DropWt4Life

I am sorry for the situation that you are in. That is my biggest fear, other than staple line leaks of course. I think the best way to help would be to go back to basics. Small portions...Protein first...Veggies and small amounts of fruit...Some other carbs like whole grains and brown rice, quinoa, etc. in moderation. No matter what you decide to make your long term diet, get rid of the processed foods and sugars. Those items are probably the source of our addictions to food, and the calorie load in these items is very high compared to the amount you eat. Example...11 Doritos = 140 calories, 8g fat, 15g Net Carbs, 2g protein. That is for 1oz of chips. Example...Chicken breast=42 calories, 1g fat, 0g Net Carbs, 8g protein. That is for 1oz of chicken breast. You can probably only eat 4 ounces of chicken breast, but may be able to eat more than 44 Doritos in 1 sitting. Track your food. Drink plenty of water. Start exercising again. These things will all help. Your tool should still be there, and will help as well. Good luck.

I don't have acid reflux issues, but then again, I have been on omeprazole (Prilosec) since surgery 3 weeks ago. My doctor said that I only needed to take it for 2 weeks, but I'm hesitant to get off of it for the first month or two. Isn't is a coincidence that I too had a bit of nausea upon returning to work 2 weeks later? Never had it any other time. Maybe it's work! Going from relaxing and resting when you need it to actually having to wake up and get back to the grind. I would be interested to find out if there are any studies on this. Anyway, your body might have to adjust to the change in your daily habits. Especially if your line of work is demanding. Keep us posted.

I too was constipated for the 1st week post-op. I am now 3 weeks out, and don't have issues anymore. Once I was allowed full liquids (Week2), I started preparing green smoothies. It is just frozen spinach, 1 banana, 1tbsp PBFit, 2tbsp protein powder, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk. I normally add hemp seeds to this as well. I blended it up until smooth. Sometimes, I replaced the almond milk with a banana Premier Protein shake. This gave me over 70 grams of protein. If it was too thick, I watered it down a bit. Either way, I sipped on that for breakfast and lunch. I also made sure that I got at least 64 ounces of water/g2/vitamin water zero daily. This helped get everything flowing again. I still make them at least every other day. I also try to add veggies into everything, because lack of fiber can do a number on you over time. Good luck!

I weighed myself at 4 days post op. I was super curious, since everyone says that you gain weight from the IVs during and after surgery. I was up 4 pounds, but didn't get discouraged. I was happy that I wasn't up 8-10 pounds. I lost it all within anther 2 days. I would say that if you are okay with being at a gain right now, go ahead and weigh yourself. If it is going to bother you, I would wait until your 2 week appointment. Either way, you will most probably lose weight by your 2 week appointment. I was down 12 pounds by then.

I think most people have felt pretty bad the first day or two of their pre-op diet. It passes. Your body is detoxing tons of carbs, sugar, maybe caffeine, etc. After a few days, you will hit a stride. It will get easier. Just make sure that you are getting adequate amounts of protein and calories. Also, as others have said, make sure you are getting ready for surgery. You will not be able to lift cases of water, pre-mixed protein shakes, etc. after surgery. I stocked my outside fridge with 3 shelves of nothing but Premier Protein shakes, Vitamin Water Zero, G2, and bottled water so that I wouldn't have to do that after surgery. I also put most things (canned broths, soups, etc.) at a reasonable height in my pantry so that I wouldn't need to bend down or stretch up to get them. This all helps. When you feel that you are ready, take walks, or find other ways to occupy your time. My house was clean, and laundry all done before surgery just in case I didn't feel up to doing anything the first week. That was a good call, because I didn't do anything (other than walk). Good luck. Surgery day will be here soon!

You will do fine! Good luck!

Thanks a lot. Sounds easy enough. I will definitely try that recipe.

Togunrinde, you've got to hook me up with the recipe. They look awesome! You can list it here or pm me if you want.... Well, assuming you would like to share.

