Creekimp13

Brown rice protein powder, but to make it a complete amino acid, you'd need a legume like beans or lentils. Hemp protein powder could work. https://thrivemarket.com/nutiva-organic-hemp-protein?utm_source=google&utm_medium=pla&ccode=FIRST3&ccode_force=1&utm_medium=pla&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Shopping_Health_Beauty&utm_content=692752100123&utm_term=google-pla_na&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7tS015ah2AIVA7bACh1TCQ3IEAYYASABEgKiqvD_BwE Chia protein powder could also work, or chia pudding. https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Alive-Protein-Powder-8-Ounce/dp/B0087BF6K8/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1514068061&sr=8-3&keywords=chia+protein+powder

Newer studies have brought a lot of light to this, too. Doctors used to advise people to eat less at first. Bariatrics is an emerging science.

Eating less than 600 calories a day 6 weeks out is unhealthy. My doctor and nutritionist advocate for working up to 1000-1200 calories by week 6, otherwise your body will reset its metabolism to starvation mode, conserve every calorie, and you'll lose....nothing. You'll just feel miserable and exhausted. Eat properly. It will give you the energy to exercise properly and..ya know...be safe on the roads driving with the public. Starving is another form of extremism. Don't trade one eating disorder for another. Also, there's nothing wrong with healthy complex carbs with a low glycemic index. They keep your body running well and aren't as hard on your heart and kidneys long term as all animal protein. Less cancer risk, too. Looks like you've had some swallowing issues, and I'm empathetic. But I've gotta say, there's nothing easier to swallow than thinned down cream of wheat, high protein oatmeal, or bean/pea soup. Everyone likes losing weight fast...it's a rush....but you didn't gain all your weigh in a couple of months. it's going to take time to get it off. Be patient with the process. Make healthy choices that reset your new metabolism to a hot burning furnace that's getting plenty of the right fuel. By the way, what made your nutritionist "awful"?

I'm not planning on being a nude model....so, to hell with it. LOL.

Beautiful, Chickadee:) Love the healthier you!

Could it be really bad gas? Do you still have your gallbladder?

It's never too late to get right back up and start working on your eating habits and exercise habits. You're not even a year out, yet. Change your eating habits and keep benefiting! You can do this!

put the crushed powder and capsule contents in sugar free Cool Whip, and gulp it... I found this really helps.

My group says to exercise caution because you'll get tipsy a lot easier......but that one drink is fine once in a while.

Looks like you're closing in on two weeks post-surgery. Depending a little on what your doctor says about the volume of fluid you should be consuming per hour....I think you're fine to drink a shake in an hour as far as absorption goes. Just make sure your tummy can handle that many ounces in one hour without giving you problems.

Ya'll need to calm down about this. Really. Calm down. This is obsessive thinking and it's pathological. And it reads like a teen drama queen, or a desperate addict. Soooooo many posts here......."OMG, I have ONLY lost 8 pounds since surgery 3 days ago...the world is ending!" Then, worse.... "Someone said they lost 25 pounds in ten days and that's just impossible, they're lying because I haven't lost that much and I'm not eating anything!!!" *Sigh*.....man, it's irritating to read this back-biting BS. Here's a reality... People are different. They lose at different rates. Your starting weight is a HUGE freaking factor. If you're like 450 pounds....yes, indeed, you MIGHT lose 25 pounds. If you're 350 pounds, you might lose 18. If you're 250, you might lose 10 If you're under 225, you might only lose 7 AND THIS IS ALL OK. REPEAT: ITS NOT A COMPETITION. ITS ALL GOOD. Since I'm griping, I'm gonna gripe about one more thing. This idea that eating 500 calories a day is a GOOD thing. It's insane. There are so many folks here who go from one state of extremism (overeating) to another state of extremism (starvation). Here's a thought....maybe, instead, you should aim for realistic healthy eating and exercise habits? You know...something that will reset your metabolism to a good, healthy, fuel burning pace. Maybe develop new eating habits that can last a lifetime instead of starving yourself thin for a microsecond before you finally eat like a maniac and gain it all back? Come on, folks...you didn't gain all this weight in three months. It took years. You're not going to take it all off overnight...and if you do, you're gonna lose your chance to reset your metabolism to something healthy, and instead, you'll end up with a sloth-slow starvation metabolism that will bite you in the butt when you finally do eat. It's not a race. It's a lifetime change. Even if you get super skinny, if you don't master the lifestyle changes, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Be realistic. Eat. Exercise. Boost your metabolism to a healthy fuel burning furnace. Starvation is just another eating disorder.

