broth & protein. I was released on full liquids. I was told I could add a small amount of Peanut Butter to my protein shakes, but no more than 1 tsp. Weeks 3-6 - I was allowed purees and soft foods. Weeks 7 - present I can eat whatever I can tolerate. I am to each between 600 -800 calories, at least 60 gms protein and 48-64 ounces of water. I've had no issues eating or drinking anything. It took me 4 days to build up to drinking all my protein and water when I was released from the hospital. The biggest challenge is eating around my allergies but that's something I've lived with for a very long time now. It took forever to find a Protein Drink I liked and wasn't allergic to. Other than a rash from the bandages I've had a fairly uneventful surgery and recovery.

I grew up in a fairly healthy eating family so drinking Water was never an issue for me. Once I stopped drinking soda it became really easy. I don't buy many beverages. In my house I have almond milk, coffee tea, in the winter cacao for hot chocolate. The coffee & tea I typically only want for Breakfast. I crave hot chocolate at night in the winter. I just got in the habit of carrying water bottle with me everywhere. When I was at work I would have one on my desk and sip on it all day. If I'm home I fill one and sit it next to the computer with me and just sip. I don't add "flavorings" unless they are natural like lemons, limes, mint leaves, fresh ginger or cucumber. Once I gave up soda, my palette reset itself and I didn't need a sugary drink. I also realized my body was happier when I drank water. My skin was clear. I was never constipated, or got heartburn. I just learned to love water and what it does for me.

Only when I go to the doctor or once a month whichever comes first. My food diary and how my body feels is actually a better indication of how I am doing. This was especially true prior to my surgery. If I was eating properly, drinking Water and exercising I would lose no problem, so if I didn't have a doctor's appt I could stop by my GP and get weighed. Checking the scale even on a weekly basis just makes me crazy. Now that I have had been sleeved and I'm seeing the doctor monthly I practice the same philosophy. I focus on following the program, getting my exercise and drinking enough water. I'm 8 weeks and feel really, really good! I also look at other NSVs. My seatbelt in the car is looser. My bras are looser. My swimsuit is looser. Walking is easier.

The point is to be consistent with your work out. I also advise people to look for specials online. From chatting with people at my gym (LAFitness), I find that those who walk in get sold more expensive contracts. I joined my gym when they had a special online It was $8.95 per week, I have my account set up online and I just go in and pay it $36 each month. This is for full access to all gyms. I have gone on vacation with my family, looked up the nearest gym and been able to work out while away. One woman in one of the support groups at my hospital said they quoted her $80 when she called.

I have many journeys. I like the word. To me it speaks to walking a positive path. When I talk about my sleeve it's a procedure.

Try coconut water or gatorade. Your electrolytes may be off.

You might want to check with your medical team. That sounds pretty good to me. I reviewed my MFP with my nutritionist and she recommended trying to keep carbs around 40. However the protein and the water are the key elements. If you are losing and your team has no issues with this then do not worry.

It's because you don't have insurance. Most of us have to get pre-certified or approved by our insurance company before we can get a surgical date.

Same here but they want me between 600 - 800 calories

If you have a Whole Foods near you try the single serve packs. WF's is pretty generous with returns so if you don't like it you can get s refund. I tried So Delicious brand almond milk & HATED it. I buy 3 cartons at a time. They refunded me for all. However, if you are happy with the lactate free milk do that. We all approach this from different angles. Just keep working your program!????

They offered a morphine pump but I never needed it. Thankfully I never had any gas pains.

All almond milks are not created equal. I dislike all Silk products. They all have a cloyingly thick taste/feel to them. They taste like wallpaper paste to me. I also don't like soy milk of any kind. I drink Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla or regular flavors. The only other milk I like is Rice Dreams rice milk in either unsweetened vanilla or plain. I'm currently ovo lacto vegetarian so I still eat greek yogurt (Fage 0%) which has been a great source of protein for me, but I hope to go vegan after this year.

I was told that post op they weren't good for that reason. These bottles don't have a true straw, it's more a gravity sort of thing almost like in a child's sippy cup. I bought it in to show on my 6 week check up and was cleared to use it, so I've resumed. So far I haven't had any problems, but like I said I don't use it as my only waterbottle.

Make sure you doctor's are aware of your aversion to opioids. You might not need any. I didn't. I was up and walking in recovery. I was a tiny bit sore but no worse than menstrual cramps. I didn't take any pain meds in the hospital and I didn't get the prescription filled post op. Stay positive!