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Liver Shrinkage Diet struggles
BoilerBob replied to xKirstenx's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I had a very regimented 4-week liver shrinkage diet. The base was the shake but I would also get to have specific items like a low fat string cheese, no sugar yogurt, ands a few snacks of sugar free pudding or jello. The only thing was that I could add whatever I wanted if it was fat free broth, vinegar, or raw veggie after I had gotten in all protein for the day. I definitely hit the broth and vinegar hard when I just needed something that wasn’t sweet. -
This liquid diet is...not easy!
ChunkCat replied to Raevor85's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I had two weeks of a modified liquid diet (the shakes all day and a small, lean meat and veggie meal at night), and then another week of pure liquids, no snacks, no pudding or yogurt, just shakes! It was SUCH a marathon... Then I had 2 full weeks of strict liquids post-op, no puddings, no yogurt, and I couldn't tolerate any protein shakes or jello. But post op it was easier in a way because my body was telling me very clearly it didn't want any of those things! Pre-op the diets are a serious head game. LOL -
After post op gastric sleeve - my experiences
ChunkCat replied to Raevor85's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
And yes, by all means, if you continue to have problems after modifying how you are eating, do follow up with the nurse. There are a few things that can prevent you from progressing your diet past liquids, but they are rare, and if you are getting down yogurt it is a good sign! -
February 2024 Surgery Buddies?
NickelChip replied to NickelChip's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I talked to the nurse the other day about some vomiting issues I had been experiencing, about 5 times in total over the past 2 weeks. While the first time was almost certainly due to overcooked/dry food, there was concern over the other times, especially a few days ago when I was sick twice in a day with quite a bit of pain and multiple times of fairly aggressive vomiting. I had a longer, more complicated surgery than usual (6 hours) due to some scarring and issues with my intestine, so my doctor decided I should go back to the liquid phase until I see him on April 2. Not gonna lie, 11 days of protein shakes and yogurt is not what I was hoping for. I thought they would say just avoid the foods that were making me sick. But I guess the doctor feels my systems need more time to heal. I can have some simple creamed soups, though, and plan to supplement those with unflavored protein because I can't stand the shakes and protein waters. At least I'm having no issues with hydration. -
Is this normal?
ChunkCat replied to RoadToRecovery's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hey!! You are a little over 2 weeks post op. Burping and feeling bloated are quite normal. As the internal swelling goes down these will ease (unless you chug water, then you'll feel bloated for sure! LOL). It isn't unusual to feel like things are creeping up your esophagus, right now everything is very swollen in there and that leads to a pressurized feeling. It can feel like water and food take forever to go down, or that they go down a bit and then start trying to crawl back up, before going down again. I had all these issues. I also had this thing where every time I drank something I could feel the fluid displacing air in my digestive tract, causing burping and then this trickling, gurgling feeling AND sound as the fluid tracked down into my stomach. It sounded like liquid going down a drain you just unclogged. It was weird as hell. LOL It lasted for the first month until the swelling went down enough inside to make more space. Fluids for another week are not going to hurt you. When you say fluids do you mean strict liquids only like milk and water? Or are you including shakes, pudding, yogurt, and so on? I was on strict fluids only for 2 weeks, no yogurt or puddings and I wasn't even able to stomach a real protein shake for the first month. I was not able to get any protein down the first two weeks without intense stomach spasms. The surgeon said that was not unusual at all. After the first two weeks we were supposed to introduce thin purees for the third week, and he told me I could have really soft fish and soft eggs. I hated purees. Yogurt sat too heavy. I still couldn't do jello. Sugar free pudding was a no too. I could do protein water, milk, a little bit of soft pureed egg, and weirdly enough, a little soft fish chewed well. At the 4th week we were told to progress to soft solids, but it took me another week before I was able to consistently. I had to be very gradual about my food progression. My team said that was perfectly fine, everyone's pace is a little different, just be sure to keep them posted on your progress as you go and follow their advice, but without forcing yourself to eat things your tummy doesn't feel ready for. You sound like you are right on schedule. ❤️ -
February 2024 Surgery Buddies?
