Finally!

Okay, I'm almost off mushies and I have NO appetite, especially for yet another shake or bowl of Soup. Just the thought makes me nauseated.

So my Protein and liquid intake is WAY down.

I'm forcing myself to drink Water but not nearly enough. It's been this way for a few days.

Any suggestions??

I'm off mushies on Thursday. I can't even think of what sounds good except maybe a few bites of normal food.< /p>

Beautiful story, Renee. Thanks for opening yourself up to us and letting us know what it's been like for you.

I love sushi so I bought some ahi and ground it up really well with ponzu sauce and shiso leaf. It has a ton of Protein and it goes down really well. I'm not sure raw fish paste is for everyone but it works for me!

I tried refried Beans and they felt too sticky & thick.

It seems like most of the mushy foods are high carb/lower Protein. I have some ricotta cheese that I'm going to try later today. We'll see.

Jenn, I tried yesterday and it was awful. I've heard from a few other people that they just couldn't do eggs at all. It feels like it gets stuck. I'm back to a Protein Shake today. How're you doing?

My brother is considering it and he's there - with good insurance.

Thanks!

Welcome, Rose! Thanks for sharing your story. Do you have a surgery date yet? I'm still pre-op...awaiting July 7 for my VSG. I call it "my Independence day"! I'll Celebrate my independence from obesity. :smile1:

Jenn-

Funny that you call it your Independence Day! Me too!

xo

Independence Day

ps - How's it going with your mushies?

Ash - When you're on full liquids, try Better Whey of Life Yogurt. It has 15 grams of Protein per serving.

And I absolutely second MacMadame on the Fage Greek Yogurt. It's yummy and very high in Protein. I mix in a little extra Designer's Whey natural Protein powder and some unsweetened cherry juice - and it's awesome. I can get almost 30 grams of protein out of one little serving.

My recent favorite Protein shake is:

1/2 banana

2 scoops unflavored Designer's Whey Protein Powder

Ice

Water

Coconut Water (fresh from a young coconut or a box of O.N.E. Coconut Water)

Blend up into milkshake consistency. AMAZING and yummy. About 40 grams of protein.

Does anyone know if it's useless to get more than 20 grams in one serving? Can you body absorb that much? (MacMadame? :thumbup: )

I was in Mexico with a woman whose 17 year old daughter had the sleeve last Christmas. She's down 135 pounds or so and her self-esteem has skyrocketed. Good luck to your daughter - and to you.

Not really painful. I'd say "uncomfortable."

I am 4 weeks out tomorrow and I understand how you feel. I see others losing faster but then again, they weighed more when they had the surgery. The more you weigh, the faster it comes off in the beginning. I went through a 15 lb weight loss right after the surgery in about 2 weeks but after that I have slowed to 2 lbs a week and maybe only 1 lb if I am lucky this week. I exercise but its not showing up on the scale yet. I have just stalled and I suspect my body is getting readjusted and holding on to the weight as a response to the shock I put it through. I have been told that everyone goes through this so I am just sitting back and being glad that the scale isnt going up and I am not hungry. Hopefully this too shall pass. I did expect to hit a plateau but just not this soon. OH WELL

Ruthi -

I'm going through this now - and I'm not even three weeks post surgery! I've lost 16 pounds since July 5th but now I seem to be stuck. The scale isn't moving at all.

Has your weight loss kicked back in?

Is this normal??

ID

So two nights ago, I was feeling pretty stoked because I managed to drink all my Protein early - by 4pm. I was trying to get it in early so I wouldn't feel so bloated and rushed at night trying to get it all eaten.

That night for dinner I had some pureed potato and corn Soup, with no protein.

The next morning, about 20 minutes after I woke up, my eyesight went blurry (especially my left eye) & I had a sudden flushed feeling, along with dizziness. It was really intense. I really couldn't see and it came on fast & strong. It got worse by the minute.

I managed to call Monica at Dr. Aceves office before my sight went totally blurry and quickly made a Protein Shake. I drank the shake and felt immediately started to feel better - eyesight restored, shakiness gone. Dr. Campos wanted me to come in, just to check. I live in San Diego - and luckily Ernesto was close to my house, so he just picked me up.

So - there I was two weeks after my sleeve, back in Mexicali. On the ride in, I started to stabilize - a cool cloth on my neck, etc. Dr. Campos saw me right away and was super reassuring. I had the barium swallow - and we were able to see that my stomach is healing perfectly.

It had nothing to do with the sleeve, just the amount & times & what I was eating.

Apparently, I had a crazy blood sugar dive while I slept because I only ate carbs (even though it was hardly anything) at night, without any protein. When I woke up, it hit my body.

So I learned I can't be tricky and try to get all my protein in "early" - instead I have to always make sure I have protein at night.

And now Dr. Campos wants me to up my protein to 80gs. Sigh.

I just ate a chicken thigh in a bowl of soup ground up into liquid. Yum. But hey, I'm already at 52 grams of protein. Only 28 more to go today...

I can usually nap during the day pretty easily - but since surgery - no napping at all.

