Hiddenroses

It looks like you've already got some great suggestions! I had my surgery back at the beginning of August, and have since found that I do have to set the timer to pace myself when eating. I also will play a simple game or do a basic activity while I'm eating for those minimum thirty minutes; a crossword on my computer, or a puzzle on my machine, or pick up and flip through photos on my phone - just something to keep my hand busy when I put the fork down. I know we're supposed to eat mindfully but I think my racing brain really needs some form of stimuli to keep me from automatically eating until my food is gone. I've been guilty more than a few times of putting more on my plate than I should eat, too, so I suggest going back to measuring your food, if you're not doing that, and then eyeballing the amount to split it into sections before you start your timer. A meal is supposed to take at least 20-30 minutes I believe, so I divide what is on my plate into either two or three sections - you could always put most of your protein in one section and then eat that section first over the course of ten minutes in case it ends up filling you up. There are times I can eat more than other times, so I am never really sure how much to get. This post reminds me to be mindful and follow my own advice! OH - the other thing that helped me was moving up to eating at least every three hours. Even if its just a little bit of a protein after three hours, then wait another hour and a half for a meal - by eating a little bit every three hours I'm not as likely to start eating way too quickly due to hunger. Hope this helps!

I'm so relieved to see that I'm not the only one flagging here and there. I was doing great up until about midway through last week, going on my walks and trying not to look at the scale because I REALLY wanted to see it tick from just above 300 down into the 290s - finally I weighed in and was SO frustrated that I sat at like, 301 for several days. I'm still there now, too. Another thing - I had bought a pair of size 22 jeans and they fit great so I bought a couple pairs of size 24 I found at a thrift store and was heartbroken when they didn't fit! I'm coaching myself as to the reality that the size 22 I'd bought were super wide leg all the way up vs the ones from the thrift store that were more 'fitted' - being the reason they didn't go up over my thighs. I can see the 'bat wings' on my arms, constantly am having to shift my rings around, and am losing in my back/bum area but my thighs are still my problem. I looked up some exercises I have been trying to do to promote a strong core and hopefully reduce visible belly fat/ excess skin in the thighs and arms, but I backed off some on my exercise over the weekend for sure. Per my Fitbit my average is still high, but I feel awful if I don't get in at least 5k steps per day now. I know I'm getting ready to start my period any day so HOPEFULLY after this comes and goes my weight will have another significant drop. @Justarwaxx and @ShoppGirl - You are both doing so great! It's always nice to pop back on here and see your updates

This is a topic I'm a bit concerned with, honestly. I was heavy all of my life, and normally was the one to initiate contact with men. Men giving me 'the gaze' made me feel uncomfortable, and assertive men who talked about my body made me want to run and hide. I didn't like my body and didn't know what they thought they saw, but it usually made my skin crawl. Now, I'm starting to dress better with more form fitting clothing. I'm excited about looking better, but I don't really WANT attention at the same time. It's a confusing time. Meanwhile, my fella - who was one of those 'chubby chasers' has actually been gaining weight due to temporary inactivity. I've come to realize that he used to be chubby and was picked on for it, relentlessly, as an adolescent. I can definitely see the self consciousness growing in HIM now and it's made it challenging for me to find a balance and feel 'valid' and attractive since his decline in sexuality is matching my increase in confidence. I know that this, too, shall pass, and he'll get on track again - he's already been cutting back on carbs and joining me for my long walks and such, but it's a weird transition. I was never one who was very comfortable receiving compliments or attention I didn't initiate, so I'm kind of dreading the 'male gaze'.

