MyssJones

I'm sure you've seen on here multiple times that the sleeve is simply a tool to help you lose weight. You still have to use willpower and choose what you put in your mouth. Especially around the holidays. I ate a fruit cake cookie the other day. No big deal. It was just one and I stayed within my calorie limits and met my Protein requirements.
I was sleeved 11/3 and I get hungry but not ravenous like before surgery. I've also noticed sometimes when I think or feel hungry I'm actually dehydrated so I strategically plan when I will eat and drink during the day. I don't do this perfectly. In fact I find it much more difficult during the weekend. But I do the best I can.
If I'm craving Chinese I find a delicious recipe online that focuses on Protein and I skip the rice or noodles. The other day I made jambalaya with sausage, chicken and shrimp. I ate the meat only and serve it with rice for my husband. It's even possible to eat out! I went to an Italian restaurant and ordered chicken Parmesan grilled, not breaded, and served over veggies rather than Pasta. It was delicious! I haven't gotten bored at all because I keep cooking and trying new things.
I only get the metallic taste when I haven't had enough Water. One thing I noticed is flossing daily is absolutely critical when taking in lots of meat. Skip a few days and you will notice for sure!
Most people I think are so thrilled with the pros of the sleeve they are willing to overlook the cons. I miss eating Publix subs but when I step on the scale and it keeps going down I remember it is totally worth it!

All I seem to see on here are how amazing everyone is doing, how they're the model patients, getting all their Protein, Vitamins, Water intake, daily hours in the gym etc. I had my surgery in Nov 14 and here's what I e learnt so far....
1) some foods that are bad for you are easier to eat e.g chocolate
2) I'm still hungry and I still crave all the food I did before
3) you get bored or the same food choices very quickly
4) Protein shakes, Protein Bars are disgusting
5) your breath stinks and you have a taste of metal/metallic in your mouth
6) you don't lose the weight as quickly as you might think/hope... but you do lose
7) the novelty of only being able to eat soft tiny portions wears off and sometimes you wish you could join the rest of the family for a big old dirty Chinese
Having said all that it is worth it, I'm so glad I had it done. In 2 months I've lost almost 35 pounds. I thought I wouldn't be hungry... I am. I thought I wouldn't be able to eat chocolate/sweet stuff... I am. I've now accepted that and know I need to resist as much as I can.

@@MyssJones I am sorry to hear you had a difficult time. Thank heavens I have not vomited. I really thought I was going to in post op as well as when taking the leak test but dodged them both.
Now home and going to try and get in all my liquids and Protein, this may be difficult since I am not hungry and really forget about eating or drinking.

I love the stuff. Yes, cook it like rice with twice as much Water as grain.

That would be bad news for me if I could not tolerate rice, I am Colombian and that is my staple food!

I like FAGE0% greek yogurt. It's 18 gm of Protein per 8oz. mixed with fruit you can get a pretty decent Protein boost that way. If it's too think for you, add some lowfat milk and mix in a blender.
As a vegetarian there are some organic protein powders out there: Biochem, Vega , Orgain organics to name just a few. There are also great unflavored Proteins that can be mixed with food. GENEPRO, Procource, Isopure and the infamous Un jury.
FYI- you may want to talk to your doctor about the gummie Vitamins. They are complete and may not be giving you all the mineral and nutrients needs. My doctor said even flintstone chewables were better than gummies.< /p>

@@GenaW828 I gave up Protein shakes after the pre op diet. I just can't stomach them anymore. I'm a fresh fruits and veggies type of girl and the Protein Shakes taste so artificial they make me nauseous.
I just bought some grits, oatmeal, and cream of wheat to prepare for Step 3 of the post op diet. They are all instant so I'm hoping they won't hit me so hard, but I'll make them very soupy just in case.

Headphones. My hospital floor was so loud during the day, I could rest at all. If I had to stay more than one night I thnk I would've cried.

@ Try ginger tea. It really helped me with my chronic inflammation.

@ I have the strips. But you'll need to take 2-3 at a time for effectiveness.