NickelChip replied to NickelChip's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
So relieved to report I finally dropped to a new "lowest weight" after my 2-week stall. Weighed in at 198.6 this morning, a drop of 0.6 since yesterday. I really hope that might continue a few days at least before I hit the next rough patch. The cravings for sweets and carbs are real! I'm fortunate that I do feel a lot of restriction, or at least I do if I am eating the right kinds of foods. I can only manage about 2-3 oz (60-85g) of heavier proteins, which include salmon, poultry, beef, and pork. I also get full at around 4 oz (100g) veggies. Sadly, if I do eat bread or crackers, they seem to go down easy. Same with ice cream or candy. I had really hoped that wouldn't be the case. It makes it that much more important for me not to keep those types of things in the house. I'm struggling with what to eat, especially for breakfast. Nothing sounds good. I'm tired of plain yogurt and cottage cheese. I'm tired of protein shakes and smoothies. I was enjoying smoked salmon with cucumbers on rye crisp bread until last week when it made me violently ill. I've become repulsed by eggs. Plus, I don't usually get hungry until later in the morning. Today, I decided to wait, and I finally started to feel some real hunger at 10:00am. So, I'm having a leftover big Italian meatball from dinner a few nights ago. Lunch and dinner options aren't much easier. Cooking is a hassle when you can eat so little, and my kids don't like the kinds of things I can eat. But I worry it sets me up for grazing when I don't have a plan. I'd really like to do some meal prep and have a list of maybe 10 go-to meals that are bariatric approved and easy to make any time of day. I'd like to spend a few hours roasting a sheet pan of veggies and cooking some chicken to store in the fridge for the week and incorporate into meals. I need to clean out the fridge and pantry. I just don't seem to have the motivation to do any of it. It's like all my energy has run dry, although my bloodwork came back good so it's not an issue of something being off. Just my attitude, I guess! I'm feeling stressed and a little overwhelmed, and it shows in my environment because my house is getting cluttered and I have a pile of laundry that is quickly going to consume me. What I wouldn't give for a housekeeper to keep the place tidy and my own cook to make healthy meals and deliver them to me at appropriate times during the day. -
Hahahaha!! I eat a little bit of dark chocolate a few times a week for my mental health. I save it until after dinner and only have a bite or two, so it takes forever to finish a bar or bag of chocolate chips. But man, saving those carbs for that dark chocolate is worth it! 😂 I recently discovered freeze dried strawberries. OMG *swoon* I can't eat any raw fruit yet, it sends me right to the bathroom. But apparently freeze dried is fine and eating 1/4 cup of freeze dried strawberries easily fits into my macros. They are delicious crumbled on top of greek yogurt too! But they have to be freeze dried, the regular dried variety has sugar added and is waaay higher in carbs.
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Phases 1, 2, 3, 4.....Please Help Clarify
NickelChip replied to TerriD68's topic in Post-op Diets and Questions
I've never heard of phases taking that long to get through, so unless you have a very unusual case with special circumstances, I think there's been a misunderstanding. A week or two of liquids, which I assume included protein shakes, is normal. After that, some programs put you on purees and some will say soft protein food that you chew thoroughly, usually once you're doing well with this, after a week or two, but certainly by week 6 or so, you will be told to slowly introduce veg, fruit, and finally starch and grain. I had gastric bypass on Feb 21. I had one week of liquids, which included yogurt, cream soups, and thin cream of wheat. At week 2, I was allowed to have cottage cheese, tuna salad, refried beans, ground turkey, and flaky white fish. At week 3, I was allowed to start including cooked vegetables and fruits and told to slowly start incorporating other foods, but to wait until 3 months for pork and beef. I had a setback with some vomiting, so I had to go back to liquids for weeks 4 and 5, but I had my 6 week appointment today and was told I was clear to resume a normal diet (minus beef and pork) and just needed to be cautious and keep track of/eliminate anything that caused upset. I found this video very helpful, although I will point out this program's way of reintroducing foods is not quite the same as mine, (or most others). -
Hey there, fellow Massachusetts person! Here are a few options that might work for you for protein: If you like soups such as creamy tomato, butternut bisque, etc., add a scoop or two (10-20g protein) of unflavored protein powder such as Isopure or Syntrax to the soup. Also, if you make a canned soup like cream of chicken, make it with Fairlife skim milk for even more protein. 1/2 a cup cream of chicken with 1 scoop of protein would give you about 17g protein. If you are at a stage where you can have apples, make a great protein dip by taking 1 cup Greek yogurt and adding one serving chocolate protein powder and 1 scoop powdered peanut butter and eat 1/2 cup with 1/2 an apple. This gives you around 25g protein depending what brands you are using and tastes delicious. A great source of plant-based protein is edamame, which they sell already shelled and lightly salted, ready to eat, in the produce section of Hannaford (and probably other stores, I would assume). Also, four of the cracker-sized slices of Cabot cheddar have 8g protein, and if you pair it with Triscuit thins, that's another 3g for a nice 10g snack (when you can have crackers).
