kiki19

Linkybo - Only 22 pounds? How great is that? Could you imagine losing 22 pounds in four weeks pre-sleeve? Anyway, I have a bad habit of saying "only" too...and then I have to remember, 20-anything in four weeks is truly awesome!!!!!

You will probably start losing more weight...that's what happened to me. Once I started eating a little more, the weight started coming off.

Dry cereal was considered a mushy food, so weeks 3 and 4. One they suggested was Special K protein. Saltines and dry toast were also listed on the mushy list.

I discovered very quickly that I am not a huge bean fan. I tried pintos and cheese from Taco Bell. They were okay. I think I really enjoyed the hot sauce the most. I tried northern beans; they were okay. Cannelini and kidney beans were too hard. Lady peas were okay mashed. Basically, on the mushy diet, which for me was week three and four, I ate mashed potatoes and gravy from KFC. I ate green beans from KFC. One bowl of mashed potatoes (one serving) and one of beans would make four big meals. I also made a pimento cheese - one spoon of grated cheese and tsp of mayo on 2 saltines. I tried cottage cheese with banana and splenda and cinnamon, heated for about 20 seconds in the microwave. That was pretty good. Egg whites cooked slowly in microwave, topped with cinnamon and splenda. one egg omelets with a little cheese. I also soft boiled eggs and made grits, used the yolk and a little white in grits. That was good. Cooked summer squash with a little gravy on top. It sounds bad but it was one of the things the bariatric coordinator suggested, and it was actually pretty good. The tablespoon or so of gravy makes the vegetables a little thinner. I used a pre-packaged mix. I made egg salad on two saltines. I think that was pretty much what I ate during mushies stage. I ate green beans and not too many other kinds of beans. I hope this helps you find something you can live with or tweak...because it is a bit of a transition until you can eat meat. Meat sticks with you a long time. I just started meat. I ate shredded chicken (that I had cooked on stove) with hot sauce and a little ranch. I put it in my food processor instead of cutting it. I have also had a little taco meat and guacamole.

I was 10 pounds down at 1 week. I did not weigh at 2 weeks, and then I had heard about the 3-week stall...so at 4 weeks, I am down 24. I weighed a few times and it wasn't moving, and then I waited a few days and it was down 6 pounds...so I try not to weigh every day or think about it every day. I have probably lost 31 pounds total...I did not lose weight on pre-op liquid, but lost about 7 or 8 pounds during the month before surgery.

I have lost 24 pounds at 4 weeks post-op from day of surgery.

I had to quit weighing. Once I got off the liquids, which was mostly soup, saltines, broth, I started losing. I think all of the sodium, even though a lot of what I ate was low sodium, made me retain water. I did not lose any weight on my pre-op liquid diet...again, I think it was too high in sodium. Also, I noticed that I will weigh the same thing for four or five days, and then all of a sudden, I have afive or six pound drop. My friend said she would stay the same for a month, and then drop 10 - 12 pounds. She did that consistently for 6 months... So everybody loses a little differently. Again, don't forget the NSVs...they are very important. I celebrate something every single day. Like, for instance, I painted my toenails. I actually gave myself a pedicure. That has not happened in a couple of years. I could actually cut my toenails, push back the cuticle, and paint them....my bladder incontinence has completely disappeared. I have only lost 30 pounds, and already, there are a mutlitude of victories and things to be grateful for. I can only imagine what is in store for us!!!!!

I am 4 weeks out today!!! I get hungry about every two hours...I don't think it is real hunger. I have found that the low fat, high protein will stay with me for a long while, whereas veges or potatoes don't. Also, I try to drink a protein drink sometime in the morning. Usually, I make like a frappe: Coffee, protein powder, ice, ff milk, splenda, and cinnamon. My GF who had the surgery 6 months ago says she always thinks to herself, the sleeve is my tool; I will use it. I just now get what she means, or I think I do. Meaning, do whatever diet you have to, to ensure wl, whether low carb, WeightWatchers, or whatever, and let your sleeve be the tool that keeps you on that diet. I wish everyone the best of luck on their weightloss journey, and can't wait to join the ranks of the under 200....Oh, I dream of that moment. I see some of you are almost there...WTG....

