BLERDgirl

Call or email your nutritionist and talk to them. Do you keep a food diary? What have you been eating since February?

I would definitely cut out the fatty foods you are eating. cheese and trail mix aren't the best are full of fat and carbs. Other than the Protein shakes I wouldn't do milk at all. Try 2 shakes a day and one salad of lettuce (romaine or spinach) with olive oil/vinegar dressing or salsa instead of salad dressing and a good protein like chicken breast or a hard boiled egg. In between drink Water until you think you are going to float away. If you aren't already taking a Multivitamin, I would start. Also try to walk at least 60 minutes a day even if you have to break it up into 15 minute increments.

I also only bought 2 week worth of protein powders/drinks. Some people find their taste buds change post-op. Others find they can do milk based drinks and switch to protein waters and drinks instead. Whatever you buy save your receipts. Most places allow you to return unused portions if you have a valid receipt.

Best is a subjective term. What works for me may not work for you. Talk to your nutritionist. They should be able to give you some guidelines as to type and dosage amount. Some doctor's are okay with gummies, some aren't. Some people like chewables, some don't. Most doctor's require calcium citrate, not carbonate. I used a plant based whole food multi by KIND that I crushed and hid in almond butter. Once I was allowed to swallow I settled on Centrium. Their are a several different Protein powders. Many like the RTD Premier Protein, I don't. There is also unjury, Jarrow, Isopure, Syntrax to name just a few. I even use CVS brand for a while. I prefer powder over RTD, and unflavored over flavored. Try doing a search on protein powders. There are many threads on the subject.

I'd go back to him and tell him you aren't comfortable eating so much processed food. Honestly that meal "plan" sounds like a recipe for constipation to me. Ask for a referral to a nutritionist who can help you come up with a plan that does not include prepackaged processed food. I'm sure you could lose on that plan, but it's teaches you absolutely nothing about eating a well balanced diet. I also question anyone's ability to follow and maintain this diet for 2½ months.

Not a huge Lane Bryant fan. I suspect I may have an easier time shopping in brick and mortar stores, but since I am a bargain shopper, I will likely always shop online as well.

I've always been a fashion gal. I shop everywhere; Macy's, Nordstroms, Lord & Taylor's Target, Lane Bryant, Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Avenue, Ashley Stewart, H & M, Forever 21, Hot topic, Torrid, cheapie stores like Dot and Rainbow. I can also get things from the local India and African boutiques. Online the possibilities are endless; ASOS, SimplyBe, Wet Seal, Torrid, Macy's, Nordstroms, Lord & Taylor's Target, Lane Bryant, Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Avenue, Ashley Stewart, H & M, Forever 21, Hot Topic, Old Navy, FullBeauty, Jessica London, Woman Within, Marisota, Eloquii, Hanes, QVC, J. Jill, Ulla Popken, Anna Sholtz, etc.... I could go on and on. I have never let myself be limited.

10 mths out and I have the stomach made of steel. There is no food I was eating pre-op that I can't eat now. However the amount I can eat have changed and because I value my health I take care with the choices I make. Do I have occasional treats? Yes, but my definition of occasional has changed. I have found I can eat a bite of cake and be satisfied. I have some guidelines. The main one is I bring nothing in the house that I cannot have around without binging. I am one of those who needs to keep a food diary. Not everyone does, but I'd recommend newbies keep one pre-op and at least a few months post op. I also plan for my indulgences. I have an active social life and I eat out a lot. I plan for those days and adjust the rest of my eating day accordingly. Because I am vegetarian a lot of my Proteins also come with carbs. Those carbs I do not worry about. I try to have most of my carbs in the mornings or afternoon when I am most active. I avoid most "white carbs" Things like Pasta, bread, crackers, white rice and refined sugars. I am allergic to artificial sweeteners so I use raw honey. I am careful to use it sparingly. There really is no one size fits all approach. Being successful takes being honest with your self and changing your relationship with food. It can no longer be your friend and source of comfort. Each day I work at eating well and getting in some form of physical activity. EVERY. DAY. The difference is I am happy and satisfied with eating very smalls meals. I enjoy going to the gym. Most of all I enjoy feeling healthier than I have in years.

I'd give it a 1½ - 2. I had a really easy time of it. My surgical course was uneventful, and I had no pain or infections. I am a vegetarian with severe food allergies. Pre-op I was already taking a multi-Vitamin and Biotin daily. Because of my food issues I was already using a food diary and I was used to watching what I eat. Post-op my Vitamins and supplements increased, but over time that has decreased as I returned back to a regular diet based on bloodwork results. At 10 mths I take a multivitamin 1x a day, Vitamin D, and Calcium. I was already drinking Water and thankfully have no issues drinking water post op. I workout 5 - 6 days a week and yes that is hard, but it's of my own choosing. Pre-op I worked out 3 - 4 days a week as long as I wasn't suffering from an allergy attack. Thankfully I have not been to the ER due to allergies in nearly a year! It may take some adjusting but this wasn't even close to tough.

