Creekimp13

She's hungry. Presurgically, you eat very low calories. Then you have surgery...which demands a massive calorie burden on your body for repairs, and you have a couple of days of consuming nearly no calories. Then starvation level calories for a couple weeks. She's HUNGRY. Sally Struthers Dying Childen in Africa hungry. Body starving hunger. It's demoralizing and HARD. I wanted to chew my own leg off I was so hungry two weeks after surgery. When I started to eat soft foods and had some variety and more calories I felt human again. You don't get it until you experience it. And experiences differ. Some folks are massively nauseated and have a hard time eating anything and all food is tasteless. Some people struggle a lot. Some have an easier time. But if you draw the hungry card...it's still very tough.

Homemade broth is a lot better tasting for sure. Still....I totally get what the OP is talking about....you eat the same thing for your presurg, then after surgery if just gets so hard. Add in the nutty hormones and it can get pretty bleak. Soft foods are coming, Strawberry...stay the course! You're gonna make it and things are going to get a lot easier. A day at a time. It gets better.

Hang in there, Strawberry. it gets better. it really does. Your hormones go crazy after surgery and alot of folks get the post surgical blues. i remember at that stage I tried to drink more chicken broth and gagged. it started to taste like a sweaty chicken armpit. LOL. It's a tough time...but you're so close to turning the corner. Brighter days ahead, I promise!

If you like cake batter flavor, IdealLean is good. Fewer calories, more protein than Lady Boss. The Mint Chocolate Chip makes a really good cup of coffee, too.

Check with your nutritionist to see is this is allowed. Fruit is very high in carbs and will reduce the liver shrinking effect of the pre-op diet. Most pre op diets are extremely carb restricted to shrink the liver for a safer surgery. Almond milk is also high in carbs and should probably be avoided during the presurg diet unless your dietitian says it's ok. My dietitian would have vetoed the fruit and the almond milk. That doesn't mean everyone's would....but given that there's the conflict with the liver shrink, it's better for each person to ask if it's allowable on their particular program. Congrats on the 12 pound loss!

https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/eaft-sft052418.php Interesting article on the side effects of obesity on sex hormones in men, and how bariatric surgery reverses this

Woot! Great work!

LOL...have been there...and I'm sorry

Fiber is a terrific idea:) Split peas, lentils, black beans, artichokes, peas, broccoli, raspberries, blackberries, apples, pears, spinach, soy, chia seed pudding, potatoes with skins,...are all terrific sources of fiber. Fiber not only makes you feel fuller and helps ya poo.... it's the food eaten by better gut bugs and helps establish a strong diverse gut microbiota.

The two week pre-op diet was pure hell for me. Was harder than surgery. Was harder than the post surgical diet. (at least post surgical...you can see better days getting closer every day) Dig in and take it a day at a time. An hour at a time if you have to. This is the hard part...but you'll make it! Surgery is the top of the mountain, then a little bit of a tough descent...but it's all down hill from there.

Been a while since I've seen an update from one of my favorite posters. Thinking of you, and hoping we get an update, soon.

When you can't admit a diet made up of 50% carbs is a "carb rich diet",,,...was logical discussion ever happening? Dude, I get it....you like Keto, you're horrified by the number of carbs I eat, and you think I eat too much. LOL It's cool...to each, their own. But to address your concerns......my carbs and calories are an approved part of a study being conducted by a major medical research hospital...and they seem to be working great. My doctor and nutritionist are delighted with my progress and compliance. And most importantly, I am, too. I love that I'm off my blood pressure meds, I love that I'm off my diuretic, I love that my legs don't swell anymore, I love that my cholesterol is low. I love that my A1C blood sugar is normal. I love that I don't have any nutrient deficiencies. I love the energy I have!!! I love that I can mow my whole yard comfortably, without getting out of breath. I love that I sleep better. I love that I haven't had a cold or flu or illness in over a year. And I love my forever diet! I don't ever feel deprived or hungry. I feel like I can do this forever...and that's the first time that's ever happened with a diet in my life. There are a lotta ways up this mountain. I wish you tremendous success no matter which path you choose:)