This sounds awesome! I want in.... GW: 250 CW: 272

I went out out to eat at Red Lobster last night. Told the waiter that me and my 13 y.o. Daughter were sharing a plate. Also ordered lobster bisque on the side. All in all, ate 1/3 of my lobster bisque, and 3 bites of her baked potato. She ate the rest. We had to get to go boxes. When the waiter asked me if I enjoyed everything, I said it was delicious! It was. I don't care what people think of me, but I love the cost savings at this point.

I traveled by plane from San Diego to San Antonio, TX. 3 days after surgery. My doctor okay-ed it, and I was fine. All of my surgery buddies did the same. There are tons of people that travel abroad for medical tourism every year. While there is always a risk of developing blood clots or deep vein thrombosis, the risk can be lowered by staying hydrated and moving about. Easier said than done while you are on a plane. I kept drinking fluids, which caused me to go to the bathroom twice during my 2 1/2 hour flight. TMI, I know. Anyway, it was a risk that I was willing to take since many doctors recommend not traveling for up to 4 weeks after surgery, especially if the surgery is below the waist. I wasn't about to take an extended vacay in Mexico, although my trip was a lot of fun.

I had surgery on 8/7 with Dr. Illan in Tijuana. I too was worried about gang activity and safety. I can say that we experienced no violence or gang activity at all. We did see a heavy policy presence,...Some with assault rifles. This made me feel safe. My companion walked the streets during the daytime with our valet to go to restaurants. I walked to the store across the street from the hospital after I was discharged. Everyone was really nice. Lots of people actually jog the streets. I would watch them from my hospital room window. I never heard gunfire or saw anything that looked suspicious. After we checked into the hotel, we went shopping in the shopping district. Everyone wanted to sell us something of course. The locals seem to genuinely like Americans. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Your valets will take good care of you and your companion. As an aside, Oasis of Hope Hospital is along the border, and you don't have to take any back streets to get there. It is also in a higher class area. There are brand new homes being built nearby from the 200s. The Pueblo Amigo Hotel and Casino is right across from the border crossing area.

Oh, okay. My misunderstanding. It is very hard for me to get enough protein by just eating at this stage. I think I can only consume about 4 ounces of pureed foods per sitting. I eat 2X daily, and have a Premier Protein shake 2X daily. The protein shakes take care of 60 grams of my requirement. I can then eat some kind of pureed fish with pureed veggies for 1 meal, and maybe cottage cheese with pureed fruit for the other. Anyway, good luck with the rest of this stage.

Congrats on reaching stage 2. I could eat about 4 ounces at that time, but then again my soups were watered down a bit. I would just make the soup and stop once you are satiated. You might be good after 2 or 4 ounces. Don't try to go for the full feeling, and remember that it feels different than before now that 80+% of your stomach is gone.

I am going to dinner tonight for my anniversary. I plan to just have a cup of soup. I know that I can handle that. I think in the future, I will share a salad and plate with the wife and/or kid. That way, I don't have leftovers, and don't feel bad about spending a lot on a few bites of food. It will definitely save on food costs as well. A friend of mine that has been banded will only order the healthiest appetizer that they offer, and eat on that until she gets full. She will then take the rest home. She said that ordering the appetizer helps her to avoid questions from the waiter about whether or not she liked her food.

I agree, I feel much more satiated with real food instead of liquids and shakes. Everyone can chime in on whether or not it is good to eat every hour or so, but I think not. I have read horror stories about people regaining because they bypass the sleeve by eating every hour. They grab a large meal, and eat til they get full. Then wait an hour, and eat again. They effectively eat way too much by grazing. Anyway, it probably isn't a good habit to form. I will admit, it does feel weird to eat so little though. Are you actually feeling hungry every hour, or are you just eating to get more calories in?