However, I had a lot of trouble sleeping through the nights pre surgery - and now I'm sleeping like a rock. My apnea is already gone and I only had surgery July 5th.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one! I got to worrying that I was taking in too much too fast as well. I'm tyring to pay close attention and follow the rule of no more than 2 oz in 15 minutes.

And cold Water is going down easier now, but in the beginning it always caused a tightness, crampy feeling. Now I'd rather have cold Water b/c it tastes better to me. :scared0:

independence- How are you doing? Have you moved to full liquids yet? If so, I'd love to know what you are eating! :drool5:

Hey Want2Be - I posted on your full liquids thread. Basically just started an hour ago.

Yogurt! YUM!

I just had my first full liquids "meal". It was about four spoonfuls of greek yogurt. I added some honey. I'm full now.

I'm also planning on watermelon pieces (chewed well) and Soup. Trader Joe's has a selection of creamed Soups that look good. I got a Stonyfield Farm's drinkable yogurt and I'm definitely going to do smoothies, too.

I'm feeling pretty great after that yogurt. Maybe I'm not lactose intolerant? I was worried about that - because people talk about that happening even if you weren't lactose intolerant before.

Yeah, I've been cooking like CRAZY. Making amazing dinners for my boyfriend every night - I think I'm living vicariously through him and I just love the way everything smells. My sense of smell is so honed right now. Also finding myself reading waaay too much about food on blogs, etc.

I lost 8 lbs while in the hospital. I've lost another 7 in the last week. I'm getting all my Protein in and it's actually gotten kinda easy to score 60 grams a day. (That sounded like a drug reference! It's not!)

I use powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury plain Protein and mix it with ice and Water.

My sweet boyfriend bought me this ingenious device and it's saved me! I mix ice, Water, and some grape juice together - stick the blender into the little cup that comes with it - and then YUM! It's like a grape slushy. I find that everything goes down easier when it's iced.

Smart Stick Blender by Cuisinart | Kitchen Contraptions - KitchenContraptions.com

11 days post-op and definitely burping.

Some things you can do:

1) Start practicing chewing well and eating slowly

2) Start taking your Vitamins

3) Wean off caffeine (you shouldn't have caffeine immediately post-op for a number of reasons and you don't want to deal with a caffeine headache on top of everything else immediately post-op)

4) Wean off carbonated beverages

5) Buy samples of Protein powder for immediately post-op. Don't worry about finding one you like pre-op as most people's tastes change post-op, at least at first while in ketosis. Just stock up on the samples so you have lots to try.

6) Talk to your family about your expectations of them

Some things your family can do:

1) You'll have weight lifting restrictions at first so they can help out by doing chores that require lifting.

2) Get an agreement about what they can and can't eat in the house and in front of you when you are on the liquid diet. Remind them that this time is not forever but it's probably going to be hard for you.

3) Ask them not to be your food police! (Unless that's okay with you, but it drives most people mad.)

4) Be prepared for mood swings and unhappiness on your part -- your hormones will be going nuts during this time and that effects different people in different ways. You may not be too bad or you may be a crying irrational mess. It's best to be prepared. :001_smile:

MacMadame,

THANK YOU for #4 - I didn't realize that about the hormones. It would explain a lot of what's going on for me. I'm trying to maintain composure - but MAN AM I A GROUCH with people.

-ID

wow - i'm the exact opposite - the colder something is, the easier to get down. and i'm finding i can take much bigger sips. i'm worried now that i'm drinking TOO fast.

Welcome home! I just got back yesterday.

And why is it that you can drink Protein shakey stuff but I'm on Clear Liquids? ????

Yes, I'd like the know the same! Skim milk?? How many days out??

Hey July Sleevers - anyone else REALLLLLY tired of clears and ready to move into fulls?

My surgery was July 6. I'm doing okay - ups and downs. Going a little crazy with trying to get in my Protein and liquid. I miss food!

What's up with you guys? Kaus and Want2Be - we were all the same week - so I'm wondering how you two are?

Congrats on your learning to cope and to be present while eating. I actually have had to have my esopagus stretched before as I could not swallow pills. They found that it was too narrow during an upper GI and stretched it during the procedure. You might want to see about that.

THANK YOU for writing about this, Norma. I looked into it and think it may be what I've had my whole life!

I'm going to go to the doctor to have a test done to see - and then dilation if needed. Did you have a long recovery post-stretching? Did it hurt?

I wonder how long post-surgery I should wait? Maybe I'll ask Dr. Aceves.

I may try that for my situation, although Dr. Aceves says it is due to scar tissue. At this point, I'll give anything a try.

The scar tissue issue is definitely a real one. After Norma wrote about esophagus "stretching", I looked it up and I'm thinking it may be what I have, too.

I'm just trying to consciously relax it so that it's not as bad. I think it's a physical issue but can be made better by using my mind to do a physical, mechanical thing - relax the area, rather than what is natural - tighten. (Did you know it takes 50 muscles to swallow? wow.)

I went alone and honestly wish I had someone there to be with me. Other people did and I felt a little lonely. (When I was conscious.) It's just better to talk to someone to process what's going on around you, I think.