mi75

oh honey, i was THE pop addict of my entire town! i drank nearly a GALLON of REGULAR Mtn Dew every day for the past 10 years. i was taking Metformin for PCOS and passed right by the diet for the full-sugar option. I had a generic 44 oz cup that i filled in the early morning, on my mid morning break, at lunch, right after work, and again for mid-evening. i gave up my pop a week before i started my pre op diet. i had MANY MANY 'last' pops. i even sent my hubs out for a midnight pop run two nights before the last one, and sat it on my bedside and woke up during the night several times to drink it. on a tuesday (my busiest and most stressful day at work) i had my final pops, on wednesday i woke up, took 2 excedrin for a little caffeine-and to help with the impending headache- and took a Diet Snapple Arnold Palmer to work. the end. end of pop. that was it. no major headache, no withdrawals. no major issues at all. almost anticlimactic if i say so! i will be honest and say that i DO miss the sort of 'refreshing' bubbles and zing of a pop. right now it's just not worth it to me, maybe down the road i will have a sip to see if my love is still there. i doubt it, i'm loving how i look and feel WAY more!

awesome! i'm eating rotisserie chicken too and no issues, just have to cut it small and chew thoroughly so nothing gets stuck. i don't know if i pushed my diet too quickly but i was told by my nut two weeks ago to progress as i felt comfortable and i'm feeling awesome. today for lunch i had 1 tbsp of chicken salad with slivered almonds and a piece of deli roast beef with cheese and a little mustard rolled up. i ate all the chicken salad and about 1/2 of the beef/cheese roll up. In the past 2 weeks, i am craving ground beef like crazy and have had some basic sloppy joe (2 tbsp) in a little bowl with 1/2 of a nacho chip crumbled up on top. VERY GOOD and filling and gave me the chance to eat what my family ate. i also had some spaghetti sauce with ground beef and a few little shards of noodles broken up in it (about 2 whole noodles). also VERY GOOD. trying to eat a 'normal' diet just in very tiny amounts right now and FINALLY, after all these years, learning what a normal portion should look and feel like.

i am down 30 as well, including pre-op (lost about 14 then) and i am 4 wks and 3 days post op. i'm feeling awesome. i feel like i'm in a bit of a stall right now, eating about 700 cal a day, 65 Protein and about 65-70 oz liquids daily. just keep it up! i've lost more in this little time than i EVER lost on my own before, even after months of trying! i'm having great faith that even if i'm a slow loser, it WILL come off. plus, i'm a true believer that your skin retracts better and other things are easier if your loss is a little slower rather than faster. i'll take what i can get. i'm the turtle in this race but feeling awesome!

I am ending week 4, just about to week 5. eating most foods other than no hard stringy meats (steak or pork) or dense carbs (pizza, soft bread, etc). feeling AWESOME. having a Quest bar every day for a snack. drinking 65-75 oz Water a day and about 65 Proteins a day. eating egg salad, string cheese, chili, sloppy joe, lobster bisque, cooked veg, very tiny amounts of carb like 1 cracker or a half piece of toast, cottage cheese, eggs all ways. i eat about 5 times a day and time my drinks in between. i have one Muscle Milk 100 cal in the morning first thing. i am down 30 lbs and doing WAY better than i thought i would be at this point!

Hi Jen- Right now i'm only about 5 wks post op and FOR Protein shakes. I start my day off with Muscle Milk 100 cal pre-mixed, mix with about 10 oz milk and ice. it's a great way to wake my gut up without bombarding it with solid 'food' first thing. This also gets me about 25g protein and about 20 oz liquids so also helps there. i'm learning how to time my eating through the day and getting LOTS of protein through my food, but this shake in the AM is my guarantee that i will get it, because sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day to eat enough, plus time it around my drinks! i've got a couple friends who are 2 yrs post op and they do smoothies now, with greek yogurt, frozen fruit and a small scoop of vanilla protein. it's the only protein 'effort' that they make in their days now, but for them it also ensures that they are getting adequate protein amounts.

yes, i have posted a LOT, as you can see from my numbers and i'm only about 5 wks out from surgery. i joined a few years back though when i started considering, but teetered back and forth with my decision, so most posts are from Jan 1 this year and forward... the online community here has a wealth of information. it is SO helpful to get responses from a dozen or more post op people when you are still pre op and post a question. it's also super helpful to get diet advice and food ideas. i have found many kindrid personalities here and 'regulars' that i know will be helpful to me, along with lots of newbies that i love to offer my experiences to as well. i'm a nurse by trade and even have medical based questions that i can't think my way through (i didn't even know how long my surgical glue would last!) but my training aside, i have gotten great advice here!

Hi Jen- just wanted to let you know i have enjoyed several of the 7 Bites episodes and make your little individual meatloaves all the time! I prefer online support because i can come here on my own time and can be here for 5 minutes or 2 hours, whatever i prefer. the face-to-face that my program offers is a good group but they meet at a time that is not great for me. i get out of work an hour and a half earlier than the meeting starts, and it's a 20 minute drive home. so i can't go home and back-waste of time and gas- and little to do if I wait in town. i DO go occasionally and have had a good time at the meetings i go to, always great info and fellowship!

Only about 5 wks out here is my daily menu-this was mostly today with a few other options for each meal also- Wake up, have Muscle Milk 100 cal with milk and ice and Vitamin Breakfast- Egg salad with one cracker or scrambled egg with 1/2 piece of toast 1 hr later Crystal lite with Water 24oz AM snack- 2 homemade meatballs (very small 1 oz each) 1 hr later water with vitamin Lunch- Soup or chili or (today) deli roast beef and cheese roll up with mustard 1 hr later water/crystal lite and Calcium pills PM snack- Cookies and Cream Quest bar YUMMMMM!!!!!! 1 hr later water and calcium dinner- Lobster bisque PM snack- Milk and small amount of muscle milk for extra Protein i am supposed to be incorporating cooked veg and canned fruit at this point, but it has been hard due to i'm VERY full after meals.

I have been on prescription strength Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs for about the past 17 years and have grown tolerance to almost ALL of them. Keep in mind too that OTC dosing of these drugs is 1/2 of the prescription strength. Omeprazole, which is Prilosec is a PPI but it is more 'mild' and is is considered a very minimal medication by GI docs. ESomeprazole is generic Nexium and is a PPI, but again, OTC dosing is different. All PPI's have the same mechanism of action in the gut but some just work better for some people than others. good luck!

The pre op diet is focused shakes, liquids and extreme cut of calories to SHRINK YOUR LIVER. not to lose weight. I started out with 100 lbs to lose. During pre op i lose about 14. At that rate, it would have taken me over a year of drinking only shakes, liquids, SF Jello and broth to lose the weight. The malnutrition that i would have suffered aside, no i wouldn't have been able to do it. My pre op wasn't to see if i could stick to the discipline of losing. it was to move my liver a bit so the doctor didn't lacerate it. Lastly, doing something extreme like that would pretty much assure that the moment i ate any sort of food, i would likely gain the 100 lbs back literally overnight. Surgery was the BEST thing i ever did for myself. Good luck in your decision.

I am a nurse and took 4 wks off. I was told to plan for 4 weeks and really felt i needed it. after surgery, the first few days are VERY focused on just getting protein/liquids. after that, it's waiting for the 'internal' healing to feel better. not really painful, you just know that they separated your abdominal muscles and it can feel a bit like you are off kilter. my 3rd wk i felt great and still focused on getting my diet and exercise in place so i could go back to work. i started back at the beginning of week 4 and felt great.

OW! been there, tried that but not on purpose. i just completely unconsciously took a drink of my kid's Water during dinner. OW. PAIN. major pain. didn't dissipate for an hour. won't try that again for a while, but i've heard from many in my support circle that they do drink small sips with food after about a year out. FYI keep in mind that i am only 4 weeks post op!

i am allowed roasted veg on softs, so all my veg i put through the oven until i can cut it with a fork.

I got a bunch at GNC yesterday as right now they are buy 2 get 1 free. stocked up! Cookies &cream, coconut, choc chip cookie dough, Peanut Butter and jelly, peanut butter & choc, strawberry cheesecake. YUM can't decide which one to open first! the GNC that i was at also had the peanut better cups- OMG- but there were something like 19 grams of fat and since i used to be a Reese's addict, i figured i'd just let them alone! going back to work soon and these will provide me with a great Protein option to nibble in between clients and still adhere to my work schedule.

i agree, 100 lbs in less than a year is awesome! i'd just keep doing what you are doing. obviously it has worked to get you this far!

4 wks out, i can eat about 1/4 cup at a sitting, mostly Protein at this point. it is PLENTY, and my sleeve lets me know when i am nearing full. if i don't listen and keep going, it is pure PAIN for about 40 minutes after. not worth it.

yes, you could be taking too much. i have severe GERD AND Barretts and the most i've ever taken is 1 PPI and 1 H2 blocker in a day. we have to produce SOME acid for normal motility in the gut, and all these pills may be prohibiting your acid production all together. you might not be digesting properly due to med levels I would check with your surgeon and make sure they want you on this much. i'm 4 wks out and also having normal hunger pains, but it's good to feel something 'normal' going on in my gut. especially when 1 tablespoon of food will quiet it~!

oh AMEN (carbs are not evil)!!!!! as a nurse i'll tell you that carbs are essential for brain function, organ function, metabolic cycle, and more. we need SOME. the diet that i ate once upon a time, 1/2 a pizza, or a whole box of mac and cheese, or 3 sandwiches, well that's not SOME. that's a HUGE OVERDOSE! i agree whole heartedly with others. my nut/surgeon actually have built a long standing and successful program and encourage small amounts of healthy carb (whole grain, high fiber pasta) at the soft stage in limited amounts. i appreciate this thread!

I watch and generally enjoy most of the shows. that one had me a little steamed too. i LOVE Fat Doctor way more though, because they show more stuff specific to the pre-op, surgery, and long term post op. good stuff and complete episodes on Youtube. To the posters who asked if anybody in the show works, I am guessing that many of these people are on Disability Social Security just from their multiple medical conditions stemming from their obesity. They are, after all, 600+ lbs and many of them can't move, use walkers, oxygen, etc. I can't imagine that they aren't considered disabled.

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.

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!