Hello everyone!! I know I did a bit of a vanishing act, but I have things to report in. First of all - I hit a really frustrating plateau that lasted about 3.5 weeks from around weeks 7-10. That had me feeling pretty bummed, as it was post-two month check in and I had been feeling great about my progress before switching from purees to solids. I had last posted about hearing somewhat contradicting information from the nurse and Nutritionist. I had been told that I didn't need to really worry about staying on keto because I wasn't eating much as long as I hit my protein goal and by the nurse to try to stay Keto because eventually I'd get this great burst of energy from going into ketosis. WELL -- After doing some research I found out that the thing your brain tells you would be the worst thing to do - EAT MORE - was actually the solution. I started bringing in more vegetables and an occasional grains while sticking to mostly lean meats, plus using a protein shake for breakfast to keep me on track with my protein goals. I was already using Genepro; and I since picked up one of the Whey protein powders in a chocolate plus some of the PB2. That did the trick! I have started allowing myself an occasional 'cheat' type meal on days that I'm locked in on my protein, and find myself often meeting my protein goal and then some - more like 70g of protein per day rather than the minimum of 60g/day. The result of spreading my meals out - breakfast, three hours later lunch, three hours later 'dinner' and three hours later 'protein snack' if I'm still hungry - DID IT. My energy is up now that I've been walking more and giving my body more fuel. I am seeing the weight loss finally, and even when the scale doesn't show it right away I'm seeing my measurements shift and the way my clothing fits feeling different. I had purchased a cute pair of jeans about a week before my surgery and a button down short sleeve gingham shirt. At the time I couldn't get the jeans all the way up over my thigh; and now they fit loosely. My bras don't fit properly and I already had to buy one in a smaller size. I'm turning down plus sizes clothes I like that I find at the thrift store for pretty much the first time because - they're too big. I'm borrowing shirts from my Mom that I handed down to her previously and other friends handed down to her rather than me because she was a 2x/3x for a long time (mostly due to her chest) and I was a 4x+. I can feel where my arms have gotten smaller in the way shirts don't feel snug in the arms, shoulder, and chest area. I've gone down 2.5 ring sizes! All in all, I've found that portion control is still a big deal, but so is listening to your body and remembering that if it sends you a message about hunger, there is a reason. I DO have to focus on making sure I drink enough water, but the Baritastic app has helped me keep my sugar low. Even if I do hit over 30g of carbs in a day it's rare and because of something like beans, rice, or vegetables. I'm feeling more comfortable loosening the reins a bit on how strictly I adhere to my diet - although I still don't do anything carbonated, do minimal caffeine, and keep sugar very low. The idea to bring your own tupperware to restaurants along with a cooler is really smart. I'm not in an organized group exercise of any kind yet but I do have personal goals like trying to get in over 10k steps three times per week. I'm working my way up and have gotten to an average of around 5k steps each day, which I'm very proud of. My calorie deficit is usually 800+ calories less taken in than what I'm burning via exercise per day, and this week I have lost almost 6 lbs due to exercise and losing the bloat from my first period post surgery. I wanted to mention that - I did miss my first month's period and my second month's was late. As to exercise - I feel the activity in my back and as a low ache across my lower abdomen mainly, which I think is a result of using those core muscles and the way my figure is redistributing the weight on my joints. I'm shopping Marketplace to add weights to my exercise and still use my exercise bike when the weather isn't nice enough to walk. OH! And Old Navy has an amazing 50% off sale on their website right now and I just finally ordered myself some pants in two sizes below my pre-surgery size! I'm so excited for them to get here. Best wishes all, keep up the amazing work and be kind to yourselves!

Way to go! Great job getting out there, doing the class! I'm still on the fence about organized group exercise - I tend to be excessively self conscious so don't feel ready for that - yet. I do have a friend who keeps inviting me to Jazzercise, which I would love to do - one day. For now I'll keep walking and using my exercise bike in addition to the stretches I do in the morning and before/after. Also - about the missed period - same! I didn't have mine last month and have been wondering if it was related to my surgery; seems so!

I was going to say some of the same things @Justarwaxx said! I watched a reel on - I think maybe Facebook? - that addressed the notion that some people have on a Monday after having a couple of cheat meals over the weekend and suddenly the scale says they gained 5 lbs - and the fact that thinking like that isn't realistic. You don't gain 5 lbs in 48 hours unless you are eating something like 4500 calories per day and not moving AT ALL. There is a LOT of wiggle room in what the scale reads. When it comes to weight loss, the goal is to create a calorie deficiency so if you are burning more calories than you are putting into your body consistently you're GOING to lose weight. A lot of factors are at play with what the 'scale' reads, including digestion, fluid retention, even hormonal changes. Plus, yes, with the extra exercise you're doing I bet your body is simply trying to find it's consistent expectation so it knows how much energy you need, how many calories it can expect, and how much fat to break down to keep you running like a well maintained machine! Plateaus are GOING to happen throughout this process. It's a marathon, not a sprint, too -- keep in mind that you're going to be losing weight for the next 18+ months more than likely. Just keep at it, and try not to weight yourself too often. I know it's hard, because we want to see those RESULTS, NOW! (At least *I* do ) but... be patient. We're only a couple of months out from our surgeries!

