Eureka-C

I read a lot of labels. It's easier to learn to track when u don't eat much anyway. Also I use www.fatsecret.com while others use WW online or myfitnesspal.com Feel free to ask if you get confused.

I also added stage one baby food meats to my broth to give them more protein, still thin enough to go through a straw.

Tomato soup was the exception to the no acid foods, starting week 2, but I was also told to test I carefully, because some people have problems with it.

I agree. I would have to add in a couple of shakes to get enough protein with 3 meals. I just can't eat that much in one sitting. I also feel better at 800 calories than I do at 500 calories. That being said some days I am just not hungry and have to do a shake for a meal.

It's fake crab meat made from whitefish. I like them cold or you can chop it up and make crab salad. 3 g protein.

B- lean cuisine (meat and veggies, only one bite of noodles) S1- crab stick and 7 cocoa almonds L- laughing cow cheese, lettuce, lunchmeat wrap D- turkey black bean chili S2 ? I really like these. I get to see options, keeps me on track since I know others will see, and makes me think instead of just going and getting.

I almost picked dr. Nicholson. He definitely has a good rep. I ultimately went with dr. Davidson. I think around here in Dallas it's a lot about the little things like appointment wait time, aftercare, support on call, etc. A coworker of mine had dr. Kim. He required his patients to buy protein & vitamin products from him. Otherwise she has been happy. Good luck

I was told to keep taking chewable to get the maximum absorption.

It would be great to hear your story, where you started, where you are now, things you learned along the way. As for stretching, from what I understand the part of the stomach left is not stretchy. So what you can eat now will likely be your limit for years to come. Of course you can take in too many calories choosing slider foods and making poor choices. Can't wait to hear about your experience.

I agree with kgremmy. I too felt more soreness due to doing more. I would look at my holes on my tummy and think "this is just as raw on the inside only it's the entire length of my stomach. Take it easy." Pain tells us to slow down. Also the heating pad became my best friend.

I have to tell myself this is not a diet. It's more like learning to walk after a surgery fixed your club foot. I used to do things because my stomach, and hormones played tricks on me. Now I can eat like a normal person. I still am afraid to listen to my new stomach because it has failed me so much in the past. I try to make choices based on reason and healthy living rather than guilt. I may choose to eat one small cookie, and refuse to feel guilty, because eating one cookie is normal. I used to eat the whole row. I can eat 2 hot wings and a slice of pizza (toppings and 2-3 bites of crust) and this is normal. I am not dieting. Dieting failed me in the past. If I only lose 1 pound a week that's okay. I feel more normal about my eating than ever before. I am not obsessed about food. I go hours without thinking about food. I don't feel as if I am dying of starvation only 30 min after eating a 3000 calorie meal. This has been hard and everything isn't like I expected, but for the fist time in my life I almost feel normal when it comes to food and eating.

I would ask for documentation in those eight months when they informed you that you were making mistakes. I would ask them if their job was meant to be guidance for someone who has already struggled so long or a trick to "catch" you? I would also say "I am not the professional here, if it was as easy as reading a sheet and following it, surgeons would not need you. They would just hand us a sheet and send us on our merry way. The point of a nutritionist is guidance. Show me your guidance. I came to see you "x" number of times and you did not make it clear to me what I was doing wrong." This is assuming that they did not tell you. On the other hand, if you were warned about where you were straying, and chose not to listen then maybe they are right and you need to check. Personally, I think they set us up for failure pre-surgery. If I could stick to a strict plan, I would have lost weight that way in the first place. How very frustrating. Feel free to vent here what you would like to say even if you feel you cannot. Prove them wrong!

I had one that turned into this thick sludge. Ewwww. I ended up throwing out the whole container. I like the syntax because it didn't get thicker when it sat and it tasted good at room temp. I still have problems with super cold drinks at 8 weeks.

