Holiday

I don't think having a frozen meal when you're pressed for time otherwise would hurt you at all. I found a posting (forget where, was months ago) from a fellow sleever who doesn't cook. She wasn't losing weight as fast as her doctor liked, so her doctor gace her a list of acceptable meals with some guideline for trying others. here is that list. I saved it. Lean Cuisine: Glazed chicken Three cheese Chicken Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf with Gravy and Whipped Potatoes Smart Ones: Chicken Marsala with Broccoli Picante Chicken and Pasta Penne Pollo South Beach: Garlic Herb Chicken Healthy Choice: Beef Tips Portobello Traditional Turkey Breast Meals must meet the following guidelines: *Fewer than 300 calories *Fewer than 10 grams total fat *Less than 45 total carbohydrates *More than 15 grams of Protein *Less than 600 milligrams of sodium (preferred but not essential) Hope this helps!

Thanks so much for your quick replies and encouragement. I've felt very good about the journey until I started doing the math and second guessing myself today. Thanks goodness for this forum!

I'm 7 weeks post-op today. I haven't stressed much about how much I am losing since surgery. Instead, I keep very careful track of my calories, Protein, and Water on MyFitnessPal so I'm not overeating. There isn't a lot of guidance from my doctor about how many calories I should be getting at this point. My guidelines are a simple 60-70 grams of protein a day. Reading everyone else's posts I determined that a daily goal of about 800 calories is what others are using for their goal, so I adopted that as my own. I should also note that I spent 7 days on a cruise ship with no way to track my food, but I lost 0.2 lbs. I'm not having any trouble eating or meeting my goals, but I wonder if my weight loss is typical or could be improved upon. Surgery Day: 208 7 week anniversay: 183 Is this normal? 25 lbs in 7 weeks?

I am 15 days post op and having the exact same issue. I had a followup with my doctor a week ago - he said I probably tweaked my back using the terrible hospital bed or laying around so much. He also mentioned that it could be a sign of a bad gallbladder, but said this doesn't usually become an issue until months 3-6 post-op, from the quick weight loss. "Something to watch," he said. I asked if it would be okay for me to have a massage to work on it and he said as long as I can tolerate lying on my tummy, it isn't a problem. I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will help.

