TheGamer

At my follow up they just asked me how I was feeling, weighed me, checked my scars and vitals and sent me home. At my 4 week they did a full array of blood work to make sure I'm not having any issues there.

Take it easy. The first week or so is the worst. Concentrate on just getting in your fluids and as much protein as possible. Keep doing your walking, and remember that rest is a GOOD thing. You've just had major surgery and the body will take a while to recover.

Sounds like nasty heartburn. I know when I did my previous low carb dieting that the instant I went off plan, my body just revolted. Even something as simple as eating apple slices left me lightheaded and shaky because of all the sugars. The body gets used to not eating junk so when you give it something it's not used to, it's going to respond appropriately.

I loooooove DaVinci syrups. Target's Archer Farms brand also has syrups and has a pumpkin spice one for the holidays that is nommy. Another good thing to get are the candy flavorings (alcohol based). The flavor is really intense with those and you can get stuff like coconut, banana nut, peanut butter and all sorts of off the wall stuff.

Mine is restricted to no more than 25 pounds the first 6 weeks. Not that lifting heavy things has ever been something I aspired to.

I bought some. Tried it. Hated it. That stuff is vile. I figure better to just puree whatever's in the baby food that you want and eat it. Tastes less foul.

I use Swiss Miss Diet variety hot chocolate. It's got 4g of carbs, 2 of which are sugars. I do watch the temperature, though I've never had an issue with it even when I'm not able to gauge how hot the water is. I think pre-blending it in a little cold water really helps when you mix it in with the hot water. I'll usually either pull the plug on the kettle right before it boils or I'll let it sit for a couple minutes if it reaches boiling. It gets foamy on top, but the foam is chocolatey and worth eating.

For me, salad is a stage 6 food, so six weeks out. Every doctor says something different, though. Did you get a diet plan?

Another way (and possibly cheaper) is to take sugar free hot chocolate (25 calories) and mix it with a scoop of unflavored Protein powder (40 calories). I hate Breakfast (!) and that's one of the things I can drink without feeling sick. I'd drink two packs worth with two scoops and it would be 130 calories and 20 grams of protein which is a good start to what I need for the day. I put the powders in the blender with just a little bit of Water to make sure they're not lumpy (another thing I can't stand) and pour the liquid in to hot water. It really is good

I was like that pre-op. All I would drink was water or tea. For some reason though, post op, I can't handle it anymore.

I had the glue-type stuff over my incisions. They scabbed over and the scabs came off in bits and pieces. I think as long as it's not oozing then it's probably safe and healing, especially 3 weeks out.

Me! The protein I could tolerate pre-surgery is now a no go I've tried about a half dozen different kinds of powders and pre mixed shakes, then another half dozen clear protein drinks (ala Isopure). I recently got in some About Time whey that I have not had a single issue with as long as I don't make it cold. The smell is not as strong and it doesn't seem chalky to me at all. Another thing I found is that my stomach now hates cold things. This goes for shakes, which I used to make nice and ice cold. Now, it makes me sick.

Haha, you sound like the nurse at the clinic. She yelled at me for weighing every day, too.

Yeah, this year for Thanksgiving I lost a pound and a half. Best Thanksgiving ever.

Welcome to the week 3 stall! The good news? It goes away. The bad news is that it can take a couple weeks to do so. Just stick to your diet, exercise as much as you can, and focus on being healthy.

Nope, but I didn't have a hernia repair, either. That might have something to do with it?

You said it yourself - habit. So, time to make a new one. Find out why you're eating when you're not hungry. Are you bored? Tired? Thirsty? When you notice you're eating, stop and go do something else. Replace it with something healthy like walking (which also helps reduce hunger so bonus!). Nobody has to tell you that this is a tool, not a fix. If we don't change the habits that got us here in the first place, the surgery is for nothing. Don't beat yourself up, don't be hard on yourself, but you're the only one who can make the decision to change.

No, I've been really lucky that way. I did keep some tums handy, but probably only used them a couple times and now I don't even know where they are. Maybe all my pre-op spicy eating gave me a stronger stomach

I can sympathize. By the end of my pre-op diet, I was sick of shakes. They told me to have 5 a day and I could barely stomach 3. I never would have thought there would be a point in my life where I'd turn down food of any type but I was getting really sick of them Best thing I could do was to get as creative as possible with them. Flavors, fruits, all sorts of combinations (check the shake recipe list for some really unique ideas) and it'll help a lot! My favorite thing to do was to take a vanilla shake and make it with Celestial Seasonings blueberry tea (let the tea cool first). I'd also use ice cubes made out of the same blueberry tea. Then I'd put 6oz tea with 3-4 ice cubes and 3/4 c. frozen blueberries in the blender. Super purple and really tasty.

As long as your body is good with it, I'd say go (but talk to your surgeon just to make sure!). You'd be 3 months out, roughly, which should be more than long enough to lift any restrictions you were on, I'd imagine. Even if you end up not doing it, all that exercise would be great for your body, I'd imagine!

I second warm liquids. For some reason since I've been sleeved any sort of cold thing makes me nauseated. If you want something savory, I'd recommend a brand called Better than Bouillon broth. It comes in a little concentrated jar and lasts a long time. That stuff is delicious.

I started putting sriracha in my broth a couple days after surgery because I'm a total hothead. I'd put like 5-6 drops in a cup, enough to give it that flavor and a tiny bit of zing. I was sleeved on 10/22 and now? It goes on everything. My stomach hasn't negatively reacted to it at all.

I feel like regardless of surgery that my life will always revolve around food. Now, rather than just "ogosh that looks good let me eat it" it's "let me examine the nutritional content and WOW that has a lot of calories and carbs and fat...back on the shelf you go!" I used to not care, now I feel like I care too much. I think I spend my whole day thinking about, planning for, and eating in these little 100 calorie fits and starts. I'm sure, at some point, I'll find a happy medium, but I think that right now, when it comes to my relationship with food if I let up for just one second, I'll lose control.

What my surgeon's office told me was that the most important thing was to get my liquids in more than anything. Get as much protein as you can, but water > protein. Are you still drinking any meal replacement shakes? I use the Bariatric Advantage ones and it would take me like an hour or more to finish just one, but they still count as liquid.

I was sleeved on 10/22 and had mine 2 weeks prior to surgery. Then I had bleeding, albeit really LIGHT, for the week after my surgery. Now, it's been a month and I've not yet had another one. I chalked it up to stress and drugs and weight loss.