I love the food network and cooking channel. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is my favorite show. I love how they show you the recipes of different types of food. There are ways to doctor up most of the recipes to make them healthier as well. If I felt that it would sabotage my progress on this journey, I definitely would not watch though. Definitely not worth it.

heycrystal2052, are you a leftover lover generally? I love them, but my wife and kid can't stand them. I have read that after surgery, some people don't like leftovers simply because of boredom. Once you can only eat a few bites, you want those bites to be super tasty, and dare if I say it, special. Something really good. Well, eating the same foods everyday, while good for you, is very boring for most people anyway. I hope I don't get to that place, because then it can get very expensive if you know what I mean. Anyway, being 2 1/2 weeks post-op, your chops and veggies have me salivating right now. Can't wait until I can partake in a regular meal. For now, it is purees and protein shakes for me.

At 1 week out, I was able to finish a 20 oz broth without problems. I was not allowed to try purees until this week (week 3), so I cannot offer much guidance on that. I will say that I can only consume 3-4 ounces of purees now depending on the thickness of the puree. I am glad that you can handle these foods so early, but It will be a toss-up until you get to the full puree stage, because all soups, pureed or not have different consistencies. 20 ounces of vegetable soup pureed might be nothing compared to 10 ounces of a thicker vegetable soup pureed if that makes sense. When you get to eating pureed mashed potatoes, grits, veggies, cottage cheese, I would weigh these at first. If you can easily eat over 4 ounces without feeling some discomfort, then I would try to get used to stopping at about that amount. You should never get full. Stop once you are satiated. If you feel full, you've probably eaten too much. Good luck on your journey, and keep us posted.

I am. I have been swallowing my vitamins since 3 days post-op.

It will get better soon. Just keep walking every few hours, and drinking water. Keeping hydrated with help with your healing.

You will do fine. Trust in your doctor(s). If they are on top of things in the hospital, the pain, nausea, and heartburn can be lessened greatly. I was receiving medications for all three in my IV every few hours, though not at the same time. I never had any symptoms other than gas pain. That gas pain is no joke, but I'm sure it will be nothing for you. One of my sleeve buddies has had kids before, and the gas pain was nothing to her. Just make sure you walk, walk, walk. The more I walked, the more comfortable I felt. Good luck on your surgery and journey!

I weigh everything food wise, because I haven't gotten a handle on how much things weigh yet. I will say that I can eat 4 ounces of some things and only 3 ounces of others depending on how dense they are. I think weighing is great, but not always practical for everybody. You should 1st and foremost listen to your body though, because even 4 ounces can cause you to overeat. For example, I had 4 ounces of mashed potatoes the day before yesterday. I ate it all. Yesterday, I had 4 ounces of pureed broccoli and tuna. I only got through 3 ounces before I stopped. Whether you decide to weigh or not, stop eating once you are satisfied, but before you are full. I know people that have kept the weight off for 5 years or more by doing this. None of them still weigh food, but they all did in the beginning.

It is normal to feel anxious and nervous before having surgery. I lost 25 pounds during my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. All I could think of is how I should be able to do it on my own, because who loses 25 pounds in 2 weeks without surgery? Every time I had those thoughts, I remembered how I have lost well over a thousand pounds over the last 15 years and gained that thousand pounds+ back. Anyone can lose weight. The hardest part is keeping it off. Obviously, WLS should be a last resort after trying other options. If you have never tried losing weight on your own, maybe you should do that first. However, if you have yo-yoed back and forth over and over again like me and most others on this site, this may be a great thing for you. You just have to be ready for this life changing event. I hear many people describing a 2 week liquid diet as next to impossible. It isn't if you are ready for it. Just know, you will have to add 1-2 more weeks of liquid dieting post-op. I did 4 weeks total. By the end, I was sick of protein drinks, broths, and artificially sweetened drinks (g2, propel zero, vitamin water zero, etc.). I can honestly say that I never felt hungry though. I made sure that I was constantly sipping on something. I was 326 pounds at the beginning of the year. Being 275 now is sweet. I am very happy with my decision.

It took me about 45 minutes on a Thursday at 11am. My valet told me that he had to take another patient across Wednesday at 3pm, and it took 1 1/2 hours. All in all, it appears that it depends on the time and date that you travel across. The medical lane really speeds up things though.