9 days out have MAJOR concerns. HELP!!!!!!!!

[Skinnyagain 12]

Ok, I am in agreement that the right after surgery SUCKS big time, but I have some concerns. First, Other than incision pain, I feel no different. I still have hunger pains, my stomach growls, I want food so badly. I have no problem with the Protein Shakes, other than they don't taste that great, they do not make me sick. In fact nothing makes me sick. 2.) I feel like I could eat anything. I mean like real food. I have not tried yet, but I have had very thin mashed potatoes and it was no problem at all. I quit eating after a cup but really felt like i could eat more. Is this normal? I find myself asking, did he really take my stomach or did I just pay all that money for him to make some cuts on my stomach to make me think he did. I know that sounds crazy, but I am really freaking out right now. My instructions say I should only be able to get in 2-3 oz of full liquids. However I have been drinking those campbells soup at hand Soups and they are 10 3/4 oz's. I can drink the whole thing with no problem. I really dont have to take small sips ether. I don't gulp but normal swallows don't bother me. I have yet to feel "FULL".

I know this sounds strange to complain about, but so many other people complain about nausea and not being able to get much liquid in which would also suck, but at least they know there sleeve is working. I have no idea.

Has anyone else had these issues. I just feel like I am going through the pain of surgery and now extreme hunger pain for nothing. HELP!!!

[Tiffykins 673]

Liquids in, liquids out. It sounds like your swelling went down quickly, be thankful just keeping drinking your fluids. Don't risk stressing your staple line with foods, or chunks of food.

The hunger hormone is still in your body. You'll feel restriction once you get to more solid type foods. But, right now, just keep plugging away with your Protein, and clear fluids.

[CBL 3]

Yeah, be careful... healing is the name of the game right now. I am feeling the same way as you at 16 days post-op but the plan is there for a reason: to allow your stomach to heal.

Also, if you keep pounding down all those liquid calories you are going to slow down your weight loss.

[Skinnyagain 12]

I am not really getting in that many calories. My Protein Shake is about 70-80 I drink 2 a day they are 8oz. I will have either a campbells Soup which is 150 calories or just some other soup broth which does have less 1-2 x a day and I drink lots of Water. I have not cheated the diet plan at all. I have strained everything to make sure it has no lumps or chunks in it. I am just concerned about the volume of liquid I can get in. I feel like I could eat what ever I wanted but have not done that. Plus this "plan" is confusing to me. I was given a binder at pre -op that has one diet plan in it, and was given another at post-op that has a different diet plan in it. the hospital one has me on mushy food at only 2 weeks out, which I think is a little early. plus both say NO STARCHES, but in the same sentence say I can have mashed potatoes or cream of potato soup strained. Aren't potatoes a starch? I only ate them once and decided that was not a good idea.

[bilka 6]

I don't even know what "starch" means, so I can't help you with that.

I just can tell you that I was worried too right after surgery. I could drink so much (a part from pure water): hot Soups, tea, broth, Protein Drinks, .. I even LOVED my Protein shakes!

I too felt like I could eat anything, I was craving the weirdest food ever (do you know what tortellini are? Well, I was dying for them). Then I stopped my liquid diet and started with pured food and there I realized I really had the sleeve done. With "real" food the cravings stopped. There are days where I might think about something special (today it is chocolate, for example, because I bought some for a friend this morning), but most of the times I don't.

This is my experience, but I read more than once people being worried about the same thing. I really wouldn't worry too much. Enjoy your liquids because with real food it is going to be harder...

[vickie 3]

I was the same way. I think I even posted about it. I was scared I was able to take in too much while still wanting more. Same with mushies. But now i'm on more solids food and i'm getting fuller. Protect your tummy. Keep doing what you're doing. And everything will get better. I still feel like I can eat a lot but I am losing so it's ok.

[AutumnLily 77]

My swelling also went down really fast and I had no problem during the liquid phase to get in all my liquids and Protein. And I could take normal sips. Now that I have been on mushies for 2 weeks I feel restriction. Today I was stupid and ate my omelette too fast and most likely one bite too many. My body let me know there was too much in my stomach and everybody was kicked out of the "pool". I now can eat 3/4 of a 1 egg omelette with chopped up lunch meat and shredded cheese. It seems like barely anything but I feel full.

Give your body some time and you will see a change when you are onto more mushie solid foods.

[Used2b575lbs 29]

Until you reach the solid stage, in the timeframe that your doctor has setup you may not feel that restriction. Even to this day over 8 months out there's thing I can eat and eat and eat or drink and drink and drink if I wanted to and paced myself.

However if I have the 3-4 ounces of chicken, turkey, fish or other solid Proteins I am so full. Give it time and follow your doctors orders you will A) lose weight and feel that my sleeve is full feeling soon enough

Keep up the good work

[Middlesister57 14]

I was like you with the liquid at first. Very worried that I could drink a lot. When I started on food, it was amazing how much little I could eat. There are for sure some things that go down a lot easier, and I can eat a lot of, but still feel the restriction. I was on a stall for the whole month of February, I only lost 1 pound. It was because the doctor had taken me off the Protein Shakes because I was having a lot of problem with my bowels, they thought I was lactose intollerant. So 2 weeks ago I decided to get back on the Protein and the weight is starting to come off again. WHEW....My doctor puts you on mushies after 2 weeks. I did OK on them but if I took just one bite too much it all came back up. So be careful. You will see for yourself, the first time you feel the restriction you will know what it is. It's very uncomfortable. I still worry that I am eating too much. Oh and by the way it took about 6 weeks for my hunger to go away. One day I just realized I wasn't hungry anymore. It's more like an empty feeling than hunger. It's different and hard to explain. But you can choose to ignore it or feed it. I usually ignore it, but there are times when I feed it too. Good Luck. It will happen for you just be patient.

[citizenwill 7]

Yeah that one bite thing is nasty. You never see it coming (at least I didn't).

Learned my lesson fast. Hahahah....

Will

[luvthe8r 4]

I am so glad to read this. Skinnyagain, I am just 1 day after you and was thinking exactly the same thing today. I hated to complain because most would feel blessed that they had no trouble drinking anything, and was really worried that I was going to be that one in a million that was unphased by the surgery. Besides the fact that I am sick to tears of Protein shakes, Jello and popsicles, I am really feeling pretty normal. So glad to hear from some of the "old timers" that it will change once solids come into play.

Also, I had my 1st post-op yesterday and had to do a barium drink and xray and saw my little banana of a stomach, so do know for sure a big chunk of it is gone and the incisions aren't just for fun!

[1-4-Many 2]

Yeah that one bite thing is nasty. You never see it coming (at least I didn't).

Learned my lesson fast. Hahahah....

Will

Help me to understand this. If you don't know when you are topped off, how do you learn your

lesson? Do you just never eat to "full"? Is the idea that you always only eat a portion of what

you could? So let's say you are supposed to be able to hold 8 ounces of food but you train

yourself to stop at 6 ounces to avoid that one bite too many. At what point is this not healthy?

Honest to goodness, I know this will just infuriate a lot of the people here, but there are so many

times when I read here that it just sounds like this is an approved eating disorder.

Fire away.....

[newly sleeved 0]

Skinny,

I had my VSG done on 03/18/11. I can drink plenty of fluids too. I also feel like I can eat solids already. I actually ate three teaspoons of solid food two days ago while I was preparing dinner for my kids. It was a moment of weakness. I had no pain what-so-ever. However, I did feel full. I am so thankful that I didnt get a leak from eating too soon!!! I am just sharing my story with you to let you know that you are not alone. Yesterday made one week from my surgery date and I have lost 10 lbs. I renewed my commitment to myself to follow the liquid diet and get in as much Protein as possible. I feel like I risked my life by having this surgery and I am not going to risk it again by eating myself into complications. HW196, CW186 GW135. It's time that we find other things to keep us busy so that we wont be so focused on food and being full. At least that is my plan for now. LOL. I wish you much success, and I will keep you posted!

Ok, I am in agreement that the right after surgery SUCKS big time, but I have some concerns. First, Other than incision pain, I feel no different. I still have hunger pains, my stomach growls, I want food so badly. I have no problem with the Protein shakes, other than they don't taste that great, they do not make me sick. In fact nothing makes me sick. 2.) I feel like I could eat anything. I mean like real food. I have not tried yet, but I have had very thin mashed potatoes and it was no problem at all. I quit eating after a cup but really felt like i could eat more. Is this normal? I find myself asking, did he really take my stomach or did I just pay all that money for him to make some cuts on my stomach to make me think he did. I know that sounds crazy, but I am really freaking out right now. My instructions say I should only be able to get in 2-3 oz of full liquids. However I have been drinking those campbells Soup at hand Soups and they are 10 3/4 oz's. I can drink the whole thing with no problem. I really dont have to take small sips ether. I don't gulp but normal swallows don't bother me. I have yet to feel "FULL".

I know this sounds strange to complain about, but so many other people complain about nausea and not being able to get much liquid in which would also suck, but at least they know there sleeve is working. I have no idea.

Has anyone else had these issues. I just feel like I am going through the pain of surgery and now extreme hunger pain for nothing. HELP!!!

[citizenwill 7]

Help me to understand this. If you don't know when you are topped off, how do you learn your

lesson? Do you just never eat to "full"? Is the idea that you always only eat a portion of what

you could? So let's say you are supposed to be able to hold 8 ounces of food but you train

yourself to stop at 6 ounces to avoid that one bite too many. At what point is this not healthy?

Honest to goodness, I know this will just infuriate a lot of the people here, but there are so many

times when I read here that it just sounds like this is an approved eating disorder.

Fire away.....

Hi.

No your tummy tell's you when it has had enough, just like it used to, but if you push another bite you may or may not upchuck. I found that as time went on I naturally knew when to stop. It also depends a lot on what you just ate. Everyone seems different.

I haven't done it in a long time just in the early days it happened only twice.

For me it initially was just me getting used to my new stomach My brain didn't catch up to my new stomach. Old habits die hard I guess.

Please don't get frightened. I have no regrets to this day.

My best,

Will

[Tiffykins 673]

Help me to understand this. If you don't know when you are topped off, how do you learn your

lesson? Do you just never eat to "full"? Is the idea that you always only eat a portion of what

you could? So let's say you are supposed to be able to hold 8 ounces of food but you train

yourself to stop at 6 ounces to avoid that one bite too many. At what point is this not healthy?

Honest to goodness, I know this will just infuriate a lot of the people here, but there are so many

times when I read here that it just sounds like this is an approved eating disorder.

Fire away.....

Honestly, measuring portions is the easiest thing to do in the world until you can eyeball portions.

The idea is to stop eating before you feel stuffed. Initially early out, your stomach nerves have been severed, and need time to heal. So the ever elusive "full signal" can take weeks to months to be recognizable. My full signal is a single, solitary hiccup. If I eat a couple more bites after that hiccup, 2 things will happen. Either I'll get super uncomfortable, or I'll puke up that one last bite. It only happened a couple of times way early out for me because I was still learning.

Also, individual stomach length can change sleeve capacity. So just because myself and another VSG'er surgeon both used a 32fr bougie, we might have different capacities. Plus, once the sleeve matures it's capacity is different for everyone. Also, the consistency, temperature, food type change my capacity. It's all a learning experience.

It's really more about changing poor eating habits. Instead of shoveling food in frantically, in huge volumes, it's learning to measure portions that will give you satiety, keep you within the prescribed dietary guideline, and to establish a relationship with food that promotes the mentality that food is fuel.

Even at almost 22 months out, I rarely eat until I feel "full". Getting that feeling every meal for the past 20 years is what helped me get fat so why continue that path if I want to be successful long term? For me, there's a big difference in being "full" and being "satisfied". I'm satisfied on 3oz of dense Protein, 2-4oz of green veggies and/or 3-4oz of carby goodness like mashed potatoes. Mixing carbs with my dense Protein allows me to eat more, drinking warm fluids or alcohol before/sipping during my meals allows me to fit more in. It's called "cheating the sleeve", and I do use these tactics to get in a couple more ounces of food per meal because I'm in maintenance, pregnant, and I need at a minimum of 1800 calories per day. If I adhered to every single sleeve rule like I did during my losing stage, I would literally have to eat 7-8 times a day to meet that caloric intake. There's no way I have time in my life to eat that many times a day. I need to do it in a max of 4-5 meals.

I personally stretch my meals out further, eat softer meats, mix carbs/starch with my meat, and sometimes still stick with mushie/puree consistency food to get in enough calories/protein to maintain my weight. As soon as I go back to the dietary guidelines, I drop weight and that's not the goal long term with the sleeve. But, changing a lifetime of craptastic habits is/was my goal.