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Hey there, fellow Massachusetts person! Here are a few options that might work for you for protein: If you like soups such as creamy tomato, butternut bisque, etc., add a scoop or two (10-20g protein) of unflavored protein powder such as Isopure or Syntrax to the soup. Also, if you make a canned soup like cream of chicken, make it with Fairlife skim milk for even more protein. 1/2 a cup cream of chicken with 1 scoop of protein would give you about 17g protein. If you are at a stage where you can have apples, make a great protein dip by taking 1 cup Greek yogurt and adding one serving chocolate protein powder and 1 scoop powdered peanut butter and eat 1/2 cup with 1/2 an apple. This gives you around 25g protein depending what brands you are using and tastes delicious. A great source of plant-based protein is edamame, which they sell already shelled and lightly salted, ready to eat, in the produce section of Hannaford (and probably other stores, I would assume). Also, four of the cracker-sized slices of Cabot cheddar have 8g protein, and if you pair it with Triscuit thins, that's another 3g for a nice 10g snack (when you can have crackers).
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February 2024 Surgery Buddies?
Bariover54 replied to NickelChip's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hey Ron! I had my BP on the 6th. I’m doing pretty good as well. I don’t start vitamins until Tuesday a full two weeks after surgery. I guess they want to make sure I’m eating something to protect me from getting nausea. I saw my nutritionist yesterday and he said I can ease into soft foods with yogurt and cottage cheese. Luckily I love both! I was able to have about 1/2 a cup without feeling uncomfortable. I just stopped eating and I wasn’t hungry or wanting more. A few hours later same thing with a Greek yogurt. I’m so ready for eggs, tuna, cheese etc. I also was told to wear my binder for 4 weeks. It definitely makes me feel more secure. My glue is still on my incisions. I guess they put a super deluxe hospital grade glue on me. I’m not scrubbing it off or peeling it off until it comes off naturally. I’m too scared to open something up. So, good luck my friend. And everyone else hang in there with your liquid diets. It’s definitely worth it. It will make your surgery go smoother and recovery easier. 💖💖💖 -
January 2024 surgery buddies
AmberFL replied to Pink fridge's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Awww no girl soft foods as in yogurt 😂 I have to wait another 2 weeks for all that goodness of food girl 😂 -
Navigating Eating Out
BlondePatriotInCDA replied to AmberFL's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Exactly this. I commented to my dieticians when I asked about eating out and suggested that perhaps it would be beneficial if they're familiar with basic menu choices in the local restaurants, or that they get menus from the restaurants so they can go over them with their patients. They should educate their patients on good and bad choices or how to look for hidden calories etc., opposed to what mine do - showing me the same empty container of Fage yogurt, asking what I'm eating and suggesting celery for a crunch every single time I go in. After all, their job is to educate and guide patients, not make patients figure it out on their own and make every appointment redundant and pointless. I've asked about possible menu choices at restaurants to which they said they have no idea! You'd think it would be required knowledge to at least teach "real world" eating out situations. Most people don't ask their servers or research the menu choices or are aware there are off menu choices. Dietitians should have this knowledge, I know if I was a dietician I would. As far as meal prep, good for you if you're one of those people who do this, I personally detest cooking and doing a weeks worth may help with the next week..but it requires one long day of cooking to do it, which I don't have the time nor inclination to do, so eating out is what I do. -
What does a typical day of eating and acitivity look like to you?
