PdxMan

1/3 of a cup is a good start. Don't push yourself past that. It can be hard at this time, because your body is not able to tell you when you are full or still hungry, so, slowly enjoy the 1/3 of a cup. Take at least an hour break before trying more. Just don't be frustrated if it takes you half an hour to eat the entire 1/3 cup, or even if it takes you 5 minutes. Everyone's swelling is going to be different.

How far out are you? Salads are very fiberous and difficult for the stomach to digest. Remember, the stomach is the mechanical part of digestion and you just had 85% of it removed. Salads, then red meat were the last things for me to be able to eat. I had my first salad (iceburg) 4 months post-op. Sounds to me like you may have eaten salads a little too early on your journey.

Well ... not quite what I was trying to say ... When I was a couple weeks post-op, after being on a shake and lean/green pre-op for two weeks and Clear liquids and shakes 2 weeks post-op ... I was in the, "OMG, I am never going to eat "normal" again." I felt that if I even tried to eat anything with any texture, my teeth would crumble since they hadn't had anything crunchy in over a month. I didn't want to eat what my definition of "normal" amounts ... I just wanted to eat "normal" food. REAL food ... I didn't care what it was ... a carrot, a cracker ... whatever. Eating food akin to what is served in nursing homes was making me crazy. Then, even when I did eat the pureed food, I could only eat 2 or 3 bites. Psychologically, I had HAD IT! I was tired and knew I was only eating around 500 calories. It wasn't a stretch for me to know that I needed to get more calories than that, but it was just soooo difficult to do. WHEN WAS THIS GOING TO CHANGE? I didn't want to eat anywhere near what my old "normal" was, but I knew I couldn't maintain that current level. I needed to consume more than 2 or 3 bites at a time.

Oye ... everyone's tolerance for pain is going to be different. What is your history with pain meds and surgical procedures? First timers seem to be on them longer while surgical vets sometimes don't even use them at all. Tylenol and rest is all they use. I'm in the middle, there. I was on liquid loritab for 4 days, then transitioned to tylenol for a couple days.

HERE is a thread I participated in on this subject.

Surgery on Friday in Vegas (baby!). Enjoyed my time there walking all around post-op. Went back to work the following Wednesday. I would have been fine traveling after.

I had reflux issues prior to surgery as I had a hiatal hernia. This was repaired during my VSG and I have not suffered since. 20+ months post-op here and doing well in this department (and most others, too!)

It will depend on what it is, and, of course, your bites should be a lot smaller now than they were before, so it is all relative. You should be able to eat more than 3 bites of yogurt, now. As far as other foods and lean Proteins, it will progress something like this: 4 bites of deli turkey meat - 5 weeks out 4 bites of tuna salad - 6 weeks out 4 bites of grilled chicken - 8 weeks out 4 bites of iceburg lettuce salad - 12 weeks out 4 bites of Romain lettuce salad - 16 weeks out 4 bites of Spinach lettuce salad - 18 weeks out 4 bites of grilled NY Strip - 6 months Hopefully you get my point ... it is going to be different for different foods and for different people. But I'm guessing you know this deep down and you're to the point where you feel like you are never going to eat normal again. Don't worry ... you will. There are no foods I cannot eat today and enjoy them all at 20+ months out. I just enjoy far less of them now. So will you.

As soon as you are off pain meds and your mind is clear.

Do you have a Sam's Club or Costco nearby? Premier Protein are by far the most popular amongst sleevers here. Not for everybody, but I know dozens of us who have settled on Premier. If you don't believe me, do a site search on Premier Protein. Chocolate or vanilla. I sound like a salesperson ... but I'm not!

What pre-op diet does your Dr have you on? For how long?

Ah ... yes ... OK, the good news is you are right where you are supposed to be at. I'm guessing you are wanting to change that top value: Calories Burned From Normal Daily Activity? The really good news is you are not allowed to change that. It is based on your activity level. The bad news is if you have had a recent BMR test, which 99.9% of the folks haven't, you will not be able to enter that value in there. Just tweak the activity level to get it close.

Oh, yes ... don't buy the processed stuff. Try making a couple varieties of soups as you don't want the white chicken chili to grow old. Then, years from now you won't be able to eat it because all you can remember is eating pureed white chicken chili. Know what I mean?

I don't know if I would quite say this ... There was this guy in college who used to make this mushroom and herb pizza that made me feel REALLY good. Funny thing was, he would only give me 1 slice, though.

Codeine does it for me ...

Looks like you can customize the nutrition info with THIS. Add 2 for cheese ...

After you change goals, you should be asked if you want guided or custom. Are you selecting custom?

Tiffykins is also a long timer. HERE is a thread from days of yore.

Uh ... I just changed mine. Are you doing it from the web page or mobile device? As far as setting the Proteins, fat and the carbs, remember, those are the components of your total calorie intake, so ... What are the settings you are looking to have and perhaps I can help you by setting mine up that way and then you can take a look at my profile there.

LINK to OregonDaisy's profile. Hope you don't mind, Miss Daisy!

She is an awesome member, for sure. Was a huge help when I first landed here.

I think that is just the thing. I can't speak for everyone, but my guess is their lives turn out so great they don't really need a support network ... that is why so many drop off here after some time. Keep reading and asking questions. PM me if there is a question you don't feel comfortable posting publicly.

It gets completely back to normal ... just smaller portions. Went out to dinner last month and had lobster with scalloped potatos and asparagus. Ate 1/4 of the lobster, 1/4 of the potatos and 2 spears. I was full, satisfied and didn't feel *blah* after. That is one of the great things about this. You eat ... you get full ... you don't feel like crap physically or mentally after. I eat steak, ribs ... but like Frye, I do avoid the breads, but can eat them. They just take up so much space that I would rather allocate to something nutritionally relevant. I have energy like I never had before and am able to exercise and do things I was never able to do.

It's funny ... those who have been sleeved 4+ years don't really hang out here. This site isn't old enough where they were coming here looking for support. My guess is they don't even know we exist here. So, to find a 5+ person ... Not to say they don't exist, but even the 3+ sleevers are rare to find here, but there are a couple. FWIW, I'm coming up on 2 years and doing great. Only regret is not being a 5+ sleever!

I do eat pizza today, but try to avoid the testies on my pizza. But to each his own ... (sorry, fyre ... couldn't resist)