Oh you are SO still following the thread, Little Green. LOL. Too entertaining. Ok, Apple....just cause I can't resist... Say I was eating 600 calories worth of fried chicken, and HALF A 10oz BAG of large marshmallows (500 calories) each day. Would I still be in ketosis? Would my diet still be low carb? Cause if your logic is consistent (that low-carb is all about carb calories consumed to output calorie ratio....I should be able to eat HALF A BAG of roasted Marshmallows...and still be "low-carb" in your eyes and in ketosis. Apple, you've already said that you believe I eat about 150g of carbs each day....and in fact there are about 150 carbs in half a bag of marshmallows. To get into ketosis, you need to severely restrict carbs. You're not gonna get there on 150 grams of carbs each day....and thank God...cause I HATE how I feel in ketosis! About Ketosis....since you're interested! The net carbs required to enter ketosis is around 20 to 100 grams per day (and very rarely over 100 grams per day, think large muscular hard training super athletes). Most people need to restrict their carbs to 20-50 grams of net carbs per day to enter ketosis. Mayo Clinic describes a low carb ketogenic diet as eating fewer than 50 grams of carbs each day. Something I will never do.

Just saw your transformation pics, Newme:) Looking amazing! Woot!

Many people are allowed to eat one daily meal of low carb veggies and lean protein on their pre-op diets. You picked smart cheats. I don't think you did any damage to your liver-shrink. I think it'll be ok. Best wishes on your surgery!

Love that you did it vegetarian:) So healthy! My diet isn't completely vegetarian, but I lean that way pretty hard. Looking gorgeous. Congrats on the payoff for all that hard work!

So...what you're saying...is that my carb rich 1200 calorie diet...works great:) We agree! Kudos on getting your salads back. I missed them dreadfully in those first couple of months. First one I wanted was Chicken Summer citrus salad Chicken breast Field greens Mandarin oranges Avacado Granny Smith Apple Strawberries Cukes Green Peppers A little goat cheese Raspberry vinegarette So Good:)

Apple....I have a suggestion. Perhaps you could stop being an expert on MY diet...and I assure you I won't pretend to be an expert on yours. Thanks! Maybe you'd like to talk about your diet instead?

Wrong. I eat a ton of low fat dairy (carbs), fruit(carbs), whole grains(carbs), lower glycemic breads(carbs), brown rice(carbs), potatoes(carbs), beans (carbs), nuts and seeds(carbs), etc. I eat a massive amount of carbs. I just don't eat sugar, high glycemic carbs or processed foods. I eat very little animal fat. On average, a full 50%+ of the calories I eat come from carb based foods.

Interesting article. Apparently folks who have bariatric surgery have reduced risk for skin cancer! https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/897201 Here's my thought, though...while it's true that obesity increases your risk of cancer in general and WLS certainly helps correct that.... I think in generally, most fatter people spend less time outdoors in the sun throughout their lives. They also cover up more when they're outside than thinner people. (generalizations, of course) But yeah, this is intriguing! I'd rather not have skin cancer...so, cool

My fix for chocolate is putting cocoa powder in a banana smoothie with almond milk and splenda. Yum. Also, Hershey's makes sugar free syrup. I like it on strawberries. Also, homemade hot chocolate with a little Cayenne pepper and splenda....hits the chocolate spot:)

Imagine drinking a cup of wet plaster. There ya go.

I squish and gurgle a lot. Everyone thinks my stomach is growling mercilessly. Nope, just making weird processing noises. No pain.

If you don't drink you will end up in the ER with dehydration. It can be very dangerous. If you truly can't drink, call your doctor's answering service for instructions. Suggestion: pour four little one ounce medicine cups full of water or other clear fluid. Try to drink one over the course of 15 minutes. Ten tiny little sips. Do this every fifteen minutes that you are awake. it will get easier.

Like Jess said....post surgical diets are incredibly different. I think Jess's version is more common among American bariatric centers.... and all of her food is stuff I'd eat in a heartbeat...looks delicious. Biggest difference, is that I do a lot of fuit and low glycemic carbs and more plant based protein. I've always done healthy carbs. Right after protein drinks I transitioned to thin cream of wheat and oatmeal per my approved plan. Mashed potatoes and vegetarian refried beans were on my soft food approved list, too. Didn't do whole grain breads until later, they were tough for a while. I know a lot of folks do something closer to keto. My clinic serves a lot of international clients and lots of them are vegan and vegetarian culturally, so my nutritionist was delighted when I said I'd been doing Mayo Clinic Diet. She was like...Awesome, I can work with that! Here's a sample menu from early on: We're only required to do 60g of protein per day, but it's not unusual for me to hit 80-100. The big things that make my diet work (I think), are fixed calories under 1200 per day, little to no refined sugar, healthy fats, fiber, steady blood sugar, lean protein and plant based protein. I don't do much animal fat. Also, my clinic stresses exercise and writes our recommendations on a prescription pad.