Creekimp13

Definitely! I am LOVING me some cocoa wheats and sugar free oatmeal....I found the little pouches in apple cinnamon and maple flavor. I thin them with Premier protein, too....more bang for my buck spacewise. I also put caramel permeir protien in my decaf coffee....not bad!! Have to try cream soup yet...having a little greek yogurt after I finish this shake:) Feeling blissed out and high energy. Got 10,000 steps today and feel great:)

For the past week i've been on protien shakes and clear liquids. I've worked up to three full protein shakes per day 33oz...and about 33oz of clear fluid. So only getting about 480 calories. Today we added cocoa wheats, oatmeal, cream soup and greek yogurt....and lifted hourly restrictions on fluids. I think I can get get up to 700 calories this week, and then on to mushy foods. I seem to be tolerating everything really really well.

1. What are things you wish you had known before surgery? how easy it would be. I freaked myself out expecting misery and it was a cake walk. Not a universal experience...but I am really thankful the fates went easy on me. 2. What is gas pain? And how do you deal with it? They pump your belly up with gas for the surgery...the gas gets absorbed by tissues and moves around and causes pain. Feels like a deep miserable ache, kinda like a pinched nerve or pulled muscle. For me, the gas pain was awful in my shoulders. Walk, walk, walk and move your body....this will help it reabsorb. Ginger tea was also helpful for me. My group frowns on gas remedy medications. 3. What is the normal expectation of lbs lost per week? And what has helped you deal with stalls? Differs for everyone. 4. How are your energy levels as you increase in time since surgery and increasing Protein? I feel terrific. Been driving myself places and shopping the last couple days, doing housework, going to appointments, wrapping gifts. I'm a week out today. 5. For those of you that have been to the hospital for dehydration what were the warning signs? headache, dry mouth, nausea....if you lift the skin on the back of your hand and it stands up in a tent, you are probably dehydrated....it should snap right down. 6. When did you start feeling like you could do a normal day without feeling dead exhausted after a few activities or outings? Day 4 after surgery. Again...this might not be a typical experience. *answer any and all. Appreciate any input. Also anybody else like me have questions put them out there! Like this

That just stinks. Talk about adding insult to injury. Sorry you guys. No suggestions, just wanting to express my condolences.

I'm one week post-op, and I'd do a 9 hour road trip very happily if the following conditions were in order... 1. I could drive some, but the bulk of the driving would have to be someone else. 2. I'd want to stop and walk for at least ten minutes every couple of hours. 3. Would have to be with people I have a great time with and feel really relaxed with. 4. I wouldn't wear a bra, and my loose waist lounge pants would have to be acceptable.

My plan: "Thank you! I'd love one, they look delicious! But I'm going to have to take it home for later, because I'm stuffed right now." Then, I'll find someone who looks like they need a treat and pay it forward:) I don't have to eat it to accept it graciously and comment that it's a lovely gesture and looks yummy. Bonus: I get to give ti to someone else and make them happy:) Have never met a homeless person who didn't want a cookie. Bonus points if I can pick them up a cup of coffee to go with it.