Wins -- Well, I let myself have a few more carbs yesterday, bringing my net carbs up closer to 30 when they have been running in the teens or single digits the past eight weeks (one other time in the 30s on a day I had chili) and seems to be so far so good. I started spacing out my three meals to having more like 4-5 meals per day every three hours and find that works SO much better for me. It also helped me get past my 3.5 week stall that lasted about a week. I went out walking a couple of times this past week and also started using my exercise bike. Noticed that walking around is not leaving me as sore and my stamina is increasing. I also had a couple of NSV - I had to scoot up my car seat a bit, was able to wear a pair of jeans that were WAY too tight before my surgery, and I tried on a shirt yesterday that used to be tight in the arms and across the shoulders and found it fit comfortably! I'm starting to get comments on the weight loss being visible, so that's nice. Portion sizes remain very small - I don't dare eat more than 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of combined foods per meal. I did add in a few bites of things that aren't just protein based, and that has been a nice switch.

She didn't ask much about my activity, but then again I'd mentioned that i was still working on getting active and that my energy had been hit and miss. Since then I've noticed I have some days where i have more energy than others, and I did start on my exercise bike! I started with just 5-10 minutes every day that I don't go for walks. I think it has helped with my digestion, and i feel like allowing myself up to 30 carbs on some days has helped my energy level. It's nice to eat a little bit of fruit here and there - I'd mainly been doing dairy and either meat or beans (very small serving, if beans!) Rounding out my diet some has been helpful. I'm still not eating any garbage foods - the most I've indulged in was a couple pieces out of an order of honey chicken and maybe 1/8 cup of the rice that came with it. Everything else has been very low or zero sugar so far. I've also let myself have one cup of coffee per week - all things considered, I'm feeling a bit more human. The walking has been nice, especially when I can do it outside in cooler temperatures. I think we've got one more week of 80s, and then back into the 60s and 70s. I can't wait!

Seeing this gave me an idea! I think I will make some of these tomorrow but put laters of sliced zucchini rounds in each muffin tin! I'm hungry just thinking about them!

It's been a life changer for me, honestly!! I came up with the idea by chance after finding the zero net carb street taco size tortillas at Walmart - they actually have 5g of Protein per two, which is a major bonus! I'd been eating a lot of tuna since it's high in protein and seems to treat me well, same with canned chicken. I figured I could have a tuna version of a cheese quesadilla, and boom! I like that they are small and easy to eat, I do out a dab of butter on the pan before I cook on each side - and I figured out yesterday that a little garlic//onion powder on the meat or Italian seasoning gives them a great added flavor, and so does Everything but the Bagel seasoning! I either have one and cottage cheese or two made a bit on the thin side. So tasty! 😋