Hi all. I had my surgery on October 11th at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Kansas City under the care of Stan Hoehn. Day of surgery: Surgery at 10:30 am. I woke up in a lot of pain in my abdomen. The original recovery room pain meds didn’t help. The next meds they tried caused an allergic reaction - rash, trouble breathing, inability to focus, nausea. It took hours to convince the nurse that the Dilaudid was a problem. In retrospect, as I am allergic to morphine, I can’t believe they gave me a morphine derivative and then denied I was having a reaction, but that is having a bad nurse vs. a good nurse, I suppose. For the record, all of my other nurses and CAs were the best and truly a great group of healthcare professionals. The Demerol that they finally put me on (about 7:30 pm) gave me a bit of itching around my eyes and nose, but was far more tolerable. I was able to suck on ice chips, take a walk around the unit, and sleep pretty comfortably. Day 1 Post-op: Felt great, was doing great with all tests and measurements. Able to start clear liquids. Every bite felt like I was filling my stomach with air – uncomfortable but not painful. Started taking Lortab Elixir. It tastes terrible, but it was nice to get away from the powerful drugs. Went home moving well and optimistic. Took my everyday meds (Wellbutrin,Kariva, and Zantac) and went to bed around 10 pm. Woke around 12:30 am feeling crazy nauseous and vomited repeatedly – very painful. Woke again at 3:30 am for another round. I was in so much pain and so nauseous that I could not get the Loratab down. Day 2 Post-op: Spent entire day in bed. It was almost too painful to get up to use the restroom. Too scared to take Loratab in case itmade me vomit again. Too nauseous to eat or drink, though I forced myself toget in 25 oz of water before bed. A frightening, dismal day. Realized that I was not supposed to begin taking the Kariva or Zantac right away, so that was probably the cause. Day 3 Post-op: Called the doctor because I was so sick thatI was barely able to get anything down, including water. They prescribed an anti-nausea medication that dissolves on your tongue – took one and haven’t been sick to my stomach since! Still sore from vomiting, but feeling 100% better after getting the script filled and taken. Easily get my water and protein minimums met. Took a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood and then took a nap. Day 4-6 Post-op: Energy is great and pain management is easy with liquid ibuprofen or Tylenol. Having soreness in my back, but probably due to too much sitting around. Was able to do household shopping and light cleaning around the house. Able to bend easily to scoop litter boxes, vacuum,and any other task that doesn’t require heavy lifting or pulling. Eating hasbeen an adventure. Protein shakes and liquids in general are no trouble. More solid things are hit and miss – pureed shrimp was okay, but salmon caused sliming. And sliming is no fun, but not painful, thank goodness. String cheese was fine once but not tonight. Hummus, eggs, avocado/yogurt soup, and refried beans have been no trouble. I find I am able to take one biteof just about anything and I am fine as long as I chew, chew, chew. And, ofcourse, I’m not trying anything outside of my nutritional guidelines. On the downside, I can’t tell when I am full, so I have been tying to keep all portions at about ¼ cup, as that seems to work without making me slime. Starting tomorrow, I need to really up my protein and water intake, so that might be a challenge as I feel like I have something in my mouth all the time already. LOL Hunger is mostly gone, but head hunger is alive and well. Dr. Hoehn prescribes a self-injected medicine called arixtra to help prevent blood clots. We must inject ourselves once a day for seven days following surgery. I was dreading this and was pleased to find that it is so easy and painless. Swab some tummy fat with an alcohol prep pad, pinch, and jab. The needle is so fine that I haven't felt it even a little. Believe me, super, duper easy. I see my doctor tomorrow to have the staples removed. I’m hoping to be cleared for a bath as I dearly love soaking in the tub. I've been showering, of course. I just miss my bathtub. Otherwise, I feel very much on track. I’m using myfitnesspal.com to keep track of every bite and that is so helpful. I am “hswelch” there if anyone would like to find me there.

Good luck you guys!

