MargoCL

Making homemade soups / broths helps add variety to your liquid diet. During my first few weeks of liquids, I either cooked, went to the local grocer with a hot bar with variety of soups or got something at a local restaurant. I would just make sure to strain and go for liquids or ask for minimal "chunks". Constipation is quite normal a laxative or milk of magnesia will be your cure in these early days unless you can find another way to add fiber into diet

@Lovin2lose yes, I mix the protein powders all the time. I like to mix the syntrax sample pouches to make new flavors. you can also add PB2 (peanut butter powder) to your shakes for variety. I will also mix protein powders with pudding and such.

you measure by weight, but is pretty equivalent by volume. 2 Tbsp = 2 oz of cottage cheese also = 2 oz by weight

I use almond milk for my shakes and macadamia nut milk for coffee. I think the shakes are actually more creamy

have you tried Almond milk, coconut milk, or macadamia nut milk? these are all nut based milks and have no lactose

Early on right after surgery I had to experiment with water textures. Which included flavors and temperatures. I'm 9 weeks post op and still struggle daily / weekly. Some days my body prefers ice cold water and others it just wants cold. And other days my body wants hot fluids. It will be trial and error for you in these early stages.

How far post op are you? If you're still on pain meds, they can cause constipation as well as pure protein and not enough water / fluid intake. Additionally if you're soon after surgery it's not uncommon to get constipated. It is important to keep up with your fluid intake and I would recommend following your post op plan and taking a laxative to help get you started. If you are still experiencing constipation after taking a laxative, please follow up with your physician as you could be impacted, which often does require medical attention.

Are you taking the Omeprazole to help with morning nausea? My doctor took me off it and now only use it as needed. I have used it more in the last week because of my office eating (we've had a catered lunch everyday) and it has been my go to. Early after my surgery I had to move from taking it in the evenings to taking it just after symptoms presented.

People tend to forget or just not realize weight loss is not only a physical change but a mental. Your body has changed faster than your brain has had time to process. That's why photos are always a huge help to help with mental growth. When our minds don't follow our weight loss progress it has been known to slow progress and sometimes cause regression in weight gain. Don't let this happen to you. Losing 140lbs in four months is a lot of weight and I'm sure any psychologist would tell you that your mind has to catch up to your body. I can tell you from a personal experience, the scale means everything to me for psychological reasons. So for me the scale doesn't move, but my clothing sizes do and because I can't see the weight change, I have failed in the past (prior to wls) because of this. Take your time, don't be in a rush to lose the weight and allow your mind and body to change together. You'll find in the long run it's much easier and healthier. But CONGRATS on the huge weightloss, that's amazing.

Fluids - Keep a water bottle with you everywhere you go.... I keep one that I take to the stores when I go shopping / browsing. I have 32oz that is in my vehicle that I drink 1/2 to work and 1/2 home - I keep a 20 - 24oz water bottle with me at work which I must drink 1 before lunch, 2 post. I also keep a 20 - 24 oz bottle at home that I use only at home... must drink 2 post work. As for my proteins.... my post op paperwork stated 3 - 6 meals per day as needed to get all your proteins in... so in the beginning and up to about 2 weeks ago I was eating 6 small meals per day to get my minimum of 60 oz proteins. That made things easier for me in the long run as I was only eating about 2 - 3 oz of food per setting.

I feel very blessed, my post op was what I had hoped for. I woke up and when I was transferred into my private room, I transferred myself. The pain from the incision where my stomach was removed was the most sore, but with pressure and careful maneuvering I made it no problem. The next 18-20 hours were fine, I didn't press for pain medication, but the nurses kept me medicated without asking if I wanted / needed more. When I was released the next day, the worst was my drive (ride) home, the motion of the vehicle made me feel nauseous (and this would continue for almost 2 weeks). Once home I didn't have any worse pain and getting around was slow but manageable. I just listened to everyone on here before me and kept moving and sipping. I believe that's what helped me with my success.

I would definitely talk to your Doctor about this side effect and see if there is anything they can recommend. On the flip side, I'm a huge fan of lube, it takes the worry away from natural dryness and there are many "fun" lubrications out there for couples to experiment and have fun with. Add more time to foreplay and don't worry so much about the intercourse - that helps me at least. The natural supplements I've found are actually found in Asian pharmacies, they seem to carry a wide range of natural products (But I would check with your medical professional to make sure they don't counteract any medications you're already on).

I'm sorry you are going through this. Medications and weight gain are difficult add wls and it feels like we have the world against us and we're peddling backwards on an uphill road. I think your thoughts to speak to your doctor is the right move. I wouldn't make any drastic changes to your emotional well being without consulting your physician first. Have you tried to "reset" your pouch? Maybe approaching these 10lbs from a different angle is the way to go. It sounds like you're doing everything correct assuming you're still following your dietary guidelines and water intake upwards of 100 or more oz per day. The pouch reset would put you back into those first days / weeks post surgery. You mentioned your surgeon put you on phentermine, did he make any other suggestions? I would maybe consult with him before you try a pouch reset as well. Sometimes changing up your diet helps, it confuses your body and suddenly you're back to consistent weight loss. Thinking of you and hoping you get the answers you're hoping for from your medical team.

