Search the Community

Yes ! Head hunger is what it is. When you stop and really think, am I hungry?? I always say no, just bored or wanting to eat out of habit. I FEEL satisfies 99% of the time. I'm just fighting the hand to mouth habit with Water. I'm addicted to SOBE life water. I drink 2-3 a day and I love all the favors. Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

It's very possible that you too have developed a food allergy. It's common after surgery. Wait a week or two and try it again. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Anybody? I know it can be really rough for some in those first few weeks and I want to give them some hope. Also, did you struggle early on but love it now? I'm 4 months out and was terribly exhausted for at least 10 weeks, which I didn't expect, but I'm 101 pounds down and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Almost 8 months out and no regrets at all. It gets me upset when newbies, particularly those 3 months and less, get on the boards discouraging others. Anyone who reads this board and research the surgery know that there are some set backs. There is the 3 week stall (that can last more than a month), there's the throwing up, there's the mourning of food, and slow losers (like myself) BUT all in all those of us 6 months or more out (even some with SERIOUS complications) wouldn't go back to how we were. I always feel that someone who is still researching the Sleeve verus other WL options will turn away because they read a rant of regret from someone 1 month out. They miss the chance to change thier lives based on an "in the moment" and emotional writin. Then when such said ranter is 6 months out and close to 100 pounds lost (Praising God for this tool) the researching newbie will still be unhappy and unhealthy. I'm sorry for my soapbox. I know these boards are a place to come and vent, read, learn, and testify. I myself have posted some post that I now look at and laugh about. And even in my slow losing phrase, I come a write BUT I am always so careful to search on previous topics and answers before I unleash my sleeve wrath because its all here on the boards- rarely nothing new under the Web sun. ut again- back to your question- I DON'T REGRET ONE MINUTE OF THE SLEEVE.

Hi Xtina, Yes, I had my fill on 4/14. It didn't make as much of a difference as I was hoping. They added 1.5 cc. My next one is scheduled for 5/12. Down another 3 pounds, but still eating way more than I probably should be on some days. The best part is I am fitting into some spring/summer clothes that wouldn't fit last year.

This recipe is perfect for the mushy, and soft solids stage minus the tortilla. I don't use the milk, or butter that this recipe calls for. My adjustments are listed below. chicken Enchiladas II - All recipes Okay, so I tweak every recipe I find to fit our dietary needs and family tastes. The nutrition facts for this recipe listed are unbelievably HIGH calorie, high carb, high fat so, I changed things up quite a bit. Also, I cheat and use the crock pot. 2 cans of cream of chicken Soup (98% reduced fat) I've also used one can of cream of mushroom, 1 can of cream of chicken, I always use the 98% reduced fat this cuts the fat, calories and carbs substantially 1/2 package of chicken fajita seasoning 1 small can of diced green chilis 1/2 cup of sour cream 1-2 tsp of Crushed red pepper (TOTALLY OPTIONAL, we like things a with a kick) 2-3 chicken breast (I use 2 large breast halves, boneless, skinless work best) 2 cups, Sargentos reduced fat mexican flavored shredded cheeses mix 6 - 6inch whole wheat tortillas or wraps/low carb (optional) We never eat corn tortillas. In a mixing bowl, mix Soups, sour cream, fajita seasoning, and green chilis stirring thoroughly to ensure well blending. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (I refrigerate overnight) Get the crock pot liners (found in the aisle with foil/ziploc baggies) I use a 4 quart crock pot. After the soup mix has set up, dump into crock pot, and toss the chicken breast in on top of the soup mixture. I do not thaw my chicken breast. We buy chicken in bulk at the commissary, so I come home and divide the packages into freezer bags. I found that thawing the chicken breast made the chicken way too mushy for our tastes. I found the "frozen breast" hint in another recipe and it works fabulously. Cook on high for 2-3 hours (cook times will vary based on chicken breast size), remove chicken from crock pot, shred with 2 forks, and return to crock pot. Cook on low for 2 more hours. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat over to 375 degrees Add 1 cup of shredded cheese to crock pot mixture, stir well. Scoop chicken/soup mixture (1/2 cup) into tortilla, sprinkle with small amount of remaining cheese. Roll, and place seam side down in casserole dish. Repeat until you have filled the tortillas. Empty remaining crock pot soup and chicken mixture over enchiladas/burritos covering all the exposed tortillas with soup mixture to prevent burning or drying them out. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes until soup is bubbly and cheese has melted. Garnish with lite sour cream, diced tomatoes, green onions, and/or diced jalapenos. I rarely eat any of the tortilla, the soup/chicken mixture is absolutely fabulous. It's not too spicy, it's wonderfully seasoned, and is very filling. Here's the nutritional facts for the base recipe: Chicken Enchiladas II Servings Per Recipe: 6 Amount Per Serving (1 enchilada ) Calories: 619 Total Fat: 27.1g Cholesterol: 60mg Sodium: 1459mg Total Carbs: 66.8g Dietary Fiber: 4.1g Protein: 26.1g My estimated nutrition facts based on the myfitnesspal.com calculations for the entire recipe. Per serving (1 entire enchilada/burrito) Calories 374 Carbs 21 grams Protein 32.5 grams Fat 17.6 grams If you'd like to cut the carbs and calories substantially, don't eat it with any tortilla. This decreases the carb count to 6-7 carb grams per 1/2 cup of soup/chicken mixture. This drops the calorie count to 293 calories. Recipe can be easily halved to prevent too many leftovers. The chicken/soup mixture also freezes and defrosts very well. I found this recipe on February 15th, and have made them twice, and we're having them again tonight. John hates mexican food, but he loves these. Don't freak out over those numbers. Remember you're only eating 1/4 of cup during the mushy stage for most patients.

