MidwestGirl

Hello all! So I'm only 3 1/2 weeks out right now, but one of the organizations I'm involved with here at college is planning to sponsor a chili cookoff in the next couple weeks! I should be 5- 5 1/2 weeks out by that point, which I think means that I could have small portions of some chili so long as I chew really well. Anyway, I would like to enter my own recipe...but I don't have a recipe!!! If anyone would be willing to let me enter your recipe in the cookoff, please leave it here! :blushing: I was wading through recipes on AllRecipes, but was wondering what you have all come up with that is early post-op friendly! Hope to hear from ya'll soon! :confused1:

My mouth is watering. Can't wait to try this! (I have a couple weeks to go). :confused1:

See I'm the opposite - my dietitian seems much more lax about dietary stuff so I never know the effects of eating the things I "can" have, ya know? And she doesn't seem to care about carbs which really throws me for a loop. I guess it's better safe than sorry, though. Maybe the reason I'm allowed to have the carbs is that I'm on two shakes a day, totaling 64g protein before I even eat any food, so I have a little more "room" to eat non-protein stuff. Which I noticed is another difference in my dietitian...she says I need to stay on the two shakes a day routine for several months whereas others have said they start getting most or all protein from food sources after the initial pre-op diet. Could account for the difference I suppose but still irritating since everyone says the carbs are what slows down the losing. As always girls, thanks for the info!! :thumbup:

Thank you! :lol0: I was starting to get worried! I'm only eating 1/4 c. of food at each meal & usually stick to one food just to make it easier to measure . Again, thanks so much for the reassurance! I needed that!

Congrats on the date!!! I didn't discuss it with my surgeon or nurse beforehand...but I waited a week and was fine.

Kind of worries me that you say it will stretch the sleeve! My dietitian's guidelines say I can have well-cooked rice & Pasta on mushies and on out, and then when I get to soft solids I can have toast & well-cooked potatoes. This worries me. I know my dietitian has told me (unlike most) not to worry so much about counting carbs since, as long as I get my Protein in first, there won't be a lot of room for carbs anyway, but if that is the reasoning, that just freaks me out!!!

Hi Pennie, I did the same as Tiffy & bought the chicken bouillion (sp.?), but the granules. I think I got the lower-sodium kind because I drank so much of it in the beginning. If you are looking to get Protein, I think unjury has a chicken broth flavored powder that you could mix with Water. You might want to check out that "rate your proteins" thread somewhere around here. I know others on here have tried that flavor & had good things to say about it.

I confess that I although I'm in my last semester, I don't really want to graduate from college because then I have to join the real world and deal with things like health insurance, heating bills, and trying to save money for a wedding while hopefully not working a job I completely hate. I'm so scared I won't be able to find a job at all, let alone one I'm not over-qualified for. I'm okay with working retail for a little while before I either 1) go back for my master's or 2) figure out what I might actually want to do for the rest of my life. And yet, my parents think I'm an idiot for that. But they're not the ones trying to find a job! It's so difficult, especially when you live in an industrial & farming area...both hit hard by the economy. Not looking forward to it. I confess that after only 3 weeks out, I have a very unhealthy obsession with my scale. But I'm getting better!

I drink skim milk with my shakes & have no problem.

Hello! Another Iowan! (I'm a western Illinois transplant...). I had my surgery in Davenport at Genesis (can never remember if it's east or west) by Dr. Matthew Christophersen, also a bariatric center of excellence. Good luck at your meeting!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/opt.htm I drink the Caramel Toffee Fudge with milk 2x a day, each serving gives me 32g of Protein. I actually like the taste, I don't just tolerate it. :thumbup1:

What Tiffykins said makes sense about stomachs with history of ulcers being more likely to develop cancer. I guess I look at it this way, whether or not getting a sleeve is a risk of gastric cancer (not saying it is)...the link between obesity and cancer (among all the other health problems caused by obesity) far outweighs that tiny risk anyway. There is plenty of info out there on how obesity can contribute to certain types of cancer (including colon cancer which is one of the deadliest forms), as well as increased risk for things like diabetes and heart disease (both of which run in my family and were sufficient motivation for me to lose the weight before I develop them) which reassures me that I made the right choice no matter what.

