Marie from Michigan

I think Costco has been experimenting with their formula. The first box I bought last June was great. I bought a 2nd box in August and I HATE THEM. They are extremely thick and I have trouble swallowing them down. I understand from other posts that they have switched their formulas but now I don't know if my Costco has the first formula or the second. I tried about five of them from my 2nd box and gave the rest of them to a relative who is on a high protein diet. I am using the EAS Carb Advantage. Not as much protein, but they are of thinner consistency. Donna

I guess it depends on the type of relationship you have with the people you work with. After some hesitation, I decided to tell them the truth. I have worked with these people for years and know all about their situations, families, etc. I had planned on just telling them I needed time off for some undefined surgery. The first person I told I was going to have time off for a medical issue, immediately looked at me with panic and fear in her eyes. I knew she thought I had Cancer. I just couldn't let her think that so I told her the truth. Then I decided to tell everyone who asked me about it. It has all been fine. I have had nothing but support. (NOTE: We have lost two co-workers to Cancer in the last year, so the fear is understandable.) I just didn't want people thinking later that I was lying to them or holding something important back. Your situation might be very different though.... All the best, Marie

I ate cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, applesauce, greek yogurt. I did eat some egg salad made with mayo and plain greek yogurt. I chopped the eggs very, very fine and chewed them to death. I was also allowed to have 4 low fat Ritz round crackers per day if I let them "melt" in my mouth before swallowing. Honestly, they were the absolute best. I looked forward to those crackers the entire day. I was so glad to have something salty and crunchy after 5 weeks of sweet liquids. I started a 9 day stall the day I switched to mushies so be prepared...... All the best in your journey! Marie

Highest weight: 270 lbs (December, 2010) Weight at start of pre op diet: 266 lbs (March, 2011) Weight on day of surgery: 254 lbs (April 12, 2011) Lost during first month: 14 lbs First stall at 3 week point: The stall started the day I started "mushies" and lasted 9 days. I am 5'2" I have lost 71 pounds to date. My goal is 145 pounds.

I am diabetic and I haven't been able to eat regular syrup for years without experiencing the same symptoms you describe.

I was told walking only for first six weeks. At my six week check-up I was cleared for any exercise I wanted to try.

When I am at a special event, I allow myself one bite of something sweet. Yesterday I was at a bridal shower and had a single bite of strawberry cupcake. It was sooooo sweet, but I liked it. Funny thing is, I had no desire for more than the one bite. I have also had one bite of cheesecake and one bite of smores in the last month. And the biggest surprise of all.......I CAN eat only one potato chip with sour cream dip!!!!! As long as I allow myself the bite here and there, I am thinking I am not feeling totally deprived and messing up my head. So far, its working for me.

My Nutritionist would say to wait a week and then try it again.

Keep trying to reach your Nutritionist. At three weeks post-op I was still on full liquids.... no eggs, no mashed potatoes, no chicken, no fruit, and definitely not chicken McNuggets. At 4.5 months out I still can't eat anything fried. I was drinking Protein drinks and pureed foods. Perhaps you are advancing your diet too quickly? Just keep doing the things your doctor tells you and don't worry about what the scale or the mirror says!

At 8 weeks, my Nutritionist said I was welcome to try anything. If it didn't sit right, to wait a week and then re-introduce it. I have not thrown up anything, but I have had what is called "foamies" a few times. The hardest foods for me are eggs and chicken. Who would have thought? I still eat them though since they are good sources of Protein. I just have to eat them real slow and chew them a lot before swallowing. My Nutritionist recommends eating 1000 calories per day including 70-80 grams of protein. Once the protein is in, I can add vegetables or fruit as desired (and as what will fit!). Snacks are almonds, cheese, frozen yogurt bars. Only complex carbs meaning no bread, rice, Pasta unless it is in very small quantities. No sweets. Wishing you continued success!

I also like to dilute the Isopure with just cold water. It is too thick on its own.