Could also be acid. Are you taking a PPI?

Never had an issue finding trendy clothes. My biggest issue is having to buy things online instead of in stores.

You may need surgery. If that's not an option, I would request physical therapy. Spinal issues cannot be exercised away. You risk further injury.

Has he done the injections or will insurance not cover them? Like sciatica? My sister has the same thing. She had to get injections as an outpatient. She has both upper neck/disc issues which were resolved with 2 mths of intense therapy and lower spine/disc issues. She says the injections have made all the difference. She can now walk without pain and that's after only 2 sessions. The injections are a series of 3, space one month apart. If the injections had not worked, she would have needed surgery. Unfortunately you need medical intervention, exercise along will not change things. They can help after treatment, exercise along won't stop the pain.

I never got sick either. Stomach of steel. I knew this was a chance early on and just made sure to measure out my portions and not keep anything in the house I can't have around without binging. I always made sure to drink a full 20 ounce bottle of Water if I still felt hungry. And then I went for Protein Snacks like a hard boiled egg or nuts. Good, healthy fats that sit with me and make me feel full. I was 9mths out before I finally broke down and email my nutritionist about increasing my calories. I was eating 600 - 800 from month 3 to month 9. I just upped that to 800 - 1000. Thanks to my food diary I've learned which foods trigger my cravings and stay away from them. I recommend anyone still struggling to reach out. Talk to your nutritionist, and if need be get a therapist.

Agreed. I use FAGE in place of mayo, in place or sour cream and occasionally I mix a tsp with my egg before scrambling. It makes for a nice, creamy egg.

Speaking as someone who had disordered eating, you can gain without eating big meals. Nibbling or grazing all day will pack on lbs as will only eating one big meal a day if it's the wrong foods. I would recommend holding off adding any foods/ meals until after you talk to your nutritionist. The liquid phase is only temporary and if you recently had surgery a little fatigue is to be expected. I would also discuss adding a PPI like Prilosec or Zantac because yes, gas does masquerade as hunger. This is your opportunity to completely change your relationship with food. Listen to your medical team.

I just ignore the warnings if I am under 1,000 calories. MFP doesn't have a setting for it because they don't want to encourage people w/ eating disorders and there's no way for the site to verify you are a bariatric pt.

You've answered your own question: I will confess that in these last 4 months , I've been easily taking in pretzels, popcorn, bread and combining with high Protein bars. I would get rid of these foods ASAP. You should be coming up on your one year follow up. Speak to the nutritionist and have her review your eating habits. If you aren't keeping a food diary, it would be good to start just to have something to review.

Aw man... I just ordered some!! I haven't had that problem if I use a Blender Bottle. I just dump it in and shake. If I am adding it to a hot beverage I dissolve it into a small amount of lukewarm Water and the add it to the hot. Never had an issue with clumping or grit.

What are your leg pains from? Are you seeing a doctor for them? Part of what prompted me to start water aerobics year ago was leg pain. I had arthritis in my knees and at the time my feet and legs would swell due to bad eating habits. Yes walking was painful. I set small goals. After I changed my diet and got rid of all processed foods, I would walk daily in small burst. Once I joined water aerobics, my goal was 2 days a week. I needed the other days to recover. After a month, I added one more day. Again I maintained that for a month. I would sometimes have to come home and prop my legs up. It took nearly a year to work up to 4 times a week. On days when I was tired I would just go and walk in the pool. I had to rebuild that strength and it was often a painful process. Now if you have some other issue, there are loads of videos out there for people with limited mobility. Youtube had videos for exercises to do while seated and you can also order DVDs if you search.

I sipped water all day. I had several water bottles that I kept in the fridge. When I wasn't eating or in the beginning drinking protein shakes, I was sipping. Every day I filled a bottle and sat it next to me. If I went out, I took one with me.

I had a really easy surgical experience. I wasn't really low energy, but for the first month or so I needed to take a nap at least once a day. After that I was fine. Make sure you are hitting your protein/fluid goals and taking your vitamins. If you are still concerned get your bloodwork checked to make sure everything is alright. For some it takes longer to readjust than others. I found the more I worked out, the stronger I got and the more energy I had.

Mine didn't give me any specific percentages or goal numbers. I'm glad because to me it's as dangerous as living by the scale. Those numbers become ALL you focus on instead of embracing a new lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise. The closest I got to a number was really general information at the pre-appointment seminar where they informed us that sleevers lose 50 - 60% of their weight. I wasn't locked into a time frame or a goal number.

mfp

Try and hang in there. The liquid portion of the diet will be over soon. Just make sure you are taking your supplements and vitamins. I'd even ask the nutritionist if you could add an additional shake to your diet to keep your energy levels up.