JillianMarie

Well I went to my GI doctor this past week, he said as long as the food isn't terribly hard to digest, to start experimenting with new foods, but to take them very slow and in small bites. I'm not allowed veggies yet or anything with seeds, but other than that i think i am okay with most foods given i have tiny bites and wait to see how i tolerate it. If i feel uncomfortable after having a bite or two of something, i stop.

I was allowed to have yogurt and jello 2 days after surgery. By the second week i was allowed to have full liquids, as long as they were smooth and blended. Some Doctors apparently are a lot more strict than mine was. I also could finish a cup of jello that soon, remember that it is basically water. If you do a test, hold a spoon of jello in your mouth for a minute. It will melt. That shows you how fast it dissolves in your stomach. It is then emptied from there fairly fast. I was told that as long as i didn't have nausea, the jello and liquids could come as fast as i was able to drink them. I just learned not to take big gulps- it hurts, and traps air in the stomach- ouch!!

I also don't worry about carbs, i worry more about the total calories. If i cut out carbs my metabolism literally shuts down and i have no energy, low blood sugar and stop losing weight. If i eat carbs but they come from whole wheat bread, dairy, or fruit, instead of sugary foods, i'll lose weight and keep my energy up at the same time. I've never succeeded on a low carb diet. Only reduced calorie, low fat diets where i keep my protein intake up. But, we are all different. :biggrin0:

You guys crack me up!!! I love reading your posts! LOL

Kathy i am excited for you, i was so anxious and ready to have my surgery last month and once i did it, it was like a new lease on life. Where are you having surgery and who with?

It's very strange how different Dr's are saying different things about the stretching. But I think some of them are mistaken because with the gastric bypass, the new "pouch" is very stretchable, and this method is done so differently. What foods do you know of that keep you full for the longest amount of time? I find that some foods will make me full quickly, but it only takes about 30 minutes and i am hungry again. Would like to find something that sits a little longer!

Is there any data out there that shows how much the new stomach will stretch over time? I am almost worried as many of the healthy, low calorie foods are also "bulk foods" that are very filling, i don't know if eating them will end up re-stretching the sleeve to where it takes a large amount of food to get full. I am able to consume a lot of soft foods or liquids, much more than i thought i would be able to at this point, which is making my calorie intake a lot higher than i'd like it.

My GI doc said that i was constipated and i didn't even know it. I had pain in my low right abdomen. He had me get Miralax, and it solved the problem.

It depends on what i eat. I'm also at 3-4 weeks, and i can drink down a full 11 oz shake no problem, i can also eat protein bars without a problem if i chew them well. I've healed well enough now where a lot of soft foods have become sliders, even ice cream. I could eat 2 bowls and it seems to melt right through me. But if i have something with fat and consistency in it, like peanut butter, i can have 2 tbsp and i'm full for awhile. Same goes with cottage cheese, i'll feel full off half a cup of it and I'm done.

Sounds weird but since i started eating no sugar added, reduced fat ice cream, the burning has completely gone away. I'm eating a little bowl of it at night and a little bowl in the morning and it completely controls the acid, especially at night when it used to wake me up and i felt nauseous from it.

Broccoli is my favorite too. Do you know how long it takes until it's safe to start eating fiberous veggies like broccoli again, if they are cooked? Or just a salad with lettuce?

I ordered a product that i started taking and it is truely wonderful. XOWII, don't know if you have ever heard of it. It has more vitamins and antioxidants than anything else i've ever found and it's a liquid that doesn't hurt my tummy. Awesome stuff.

Oh- and yes i quit losing. Actually i just weighed myself and i've gone up a pound I'm ready to go back to my low calorie/healthy lifestyle and let the sleeve do it's work like you said. I can't wait till i can have my vegetables back!! I'm guessing that will be months though

Stacey- i lost about 10 lbs. But that was mostly due do to the recovery time when i couldn't eat a thing, even hardly drink. Now i've got a little fat to lose but not too much more weight, maybe 10 lbs. I don't really watch carbs, i just try to eat what my stomach will tolerate. I do get fat free and sugar free stuff, so nothing that sits hard on the stomach. I need carbs for my energy. If i go really low carb, i lose all my energy and feel awful. I know that the fat loss will come from the overall calorie reduction. I am drinking some energy drinks that make me feel wonderful. I'm SO happy that i can have oatmeal! I am going to fix it for my next meal!!

Thankyou Christie! I'm so glad you ran into that lady- i bet you are too!! I'm ready to move on to more solids/real foods, just taking it on the safe side, slow bites, chew well, watch the portions, but i feel like im ready for that next big step- Quaker oats. lol! And yes, i was planning on adding in the protein powder, you are on top of it!!

