Dub

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling. I'm sure it's no fun. There are unflavored Protein powders from unjury. I've tried them and mixed with my ice Water. No issues. It just went down like water. As far as the cheese.....in addition to it being calorie dense, her main concern may have been how difficult it is to digest. You are putting a workload on your new stomach before your program allows. This is a safety concern that hopefully you'll understand. Getting past the smell or taste thing seems like something that can be safely battled through.....especially with the tasteless protein available. Go to a GNC today and get something that will work.

It's no mystery that you have no energy if you aren't even getting a single Protein shake in. This could account for all sorts of feeling bad. There are many brands and types of low carb Protein shakes. Variety can be your friend.

Milk is full of sugar. I've bought my last gallon of it weeks before I started the pre-op diet. The Protein shakes all mix just fine with Water as far as I am concerned.

What has your surgeon said in regard to this ?

Well said !!!

Good deal. Work hard on your weight loss and pray hard, too. Weight loss is the ultimate goal. No need to wait for the surgery to begin. Those three young kids are great motivation. Use your friends as motivation, too. Make a game of beating their results by strictly following your surgeon's plan. Best wishes. Nail it.

I was well over the 400 lb mark when I began this process. In fact, I wasn't too many pan pizzas away from the next mark. I always assumed that I'd get back on Adkins diet and kill it in the gym and get my weight back under control again. Back & leg injuries earlier this year kept me from doing any type of gym work.....and even made doing my job impossible for a several weeks. I knew it was time to take more aggressive action and do something that would help me lose weight wile still healing from these nagging & reoccurring injuries. I assumed I'd need gastric bypass for the simple fact that my younger sister had it done 15 years ago and has maintained incredible weight & health ever since. I consulted two surgeons and went through classes with each as well as two nutritionists. By the end, my surgeon helped me to see that the sleeve was the best choice for me. This, in no way, means it's best for everyone. Each patient has unique demands and needs. You have to take all that into account, along with your surgeon's advice. I'm only 6 days out from my surgery, still recovering, sore as hell from the hernia repair and waiting on the post-op inflammation to clear from my abdomen and the 9 new holes in it. I say that to say this.....I regret not one part of it. I'm glad I had the surgery. It's going to be a huge aid in my new way of living. I will get lean, stay lean and build my strength. I had my 47th birthday last month. I am going to feel 15 years younger by my next birthday. By my 50th, I'll most likely feel better than I did on my 30th. There has been zero pain from the sleeve portion of the surgery. I have to pull my shift up and look to prove that I've had it. The only pain has been from the umbilical hernia repair and it is less than it was on two previous open repairs. On day 4, 5 and 6 I've been able to get in 3 Protein shakes each day. On days 5 & 6 I've been able to drink as much Water as I've wanted, but making myself drink at least 8 24oz cups per day. No gulping or chugging. Just frequent small sips. Life is good. The tool has been delivered. There are no excuses, no whining, no complaining. It's time to get busy and get lean. There will be no compromises.

You are definitely not alone !!!!! That is unacceptable that you weren't given clear instructions upon being discharged. Do they have an emergency after hours / on-call number ? Does your bariatric program have a webapge with possible links ? How about your nutritionist.....do they have a private Facebook page you contact them at ? There has to be a way you can contact your surgeon and/or their staff to get instruction.

Well done. Don't cave in for any reason. Stay strict and reap the results. Good job.

Today is my 6th day since surgery. The first couple of days it was work to get 2-3 24oz cups of icewater down. The last two days, however, I seem to be able to drink as much as I want. I'm up and walking to the bathroom every hour. The key has been to have a glass within reach at all times. I continue to take small swallows all day. It is very natural and occurs easily.

I did not receive the same information about NSAIDs from my surgeon with the sleeve. Make sure you check with your surgeon about this.

Were you taking any meds for it prior to surgery that you've not resumed taking ? How is you mobility been these last two weeks? Joints can sometimes get stiff and painful if they aren't used as much.

Atkins would be the last bar I'd want due to all the sugar alcohol. It screws my system up badly. Maybe you'll have better results. Quest Bars are hands down the best I've ever tried. Very high in Protein, low in sugar, high in Fiber and the flavor is killer. Most all of the Protein powder when mixed with ice Water seems to work out great for me. There is a wide, wide range of excellent low-carb protein powder available.

The local one here ran a $9.99 / month deal but it was either 12 or 24 months contract. They run the same specials at Gold's, too.

As far as calcium goes I hand seriously vouch for these: https://www1.bariatricadvantage.com/catalog/us-en/2/Calcium The flavor of each of the Chewy Bites 500's are outstanding. I never would have heard of them but our NUT brought samples in for us to try. Everyone in the class seemed to prefer these to the chalky tasting alternatives. Great product. I actually look forward to taking my calcium.

Howdy, Dave. That's great news. Glad everything is going well for you. Looking forward to seeing your future posts.

Why can you not live without them ?

Congrats on your surgery. My surgeon kept it simple and gave me my rundown until I see him again. Different bariatric centers have different plans. Different surgeons within the same plan sometimes have different plans. I would contact the surgeon that did your surgery and get instruction from them and only them. I hope your pain is easing up as well as the dreaded nausea.

I'm day 5 post op. Haven't started the official workouts yet. I'm still in the germaphobe stage and want these 9 new holes to heal up before I touch anything in the gym. I've been walking around the house....in the driveway......up & down stairs a couple times a day. Hernia still bothering me when standing up, but no complaints. When I do begin the gym work it will initially be limited to walking inclines on the treadmill. After a couple months I'll add the elliptical machine (depending on how knees and back are doing). Hopefully at month 5-6 I'll add weight training, too. I will not be doing free weights, but using plate loaded machines. I have a bad shoulder and other issues and want the restricted range of motion that the machines offer. Looking forward to the changes. I doubt I'll be in beach-shape by this Summer, but I will enjoy some long walks down the beach with a shirt on. I'm really looking forward to the weight coming off and the joints feeling better and better.

Awesome. You were in the best of care at Duke. That is well worth any delay and aggravation with having to change over. If I still lived in NC there is no doubt that I would have pursued going to Duke for my surgery. The place is unbelievable in every way. Top Notch. Sounds like you are doing very well and there is no reason for you to not continue along this path toward you goal. Great job.

I think I made my surgeon feel good when he came to my room for follow-up visits the day off and day after surgery. I was having such minimal pain from the sleeve that I had to question him on it. He pulled my crazy looking hospital gown up (no dude should have to wear one of these contraptions) and showed me my gut and the 9 fresh holes in it. "Yes.....I did, in fact perform your sleeve surgery", he said with a smile. I'm on day 5 now and it's easy to get my 3 shakes down along with several 24 oz glasses of ice Water. I've reached the hydration point where my urine is almost clear. I plan on staying this hydrated, too. I did get a full feeling today. I was having a Protein shake that is thicker than the other brands I use. I must have been too swift on a couple back to back swallows and it was like, "Whoooooaaaahhhhhh boy......slow down." Felt cold in my esophagus. What are in your min-meals 4 days after surgery ?

We all gripe about the pre-op diet but honestly it's a healthy move. The Protein is a good healthy amount. The low carbs get us into ketosis. The focus on uping our Water intake help to flush out toxins and get us nicely hydrated for surgery. The other benefit is that if we didn't have this pre-op diet, many of us would be stuffing our gullets at Golden Corral and other places with garbage we don't need to have. I know I would have, at least. Best wishes @@mlp1435 , You are getting mighty close to game day.

Excellent ! How did it go ????

This is great news. I'll be logging some frequent flier miles !!!!