I actually never had heartburn and assumed the prilosec was doing it's job. I am no longer on it and can eat anything without getting heartburn so it has not been a problem for me. I would give my system time to settle down and if it doesn't go away I would definitely call the surgeon next week. I am sure they have something to give you. As far as treating just the symptom. I don't believe banding gives you long term heartburn unless you are already prone to it. I never had heartburn to begin with therefore, I don't have the problem. If you already had it to begin with, it may be a sign of a deeper issue and you may want to consult with your PCP.

I'll be 9 months post-op this weekend. I don't know if I could eat a whole bagel or not, since I haven't had any bagels since surgery. But I do know that I could probably eat an entire large muffin from my grocery store's bakery. A couple of times now I have bought one and split it with my husband, but I am pretty sure I could eat the whole thing if I tried. The muffins are pretty "cake-y" though and I know cake is way easier for me than breads. Since a bagel is so dense, I think it would be more of a challenge. I was just recently able to eat an entire piece of multi-grain toast with peanut butter on it. It was the first time I was able to eat a whole piece of toast at once. I had tried a few months earlier and only been able to eat about 3/4 of a piece. Anyway, that was after having been sick with a stomach bug for over 24 hours and I wasn't able to eat any meat or protein bars, so I thought I would give a piece of toast a try, since pre-op, toast was always recommended for situations like that. I put peanut-butter on it, just so I could get SOME protein in.

I'm looking for a weeks food schedule that I can try to help me lose weight. I have lost 66lbs in four months, but the weight is coming off slow lately. I don't think I'm eating right.

I am 7 weeks post op and officially down a total of 60 lbs since starting this WLS journey! And 36 lbs since surgery! HW 328 BMI 56 SW 304 CW 268 BMI 45 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Usually when you are done with the program. Your date is generally scheduled 4-6 weeks after they submit paperwork/approve you

Sorry, I posted this in Tell Your Story by mistake so I am reposting it here. I am scheduled for my vsg surgery on Monday January 17 so I have to start my 2 week liquid diet tomorrow. For the next 2 weeks I will be living on 3-4 protein shakes, sugarfree drinks, plain eggs and low fat cheese per day. I am so nervous and scared that I won't be able to do it. Any suggestions and tips to help me make through these next 2 weeks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jen

Welcome to our world. You'll find a lot of great information here. Just search the site and you'll find answers to most your questions. A lot of what you find is person/doctor specific and also kinda depends on if you go the insurance route or are a self-payer. You'll find most doctors require some sort of liquid pre-surgery diet to shrink the liver. It varies from days to weeks though. How far out the surgery is set also depends on various things like insurance or how busy your doctor is. Mine was a week of liquids with less than 50 grams of carbohydrates and more than 70 grams of Proteins prior to surgery. I was a self-pay so I didn't have to jump through the insurance hoops and took me roughly four weeks from the date of the first consulation to the actual surgery. Like I said though, everything varies for the specifics. Just make sure you follow the rules of your own surgeon. Good luck to ya!

Crazzee - I have similar experience as you. I have not had a lot of restriction and have been able to eat more than I expected. Could immediately drink large swallows 2 days after getting sleeved. Had no problems with eating a scrambled egg on Day 7 post-op. Was put on soft foods at that same time (my NUT does the 'egg test' and releases sleever to soft foods if they can eat an egg within 20 mins). Was able to eat shellfish after 2 weeks. No problems with anything. Upon discussing this with NUT, I was advised to just set a timer for 30 mins, and stop eating after that. Since, I have started to notice a sensation of needing to slow down after eating about 4 oz of food, so it became a little more apparent of when my new sleeve was telling me 'stop, your full'. Given some of the stories we read here about folks who can barely drink or eat, I think we are blessed to have no issues. My working theory is that folks who had an 'Iron stomach' before sleeve, may have less issues. Or, maybe its the length of the stomach, or maybe the Doc leaves a little more stomach in some than others. -RC-

I got sleeved oct 22, originally told my boss I needed at least one week off. Was sleeved on a monday, came back the next Tuesday. On Wednesday I was very nauseous and weak, had to leave early and take the next day off too. I had unrealistic expectations about recovery, I think. I've had a much harder time than I expected, but I expected i would be good as new in about a week so that is pretty unrealistic haha. Everyone is different, some have no problem going back in a week while I on the other hand have really struggled. Just listen to your body and take it easy. Congrats on this new adventure!

