Indymom

I try to avoid artificial sweeteners whenever I can, if I splurge and order a unsweetened tea at a restaurant I'll use one packet of Splenda and that's about it. I don't drink diet drinks like Crystal Light, etc. on a regular basis. I try to stick to plain water for most of my hydration.

Mcdonalds - grilled chicken snack wrap - I get the ranch one, and I tear off a bunch of the tortilla. I sometimes get a cup of buffalo dipping sauce for it. I've done chicken nuggets before, or a cheeseburger without half the bun - blech. My least favorite place. Qdoba - I get the kids naked burrito bowl without rice - chicken or steak, Beans, pico, salsa verde, a small dollop of sour cream, a small bit of shredded cheese - it comes with a side item. Usually I get the tortilla chips but I can only eat a couple of them. I can eat most of this but usually take a bit home along with the leftover chips. Steak & shake - either a grilled chicken salad or a cup of chili Taco Bell - crunchy taco supreme (I break off half the crunchy shell), chicken soft taco fresco style but with cheese - I just eat the innards and leave the tortilla. White Castle - if I'm really craving it I'll get a couple sliders and take off part of the bun. I have to get without onion now, these upset my stomach pretty badly.

I was allowed to eat chicken and tuna salad with a little mayo and dill relish after the first 4 weeks post-op. I always poured a little of the pickle juice in as well. However, it might be a little harsh to drink it straight-up. I'd wait a bit.

Danielle, that sounds pretty accurate, although some people are more carb-tolerant than others. I don't worry too much about my carbs and tend to get more than 40 a day. While I don't necessarily try to keep my carbs low, I would say in general that both my carbs and fat grams stay below about 50 per day, my calories are between 900-1100 day, and I try to get at least 75 grams of protein. I'm 8 months out.

I eat more cheese than I did pre-surgery. Pre-surgery I would have never considered chunks of cheese as a critical part of my lunch.

Sounds pretty good, not sure how far out you were but for example at 3 months out I was doing a protein coffee in the morning (decaf), then 3 meals with approx 15-20 grams of protein at each. If I needed add'l protein I would either do an oz of cheese or some lunchmeat for a late-nite snack.

I'm 8 months out and I don't eat as slowly as I did when I was early out, but I still try to chew thoroughly.

I love Mexican restaurants - lots of sleeve-friendly options. Many times I get the fajitas, and just make a little salad of meat, beans, sour cream and salsa (and peppers/onions) without the tortillas. Or, if there's an enchilada dish or something that sounds really good, i'll just order it and eat around the tortilla. Taco salads are always a good option too if you skip the crunchy bowl, but they aren't so great to take home leftovers (the lettuce gets icky).

Sounds like you're right on track. For the first 4 weeks after surgery I was supposed to eat 2 oz per meal, consisting of full liquids/purees. 2 tablespoons is generally 1 oz (or 1/8 cup), so you might not be eating quite enough - although you may be getting full on 1 oz this early out. My nutritionist wanted me to have 75-90 grams of Protein a day, so you're on the lower end of that guideline, but that's pretty good for 3 weeks out. Your protein will likely increase as your restriction decreases and when you can move to more dense Proteins. If you're feeling "hungry" after 30 minutes, are you drinking with meals? Or taking anything for reflux? You may have acid issues that seem like 'hunger.'

A girlfriend at work decided to have VSG done in December after I talked to her about it, and another co-worker has been asking me a lot of questions and is likely going to go see a surgeon for a consultation. I have another friend at work who is really heavy and unhealthy, and whenever she says "you look so great, I wish I could get down to your size" I've very politely offered to give her more info about my surgery if she's interested. She is scared of surgery as she's never gone under the knife before; I hope she starts considering it, though.

I got on the scale this morning and showed a weight gain of 5 lbs from last week. I have not been overeating, but I have eaten foods high in sodium, have not had enough water and ran out of my water pills for my BP a few days ago, so I know it's all water weight. I'm picking up my script tomorrow so I've decided to wait until later in the week for my "real" weigh-in.