Headphones. My hospital floor was so loud during the day, I could rest at all. If I had to stay more than one night I thnk I would've cried.

I have been getting most of my Protein from drinking milk, can't stomach the Protein Drinks either!

Greek yogurt might be an option and the unjury chicken broth is quite good. Hope this helps.

If you haven't tried the ready/made Premier Protein drinks I agree with everyone else chocolate has been my drink for over 2 months...love!

Have you tried the unflavored Protein powders? You can mix it in Water, it has a little flavor, but not much. You can also mix it in your broth or Soups or other flavored drinks. It is thick, but the brand I use (muscletech) to me is better than the premade drinks. I get it on Amazon.com, there are different size containers available. If you don't like it so thick, you can dilute it more, but then you won't get the full 25g of protein, unless you drink more. Each serving (6oz) is 100 calories. So if you can get down 3 glasses, you will do 75g of protein. I know everyone different needs for their protein, but this is working for me. Also, it has been suggested that taking Biotin as a supplement might help with the Hair loss issue, which might be related to lack of protein in your diet, but don't think it will take the place of protein-it won't. Take your protein! There are dissolvable biotin formulas available. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

I agree with the Premier Protein comment. The powdered ones make me so sick to my stomach and Premier is the only kind that I can tolerate. It's easy, too, to just grab one out of the fridge!

I was having the same issue, but I am finding that the pre-made "Premier Protein" pre-made drinks (available at Costco) are far more tolerable than the ones that I had to mix myself. Maybe try some different brands?

I'm 3 weeks post op and still having a hard time getting all my Protein in as well, all the artificial protein makes me super nauseous after I eat/drink it.

I couldn't have anything to drink the first day after surgery. I used biotene mouth spray. it really helped when my mouth was dry. I got it at walgreens. I highly recommend getting it.

@fuzzyangelbear. It went very well! I only remember getting on the op-table then waking up about two works after being in observation. I feel very well right now for the exception of the air but I'm doing my breath exercises so that's helping a lot. How are you doing???

I will have my sleeve surgery tomorrow, dec 23rd in Atlanta. So excited!

Nope, I don't like any of it. But I can tolerate Premier Protein. Low sugar, high carb and it's grab and go.
Do you like beef Jerky? It's salty and good and I get to chew, chew, chew so it lasts a long time. 2oz is around 160 calories and 28g of Protein.

GENEPRO unflavored. Tasteless and you can put it in anything, and has like 30gms of Protein per tablespoon, not per HUGE scoop. I put it in about everything. Can't taste it. Of course, if it was in just plain Water , I bet you could taste it. But I don't think I would ever consider doing that. You can find it at Amazon.com

It really depends on how big you are if any excuse / explanation you give will work. If you are morbidly obese and take four weeks off of work, you will likely return having dropped a very noticeable amount of weight. Even if people don't catch on immediately, your continued weight loss will garner attention.
My best advise (since you have 5 weeks before surgery) is to start eating healthy now. Start bringing Protein shakes and salads to work and eat in front of others. Talk about this "new diet" you're on to anyone who will listen, and unless you have a very strenuous, manual labor type of job, I wouldn't take a month off of work. All that will do is raise more suspicion. If people ask you about taking time off, tell them that you had female / GYN surgery. Most people don't care to talk about female issues. Hernia repair is a good excuse but it is a very common surgery and people do not take 4 weeks off to recover from that kind of procedure.
Lots of people are just open and honest about having weight loss surgery, and others are not. It's a personal choice and your right not to share this with others. Good luck to you!

Alcohol will "feel" different after surgery for most of us in one way or another. I'm one of the ones who found it hit a lot harder than pre-surgery. I also discovered the hard way that it makes it almost impossible to tell how much is actually IN your stomach at a given time--it seems to make things relax to the point that my usual "I'm full" signals don't work very well... I'll leave the rest to your imagination, but it was not pretty and I didn't even get to enjoy a buzz!! LOL
As with all things post-sleeve, caution and paying attention to your body are the keys--only problem is that it's difficult to do that with the alcohol working in you. :-) Slow is your best bet.