Tamz

Thanks!!!

Thanks!!!

I am getting sleeved July 18th and have a trip to Aruba scheduled for December 10th. I want to accelerate my weight loss to the greatest extent possible before my trip. There are so many of you who have had awesome quick results. Would you mind answering a few questions?

Diet - were you strict low carb? count carbs? ate what sounded good but small portions? other?

Exercise - did you exercise? if so what kind i.e. cardio, walking, jogging, weights? how often?

Other - do you have any other things you contribute to your success?

Thanks!

Ive lost 31lbs since June 1st - I was sleeved June 9th - since the 9th I have lost 24 lbs

Since my surgery I have been eating basically 0% fat Greek Yogurt - Fage is a good brand. You can mix with Splenda for taste if you like. Also, Progresso Light Soups in the blender so there will be no chunks. Campbells Select Harvest is really good too. I eat 2oz at a time, 3 times a day.... and do sugar free popsicles as a filler in between - WORKS GREAT! I also do 2 Protein drinks, Mid morning - and a few hrs before dinner. 25 grams each to give me 50 for the day. ( i need 40-60). Highly recommend the GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 - leanest that i have found and tastes good. (chocolate tastes like choc milk )

My Dr says to walk 10-20 min right after eating. So I follow orders! One time I didnt... and felt the difference Walking right after helps it settle, and helps you burp etc if you need to. I highly recommend it.

I must be doing something right 31 lbs since June 1 baby! Good luck you will do great!!!!

I've lost 33 pounds so far (YAY!) and I posted a video on youtube. I can't even tell you the link but I think you can find me as SkinnyRenee on there. I HATE cameras and I felt totally awkward doing a video **blush** but I promised I would blog and vlog all about everything so now I'm looking forward to doing more videos (NOT!) now that I figured out the camera. Please don't tell me how awful I look, I know! LOL

XOXO, Renee`

Awesome job!! I had my 2 wk post op with my dr yesterday and since June 1 (pre op diet start date) I have lost 31 lbs!! I cannot believe it....... 20 of that has been in the last 7 days! Its crazy.

I can now start doing mushiessssssss!! Im so excited to eat Beans.. i never.. ever.. EVER.. thought Id say that LOL

Keep it up!!!!

I'm 7 days post op and can't seem to get anything in except plain Water. Everything else is too sweet or causes muscle spasms. I really feel a good ole fashion breakdown about to happen. I knew this was going to be hard, but its getting to me mentally. I will admit I'm having buyers remorse right now. Oh and so far today I've only gotten in 20 ounces. I hope to get in more before bed. I don't want to wallow in my pity but today is a hard day.

awww girl I felt like you.. JUST like you 1 wk ago. Except I was the opposite. I couldnt drink Water. Crystal light and everything else went down fine.. but water made me burp, hiccup etc etc u name it. I found that the more i drank, the more I was thirsty and wanted to drink. Keep pushing... it doesnt feel like it now, but it will get so much better in another week. I am 2 wks post op today.. and I have no problem with drinking all day long. I never thought this day would come....... but it does! Smile

Tamara

Soft Foods Diet:

Beverages: Water, tea, coffee, sugar or fat free coca, Crystal Light, sugar-free Kool-aid, sugar-free Tang, sugar-free lemonade, Diet-Snapple, Diet V-8 slash, skim milk, lactose free milk, light soy milk AVOID: sugar sweetened drinks, coca, carbonation, caffeine or alcohol

others: sugar-free popsicles, fruit n juice popsicles, sugar free Jello, sugar free pudding

soup: low fat cream Soups, soups of any kind AVOID: full fat cream soups, full sodium soups

starches: cooked Cereal, cream of rice, cream of wheat, malt-o-meal, thinned grits or oatmeal, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, crispy toasted bread AVOID: sugar-sweetened cereals, cold cereals, bread (unless toasted), Pasta, ritz crackers or soda crackers unless light and all other starches

meats/protein: low fat cottage cheese or ricotta, low fat yogurt, low fat cheese, egg, tuna, canned chicken (with light mayo only), shaved deli meats, ground beef, ground turkey (Cooking methods: baking, broiling, slow cooker, foil wrapped) AVOID: Dry meat or poultry, mixed dishes (ie lasagna), beef (other than ground because it's hard to digest)

vegetables: cooked, canned or pureed (soft-able to be mashed with fork) AVOID: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, snow peas, asparagus, celery, raw vegetables

fruits: cooked, canned or pureed, unsweetened applesauce, and bananas (fruits only occasionally) AVOID: Cherries, berries, citrus fruits, grapes, plums, most raw fruits

fats: margarine and I can't believe it's not butter spray

Hope this helps!