I can tolerate a small amount of pasta (like, 1 oz cooked at the most usually) but rice just makes me feel yuck. Not a problem for me as I don't really care that much for rice anyway. I typically buy the Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta for my family as the kids won't eat whole wheat, and the Smart Taste has less net carbs for my husband (he's prediabetic) and still tastes like white. I eat so little of it that it's really a nonissue for me.

I filled eggs for the kids last night and only had a couple Starburst jellybeans. I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyway so it's not a big deal - I haven't been interested in any of the other candy.

No regrets here either. I feel like I'm eating like a "normal" person now instead of like a glutton. I have a very tolerant sleeve, and for example today at Easter dinner I was able to eat about 3 oz of ham, along with a few bites of green Beans, a few bites of mac & cheese, and even half a roll (that was tough to eat but it was a big splurge that tasted yummy!!). I avoided candy all day, and when they brought the ice cream cake out for dessert, I was satisfied with just a few bites. I love my sleeve!!

I'm a social drinker and started drinking again probably 3 months after surgery (my doc said 3-6 months, so . . . ) I sometimes drink vodka/diet tonic, or diet sprite - I also like spiced rum with cherry coke zero, but the spiced rum has a lot more cals, I think. I am a beer drinker too and the carbonation doesn't seem to bother me (I don't drink from a can or bottle, I pour it into a glass). I don't have much of a taste for wine anymore, so it's not something I would generally choose. I don't always allow for the calories in my daily allotment, but it hasn't affected my weight loss thus far. If it slows my progress slightly, I can deal with that - it's part of my "new normal."

I always recommend talking to your doctor about making changes to your plan. That said, I was on full liquids when I came home, and my "full liquids" plan included some soft foods like cheese sticks, cottage cheese, etc.

I loved pickles early out too - I think after 4 weeks I was allowed to have peeled cucumber, and my nutritionist said I could have pickles too (but to be safe I peeled the skin off them too). Definitely satisfied my need for the crunch and the sodium I wanted!! My nutrition plan was a little less restrictive than some after the first 4 weeks, but those full liquid weeks SUCKED. Once I could have eggs, cheese, etc. I was pretty much OK.

Hang in there - 2 lbs a week is good! If you're wanting to speed it up, try to cut your carbs back a bit, make sure you're exercising, and if you are exercising, change up your routine a little. Also make sure you're logging all your food to be sure you're not exceeding your normal goals. My hair loss sucks terribly right now, but I can already see new growth coming in - it won't last forever, so just try to get through it as best you can.

I think my first few cycles before surgery were pretty heavy, but now they have started to lighten up a lot. Not sure if that's normal but I'm not complaining!!

Unfortunately, I think very few people avoid this. I religiously got at least 75 grams of protein, took all my multivitamins, etc. and at about 5 months out my hair loss started. I'm lucky to have a ton of hair so it's not been horrible, but I can definitely tell.

You could probably use center-cut bacon too, it's almost as good for you as turkey bacon (and so much yummier!). I'd like to try this.

I make homemade meatballs with lean ground beef - honestly, the nutritional values are nearly as good as turkey meatballs if you use 93/7 beef or leaner. I don't really follow a set recipe - generally 1 lb beef, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg, finely diced onion, some garlic to taste, italian seasoning . . . I like to bake my meatballs rather than fry in a pan. They are great and we always freeze the leftovers. A good trick is to freeze them on a cookie sheet and then put them in a ziploc bag - that way they are individually frozen and not stuck together.

Those are pretty good stats - if you're not a low-carb person, that is. I try to make sure anything I eat has at least 5 grams of protein per 100 calories (or ideally less, of course). Lissa, thanks! I didn't weigh today, tomorrow is my official weigh-in day and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that I hit it tomorrow!

If you're not a low-carber, this recipe is delicious!! I only had about 1 cooked oz of Pasta and ate primarily chicken with veggies and sauce . . . but YUM!!! http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side.html

The syntrax nectar unflavored was OK, as was the unflavored from GNC. I mixed mine with decaf coffee, a little milk, and splenda - it was tolerable, and I found I could drink it more quickly since it was warm.