Oye... Ok. I'll take a crack at your questions. 1. Will you be recovered in time to go to work in a week, do a big day, etc? Every body is different. But consider this. For the first couple of days after surgery, you don't get any calories...just clear liquids. Eventually, you get to alternate clear liquids with 4oz of protein shake. If you do that every hour all day....you end up with about 400 calories for the day. You do this for a week. Have you ever been on a starvation diet for a week before? How did you feel? People's recoveries vary. I, personally, had a very easy time with surgery. The lady next to me vomited from the moment she woke up and couldn't stop. She ended up staying extra days in the hospital to get it under control. At one week out, I feel pretty terrific. I've been shopping, cleaning the house, wrapping presents, visiting friends. Another lady I know has been back to her doctor's twice for IV fluids because the inflammation in her tummy is too tight for her to get enough fluids in by mouth. She's still having a rough time, but she's making progress. There are no guarantees how your body will react. One thing to be aware of is how foggy you can feel when you're eating so few calories.....it can effect your memory, your decision making....you might not be as sharp and ready to take on problems as you usually would be. 2. How soon can you do weight training. I have no idea. But I was given a lift limit of 10 pounds when I left the hospital. So for at least the first week...weights are out. Walking is your best friend, and you're going to want to do a lot of it to work out the uncomfortable gas after surgery if you're having it done laparoscopically. 3. The multiple little scars from a laparoscopic surgery are MUCH preferable to a giant incision in an open procedure. The scars will fade in a year or so and should blend in with stretch marks if you have any...they're no biggie. 4. I'm a night time eater, too. Whoever told you you wouldn't be hungry anymore....meh...maybe that's their experience, but it's hardly universal. I'm hungry as hell. But the cool thing is that half a cup of sugar free oatmeal feels like i've eaten a whole pizza now. Easy to get full and feel content. 5. You don't have to drink plain water. You can drink decaffeinated coffee and tea all you want and it counts as water. Plain water is really good for you and you should try to drink it more...but don't stress if you can't manage it. Flavored water works just fine. So does broth and jello. PS....even if you've already paid, you can still back out. This is a life changing serious commitment. You are changing your anatomy forever. Make sure you are fully committed.

What dreamingsmall said.

Better (and safer!) to have your brush with temptation on this side of surgery, rather than post-surgically. Lesson learned. We're human. It's ok.

I eat every calorie I'm allowed to eat and find them all delicious. In fact, your menu there sounds pretty dang good. I just had a small bowl of cream of wheat with a little almond milk and enjoyed it to high heaven. I envy your egg. And your meat. And especially your veggies! I really miss salad. With like...steak salad with blue cheese and mushrooms and.....guh. Yep, that one's a ways in the future. *sigh* My favorite diet is eating balanced foods I love in sensible quantities and exercising like a mad woman. Had a crazy active day today. Took mom Christmas shopping, wrapped a metric tonne of gifts and got an exam care package in the mail for my kiddo at college. I will always LOVE food. But I'm working on loving foods that love me back, and loving them in sensible portions. The new tummy helps! I'm really FULL after less than half a cup of cream of wheat! Seems unreal...and really hopeful:) Never forget...sex is GREAT exercise:)

Get a fitbit and start walking. Up your steps every time you can tolerate it. The more steps you get, the more calories you burn. Journal everything you put in your mouth.

Dietitian told me today that the people who experience less hair loss seem to be people who are eating enough calories. She said that prolonged periods of eating fewer than 1000 calories can contributes to worse hair loss. I think everyone loses some hair and I'm told it grows back just fine, but keeping track of your nutrition and making sure you're not on the extreme side of low calories can really help I'm told. Avoid malnutrition.

Take chapstick, you'll need it. Post op, you'll likely be wearing a hospital gown on top for a while because of the IV. (they capped mine when I wanted to take a shower the second day, and I was able to get my top dressed then) For right after your operation bring something for your butt...lounge pants, pajama bottoms...whatever you like. They'll likely make you wear color coded hospital socks. (the color of the "safety socks" determines your fall risk...everyone walks with someone else first, until they trust you to walk alone) Wear loose comfortable clothes. You'll have a lot of incisions in your belly....right next to and above your belly button and your belly will feel bloaty and sore...so the waist has to be super loose. I wore lounge pants that were a little too big with a loose draw string waist and they were perfect. Bring a cardigan or hoodie....I got cold sitting around in my street clothes and roaming the halls. I swear the surgery reduces your cold tolerance. Having my cuddly cardigan helped. I brought my own pillow cause I'm picky and it smells like home.

