LouLouM

Hi Daisy & Sunshine. I asked, via email, my nutritionist about calories and she didn't answer. She answered other questions, but not the one about calories, so I am kind of assuming my program also doesn't count calories, nor really measurements for food, but I've figured out on my own that I can only eat about 1/4 cup of something at each meal.

You must be reading my mind!!! I am craving oatmeal soooooo badly right now and it's not on my list of approved foods for right now. I feel like it would go well, though. I need that fiber! During my first pregnancy I was borderline gestational diabetic and the nutritionist recommended that I eat oatmeal for breakfast (this is where my love of oatmeal began). I had to check my blood sugar during that time, and on the days I ate oatmeal, my numbers were so much better and I felt full for so many hours.

The. Same. Exact. Thing. happened to me the first time I ate chicken. My surgeon wants me to eat soup with some shredded chicken and I'm weird, I want the chicken separate, so I fix a small plate of shredded chicken and drizzle a bit of the pureeed soup over it and have not had that problem since.

Hi everybody. I'm 8 days post-op and my doctor wants me to start a diet consisting of protein shake, then soup for lunch and dinner. She wants me to eat a pureed soup with chicken and vegetables. She mentioned pulsing it in a food processor so that it's not totally pureed, but said that if I wanted to, I could. She suggested chicken thighs as they are juicier, but man, I am a quasi-vegetarian and am basically forcing myself to eat chicken. She did say I could use breast if I insisted. So, I'm asking if any of you have tips. Would a completely pureed CHICKEN soup seem bizarre, or do you think that I can get the chicken breast in small enough pieces? Ideas? Can I do something like this photo, or are the chicken pieces too big? Thank you.

Another recommendation for the Unjury chicken soup protein powder, especially since the weather is colder now.

First, apologies for asking so many questions. I look forward to the day when I am farther into this journey and will be answering more questions than asking. Tomorrow will be two weeks since I had gastric sleeve and hiatal hernia repair surgery. I think I might be expecting too much too soon and I am wondering if the following things will improve: * Reflux. It's gotten worse the past couple of days. * Eating is difficult. It feels like food gets stuck, it's also difficult to gauge when full. * Gas/burping. * Constipation. * Fatigue and hunger. I can say that I am feeling slightly less hungry in between my 1/4 cup meals. I do feel like my body is not accustomed to eating so little, so I often get lightheaded and feel tired. Will this improve with time? * I take thyroid hormone replacement in the morning and wow, does that first sip of water hit my stomach like a ton of bricks. I think I need to remember that I am still healing. I'm just looking forward to when eating is a bit less painful and when I'm not on such a restricted diet. Don't get me wrong, even though I can't a variety of textures, food does taste wonderful and it's amazing to feel so full on so little, it's just that everything seems a chore right now and I certainly haven't quite got the hang of it.

Hi everyone. I was sleeved on November 30th and am in the pureed phase. Ever since the surgery, I have been hungry. The surgeon and dietitian want me eating 3 "meals" a day. Naturally I get full on very little. The problem is that in between the meals, I am starving. Hangry. Weak. I go back to a classroom full of hormonal preteens excited about winter break next week and I simply will not have the stamina on so little calories. I am drinking about 50 ounces of water a day. I wish that in between breakfast and lunch I could have a tiny bit of cottage cheese and in between lunch a dinner maybe a bite of hummus. Would this really stall weight loss or interfere with my stomach healing? Is anyone on 6 meals vs. 3 during this phase? On the subject of stomach healing, yesterday I was so so hungry that I ate my dinner too fast, had the foamies and heartburn, and finally threw up. Misery. Will this damage, or stretch, the stomach (I feel irrational asking this, but I am a worry wort)? Thank you.

Truth to what everyone has already said. I may be a newbie (11/30/21) but was a lurker for a long time and your posts have always inspired me. Even more so now knowing the challenges you encountered along your journey. Well done, GreenTealael!

The dietitian said that I can add snacks! It's Friday night and I don't want to bug her over the weekend, so I'm asking if any of you have suggestions for snacks? I am in Stage 3, I have a protein shake for breakfast and about a 1/4 cup of pureed vegetable and chicken soup for lunch and dinner. Any ideas of what I can eat in between those? Thank you, everyone.