Actually globetrotter, I like that test! Show him some pics and don't tell him who. My hubby likes girls with a little more curve. He has been supportive of me no matter what weight I am. He is more concerned about my health. Once early in our relationship when I was being self conscious about my body when he was complimenting me, he told me (something like) "I like everything about you. I find you sexy and attractive, when you put yourself down it's like you are rejecting my opinion, saying I'm too dumb to know what I like. It would be like if I said 'this is a great steak' and you said 'nope it tastes like leather' it's really annoying to have your opinion undermined and it's hurtful when Its about someone I love and cherish." he has also made great points about me finding clothes that fit no matter my size. He has done more for my self esteem in 12 years than anyone. I think if we met and I was skinny, he would have been just as sensitive a guy, and I would have seen that clearly.

I would suggest you check out the Internet for samples. There are many many many of them I did not like. I finally settled on syntax twisted cherry mixed with koolaide or crystal light lemonade. I had one vanilla one I liked before surgery, but after surgery, I drank so slow that it would turn into this thick sludge that completely gagged me.

I use benefiber as well. 1-3 times a day, depending on fiber foods I eat. I used to get 30 g of fiber a day easily, now somedays I only get what's in the benefiber. Constipation is way too painful. Also, I would rather keep ahead of the problem.

At 4 weeks I was eating 600-800 calories

I just used a small pillow held against my tummy.

Yes. You are doing great. Just don't be surprised if you slow down dramatically or hit a stall about 3 weeks out. Great job. It took me 4 weeks to lose 20 lbs.

First, I really don't believe that this eating will "hurt" your sleeve. It is a bad habit. I too find that my sleeve is tighter in the morning and looser in the evening, and I tend to eat more at night. That being said. I limit myself to 5 "meals" a day. If I also keep a drink to sip to prevent snacking between meals. I find that in the evening, I can really get my missed fluids in since my stomach is looser. It also looks like you are grazing. There is a difference between being hungry and feeling the pressure ease allowing a little space to eat more. I find that if I am not careful, it is easy for me to fall into this habit. That's another reason I have started limiting myself to 5 meals a day.

water weight is affected by many factors, salt, caffeine intake, hormones, air pressure, allergies, TOM (Aunt flo), medicine and time of day just to name a few. I found out that my allergy medicine was causing me to retain water at night.

I don't know about you, but I was on liquids for a full three weeks. I thought I would die. At first, liquids were enough. I could barely get them down. sip watch clock, sip, watch clock... all day long. Then I got hungry. I wanted to chew. The liquids just weren't cutting it, not enough energy, not enough of anything. I feel your pain. At almost 8 weeks, life is much better. I thought I would lose faster - only 1-2 pounds most weeks from week 4 on, and a 10 day stall at week three when I finally was allowed to eat. But overall, I am great. I have lost more weight in the last 8 weeks than I lost in 5 months prior to surgery. Hang in there.

i know there is controversy about this, but under 300 calories???? That seems extremely low. What does your doc/nut recommend for calorie intake? look up weight loss stall or plateu in VLCD vey low calorie diets.

I was looking at recommended Protein amounts for everyday people, not just wls people, and I found a lot of the same. This was on About.com "Currently, the recommended amount of protein for most adults is around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day. One kilogram equals 2.2 pounds, so a person who weighs 165 pounds (75kg) would need about 60 grams of protein per day. " I think this chart is good too. It comes from a UCLA brochure about Proteins. RECOMMENDED GRAMS OF PROTEIN PER DAY (Based on activity level and body weight) sedentary x 0.4 gm/lb.................110 lbs = 44 gms............175 lbs = 70 gms...................250 lbs = 100 gms moderately active x 0.6 gm/lb..110 lbs = 66 gms............175 lbs = 105 gms................250 lbs = 150 gms (exercise 1-2 hours daily) highly active x 0.8 gm/lb............110 lbs = 88 gms............175 lbs = 140 gms.................250 lbs = 200 gms (marathon runners/professional athletes/body builders)

i remember some people talking about how they lowered their meds further out, because as the weight lifted the depression lifted. As for Bipolar, you probably will have to monitor and adjust as necessary, but my list of meds not to take after surgery does not include any of those.