I'll start! I am 4.5 months post-op. Early morning - EAS Carbadvantage Protein shake 17 grams protein Breakfast - Cottage cheese (1/2 cup) , or 1/2 ham and cheese omelete. I have also had a McDonalds egg mc muffin without the top half of the muffin occasionally. Recently I have started with Kashi GoLean Cereal with 1/2 cup of 1/2 percent milk. lunch - 2/3 cup of taco meat, or beef barbeque, or pork and Beans with hamburger. I also like spagetti sauce made with hamburger with italian chees on the top. I will also take for lunch any restaurant leftovers I have including Chinese cashew chicken, Red Lobster baked flounder, Famous Dave's BBQ Chicken. I am eating about 6 oz of a "saucy" meat for lunch. Snack - In the afternoon I usually have either a 100 calorie pack of Almonds, a string cheese stick or an Atkins Protein Bar. I have the bar if I know I am going to eat dinner late. Dinner - A baked tortilla crusted lime fillet of Tilapia (from Costco), or a small beef steak, or roast pork with gravy. I also have a very small portion of vegetables (salad, green beans, cooked carrots) or a few pieces of fruit (watermelon, grapes, cantalope, pineapple). I often eat dinner out and typically either share a meal, order an appetizer, or order a sandwich or burger without the bun. I always eat the protein first and then try a few bites of vegetable or fruit. If we eat mexican, I order meat and cheese enchilada and finish one (taking the 2nd one home). If we go chinese, I order a beef or chicken dish and have a portion of it without any rice. Evening snack - I usually have either a frozen greek yogurt bar (Yasso from Costco) or a Healthy Choice fudge bar. At least once a week I have a kid-size no sugar/no fat ice cream from Coldstone Creamery with pecans as a mix in. Yum.... Overall, I am eating no potatoes, no bread, no crackers, no rice, no Pasta. I would love to hear what others eat! Marie

You look wonderful!!

I think that for a long, long time you will not be able to rely on whether or not you feel hungry. I was off from work for 3 weeks after surgery, My full time job during that time was to get in the 60 grams of Protein and 64 ounces of Water per day. During the first week post-op, I was only eating about 30 grams of protein per day but according to my Doctor's guidelines, I needed to ramp up to 60 ASAP. The reason I say it was a full time job is because it took a lot of energy to find the right things to eat/drink. I scoured this message board for suggestions and tried a multitude of different things. I NEVER felt hungry or thirsty (and still don't, at 4.5 months post op). Many days still its just mind over matter. I tell myself what I am going to eat, and I eat it whether I feel like it or not. I have a drastically altered relationship with food these days. I am afraid you are going to make your self sick if you don't eat the minimums. All the best.... Marie

I also work at a University and agree that you need to contact your Instructors right away. All have differing attendance policies. I was out of work for 3 weeks and I don't know of ANY instructor here who would excuse three weeks not coming to class. In addition, for the first 5 weeks I was absolutely exhausted. I had all I could do to stay at work until 5pm each day and then I came home and crashed. I can't imagine taking a class at that same time, even an online class. I had done a lot of research prior to surgery and thought I was prepared. The two things I seriously underestimated was the exhaustion and how much work/time/energy it took to eat and drink the first several weeks. However, your mileage may vary! All the best to you in whatever you decide. Marie

I am 4.5 months out. I am enjoying some foods that I avoided prior to surgery including broiled or steamed fish. For the most part I still like and eat the same foods I did prior to surgery including: hamburger, steak, roast beef, pork steak. I didn't like chicken all that much prior and I still don't. I like mexican food and still order enchiladas and or tacos. I eat the meat, cheese and fixins but leave the taco shells alone. I don't eat any rice, potatoes and bread. I order hamburgers without buns. I eat quite a bit of cheese and cottage cheese. I like nuts but limit to one 100 calorie bag per day. I try to eat a few bites of vegetables and fruits at each meal, but only after I have eaten the Protein. I used to order a lot of salads with meat and still do, but now only eat the meat and fillings and just a tiny bit of the lettace. What has really changed is that I have cut out all sweets and Snacks. Normally, I don't really miss them as I don't feel hunger and when I do eat I feel very full. The one food I do really miss is buttered popcorn. However, that was a trigger food for me along with potato chips and crackers so I don't think I will reintroduce them into my diet.