BlondePatriotInCDA replied to AmberFL's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm apparently more anal retentive than everyone else who's responded so far, but most are in maintenance so they can and have learned what works for them. My daily intake is very structured because I really don't like cooking or trying to figure out what to eat. Plus, unfortunately I'm a slow loser. Breakfast: Either I have 1/2 cup high protein overnight oats made with Fairlife Core Power milk (42g protein) but only use half of the bottle so 21g for a total number of 30g +- or 2 low fat turkey bacon slices and 1/2 bottle of my fairlife protein milk 30 mins later, either meal with a half cup of coffee 30 mins beforehand. Lunch: 1/2 c homemade turkey chili with 2 tablespoons Fage Greek yogurt 14g+- protein total or Pacifica organic soup 1/2 cup Dinner: Either the turkey chili again with added 1 tablespoon cheese on a low carb high protein tortillas or 3oz chicken (20g protein) cut into cubes with G.Huges chili Thai dipping sauce (low carb - 2 carbs, low calorie - 5) 2 small florets broccoli, 1 tablespoon skim cheese and Fage Greek yogurt on a low carb high protein (7grams) tortilla 32+- total grams protein Snack: 1 no sugar added fudgecicle (40 calories) or 1 tablespoon no sugar added chocolate chips (70 calories) or a fiesta string cheese (70 calories) or Homemade "brownie batter" or "chocolate chip cookie dough" protein balls (neither really taste like the title says, but its what they're calling them on the recipes 😋 This works out to: 80 grams protein 800 calories 50 net carbs 19 grams sugars Fat 16 - 28g Boring I know, but as I said if I think about what I want to eat to much..its not healthy foods or foods I'm allowed to have 6 months in. I'm trying to eat to live not live to eat.. So I keep it regimented so I know where I stand. As far as exercise I was walking 3 miles a day with light weight training..but I'm having hip abductors and hip flexor issues now plus my bum hurts (I never contemplated before surgery losing weight would make sitting/bum hurt) so I'm starting PT on Monday so the exercise has stopped for now. -
February 2024 Surgery Buddies?
gracesmommy2 replied to NickelChip's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
@BlueParis I’m sure you’re really happy to be home and WTG on the weight loss! @NickelChip I’m usually able to get between 60-70 gms of protein a day in with no shakes most days…..I eat a lot of tuna, Greek yogurt, buffalo chicken dip, and my new favorite is chicken pizza crust pizza. I also occasionally eat canned turkey chili with no beans in it for lunch mainly cause it’s soft and high in protein but a little different than what I’m usually eating. I’m definitely getting bored with my food choices but anytime I try and add in stuff I end up coming up short on protein and have to drink a shake. 🤢I use liquacel also. They gave it to me in the hospital and I prefer it to shakes. It’s 16 gms of collagen protein ( it is a complete protein and my nutritionist is ok with it) it’s super sweet but I just mix it with a little water and I’m good. @RonHall908 and I’m with you guys on the slow weight loss train also so it must be pretty normal although irritating. Lol @LisaCaryl I’m glad your nausea is getting better. Maybe you’d like the liquacel to help with your protein since you don’t eat meat. You can buy them in one dose packets so you could try them before you bought a bottle of it. I like the peach mango one the best but it is super sweet so not sure if it’s for ev1 but maybe an option for some of y’all needing a protein boost with no shakes 🤷🏼♀️ https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/liquacel-liquid-protein-1oz-packets-flavors?variant=5067375607845 heres the single serve packets but I ended up buying the multiple dose bottles directly from the manufacturer cause it was cheaper. https://globalhp.com/shop/liquacel-liquid-protein/ -
AHHHH!!! okay! I needed the science behind it lol! Yes I am on modified liquids so I can have strained cream soups, yogurts ect....Sweet! thank you, I thought I was going bananas
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Okay so I am still so terrible with this stuff but my dietician makes it seem so much more confusing and I really need to understand this so I can get it right this time. I asked her what my requirements would be post SADI surgery and she said 1000-1200 calories 90g protein 90 carbs (45 fruit and veggies and 45 from starch), and 15g fat. I am trying to eat similar to that now to see what it’s like and I am logging my food. I figured my portions will be a little larger so I won’t be able to hit the exact goals but wanted to see where I am. This morning I did great with my protein iced coffee which is just a caramel shake with some coffee mixed in. Low calorie and carb and high protein. This afternoon however I thought I would have 2 scrambled eggs and one Turkey sausage Patty. The calories and carbs are fine but it seems like Either that fat goal is unrealistic or the protein goal is from normal food if there is really 15g of fat in two scrambled eggs and only like 13 grams of protein? Even if I forget the 7g of fat leaving out the Turkey sausage just two eggs is too much fat for one meal and reduces the protein. I hate egg whites but assumed two scrambled eggs would be okay. I know post surgery I will not eat two whole eggs which will reduce the fat some but also the protein. Could i add protein powder to the egg or something? Maybe an egg and a yogurt would be a better option? Or Do I have to just suck it up and eat the egg whites. She also said something about three teaspoons of “healthy fat” and I’m not sure if that’s in addition to the 15g of mono and polyunsaturated fat or if 15 is the total which may be where I’m getting confused. I just emailed her asking for clarification but last time it took her like two weeks to get back to me so I figured I’d see if anyone else can make sense of this.
