provenzee

Sometimes if I am eating something very spicy or well seasoned I'll NEED to take a drink of Water. I would imagine that there's no way I can drink two full glasses with my meals like I used to, but I do take sips if I need to. Generally I am fine if I stop drinking 5 minutes before I eat. When I drink with meals, I get full too fast and very uncomfortable, so I try not to. Others have said not to drink with meals because if flushes the food out faster, causing you to eat more. This could be true also!! I've seen many videos on YouTube about this being the case.

Same here! This thread made me want subway so bad, that I went and got a flatbread hehe

Some doctors restrict it because of gas production. Chewing gum does cause an increase in gas because when you chew, you are taking in air. I have chewed gums lots after surgery, and it caused a little discomfort because of the gas but now I just try and keep my mouth closed as tightly as possible [emoji23]

I love the Cracker Barrel 2% sharp cheddar sticks. 60 calories and 6-7g of protein per stick. I usually have one with breakfast and one with lunch

I do think some of the responses on this were unnecessarily rude, but that is just my opinion. It is an Internet forum, and people tend to talk much more bluntly than they would if they were in person. Regardless, people always get shamed when they ask these types of questions, when all they wanted was an answer. In this case, I feel like the question was "is it normal I can eat this much, and did I do any damage?" But instead of others responding with things like "I couldn't eat that much, and maybe you did some damage" they act like the OP personally offended them somehow, and begin to attack. If he wants to eat a flatbread, he can eat a flatbread! This is his journey, not yours! Maybe his doctor allows him to eat more carbs than yours?! Anyway to answer the original question- some days it feels like I can eat more than others too. You did take a break in between, which means some food digested and you were able to eat more. A six inch flatbread from subway is made up of a flatbread (which is a "slider food") and probably three slices of turkey/ham or whatever you got on it. It is not Protein dense and therefore goes down easier. If you were to weigh it on a scale, it would probably only be 5-6 ounces. Think of it this way - before the surgery you would have been able to eat the whole footlong...at least your sleeve stopped you at half! Pre op, I know I would've eaten a footlong and a bag of chips and a sugary soda and not been full! Everyone makes mistakes, don't be discouraged because people on here act like they know everything about how much and what you should be eating :-)

My Gyno told me not to use it, because it would make me gain weight. I know from personal experience that the pill made me gain about 30lbs over the course of a year as well, but she said the shot would be even worse. I think my only option at this point is an IUD...I'm just keeping it natural for now lol

Same here! My first sip of Water for the day always makes me gag. It's hard to get down. It gets easier as the day goes on for me, but all my water has to be room temp. I cant drink it cold, or it makes me sick. Pre-Op, I loved ice cold water

No, it is not. I am 4 months post op. That meal plan is from a website I am curious is this a sample of what you are eating in a day at 6 weeks post op?

This is my goal as well. Glad to see it is possible That's what I don't get. You completely wreck your metabolism with that kind of restriction. I pushed hard to get over 800 early on and then 1100 once I started exercising and was probably at 1400-1500 by the end of my weight loss phase. Now, in maintenance, I can eat 1900 on non-cardio days and 2400-2600 on cardio days. Had I been keeping under 800 through all of the weight loss, I'd probably be stuck around 1200-1400 in maintenance. I don't see the advantage of that at all.

Hey congrats so far! I eat bacon about once a week. No problems with it and it does have protein in it

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141006195341-7146982-protein-supplements-after-weight-loss-surgery-yes-or-no "Be Wary of Protein supplements in the Long-Term Protein shakes and powders can be convenient, but they’re not your best bet for long-term weight loss. As you progress from pureed foods to semi-solid and then solid foods, your surgeon will probably recommend that you stop drinking shakes and focus instead on solid sources of protein. They’re more substantial and satisfying than liquid shakes. They take longer to eat than drinking shakes. They’re easier to fit into a real-life eating plan. You won’t be “drinking your calories.” They have more natural nutrients than processed shakes and powders. Most weight loss surgery patients can get enough protein just by choosing one or two high-protein foods for each meal. You’ll get 60 to 80 grams with the following foods. Breakfast: 2 scrambled egg whites; light English muffin and some fruit. Lunch: cup fat-free cottage cheese and a green salad with 3 ounces of canned light tuna. Dinner: 3 ounces of chicken breast and steamed spinach. Snack 1: 1 low-fat cheese stick. Snack 2: 1 6-ounce container of plain low-fat yogurt and 1 cup carrot sticks." Just be careful with the primary source of protein/meals being shakes.

I am not arguing with you. I am telling you, three protein shakes a day at five months out is not healthy.

Living on protein shakes is not healthy by any means. Doctors recommend getting protein from other sources as soon as possible. You may be losing weight, but eventually your body will starve because you are not giving it any food. Losing weight is important, but it is not everything. Health is more important. not eating and just living on protein shakes is not healthy. Good luck to you. I am curious as to what will happen when you eat normal foods again?

It doesn't set people up for success, because it isn't realistic. I am curious to see long term success stories of people who had under 1000 calories a day while losing, and see what and how much they eat now that they are in maintenance.

