meggiep

Don't worry about it- thinned liquids always go down pretty well post surgery. Liquids and thinned liquids pass right through the stomach. When you start more solid foods you will feel restriction- for sure due to the pyloric valve closing. Enjoy the fact that fluids are not difficult for you- your swelling probably went down quickly. Getting all your fluids is always a major issue so consider yourself lucky!

I am limited to 1/4 cup at every "meal" and can usually but not always, eat it all. I make sure to wait at least two hours in between every 1/4 cup and also definitely wait 1/2 an hour to drink after. I have never seen this be anything but an absolute rule as it pushes your food through to fast . I also set my phone timer for every 10 minutes and drink so that I don't fall behind. It is important to work on getting that Protein so that your body does not turn to your muscle to burn instead of your fat. That is another reason low carbs is important. Finding a protein drink you can drink once a day is pretty key and I myself find I can manage one if I mix two scoops of chocolate with a cup of decaf and ice and blend. The Unjuy chicken Soup has also been a lifesaver - savory and really just lie broth to me- I do add 12 ounces of Water instead of 8 or it is just too salty. Certainly you will lose when you are eating so little but eventually your body will go ointo starvatio mode and stop losing and this is the time to get theprinciples like protein and water in place. For the first couple of weeks it is not so important but certainly once you are a month out those goals should be met for the best results in the longterm. The acid inhibitor can really help! Good luck- I feel for you who are having problems. I kind of grouse about my 32f bougie because my capacity is SO small but I get my protein and water every day without fail.

I was going to tell you all it tends to get magically better around day 5 but you all seem to have discovered it! RE: The wellbutrin- I really urge you NOT to stop taking this right now- as you lose weight there are lots of hormones released that cause moodiness, mood swings, and depression. In our seminar before the surgery we were told that many people need an anti-depressant during their weight loss period so I think you might be inviting problems! I had that same thought about my lexapro and my GP counseled against it for now. I use my pill cutter to cut them in half as I had the same advice re size of an m&m and they are sightly bigger. My prilosec is a time release capsules and capsules have not trouble going down at all. You really want to avoid the acid! Good luck to all of yo from 6/6! If you want to see my journey, my vlog link is in my sig and if you go back to Surgery day I do quite a few vids in the first few weeks in which I mention what I am experiencing so you can see you are totally normal!

I am so very proud of MYSELF- because the main reason I set out on this journey is that I had become imprisoned by chronic debilitating pain from nerve damage n my lower back and two bad knees with tears- and that I am out walking an hour a day and then going to Water aerobics, is a miracle- and I have done it for over a week now. I love feeling a bit sore and knowing I have really worked my bod- and I am sleeping sooooo well! I know you are right about the calories but I am telling you it is really hard to get more in! Today I had my shake, then 2 hours later an egg with cheese, then 2 hours later 1/4 cup of greek yogurt, then grabbed a pudding cup (SF) before water class- got home and had an powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken Soup and 2 T of pureed apricots , then two hours later - MIDNIGHT- a serving of Eggface's ricotta bake- so my husband an I are staying up so I am not going to bed on a full stomach. Grand total -803 calories. But it was work! I need to find some low carb Protein rich higher calorie foods typo- 190! And I do realize if I was to drink a second one that could add 200 cakories easily- but I swear I just on't think I can choke another shake down. They take me at least an hour to drink and are like medicine to me. As soon as I am cleared to add a few strawberries or some banana that will help...and I know it would be good with the exercise. SO I have the Unjury chicken soup. I am soooo guilty of this!I just have so much trouble figuring out what to do in this phase. I will make my goal tomorrow eating nothing that I ate today! Thanks! Thank you all so much- I really needed support today and of course, I got it here.

Hooray! You are past the worst part. Know also you will get better every day and most importantly will be able to drink more easily every day. Now starts your journey - congratulations!