The MMPI is this long questionnaire that tries to assess whether you have problems with depression, anxiety and addiction (among other things...but questions about those three things get asked repeatedly) It's no biggie. If those problems exist...expect some follow up on them. My therapist works exclusively for my bariatric group. She also runs our weekly support group and does therapy with people running into issues after surgery. She's pretty knowledgeable about the process, and attends a lot of continuing education unique to helping bariatric patients. I like her. She's made sort of a specialty out of providing support to people going through the process. At the determination appointment, she asked me: 1. What my motivators were for wanting surgery. 2. How each of the core people in my life were reacting to my decision. 3. If I felt I had enough support from family and friends. Who were my main cheerleaders? Who were my detractors? 4. How I felt about the surgery, the process, my care, the surgeon. 5. Asked me about my history with struggling with my weight. 6. Asked me about future goals and hopes. It was actually a really nice appointment. We had coffee, laughed a lot, and she gave me a glowing recommendation. Was super easy, and I feel like I have someone knowledgeable and familiar to talk to if I hit unexpected problems down the road.

We might all be adults, but we're not all doctors. Part of the reason we're in this mess, is because we make notable BAD food choices and write our own rules about food....that don't work. In all other areas of medical treatment most of us would say....follow your doctor's instructions exactly for the best outcome. Why would this be different? Yes, we're all adults. Most of us are adults with food addiction. Addicts love to bargain and justify themselves and make their own special rules that are often counterproductive and unwise. Just sayin...lets not be in denial about that. To each their own. But to me? I've worked too hard and this is too important to go off script and make guesses against my doctor's instructions.

Home remedies for gas.... cumin, ginger and mint. Mint or ginger tea, or broth with a shake of cumin in it might help.

My doc gives literature that anything under 1200 a day for an extended period of time is correlated with nutrient deficiencies, bone loss, loss of hair, and a lot of other malnutrition nastiness. They lean on you to get 1000-1200 calories per day by the third week post-op to maintain good nutrition and health. I'll personally lose weight like crazy on 1200. I lost 30 pounds in 6 months on 1800 calories a day. But I do walk 5 miles with my fitbit every day. Losing weight really fast can be really dangerous to your health. Sleeve patients should lose the bulk of their weight over 12-18 months. Super low calorie diets are never a good idea long term. Yep, they get results, but they can also damage your health and set you up for a nasty rebound. Slow and steady...lifestyle changes...wins the race long term. My group also integrates sensible low glycemic carbs and healthy fats into our diets in addition to adequate protein. I like my dietitian's approach. It feels more balanced than some of the plans I hear about, and easier on the kidneys long term.

I wondered the same thing.....because when you start that two week liquid diet it's a big ole slap upside the head of reality....THIS IS HARD! My personal theory? Eliminating meat is not physically necessary to shrink your liver pre-surg.....but it IS psychologically necessary to make sure you're gonna survive the restrictive diet after surgery and not do something stupid that could HURT you. Yep, that two week diet feels like torture. Guess what? So does the post-surgical diet. Except with the post surgical diet, you don't get to change your mind. If you cheat you can end up needing emergency surgery. My doc recently had a case of someone eating on Thanksgiving 5 days post op and getting their sleeve impacted. They tried to shift the clog with an endoscope and couldn't....needed to do surgery to unstick a wad of turkey. Maybe that is why we have to prove our metal with the liquid diet. Just to know what we're getting ourselves into and making sure we have the courage and tenacity to make it through. Doctors really don't like their surgical complication rate to tick up....and they have to trust you not to sabotage yourself. Do your pre-surgical diet as written. Don't cheat. They do it that way for a reason. It's hard. Yes. Yes, it is. Very hard. (says a woman who has eaten nothing but clear liquids and protien shakes for three miserable weeks...two pre-surg, and one post surg) But guess what? I had a terrifically easy time in surgery, no nausea, little pain. Tomorrow, I should be cleared to eat yogurt, oatmeal, soup and pudding. Looking very forward to that. Around Christmas, I'll get mashed potatoes and soft meats....which sounds like heaven. You're hitting the hard part. Buck up and do what you're told. DONT CHEAT! The success of your sleeve depends on it.