I like plant based protein for the most part, with some animal protein thrown in for balance. I do like chicken, fish, eggs, reduced fat swiss and Parmesan. But I eat plenty of tofu, chia, hemp seeds, mycoprotien, flax, etc, too I do a lot of low glycemic index carbs (oatmeal, pumpernickle bread, whole grain wraps, stuff that doesn't cause sugar spikes) I don't have any problems with them inhibiting weight loss. Just need to watch calories. Too much refined sugar, however, seems to give me a stall. Artificial sweeteners don't seem to have much of any impact on my diet...have tried with and without. I like beans. Pea protein powder and brown rice protein powder to make a complete amino acid chain are my go to for protein supplements. The only whey I use are my caramel premiere protein shakes....that I use as creamer in my coffee. The longest living people on the planet eat diets high in plant proteins and plant fats, complex carbs, with a balance of lean animal protein, and lots and lots of phytonutrients from fruits and veggies. These diets are coorelated with low cancer and heart disease risk, too. My goal is sort of a Mediterranean diet.

Alicia, the blood (both black mucus and frank blood) concerns me a lot. I would be extra careful if I were you, and drink only fluids for at least a couple of days if you can. I know that sucks with the holiday. I really don't like this situation. Please be careful. If you keep spitting up the brown/black globs, or if you have dark tarry stools...you should seek treatment ASAP. Also, keep track of your temperature and heart rate. If they start to raise significantly, it's time to go to the ER.

Lotta folks ask about scars after sleeve surgery, and they're really pretty minimal, particularly after they've faded. People usually have 4-8 little half inch to inch long scars. BUT....after the surgery....that first time you lift up your shirt and look...you might be like....OMG, I look like I was just beaten and in a knife fight. One thing I was unprepared for...was the bruising. A TON of huge bruises from anticoagulant shots, mostly. Nice big purple ones that blossom like huge flowers. It seriously looks like someone has been using your abdomen for punching practice. Then, what seems like a million little tapes covering these nasty little gashes. It's quite a sight! But you do heal up rapidly. Tip about the gunky adhesives left from steri-strips and water seal bandages.....when you finally decide to take the bandages off and have dirty gross looking sticky stuff left....here's a trick on how to remove it; peanut butter. Massage a little peanut butter into those dirty little smudges of industrial bandage glue. Then, try to leave it alone for an hour or two. Finally, use a dry clean washcloth and try to gently brush the adhesive off. The peanut butter works like a charm, and the adhesive comes off pretty easy and takes the dirt with it.

This thread makes me feel like I've somehow just gone back in time to 1950. Why on Earth would anyone shave or be shaved there? Makes no sense at all. I was actually expressly forbidden to shave anything (I did consider that maybe I should shave a little belly hair?). Presurgical nurse said absolutely not to this ....said that people nick themselves, end up with skin infections and have their surgeries cancelled. Apparently, if there are any pesky hairs in the way, they do a surgical clip with electric clippers now...not a shave...blades on skin have much more danger of starting an infection. I didn't have any hair removal of any sort. Not fuzzy enough, apparently. But yeah...removing pubic hair for surgery went out of style with enemas and mandatory drain tubes. It's just not routinely done in progressive hospitals anymore.

I was a soda addict. The idea of giving up soda forever seemed daunting and unfair. Now...meh...I really don't miss it that much. In fact....given the choice between a soda and a crunchy salad, I'd kill for the salad. Am missing crunchy veggies so so so much! Getting tired of eating mushy things. LOL:)

Something a PA at my group said that might prove useful: Men with neck circumferences over 17 inches and women with neck circumferences over 16 inches are at high risk for sleep apnea.