Guuurrrrrl I was about to send out a search party! Glad you are doing ok! Ok you have me beat- I had to smile at you emailing your doctor- I thought I was immune from all of this and had so much knowledge that I would be able to think my way through slow loss, etc. WRONG! I am just a emotional and obsessed as anyone else! Thank you so much- it does help to know that! I went on my walk and made a point of really pushing the fluids today. I am going to try to get in a lot of small meals today to boost my calories. And I will just keep on keeping on! What else can I do? I realized today that a frustrating point like this is usually when I would say to heck with it and blow a diet. Well hello to my sleeve- that is simply not possible. SO I will squeeze another meal in before the pool...and a couple more when I get home and see if it helps. One of the things that makes it hard is my doc used a 32 bougie- I thought it was 34 but was looking over some of my notes yesterday and realized it was a 32. I simply cannot fit more than 1/4 cup in and sometimes less. There just are not many calories in 1/4 cup of anything I can eat right now. Sigh.

Isn't it funny? I know these words, have said these words to others- but they still have helped me so much today! Essentially after reading your wonderful words I was able to tell myself "Snap out of it! You idiot you have lost 35 pounds in 45 days! " I will definitely add some calories- I think that is a problem for me with adding the exercise- and I will measure myself too though I have never been a measurer. I will up my Water too- I noticed my fingers are a bit swollen today.

I know Irene offered to drive if anyone wanted to share - is she near you? Maybe someone else is who is better able to navigate. Honestly for me the whole East Bay could be in timbuktoo- it is so foreign to me! Come on girl- we will map it all out for you! Meggie will be waiting at the other end with open arms!

I do log- on fatsecret- and I have been having 600-660 a day -day in day out. I do think I should bump for a few days but honestly it is not that easy! I start the morning with my Protein drink - including 1/2 cup milk I get 34 grams protein and 19 calories. I have not had success eating sooner than 2 hours after that- then I have a soft scrambled egg with 1T milk and 1T shredded cheddar ....then once I can drink again I head out for my hour walk and some errands...then I eat again- 1/4 cup of chicken salad or 1/4 cup yogurt or cottage cheese- then within the hour I a on my way to Water aerobics- once home I eat again....then maybe one more time that day if I stay up really late but 1/4 cup of anything I am allowed just does not add up calorically! Reminding me of my weight loss really does help...I have lost 35 pounds since day one of my pre-op, and I really do consider that the beginning. I know so much- in fact I am always in there reassuring others but I obviously have not listened to my own advice! I also just read the blog of someone who lost 84 pounds in the first 84 days - for real! I know that we can't compare ourselves to others but it is hard not to have scale envy!

Just remember not to eat the celery- it is too fibrous for our new thumbies. If you wonder why do a search on here for bezoar- a fibrous mass that can gather i your stomach or intestines! Coconut, celery...etc. No-nos for sure! Unless cooked.... A sleever had the misfortune and we can all learn from it. I had four wonderful meals of that chicken salad- yumm!!! I am going to buy some cans of chicken and try making my own using some celery seed in place of the celery. By the way- I started making the ricotta bake with 1/4 cup parmesan instead of 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup mozzarella instead of 1/2 cup- much less salty! I thought you could add a layer of browned ground turkey! Any time you want me to do the nutritional breakdown of a recipe like that let me know- I am using psark people and it is easy- I know we are maniacal about logging and it takes the mystery out of it. Hope this acid thing goes away- I just hate you are not having a great time of it. Meanwhile- where is our Michelle????? ps I am a bit far from Richmond but please please come to the meet and greet in Hayward! I will get to hug you in person!

