JeffN

First what is your temperature, if it is above 100 then you need to go to the hospital. It sounds like acid reflux, but you need to call your Doctor do not try to self-medicate or play Doctor.

I drink my 64 oz of water with no issues along with 120grams of protein shakes. I just finished a bowl of pureed asparagus soup with no issues either. What am I doing wrong? I listen to people talk about how hard it is to drink water and I am able to do the program with no issues. Can I be stretching out my stomach already? Either I am the luckiest guy in the world or I am really screwing myself up. I feel a little knot in my upper chest around the breastplate, I guess that's my new full feeling.

I drink body fortress from CVS it has 30 grams of Protein per serving. You can also call body builder.com and talk with their people they will help you find what you need. They are very knowledgeable and a great resource

You are fine. I will warn you farts lie. When you do feel the need to pass gas go to the bathroom. I did not have a bowel movement until a week after. Don’t be surprised if it black either. That is caused by blood from the surgery and the Iron you should be taking.

That’s so true, I love cheese and when I saw some in the fridge my mind was telling me I needed to eat some. I shut the door and the feeling went away. My mind tells me I want something but when I ask myself if I am hungry it always comes back nope.

Sounds like dehydration. You also have some blood loss during surgery couples by you menstruation I would make sure you are taking your Iron pills as well.

The rule of thumb on protein is take your ideal weight, the weight you want to be and divide that by 2.2. That will tell you how much protein you need per day. You can not stretch your stomach on a liquid diet. If you drink to much to quick you will throw it up.

Sophia, I found this very conservative diet for you https://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-big-gastric-bypass-diet-guide/#week 2 and 3 I know mine is different but without knowing the technique or suture line performed on you I would not recommend anything other than this schedule. Also based on your Doctor I think you should go really slow so you do not have complications.

As a food and coffee addict I can tell you that the longer I stay off coffee the better I will be. I have no problem going to sleep and I feel great when I wake up. You might want to look at Teeccino. I have heard a lot of people say it is really good and is very similar to coffee in taste.

All I can tell you is what I did to prove that coffee does have an effect upon my hydration status. I can only speak to what works for me. My Dr. told me to stay away from coffee because it aggravates the stomach more than the dehydration arguments.

If you drink a coffee you need to drink two times the amount of water. Coffee dehydrates you. I drank a pot and a half per day and now I really don’t crave it. Converted all my coffee contraptions to do tea.

I no longer have diabetes or high blood pressure and frankly I feel really good

When you are ready the decision will be easy. It is a lifelong change. In my case being diagnosed with diabetes did it for me.

Where did you get your VGS done at?

I had my surgery in Mexico and was given a post-op diet, so I don't agree with the above statement that Mexico patients don't get a post-op eating schedule. I had my Surgery on the 9/20/2017, and I start phase 3 (Soft Food) in a few days. I will be on that schedule for two weeks before moving on to hard foods. I think the key no matter what phase you are on is taking small bites and chew and when you think you are done chewing, chew some more. I am finding that when I chew eggs using the above technique, they go down on their own. I think that will happen with any food as I move through the phases. It would be improper for anyone to tell you to do anything except what your DR. has told you. I don't care how many years someone has had the surgery or how successful they are. You need to listen to your DR and follow the plan they have set out for you. Noone in this forum knows what technique or suture line they performed on you. Based upon that only your DR can tell you what phase you should be on and when. I love this forum for general questions, but when it comes to your surgery, you should leave those up to your surgeon and follow their guidelines.

I know you said you are taking a stool softener if that is the case increase your water intake. The stool softener will extract water from your bowels and dehydrate you more and dehydration will cause more issues for you. I remember when I did Atkin's I was severely constipated and had to go to the Emergency room, boy that was not fun for me or the nurses.

I want to address the water consumption thing from research that I have done. When you dehydrate yourself you actually take on water weight. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but it is true. Your body will retain all water you do take in and store it like it does with fat. If you hydrate yourself you will find that after about a week you will see a lot of weight come off. That is not because you are burning fat but your body knows it is going to get all the water it needs and it starts to drain the reserves it has accumulated because you were dehydrated. How do you know when you are no longer dehydrated? For me, I have to go the bathroom 30 minutes or less after drinking my water.

If you are going to Orlando, almost all the restaurants around Disney World will accommodate you. They all have actual chefs that would be more than willing to cook specially for you. How do I know this? Because I am a chef and chef's like to cook food that truly improves peoples lives.

First thing I have to say is don't get discouraged. The second thing is gastric sleeve is not a magic bullet to loosing weight, it is a tool. I like you, have no issues drinking water or anything, I was told that will come as I take on solid foods. The body is an amazing thing some persons heal and react differently under the same circumstances. What we all share in common is the fact that we can only take on so much food now and our surgery will let us know when we stepped over the line. As far as judging your success against others is a doomed proposition. You don't know what the other person is truly going to get the results they are seeing. I have lost a lot of weight but I actually lost 40Lbs prior to surgery because I changed my eating habits, not because of the surgery. I have only lost 12lbs post surgery. You also have to remember that 1 pound of fat takes about 3600 calories to burn. So if you are two weeks out you are probably at a 1500k deficiency per day so you should lose about a pound every three days. So lets do the math 18 days divided by 3 equals 6 so by that formula you should have only lost 6 lbs, so you are doing great and keep it up!

You don't need therapy you need a support group. I am sure you can find one in your area. The reason most people sabotage themselves is that they feel comfortable or they feel they got things under control. The other reason is let's face it we are addicts. We are addicted to food and the feeling food gives us. Most people don't know that the pleasure responses to food are equal to and in some people more than heroin. You need to look into a support group in your area. Within those groups, there will be persons that can help you.

Are you taking an anti-acid? Are you taking in air when you swallow? Do you let the food slowly slide down your throat? Reduce the size of your bites / sips

There are a couple of things that come to mind here. First, when you are on a high protein diet you can get constipated. Second, what is your water intake? If you are drinking coffee or any caffeinated beverage you have to add double the amount of water to cover the caffeine intake because it will dehydrate you. The itching could be a sign of dehydration. You have to drink at least 64oz of water plus the water you intake for protein and food. Second, your body is going through a drastic nutritional change make sure you are getting the right vitamins. Third with this nutritional change comes new allergies, likes, and dislikes. Look at what you are eating. Low carb diets could cause Keto Rashes. Look up, Keto Rash or Candida.

I found walking is key to recovery from the surgery. Don't be afraid of a leak that will consume your recovery, have faith in your Surgeon. Follow the post diet, listen to your body you will know when to move to the next phase. I had to make a checklist for meal time to remind me of the rules like no straws. Also, the list will help you avoid autopilot mistakes like I did. I was making a zucchini soup and poped a couple of cubed zucchini in my mouth two weeks out from surgery and ate them.