You must be so incredibly frustrated! Which type of surgery did you get, the sleeve or the bypass? I'm at about 7 weeks post op from getting the sleeve + intestinal revision and my calorie consumption ranges from 500-700/day, with my carb intake less than 35/day and a protein goal of 60/day with fluids of at least 48oz/day. I agree with others - it seems like a good idea, regardless of any advice you get from this forum, to revisit your surgeon. That said, I do believe you hit the nail on the head for one with the alcohol, and secondly I'd ask how many of your calories are coming from carbs. It's ok to include carbs in your diet, but really, this early, unless you are very physically active there isn't cause for many of them. At this stage it's typical to eat no more than 1/2cup - 1 cup of total food per meal, three times a day (or spaced out into 4 meals if needed). That's including your protein, which as someone else said should be the first thing you eat. Another thing about alcohol - it tends to cause dehydration - so you'd need to be consuming even MORE water throughout the day to compensate for that, just like caffeine. If you aren't hitting your hydration goal (PLUS, because of alcohol) then your body will struggle to convert your stored fat into energy, which is what causes most of the weight loss. An example of what my diet looks like at this stage is a single serve yogurt for breakfast (I have been getting the Aikos zero sugar or 2Good ones) - Remember no drinking 30 minutes before or after, and your meal should last at least 20-30 minutes. For lunch I might have a 'tuna melt' - which I make out of 1/3 can of tuna in water, a zero net carb small tortilla, and maybe 1/8 cup of shredded cheese or a low fat string cheese (I cook it folded over like a quesadilla) with maybe 1/8 cup of low fat cottage cheese, then for dinner a serving of one of the many bariatric recipes - there's a ricotta bake (lasagna with no noodles, basically), unstuffed cabbage rolls (Kind of like egg roll filling), or maybe chicken or tuna salad made with low fat mayo and a dab of relish with some cucumber slices/2-4 saltine crackers. I use the free Baritastic App to track my food and fluid intake. Using a tracking app increases weight loss significantly from what I've been told because you can see and understand what exactly you're putting in your body. The good news is that as far as I know, it isn't too late to backpedal and reset yourself! I'm NOT a doctor but my understanding is that if you get off track after weight loss surgery, especially this soon, one way to 'reset' is to go back on a liquid diet for a week or two, with zero-sugar jello, zero sugar pudding, and protein shakes (less than 5g of sugar each) to hit your goals. After that, work your way back up to puree foods for a week, then soft foods for a week. I strongly recommend eyeballing the nutrition information on any shake you think of buying, too, because there are some that are loaded with sugar and have as many as 22g of carbs EACH. After weight loss surgery it's also strongly discouraged to have fried food at all for the first 6 months, and after that maybe once per month. The same goes for sweets and baked goods. I hope this helps, and again - I feel like you should really follow up with your surgeon and a nutritionist! Best wishes!

Hello folks! It's been a while since I posted; been somewhat all over the map just trying to figure out what and when to eat and how to up my hydration. I finally settled on the fact that I'm just still not liking eggs, which is annoying, that tuna, salmon, and chicken are my go-to protein sources, and carbs?? UGH. I literally had two providers in my back to back nurse practitioner then nutritionist give me conflicting advice regarding carbs at my one month post op. Due to a rescheduled appointment I had that appointment on 9/11 as opposed to the week earlier - my surgery was on 8/5. The nurse told me that my energy level was probably flagging because of not hitting my hydration goals and that eating carbs after hitting my protein goals was fine, as long as I avoided sugar. Then the nutritionist came in and talked about how I should still be avoiding carbs in order to hit ketosis, and that supposedly once I hit ketosis I'll feel like a million bucks. Eesh. I've been tracking everything in my Baritastic app and I have only gone up to 31 carbs like, two days since my surgery, and it was because of applesauce and cream based soup. I'm wondering when I'm supposed to start feeling fantastic?! The third week plateau was REAL and incredibly obnoxious; I didn't see movement on my scale for almost a week despite hitting my protein goals and struggling to hit my hydration goals. I broke through it, though I'm still not losing as quickly as I'd like. I find that eating Greek yogurt in the morning serves me pretty well, and I've also noticed that sometimes I have to split my meals into 'part one' and 'part two' in order to hit my protein goal. Like; I'll have my yogurt, wait the thirty minutes, hydrate for a while, hit the timer, then 30 minutes later have another small protein snack. It's definitely been a struggle to keep my energy up and not get burned out on this whole thing. I felt like I was rocking along until after purees, then I just ended up baffled as to what I could or should eat. Honestly, the limits on vegetables don't seem to be holding particularly true for me; I've been fine with tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onion, mushrooms, carrots, and beans. I've not had much as far as fruits - one day I was out and didn't have any food with me so I got a kids meal from arby's with a bottled water, just the meat from a slider, and a packet of applesauce. I split that applesauce pouch into three portions, honestly, and only ate about half of the deli meat they gave me. Maybe I'll try to find more recipes using cream cheese - I'm annoyed that my grocery order didn't have the cabbage I ordered because I was looking forward to making some of the unstuffed cabbage rolls for this week. Guess I'll have to suck it up and go to the store for the missing items tomorrow. I bought an exercise bike I'm looking forward to using - It's a recumbent bike and I haven't figured out the right TIME to try to use it. It's been a bit of a struggle to find the timing between meals, hydrating, meds, vitamins, housework, etc but hopefully returning to this forum will help me get more on track. For anyone it might help - I've found that low fat cottage cheese and tuna melts made on a zero net carb small tortilla with 1/3 a can of tuna and two thin slices of colby/jack or a skim/reduced fat mozzarella string cheese are my main sources of protein. A couple of days ago I made a veggie mix of zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, and a bit of diced onion. I've sliced up thin bits of both chicken and pork separately and use some of that zero sugar stir fry sauce to make meals of them. It works, even if not particularly exciting, and has a nice flavor at least.