I don't think you can physically hurt your sleeve after surgery...I guess you could right out from surgery, but that would be a conscious effort...now, a month after surgery, you can't even swallow when you are full...so I have not yet eaten too much, I don't think. I have had to spit food out that I ate just because it was good but I couldn't swallow it...so, yes, it changes your total relationship with food. Like, I had never realized I was a binge eater until now. If I started eating potato chips, I would eat the whole bag, not at one sitting but keep at it until it was gone, probably within a couple of hours. I would even add dip...Now, the other day at a lake party, two chips and I was full. I ate a total of five all day long. They were absolutely delicious. I could actually taste the potato. I don't think I ever even tasted most of the food I ate, or overate. My brain just registered "feels good" and it went from there. Also, I never realized that when confronted about anything by my husband, I ran straight to the kitchen. I can't eat now, but I used to start cooking and eating...now, I just find myself in the kitchen wiping stuff down or cleaning out the fridge or arranging shelves. Sometimes, I make something really good and feed it to my husband...I think this is some kind of transference thing going on. I can see how this operation is going to change (is changing) a lot of my relationships. I am not going to just sit back and eat my emotions away. So confrontation of food relationships are a given...I think I am going to start a healthy garden and try to cook from there. Instead of running to the kitchen, I can run to my garden...I think you have to change that unhealthy addiction to something positive. My best wishes to all of you pre-sleevers!!!! Your life is about to begin!!!!

Don't you love it? I have been getting rid of stuff that I put on and it's too big...it's the greatest feeling in the world. I hope by four months that I can purge 95 percent of my clothing...I still have some cute smaller clothes that are still in style...hopefully, by winter, I will need all new clothes. Love the NSVs....

My mother-in-law's port was placed in her portal vein and it was completely constricted...She had to sit up to sleep or she would swell up like a pumpkin head...eventually, her body created collateral veins to take over the function of the PV. Anyway, sorry you had such a rough time and am glad you are here to tell the tale. Is there anything that can prevent such an occurrence? A friend of mine's brother had gastric bypass and six months later he had an abcess. So not sure why some things occur so far out from date of surgery, unless he possibly had a small leak that presented no symptoms until he formed a large abcess. I am not really sure what happened to him. Thanks for letting us know about your complications. Hope you get to feeling better soon. BTW, I ate Soup whenever we went out, either potato or broccoli and cheese...or mashed potatoes or mashed up potato. If it had any bacon or anything, I would pick that out. Also, saltines were a lifesaver for me during the mushy stage...two saltines with cream of chicken soup, or any kind of broth on top of the saltines. meat is a lot harder to digest. However, I have made taco meat with Beans and cheese and a little guacamole. It is actually pretty good.

I get the whey protein from Publix...11.95. I mix it with a little coffee, a little milk, ice, splenda and cinnamon!!!!! I mix it in the blender...just better that way.

Congratulations to everybody...the first week is the worst...every day, things get better and better!!!!

You mentioned you did Lovenox pre and post op....did you do lovenox injections 14 days post op?

I can tolerate soft-boiled eggs. I ate a scrambled egg with cheese and I was full forever. It was like 8 or 9 hours later that I wanted anything to eat. I am ending the mushy stage and graduating into the ground meat stage...I have tried tuna salad and a little ground hamburger. I mashed about three little pieces of potato and put about one small spoon of taco meat then a little cheese and salsa (liquid), and it was really good. Oh, yeah, I added a touch of avocado to the top...just so it looked pretty. I tried Thai veges without heat, and just ended up eating the broth. I went to a bday party and it was at a Thai restaurant. I did not try the rice. I ate a piece of broccoli and I thought I was going to choke at the table even though I chewed it well, it was just not cooked soft enough. But, anyway, it had eggs in it and it sat okay.

Hey, I feel like that too...then when I look at what I ate, I am thinking that would have been a snack a month ago, LOL. Anyway, I like the cottage cheese and banana and cinammon idea. Do you heat it? It sounds like it would be good heated.

I, too, have had saltines. I haven't really tried any other crackers, because there is nothing to put on them...I am still mushy stage...I mostly eat scrambled egg, squash casserole, green beans. I did buy some diced pears and made a pear salad. It was actually pretty good. I tried applesauce but it gave me heartburn. So I am sticking to mostly protein foods. Although, I feel like I cannot do a complete low-carb diet, because I am still not eating meat for another 11 days or so. Once I can eat tuna or shredded chicken, I think I will have better food choices to keep it lower carb. I actually ate my saltines in cream of chicken soup.

What is laban? Is it the same as Kefir? Love Kefir... I am happy everyone is doing so well. Wooohooo....heading for the loser's bench...

Egg whites, slightly whisked, and you can microwave in 10 sec increments or cook on stovetop really slow, and then add splenda and cinammon or vanilla... they are really good and loaded with protein. They kind of taste like oatmeal. Also, I made a squash casserole with canned squash, cottage cheese, two eggs, salt and pepper...mixed it all together and baked in oven for about 30 minutes, cut in squares, and eat for lunch or dinner....oh, yeah, I added shredded cheese on top while it was baking. Those are just two recipes I have tried during my mush phase...I still have 10 days of mush before I can add meat of any type.

Oh, that's beautiful. I needed that, because I am still a rock... I woke up yesterday, two weeks out of surgery, had no complications, and it feels like I have a hernia in one of my incisions, the biggest one, of course. So I need to head back to the doctor and check to see... I hope you don't have a stricture. Did you have hiatal hernia repair? The last time I got put to sleep, which was for a hysterectomy, whoever intubated me during surgery, my esophagus got injured and it took a while to recuperate from that. It felt like everything I ate got stuck right between my breasts, and at one point, it felt like I had swallowed a golf ball. So possibly something like that happened, and then your stomach being cut out probably exacerbates it. I mean, there can be major complications with this surgery...I am glad everything has worked out so far. Did you have leak symptoms? I read somewhere a person who had no leak symptoms, so that was pretty scary to me. I am praying for you and hope everything works out and that you have no stricture.

Let me know what your doctor says. I have a pea-size lump in my large incision. It is not painful, but I was wondering if it may be a hernia too. Thanks.

We will be praying for all of you scheduled VSGers today. Hang tight. Walk and sip...see ya' on the losers' bench.

I am 14 days out, and today, I started soft foods....my list states, any of the clear liquids, yogurt, cream soups, cottage cheese, low fat cheese, smashed beans, applesauce, egg whites or egg substitutes, some soft canned veges like squash or green beans, carrots, peas. Still no fresh veges or fruits or meats or pnut butter for two more weeks, which will put me at week 5 and 6. I can also have tomato soup(no more than 8 oz a day). Oh, yeah, and mashed potatoes. So I had 1/2 kentucky fried chicken mashed pots and gravy for lunch, and then I had the other half with a spoonful of black-eyed peas. I think hummus is also on my list. I am so psyched about having real food. I also made a squash casserole with canned squash, cottage cheese, two egg whites, salt and pepper, and sprinkled with cheddar cheese.

Well, congratulations!!!! It's almost here. It's a little rough the first couple of days, but rest, water, and walking will help you through it... I only have three more days of post-op liquid diet. I am so looking forward to a scrambled egg. Who knew the pleasure you would get out of such a small thing, but I am so tired of soup...plus, it has just way too much sodium, even the low sodium, to be beneficial to my BP. I am 11 post-op, and I can tell you, I feel way better. I worked with a friend of mine yesterday, and I was worn out by 2 in the afternoon, but not too bad. I am just trying to build my stamina. So good luck and best wishes for your upcoming surgery.

I do Lovenox injections once a day. It is recommended with an abdominal surgery. It helps prevent blood clots from forming. I just take them once a day. The needle is small. They are easy to give. I started mine in pre-op at the hospital, got one before I left, and then had a prescription for 14 days post-op...only six more to go.