kmorri

Work on meeting your water goal.......and sorry there's no easy way to acquire patience but just hang in there......Just know there is nothing you need to do as long as you're following your plan..........it just sounds like to me increasing your Fluid intake is what you need to work on. Good luck!!

This is why I picked my goal weight rather than allowing anyone else to pick it for me. My goal weight was 150 I am 5'6".....I'm now at 144.8, just because I want about a 5lb cushion....any lower and I think I would start looking a little sickly. So what I'm saying is you will know when you're at the weight where you feel comfortable.....nothing says you "have" to go lower than where you feel like you look your best. :-) Good luck to you!! Kathy

I think part of the pre-op requirements should include watching the actual surgery. I honestly believe some folks may not have a clue what was actually done to their insides. I see so many posts from early post-ops saying they are having trouble sticking to their "post-op diet" and have "cheated"............I don't think these folks understand it's not a diet it's a prescription! I don't think they understand that they are risking their lives by eating solid foods too soon....I get the feeling that they think when they eat something that's not on their plan they just think it will slow down their weight loss...........not that it may kill them!!!...........okay I just had to get that off my chest! End of rant!

I don't use a lot of recipes....I'm more of a "throw it together" type cook. It does a great job with pork roast, and beef pot roast.........I made a really good pineapple chicken breast with bourbon sauce the other day too....I just made up the recipe myself but I did type it up for some folks who wanted it so here you go. Pineapple Chicken Breasts....Easy quick and AMAZING!! Salt and pepper, pineapple rings, pineapple bourbon sauce (see pic)....I browned chicken on sauté setting for 10 minutes on each side...added one cup of chicken broth, brushed chicken with pineapple bourbon sauce and put pineapple on top....placed both breasts on trivet, manual high pressure 10 minutes.....quick release. I thickened the juices on sauté setting.....I did put the breasts under the broiler for a couple minutes because I like them browned.....it tastes wonderful!!! Yum!!! PS if you can't find that Pineapple bourbon sauce teriyaki would be good too.

I got one for Christmas and absolutely love it!! I use mine all the time.

Hi I'm sorry you're experiencing pain. This soon after surgery any pain like what you're describing should be reported to your surgeon's office. Give them a call and let them direct you on what you need to do. I hope you feel better very soon. Take Care, Kathy

Stalls happen......Do work on getting your fluids up to where they should be. In the meantime read this post it may help. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/

@@carolynjackson First, let me say I'm so sorry to hear about your house fire!! That's terrible! Second, Congrats on getting your surgery scheduled! That's very exciting. I wish you much success. Take Care, Kathy

@AJsDream @DisneyMom2El @KrisZ @GrrlAnn @MoLiver4u Hi everyone, If you guys haven't read this great post about stalls you should. I haven't seen the member who wrote this online lately but so I'll share the link with you. Take some time and read it. It'll help you understand stalls. Good luck to all of you! Take Care, Kathy http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/

@@Diva T Oh....I also meant to mention that YES it does get a lot easier to eat.

Hi Diva, Having heartburn every evening is not normal and not something you should have to deal with. Did your doctor prescribe a PPI? If not you probably should call them and ask for one. My doctor had me on 40mg a day of Omeprazole for the first 6 months after surgery. You can also buy it over the counter at 20mg.....but for me it was cheaper at the prescription level because my insurance paid for it. :-) Everything else you mentioned sounds very normal. The 2oz of pureed food for a meal is about the same amount I could eat at that stage. I'm a little over 8 months post op now and of course on normal food......I will usually put about 3oz of a protein like chicken breast on my plate and a spoon full of non-starchy veggies.....Very seldom do I ever get to the veggie and a lot of times don't make it through all of the protein. If I have something that has more liquid in it like chili I'm able to eat about a 4oz bowl. Good luck to you! It sounds like you're doing great! Take Care, Kathy

I like almonds........but you have to be careful and weigh out just one ounce. It's easy to over eat almonds if I don't do that. But I find them very satisfying. I stay low carb so I don't do the rice cakes and other things you mentioned...... another thing you can try is boiled eggs, or low sodium deli meats. I don't eat any Protein bars or shakes anymore and haven't since I was able to eat normal food. The bars make me feel like I'm eating a candy bar and I just don't want to get into that habit...............Oh! dill pickles are a good snack too! Something else you may want to try is spacing your regular meals out more........for example if it's the evenings when you are feeling like you need a snack.....try moving your dinner time to an hour later....Just a thought! Good luck to you! Take Care, Kathy

