Seastars

Thank you so much for the support, @@Pipergurl! I guess I could get jealous of the other campers - their weight, their food. I would have until very recently - before my surgeon's psych made me do some work on those feelings. Someone on this site said "I deserve all wonderful things in life, but they don't have to be food-related" and I am trying to live that motto! I'm grateful for the new tools to regain my health, and grateful for the opportunity to be in the forest and mountains, hiking - one of my favorite pasttimes. And I'm grateful for my buddies here to discuss it all with, because only a very few people in my life know about the surgery.

Day 8: the scale finally moved today! I had over 1000 calories yesterday, so apparently just like my other diets, it takes a higher-cal day for my body to let go of weight. I'm now "just" overweight, no longer obese! Hurray! Headed back into the office today at last. There are only so many TV seasons I can binge on and really keep down, haha. I'm excited to go camping for 7 nights (beginning this weekend) even though I'll still be on full liquids. (Yes, my surgeon cleared me for it.). The first 5 nights I'll have a cooler and stove, so plenty of premade shakes and broths with unflavored protein added. The last part will be a coûple-mile backpack in to the remote site: no cooler, refrigeration or blender, but I'll have my water filter and a stove. I will bring a bunch of low-sodium broth mixes (mushroom, vegetable, tomato, chicken) and unflavored protein powder; also Nectar sweet protein powders. I can cook regular dehydrated stews/chili/oatmeal for my teen, who's coming with me (and carrying most of the weight, haha). I will hike every day but I'm keeping the mileage low and superhydrating. I am so proud of myself for figuring out how to make this happen, even during surgery recovery! NO MORE MISSING OUT ON LIFE BECAUSE OF BEING FAT! Next summer I want to do a 10-day backpack, but I'll be on real foods then so will have more options, plus I'll be able to carry my full pack myself.

I'm pleased to report that I've finally joined the Clean Colon Club. Hopefully weight loss will soon follow.

It's crazy how different all the post-op diets are! Yup, my clinic wants us to get 4 shakes in per day - yet two friends of mine weren't allowed ANY shakes for the first two post-OP weeks.

Thanks, guys. I did email my doctor yesterday about the constipation and am waiting to hear back. Maybe there's ten pounds of sludge in my gut to explain my stall - ha ha, a girl can dream!

Jessjames, I got really lucky - nothing that I did, just random luck - in terms of no nausea. And after the first couple of days I could take "real" sips/gulps instead if fearful baby sips. So, I can down an 8oz Protein shake in five minutes. No adverse effects other than tummy gurgles. 4 of those shakes daily (which is my dietician' request) plus a couple of bowls of broth (with unflavored protein added) or Jello gets me over 100 grams. I hope I'm not stretching my sleeve with so much Fluid (more than 4oz at a time). Hopefully these just pass on through instead of staying in the sleeve like the upcoming purees and real food will. Anyway, with no nausea problem, I can focus my anxiety on lack of weight loss, and whether I'll ever have a bowel movement (sigh).

Thank you for the support, kmorri!

Sugar-free jello with unflavored protein mixed in Sugar-free Popsicles Plain Greek yogurt with protein powder mixed in Chewable vitamin supplements

That's fantastic! Congrats!

Eyowza! Congrats on such hard work - the payoff is beautiful!

Maggie, you are my new best friend!

Someone you know might possibly have been googling today for 1960s-housewife-molded-Gelatin recipes. I'm thinking, Knox unflavored gelatin powder, unflavored protein powder, and some salty fish/chicken/veggie broth? Jello mold in shape of a fish optional.

Me too! I was just coming here to gripe about it. Apparently the swelling and Fluid retention way not go down fully until about week 3. Until then, while my belly still jiggles so much, I think I'll slip on cycling shorts (under a loose skirt) to hold it in when I walk. My lowest incision is next to my navel, so as long as the shorts don't come up that high they shouldn't rub against the incisions.

Welcome to the soon-to-be-skinny club, cln39! So glad to hear you are up and moving! ShelterDog, I may buy some unflavored Knox gelatin and make broth jello - with extra unflavored protein powder. Might resemble real food better than these sweet shakes.

