Donna4545

Great idea! Here's a post-op haiku Chew thirty-one times to liquefy the protein; In desperate need.

I try to slow down , but I eat at pretty much normal speed--but I get full real fast. I'm working at trying to stretch out my eating to a half hour per meal like I was told, but for me it's more like 10-15 minutes depending on how dense/heavy the food is. They said to put your fork down after every bite. I've been trying to do that. The reason they tell you to eat slow is so you don't overfill your pouch before you realize what you've done. I had 2 bad incidents where I learned to slow down the hard way. Now I've learned how much time I need to give myself for portion size/density. No one ever told me to wait 15 minutes between bites--they did say try to pace the meal so it took a half hour to eat.

When I was doing puree, my favorite things were very simple: refried beans with melted cheese on top; pureed chicken salad (no celery); Hormel chili, no beans with melted cheese on top. See my blog archive (link below) for my favorite mushies and soft solids recipes.

I take mine 1st thing in the morning when I wake up.

Thanks. I made it through today--just under 700 calories, 2 roasted small skinless chicken drumsticks, once thin slice deli roast beef, 1 slice lowfat swiss cheese, corn tortilla and 2 slice swiss cheese quesadilla, 2 Protein shakes and I just realized I've had no veggies. I guess that's what the Vitamins are for. I was so into it for the 1st 5 weeks, now the nutrition balance part is really challenging me. And the exercise. It's hard to "practice" a total lifestyle change pre-op. I did everything I could think of to prepare myself. I thought I would have the energy to cook, but work has kicked my butt. I've recovered a bit of motivation today, but I feel like I'm having a sort of WLS crisis. I also got kind of discouraged reading on another board where gastric bypass people 2 years out were gaining weight back. There were a lot of them. I don't want to end up like that. What motivates you once the novelty has worn off and the reality of daily life sets in?

For 5 weeks I was perfect and did everything by the book.Now that I'm back at work, I'm finding it hard to do everything right (I do get fluids) and I'm HUNGRY! Help! I'm relying on protein drinks too much (too tired to cook after work), I'm not exercising (because I need to get to work in the morning). I'm having a hard time getting my butt into gear. I even had one really bad day when I had 1,200 calories. (averaging 800 otherwise though). I seem to have lost my motivation and I don't know where to find it!

Great job--you're inspiring!

You're still healing. Don't worry about it. You're not taking in enough calories for that stuff to matter right now. Follow your doc's eating instructions.

People at work--do not tell.

I don't feel like it's fast enough lol! I usually have a Protein shake for brekkie, some kind of protein for lunch/dinner, less than 30 carbs a day. 700-900 calories/day. I'm not perfect. I eat better on the weekends than work days. I have the occasional glass of wine. I've even had 50 calories worth of dark chocolate on occasion. I snack on cheese or have a Protein Drink when I feel my energy lagging during the day. I drink tons of Crystal Lite when I get hungry. I don't exercise every day. I do drink 64 oz Fluid and eat 60-80 grams of protein a day. For more details, see my blog (link below). Now my nut says 100 gr carbs and 1,000 calories a day are ok but I don't believe her lol. I've got to become more strict, but it's hard while working full time.

I'm averaging 3 lbs a week post surgery. I'm happy so far.

Congrats on your date!

I love Isopure Zero protein powder. See my blog for my shake strategy (link below, look in the archives).

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Who is your ins co and what are their requirements? Your BMI alone should get you approved at most places.

Great news!

Some asthma inhalers cause thrush--like Symbicort.

I went back to work this week and I'm exhausted by 3pm. Luckily I can come home early, but is there a cure for this? I'm doing the eating and drinking stuff I'm supposed to.

Buy some GoTein for your carryon bag and just ask for water to mix it with. Google it.

I hope you can rest, relax, and recover as quickly as possible.

Why can I eat so much dense protein? Other people talk about being able to get 2 oz in, or a couple of bites, and I'm fine with a full 4 oz. Is something wrong with me? Now after that 4 oz I am definitely done, but what's the deal? I also can't seem to eat slow (taking 1/2 hr for a meal). I'm too hungry for that! I feel like eating is too easy for me compared to other people--I don't react badly to anything (though I haven't tried fresh fruit and veggies yet). My portions are small compared to before but it seems that everyone else is eating even smaller portions--like 2 bites of something! Am I in trouble?

I did the math, and when I average it out I lose 3-4 lbs a week. But individuals days fluctuate up and down by a pound. One day I will weigh 294 and the next 294.7. I've decided I can't worry about the day to day fluctuations. I'm kind of discouraged because I wanted to lose faster after surgery, but I'm just going to keep on going. It will come off eventually. I've lost almost 40 lbs and I still haven't gone down a pants size!

It's in very few stores outside of major cities. You can buy it on Amazon but it's incredibly expensive. You can Google for their website.

294 on the nose. See below for starting stats.

University Professor

Check out my blog (below) to see what I'm eating this week. I use meat and cheese to up the calories. (Lean and lowfat though). A few veggies/carbs because my nut ok'd it--less than 35 carbs a day usually. Each meal is 200-300 calories.