Hi all. I had my surgery on October 11th at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Kansas City under the care of Stan Hoehn. Day of surgery: Surgery at 10:30 am. I woke up in a lot of pain in my abdomen. The original recovery room pain meds didn’t help. The next meds they tried caused an allergic reaction - rash, trouble breathing, inability to focus, nausea. It took hours to convince the nurse that the Dilaudid was a problem. In retrospect, as I am allergic to morphine, I can’t believe they gave me a morphine derivative and then denied I was having a reaction, but that is having a bad nurse vs. a good nurse, I suppose. For the record, all of my other nurses and CAs were the best and truly a great group of healthcare professionals. The Demerol that they finally put me on (about 7:30 pm) gave me a bit of itching around my eyes and nose, but was far more tolerable. I was able to suck on ice chips, take a walk around the unit, and sleep pretty comfortably. Day 1 Post-op: Felt great, was doing great with all tests and measurements. Able to start Clear liquids. Every bite felt like I was filling my stomach with air – uncomfortable but not painful. Started taking Lortab Elixir. It tastes terrible, but it was nice to get away from the powerful drugs. Went home moving well and optimistic. Took my everyday meds (Wellbutrin,Kariva, and Zantac) and went to bed around 10 pm. Woke around 12:30 am feeling crazy nauseous and vomited repeatedly – very painful. Woke again at 3:30 am for another round. I was in so much pain and so nauseous that I could not get the Loratab down. Day 2 Post-op: Spent entire day in bed. It was almost too painful to get up to use the restroom. Too scared to take Loratab in case itmade me vomit again. Too nauseous to eat or drink, though I forced myself toget in 25 oz of Water before bed. A frightening, dismal day. Realized that I was not supposed to begin taking the Kariva or Zantac right away, so that was probably the cause. Day 3 Post-op: Called the doctor because I was so sick thatI was barely able to get anything down, including water. They prescribed an anti-nausea medication that dissolves on your tongue – took one and haven’t been sick to my stomach since! Still sore from vomiting, but feeling 100% better after getting the script filled and taken. Easily get my water and Protein minimums met. Took a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood and then took a nap. Day 4-6 Post-op: Energy is great and pain management is easy with liquid ibuprofen or Tylenol. Having soreness in my back, but probably due to too much sitting around. Was able to do household shopping and light cleaning around the house. Able to bend easily to scoop litter boxes, vacuum,and any other task that doesn’t require heavy lifting or pulling. Eating hasbeen an adventure. Protein shakes and liquids in general are no trouble. More solid things are hit and miss – pureed shrimp was okay, but salmon caused sliming. And sliming is no fun, but not painful, thank goodness. String cheese was fine once but not tonight. Hummus, eggs, avocado/yogurt Soup, and refried Beans have been no trouble. I find I am able to take one biteof just about anything and I am fine as long as I chew, chew, chew. And, ofcourse, I’m not trying anything outside of my nutritional guidelines. On the downside, I can’t tell when I am full, so I have been tying to keep all portions at about ¼ cup, as that seems to work without making me slime. Starting tomorrow, I need to really up my protein and water intake, so that might be a challenge as I feel like I have something in my mouth all the time already. LOL Hunger is mostly gone, but head hunger is alive and well. Dr. Hoehn prescribes a self-injected medicine called arixtra to help prevent blood clots. We must inject ourselves once a day for seven days following surgery. I was dreading this and was pleased to find that it is so easy and painless. Swab some tummy fat with an alcohol prep pad, pinch, and jab. The needle is so fine that I haven't felt it even a little. Believe me, super, duper easy. I see my doctor tomorrow to have the staples removed. I’m hoping to be cleared for a bath as I dearly love soaking in the tub. I've been showering, of course. I just miss my bathtub. Otherwise, I feel very much on track. I’m using myfitnesspal.com to keep track of every bite and that is so helpful. I am “hswelch” there if anyone would like to find me there.

Mine too! I'm so excited!

Hello, Swizzly. Friends of family are of course welcome, too. Heck, everyone is welcome!

Just wanted to pop in and make myself known...not a lot of activity on this forum. Come out, come out, where ever you are!

I love this! I was super happy to see my name on the list and realize that there are SO many of us! Thank you, Chris, for putting together this list. Good luck to us all!

Day two of my pre-op liquid diet was better. I drank a ton of water. I didn't have my 4th "optional" shake. And I felt great after buying a bunch of jello. It was a relief to take bites, if that makes any sense. I also bought a new tea to try and some different flavors of crystal light and propel. I get bored easily.

I have been struggling with whether I should tell my friends and family about my surgery...there are bound to be more questions and uncomfortable situations if I say nothing, but am I inviting judgement by being upfront? I guess you just can't avoid people altogether. lol Parents suck sometimes. Why couldn't he be happy that you're so brave for taking this step? Or proud that you've taken serious responsibility for your health? Hang in there - this is a hard journey. Thank goodness we have this opportunity to connect to people who understand.

Here I am in day 1 of my 2 week pre-op diet. I've been very excited to get here as it is a major milestone on the journey to getting "sleeved." I have to say, it hasn't been the easiest day for me. I feel a little like the universe is taunting me. The day began with a very good peanut butter cookie shake and a cup of peppermint tea. When I arrived at work I was greeted by an email that a co-worker had brought in homemade apple crumble. No problem. I filled my water bottle and went on with work. Lunch consisted of a terrible orange cream shake and I found myself both nauseous and wanting something more to eat. I filled my water bottle and went back to work. A few minutes later, the server from our executive dining room came by and offered me a piece of the leftover Robert Redford cake - one of my favorites! I gritted my teeth and declined. A few minutes later I ran into another co-worker who exclaimed how good he felt after indulging in a delicious, high-fat lunch (his words....can you believe it?). Are we such a food-centered world or am I being way oversensitive? Probably somewhere in the middle, I understand. But it is hard to not resent the easy, breezy offerings of empty calories without a thought for the consequences. I know, I know - I have made my decision and I can't expect the whole world to get on board just because I have. The payoff is going to be tremendous. I can't wait to start seeing the consequences of my decisions!