THanks for all this I am noticing though that the starches like cooked cereal .. cream of wheat, malt o meal, creamed soups.. they were all on my full liquid diet. which im still on.. but im just able to incorporate some mushies now. I think im good to go the the eggs then! yesssssss

im 2 wks out today... Dr gave me the ok to incorporate some mushies inso my diet since it technically goes from full liquids directly to solids --

I had some refried Beans for lunch .. with some enchilada sauce mixed in to loosen them up -- added some FF cheddar cheese on top, and little light sour cream. Let me tell you, it was amazing. As if i was eating a filet mignon.......... thats how long its been since I had semi real food lol

Anyways, can you all please give me your input as far as if you would considered these below, to be mushies?

- Deviled eggs

- Scrambled eggs w/cheese

- mashed potatoes

- Hummus

- crab dip

The refried beans went down great, no issues after either! Please let me know what you all think. Thanks!!

Whoot! Excuse my messy house

I'm embarrassed for the lady in the photos. Then I remember that it's me

Taken a couple of months before surgery consult

Taken 2wks after surgery

Taken this morning

awesome job!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for you

Thanks all!!

Right now im eating ff refried Beans with enchilada sauce to lose some thickness, some ff shredded cheese and a little light sour cream!!! Mmmmmm

Congrats. Gosh I go tomorrow for my 2nd po and it appears that I've only lost 13 lbs since my pre op on 6/2. I'm so happy for you but what an I doing wrong?

Everyone loses different girl dont get discouraged!!! I am staying away from as much carbs as I can. All the full liquid diet is, is mostly carbs!!! Doin yogurt, Soup blended (no noodkes in it), and Jello. Boring but im just tryin think about how in 3 wks I can eat solids !

Just came home from my 2 wk post op appt. I have lost 20lbs since my appt on June 14th!!! I AM SO FREAKIN PUMPED!!!!!!! 20lbs in a week..... I cant believe it. I cried in the dr office. lol

Additionally....... my dr said since my diet tecinically goes from full liquid to solids... that I can start incorporating mushies now to see what my tummy can handle!! yayaaahhh!

Happy

Im going to the dr for my 2wk follow up today .. but wanted to get everyones opinion ..

the last few days I have been feeling nauseous all thru the day.. its not SO bad .. but just kinda lingers around. I can still eat/drink.. but its very blah and just there all day long. When I stand up I am lightheaded and nauseous for a few seconds.. then it goes away. What could this be?

My back also hurts a lot when I walk more then 5 min or so.. last night i went to the mall .. and by the time I walked thru Macys.. I couldnt do it anymore. Its not that Im tired of walking.. it feels good to walk.. but the back pain in my lower back hurts I never had this problem before surgery!

Of those listed, Tomato Soup probably has the highest chance of aggravating your stomach acids (tomatoes are very acidic).

"Cream ofs" are usually prescribed because of their consistency, and sometimes because of the small bits on them (unless you've been told to strain them).

On the cooking side, "Cream ofs" are Soups with cream in them - about .5 C per 1 C base, but that's just a guideline. So technically any Soup can be a "Cream of" soup.

Thinned soups just means adding more liquid than called for, to Water them down (or milk them down, or whatever!)

Does that help?

I don't know if the VSG diet is any different, but on the AGB diet, when you could eat "cream of" soups, you could eat any soup with creamy consistency. Any soup + blender + water/milk = creamy consistency. If your tastes are more savory, try pureeing Campbell's Bean & Bacon soup, and strain out any pieces, and add some milk or Water to thin.

There are lots of "Cream of" canned varieties you haven't mentioned. Shrimp, asparagus, onion, broccoli, etc. Have you tried any of those?

Can you not have yogurt? Usually with bariatrics, "thick liquids" is a stage, and would normally include things like cream soups and yogurts. There are non-sweet yogurts out there (plain, or plain with a bit of honey blended in are yummy).

I loooove to cook, and soups are one of my favorite things to make. What tastes do you like? I might be able to help you with some recipes.

