AliveAgain

I to have been depressed on and off since surgery Dec 12,2011 (8 weeks ago this Tuesday). I hated the shakes but was given a list of some pretty tasty ones. I was given some very good advice on here, which made me stay and little bit by little bit I have opened up to the wonderful people here.
I use and used Top Ramen flavor packs for the taste and really loved the hot coco Protein rich they were my stand by's until I got to mushy's
Don't try to rush through the processes your body will tell you when to step up. If you try mushy's and get sick step back down and the same with going on to real food. If you have problems step back down for a bit. Each of us are different as to how well we tolerate the changes.
I couldn't walk at all before having the surgery it was just to hard. I had to start very slow, walk to door, then to drive way, then to street and so on. Now I am walking for 7 minutes on a tread mill. It may take awhile but you will get there.
I have attached a shake file with over 190 shakes to chose from I hope this helps get past this part.
Day by Day Step by Step with Jesus is what I pray for each day.
Wishing you a better, brighter, new day.

Hi Emlefe;
Sad that this has not been an easy recovery thus far. Good news is that you are reaching out at all. Remember you are not alone. I too had a lactose intolerance (I love cheese) but grew out of it at about month four. Looking back, I can tell you that those first couple of weeks, I thought - "Did I know VSG was going to be this difficult? Was I really prepared for the changes?"
Things you need to understand - things are different now. Your taste buds have changed, what you can eat has changed, what you can tolerate has changed, your body has changed - in reality you are searching for a new normal. Total assurance that you will find a new normal. Most likely this will take several months which is why we call this a journey. Have you ever had a horrid vacation and now you can look back and see the humor or at least laugh at how you survived? Equate this with the VSG journey. Some bad days or weeks and some good days. You are still healing, so you are eating to survive. You are eating to allow your stomach time to heal. I used the lactose free milk in my Decaf tea.
In time slowly a new normal will emerge. You will be able to eat non sickingly sweet foods. You will be able to have tuna, vinegar, tomatoes and all else your brain is screaming for now.
Call your doctor in the morning and see if you can move to the mushy phase. If yes, puree the (*^% out of some tuna with a little plain greek yogurt - if your diet plan allows to satisfy your tastebuds. Also - have you tried just eating some plain chicken broth? I used Lipton chicken Soup - the dried kind and threw out the noodles. Added in roasted chicken for addl flavor and then pulled it out. NUMMY after all that fake sugary thick shakes. If you like Starbucks and surgeon okay's - try a Decaf Latte, soy milk...or if too costly make your own version at home. There are some good online replacement foods besides sugary stuff. Google Barriatric foods. Expensive, but a lot cheaper than groceries.
Lastly, do you have any VSG diet plan from your doctor? Google VSG diet plan and a whole bunch will come up. Read those for tips before talking to your doc tomorrow and see what you can have that is not on your diet plan. In a few months, try adding back in a food like dairy.
The sun will come out soon. At 6 months it was as if I almost never had surgery minus the totally new body. Give yourself time to heal and don't think what is happening now is forever.
Hugs to being willing to open up. Hope my words have comforted you in some small way.

I am so sorry you are having a hard time with the cravings for food. I also was depressed after my surgery for a few weeks. I think I was really mourning food.I was sad I couldn't just quit the hideous diet! I also HATED the shakes. I never have liked sweets either. I can't remember that I did anything about it, but I got through it. This is a very tough phase emotionally. It was for me at least. But, the only thing I have to tell you is it will get better, you will get off the shakes fairly soon, and life gets a lot easier and more enjoyable when you can eat soft foods. Good luck to you! Pretty soon you will be able to try some other food. I didn't have anything but unsweetened passion iced tea from starbucks and those Protein Drinks. The day I no longer had to do the Protein drinks, was a glorious day! I had one again. I do think I had keifer milk. It isn't sweet and was something different. I liked that for a while. If it is too plain you can add some of those Mio drops in the keifer milk, but if you don't like sweets you might not need that. Good luck to you, it will get better.

First off let me say it's so worth it! Second you are on a liquid diet. Research and see what else you can have other than the shakes. I HATE shakes except for the Premier Protien shakes from costco or sam's or their website. chicken broth, any broth strained from Soups, Tomato Soup, cheese Soup should all be fine. Juices, smoothies (after 2 weeks) made with real fruit and a touch of real sugar helped me through. After 2 weeks yogurt, applesauce (anythign you can drink through a straw and isn't chunky). Now I know these aren't your doctors orders, they were my doctors orders but it is up to YOU. My doctor has a great record w/o leaks and is very experienced. His plan is much more reserved than a lot of doctors on here. You will hear this "Do what your doctor said, if you didn't trust your doctor why did you pick him" blah blah blah on here. My take is you do your own research, listen to your body and do what's best for you. The idea that one surgeon knows everything (and you happened to pick the know it all) is crazy. Good luck, keep your head up, and dude....it feels so freaking fantastic at the finish line!