Sammi_Katt

I stalled for about three weeks when I was at the same spot you are. Stalls happen; you just have to power through them. I know they're frustrating, though. Are you exercising? Maybe up the amount you walk in a day? I am also surprised they're telling you to have fruit; my nutritionist said to not introduce fruit back until six months in, and I am only just now getting it back in. Just hang in there. It's tough, but try not to focus on the scale. Do you weigh yourself every single day, or once a week? If you do every day, maybe focus on just doing once a week for now.

If you can, try to take more time. If they make you go back or you have to go back, maybe speak with your surgeon and see if it's possible for them to write you a note for more desk work than patient work? If you don't feel ready physically, don't force it. You just had major surgery.

Call your surgeon and let them know; they'll tell you if it's something that can be expected or if you should go to the hospital. I ended up with a blood clot (very small, resolved on its own) in my arm, but I had been in and out of the hospital for my gallbladder. If you don't feel any swelling or any pain when you press down on the leg, it may not be a blood clot, but just muscle weakness. I lost a lot of strength, even though I was walking pretty much every day.

Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock. As an alternative, they *do* offer unflavored, unsweetened protein powders. They don't taste great on their own, but they might be better than the ones with the sweeteners in it.

Sugar free liquids... did they say broth was okay? Or do they legitimately only want you on shakes and jello? If your surgeon is aware you have an allergy to sugar alternatives or something similar, they should be able to provide more options for you... You should ask about soup broth, for sure. They may need to adjust your meal plan a little to accommodate your allergies.

It depends on what your nutritionist and surgeon recommended for you. If you are allowed soft foods a week out, it'd be fine to try. They are guidelines, yes, but it's still safer to stick to them in the early months.

Just sip, sip, sip. As your stomach heals, you'll be able to get more fluid in and feel less thirsty. It's hard at first, but you can do it. ❤️ Just stick to it as best you can.

I got up and marched in place watching TV pre-op (and post op to get rid of gas bubbles!!). That way, I wasn't so bored and I was still moving. Ended up getting 8000 steps a day doing that lol

I tried and tried and tried all different kinds of bariatric vitamins- they made me vomit almost every single time, no matter what brand. At one point, I got tired and asked my nutritionist, and they put me on (of all things) Flintstones Complete multivitamin with iron. It works fine and my numbers have been fantastic. I take chewable fruit calcium (which I had no problem with...) and don't need vitamin d outside of the ones in the calcium (I live in the desert and try to spend time outside every day lol). But with the multivitamin, I take it along with my B50 capsule and my GERD meds, then eat breakfast 30 minutes later. I haven't vomited in months. Also make sure to take my multivitamin (because it has iron in it) at least two hours apart from my calcium, and each calcium (I take three a day for 1500) at least two hours apart so they can absorb correctly. Hang in there. I know this part sucks, but you will get through it. ❤️

I can't do shakes (I developed an allergy to whey after surgery, and the bone broth and pea based proteins taste horrendous), and I get all my protein from food. I usually am anywhere between 60-90grams a day. I eat eggs (egg whites because I have to do low fat; my gallbladder failed a month into my recovery), turkey bacon bits, ham, and cheese omelettes in the morning with either broccoli or asparagus inside. My snack is ostrim turkey jerky and either nuts (I like 0.5oz of cashews), 3 grapes, or mozzarella. Lunch is lunch meat or vegetable sausage (morningstar is good) with 4-5 triscuits and some laughing cow. Dinner is varied, but it's usually some kind of meat and veggie together. I eat a lot of actual meat and vegetarian protein, but I did find one protein product that was super tasty. I'd get fairlife milk (lactose free and high protein) and Magic Spoon cereal (protein cereal made with allulose!!! It's so tasty!) and eat that occasionally in place of one of my meals or my snack. I also will occasionally eat a One brand protein bar, but that's only on days I can't make it home to eat my regular meals (high protein, low sugar). You gotta get creative sometimes, but it's totally doable to go without shakes. Bleh.

I had it for about five days. I used gas-x extra strength chewables and had someone pat my back (think like burping a baby; bend over a chair or a couch and have someone gently but firmly pat your back). Along with walking and the back patting, it broke up the worst of the gas and made it just mildly uncomfortable until it went away. Hang in there. ❤️

I'm in no way a doctor, but... When I exercise, I'll eat a little extra protein, but I keep the total amount of food and calories at the same amount I normally eat. If I feel like I need more (if I'm dizzy or really hungry), I'll eat a meat jerky stick and some cheese. A few extra calories but mostly extra protein. I also tend to drink WAY more water after exercising. I'd still try to keep getting in touch with your doctor to talk about it, though, just to be safe.

