traceyinflorida

Are you making it with milk? I have read that some people become lactose intolerant post surgery. You may want to try mixing your protein with soy milk or a lactose free milk like lactaid just to see if it makes a difference. Glad your egg and cheese worked for you though!

Susie, you always give great advice too...I am just paying it back! Glad you can sleep peacefully now...sweet dreams to you too!

I informed my family that the two weeks of pre-op and the first week of post op was MY TIME. I needed to get through the diet, I needed to get all my tests complete, I needed to have things in order for being away from home for three days. They were pretty good, but it is a tough adjustment on a family who is used to you doing everything for them. They just need to be reminded once in a while. Even before this, the "what's for dinner" question grated on my nerves! If it makes you feel any better, my son, in the spirit of doing for himself, ordered a pizza and plopped himself right next to me while I was watching tv to eat it on the first day of my all liquid phase of my pre-op diet. He wasn't trying to torture me. (although it was torture!) He was just oblivious to what I was going through because he is a stupid teenager! Give yourself permission to be selfish during this time. You have spent a lifetime doing for them. It will be good for them to do for you and themselves for a while. (these words of wisdom came from my mom when I was fretting over not being able to give rides, cook meals etc.) Hang in there and good luck with your upcoming surgery!

Believe it sister, you are really losing weight and YOU WILL GET TO GOAL!! If you have lost 29 pounds since your surgery, you are losing almost 15 lbs a month! Considering most people stall at three to four weeks and then start back up again, I would say that is pretty darn awesome! Just think, if you had been able to do that when dieting alone, you would have been doing a happy dance! That being said, I have that same little voice of doubt once in a while. I think many of us do. I know I have seen a lot of posts on the forum of someone thinking that they are the only ones who will not be successful at this. It's not surprising, since most of us were unsuccessful at dieting on our own, or worse yet...were successful at losing and then put it all back on again and then some! But this is different! Yes, you still have to make the right choices, BUT those choices are so much easier to make when you are not hungry! You will get there. You have made an amazing, life changing choice and it will pay off for you!

I have a couple of those in my fridge and tried drinking just half. They tasted pretty good, but the protein is so concentrated that the aftertaste is NAAAASTY. I could not drink it again. I never thought of mixing it in my water for a fruity drink. ( I was trying to go for a big bang of protein in a quick shot). Does that dilute the taste of the protein sufficiently? Had you tried it as a shot for comparison? I guess tomorrow I will give it a try and find out for myself. It's a shame to let them go to waste and I need to get more protein in too. Although, today was a good protein day for me. I had two shakes, shrimp for lunch and some chicken for dinner.

I never had a drain, but does that prevent you from going out, or are you just feeling too yucky to go anywhere? I hope you feel better soon. An escape from the house is definitely a good thing, even if it's just for a short time. Hang in there...it does get better!!

Hi Jeff, Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your upcoming surgery! You'll be on the losers bench before you know it! As for sex, here is a good thread to answer that question. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/48776-how-long-after-surgery-did-you-wait-to-have-sex/page__hl__%20resume%20%20sex Needless to say the answers vary from right away to two or three weeks. I guess it will depend on how your recovery is going. Definitely ask your surgeon. Looking forward to seeing you out here on the forum and hearing about your journey! You will do great!!

Such and exciting and nerve racking time! It's hard to wait when you have done all your part and then you have to wait on everyone else to do theirs. I hope it all goes quickly for you!

It takes a couple of weeks to feel like YOU again. Give yourself permission to rest. It's what your body needs. Walk when you can, even if it's out to the mailbox and back. Each day you should start feeling a little better and be able to do more. For me, I bounced back pretty quickly, but I would need a nap in the afternoon. I also found that even after a couple weeks when I was feeling close to 100%, I would suddenly have a day when I was SO TIRED. (probably from over doing it the day before ) By 6 weeks, other than eating differently, I did not even feel like I had surgery. Everyone is different though. I hope your recovery goes quickly and you feel like your old self again...just a shrinking version of it!

When I was on my six month diet I lost a grand total of 12 pounds. The first month, my NUT seemed a little annoyed that I had only lost three pounds in a month's time. But at the end of the six months she admitted to me that she was thrilled that I took it more seriously than most...LOL! I don't know about you, but I was really upset that I had to go through that in the first place. I had lost and then regained on more diets than I can even count. That was the whole reason I was going for the surgery in the first place. Obviously eat less and exercise more were not working for me. I know that insurance companies need to make sure you are truely committed to a change in lifestyle, but I seriously doubt that there are too many people that just wake up and suddenly notice they are fat and immediately run to surgery. Okay, my rant is over. I enjoyed a little good bye tour wtih food during the two months between my last NUT visit and my pre-op diet while waiting for insurance approval. I gained two pounds and then got really serious for my two week pre-op. I lost 15 and was fully ready for surgery. As predicted, I find it much easier and am much more motivated to stick with the plan now that I am sleeved!

