mi75

I will be the devil's advocate and say that some carbs should be eaten. Yes, we need to focus on mostly Protein, however our bodies NEED carbs for organ function, brain function, normal metobolic cycle and more. obviously the GOOD quality carbs are the best option, whole grain, with high Fiber. I use Barilla Plus and Dreamfields. my surgeon and nut have built a long standing program (and highly successful) and actually have soft Pasta included, starting at the softs phase. the other night my family had spaghetti. i had 1/3 cup meat sauce with about 5-6 spaghetti strands broken into small pieces in it. I felt awesome because i was eating the same thing they were and there was no deprivation whatsoever. I see my WLS as a tool to help me gain control of portions and my eating. if i had wanted to just eat protein only for the rest of my life I would have done Atkins and skipped the anesthesia. and the bill!

i did as well. just carried water or protein with me all through the day and sipped, sipped, sipped. constantly! sounds like you are right on track.

well i have been the same weight for a while now and today i'm 3 wks out. i am NOT scale obsessed. i don't care what the number is, really, as long as it's moving. i have been keeping a casual eye on the scale just to see if this 3 wk thing is for real. well, for me it seems so...darn it! i have just started on softs though, and i have been adding more foods over the past 4-5 days so it could just be my body catching up. i'm NOT worried and i know that my body needs a moment to just comprehend and then start losing again. for now i will just put the scale away and focus on my new, healthy habits and i know that in a few weeks when i weigh again i will be pleasantly surprised!

I plan on having a shake on the 20 minute commute every day. Water in between clients. hard boiled eggs, egg salad, chili, yogurt, meatballs, tuna salad, chicken salad, crab dip...all great options. any other ideas? i'm SURE i'm over looking all sorts of options. i'm on softs now and doing great but trying hard to incorporate all the 'requirements' of Protein, carbs, fats, water, that my nut outlined. i only have a couple days left so no time to buy anything on internet for now, but that's an option later on. i just want to get back into a solid groove and get my eating in! thanks

i'm 3 wks too (almost 4) and guessing it was the Pasta that did it. i KNOW the feeling. i told my hubs that in the future, when we want to eat the things that we used to love i would modify them to still have all the ingredients but less of the carb. example- enchilladas- going to put all the 'innards' in the baking dish first and top with just a couple whole tortillas then cheese, and when i serve, do it with a spoon. more like a casserole. doing the same with my lasagna, going to just dump the meat, sauce, cheeses, etc into the baking dish, top with one thin layer of the pasta and parm/sauce mix. i have a feeling this will be how i have to eat things from now on. i have heard bad stories from colleagues and friends post sleeve about 'plugging'. eating a soft carb like bread, rolls, pasta, etc and it gets stuck and forms a 'plug' in the sleeve. nothing you can do but wait it out. my friend had one last 14 hours and went to the ER and the bariatric doc told her the only option other than waiting was to go down her throat with an endoscope and pull it all out. yuck!

i'm still on shakes and plan to be for quite a while. my nut said it would be 9-12 months before i could eat enough to get my Protein needs through just food alone. hang in there!

i generally always call ahead to the hotel when i travel to get a menu e-mailed or faxed to me so i can pre-plan (this was before sleeve, more due to dietary issues). also find out about local restaurants, there are bound to be some little diners or Soup places or deli's where you could still get some good options. have fun!

well today FINALLY the scale has moved. yay. whew! lasted 8 days. i know for many this is not considered a stall. let's just say 'mini-stall'. very frustrating when in the midst of it!

Stall over baby!!! weighed this AM and scale has moved 2 lbs south-ward! whoop! feeling better already. hang in there everyone, this obviously is normal and MANY people go through it. i suspect at this early point it's just our bodies hitting the emergency break and saying 'hold on..." in response to our VERY decreased calories and shock of surgery, etc. i too will just keep my routine and keep doing what i am. this mini-stall lasted 8 days for me. hopefully everyone else will see similar movement soon!

i agree wtih the above. try to get up and stretch your legs every hour if possible. when sitting in your chair, try as often as you can to do the point/flex thing with your feet and move them around as much as you can. also just a good idea in general for everyone after surgery to do this. once you're home, walk around often, even if it's just around your home dwelling.

fccm- sometimes i feel 'hungry', especially at lunch time and mid-afternoon. those seem to be my only times when i actually 'feel' like i want to eat. i've had no true big hunger and don't expect to for a while. at just about 4 wks out, i'm trying to establish some routine in my eating: breakfast, snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner. every plan is different. but the plan from my nut also includes your Proteins, waters, etc. so even though i'm following that, i'm also trying to set myself up on a healthy routine. i have small kids and really want to be able to eat as a family eventually for our dinner.