It's the nature of online forums to complain or worry, right? Most of my posts have been worries, so I thought that I'd post something positive. Food. Tastes. So. Good. Now. OK, I'm only in Stage 3, but with so many more options and flavors, I'm stoked! I feel like everything tastes better than it did pre-surgery and am satisfied with so little of it. No feelings of being deprived. I do get pretty hungry in between "meals", but the meals that I'm having, I enjoy so much. That is all.

I've been a vegetarian (mostly) for 34 years and the only meat I can stand eating is chicken. Do you think at this phase (8 days post-op) I can eat finely shredded rotisserie chicken? I guess I don't really understand the degree to how soft things must be and why.

I did and she suggested refried beans with a little cheese. I. Am. In. Heaven. Cooked some peruano/mayacoba beans and pureed them with an immersion blender. No oil. What a game changer to have something substantial, even if just a 1/4 cup. I just finished eating them.

I can't say that I understand it all, but thank you so much for the interesting information. I guess it makes matters a little more complicated that I don't have a thyroid (medullary thyroid cancer), which is when the weight problems began.

Thank you for taking the time to so thoughtfully respond. I guess that's why I'm worried: if I'm making less ghrelin, then why I am so hungry??? I suppose because I am not eating solids. How can anyone get full on protein shakes and broth? Thanks again. These replies make me feel so much better.

I AM IN BED RIGHT NOW, with a heating pad and the cat! I'm supposed to return to teaching next week; the last week before winter break! 🤣 😭 Yeah, the pureed soups seemed too "hearty" to me, but I'm doing it. Something simple: garlic satueed in olive oil, then add garbanzo beans and broth, simmer, then puree 'till it's very thin. I think we're not supposed to have beans (???), but I chose these because there's a bit of protein. Another lifesaver for me has been warm broth. I mix it with Unjury chicken soup flavored protein powder. In another post someone mentioned how warm fluids seem more filling. I find this to be very true. And this Unjury savory powder and broth will be staple for me from now on. Even my kids love it. I meant that I don't think that I can decaf. Man, I have been on a liquid diet AND without caffeine for two weeks. No wonder I feel weak and tired!

Our surgeries were so close to each other and I am feeling the same as you as far as weakness and fatigue. My diet is very similar except that I can have pureed soups. I don't think I can have coffee.

I don't think that I am, but I have such teacher guilt about taking more time off. We have two weeks left until winter break and so that would mean I would work for a week before a three week break. But rain is in the forecast all next week and here in California, that means we stay inside with our students ALL DAY. Very tiring days because you never get any quiet time.

Thank you. Tony. I am in need of encouragement and that's just what you gave me.

Yes to the hot drinks! The best for me currently is low sodium vegetable broth and chicken soup flavored protein powder. THANK YOU for sharing your experience of the hunger settling down. I am a teacher and I will be back to work next week. HOW will I have the stamina to deal with 6th graders excited for winter break???

It always makes me feel better to hear, "It's normal. It will get better." And if it's not, then I need to know. 😆 I am day 5 after hiatal hernia repair and gastric sleeve surgery. I am so hungry (growling stomach hunger) and everything sounds appetizing. I definitely still have pain, which is getting better, but the worst is how tired and weak I am. Normal?

Thanks, Catwoman. How about the hunger? I am actually wondering if the hunger is my thyroid medication. I take two forms: slower release T4 hormone and quick release T3 hormone. I kind of suspect the T3 stimulates appetite. And yeah, I didn't realize how major the hiatal hernia repair was. The surgeon said things like, "We lifted your stomach, pulled it down, and put it back in its cavity" and something about pushing the diaphragm. I have a feeling that procedure was more major than the sleeve procedure.

Thank you, Sunnyway. 🤗

I'm on Day 5 too and had very soft stools, borderline diarrhea, for the first 3 days, but have not passed anything since. Maybe we have nothing to pass, considering we're on a liquid diet?

Please do! I am interested to see what you think of the lemonade flavor!

Yes, I buy it on Amazon.