ShelterDog64

Good doctors DO care about the health of their patients. I'm married to a Family Medicine doctor who carries the weight of his patients' care on his heart every single day. He still remembers the names of patients who have long moved on, who have died, whose lives he's saved and ones he hasn't been able to save. He gets to meet the college kids whose births he attended and he goes to funerals when his elderly patients die. There is NO reason to entrust your care to a primary care practitioner who doesn't care about you...find a new one. And make sure, when you call to have your records transferred, you let your old PCP know EXACTLY why you're leaving his/her practice.

@@chycky We've spent many summer vacations in Maine, and I ate lobster every. single. day. I haven't had any since my surgery, but I may try some soon! I hope your vacation was wonderful

Hi all! Sounds like we're all stuck in about the same place. I've lost 39 pounds. Or 39.5, or 38.5, or 39 again. But my body is like 'I'll never let you see 40 pounds lost!!!!'. I'm traveling now, so I don't have a scale, and food is complicated in a hotel. I do have a mini-fridge and a microwave but this was easier at home. BUT, I'm using the gym and the pool, so we'll see what that damned scale has to say in a week! Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm moving my baby into his dorm for sophomore year today, say a little prayer for this mom's heart <3

The video makes sense for people with a bypass. Just keep in mind that Sleevers still have a pyloric valve that is functional. This is why my doc gives the instructions he gives. His only concern about drinking large amounts immediately before/during/immediately after is about capacity and not getting enough food in because I'm full of Water, or making myself miserable by drinking a lot right after a meal.

@@Candygyrl Excellent post! I loved reading what works for you, always good to hear from someone who's at about the same point as I am.

Thanks, JamieLogical, for pointing that out. *I'm* comfortable counting it as 30g based on local support group members who are using it and having good labs, as well as my surgeon's support, but everyone should consider the chance that it's only 15g per serving.

@@Sara Crowley "I am way excited about the GENEPRO I can put 2 tbsp. (if it tastes alright lol ) in a broth and have most my Protein and I wont have to worry about it. At work I forget to eat so it would be great to get most of the protein all at once :)" Is that one scoop (30g protein)? One thing my otherwise pretty laid-back doc did really insist upon is that I remember to not bother going over 30g protein per meal...he said it's pretty well proven that most of us can absorb only 30g or a little less at a time. I'd just hate for you to waste that expensive powder and it not be put to good use by your body.

Syntrax Nectars are nice, I like all the fruit flavors and they're quite high protein. You should be able to drink clear broth as well, doesn't your program allow that on clear liquids? You can add protein to it...I use GENEPRO unflavored protein and I can't detect it once I mix it into a beverage or food...what brand are you using? Another thing to consider is that maybe you're sensitive to the sweetener in your protein shakes? I hate both aspertame (not in a lot of protein) and sucralose (in virtually every flavored protein), so I switched to Genepro and use either stevia or monkfruit liquid to sweeten things. Thank you so much, ordered the Genepro (one tbsp. per 30 g is way better). Yes I think its the sweeteners also. I can handle Propel water so at least I am getting my 64 oz fluids (well do my best) but the protein is a challenge now which is so frustrating (also going broke buying all this stuff lol) I cant wait to the soft food stage so that I can eat eggs and other kinds of high protein stuff. I hear you about going broke...my support group loves me because for weeks I showed up with a failed Protein Powder to give away each meeting. After I switched to Genepro, no more giveaways and no more spending $30 on something that tastes awful And good for you for getting close to your 64oz so early...I'm still struggling to get it all in daily.

Well, then. Is it better if I say 'dang, the Blood of Christ burned like it was cheap Merlot'?

I chose the sleeve, which was also what my surgeon felt was my best option. I'm peri-menopausal and I've had severe anemia in the past, so I didn't want to have the malabsorption that RnY creates, since I'm in dire need of Calcium because of my age and Iron because of my medical history. My BMI was 40.5 and my only co-morbidities were hypertension and sleep apnea. I've always been very active, so I wanted the surgery that would give me the best chance for weight loss with the least possibility of causing drastic changes in my ability to be active. I'm only a couple of months out of surgery, so I don't know yet if I made the right choice, but I feel good, I'm down 38 lbs since surgery and I feel the best I have in 10 years. Good luck in your decision, I struggled with it for months but finally made the decision and it was a relief to stop swinging between VSG and RnY.

Huh? Just when things were simmering down. I question whether everyone who claims to have had surgery really has. The truth is out there - Fox Mulder

@@Inner Surfer Girl I'd like to have her doc go almost 10 days with nothing but sf sport drinks, broth and water! @@LxA Good for you for sticking with your surgeon's recommendations...you're clearly strong-willed and committed, so you should kick ass at this whole weight loss thing!