Some nights I definitely struggle. I have been pretty low on energy; I'm usually getting my protein and am taking all of my vitamins. I know that my goal of 64 oz a day of fluids has been flagging, though, honestly. I'm drinking a lot of Gatorade zero but plain water has not been tasting good, even filtered, unless it is REALLY cold. I mean, from a bottle in the fridge then poured over ice. I feel like it got harder as I moved into phase 3 of trying to eat more real food as opposed to drinking most of my meals. I do know that I was told to expect different back pain as I lost weight, and I feel like maybe the magnesium has activated my digestion so much that it sometimes keeps me awake? It isn't really pain, but more like gas pressure. Not sure if that part is SADI exclusive. Sorry I've been so silent lately, I have been skimming and still hope to respond to a few more posts.

Hello there!! I had my SADI on August 5th, I chose to start with the SADI for multiple reasons. You will need to take a couple of vitamins - the Bariatric multi I chose is actually called Barimelts, it dissolves easily and doesn't taste bad at all, just turns to powder in your mouth. I also get my ADEK from Barimelts - both are on Amazon and quite affordable. For Calcium I use the Bariatric Fusion Calcium, it is soft and chews easily, the texture is like a soft caramel (they come in fruity flavors, chocolate, and caramel I believe). Have to take the Calcium at least 3 hrs from the multi with iron though or it can cause stomach upset. My main issues at a month out are fatigue and an icky feeling when a bowel movement is coming on. Not dumping syndrome, just kind of a gassy, mild cramping feeling. I'm on what they call mechanical soft at this point, and have noticed that chicken and fish are definitely the best for getting protein - plus an unflavored protein powder called Genepro my nutritionist suggested. Read the package on it closely, it tells you to consider a scoop like 30g of protein instead of the nutrient fact 11g (or 9g, can't remember). I haven't had any nausea or negative effects from basing my macros off of that, but I also only use it once per day and try to get as much protein from my actual food as I can. I use Baritastic to track all of my food - keeping on top of hydration has been tricky but is working so far for me. I'm eager to get my energy level back up. I do time 30 mins of no drinking before a meal, at least 20-30 minutes for the meal itself, and 30 minutes after before drinking anything! I max out at 1/2-3/4 of a cup per meal, sometimes less. There is the SADI is lonely thread and also a lot of information shared on the August Surgery Buddy thread. I'm overdue to post there, been busy prepping for a friend's wedding I am in on the 8th. @ShoppGirl - I see you!! Will try to update elsewhere soon 👋🏻