for ME, the issue is that i'm eating small meals almost every hour or two, based on the recommendations from my nut and surgeon. there just aren't enough hours in the day! from planning my fluids- no food before or after!- to my Vitamins, calcium- make sure they're 2 hrs apart!- and then getting some actual food based Protein, i'm EXHAUSTED! i'm eating a TBSP of egg salad for Breakfast, then my Protein shake 1 hr later, a meatball for lunch, a few TBSP chili for dinner, etc. i'm in a stall right now so really trying to review my choices and make sure i'm getting all my requirements. i am. just stuck...

thanks to everyone, especially those sleevers on the same time frame as me! i am still frustrated and it's making me doubt my food intake. BUT, after reading these threads and many others, i realize that this is TOTALLY normal and just to deal. no biggie. we will ALL get there! egg salad for dinner. MMMMMM.......

i had surgical glue and a drain. was allowed to shower only right from the beginning. drain came out 1 wk post, i was instructed by surgeon NO swimming or baths for at least 6-8 wks after that, just to allow the drain hole to completely close.

i'm also trying to move more and increase water. don't know if it will help. darn scale still isn't moving, today is about a week since it stopped...

the main symptom of leak is generally stabbing gut pain. like bent over, also fever and sweating. you can ALWAYS call the nurse at your surgeon's office and run it by them. their knowledge is invaluable!

Hi everyone, I have a question specific to eucharist. As a devout Catholic, it is important to me to receive eucharist at least one time a week, I generally try for more if I can. However, since surgery I have not been able to take it at all. My parish has a bread baking team and the eucharist that we prepare is an actual unleavened bread that is whole wheat and REALLY dense. It is cut into small cubes (probably 1/3" square) for the sacrament. We don't use the wafers. I am very scared of getting a plug or something. I have not talked to my priest yet about it. thinking MAYBE i could request a smaller piece or something? I know that they won't allow me to bring something of my own (like a thin rice wafer cracker or something) to be blessed as part of the sacrament. I have a friend in the parish with a wheat allergy who requested this and our diocese said no... How can I honor my commitment to my faith and my responsibility of receiving the sacrament?

BBQ Meatloaf 1-1.5 lb lean ground beef, add shredded parm cheese, chopped onion, one egg and garlic powder. Add 1-2 TBSP BBQ sauce to meat and mix well, (I found some low sugar BBQ sauce after MUCH search that is only 3 sugars per 2 TBSP.) Form into loaf or into muffin cups. Mix a bit of salsa or low sugar ketchup with a couple teaspoons more of BBQ sauce. Bake at 350 until desired doneness. top with sauce and bake to set. SUPER good stuff. an old favorite. pre surgery i used to add crushed croutons too, but not worth the carbs now.

i'm going on 4 wks out and eating things like a little sloppy joe (just the meat and mix) with some shredded cheese on it, a meatball with sauce, egg salad, chili, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese.

sent a little e-mail to my priest and he responded saying it would NOT be a problem. in MY case, he will break off a very tiny corner of the Eucharist for me when I go up and that way I can still participate. i'm so glad. he is an awesome priest.

i ate guac both pre op and have had a little now, post op too. it's a wonderful mufa fat and so good for us. only problem is there isn't a lot of Protein and by the time i get all my protein i'm full! both my nut and surgeon told me that avocado is a great healthy fat option and should be measured and guidelines followed. i believe my post op diet, once i go to 'full diet' is 1/4 of an avocado per day as a healthy fat. i have an entire booklet about each of the food groups on the full diet and what is a normal serving. good luck!

My pre op was 3-4 shakes a day, unsweetened applesauce, light yogurt, SF pudding, broth, Water, unlimited raw veg for 2 weeks. then i was liquids only for 48 hrs prior to surgery and Clear Liquids the day before. i did Protein shots POST op for the first 48 hrs as directed by my nut. the protein in the shots is not as absorbed by the body so not the preferred option, but a lot of protein in a small amount.

thank you everyone for your kind words! i know many others have been there too. it is super helpful to get positive feedback.

yes stalls are normal and can last up to 2-3 wks from what i can tell. read some threads of stalls going even longer. just trying to stay focused. UGGG!!!

i was forced to sleep on my back for about 5 days, and then could side sleep only on my left side. once my drain came out at 1 wk post op, i could sleep on either side. 3 wks out no issues at all. my suggestion is to use lots of pillows on either side to prop you/support you. i'm a nurse so i had my hubs positioning the pillows like we do for patients post op to support their backs.