I feel as i am able to down numerous Protein shakes, yogurt, sugar free pudding, sugar free Jello and popcicles, etc... and while i am full for about 5 minutes, it then just goes straight through me. Cottage cheese seems to help hold me over a little longer. It's been about 3 weeks since surgery and my GI doctor told me to experiment with some foods that i may be able to tolerate. Softer foods, but not liquids. I'm really craving oatmeal. I have sugar free oatmeal packets. Does anything think this is a safe food for me at this point? I'd have to measure it out so i don't go overboard (i LOVE oatmeal) but i think it would really hit the spot and take the hunger off for a while. Anyone try oatmeal at 3 weeks out?? Also, are high Fiber foods bad right now? Filling, low calorie foods are supposed to be good, but i don't want anything that will swell too much and get stuck or cause vomiting. Any food suggestions? Sorry for posting so much guys this is just so new to me, and i am damn sick of yogurt and pudding!!!

wonderful news!!! :sad0:) I knew you should be eating more than one ounce!! LOL

I officially have the energy and my calorie levels up where i feel well enough to exercise. I have been given the OK by my Doctor to do whatever exercise i did prior to surgery. I find that when i get on the elliptical, my throat starts burning. It's a very weird sensation. After about 6 minutes i have to stop. I used to be able to exercise for hours at a time. Could this be from eating too close to the time that i exercise? I do take Prevacid, once daily, perhaps i should take 2? It feels almost as if whatever is in my stomach is trying to come "up" when i exercise, although i don't do it vigorously at all. It has gotten too hot out to walk and i've always used the elliptical for burning calories and keeping my muscle tone, so i'd like to stick with that machine, i'm just not sure how to do it yet and make it comfortable! Any suggestions?

I do agree with WannaLise, i thought that perhaps you can ask your Doctor specifically about his guidelines and when you can advance to a slightly larger portion of food?

Are you sure they said 1 oz? That is so restrictive. I got a 4 oz sleeve and i can consume 1/2 cup of soft food at a time easily. If you have a 4 oz sleeve, can you try 2 oz. of soft cheese if you eat it slowly in small bites? Also, i got something last night at the grocery store and it went really well for me. The broccoli and cheddar Cambells Soup, i poured half a can into a bowl, did not mix with Water (was the consistency of baby food) and heated it slightly. It was delicious and sat very well in my stomach. I went to a GI Dr. yesterday for a follow up, and he said not everyone that has this surgery is the same. It's more about testing foods/seeing what you can tolerate. If you are truely hungry (which you will be on only 1 oz of food because you are giving your body almost no nutrition), try just a little more. Not much, but a little, and see how you tolerate it. It may be that it just takes a little more and you will be comfortably full. You don't want to overdo it, but the one oz restriction seems far too restrictive, they are probably just being "on the safe side" by saying that. Do what you feel comfortable with- i've found that eating more of the soft foods helps keep my energy up and keep me from feeling hungry. This is just MY opinion- i am not telling you to go against your Dr. suggestions, I'm just making a suggestion you might want to think about. Just stay away from solid/sharp foods!! I learned my lesson with eating crackers!! LOL

I'm glad we have so many 20 something's here!! How is everyone progressing on their weight loss??

I agree with Jerry about the low glucose levels, because you aren't eating as much during the day, you need to have a more steady supply of energy. Keep a cold protein shake next to your bed, i put one in a bottle with a lid and put a few ice cubes in it to keep it cold all night. Then if i wake up during the night i can take sips. It helps to keep the blood sugar up. :tongue_smilie:

Angie, i made a batch of sugar free pudding today, with 2 cups of skim milk, and was able to eat the whole batch within an hour. This i should not have been able to do. I will have to start using self control so i dont eat so much. But i am very surprised that 2 weeks post-op i am able to eat this much. I'm sure that solids i wont be able to eat nearly as much. So don't feel bad at all for eating 4-5 oz!!! lol!!

Angie, i had baby food last night (the turkey with gravy) and had to eat 2 little jars to feel anything in my stomach. Each was 2.5 oz, so 5 oz total. Then i felt comfortably full for a while. I don't think you had too much, in my opinion. If it didn't cause discomfort, pain, or nausea, you were probably okay. 4 oz is a very small amount!

My paperwork that i received from my surgeon said to remove stitches 10 days after surgery, that seems a bit too soon to me. How long did you all leave your stitches in before removing them? I have the tools to remove them myself once i am ready. Thanks!!