I don't know where my other post went - I swore I typed one up earlier. Oh well - Here we go again! So, I'm at 3 weeks out exactly today from my SADI (Sleeve + Intestinal shortening) surgery and I'm definitely starting to feel less pulling and pinching with movements. I'm beginning week two of my puree diet, and I feel like it's going pretty well. During the Protein shake / liquid post diet for two weeks I did deal with constipation. It's still leveling out, but as I eat more 'regular' food (Even as a puree) that seems to be lifting a bit. I did still take some milk of magnesia yesterday out of caution because I hadn't 'gone' in two days, and didn't want to worry about it worsening. I'd say the hardest part for me continues to be the 'No drinking 30 mins before/after meals' but I use the Baritastic app to set a timer. I also use the timer to make sure my 'meals' take at least 30 minutes. Want to make sure I don't rush and end up feeling poorly afterward. Things that have worked well for me during my puree stage include egg drop soup, chicken/tuna salad made with puree chicken or tuna, light mayo, and sometimes a bit of relish, and for added protein a boiled egg or two, with or without the yolks per preference. (Dill relish is healthier than sweet relish). I did allow myself 2-3 saltines with those, usually about 3.5 oz of the tuna or chicken salad makes me feel sated. Other recipes that have worked include the ricotta bake and unstuffed cabbage rolls, pureed low fat/0 sugar yogurt or cottage cheese with Genepro powder and cooked, strained strawberries or blueberries (I added a bit of 0% Milk to make it more of a smoothie), Riccotta pureed with either a bit of fruit or avocado, small serving of oatmeal pureed with fruit (test yourself with an ounce or two less than you normally eat for oatmeal because it sits heavy and often swells - add some zero or skim milk to make it thinner if needed. Other recipes include homemade no-noodle chicken soup of sorts with rotisserie chicken, chicken broth, and pureed carrots w/a little bit of onion powder or diced onion. I also made a homemade 'philly cheese steak' filling of sorts with some sautéed bell peppers and a bit of diced onion, some roast beef lunch meat, and cream cheese. Others speak highly of pureed refried beans with a bit of seasoning to taste more like taco meat, adding either a bit of mild salsa or a combination of onion powder and perhaps a bit of cumin. That's a personal choice, and definitely suggest going slow with your seasoning due to possible heartburn. You could add a bit of shredded low-fat/skim mozzarella or even low fat sour cream to round it out. Today I made 'chicken pot pie w/no crust' which was basically just cooked carrots and finely diced celery and onions with finely diced rotisserie chicken with a can each of 98% fat free cream of celery and 98% fat free cream of chicken. I haven't had any yet because I'm a little unsure about the celery, even cooked, but pureed and in a small serving I'm sure it would treat me fine. The Ricotta Bake I made was super simple and I know there are a lot of variations to the recipe online. I made my own marinara sauce by peeling about 5 smallish tomatoes, dicing them, and simmering them with a little less than equal parts water, Italian seasoning, and a bit of diced onion. The ricotta mixture was easy; just used 8oz ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan (I used the shaker but fresh is better) and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. I put a layer of half the mix on the bottom of a buttered baking dish, topped it with 1/2 lb cooked and seasoned ground beef, then put the rest of the mixture on top. Poured about 3/4 of the homemade marinara over it then covered the dish with aluminum foil and baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. It's basically a no-noodle lasagna. The Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls I made were equally easy - I used a rotary grinder (Works SO well, bought on Amazon for around twenty bucks) to grate half a head of lettuce. Instead of canned diced tomatoes I once I again peeled about 5 small/medium tomatoes and diced them, adding to the skillet along with maybe 1/8 cup diced onion and another 1/2 lb of the ground beef. For seasoning the recipe I used just had me add a packet of Italian Dressing Seasoning mix. The family enjoyed it and after pureeing the ground beef a bit I found it fine to eat, although slowly and very well chewed (same with the ground beef in my ricotta bake). Both it and the Ricotta bake probably make about eight 1/3 cup servings with about 22g of Protein each. I want to respond more to folks - @Pepper_No_Salt I hate that you're dealing with so much nausea! I absolutely second talking to your care team about that. There are some nausea pills that dissolve under the tongue and work more quickly for me than the Zofran, they'd probably be willing to call you in some. Things that made me feel queasy were taking meds or vitamins before my meal had hit bottom, drinking too quickly, not walking around after I ate, and taking calcium and my multivitamin with iron too close to my