So....even though I know with my mind that anything I am experiencing happens a lot, will pass, inches are still going, blah bah blah... I am still pretty bummed about how my month has gone weight wise. I lost 12 pounds in the first 8 days after surgery- taking me from 262 to 250. Then I was at 250 for 8 days- which made sense to me as I had lost 18 pounds during my two week pre-op and I knew a "stall" or time of no loss is common. (I know a stall is defined as 2 weeks or more w/o loss but 8 days sure felt like 2 weeks to me!) Happily after the 8 days I started losing again and lost 4 pounds in my third week taking me to 246. Then I started slowing again- I lost 0.2 pounds three days in a row, 0.4 pounds yesterday, and 0.2 pounds today. The frustrating part for me is that I have expanded my walking to an hour a day PLUS Water aerobics at night- I am really working it and am tired every night and feeling that good working out feeling- which also always makes me thing I am sure to lose weight that day- so the .2 is disappointing. If you suggest I weigh once a week- well, this early in the process I would be sad at 1.4 pounds in a week too, as hard as I am working out and as faithfully as I am working the sleeve. I have gotten my 80 grams of Protein and my 64 ounces plus of liquid since day five. I am dedicated to the principles I hold as key- less than 30 grams carbs 80 grams protein, 64 ounces plus water, exercise, and (not as easy for me) Vitamins. I have not had a day that I did not stick to the principles. I was on liquids for three weeks post-op and have transitioned well to purees. The one thing I think I have done wrong is I settled quickly in to taking in about 600-660 calories a day day after day. WHen I first added purees I actually ate exactly the same thing five days straight. I am a bit scared to up my calories...and if I do is it for a day? A few days? How do you add calories when you have trouble fitting in the food you do eat? I felt so well prepared for all this but yet I still felt myself being bummed out and wistfully wondering- if I lose slowly during the honeymoon period then I wont meet my goal!

Oh honey I am so sorry! You have had such ups and downs trying to incorporate food! One thing I do (and I haven't really had an acid problem yet so really can't help much) is take my prilosec in bed the moment I wake up and let it work for a while before I have my morning Protein drink. Meggie hug to you!

I had an 8 day period of no loss in my second week. I do think you really need to make sure you get your fluids- it is a key part of this weight loss process- it keeps your body clearing out the byproducts of weight loss. Also make sure you get your protein and count your carbs. A month out today I still set my phone timer to make sure I drink or I quickly fall behind.

My husband has been a total angel for me- every morning since I came home he appears in the room (Much earlier riser than me) with my first Protein drink of the day, an ice bucket with my first 32 ounce Water, and a hot decaf tea. He takes such good care of me ! We walk together every day and I can say the surgery has brought us even closer and we were already very close. He and my son offered from the start to eat away from me but I would rather be with them. As several have said- this is my choice, not theirs- they are both normal weight and I don't fell they should have to hide their normal eating for me- I enjoy their company very much and would rather they are with me when they eat. I am committed to this journey for myself and have their love and support and that is what counts. I am not hungry, and I really do not mind the smells. I almost substitute inhaling deeply for eating! That said, I know that you Original Poster, from other posts of yours, are struggling with this journey, with temptation, with wavering- ad so I feel it is a different situation for you. I think you nee to ask your husband for his support until you can handle it and are no longer in jeopardy of sabotaging yourself. It is not so much to ask when you have made this huge step of amputating most of your stomach! If you can't ask him then perhaps a couples session with your therapist is in order. Marriage is a partnership and this is a critical time in your life- you need his support more than , perhaps, you ever have.

I have been so paranoid too- and so wondering what MY sign would be. I have finally decided it is a certain kind of small burp- not every kind mind you, as I have been burping all the time since my surgery- and when I feel it I now know to stop- right then. I found it out the hard way- the second day on purees/soft foods- when I had that burp and then ate one more bite of egg. Within half a minute I knew it had to come up and would come up...and it did. I only have had one more time since that I had one bite too many...and it did not come up but it definitely hurt and I felt crappy for a while. I echo what you were told about not pushing to eat too much. My plan is that I can have 1/4 cup at every meal. I can divide it - 4T Protein, or 3T protein and 1T veggie, or 2T protein, 1T veggie, 1T fruit or carb. I am not to have more than 1T of carbs/fruit no matter what, and not more than 1/4 cup total. And I find that 1/4 cup is what I can handle anyway. And once I can....well that is where my own commitment to maximizing this perod of weight loss comes in so I will err on the side of small quantities! Good luck to you !

