Dub

Yup. These along with some calcium citrate chews and some Iron chewables can be all taken spaced apart so they don't interfere with each other being properly absorbed.

The journal sounds like a good idea. When I've felt like I was doing poorly I would track my food intake. Seeing the calorie & macro breakdown was really helpful to let me know the impact of my grazing and straying off plan. I'll tell you another thing that really helps, too.....is getting on the treadmill or elliptical and punching your weight and watch the calorie burn at the end of your session. When you feel how much work it takes to burn 500 calories......you'll think twice about grazing. You can trust & believe that you'll think twice.

Good grief that's a pile of food for a pre-op diet compared to what most of us were restricted to. You'll never be hungry with that much intake. Space it out over even intervals and the ride it out. The time will pass swiftly and you'll have great weight loss momentum going into the surgery.

If you can drink the shakes then do so. Gotta get your protein intake up to meet your goals. You likely see wait loss occurring then.

At three weeks I found out I was having low blood pressure. My meds were adjusted and I was feeling much better in a few days. The real energy boost came for me around week 8. That's when it seems that my body simply "woke up" and everything sorta fell into place.

Not sure about what your post op diet looks like. My surgeon was very clear and laid out a very simple eating plan. Specific meal sizes that were initially all chicken, steak, fish.....then at 6 months begin adding crunchy vegetables. So....by definition....it's a keto diet to begin with so there is no other strategy for me but to follow the normal post op diet. Stalls are what occur when I don't.

Standing ovation for this post. Excellent points made.

I had a tremendous reduction in back pain after the sleeve surgery. It's getting better over time. Back pain was one of the major reasons I opted for bariatric surgery. I did have some very strange shooting nerve pains up and down my legs after two months......lasted a few weeks and then went away. My pcp attributed it to things moving around and shifting positions with the weight loss and that everything would settle down soon. He was right. It subsided shortly after that appointment.

I started hitting the salad bar at work for lunches somewhere around 3 months. I get a side salad and it's without lettuce. I'll put a thin layer of spinach and then add eggs, chicken, cheese and etc. Newman's Own light vinegarette dressing.

Did a Western Caribbean cruise last April. Fun trip. Laying around the pool and going to the comedy shows. The ports we stopped at were so so....but the trip was very relaxing.

Hospital may need to give someone instructions for your care. It'll need to be an adult, I would think. Someone that will be there with you that first 24 hours.

I remember those first couple days..... I only tried for 1-2 ounces of Protein shake per hour and sipped Water in between. It took a few days to get up to having two Premier Protein shakes per day. Don't try to rush it....you'll get there.

At my 6 month appointment my surgeon told me to increase my meal size to 1 cup in volume (up from 1/2 cup) over the next several months and to level out at 1 cup. He suggested that I have 1/2-3/4 cup of protein and the rest crunchy vegetables. 3 meals a day. I'm at 10 months now and I seriously enjoy some vegetables.

So many......you'll stumble from one to the other and wonder how you never thought of "that" one before.... Reduced pain Ability to do whatever you want Smiling all the time Sit in any booth, chair, stool, bar, etc, etc, etc Airline flights w/o fear of having room or having to use a damn seat belt extender Walking into the gym and feeling like you belong there Ability to go to any restaurant and order from any menu......yet have the knowledge to know how to order a healthy meal Last but certainly not least.......sex damnit sex. Enjoy thyself like never before.....or at least like a teenager.

It was easier for me to decide. i was 47 years old. I'd had plenty of experience losing and regaining weight. I'd lost as much as 120 lbs in a health kick at 45 years old.....only to regain after an injury and surgical repair that kept me outa the gym for a while. I healed but turned that "while" into way too long. Anyway.....a bulging disc at T-12 knocked me on my arse. Outa work for an extended period trying to heal it and avoid surgery. Back surgeon suggested bariatric surgery and that losing a significant amount of weight would allow my back to heal itself. Suffice to say that pain is a powerful motivator. That back injury was the most painful thing I've ever experienced....and that includes knee surgeries, broken bones and two prior hernia repairs......those back spasms were a beyotch. Within a month of having my VSG my back started to heal. At five months I was taking vacations and having an absolute blast. Live was good again........and has been ever since. Weight is coming off nicely. I can eat anything I choose to eat, just choosing weight loss friendly foods now. I can eat smallish to normal sized portions at meals. Nobody I'd meet today would ever know I'd had wls if they didn't see older pictures. Nothing in my daily life would reveal this. Living like a normal person......eating normal foods......normal portions. What, exactly, is your fear ?????????????????? A better life awaits you. Get lean. Enjoy the results. Gotta run. 14 hour shift awaits me.....and I have tons of energy to burn. Will even hit the gym during lunch break. VSG life is good !!!! Edit: VSG life is GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best answered and addressed by your surgeon. You should have been provided......before surgery.....with a diet to follow and the timeline it unfolds when post-op. In that first month it is a matter of safety......your safety. Please confer with your surgeon and nutritionist and get the facts from them. I found that what I though was hunger in those early days was simply my nerves recovering in my healing stomach. Ten months out and I don't have hunger.

I can remember running into Petco not too long ago......grabbing a 50 lb bag of dog food and toting it up to the cash register. It dawned on me as I was walking through the parking lot with it tossed over my shoulder...., "Dude....you've lost 3 of these from your body". Big ole grin emerged. I'm now working on getting shed of my 4th such bag now.......and starting on a 5th before my 12 month appointment in October.

..........and that is how life is post-op.........good stuff. I found that my cravings extended to grilled salmon, chicken breasts and such. It's a most welcome change and seems to be lasting and here to stay. Good stuff.

Ten months out. Yesterday was a workday as is today. Breakfast: Premier Protein banana shake + two servings of mozzarella string cheese Lunch: A serving of chicken salad from our cafeteria Dinner: Two golfball sized meatballs that I'd grilled on Friday. A couple spoonfuls of marina sauce over them. Snacks: I don't do Snacks. I don't need them and they only contribute to thinking about food. I'd rather just space out my meals and call it good. I still have a good deal of body fat to burn. Staying low carb is keeping that going. Once I hit my maintenance level.....then I'll start including snacks if needed (nuts, cheese, fruit and crunchy fresh vegetables ). Lots of Water (120+ ounces) and 4 cups of coffee throughout the day, too.

Snack strategy ??? My surgeon was very clear on this. He advised that I avoid Snacks for the first year and stick to three measured meals per day. This is what I've done and will continue to do. Three meals spaced out helps me to maintain Protein intake. Snacks simply contribute to keep food focus thoughts. My experience anyway.....

I bought one to help as I returned to work post-op. I had zero need for it for my VSG....but thought it'd help with the abdominal hernia that was repaired at the same time. If it was for VSG alone.....no, I'd not have wasted the money.

Somehow you have to let work be work and to completely disassociate with the consumption of such stuff. I don't cook for a living, but I do it on my days off. I don't eat most of the things I cook for my family, but still enjoy making it for them. You can do it.....just gotta find a way to flip that "off" switch.

My surgeon told me that he advises most sleeve patients to take one week off. He likes us getting back to our normal schedules as soon as we can. He advised me a bit longer due to the abdominal hernia repair. I took 3 weeks and that was good for me. The sleeve was not a source of significant pain in any way. If that's all I'd had then a week would have been plenty. It's like he said....."Laying around the house is not what I want you doing".

After having two total knee replacements this sleeve surgery is going to be a non-event for you. I was laughing about how little it hurt....it was almost like I'd not had surgery.

Remembering to eat more slowly. Waiting 30 mins afterwards before drinking.