I used to think turkey bacon was gross, but now love it. I like to get the high protein flatbread wraps....and wrap me up a turkey bacon BLT. To cook turkey bacon, lay it all out on a cookie sheet, give it a little spritz with cooking spray and pop it in the oven (directions on package).... The whole pan will get nice and crisp. Lock what you don't use immediately in an airtight container for use on other sandwiches, breakfast, baked potatoes, salad, etc. Looking very forward to tasting that old favorite again.

My doc's office says at 6 weeks about 1200 calories is a good target.

I know I can't eat it...and I didn't. I really just kinda mashed it with my finger and tasted the juice on my finger. Tiny taste of juice...nothing solid. God, I'm hungry. First three days after surgery, just non-caloric clear liquids. Past two days I've added 4oz of Protien shakes every other hour.....and I'm getting seriously hungry. Tuesday, at my one week check in, I'll get the green light on adding 4oz of strained Soup, or watery cream of wheat or oatmeal, or yogurt, or pudding. So...that really should help. I was losing weight reliably on 1500-1800 calories a day. (lost 30 pounds in 6 months and never ate under 1500) Presurgical diet was around 800 calories a day and lasted two weeks....then three days of zero calories...then two days of about 400 calories. My brain feels like it's full of cotton. I forget everything and I'm just kinda...nutty. My energy is pretty good. I'm getting 10,000 steps a day without trying (I walk a little every half hour as directed...it adds up!). But I feel like I'm starving. I know I have to protect the new sleeve, and go by the book....and I am. I am not cheating. I want to. God, I want to. But I'm not. The stuff I'm craving isn't naughty...it's my old diet stuff. I'd kill for avacado toast on whole wheat with some low fat baby swiss and canadian bacon. Half a slice, and a cut up tomato. I'd kill for all my diet food recipes that I've learned to love and miss dreadfully. I'd kill for a bite of an egg mcmuffin, or a steak salad, or some Thai stir fry. The Protein Shakes are making me twitch. The Mio has grown boring. chicken broth tastes like a chicken's sweaty armpit and I can't stand it anymore. Jello is my nemesis. Not today, Satan, not today.....

My doc told us if we weren't willing to give up nicotine for a lifetime....not to have surgery.

Am I alone in this? I have not experienced ANY nausea. Not since waking up in the recovery room on Tuesday...nada..not one bit. No urge to puke, no swimmy barfy feeling. Just a little localized pain (not bad) and hunger. Not like over the top tummy growling hunger....but a sluggish kind of punky, head achey.....damn I am hungry sense of not having enough gas in the tank. A little nausea might take the edge off my overwhelming desire to eat an egg mcmuffin. But nope. Now it's just a waiting game until it's legal to eat something and I feel oddly....annoyed....by my good luck. Anyone else completely lack nausea?

Tough Love: Alcohol slows lipid oxidation (the burning of fat) by about 75%. So yes, it's likely the alcohol causing your weight gain. And it's probably contributing to your nutritional deficiencies. You should be eating nutritious food, not alcohol. Particularly if you are deficient. DUI is selfish and dangerous. You are extremely lucky that you...or anyone else.... wasn't injured/killed by your poor choices. 3-4 mixed drinks, or a whole bottle of wine a night....is an addiction. I think you're trading one dangerous addiction (food) for an even more dangerous addiction (alcohol). Try to stop drinking for a month. If you can't? Seek help. I don't mean this to sound overly harsh, it sounds like you've been through a lot. But sometimes being kind means being honest....even if the truth hurts a little. Please take care and let us know how you're doing.

I've still got some gas, too. It's getting better each night, but I totally feel for you. Walking helps. Using the dreaded breathing thingy...A LOT...helps. I actually phoned my bariatric group about still feeling the gas, and they said it was common. Walk, gentle stretches, move your body....it's the best you can do. That's what they advised.