Yes!! It was really bad in the first couple of weeks post op but has gotten a lot better. I have noticed that I still get cold much easier than I used to. It's a welcome change to hot and sweaty, especially since I live in Florida!

Awesome! I have decided that I am going to claim my liscense lost so that I can get a new picture taken....one without the double chin rolls!

It's so nice to be able to move through those phases. Enjoy your first bites/ sips beyond popcicles!! Just take it slow and listen to your body!

Totally normal. Keep drinking! Hope you are feeling well and not too sore from surgery!

Prayers for an uneventful surgery and speedy recovery. Welcome to the losers bench today!

I was allowed to at this stage and it was a life saver! It felt like one of the few "normal" things I could eat.

You will be able to drink normal again too before long. At the stage of the game you were at, I felt constantly thirsty, and the constant sipping was not helping. But if I took a larger swallow, it hurt. By the end of one month, I was able to drink close to normally again (not chug but take normal swallows) so it did not take me forever to get through 8 oz of water. Still you will need to follow no water 30 minutes before and after meal rule, but when you can drink normally getting your fluids in no longer feels like a full time job. I hope you feel better soon!

I added you as a friend. For future reference, when you want to friend someone, click on either their name or "view my profile under their picture. It brings you to their profile page. There is a tab in the top right corner that says "add me as a friend" and you click that. A notification will be sent to that person that you friended them. It only took me a couple weeks to figure out how to do this....LOL!

Oh my goodness that is AMAZING!! I am 10 weeks out and still have five scabs. I wish that had been an option at my hospital. But, I do not see myself ever wearing a bikini, even when I reach goal weight (not after the stretchmarks from having two kids, and then years of being overweight after) so I guess my five little scars are a small price to pay to be thin. BUT STILL, that is AWESOME!!

I did not realize it was granola and you ate it that long ago. Granola will not break up quickly, I was thinking soggy flakes of something or oatmeal. That being said, I have eaten stuff that has made me feel really lousy all day long, so do not panic. Keep trying to drink water. If you have an acid reducer, make sure you are taking it. When I have acid reflux it causes a pain in the center of my back and front of my chest, like a sharp burning sensation. If you are still not feeling better or have any pain in the morning, call your surgeon. It is better to be safe than sorry. Let us know how you make out. I hope you feel better soon! Oh and you might want to sleep propped up on your pillows a bit...if it is reflux it will help. If it is not, it can't hurt other than a possible crick in your neck...

Search the forum for "egg face" to find a link to the blog "World according to egg face" Lots of recipes and ideas on there. Also, I have the book Before and After by Susan Maria Leach. She was a bypass patient, but same nutrition rules apply. The book has over 150 recipes including for the early stages. She also has a website called bariatriceating.com with lots of ideas and recipes. Unjury.com has a bunch of variations on protein shakes to make them more fun. Also if you do a search on this site, you will find recipes and ideas for protein shakes that can rival any fancy coffe house latte or frappe some without having to even break out the protein powder! I like to have a shake for breakfast because I am not a big breakfast protein fan (ie eggs). For dinner, I pretty much cook a variety of protein based dinners for my family with a veggie and a starch. I just eat the protein and a couple bites of veggie if I still have room. I struggle with lunch, so I try to make extra of the protein at dinner (like grilled chicken or salmon) and reheat a little for lunch. I also bought frozen cooked shrimp on sale at the grocery store tonight. I am going to work on finding a low sugar way to make coctail sauce, defrost a few shrimp and have shrimp coctail for lunch. For work, you could make up chicken, shrimp or tuna salad and bring it on a bed of lettuce. A couple pieces of string cheese for snacks. You could bring leftovers from dinner. If you are at your solid food phase, you can roll some cold cuts with a little lowfat cheese. Greek yogurt is also a good protein source and easy to pack (unfortunately I hate all yogurt, no matter how many different ways I have tried it) I hope that helps just a little.

Congratulations to you! Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for. So wonderful that your parents are so supportive and that your mom is thinking of doing it too! 30 pounds in one month is awesome...I cannot think of any diet I have ever been on where that has happened...at least not one where I was actually going to keep it off!! Keep up the great work and keep us posted on your journey!

PS, BM is loose since you are still on liquids for the most part. That will change (and not always for the better) once you get to eat solid foods. Also, acid reducer takes a couple of days to take it's full effect so do not worry if you are still having problem the day you take it.

Tummy grumbling is not hunger, but probably acid. Spit coming back up that tastes like vomit is most likely acid reflux. I would call your doctor to be sure (given your other complications) Since you are still on liquids per his orders, he may prescribe Prevacid solutabs (acid reducer). Otherwise, if you are cleared for pills, you can get Prilosec or Prevacid over the counter at your local pharmacy without a prescription. I hope you feel better soon!

Are you taking an acid reducer like Prevacid or Prilosec? Could be acid. If the gas x does not help, both Prevacid and Prilosec are now over the counter meds since you probably tolerate pills at this stage. If not, call your doctor for a prescription for Prevacid solutabs. It will take a couple of days to take it's full effect.