Calcium. Not sure if any of that helps - I am also taking Prilosec for heartburn in the mornings and they had me add Magnesium Citrate at bedtime to help with constipation. Sometimes when I'm due to pass gas or have a bowel movement working its way through my system I'd start to feel a little icky and not really nauseous but more anxiety / feelings of fullness. I found that for whatever reason putting an ice pack on my chest or low back helped. I hope you find some relief! Oh, I also found that as soon as my thirty minutes post-meal is up it helps me to sip on REALLY cold water or Gatorade zero, especially if I do it while standing and moving around a little bit. I equate it to the need to get the burps out after eating, just like I had to do post-surgery. @ShoppGirl - Thanks for all of your support and input. I continue to read your posts and while I'm low energy on responding right now I hope the details of my recipe for the unstuffed cabbage bake is helpful! @draikaina8503 - Congratulations on your walk! I still wear out quickly even at three weeks out, but I knew the first month or two would be a slog and do feel my energy is rebounding. @Onemealplan - Sounds like you're doing great and I hope you enjoy the heck out of your vacation! I second what you said to @ShoppGirl about trying the crab, and hope the meals you do get to taste on vacation treat you well. I think her advice to just explain you're recovery from stomach surgery should more than reassure any staff concerned about your small portions. @AndreaJD I'm so glad your sister has been supportive! My 'chosen' brother and best friend has likewise done the same. He's been on a Keto journey for about two years with great results and I worried at first that he would think I was taking the 'easy way out' and now that he's heard more he's been great in reassuring me that he does NOT think that is the case at all, and in fact believes I chose a great option for myself that moves things along quicker but certainly with a lot of sacrifice and hard work. I also completely agree with you on the 'mind hunger' vs 'body hunger'. I'm lucky that I do feel a bit of pressure in my chest that I now identify as a feeling of 'fullness' as opposed to anxiety and I'm less worried about my protein goals now that I have the Genepro protein powder. I love that it isn't gritty when I mix it in with things as long as I mix it with something room temperature FIRST. That's on the instructions, actually, as is the fact that for your macros to count it as like 30-ish grams of protein per scoop rather than the 'weight' listed in Nutrition facts of 11g/scoop. Just wanted to make sur eI mentioned that! Oh - in regards to weighing - I get on the scale every day or so to kind of 'reinforce' what I'm doing, but remember that sometimes you see more from your measuring tape at the waist, hips, etc than the scale will show. Also head's up, a lot of folks plateau for a handful of days around week three and it will happen on and off moving forward, so don't be discouraged by that! @RRenaeL23 - I hope these recipes and suggestions for your puree diet work well! I'm still finding myself comfortable eating no more than about 3-4 oz at a meal, and certainly am following the no drinking 30 mins before/after meals. It's absolutely easier for me to do if I make sure my meal is on the moist side, even if it means adding a little extra water. It's better to add protein powder (Can't speak highly enough of the unflavored Genepro) to hit your protein goal than to overeat to make it, that's for sure! I'm always eager for my 30 minutes to be up so I can sip on icy cold water or Gatorade Zero. @Meme Campbell - Best of luck to you on your surgery tomorrow! Don't hesitate to ask for ice packs and pain relief and take advantage of the pain relief to get some walking in, especially the first couple of days. The pain lessons as you walk because it works the gas out. I also strongly suggest sipping your shakes / water / propel sitting as upright as is possible and not laying back until about ten minutes has passed or you've burped a few times! Keep us updated! Most of us in this thread have already had our surgeries but if you read through the first 3-7 pages you'll get a pretty good idea of what to expect if you don't already feel prepared. It's a bit of a process but the pain WILL start to lessen in the coming weeks! Don't be surprised when you get tired super quickly and be gentle on your body. Across the board surgeons seem to agree that your #1 priority fresh out of surgery will be walking as tolerated, focusing on your hydration, and getting as much protein as you comfortably can. Don't let yourself go more than three days without a bowel movement - Milk of Magnesia works wonders for that. I let myself go 5 days post surgery and that was a somewhat painful and unpleasant process to reverse. Colace makes your bowel movements 'smoother' but is NOT a laxative. If you deal with heartburn talk to your team - they put me on Prilosec for now. We're rooting for you! Sorry for anyone I missed; not sure what happened to my other post. Wishing you all the best in surgeries and recoveries!