I gave up the creamed soups... for some reason the creaminess is a turn off to me and my tummy... I have been buying progresso lights and campbells select harvest soups and blending... my faves are the mexican style chicken tortilla, the sausage gumbo and I really wanna try the italian meatball.... Does this give u an idea of my flavors???

I would love some ideas!!!

About the yogurt... I tried plain Fage and couldn't even swallow it.. The taste was gross. I love Chobani with the fruit mixed but I dont think I can have the seeds or mushy fruit chunks yet so I bought the plain last night hoping its better than the Fage... We will see :/

Listen, I was trying steak about 2 weeks post-op which was a dumb thing, but I had to learn... LOL

Lol!!!!! I wouldn't try steak.. At this point soft veggies and mashed potatoes would make my day!!! Lol

In my opinion.... full liquids have a variety of food you may eat! Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, yogurt, SF Jello, SF pudding, creamed Soups, etc. Since you're about two weeks out, I would try eating some cream of mushroom (or whatever your favorite Campbell's flavor is) mix in a full can of milk, and puree it up. It's not really a puree, it's liquid!! Try that for a week or so and see how things go. I wasnt at the mushie/pureed stage til week 4, so I would never advise you to progress sooner than your doctor orders, but it's very hard to go 5 weeks w/out something substantial. My suggestion to you after you hit week 5 and are authorized to eat solid food.... start with mushies/pureed food first!! Then slowly work your way to solids!! Just a suggestion!!

Yeah.. Like I said ive been doing yogurt, cream of wheat, oatmeal, and blended soups. Creamed soups are nasty so I don't do those, and Jello isnt really anything.. That,was on my clear liquid stage that only lasted the first three days.

Im gonna ask before I do anything.

my post op guidelines say i should be having 40-60gr a day....... seems low compared to everyone else? hmm

Is runny mashed potatoes or runny refried Beans ok for your full liquid stage? Adding greek yogurt ups the Protein to everything too, you can add it to these as well as Soups. Might be more satisfying and keep you fuller longer. You take prilosec or something for acid right? Acid can cause false hunger

Hi Kelly

My full liquid stage doesnt list much as suggestions other than cream of wheat, oatmeal, Soup, and yogurt .. but then it states "things on this list are only suggestions, these are not the only things you may eat" lol ..

I had a couple spoons of Hummus yesterday.. mixed a bit of Water to make it a little runnier. It didnt hurt .. but it was like making noises in my tummy lol .. it was the roasted garlic version.. so that may have had something to do with it. I was fine after about 5min.

I dont take anything for acid.. never had acid issues.

Im just feeling kinda ehh.. because I really am hungry every few hrs now.. it seems like the 2 oz 3 times a day isnt cutting it. That, or I need something more substantial. My post op diet goes from full liquids for 5 wks then to solids. There is no pureed stage (the paper even says DO NOT PUREE YOUR food in the solid stage) so maybe I can ask my Dr if I can incorporate some purees now.. u think? It seems that it will be hard to go straight from full liquid to solid... just cant see it happening!

Any suggestions?

Good Morning!

So i have been out and about the last few days .. the mall, walking in the park.. etc .. first i was just walking in my neighborhood but since i have been feeling much better I ventured out to do a bit more walking.

Im noticing that Im having back pain after walking a bit....... even at the mall... where I wasnt even walking continuously.. I had back pain.

I never even had this before WLS.. any reason it may be happening now??

I was sleeved on June 1st. All seems to be going ok. I have lost 20 lbs since on the liquid stage. Now that I hit pureed stage I haven't lost a pound...

Should I be discouraged? I just hope I am not doing anything wrong.

I feel like I have come a long way since surgery day. The day I was discharged from the hospital I had the chills and was so bloated I felt horrible but then 2 days later it was so much better. Now almost 3 weeks later, what a difference!! I can feel some of my clothes fit looser. I can see the weight loss in my face, fingers and feet. Not the best places to be noticeable but its a start!! Now, I do have strange red raised welts surrounding 3 of my incision sites that itch like CRAZY!! I saw it was pretty common in some sleevers. Maybe a reaction to the glue adhesive they used to cover the incision sites but it seems the rashes appeared after the glue was peeled off.....weird...

