BLERDgirl

Next time look for decaf tea and you'll be fine. Try dome of the fruity herbal flavors. It's important you drink so you don't get dehydrated. One drink won't kill you or create an ulcer. You're okay.

I don't understand what you are saying.

Don't miss my tummy, and don't really think too much about it being gone. Never had a single regret from day 1.

Depends on the practice and insurance requirements. My practice requires 3 visits in addition to all the testing. After my 2nd appointment I was given my date. My first appointment with the surgeon was June. I received my approval letter from insurance in August. My surgery was in September.

That's odd I was given ice chips in recovery and had an ice bucket in my room. It was an easy was to get water slowly.

Perfectly normal, but keep sipping anyway.

Keep trying. There are loads of Protein shakes and drinks. Some find it helpful to add greek yogurt to them, some mix them with milk (dairy or nondairy), some mix them with Water. Some need to thin them out with extra water or dress them up with nut butters or flavor enhancers. Also look at foods that are high protein such as greek yogurts, kefirs or cottage cheeses. Play around with temperatures. Some need room temp, some prefer ice cold. Take teeny tiny sips and walk after eating. It's really all trial and error, keep testing until you find what works for you.

I Love salad! I probably have one at least every other day. In fact I had one for dinner. Kale, edamame, almond slivers, hard boiled egg. I've been eating salads since 5 - 6 weeks post op.

I received a copy of the approval letter from my insurance company. Ask the surgeon if they have sent in the request. You can then follow up with your insurance company as to approval status. However I would be extremely leery of any practice that has poor communication pre op. What happens post op when you have questions or concerns?

My NUT left what Protein I used up to me but said it has to be 1)whey isolate, not concentrate, 2) At least 15gms of protein per serving, 3) no more than ___ amount of carbs (I'll have to look that # up) and 4) no more the 7 gms of sugar per serving. A serving was defined as 8 ounces.

I had such a bad Pepsi and coffee addiction that I drank innumerable quantities of both. My Pepsi addiction was so great I was able to trade in for Pepsi memorabilia. ( I have no idea if they still have those online) However I earned enough that I *still* have a really nice Pepsi picnic blanket and 2 CDs full of pop music (Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, etc...). The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when I had my hysterectomy years ago. I was in the hospital in pain and got that afternoon caffeine withdrawal headache. I vowed never again. That was the end of my soda drinking days and I cut back on coffee to no more than 1 a day. As I worked on my health I decreased that. When I needed to switch to decaf for my sleeve I had no ill effects. Now I can take it or leave it as far as coffee is concerned and I have rediscovered my love of Water.

Day 5 for me. I was in the hospital 2 days. My doctor started me on stool softeners day 1 and I wasn't on any pain meds either. I went home on Saturday, farted all day Sunday, had my first BM on Monday. Have had at least 1 BM a day ever since.

Welcome! Once you reach maintenance you should work with your nutritionist to increase your calories to a level that allows you to maintain as opposed to lose.

I never measured sips or ounces per hour, I just sipped on and off all day. Early on I figured out a way to get both in. My Protein shakes were 1 scoop of Protein powder, ¼cup FAGE 0% Greek yogurt mixed with Water and served over lots of ice. This got in my protein and a little water. Total protein count was between 31 - 38 gms of protein. It took me 45 minutes to drink it, but one of those for Breakfast and one of those for lunch and I had hit my 60 gms of protein by mid day. I then spent the afternoon simply sipping on water. dinner was the veg broth with half a scoop of unflavored protein powder.

You can eat out. Look at a menu online. Most chains have them. Pick one high Protein item. Stay away from tomato, citrus and spicy since it may trigger the acid. Then go get it and eat. Don't try to eat it all, just try to eat. Make sure you take small bites and chew slow. My first meal out was iHop. I ordered and omelette and got fruit as the side. I probably ate less than a quarter of it and maybe one bite of fruit. Still it was nice to be able to go out to eat, sit at a table and eat.

It helps drain Fluid and prevent abcess and infections. Mine was pulled before I went home. I had a really bad abcess once. I'll take a drain any day of the week.

It really depends on the person and my relationship with that person. To the causal acquaintance I don't say more than "it's been a lot of hard work." Close friends and families get details.

If you feel you have honestly done everything you could to lose the weight, I say go for it. I wish I had done this when I needed to lose that much. My social life? Same as before. I used to eat out a lot and I still do. I just order and app or a side dish for my main, or I order a main and eat what I can and take the rest home. No big deal.

"I had a friend/neighbor/sibling who had surgery and died/is always sick."

I'm not offended. That's not my point. It's nice that you are happily surprised. I was as well. That first weight loss just needs to be taken with a large grain of salt. My 2 wk f/u showed a weight loss of 26lbs. I was over the moon! However my 6 week appt I loss was 6lbs. Big difference. After that I settled in to losing between 10 - 12 lbs a month. Your body will find its own rhythm. A big weight loss out the gate means as much as a small one. Even no weight loss or even a gain at that 2 week appt. isn't a predictor of anything.

I didn't have a weight loss requirement. Instead I focused on eating high protein meals and eating, eating slower (each meal had to take at least 30 minutes), separating eating and drinking and chewing each bite until it dissolved in my mouth. This helped me post-op since I could eat without getting sick and I didn't forget to sip. I had given up soda years before. The biggest challenge for me was increasing my protein. I eventually got it up to 100gms a day or more. That took work so I'm glad I worked on it.

Why does it matter as long as you hit goal? BTW - This post pops up about once a month so you could use the search feature and get loads of responses. For what it's worth I was one of those who had a big 2 week f/u loss. I rarely post it because it means nothing. All it does it make people expect to have a giant 2 week initial weight loss and think something is wrong with them if they don't.

Sounds fine. If you need to supplement with 1 shake a day to hit protein goals, then go for it. Some people prefer a protein bar instead of a shake. I say whatever works. My doctor is fine as long as most of my nutrition comes from food. I would try to get more protein than 60 gms. If you add plain greek yogurt to a shake it ups the protein. Another option is diluting a protein drink with water. You increase your fluid intake and up your protein as well.

Keep a mental (or written list) of "safe" fast foods. Mine is the wake up egg & cheese wrap from Dunkin Donuts. I toss half the tortilla so it's mostly egg & cheese. Try doing a quick search. There have been a few threads on recommended fast foods.

There are no guarantees. If your surgeon okays it, then go for it. Mine does not allow gummies since they don't feel they provide complete nutrition.