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So...it's happening!
catwoman7 replied to Bypass2Freedom's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I must be in the minority - I didn't mind the puree stage at all - especially after a few weeks (before and after surgery) of just drinking fluids! It was great to eat real food - even if it was pureed. I remember eating a lot of Greek yogurt, hummus, refried beans - I also pureed spanakopita (which I made without the phyllo) a couple of times, as I recall (I must have added something to get it going in the blender - some milk, maybe? Can't remember). I had surgery at age 55 (that was nine years ago) but fortunately, unlike summerseeker, I didn't deal with any hormone issues. I did have off and on "buyer's remorse" the first two or three weeks, though ("what in the hell did I just do?" "Why could have I tried dieting one last time?"). All that will pass and you'll be so glad you did it. p.s. I used my blender a lot during the puree stage. I already had a standard-sized one, but I ordered one that had both a standard-sized pitcher and a small pitcher, since I figured I'd use the small one a lot more (and I did). I think it's a lot easier nowadays to find small blenders. But like someone else said, you can always order one afterward, too. -
Modified Duodenal Switch
ChunkCat replied to Lara in Arkansas's topic in Duodenal Switch Surgery Forum
I posted this elsewhere on the forum but I thought I'd put it here in case you didn't see it. This is what one of my typical days looks like at 4 months post-op. My personal macro goal is 120-150 grams of Protein a day, under 50 total carbs, and 100 grams of fat. Also, I can't tolerate any raw fruit at the moment. And calories are not relevant for DS patients because we malabsorb most fat and a good chunk of our protein... 8 am: Premier Protein Cafe Latte shake 9 am: Ratio Keto vanilla Yogurt with 2 tablespoons of toasted coconut chips, 1 tablespoon of keto nut granola, and 1 tablespoon freeze dried strawberries 12 noon: 1/4 cup roasted Spaghetti Squash, 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of a beef bolognese sauce 2 pm: Cafe Macchiato with espresso and 4 oz Fairlife Protein Milk 3 pm: 2 mozzarella cheese sticks, 2 mini baby cucumbers and 4 cherry tomatoes 6 pm: Roasted chicken leg and thigh quarter, 1/3 cup of vegetable Soup 9 pm: Homemade Keto banana Walnut Dark chocolate Muffin Total Macros: 150 grams of protein (yay!!), 43 grams total carbs, 97 grams of fat, 1634 calories. -
February 2024 Surgery Buddies?
RonHall908 replied to NickelChip's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
The Bariatric Hospital I went to has a very good post op program. They have in person monthly and weekly online support meetings. The Doctor that started the program many years ago is the moderator. He said they started out the pre liquid diet at 2 days. But they ran into issues with the liver being too big. In one instance he said he went to move the liver and it split because it was so big. So, that's why they will not work on anyone that has less than a 2 week pre op liquid diet to shrink the liver. If they go in to do the surgery and someone didn't follow the 2 week diet, they wouldn't do the procedure. They are very safety conscience and take it seriously along with their follow up program. I would go into what all is done but it's fairly lengthy. I'm just a few days from being a month out. I started the Puree'/soft food phase about a week early. Because I was having issues with constipation and needed to get in some fiber. MiraLAX alone wasn't doing the job. Ever since, I've not had an issue. I've even cooked up some ground chicken. But you will fill up fast. Half a cup and I'm full. One scrambled egg with a 1 tsp of salsa & 1 Tsp Mashed Avacado and I can just get it down then I'm done. I've been trying to eat to meet my protein goals, but that is just impossible. I have one shake (premier protein) and I'll mix 60 Grams of Chobani greek non fat yogurt, with one scoop of powdered Premier protein and 1 tsp of PBfit2 to get a chocolate peanut butter yogurt. Don't forget the Sugar free popsicles, it really helped my stomach. Hot food or broth seemed to hurt my stomach a little. But the cold didn't. My Insurance doesn't pay for a Dietician either, however with the Bariatric program it only costs $25 per visit. Between the Surgeon and Bariatric hospital they charged my Insurance $75K so I'm sure they use part of that to cover some of the cost. Do you use the Baritastic app? -
Can you tolerate lettuce? Do you like salad? When I had my sleeve I did a lot of chick fila. Their salads are really good and they really measure things and post the nutrition information that is actually accurate not like places that do not measure and you really don’t have any idea how many calories you are getting. Plus the crunchy toppings are on the side so you can choose to leave off if need be and they have the exact calories listed on those as well. Early out to avoid spice I got the spicy southwest salad but I asked for plain chicken breast (no seasonings) and the market salad I would get without the blue cheese. Both of these I take home and take the toppings with just a little bit of lettuce and put into a plate because it’s way too much if not. When I dine in I just do my best to eat the toppings to get the nutrition and toss the lettuce. It is a good place to go with friends because they can get what they want and I can get eat on plan. Super early out you can ask for the grilled chicken breast by itself. Panara is another place with some healthy options. I usually get the kids meal because it’s a half salad which is more than enough and you get a yogurt you can save for later instead of bread or an apple. I have often wondered if they will let you pay to double the protein though because the half salad is half the protein which very well may be plenty. I’ve just never weighed it. Panara also has food that the rest of the family could enjoy.