Has this always been an issue or just post surgery? Are you taking any medication that could be a contributing factor to your sex drive? I had to take myself off Lexapro because it was diminishing my sex drive (clarification...after speaking with my physician). When I started Lexapro, I always knew it was a side effect and told my doctor I would try it, but if it messed with my sex drive, then I was NOT going to continue with it. It took about a year before it officially messed with my drive. But I can also say post surgery weight loss has greatly improved my mood and overall well-being so coming off the Lexapro was the right move at the right time. There is female viagara out there that has been known to help along with other natural supplements that could help.

My vitamin supplements had iron in them and I noticed in those early days post-op that the iron was creating "green" stools and sometimes very loose. Watch your diet and if you determine it's not your supplements doing the deed, check back with your surgeon.

One of the first things I started pre-op and brought with me into a post-op habit, I don't leave the house without plenty of water to drink. I keep a 32oz cup full with fluid in my vehicle for my drive to / from work and keep another 20 - 24oz cup at work that I fill throughout the day. During my liquid phase, I did travel with my pre-package shakes in soft cooler bags or kept protein water with me to make sure I was meeting both water and protein goals. I also have a thermos that I use when traveling and have been known to fill it with bone broth to have a nice warm liquid "soup" (less chunks) with me. You've got this!

I had my surgery back in August (8/20) and like you, I have mostly a desk job Mon - Fri 10 hr days. I took a week off and it was fine for me. When I returned the following Monday, I worked shorter days (6 hours vs 8-10 hr days) and that helped me a lot. Honestly I think a lot of your decision depends on you. How are you with Pain management, Have you had major surgery in the past, how did you handle recovery? For me, I knew I could handle going back within a week because I would go stir-crazy at home. Additionally after having two abdominal myoectomies, I figured VSG would be a walk in the park. (BTW, looking back now, they are nothing alike comparatively) If you opt to return sooner, my strong suggestion is as soon as possible post surgery, get out of bed and start walking. Transfer yourself from stretcher to bed and take yourself off pain meds as soon as you can (I was restricted from driving as long as I was on pain medication - hence I stopped all pain meds the minute I left the hospital) Once you start walking / roaming the hospital halls, don't stop - it will help ease the pain and remove excess gas. And sip, sip, sip. Preplan your meals when you return to work, I packed homemade broths and prepackaged shakes. It was easier to drink at my desk, though I did take lunch breaks a couple of times that first week. By week two post op, I was almost back to normal and it never felt like I took time off from work.

I was sleeved just days before you on 8/20 - I'm currently down 37lbs and have stalled numerous times since week 3. Like you, I was sick and currently still recovering. I barely ate / drank for 5 days and since my appetite returned I've really only eaten comfort food (which btw, is no longer comforting - at least that's what my body tells me). Anyway, I was like you didn't think I'd make it under 200 and whoa and behold I did. I am down to 198.8 (0.8 lbs from my first goal weight). Hang in there, stay true and definitely keep up with your proteins and water. You WILL make it below 200. Thinking of you and if you need to chat, don't hesitate to reach out.

just stick to lean proteins, nothing too processed or greasy. At 6 weeks I was just experimenting. This week is 9 weeks post and I am still experimenting and some things that I would think wouldn't bother me, actually do.

Bring the bare minimum. I packed a small cinch pack with toiletries and phone charger and never once opened my bag. My phone was the last place I wanted to be

Most of the carbs I eat all come from natural sources; vegetables. I rarely eat potatoes or rice (maybe twice a year before WLS and I had some on vacation last week and that was the first in months). I've lived a low carb lifestyle for years and I do not miss it. If I want pasta, I will make it fresh and have 1 serving and the same goes for bread. I personally just don't want over processed garbage in my system, I now know how my body reacts to it and I don't want to go back to that place.

Are you eating cottage cheese, ricotta bake? You should be able to have tuna and soft fish like tilapia at this stage. There is a whole section in the forums labeled pureed to give you more ideas. I at zucchini stew and chili. You just have to get creative. Just about anything can be pureed.

During this stage, I survived on SF Popsicles and primarily homemade bone broth soups. I ate a lot of soup during my liquid phase because it was the only thing my pouch could accept. The soup also satisfied my "hunger" feelings because I was drinking something I made and it was low in sodium. You've got this, I promise it gets easier as you move forward.

I just use Mango app along with My Period app to remind me to take my vitamins and water. No need to spend extra money on a water bottle to let you know via app that it's time to drink.