Indymom

Congrats on the engagement and hitting goal!! Like some of the others, I can eat the meat from a 6-inch sub with veggies and half the bread . . . sounds like you are doing just fine.

I ate this a LOT on mushies. I was allowed to have cucumbers when I was on mushies, so I put it on cuke slices!

August is a good time for surgery. That's when I had mine - I was able to enjoy my summer with family and then start off fall with my weight loss.

I like them too, but got a little burned out in the first couple months. I have switched back to full-fat cheese, I use it so much in omelets, etc. I really like the way the full fat melts better than the low-fat. I limit myself to a half-ounce in omelets and a full ounce when I slice it for a snack, so the extra fat/cals isn't hurting my daily targets.

As long as my day stays busy I don't fall into too much of a snacking trap. But boy, I've been home with a sick kid all weekend, yesterday, and today - and it's been AWFUL!! I made myself put everything I ate yesterday into MFP and it was shameful. I'm home again today but doing better, I actually showered and got out of the house for a bit and that helped.

Your sleeve may just be 'relaxing' a little. Your food intake still sounds very reasonable, so just stick to plan and you'll do great!

I wonder why your nut said no steak ever? My nutritionist paperwork said 6-9 months out, but my nutritionist told me I could try earlier if I could tolerate it. I was able to eat it at about 3-4 months out with no problems.

I take a softgel multivitamin twice daily (Nature Made multi). I also take calcium citrate 2 pills twice daily. I take B1 once a week, do a monthly B12 injection (I self-inject) and I take a probiotic daily. I also take my colitis meds, my blood pressure pill and my reflux meds as well.

I think most (if not all) supplements can cause nausea from time to time. If I try to take my meds on an empty stomach, my calcium pills make me very nauseous. I've actually vomited them up once.

I didn't have a pre-op diet, and I really feel for all of you who do. I completely understand why they do it, though - it was honestly a big shock for me to go from 60 to 0 in literally 2 days' time.

Hormel has a natural choice lunchmeat now, it's a little pricier than regular but it doesn't have any nitrates, nitrites, etc.

I'm guessing likely the high fat in the bacon. I can eat it occasionally, but even now it doesn't always sit very well (I try to fry it pretty crisp to get a lot of the fat out of it). I can't eat hot dogs any more either, and certain types of sausage irritate me as well.

Don't think of it as a last meal. You'll get to enjoy many foods you love again, once you're through the healing process. It's great to not get that overstuffed, awful feeling!

It's definitely a slider food! 3 weeks out is way too soon, most people are still just eating mushies/purees at that point. Think about how hard those hulls would be on your newly-healing staple line. I didn't have popcorn until close to 6 months after surgery, and even now it's a very rare treat because it is one of the true sliders for me.

I WAS burned out on the carmelized onion/gouda/red pepper chix burgers, from Costco, but they were sampling them today with tzatziki, and I'm back in love with them!!

I agree that soda is a really bad choice but from everything I have read, it does NOT stretch out your sleeve. Carbonation is a gas, and it's going to make its way out of your body either one end or the other. However, it's very caustic and generally not good for you for a number of reasons, so it's still not a bad idea to omit it completely from your post-op diet. I very occasionally have a soda (or rather part of one, as I can never drink a whole one).

Trust me, you'll get past that feeling. It's the most wonderful thing in the world to sit at a restaurant and order something you really enjoy (of course with the exception of super-heavy carby pasta dishes, etc.), and be able to eat a reasonable portion of it, and enjoy the hell out of it!!

I think I waited 2 months for salad. Now I always make sure do a very small portion as it does fill me up a little. Especially at a restaurant if I get an entree that has a salad starter - I love the salad, but want to be sure to get all my protein in.

This is very common across all retail products. For example, I heard once that Kirkland Signature (Costco) vodka is basically the same as Grey Goose. Same thing with some store brands vs. name brands of different food items.

I had some friends at work who were very sincere but concerned for me because of the high incidence of complications with bypass (we work in health insurance and have seen lots of patients with issues). However, since I had my surgery they are all thrilled for me and my success. A girl I work with had the surgery in December, another is scheduled for June 1, and another just asked me for my surgeon's info!

I drink a little caffeine each day - usually either 1 cup of coffee in the morning or 1 glass of iced tea at lunch. Otherwise it's lots and lots of Water . . . Also, I forgot to mention that Pasta isn't a 'never again' food but you'll likely find it fills you up too quickly. When I make pasta for my family I have a tiny bit (usually no more than 1 oz cooked) along with a hearty serving of whatever Protein I make (chicken, meatballs, etc.). I had rosemary chicken lasagna today at lunch, and I picked all the chicken, mushrooms and cheese out of the noodles and just ate that with some of the rosemary cream sauce.

It's such a good feeling! I just bought a size 12 dress from Costco and as I held it up in the store, I thought "no way will that fit me!" Fits perfectly, just a little paunch in the front. Congrats to you!

I didn't like many of the sweet protein drinks. I always mixed unflavored protein with decaf coffee, milk and splenda and could choke it down that way. I worked hard to get to the point where I could get all my protein from my food so I could eliminate the supplements - I was able to do so at about 4 months.

It's very difficult to stretch your sleeve, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. I can link you to the eating "yellow pages" that my surgeon and nutritionist recommend. Every diet plan is a little different but this one is pretty basic. You can find lots of tips throughout this site too. Good luck to you! http://www.mybrandnewlife.org/patient-stories-and-support/bariatric-dietitians-guide-to-successful-weight-loss/

Are you getting ready to start your period? If you're not drinking enough water and getting too much sodium, etc. you're likely retaining fluids. Drink yourself crazy and see what happens!