I have to say it- your sleeve is not failing- I think you may be failing your sleeve. My doctor made it clear, and certainly everyone here makes it clear, that the sleeve is just a tool but you still have to do the work. You have to really work the sleeve, and it means dieting , a pretty strict diet. You have to have noticed that most of the people who have the best results count carbs, under 30 or 40, drink the liquid, exercise, get the Protein, and take the Vitamins. It isn't my favorite fact about my sleeve but it is what it is so I am going to do it too, especially for the six to nine months when weight loss is optimized. The sleeve is a HUGE help if you follow the rules because if you get protein first, then veggies and THEN carbs -well there isn't room for carbs. But all of that is up to YOU. I remember you said way back before your sleeve that you did not feel entirely committed to the sleeve and I think that is what you are coming up against now. I certainly know, in this four weeks post-op for me, that complete commitment is absolutely necessary to stay the course on this journey- this is HARD- and if you aren't fully into it then yes, you might fail. I want you to succeed- and I think you might want to consider some counseling to deal with the part of you that may be hell bent on sabotaging yourself. You have probably done that every time you tried to lose weight- and I know that because I have always done that! But this time we have received a gift of an amazing tool that causes us to get full really fast and this may be the chance to lose the weight for good. However you need to let that happen! You are being your own worst enemy and I encourage you gently and lovingly to get to the bottom of this and make this work for you! p.s. Celery is really a no no- check the thread in complications about the sleever who ate coconut and find out what can happen with fibrous foods.] Edited to add- I encourage you to use an online program to log all your food- it helps keep you accountable. I also need to say that almost everyone stalls at 3 weeks or so- but I feel you are mentioning more issues than that so I did not mention it.

Just remember to pull the celery out- those fibers are a no no for us. I had it again today and it is so good! Of course I pureed it but it is still very toothsome! Yes I hope MIchelle is ok!

HOORAY for my RV sleeve sistuh!!!! Sounds like you are on the road to normal life! Wow! Coincidentally- yesterday was my four weeks too ;-P Though I am not on soft foods I pureed two ounces of costco rotisserie chicken salad yesterday and (after pulling out the celery) ate it in total rapture! I was a little worried as I know chicken can be a problem but not only did it becoe the new"best thing I ever ate " but it went down beautifully! It is 14 grams of Protein for two ounces too- and zero carbs! It felt good to add another food since I fell into a rut last week eating the same things for five days straight because I knew I would tolerate it and it added up right. I want to avoid doing that and keep trying new things. Next up? A veggie, and a fruit. I actually am wanting to have a higher calorie day for mixing it up since I seem to end up between 580-660 calories day after day and I don't want to fall into starvation mode. I did lose four pounds last week and this week has been a bit frustrating- for three days straight I have lost 0.2 pounds! Well- I wont really complain since if I lose .2 a day for ten days that will still be two pounds so I guess as long as it goes down! This also makes me thing upping the calories for a day or two might help but it is HARD to do! I wait 2-3 hours between "meals" and then with waiting after to drink...well fitting in an extra something is not that easy! I am really proud that I am exercising twice most days- 45 minutes of walking and an hour of Water aerobics. That also can have caused the slowdown again if I am making muscles. I need to remember it is a journey, not a race! Now where is Michelle? We need to hear about her one month!

That is really good to know. I will ask my GP about that and get checked again. I certainly don't want that interfering with my weight loss!

I am so sorry someone small and mean hurt you in this way and congratulations on battling through! My journey was similar- every step of the way I hit another roadblock and had to battle and battle. Each one had the potential of delaying my a month or more- even up to the week before when I had a cold on Tuesday, six days before my surgery date, and they wanted to cancel because of the inconvenience of waiting until closer to the date to see if I got well- I had to battle one last time to have them see ME- the person and not the inconvenience, the person who had battled and battled to get this surgery. And I did get it- on May 9th. And I will keep you in my prayers as you wait to hear about the appeal. Something tells me you will prevail as you are a strong fighter! Good luck!