Hi Michelle! Congrats on your date & good luck with beginning your sleeve journey. Look forward to hearing about your progress! :001_smile:

I looked at the sources referenced at the bottom of the website. Of four, two of them mention the increased risk after having a gastrectomy. Here they are directly: http://www.sign.ac.uk/pdf/sign87.pdf (on page 9) Gastric Cancer: eMedicine Oncology (at the bottom) Thanks for bringing this up, tdriver. I hadn't known that before. Though I suppose it's too late now...oh well. I'd rather be healthy at least for awhile!

Welcome to the loser's bench! Yeah, the new tummy makes a lot of funny noises those first few days! Haha. It's good that you're walking & no major pain, glad to hear everything went great. Just keep sipping as much as you can. I know it's hard, but especially the first week or so your body really needs it. Keep up the awesome work!:001_smile:

I haven't pureed meat yet. I've had some tuna w/ mayo (I also have some canned chicken I should use..), fat-free refried beans, string cheese, fat-free cottage cheese, banana, and rice. These little instant rice cups I bought have a little protein & my list of allowed foods includes well-cooked rice & pasta for mushies (my dietitian told me not to worry about counting carbs though), so I've had 1/4 of rice with 1 tsp. benecol vegetable oil spread & some creole seasoning one meal a day - it's my favorite. :lol0: I think when I get to the non-pureed meats I'll probably limit my rice, but for now it seems to sit well with me! Though I did notice that the refried beans tend to make me more gassy in the chest so I'm trying to avoid them a little more. I hope it helps! :lol0:

Mushy oatmeal & mashed potatoes are on my allowed list for mushies, but my dietitian is one of the few I think that doesn't tell patients to count carbs. :lol0: She said try to get some kind of food with Protein in and then something else too if I want. I've been doing well-cooked rice one meal a day because it at least has a little protein.

Hi, we got sleeved the same day! :lol0: Anyway, I'm still getting gas pain right around my sternum, and the only thing that helps is to FORCE myself to burp. I pat myself on the back (haha), push on my throat with my hands, etc. I don't know if that will help, but that's what I've been doing.

It looks awesome! I like the color, especially.

Oh wow. :crying: Sorry you're going through this, thin! I can't even imagine! Ugh....guess we all have a "bad egg" in our family. But keep your chin up, you are a strong woman!

Hi, I'm 17 days out! :lol0: I don't know how much help this will be, but I had trouble getting water down too. Looking back, I wonder if maybe it was because I've always been a water-only drinker so I used to take huge gulps and I think I just associate water with gulping. But anyway, I started adding crystal light flavors to my water and that works A LOT better for me. No pain going down, no pain in the tummy. They have loads of flavors if you haven't already tried this, and they're sugar free and I think 10 calories if you add one to 17oz. of water.

Welcome to VST! Congratulations on your surgery date. The pre-op diet is difficult but just keep the long-term in mind...1 more week of the pre-op diet and then you won't have to worry about that hungry feeling. :scared0: You can do it! It will all be worth it very soon!

tdriver, yeah I think the majority of flavors are in there but it seems like there are a few missing. I wished cake batter had been included cuz that's what kind of ice cream I always used to eat! :drool5: That's the first time I've heard of a doctor doing that, so I'm curious - what was his reasoning? I know mine stress and stress and stress the shakes, which is alright by me, just a new routine! :thumbup:

I started mine on my pre-op diet 2x a day. Now I'm 2 weeks post-op (started mushies Monday) and I am still doing 2 a day, with milk, which gives me a total of 64g of Protein from shakes. I noticed quite a few people on here get their protein from food instead of shakes, but when I asked my dietitian about it she said it would be months before I got off the shakes (but that I can eventually). But that's just one program's opinion. I'm going to keep doing what they tell me, but as seen from others' posts, it's not right or wrong either way, just varies by program kinda like the pre-op diet.:biggrin0: Oh & I finally found one that I LIKE and don't just tolerate. It's here Bodybuilding.com - Optimum 100% whey Protein - With Faster-Acting HYDROWHEY! On sale now! and I drink the caramel toffee fudge. I think it's yummy! Tiffykins recommends the variety pack that they sell on that site, which is how I found the caramel toffee fudge. :blushing: