wannalise

Sorry to hijack the Tiff question, but Dr. Aceves gives the 600-800 calorie recommendation and then what percentages of your food calories should come from and according to him you should never exceed 40g of fat in a day.

I think I've become too neurotic. I didn't realize it until support group last night, but I had totally stopped eating fruits and vegetables, and refused to eat things like pinto or black beans because I want so badly to keep my carbs low, but I think my choices are actually more detriment then help. I'm scared now to implement these things, but I also know that for my long term success (even post goal) has to include whole foods like these. I can say that, but now letting go a little bit and doing it will be a trick.

I have got myself in a huge rut because I know what foods work for me and I am needing some new ideas. What foods do you like? What tricks are working for you? Thanks ya'll!

Focus hard on hydration the first couple weeks, try your best to get protein, but being somewhat deficient for a couple weeks won't be your downfall, but being dehydrated will quickly become problematic. I started out about the same way as you, spent extra time in the hospital because I was throwing up, and then when I got home I was so desperate to follow the protein rules, but my body struggled with them initally. Tiffany finally told me to chill out and go buy a couple gatorades. It terrified me to consume high amounts of carbs that early out but it really was a turning point. It is all a gradual climb, getting the protein will come. Go easier on yourself and drink every 15 minutes NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

I would just make sure that in at least the first three months post op you are taking excellent care of your throat by taking a ppi daily and ensuring that there is no acid reflux, that would be the only thing post op that I could see affecting your instrument. And yes you'll be fine at 8 weeks. You'll be a hottie with a naughty body!

I've got a long way to go though! How have you been feeling with sleeve life?

Angie, Remember that your stomach nerves have just been severed and you may not be able to feel the signals your body is giving. I would still measure your food and stick with the amounts recommend by your surgeon and NUT. Mushies was by far my least favorite phase, but you'll really be through it in no time!

Tuna was more dense than I was supposed to have on mushies. At that stage I was eating scrambled eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, and protein shakes. And not much else....it was my least favorite phase. I am going to have to check that out it sounds like an interesting way to go and I think any time you don't have foreign things in your body it helps with healing.

The first week you could absolutely lose that month. Its exciting to get that kind of result. When you were hospitalized you were pumped full of saline so the first week in addition to what weight loss you have your body is getting rid of that. I'm not sure what plicataioner (sp?) is. My surgeons plan post op was: Week one-Clear liquids Week Two-Full liquds Week Three-Mushies Week Four- Whole High protein foods. This is obviously just a simplifed version, but hope that helps!

You will be very pleased to learn that for most of us, steak is the meat that goes down the best, chicken is a little sketchy for me. My first time going out to dinner I had steak fajitas and thought I had died and gone to heaven. Actual food is waaaaaaay more dense then a protein shake. And will stay with you longer. Keep rocking it!

Its a new idea to listen to our bodies. They know what we need, so if your NUT is on board and you are comfortable with it, go for it! If it doesn't work for you, there is always room to tweak things.

I had a rough start and by the start of week 4 I felt just like my old self, maybe even more energetic. If you really follow your surgeons guidelines to a tea, and the common thing I've seen w/others recoveries that I was a huge wimp about was to go for long daily walks, or short frequent walks. I walked enough to avoid clotting and alleviate gas, but not enough to be considered exercise and it seems to be key in the healing process. Good luck!

Okay, so I have not made a secret about the fact that I have struggled since surgery to make exercise a part of my life. I can make lots of excuses, but the truth is I wasn't motivated/ready to go there yet. Well, even if I'm not ready my heart and body and mental health need it, not to mention it really would be nice to get some muscle tone going. So today, I did toning with resistance bands and weights on my arms and then did half of the taebo AMPED workout. Now half may seem wimpy but I feel empowered and inspired and tommorow I think I will brave the Hip Hop Abs. My oh my!!!! This feels so good. Thanks all for the inspiration. I often think about Macmadame and how in my soul there has always been an inner athlete dying to get out. I doubt I'll ever be Iron Man ready but it is exciting to see that someone can go from where I am to where you are. Really, the world is ours to conquer! I am so excited!!!!

I adore you Carrie! I didn't realize you were already at 70 lbs. You really are kicking a**. I better get the work outs in so I can catch up . I'm super proud of you! Thanks for being a friend and an inspiration. Anna

Oh I somehow thought you were already on solids. You will feel a DRASTIC change in energy level once you are able to start adding these things. It was a difference between night and day for me. Mushies was the hardest for me because I felt ravenous, but when you are able to start getting some yummy high quality proteins in that aren't just liquids you will be a much happier man! You are doing great.

I still get a little feeling of emptiness in my tummy and in the late afternoons I have what would have felt like a tinge of hunger in the past but is now kind of intense compared to the rest of my day. In the mornings I really have to force myself to eat. I've never been a breakfast eater and I understand at this point that I don't just want to be thin. I want to be healthy. You'll get it!

Me too!!!!! I used to drink diet cokes all day until about 3 pm and that eat a massive meal, that made me very tired, but kept me full til bed. Disturbing to me now that in one meal I was able to eat enough to gain and then maintain 300 lbs on a short frame. I actually watched a special once that said that is how they help Sumo wrestlers gain weight and they call it the Sumo Diet. I have to be super mindful now about eating and getting in protein and without much in the way of hunger signals it is even trickier. I'm getting it though, healthy eating requires some planning for me and that is not my forte, but I do a little better every few days. Good luck!!!

Alex, If the rule is that coordinators and employees of dr's can't post negatively, can you just make it a blanket statement that they can't post what appear to be glowing reviews but are often just thinly veiled advertisments for their employers? This seems like a fair solution to me. Thanks for this forum it is my absolute lifeline and as much as I hate that not all opinions can be out there, I understand that to keep this going requires revenue so I'm willing to take the good with the bad.

My understanding with the calcium carbonate is that it is an effective temporary acid reducer, then your body realizes you don't have enough acid and to compensate produces too much. Its called acid rebound.

I had my surgery with Dr. Aceves and loved the experience, was very well taken care of. There are loads of people on these boards who have been there as well. I'd be happy to answer any questions if you email me, at wannalise@hotmail.com Best of luck!

Jillian, I would continue to measure and be very careful. Even with your liquids. The nerves in your body were just severed and you may not feel the signals of full or not. I know there is no way I could have gotten down the quantities you are eating, in fact I'm two months out and two protein bars would be my day. Please be careful, it would be very sad to have done something so drastic as surgery and to damage your stomach. I would recommend getting in touch with a NUT who specializes in bariatric surgery and getting some advice. Even a GI doc will only be able to tell you about the structure of your body, not how to feed your new stomach. Good luck.

Awesome job Gary!!!! Can't wait to get there too.

Do you have NUT you are working with at your surgeons office? Each office recommends different things.

You are doing great! I still sometimes compare myself to others and don't always like my progress either. I don't know if it would help you but booklean started an thread under the exercise section where each week we pledge how much we are going to exercise and we try to encourage each other. The exercise thing has still not become a habit for me either and that scares me because it is such a vital part of the long term success. We can cheer each other on though! Come join us!!!!

Jillian, As your sutures are healing you should be careful about oats, seeds, and anything that could potentially get caught and cause serious infection. Later on you will have to experiment some with the fiber, I can't do foods that are too high in fiber because they are too dense for my stomach and I get overly full, but I agree with Stacy if there are things like benefiber that you can use then that is of course way better for your body.