MandoGetsSleeved

OMG! Don't even get me started on the coffee! 3 days after starting my liquid diet, the nutritionist said I could in fact have 1-2 cups in the morning. So far, this is by far one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Not going to lie, the adjustment was a little rough at first. Total lifestyle change. The first couple of days on the liquids were insane with... boredom...total boredom...I can honestly say that I never really felt hungry, just bored - You know, that open the fridge door 50 times to see what's in there kind of bored. BUT, after about 3 days it wasn't bad at all. Post surgery, I feel like I was really lucky - I walked laps all night in the hospital and went home with no gas pain at all. Drinking those first few hours was different. Each sip felt like it got caught in my chest (sort of like heartburn). HOWEVER, it went away pretty quickly (within a few days). Now, all the good parts - Once you get past the liquids post op, you get full so quickly - Like 1 egg quickly... You find ways to modify recipes that you like - Example - My "bariatric nachos" - I use quest chips, ground turkey with taco seasoning, salsa, and a splash of low fat sour cream - I can only eat about 4-5 chips before I'm full, but it satisfies the craving (and crunch). The weight comes off, so it's pretty hard to get too worked up about anything you feel like you're "missing" out on. Energy comes back (I was super nappy the first week or so, but now have all kinds of energy). Best thing I've learned on here.. You most likely WILL hit a stall - Mine lasted almost 2 weeks. It sucks... REALLY sucks and you dwell on it while choking down ANOTHER protein shake and overthink everything you're doing. Chill, wait it out, then jump up and down when it breaks. My biggest hints... drink lots of fluids, get up and move around if you can, and follow whatever plan the doctor gave you. Best of luck to YOU!

Perfect time of year to “hide” your liquids in a thermos and call it soup!

Are you looking for a specific flavor? (Mexican, spicy, Italian, etc.)

Love this topic - I'm going to be shallow here - I primarily had the surgery for for lifestyle changes vs. health/looks so fear that I would never: 1. Sit comfortably at a concert again. 2. Adventure travel (surfing, skiing, hiking, etc.) 3. Sit in coach class comfortably on a plane or train. 4. Not take full advantage of the weight loss. 5. Get complacent/lazy again (BIGGEST FEAR).

Will probably get slammed for this one... But... My birthday was exactly 1 month after my sleeve and I had a drink. Just one and I mixed Vodka with Diet Cranberry. Honestly, I was surprised that I didn't want more than one since I was a somewhat heavy drinker before surgery. It's very strange to me as someone who really enjoyed social drinking that I now prefer water over anything else.

Agree with the rest - Thank you for the reminder! I'm new to this and definitely DON'T want this to be all for nothing.

While not a vacation, I travel often for work. On my good days...breakfast and lunch are a breeze and I use protein shakes and/or bars. Dinner with others can be super stressful/tempting. Seafood is your friend this week though. Stick with appetizers and you’re generally good to go with things like Ahi, shrimp cocktail, etc. great thing about COVID is that everyone is offering takeaway these days.

Husband dropped me off and plucked me up about 24 hours later. Being alone made it easier for me to concentrate on walking and getting some fluids in without any distractions.

Thank you for this! As a newbie, I NEEDED this slap in the face. I've had friends and co-workers ask "what can you eat" out of concern and courtesy - NOT being jerks. This week at work was a particular struggle with: 1. Tracking 2. Choosing food wisely 3. Drinking with meals Going to hold myself accountable here and do better. - Ate 6 waffle fries for dinner one night when there were other much better choices (just plain ole STUPID), sipped on water throughout dinner almost every night, went to a mexican restaurant last night - Only had a small plateful of a co-workers fajitas (good move), but THEN ate chips - WTH was I thinking???!! Net result this week - I am up a pound. So thinking I might want to add something to your list - "Start being stupid during social situations"

I travel a lot for work and will say that it's been challenging. As I've said before, I've been very open with my friends and co-workers about the surgery, so that part hasn't been an issue at all. Mostly I've struggled with making the right choices and eating the right amounts. I'm one of the "lucky" ones who has been able to tolerate just about any food so I have to make an effort to chose what I'm supposed to... I mean .. Comon... If you could have a chimichanga or something else... It's HARD not to pick the Chimichanga!! (PS, I didn't!) Like other have said, it's great to look at the menu ahead of time and make a decision before you go. Also, don't be afraid to leave food on the plate - It's not worth being miserable later (trust me on that one!)

