3 weeks post-op

[Dawn 16]

So today is 3 weeks post-op and I really hope my body catchs up pretty soon! LOL I lost .4 of a lb this week I keep telling myself that I know it might take a little time and that I didn't gain the weight over night I'm not going to lose it overnight either! I have started to be very good about tracking my food and I am getting in about 600 calories a day which of course my goal is 700-800 and I've been getting in 50g of Protein (which I know needs to be bumped up to 60g)! My plan is to start to incorporate more "meats" into my diet this week to try and get that protein up!

[Susanne 32]

Are you sure you can have meats already? Or do you mean pureed stuff?

3 weeks seems a early to me (though I came to realize that my surgeon is very conservative), I am almost 5 weeks out and have to wait another week :-(

I am looking forward to meats too - not just because I like them but because with 3 oz. of lean ground beef I can have 22g of protein!

[AmMatthew 35]

I'm three weeks tomorrow. And my doctor is the opposite of conservative (but he's done these since 2005, so perhaps he has a better feel for things). Anyway, I've been on soft meats for a week. I just broke through my stall between yesterday and today. I should note that yesterday my pregnant wife have cravings for Desserts, and I ate three bites of a passion-fruit mouse and about 3 heaping tablespoons of full fat, full sugar ice cream, with about the same of NS/NF ice cream in the night. So, as several have noted, shaking up your diet helps (or perhaps it was the NS/NF ice cream that prompted my first bowel movement in about 4 days!) Anyway, down today over a pound, and over the 20 days since surgery, down a bit over 20 pounds.

I may be the scientist in me, but I like to experiment with my sleeve. And I find meats much easier, and certainly more filling than liquids. I recall that when I was on full liquids, I was consuming more calories during the day, and feeling less full. Now, three bites of leftover turkey eaten out of a Soup, and I'm full. Repeat that 15 minutes later and I don't/can't eat for 4 - 5 hours, and I'm well satiated. The advantage of bird meat is that it is relatively low in fat, easy to get down, and almost pure Protein. My only vegetables are collateral damage from the Soups that I tend to eat. My hunch is that the milk and stuff that are in most Protein drinks are high in lactose, which is after all a sugar.

[Dawn 16]

My doc and NUT said I could start soft meats! Shoot, my NUT actually said I could go to full solids if I wanted to just as long as I chew chew chew until it's mush!

[Susanne 32]

The differences in food recommendations never fail to amaze me. I was 2 weeks clear liquid, followed by 4 weeks of full liquids and then I go to soft/moist foods.

My surgeon has done over 400 sleeves, so I believe he knows what he is doing. They explained their caution with the fact that they are keeping a leak rate of <1% while other clinics accept up to 4% leak rate and in order to keep the leak rate that low, they are more conservative with the recommended food. I guess I appreciate that thought process :-)

I guess I am not willing to experiment with something where failure is catastrophic and irreversible. Don't get me wrong, I have experimented with a lot of things *cough* and usually don't shirk a challenge. In this case though, if something goes wrong - there is nothing I can do, no way to save the failed experiment. If it is down in there, it is down in there. AND the repercussions are more severe than just a bad trip or a mean hang-over...

The sleeve is still in the healing process, and I have the rest of my life to eat meat...hmmm, meat!