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Liquid clears your stomach pouch in a matter of seconds after gastric bypass. I know this because on the morning after my surgery, I had to do a swallow test and l literally watched on the screen as my new little pouch filled with a swallow of liquid and immediately started dripping it into my small intestine. By the time I took the third swallow, the first one was no longer in my stomach pouch at all and the second one was mostly emptied, too. That's how it is supposed to be. "Stretching out" your stomach is 99% myth for two reasons. First, at the early stage, your stomach is swollen and stiff. You couldn't stretch it out if you tried, let alone with a mere few ounces of liquid. Second, as time goes on, it's supposed to stretch a bit to allow you to eat a healthy quantity of food because you can't live on 400 calories forever. If you stick to your recommended portion sizes, eating schedule, and fill up on healthy foods, it won't be an issue. I highly recommend watching Dr. Pilcher's video about stomach stretching if you're concerned. Bottom line, most people do not actually stretch their stomachs, they learn to eat around the size restriction by grazing all day and eating high calorie junk, and then blame their "stretched" stomach for their bad behavior when they gain back all the weight. At 8 weeks post-op, swelling has decreased and capacity is closer to what it's meant to be. Drinking 12 oz in 35 minutes is totally normal and healthy at this point. It means you are healing. Solid foods take longer to empty, so eating 3-4 oz per meal will feel very different than drinking 12 oz of water. At 3 months post-op, I can drink 32 oz of hot decaf tea in 30 minutes. I can eat 5-6oz yogurt/bean soup or only 2-3 oz of chicken breast in the same amount of time. It's a function of how much your stomach has to do before it can move along. My advice is to follow the instructions you were given with regard to your number of meals per day, quantity of food at each sitting, macros, etc. Stop when you feel fullness cues, but don't eat more just because you don't feel fullness cues, if that makes sense. You will never need more than 4 oz of chicken at a sitting, but you will likely be able to eat more than that in a year or two. Resist the temptation, and add non-starchy veg instead if you feel hungry. Build good habits now that you can stick to forever.
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Welcome to the group and congrats on the upcoming surgery and all the pre-op success. I have not traveled to Peru, but I did go to Mexico about 9.5 months post op. Honestly it wasn't difficult at all. Typically by 8 weeks you should be healed on the inside and cleared for pretty much all movement. So by 6 months you'd be fine - generally speaking. I would say just packing all your vitamins and supplements is key of course. I also packed snacks mainly for the actual travel part - plane and car rides. I had jerky, cheese crisps, protein bars, portioned nuts and low carb chocolate. I had more than I really needed, but it definitely helped to have options. You could also consider protein powder or shakes in case. Also a reusable water bottle/cup comes in handy to ensure you stay hydrated. I stayed at an all inclusive resort and there were many healthy fresh options for all meals. The buffet breakfast had a ton of fresh fruit and veggies, a bunch of egg options - egg whites, hardboiled eggs, etc. and the meat protein options, yogurt and cheeses. There were various milks both dairy and non dairy options. Dinner menus had accommodations for different dietary needs. Off resort also wasn't difficult to navigate as there is a lot of protein and veg options. I found getting in movement was not difficult either. There was a gym, aerobic classes and water sports. But honestly walking around the resort, the pool, walking on the beach, the walking tours off resort - i never missed an exercise goal. The variables can happen depending on the area you are staying I'm sure, but I have friends who frequently travel to Peru to visit family and frequent many local cafes that have plentiful healthy options - healthier than you find in the states unless you grow it yourself since a majority is local and doesn't have to travel far at all. You will not likely be able to get exact specifics of macros if you like to track your food, but by 6 months you'll have an idea of estimated protein amounts and general portions for most foods you are likely to eat. As long as you stick with protein first, then veg and carbs last you should be good.