I was fine, beyond some uncomfortable gas. Right after surgery, I was up and walking, and I didn't even take any heavy duty pain meds (they gave me tylenol because I can't have codeine, but I didn't even need to take it), just gas-x. The surgery is a little scary, but once you're done, it's like... whoa, did they even do anything? That said, everyone is different. Everyone experiences pain differently. But from experience, I was sore and gassy. lol

Definitely ricotta bake. I also ate cottage cheese a lot, scrambled eggs, homemade "refried" beans (though be careful because they can cause gas!), and canned chicken (low sodium) because my new stomach apparently hates tuna. My girlfriend made soup for everyone at one point as well (was a chicken soup of some sort) and blended it up for me so I could eat it. Just make sure if you do that that it's stuff you can eat (and be careful when introducing new foods; I did everything one at a time normally to make sure it would agree with my stomach. Like, find out if you can even eat scrambled eggs before adding cheese to it. It's a learning process...).

I had two weeks of a protein shake for breakfast and lunch, and then a small, healthy meal for dinner (usually 2-4oz of a lean meat and a cup of veggies).

I actually was told to ADD salt to my stuff. I seasoned everything with garlic and pepper, but never salt. I kept coming close to passing out from my blood pressure dropping and having low electrolytes. I have low-normal blood pressure and have around 1500mg of salt on most days, though occasionally I get up to 2300.

That's perfectly fine! I did the same thing before my surgery- seeing other people going through it made me much braver about it in the end and the support from the instagram and bariatricpal community has been astounding! Congrats to both of you! ❤️ You got this.

Mine is Sammi_changes I had my surgery (the sleeve) 6 months ago!

Oh, all the time. When I first was out of surgery, it was worse, though. I think the amount of hormones rushing around in your body has something to do with it, but it does settle down over time. Now that I've lost a lot of weight, it's just because I don't have that fat layer warming me anymore. Not complaining, though. I live in the desert, so it's kinda nice that I'm not miserable all the time now.

I had a food funeral before my presurgery diet. Went out and got chinese buffet and ate as much as I could until it was painful. Kinda made me hate the food, honestly, but... it's rough, but the farther out you are from having the surgery, the more likely you'll realize you don't miss those foods. Or, if you're missing them something fierce, once you can eat regular foods again, look for healthy alternatives. I still eat pizza a lot, but I make a ground chicken crust and put a lot of veggies on top. I still eat Chinese-style foods, but I make them at home with very little oil and a lot of protein/veggies. The fear of missing food is pretty rough at first, but you'll realize that feeling good and healthy is a lot nicer, too.

Once you are past your puree stage and can eat regular foods again, there are ways to get those foods you crave but still be healthy about it. For pizza, I make a ground chicken crust and do tomato sauce and cheese and veggies. It's super high protein and great for you. I can't have pasta, but I found chickpea pasta, which surprisingly, doesn't taste too awful and is full of good fiber. There are ways to go about eating foods in a healthy way, but remember why you did the surgery. Your health is the most important thing right now. You won't feel hungry for a while (or at all, for some people), so just eat healthy, drink your water, and once you can eat real foods again, look for healthy alternatives for your cravings. You got this, hang in there.

The farther out you get from surgery, the more comfortable it is to drink water. You aren't really filling your belly with water unless you just chug it (please don't, it hurts). It glides right on through. Please don't stop drinking water, especially if you can tolerate it a little more. Water is the best thing you can do for yourself in the early stages. ❤️ Congrats on your one week. ❤️

Try taking them before you eat, maybe? I have timers set for my meds and when I am supposed to eat, and I always either take them with food (for chewables) or 30 minutes prior (with anything that I need water for). It helped with the nausea a lot for me. Also, if you are having a hard time with a particular vitamin, making look for something else? It took me about five different multivitamins to find one that agreed with my new stomach. Good luck, and I hope you feel better. ❤️

I like food still, though not the same things. My sense of smell and taste changed a lot with my surgery, so whenever my SO has fries, I want to gag whereas before, I'd eat an entire large no problem, but I crave vegetables and fruits and proteins now. I spend a lot of time surfing the web looking for recipes I can try out and I have found so many bariatric foods that are good comparisons to things I had before, but WAAAAY healthier. I eat four times a day and have 70-100 protein a day, and it's all fairly tasty food. At the beginning, I didn't want to eat, nor did any food really taste good, but after about three months, I finally started liking food again. I don't crave like I used to, I haven't binged in 6 months (OMG!!!!!), and honestly... it's not satisfying to eat anymore, it's just something I have to do, so I try to make sure it's healthy and tasty so it's not so boring. It's worth it, though. Food doesn't control me like it used to. It's nice having a choice now.

From what I've heard, at least from my surgeon (not sure what yours would say), after a year, once in a while drinks are okay, but be aware that because you have a smaller stomach, the alcohol will hit you differently. You won't need as much to get a buzz. It's also calorie-dense and dehydrates you, so keep that in mind as well.