I actually think you would be better served by doing it separately. I really needed my husband when I got home- he made my Protein drinks and would appear in the morning with my first drink of the day, a 32 ounce bottle of Water and 16 ounce bottle of Propel on ice, and a cup of 12 oz of tea. He was my angel and unless someone would actually be with you all day I can't see you both being in recovery at the same time. UNLESS you are both in great shape other than your weight and can somehow know neither of you will have a hard time of it. I was very very tired and low energy, especially the first week when my carbs were way too low. I could not have been doing much. For example, I am not allowed to lift more than 5 pounds so even picking laptop up is something I could not do, not to mention our 20 pound dog! No matter what your mind knows going in to it, your body is taken by surprise. There is no way of knowing how you will respond to it but you need to remember this is MAJOR surgery- stomach surgery, If it helps, I have a vlog (link in my sig) and if you look at all my videos and start with the one on surgery day and then the first week or two after you might get a sense of how it can be. I know some people have zero problems and are bouncing around immediately- but some people do not have that experience. I think each of you should have your chance to have the other one help you- though as I said if your family members can be there to care for you then go for it! I would wait 3-4 weeks in between if not. Ladies first? ;-P

Steven the honeymoon period is the entire maximized weight loss period- usually 6 months to sometimes as long as 9 months- and it is recommended that you try to follow all the principles (Protein, low carbs, fluids, Vitamins (you and I both apparently have trouble with this! ;-P) and exercise ) during this period to take full advantage of this easier to lose time before it becomes harder to lose. You have lost a LOT in the first month- but I doubt you will lose that much this month- that is unlikely. Your body may pull in and you may have a "stall" though if you read the article about the chemistry of stalls I think I have posted about five different place, including my week 9 post op video, it makes sense as your body needs to build another glycogen store and it pulls Water in to help. But listen, if you have read about some of the people who have lost , say, 10 pounds total in three months- well I wouldn't complain about worrying you will lose another 35! For real? Tell me when you have a real problem! ;-P xoxo

Yipes! Ok- all the questions- do you count carbs? I have come to see that is really important in maximizing weight loss. Do you get your Protein, Water, and exercise? I know we get about 6-9 months of maximum weight loss period and I would love to help you identify what might be going wrong. I mean, your stomach is tiny!!!!! I have been a slow loser all my life. My sisters remember me dieting years and years ago eating 2 yogurts a day and not losing anything- even gaining. However, I have taken this drastic step and I am bound and determined to make it work. I am going to count carbs if it kills me ;-P I have been both walking 45 minutes to an hour a day AND water walking at night. I almost feel like I have a second job doing my nutrition, water, etc. I was wanting to find another way besides having such low carbs because lets face it- it is hard! But I have been doing a lot of reading, starting with the article that has been posted here quite a few times about the chemistry of stalls, and also researching ketosis and the chemistry of weightloss with low carbs. So I hate to always harp on that but I have really come to believe that doing so is the way. The other thing is that odd thing about making sure your calories are not too low so that you don't start conserving everything for survival! Oh it is all so frustrating and I do not want to imply anything as you may be doing all this but my heart just goes out to you and I hug you cyber hug because you must be very frustrated!

I thought caffeine would be the hardest but it kind of naturally happened while I was on my pre-op diet. I think the hardest thing has been not drinking a sip or 2 while I eat and for 30 minutes after. I do it, but I don't like it! The hardest habit to acquire is my Vitamins. I am terrible about it! For one thing I am not crazy about the ones I purchased- liked them before surgery and now the taste of the chewable makes me a little ill. I think I will go for some gummies after I use these up. I haven't even started my calcium! I have chewables that are like tootsie rolls and I can't have them yet and have been apathetic about getting any others. I am SUCH a complier but so bad about this! Shame meggie, shame!

I love fatsecret.com as well- I use it on computer, phone, and iPad! I also use sparkpeople to compute the nutritional value of recipes.