I'm not sure what you mean by "hunger pains"......You're stomach will make all kinds of strange sounds and rumbles but it's not because you're hungry.....just healing from surgery. I've never had any "pain" that I associated with hunger, (not even before surgery). Normally what happens to me if I haven't eaten when I should, is I'll get light headed or dizzy....because my blood sugar with drop too low......I've also gotten headaches before from waiting too long to eat. Those are the reasons you need to schedule your meals and make sure to eat when you should. Good luck! Kathy

Try to relax. You will not stretch your sleeve with liquids. You will not feel any restriction until you start eating solid foods. I promise you will feel restriction once you are able to move to solids. And don't worry about being able to drink a lot........actually be very thankful for that! You're doing great! Keep up the good work! Take Care, Kathy

Yes this is exactly right!! Since I can only eat a small amount I make darn sure what I do eat is very very good!.....I also stay away from the junk food because I wouldn't stop either.....it's much easier to just stay away then it is to try to break another habit.

Haha....I can't wait to hear from you once you move to solids and the first time you try to eat something like chicken breast.....You'll think OMG how am I ever going to eat enough to survive...haha I love my restriction! This is the best thing I have ever done for myself! I wish you the best! Kathy

You'll do great! And do like @@Dairymary suggested and use this time to build those great habits......This is the perfect time to do that. I think all of us worry about being one of the ones that is not successful, but guess who is in control of that!!! So work on those great habits of measuring and tracking everything you eat and drink, and you'll always have that as a tool moving forward. Good luck to you. Take Care, Kathy

If you're concerned that something maybe wrong there's nothing wrong with calling your doctor explaining how you feel and letting them direct you as to what you should do.........from the title of your post you must be worried about dehydration.........are you drinking your fluids?....You know that's your job right now. You must make sure to get your fluids in. Dehydration will land you back in the hospital very quickly. So the one thing you have to make sure you do is drink your fluids. I hope you feel better very soon......and as you're reading this I hope you have a drink in your hand. Take Care, Kathy

I'm not sure when your surgery was but for several months after surgery my stomach made all sorts of strange and loud sounds...it's very normal! Even now after over 8 months from time to time mine will do a little loud talking...haha Honestly I don't know the medical reason it happens but know that it's very normal. Good luck to you! Take Care, Kathy

Hi! Congrats on the "not being hungry".....I'm a little over 8 months post op and I'm like you. I had no hunger at all for about the first 5 months.... I have to say that once in a while now I do feel a little hungry but, I feel like it's only when I should be and I'm easily satisfied by my very small portions.......I've stuck to a low carb diet throughout my weight loss phase and that in and of itself keeps you from being hungry, so I think it's a little of both. Now that I've met my goal weight and moved into maintenance I'm trying to add in just a few more carbs and so far it's working for me......I can tell a difference on days where I may eat too many carbs I feel hungrier on those days......at this point it's a balancing game. :-) From what I understand the hunger may come back at around a year, but I really think for me it has a lot to do with the combination of surgery and low carb........What my surgeon kept drilling into my head was to make sure I took full advantage of this "honeymoon" time so that's what I did. I met my goal in 7 months! Good luck to you! I look forward to hearing about your progress. Take Care, Kathy

pull out your post op plan from your surgeon and have something from that list... :-) As far as cravings keep yourself busy, go for a walk, brush your teeth, use mouthwash............drink lots of Water. I promise this time will pass! It is hard but you'll get through it. If you feel yourself wanting to give in to the cravings, pull up a YouTube video of the actual sleeve surgery and watch it.....it will help you to stick to your plan and give your stomach time to heal. I wish you the best! Take Care, Kathy

Try to relax and know the weight will come off. Your body is still healing for major surgery and is holding on to all it's stores.......The first 6 to 8 weeks is all about healing from the surgery. Make sure to follow your surgeon's instructions to the "T"...........walk as much as you can as it will help you heal faster. So try not to worry about weight for now.....I know that's hard but it will drive you crazy! If you have to put the scale away do it............ Hang in there! Take Care, Kathy

I think the best thing you can do is contact your surgeon's office as soon as possible.....They may even be able to give you something to help fight off the bug or perhaps prevent it from getting worse. But as far as surgery, as long as you don't have a fever, or chest congestion you'll probably be good to go.........but I suggest checking in with your doctor. Good luck with your upcoming surgery!! Take Care, Kathy

This is a tough time. Know that it does get better and there is no need to "mourn" food.....You'll be able to eat those things again down the road. Some sooner than others. All the meats and Proteins you'll be able to have before you know it, so just hang in there and stick to your plan. Once you're past the weight loss phase you'll be able to work special treats into your plan from time to time.....so there is not really a reason to mourn. Try to stay busy it will help with the head hunger. Go for frequent walks.....also a good trick to curb a craving is to brush your teeth.......drink lots of water! I wish you the best. Hang in there! Take Care, Kathy