No drain here

Yeah NO protein drinks at all. I asked today and was flatly refused. I've been keeping up with my liquids fine. HW 341 SW 298 DOSW 286 CW 275 DOS 08/09/16 No nutrients other than what's in the broth would have me in VERY BAD HUMOR I'm sorry you're stuck with such a severe set of guidelines...there's no wiggle room at all in your printed post-op dietary instructions? Just seems kind of harsh

I wish I could do this...my brain insists that Breakfast be something conventionally 'breakfast' by American standards. Right now I'm just drinking Protein in my coffee because my sleeve hates eggs at the present time, Cereal is out and oatmeal is higher carb than I want to eat right now. My old 'breakfast anytime' standard was french toast. I wonder how I ended up 260 lbs? :-)

@@AmiLou You CAN eat anything you want, I think you're looking for if you SHOULD or not. There seems to be a rough general consensus in the WLS community (not 100%, so all you Protein bar eaters hush ) that we should do our best once on 'real' food to get our dietary needs from 'real' food vs bars/shakes/etc. That said, I keep a Protein Bar in my purse for times when I'm away from my house longer than planned and I start to get that 'crazed' feeling. My dietitian would prefer that I not place myself in such situations and not ever eat a bite of a protein bar, but my life is mine, so... :-) I also supplement with 30g of protein from powder daily, but it's explicitly allowed in my plan. I'm not going to speculate about your relationship with your dietitian, but I'm not super-impressed with mine and often talk with my surgeon or the other RD in the practice vs taking her at her word about EVERYthing. I'm in the practice I'm in because of the surgeon I wanted to do my sleeve, not because his ancillary staff is my dream team. So I back-check her with other trusted sources. No one here, at least none of the wise vets (and I'm not a vet, I'm an 8-week newbie), is going to give you 'permission' to do anything, and there's no way for you to tell who is an RD and who isn't, so any advice you get here from someone who labels themselves a professional in the field should be suspect at the least. Don't get mad and leave...I was absolutely appalled at some of the responses I saw back when I was just reading, months before I saddled up and joined the site. I think you have to be around for a while and see some of the denial, dangerous behavior and downright nastiness that the vets get for their opinions. Could they be a little gentler sometimes, sure, but you're the 8,271st person they've had this exact same conversation with and they're understandably a little less enchanted with it each time. And once you see the amount of time some of them are willing to invest, talking to strangers on the internet who are frightened, in pain, lost...you'll gain a great deal of respect for what they're willing to share. I certainly have. Best of luck to you, and I hope you stick around.

Unless it hurts, you should be fine. You can always call your surgeon's office and get permission so your mom doesn't worry too much

Syntrax Nectars are nice, I like all the fruit flavors and they're quite high protein. You should be able to drink clear broth as well, doesn't your program allow that on Clear liquids? You can add protein to it...I use GENEPRO unflavored protein and I can't detect it once I mix it into a beverage or food...what brand are you using? Another thing to consider is that maybe you're sensitive to the sweetener in your Protein Shakes? I hate both aspertame (not in a lot of protein) and sucralose (in virtually every flavored protein), so I switched to Genepro and use either stevia or monkfruit liquid to sweeten things.

I hit 8 weeks post-op tomorrow...I'm thankful clear liquids is in my rearview mirror! I felt kind of the same way you did right before I could start having things to chew, and all I can say is to keep drinking those fluids. I went about 8 hours one day with nothing and it was the stupidest thing I've done since my surgery. AND, when you're not allowed much to 'eat' and have virtually no capacity, it takes a long time to catch up from that kind of stupidity. Just my .02, about MY experience. One question, are you doing any Protein? When I was on clear liquids, I was expected to drink Isopure fruit flavored Protein drinks or something of that sort. They aren't great tasting but they did the trick and kept my energy up so that I could walk every day. Good luck and congratulations on getting through your surgery!

@@higher "So that's 5 meals, each bookended with a 2 hour window - 10 hours a day of not drinking Water." Actually, it's longer when you figure in the time while you're physically eating, which is about 30 mins/meal or more. That adds at least 2.5 hours to the 'no drinking' window. So, let's see...I sleep 8-9 hours per day, then add at least 12 hours to that...that leaves me 4 hours to drink 64 oz of water. I could do that back in the good old days when I could chug an 8 oz glass of water, but not anymore! And just between us, I think my dietitian is not the brightest, either. There is NO VARIATION, no discussion, no anything but the handout she gives you and that's that. I don't do well with that approach

Our dietitians are VERY strict on the 30/30/30 thing. My surgeon, otoh, just said 'don't be an idiot...you've got a tiny stomach, don't fill it with Water before or during a meal, and wait a bit after before you go back to full-on drinking'. As long as I'm getting my Protein and eating enough calories, I can manage without setting timers and so forth. I find it nearly impossible to eat without water, so I take a few sips while eating my pre-measured portion.

@@Seastars Thanks for that info! I have a cup of coffee every morning, but didn't yesterday. Hmmm....

Did you have an open surgery or was it by laparoscope?

@@Ruby81 If you're looking to lose the need for insulin, NOT eating potatoes would be a good start. They're such a high-glycemic food. What do your post-op instructions say you should be eating right now? Your doctor probably anticipated you following those instructions when he/she made the comments about insulin.

I never stopped sleeping on my side, and slept on my stomach 2 nights after surgery. If it feels ok, it's ok.