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Hi all, I had my surgery 1/24, the first two days I consumed 250-300 calories with only broths and Water. I could hardly choke down a sip or 2 of Protein Shakes. Today I was able to incorporate yogurt and modified liquids. My “stage 2” stats are 64oz of water 72g of Protein, 16g carbs and 11g of fat with 502 calories. I had two “meals” bfast was a 2oz of hot cereal with FF fairlife milk and protien powder, then had protien shake, lunch was zero sugar chiobani yogurt, then had another protein shake. I really want some soup but that’s a head hunger thing. is this too much?
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August Surgery buddies
Hiddenroses replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hello again everyone! I'll start by saying I'm sorry it takes me so long to post my responses. This is because while I do skim posts from my phone, especially when I see an email that has me tagged I find it so much easier to type and properly respond from my desktop computer. So - If I 'Like' a post' just know I'll likely later mention something in one of my long summarized posts, like this one! Yesterday was exhausting for me; I slept poorly Tuesday night due to heartburn and tenderness on the left hand side. I did get a few things done yesterday, though, including making it to Walmart finally to get my returns processed. I'm not sure why I thought I'd need extra bandages and such after my surgery, but I didn't. That said, after reviewing the cost of canned soups and canned chicken, I decided just to buy a rotisserie chicken! Honestly, that's proven to be easier and more economical because after deboning it there is plenty of flavorful chicken to either puree into chicken salad or puree with chicken broth and some canned peas/carrots as a kind of 'no noodle' soup! I also had a ridiculous epiphany this morning - cooking and straining our fruits BEFORE mixing them with yogurt or ricotta works WAY BETTER! This should have been obvious but in my addled mind I've been either 'peeling' the strawberries, or like this morning I thought I'd put the whole blueberry yogurt smoothie through the metal screen to strain and hey - that worked POORLY! Lol - silly the illogical things we do at times, eh? Or maybe it's just me, idk! Oh - I ALSO realized yesterday evening, when I had basically zero energy nor desire to mess with dinner but still was far short of my protein goal that I hadn't started taking the Collagen yet that I bought to help my hair, skin, and nails. Lo and behold when I scoped it out (I ordered Nature Target Multi-Collagen Peptides from Amazon) that one scoop DOES have 9g of Protein! I truly felt like I was cheating the system when I poured a scoop in about 4oz of Gatorade Zero, Orange and called that my dinner. I'm not sure what caused me to sleep better last night - the fact that I held/hugged a pillow ( Thank you again @draikaina8503 for mentioning the pillow your nursing staff gave you!) against my left side during most movements throughout the day, the fact that I was extremely tired, the relief from hearing from my doctor's office, or just time and healing in general) but I DID sleep well and today has gone more smoothly for me. As of today I'm 17 days post op, about a 1/4 of the way into my two weeks of puree diet. @ShoppGirl - I haven't noticed about white spots on the tongue after different types of protein drinks because I've been really aware of any 'filmy texture' so rinse my mouth after each meal, but I do feel like the Ensure is thicker and takes more effort for me to rinse after drinking. Thanks for mentioning the Protein Water! I'm going to look into that to see if it will help me meet my protein goal of 60g/day. @draikaina8503 - I haven't noticed much as far as skin sensitivity goes although my bruises from where they stuck me have taken an AGE to heal! I've been worried about you and hope that the incident with your doggo didn't leave you with any lasting damage (I may see a post about that later as I read). Are you taking Collagen Peptides by chance? I noticed one of the Youtubers who documented their own surgery journey dealt with breakouts afterward while taking Collagen and wondered if maybe it was impurities being purged from their skin as a result of the Collagen itself. If not I'd definitely mention it to your surgeon and double check (not that I think you'd miss anything since you seem VERY thorough) that some ingredient you're intolerant to hasn't snuck its way into your routine. Update: Oh good, I'm glad you got some reassurance from your physician's office. Wow - congratulations on the return to school! The start date is rolling right up, isn't it?! Yeah, timing - eesh - I feel ya! Best of luck in finding a comfortable position in which to do your course work, and the energy to tackle everything at once! So far though it looks like you're nailing it and no reason to think that success won't keep right on coming! Oh - and yeah, I guess I AM blessed to have been given this little bottle of Hibiclens! I had noticed that there