How can you get 90g of Protein in less than 500 calories? Even Protein shakes have 200+ calories for one. I guess if all you ate for the whole day was 2 protein shakes and some chicken, that would put you at about 95g of protein and 550 calories. (Assuming 40g protein and 200 calories in each shake, and 15g of protein in 3 ounces of chicken). I honestly don't think that's possible, but if you do then I'll take your word for it! There are tons of different programs, but I'd be dying on 800 calories a day at 4 months post op. I feel amazing at 1200! And I honestly don't think I would have lost more weight by eating less. It's all about whatever works

I've noticed that on weight loss surgery internet forums, whenever a question about "breaking the rules" is asked, the common response is not to do it. I highly doubt that anyone would encourage someone to have a few nibbles of solid foods if their surgeon still has them on liquids. No one here can tell you if your body is healed enough for solids, only your surgeon can. If you truly think you are ready, call and ask his opinion (but I think he might be a little more rude than the people on here were about you eating solids against his medical advice). As far as "looking for support" goes, I am not positive what type of support you are looking for. No one should support you in breaking the rules and possibly hurting yourself in the process, because that would be encouraging something that could harm you, which no one should do. However, we all do understand how hard your journey is. When I was on full liquids, my family had a huge party with tons of delicious foods that I loved. I sat in my bedroom and cried because I could literally smell the pizza and Cookies. I sipped my broth because I had to. Could I have had some sliced cheese? Yes, probably. But I didn't because I did not want to start my pre op life by giving into temptation like I did my entire life. Once you start on solids, you will still crave things. It is possible to not lose weight after if you constantly give into your cravings and temptations. If you're snacking between meals excessively, you will not lose. I think the best form of support I can give you is to follow the plan given to you to the best of your ability. If you start giving into your cravings now, it will only get harder as time progresses. Use the liquids only as a chance to get your body used to not having Snacks and nibbles, when you really don't have a choice. It will make it easier when you're on solids.

I haven't really eaten at a chipotle, but I do go to Moe's often, and Moe's is kind of like chipotle's sister restaurant. The spoons they use to grab the stuff with to make the tacos/salads/bowls are measuring cups so they know how much to put on

I was worried about calories in the beginning, but now I try not to think about it as much. I still log them everyday, but I focus more on protein/carb ratio. When I tried researching how many calories a day I should be eating at 6 weeks post op, many people responded with as little as 400-500! I cant imagine getting my Protein in with that little amount of calories (but they swore they were). People were swearing that their doctors told them less than 800 during losing (months 1-18) and 1000 to maintain (months 18+). To me, it isn't mathematically correct that anyone would MAINTAIN at 1000. I stopped researching and started doing what worked best for me. I was eating 1000 calories a day by 4 weeks post op. Now I am 4 months post op and I average 1200. I have lost 72lbs in four months, and lose about 3lbs a week right now. I am happy with my weight loss...and happy that I didn't follow the directions of those telling me to eat 500 calories in that stage, because I have confidence that my metabolism isn't running in starvation mode, and that when I enter maintenance i'll be able to maintain my weight at about 1800cals a day. By the way - not trying to judge anyone, just letting you know that for me, less calories wasn't better. For some, it may be. I knew my body needed more to burn more.

Those sound like my stats as well! What is your height?

Thanks everyone. A normal weight for my height is around 126lbs..but even as a teen and in high school I was always 180-200. It's hard for me to even imagine being 126!! I suppose that as long as I feel better, then my BMI won't matter. 172, and a BMI of 29.5 here I come lol. I can't wait to be "overweight" instead of obese! This will be my first time in over 10 years that I won't be obese! Wooooo!!

How many calories a day are you eating? Perhaps you should increase them a little bit and see if that helps. I know it sounds like it would be counteractive to do that, but it really does work.

I've always felt like I can eat a little too much. By 1 month post op, I was eating around 800 cals a day. Now at 9 weeks post op, I'm averaging around 1000. I'm losing at a nice rate though, so I guess it's working.

I am not complaining, and I don't really find it too concerning. It's just interesting. Yesterday I made "taco pie" - a recipe I found in my bariatric cookbook. It was delicious, and has the consistency of a thick chili. Anyway, last night I measured out four ounces of it for dinner. I ate it all! I feel like I could have fit in a little more but I didn't want to push it. I took some for lunch today (again, weighed out 4 ounces), and I barely ate half and was STUFFED! My sleeve definitely has a mind of it's own sometimes. Anyone else have this as well?

I have a small lunchbox I bring to work with me, and I keep three ice packs in there so it stays cold all day without having to refrigerate. I usually bring low fat string cheese, the 2% reduced fat cracker barrel cheese sticks, a tbsp. or two of peanut butter to eat with the individual packs of apple slices, those individual tuna packs, a few pickles, a few slices of deli ham, turkey, or roast beef...there's lots of options. It mostly depends on what you like!

I go out to eat sometimes..I usually order the 6ounce sirloin. I ask for a box at the start of my meal and cut it in half for later. I also order asparagus or broccoli as the side, and take half of that home as well. It's probably about a 4ounce meal in total. It tastes great and is high protein/low calorie! I haven't tried popcorn or nuts yet, but I'm sure I will. Usually when I snack I grab a string cheese or a few slices of ham, so I haven't attempted anything like that yet..