Bwahaha, YES! I get protein shakes for now, though, in fact goal is to down 4 of them daily in addition to 64oz no-cal liquids. But the shakes don't come in Nacho Cheese and don't crunch, doggonit!

Big luck, Carolyn! Hope it all goes smoothly and you are walking and sipping by this afternoon!

Fat upper pubic area - that dangling kangaroo pouch, so attractive. And jiggly.

I totally agree with you on sneaking in unflavored Protein. Pre-op, I'd add half a scoop to lentils, chilis and Soups - basically anyplace you'd add nutritional yeast (except popcorn which I didn't try). Post-op I've been adding it to broth and strained miso Soup, as well as to sugar free Jello. I also like adding flavored nectar powder to plain Greek yogurt and mixing. I'd love to see a line of savory protein powders like Nacho cheese, Curry, Ranch/Onion, Roast Turkey. Added to plain yogurt or even soy milk, they could be a nice change from sweet protein shakes! Now you've got me hungry for another shake!

Go Cin39 ! Come back and report in! Biggi, I get you. I had my pout about lack of real food yesterday (i posted it on another thread; click on my profile and then activity to see it). Combo of head hunger, self-pity and not enough fat grams I think. I chowed some jello and Popsicles so I could at least have some texture, and LOTS of broth for flavor. Also I'm reminding myself that this deprivation is very short-term - in 11 days I can have soft foods/puréed.

That sounds great, Camber! I like the potluck/recipe idea too (we're on real foods around week 5 or 6 I think). We could also have the first person at the table make a table tent that says "GreenSleeves" (Northwest sleevers, get it?) to help later arrivals find the group. I'm glad the weather's so nice. It's making it easier to walk outside. Relatedly: my FUPA jiggles a lot when I walk. There were even a couple of sharp pains yesterday. Searching around on this site, it seems like that's pretty common, and some folks use a "belly binder" to help reduce jiggling. I hadn't even heard of this before my site search. Has anybody tried this? Seems like it might exacerbate incision soreness, but I'm tempted. (I will ask my doc, too.) Thank you all for this thread. It helps tremendously to know others are going through this same journey (complete with inhaling others' meal aromas!). I've always felt like dieting phases could be shared but that the hard, unsuccessful work of maintenance and true changing of habits, was entirely alone (and did I mention unsuccessful?). I love having friends with the same concerns, questions and tips as we share the journey to better health!

I should probably ask my dietician about it tomorrow. Her materials give goals (for each day of the first two weeks) of 48-64 oz Water (or other noncaloric fluid) and 3-4 Protein Shakes (about 200 calories and 30 grams Protein each). If we hit those we can have sugar-free Jello, SF pudding, broth Soups or plain greek yogurt in small amounts. And then in a summary section it says that will get us to about 700-900 calories [i misremembered, it's not 1000] and 100+ grams of protein daily. I think she will tell me to ignore the calorie count, and just stick to counting water ounces and protein grams.

So, how many calories are you guys getting in? I'm making my Water and prrotein goals - with effort - but today (post-op Day 4) is the first day I've exceeded 400 cals. I'm supposed to hit about 1000. No way can sugar-free Jello, popsicles and broth get me to 1000!

If I don't show up at Panera on July 16, follow the trail of giant toothmarks along the highway back to Seattle. You may find me eating skyscrapers. I'll bet they crunch like chicken bones. Not coincidentally, I'm ready for an award for almost making it through another day surviving on freakin' liquids. I did some errands to get away from my kitchen. But did you know that office supply stores have mesmerizing food aisles? How about Petco - those frosted doggy treats look delicious, but I'd even settle for some kangaroo jerkey from the checkout temptations shelf. I'm not technically hungry, I know I know, but this sure feels like another crash diet and I am OVER IT already! So, the low-cal crankiness has apparently set in at my house. How are you guys doin'?

Your last two sentences just fast-forwarded me through a year of counseling, I think. Thank you!

Mid-afternoon in Fed Way works fine for me - I'm excited to meet you guys! I have a slight preference for Panera because they likely have wifi, so my teen could hang in a rear booth with her Kindle. And it might be nice if there's a walking trail nearby for those who feel adventurous afterwards. But really, it's all good. I'm bizarrely happy that we're going to a restaurant. This won't be easy for me, so I'm glad I'll be with people who "get it"!