Best wishes on a safe effective procedure and a new healthier you in 2018:)

I was the first surgery on Tuesday with my group, so with an arrival time of 5:30, I was up at 4am. Got there and it all went very smoothly. They wanted a little last minute blood, they wanted a pregnancy pee test, then on to pre-surgery where I got a couple of shots and an IV catheter in my forearm. Everyone wants to know your name and birthdate...lol. Had already taken the Emend pill for anti-nausea. Was given an antinausea patch behind my ear, and a motion sickness med. Also, a med for preventing blood clots. Surgery went well. Woke up and learned that I'd had a small hiatal hernia that my doc tightened up to help prevent acid reflux. Surgery was 7:30-9:30. I spent 9:30-12:30 in recovery. Was ready to leave at around 11, but there was a little delay getting my room ready. Got a few ice chips in recovery. Around 12:30, I was wheeled up to my room. The pain from the surgical sites wasn't bad. The trapped gas, particularly in my shoulders, hurt like the dickens, though. Miserable feeling, but tolerable. As soon as I got to my room, I asked to go to the bathroom. Got up without any problem, took myself to the toilet. (nurse did stand outside the door at first). Got out and said that standing upright made my gas pain feel much better, so asked if I could walk. Nurses seemed very enthusiastic about my willingness to walk and took me for a walk. I did a couple laps of the ward and wanted to sit down again. So, then, I was given a little one ounce cup of Water to drink slow. Got some pain meds, some more anti nausea meds, some meds to encourage my guts to keep moving. I drank my little one ounce cup without any issues for a couple hours in a row and they advanced me to drinking FOUR little one ounce cups per hour, and sucking on this plastic breathing thing ten times an hour. After a bit, they helped me put an order in to food service for some broth, Jello, and other Clear Liquids. But here's the routine I had to follow (and am still following today) 10 sucks on the breathing thingy per hour, One or two small walks per hour. Four ounces of clear liquid per hour....drinking one ounce every 15 minutes in 10 little sips. Yesterday at 6pm, they sent me home, and I've been doing the same schedule. Tomorrow, I'll alternate hours, and do 4 ounces of Protein Drink, then four ounces of clear fluid...alternating like this for at least 10 hours of the day. The goal is at least 40 ounces of Fluid per day. I'll remain on Protein drink and clear fluids until my recheck a week from surgery. At that point, if all is well, I get cream of wheat, yogurt, pudding, and oat meal back in the rotation. The toughest thing for me has been getting comfortable in bed. I'm a side sleeper and it's kinda painful...but wedging enough pillows around me helps. Also, I have a little narcotic medication in liquid form for home, that so far, I have only had to take at night. Am feeling pretty good today! Still pooped, but getting my walks in. One funny thing....they loaded me up so much with IV fluids that I actually gained about four pounds while away having surgery! All those swollen tissues must be holding a lot of water. I was told this is very common and not to worry about it. Could also be a function of them taking me off my diuretic for a while until fluids get easier to swallow in bigger volumes. Anyway...I'm doing great and wanted everyone to know the sleeve isn't that bad. The hardest part for me is all the meticulous measuring and making sure all my little recovery jobs are getting done. Walk, sip, suck. Rinse, repeat. Good luck to everyone on a safe and effective outcome!

I'm two and a half weeks out. I can eat about 4 ounces at a time. Last night for dinner, I had one cluster of crab legs and two little pieces of boiled potato. Hubby had the other three clusters, the corn on the cob and the sausage in the crab boil pot. The crab meat and potatoes went down great...felt full and was comfortable in my new tummy. I can eat most of a small tub of yogurt in one sitting. I can eat an envelope of oatmeal in one sitting.

I don't mean to offend anyone. I just hate to see people work THIS HARD to shoot themselves in the foot. My nutritionist and doctor both say...."1200 calories a day by week 6. Beware the starvation metabolism. You need to learn to eat the right things and exercise to lose permanently and change your lifestyle." I tend to listen to them cause they've based their lives around studying this crap, going to continuing education seminars about the biology of metabolism post-surgery, bariatric endocrinology, etc. They're not just taking shots in the dark....they've watched a LOT of people go through this. I dunno....my fear is seeing people who are trading one eating disorder for another...because maybe the underlying issues are not being addressed. I just want to say...slow down...breathe...do it healthy. Not my place to judge really, and I apologize if my post sounds judgey. Just would really like to see everyone succeed long term, be healthy and happy.

Tucking in my damned shirt and wearing a belt without looking like a sausage. LOL

Too few calories, not enough water. Also...crush your pills till at least a month out. Particularly ones bigger than an aspirin.

Congrats!

My opinion....two weeks is the minimum you should take. At two weeks your brain is working again, you're getting some calories in and feeling much more like yourself. Before two weeks? Just too much brain haze and fatigue to be good for you. The last thing you want to do is catch a flu while your body is still stressed and make the whole situation worse. I think three weeks is perfect if you can swing it. Anything more than three is pure vacation. Not that there's anything wrong with vacation. Vacation is a good thing!