Everyone loses in their own time, you may want to start exercising or change up what you currently. Like if you are walking you might want to try a little jog ... something to get you breathing heavy and sweating. I have hit stalls and when I changed up foods and workouts I started losing again. But key is diet and exercise.

felkatz-I bought a bunch of different types of protein shakes at first so I could see what I like and don't like. I've been mixing them with water becuase I'm lactose intolerent. I just made a Nectar Brand, Chocolate flavored one this morning with Lactaid. It's really good and I can see it's filling me up. I think the trick is the milk. I wasn't full when I was making them with water. I get hungry in the afternoon! That's when I go for jello! I can't wait till I can have soft food next week!!

i'm 5 days out of surgery.... newly banded but HUNGRY! they say Clear Liquids for first week but ugh.. i'm starving!!! They mentioned Protein shakes but i hated the ones they told me to take! so... I am having problems drinkign my Water because i have sour mouth.. they say its ketosis? I don't know but blah! Per docs order... said i can start mushy food next week... soo i can't wait! i'm STARVING!

I'm told to crush my pills larger than an eraser head post op. My dr told me to put in apple sauce but how can I do that during my first 2 weeks while on liquids? Putting in Water could get rough ... How did you guys deal with this? Thanks Andrew

The article is long because it provides 2 contrary points of view -- one doc is pro exercise and the other is not and they say why. Pro- Exercise: - exercise is beneficial and needed to maintain overall health - exercise helps in weight loss because exercise decreases one's appetite for a time - athletes can burn 5,000 calories in a day Con-Exercise: - exercise does not help weightloss as much as cutting calories - people who exercised over estimate calories burned by an average of 4X - people who ate the number of calories they believed they just burned, over-ate by 440 calories I used to exercise 6-7 days a week, up to 2.5 hours a day (cardio every day + weights) for 3 years. In the first year I lost 65 pounds out of the 80 I had to lose and could only maintain it for about 2 months. The rest of the time, I was between 155-160 pounds (no, muscle does not weight more than fat -- 1 lb = 1lb; muscle takes less space). After I started researching and writing, after exercising I sat at a computer for 12-14 hours a day. I never did reach my goal weight because I could not exercise enough and keep down my hunger at the same time. To burn as many calories as an athlete, one must train like an athlete and I could not. It was less than a year before I gained all the weight back plus another 40 pounds. I needed the sleeve because I could not keep myself from eating. Exercising kept me away from the pantry and the refrigerator for the time I was exercising! :crying: Exercising made me feel great because it made me smaller but not lighter. I could never exercise the amount I needed to, to reach goal weight

Was that Dr. Ricciardi? According to FillCenters, he has been open for 3 months and has seen 8 LB patients so far (I'm going to be #9). Did he get your port on the first try? How did he know how to get the right fill amount without fluoro? Any tips to maximize my visit with him?

I'm 3+ weeks postop and no nausea but tried turkey sausage for the first time this am after working in ER (nurse) during the night for first time as well. should I hold on turkey sausage? Is this feeling food intolerance or just unrelated?

I’d go with the too soon too. For many of us, we were advised liquids for two weeks, purées for two weeks, soft food for two weeks. So sausages would not be on the diet until at least week 7. But surgeons do have different plans. In the first few months, you may struggle to find foods you can tolerate. Your tummy can be very sensitive, your taste buds can change, things suddenly smell terrible & certain textures can be unpalatable. Over time this passes but you just have to be willing to take things slowly. It’s a lot of trial & error to work out what you can eat easily at the beginning & then that will change as you progress. Good luck.

Thank you so much for the advice. It seems like pretty much if we listen to our bodies we can live with choices and be ok. A friend of mine got banded a week ago and is eating Wendy's chili because she is starving and found it worked well for her and she swears its only 220 calories and 18 protien. I'm too scared to try it but she is fine. It's amazing how different we all are with this band. I know this is a lifestyle change and I plan to use this band to help me recover from my old habbits.

Have you spoken with your surgeon and NUT? Also, are you logging a food diary? You may be able to go back through that to see if anything changed. I could help your NUT too to see what you're doing and try to help. It may just be a long stall too.