I am looking for suggestions for the pureed food stage. My doc didn't give me much as far as suggestions. What can I have and what should I avoid? I try and start with oatmeal or cream of wheat with nonfat dried milk powder (which adds more protein), I add 1/2 packet of splenda and cinnamon. lunch I have had pureed chicken with little mayo & hot sauce and some V8 juice. I know the goal is Protein so that is what I am trying most to put in my mouth. I drink a good amount of Water and crystal light and I try and drink a 12oz Protein Shake during the course of the day (60 grams of protein!) GNC wheybolic extreme chocolate is soooooo good!

Would love to hear from anyone with ideas/suggestions. Also want to see if I am on the right track as far as weight loss... SO excited for my future - just want to stay on the right track.

Thanks so much!

Dawn

Ditto on the GNC wheybolic extreme drinks! The chocolate tastes JUST like chocolate milk .. I love when its super cold Try the Cookies n cream too.. its pretty good. Negative on the strawberry though.. lol just a heads up incase you havent tried it yet and were thinking of doing so.

My post op diet doesnt even have a pureed stage.. i go from full liquids to solids in 3 1/2 more weeks!!! Try Hummus.. if you like it.. its delicious!

I am 11 days post op today and on the full liquid diet for another 4wks. I have had no problem with anything i have tried thus far with the exception of milk. Im on 2oz of full liquid 3 times a day, and Protein Drinks as needed. I was thinking wow Im never even hungry the 2oz was filling me up.. in some cases i was hiccuping and burping bc i was full. However .. starting yesterday I am actually starting to be hungry. Like I said im on 2oz 3 times a day only...... I do 2 Protein drinks (6 oz each) and then popsicles if i want thru out the day.

Why am I hungry?? Im feeling like maybe my sleeve is too big or not tight or whatever it is that they do.......

Great point but my doctor has told me that the Water I use in my Protein drinks counts towards my daily minimum of 64 oz of Water. that being said, I drank about 48 oz of water yesterday. Hydration is by far the most important part of these first few weeks but i do not want to go through the hair loss I had with my band so I am throwing Protein into everything and anything!

AMEN to that.... i put that stuff in ANYTHING I can get my hands on.. applesauce, pudding, water, Soup, whatever.. I dont wanna lose my hair

Glad to hear that you are doing so well!

Tamz- be careful! Just because it goes down does not mean it can't do damage in your young sleeve! You are not even at two weeks and you need to let it heal. I suggest you google VSG leak and find out what you could have happen- seriously girl why are you doing stuff like this? This is the time to show you have what it takes for the long haul. That means following the rules and not succumbing to cravings and whims about what you can do to push the envelope.

I need a break from this place. That is what I just figured out. Then I wont have to worry about you any more when you post stuff like this.

no need to worry about me. I called the Nurse line after I ate it because i felt guilty.. she called back and asked how much i ate i said part of a teaspoon.. mashed up mixed with Water. she didnt seem to worry. she said as long as i mashed it and it was more liquidy it should be ok .. if not i would have felt it after.

sorry you feel you need a break from this place because of me......... we all make mistakes and im sure i am not the ONLY person to have done something such as this. Im not perfect. You dont need to worry about me going forward.

Are you allowed banana? I wasn't until soft foods. I still am wary because of the carbs- plus it is part of the BRAT diet when you have diarrhea- which to me means it does the opposite- gack!!!!

I am also cautioned against having cream of wheat too often as it essentially carbs. You want to keep yourself on Protein with minimal carbs so you don't have trouble keeping on the path once you add food.

Mmmmm....grits....too bad I love my grits with butter and brown sugar. Not on my list right now!

I had no idea that maybe I shouldnt use bananas. Ugh. Cream of wheat and oatmeal are on the suggested foods list for full liquid. I really dont have a list of yes/no foods. Just a few examples of what to eat. maybe he didnt mention the carbs since im only eating 2oz 3 times a day.

I took 1 bite of mashed up a bit watered down baked Beans today. I know!! Im going straight to hell. But... I didnt have any issues with it. I just wanted a bite, it satisfied me lol.

I was only prescribed to stay on full liquids for a week, mushy/puree/soft solids for 2 weeks and progress to solid foods as tolerated.

Least to say, it took over 3 months for solid foods to be tolerable. You might find that even the most mushed up, chewed to cardboard tasting foods just don't work that soon.

Of course, we'll all cheer for you if you can eat 3oz of chicken that early, but typically that's not the case.

I plan on taking it veryyy slow. Like baked Beans, chicken salad, mashed potatoes etc... I am going to be thrilled with just that! The chicken can wait lol