Wow - I seem to be feeling everyone's pain today! I too am in a stall that's lasted about a week. Can't tell you what to do to break it other than just wait it out like everyone says and follow your plan. I can say that if I learned nothing else from this site - Stalls are normal and WILL break if you follow the plan. So... I sit here drinking my coffee about to down a protein shake not so patiently waiting for this to be over! Know you aren't alone and we can celebrate a big loss when the stall is over!

Stacia, I feel your pain. When told to stop smoking, stop drinking, and essentially stop eating at the same time I was just about over the edge. I was honest with my Dr. and told him that I was doing my best, but was still smoking 2-3 cigarettes a day when I had surgery (Full disclosure, I am still smoking after surgery). I still had the surgery knowing the risks, and knock on wood I didn't have any issues. My insurance didn't require and I wasn't tested, but the doc STRONGLY preferred that I quit. I would check with your doc and let them know where you stand. Nothing would be worse than showing up for surgery and being cancelled at the last minute.

Howdy - Knock on wood, so far no major problems at all. I've just noticed this week that when I drink water, I am SO FULL. Like I ate a full Thanksgiving Dinner kind of full. It doesn't seem to matter how long I take to drink a bottle of water. I've been very lucky to be able to drink normal size sips since a week or so post surgery, but now even taking tiny sips, I'm just miserably full. No acid reflux, no pain in chest or throat, just feeling severly bloated. It's really starting to affect the amount of food that I'm getting in and I find myself forcing myself to eat anything (cycle through that miserably stuffed feeling again...). Any ideas? Seems to have just started in the last couple of weeks. Example of my daily intake: 1 6oz cup of cappuccino (around 5am) 1 16oz bottle of water (around 7am - Vitamins and such also) - here's where I get full. Around 0900, attempt to choke down a protein drink (now miserably full) 11:00 - another bottle of water - But now so full it takes me a full 3-4 hours to get it in. 5-6 pm, some kind of protein - Salmon, Chicken, Beef, Soup - Less than 4oz 10pm or so - Realize I haven't had enough protein and find a protein bar to choke down before bed. Calories vary based on protein bar and protein of the day, but usually around 500-700. Any advice?

Thanks everyone. I supposed I should have said that I'm on full food now - No restrictions (other than don't eat garbage!!) Yeah, the protein bars can be BRUTAL - Quest is the WORST brick ever (I'm not crazy about the super dense texture). These are the BOMB and easy to eat (they are also small): https://powercrunch.com/product/chocolate-mint-protein-energy-bar/ Fortunately, "the plumbing" is all good so not an issue there. I'll just keep on keeping on. It's not horrible, just irritating and causing me not to eat as much real food as I should.

Richelle - Just looked @ your stats! You're killing it girlfriend!! I'm impressed and WAY TO GO!

I didn't need a shower chair and was able to shower the day after surgery when I got home (I felt GROSS!!) - Can't say it was the most comfortable shower I've ever had, but I never felt weak or in danger. I also didn't need a wedge to sit up - Those can be pretty pricey also - I slept in the lounger off and on for a few days and that seemed to work. Others can chime in here - But you might want to not go too crazy on post-surgery supplies with some of the shakes. Lots of folks say their tastes change. (mine didn't).

Loaded taco Toritilla Flavor Quest ... Sorry, should have added that in the "recipe"

UGH - Haven't had that yet... As many others will tell you - Probably best to just call the doc in the morning if you aren't in excrutiating pain. Otherwise we'd all just be guessing. That being said, hope you feeling better soon!

I'll second the quest protein chips - I'm just over 4 weeks out and was also craving something crunchy and "zesty" - Friday we made "Bariatric Nachos": 1 bag of Quest tortillas 1 oz of cheddar cheese 2 oz of ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning About 1 oz of pico (tomatoes and onions) Put it all in a medium oven safe bowl and cooked for about 4 minutes. I ate about 4 chips and was MORE than satisfied. Everything i was craving in one small bowl. Husband ate the rest and also agreed it was YUMMY.

Does it go into your upper chest and feel sort of like heartburn?

Congrats!

A wise woman (my mother) told me "you manifest your own destiny" - Your husband sounds scared and nervous. I agree with what everyone else has said. Hang in there - In reality, how he handles your weight loss is HIS decision. If he chooses to alienate and not support you, then those are HIS choices. YOUR choice to get healthy and be happy are yours. I hope that you do what's best for you - Whatever that decision is.

Well...I under estimated my ability to process protein. I figured if I was off pain meds my system would work just fine. NOPE. After 4 days and nearly passing out I finally got some relief. Now I take my Colace faithfully twice a day. Once I start eating more veggies I hope to eliminate those. Haha on the begging! I was praying for nausea. I think I walked about 5k steps to just try and get some relief.