There are a ton of Youtube diaries out there. Here are some of my favorites: Kellawanda AtarisStar luvenit1979 Maryposa1978 I started my 2 week diet today! One more pre-op testing appointment (EKG, chest x-ray, and bloodwork) and I'm all set.

wow - congrats! Sounds like you're doing great!

Hello Lisa and Chris! So glad to connect with you. It will be good to have buddies along the way. I have been doing the same - making lists, pouring over the information on the boards, and stocking the house with all of the must-haves. Something fun I've discovered are the youtube video diaries those who have gone before us made. It is a trip seeing these brave people shrink before your eyes. Very inspiring. And there is some terrific information about what items people really use in the days after surgery that have helped me. Lisa, I'm with you on the waiting. I'd like to just get on with it already. I can hardly focus at work for looking up info and thinking about my preparations. I'm not telling anyone at work up front. I won't lie if they ask, mostly because I'm a terrible liar. LOL I am actually anxious to get to the 2 week diet (September 27th) because it just puts me one step closer. Anyway, thanks for saying hello. Good luck!

Hi Terry! I'm scheduled for the day after you, October 11th. I have one more appointment with the surgeon beforehand and a pre-op appointment at the hospital.

Here I am! Here we go! Weeee! Everyone excited? Nervous? What are you doing to prepare?

There seems to be a lot of controversy about taking a food tour before going “all in” to this surgery. I kind of understand why people feel that mourning foods is the wrong approach. After all, if a few months I’ll be able to eat anything I like, more or less. But for me, that is the point of one last visit – the foods on this list mostly represent unhealthy things that I am preparing to cut out of my life altogether, whether I can eat them or not in the future. And in some cases, I am trying to get a taste of the holidays that I might miss since my surgery is about 5 weeks from Thanksgiving. I have made my peace with my decision. I can’t help it if others feel my choices are unwise. So judge not lest ye be judged. Here are the foods that I have said or will say farewell to before I begin my pre-op diet: Bo Lings – Gong Bao Chicken Crab Rangoon Margaritas – Puffy Tacos Lulu’s Noodles – Drunken Noodles Rainbow Noodles Basil Rice Crab Rangoon Corn Cakes Steak N’ Shake - Frisco Patty Melt Fries KC Sushi – I-29 Roll and various Maki Homemade – Chili & Store Bought Steak Burgers Mashed potatoes and gravy Hot rolls Tortillas Stuffing Apple Pie White Cake with white frosting Doritos Trader Joe's Na'an and Creamy Roadsted Red Pepper Hummus Starbucks – Pumpkin Spice Latte Eggnog Latte Gingerbread Latte

Thank you! You're right - the waiting for things to get going is killing me. LOL I'm actually excited to get to the start of the pre-op diet on the 27th. Dr. Stan Hoehn is doing the surgery.

I can't wait until I am able to wear the t-shirts they give away at Kansas City Royals baseball games. I can't wait to not feel sticky and sweaty the moment there is any humidity in the air, even if the temp is 70 degrees. I can't wait to have the whole world selection of clothes - to find my style instead of putting up with what is least offensive in the big girl's section of the store.

I love it, too. They have an app for my phone, so I can add things as I go, or sit down at the computer later to add my food.

The turkey pepperoni chips sound awesome! I will save that one for sure. I also saved the tofu recipe. Can't wait to try these!

October 11th - less than 5 weeks before my November cruise. lol This should be quite a trip. Hope all you KC area sleevers are doing well!