was one of those tubs in my hospital room when I got ready to check out and there was another bottle of it in there as well as a couple of 'No rinse' shampoo caps. I snagged everything out of it - figured if my insurance was paying for it, I was gonna grab it for possible later use! I wish I could hand you this extra bottle, honestly! @Pepper_No_Salt - Wow; goodness! Yeah; honestly it sounds like you're doing way too much! I'm only just now starting to feel up to helping load the dishwasher, and today I managed to slowly sort through the clothing in my chest of drawers for size/quality of condition. Even then, I had to have my fella open the drawers for me because it's older and they stick a bit, plus pulling anything makes me tender, much less bending and pulling at the same time! I can't IMAGINE trying to tackle everything you just listed at this stage. I know we all heal at different rates but my surgeon's office told me yesterday that the pain *I* have been mainly experiencing, a pulling/tugging on my left side, can take up to a month or two to recover from. She said to remember that despite how the surface appears to have healed that there is a LOT of repair and healing happening internally. She also said that as frustrating as it is to just try to be patient with myself because the body is adjusting in a lot of ways between not getting hardly any carbs, learning to get its energy from different sources, i.e. stored fat, processing our intake of protein/water differently, and literally healing multiple organs (for me, SADI, intestines and stomach from the sleeve portion) and that takes a lot out of a person. @Justarwaxx - Oh my goodness, that sounds VERY anxiety inducing! This is your body and your journey, I absolutely suggest contacting your surgeon's office to see if they can send you some kind of guideline on what to be doing at your different stages. Also, I will be honest - that sounds like a lot of calories to be intaking during your liquid diet and I can't help but wonder if you're drinking maybe the wrong particular protein shake? I don't say that because I think you SHOULD worry about calories specifically but you DO need to worry about sugar intake. I got tripped up because my surgeon's team gave me a booklet guide for the whole process and I'm not supposed to drink any protein shakes that have less than 15g of Protein and more than 5g of sugar. The protein shakes are deceptive as heck, though! Example: The off brand Equate ones I got are Max Protein with 30g of Protein and less than 1g of sugar, and one time I accidentally bought their Protein Plus which had 20g of sugar in each one! They tasted great - but at the cost of all that sugar it was a hard pass! Also if you are drinking regular Gatorade or Powerade I could see that being a factor; I'm on Zero Sugar for my non-protein beverages. I can totally see how you'd feel at a loss - I spent 10 months working up to my surgery (because I had to quit smoking, etc) and I still feel like I'm winging it. If your surgeon's team didn't mention it, I will - there is an app called Baritastic that is free on the Google Play Store. You can scan the items you intake or search them on the 'Food Log' and it usually pulls up the correct information and lets you put what percent of the listed serving size you consumed. I do suggest checking at least one time to make sure it's pulling up the correct information that matches the Nutrition Facts listed on the item. After that it will be recorded in your 'Recent' list and you can just choose it easily that way. Baritastic also has a built in Timer for 30 minutes you can use to track when you stop drinking and can start drinking after a meal - once you're past the liquid stage and move on to meals that's pretty important across the board as far as I know. The 'No drinking 30 minutes before, during, or after a meal' is important because due to the adjusted size of your stomach it can only fit a certain amount, and you could get overly full of water before or after a meal otherwise, leading to you being sick to your stomach or feeling miserable overall. Honestly, I've been setting a timer when I sit down at my computer as well so I don't get absorbed in what I'm doing and sit for too long. That's been helpful! Best of healing and well wishes to you all - Oh, finally updated my ticker but bummed I can't put 'SADI' as my surgery type. Oh well! Adding: The Finch App continues to help me navigate these waters, big time. I open my free Finch app (Also on the Google Play App store) more often then I open Facebook or any social media. Taking care of that silly cute cartoon bird and getting rewarded for taking care of MY personal business is such a benefit to someone like me who is almost certainly ADHD/Autistic at some level. I even use it to remind me to log my food/liquid intake in Baritastic. OH and I did make solid contact with the testing center I've been on a wait list with - looks like I'll at least be able to get in to a counselor soon, though I'm still on the wait list for actual Autism testing. Ok - that's all for now!