Indymom

19 lbs in a month is great! If you feel like your weight loss is too slow, though, just make sure you're tracking all your food and keeping up the exercise.

My surgeon didn't require a pre-op diet and said that typically the liver didn't give him any problems when operating. That said, I also didn't have highly-elevated liver levels. I would recommend asking your surgeon point-blank before you go under.

If your body is in ketosis (from eating low-carb) that can cause a funny taste in your mouth. I didn't think anything tasted good for the first month or two - once I could have 'real' food again it was fine. Hang in there!

I had an egg-beater omelet for Breakfast with mushroom, canadian bacon, tomato and 2% cheese. For lunch, I was with friends - so I had a few tortilla chips/salsa, then I had a chicken fajita salad and primarily ate the chicken/cheese with some pico de gallo. dinner was leftover chili with a very small amount of spaghetti noodles, and a small salad. I also had a spoonful of ice cream.

I could barely eat an egg early on, and at 5 months out I have my regular breakfast of 1/4 cup egg beaters, a few mushroom slices, a piece (1 oz) of canadian bacon, a little diced tomato and 1/2 oz shredded 2% cheese. It's the perfect amount - fills me up but I'm not stuffed, and I'm satisfied for hours! You'll get to the point where you feel like you're eating more "normal" again.

For those of you thinking about being tempted by your kids' food . . . I've used my surgery as a starting point to improving my daughter's eating habits. Very little eating out now when we used to hit the drive-thru a LOT, lots more veggies and protein and less simple carbs, etc. She understands that I had surgery and that now we're all eating better to help mom get thinner and heathier. It's really been beneficial for the whole family!

So far I'm doing great now that I'm back on track! Another 3 lb loss this week!!! Indymom ~ 263 SW . . . . . 192 CW . . . . . 175 GW . . . LBS to GOAL: 17 January 9 ~ 195 (-3 lbs) January 16 ~ 192 (-6 lbs)

I was on clear liquids for the first 5 days, then full liquids for a month (but my full liquids included soft cheeses like string cheese). Then a month of purees (which included canned chicken, tuna, etc.).

nutritiondata.com has a recipe builder where you put all the ingredients in, choose the serving size (or number of servings) and then it gives you the full nutritional content of the serving. If there isn't an ingredient in their database, you can add it. It's a great site!

I can eat anything within tolerance at 5 months out, though there are certain foods that don't sit well in my stomach (anything overly greasy, dense breads, pasta). Some will say to avoid celery and coconut - I don't eat coconut but I've had celery often without issues (after the first 3 months, of course).

I would DEFINITELY wait. From the date of my surgery to 4 months out, I went down from a size 24 pants to a size 16 . . . you just don't know where you will be by that point. It's no fun to spend money on alterations!!

That just sounds INSANE. I hope she doesn't go through with it.

We don't have pouches, we have little stomaches that would be VERY difficult to stretch out. My meal plan from my nutritionist says 4 oz at each meal or as tolerated. I'm just over 5 months out and a typical day's menu is as follows: B - 1/4 cup egg beaters omelet with 1 oz canadian bacon, 1/2 oz 2% shredded cheese, a little diced tomato and sliced mushroom L - 2 oz chicken burger or 2-3 oz of chicken breast, 1 oz 2% block cheese, some sort of vegetable (sliced cucumbers, carrots, etc.) D - 2-3 oz meat (chicken breast, turkey meatballs, etc.), small portion of carbs (usually about 1 oz or so), sometimes a small salad I also have a snack in the afternoon, usually a clementine or a 1 oz portion of sliced cheese.

For those of you "cheating" or not following your food plan - I would warn you to be very cautious. Early on after surgery, your stomach is still going to have some numbness so you may not feel or realize when you are eating too much, OR if what you are eating is not appropriate for this stage post-surgery. Remember that you still have a healing staple line that is very delicate and sensitive. Eating foods that are too difficult to digest, or that aren't soft enough, can cause significant damage and could result in a leak, infection, or other complication. I'm not trying to be preachy but I followed my food plan religiously . . . it was really hard, and I had a couple breakdowns . . . but ultimately I kept reminding myself that I was going to have a few months of really hard but a lifetime of satisfaction from being thin and feeling so much better about myself. I hate to hear about people having a complication, especially if that complication is due to a bad decision.

Every nutritionist/surgeon has different requirements. Mine recommended 84 oz of fluids daily (including the liquids in my shakes, etc.) and 75-90 grams of protein.

I've figured out that I have a slight intolerance to some greasy foods . . . for example, I was running around today and thought a cheeseburger sounded good. I removed one of the buns and tried to eat the burger, but it just didn't go down well. Probably a good thing, really, since it wasn't the best food choice for me anyway! Other than that, the only other food that bothers me is a lot of mayonnaise - I can't really eat chicken or tuna salad anymore (but can do a small amount of mayo on a sandwich).

Indymom ~ 263 SW . . . . . 195 CW . . . . . 175 GW . . . LBS to GOAL: 20 January 9 ~ 195 (-3 lbs)

I'm here! Down about 68 lbs and feeling great . . . down from a size 24 pants to a 14/16 . . . XL or L in tops . . . had a big stall during the holidays but back on track since last Monday and down 3 more lbs.

Congrats!

After my 4th week I was allowed to start on purees, which on my plan was really more like mushies/soft foods . . . I ate canned chicken and tuna (made salad with a little mayo and dill relish); refried beans with cheese; scrambled egg; yogurt; cottage cheese.

I'm surprised by the 1200 calorie thing too . . . I'm 5 months out (on Tuesday) and typically only get about 800-900/day. To the original question, I think you might want to try to get to 700-800 if you can . . . and maybe increase the exercise (faster walking, etc.).

Your nutritionist might have a specific plan for you, but I know that my program didn't really have any set guidelines regarding this. I personally try to stay between 700-900 calories (more often leaning towards the high end) - at least 75 grams of protein and below 50 grams of fat and carbs.

Are you taking an acid reducer? Is it possible you have acid mimicking the feeling of hunger? When you eat, are you eating on plan (i.e. Proteins first, etc.)? I find that if I eat a meal that's heavier in carbs I feel hungry sooner than if I eat primarily Protein and veggies. Maybe you just need to rework your food plan and see if something works better for you?

Great slideshow, you look awesome and lucky girl, you kept your curves!!

It's typically best to follow your nutritionist/surgeon's plan. I had 4 weeks of full liquids and then 4 weeks of purees (although my allowed purees food list included canned chicken & tuna, soft cooked veggies, eggs, cheese, etc. so I had a lot of variety). Try the Eggface blog, I think she had a lot of suggestions for pureed food stage.