My Nutritionist would be thrilled with you! I am supposed to eat 75 grams of Protein per day spread out through 3 meals of 20 grams of protein at each plus one snack of 15 grams. At 4.5 months out I am still drinking one Protein shake each morning as part of my 20 Breakfast grams of protein. I was told that I had to try to wean off from this one shake by my 6 month visit. I was never much of a breakfast eater so its hard for me to get down food first thing in the morning. I typically eat cottage cheese or have an egg, but those are only 8-10 grams. I think you are doing great, Nancy! Marie

I am four months out and back to the whole handful at once with a big swig of water. (6 pills including a large vitamin). Actually, I never had any problems swallowing pills after surgery.

Hi Bryn The chewable multivitamins were tolerable prior to surgery, but I couldn't do them afterwards. About day 6 post-op I called the nurse hotline. I was told to try swallowing the regular Multivitamin I had been taking prior. I did and it went down just fine. I have been swallowing them since. However, I did have some problems with the GIANT calcium pills. I switched to the "petite" pills and they go down easier (ordered from Amazon). I also purchased the Calcet Creamy Bites and have one of those every night for "dessert." (Yummy). Marie

OP here. Thanks for all the input. I will put this one down as bad judgement and will try not to repeat it! I think if I have a craving for chocolate, I should just buy myself one great piece of real chocolate, enjoy it, and let it be over.

I played in a work-related 18 hole golf outing exactly six weeks after surgery. I had my 6-week post op visit at the Doctor in the morning and was cleared to golf that afternoon. Actually, I was cleared for any and all physical activity on that date. No more restrictions. I will say that even though we used a cart, I was really tired by the end of the day. It was also the first day I could eat meat that had not been pulverized so it was a particularly memorable day!

I only had one stitch poke through the largest incision. I noticed it about week three and it broke off about week five. I still have a little scar where it was.

I asked this same question of the Exercise Physiologist just before surgery. I was particularly worried about "bat wings." He said to add arm toning exercising in my exercise plan at about 3 months post op. He said the most important thing was to drink extra fluids. He explained that the skin is an organ that requires Water to maintain elasticity. The more water, the better the skin can recover from the excess stretching. I am now 18 weeks post op. Yes, I have "bat wings" and they are getting worse as I am losing more weight. I also have very saggy skin on my upper thighs. Stomach is not so bad as of yet, but I have another 60 pounds to lose. I have started the arm toning exercises 5 times a week, but honestly haven't seen any change. I do try to drink a minimum of 64 oz of water each day but its hard even at my stage. I have taken to wearing 3/4 sleeve shirts even in the hot weather because they look better. I suspect that might continue forever. My insurance doesn't cover plastic surgery unless is it deemed medically neccessary so I don't see that in my future. I will add that I am in my mid-50s. I also lost weight in my 30's and I did not have the saggy skin at that time. I think the younger you are the better. It also probably doesn't help that I have now lost this same amount of weight twice in one lifetime.

For some reason, I have NEVER been able to lose weight while on vacation. It doesn't matter if I drive or fly. I will always come home the same weight as when I left (or have gained a few pounds). Before surgery I always thought that I was eating more food than I thought and just not paying attention. After surgery I keep daily journals and I know my calories are 900-1000 each day, my exercise is up, and the scale just doesn't move.

The information from my Doctor's office says to wait a minimum of 15 months before pregnancy and then only after consultation with the Doctor concerning your specific situation.