TheCurvyJones

I am 22 months out but not much has changed as far as what I eat. I can't eat early in the morning so my day starts with coffee, then Water, maybe a Protein shake. I have some egg salad around 9 and more Water -- I try to get in 33 oz before noon, another 33 before 5 and then whatever else I can shove in before bed time.

lunch could be anything from a Protein Shake to a Jimmy John's UNWICH (that's a sandwich, wrapped in lettuce instead of on a bun) or a salad (a couple of meals for me). My fave lunch is something called Bi Bim Bap-- it's like a korean stir fry (no rice)- so stir fried meat, fresh veggies and a sesame kinda sauce. I have the sauce on the side. Normally I grab a salad and have the cafe cook me a chicken breast. That can be two meals for me, sometimes I finish it in the afternoon for a snack. You can also pick up pre-cooked chicken breasts or steak strips to warm up and munch on. I like to stick a couple of those in the microwave with a wedge of laughing cow, lite or chipotle cheese. YUM. O.

Lately my lunch has been tuna salad with a hardboiled egg diced in. I am not a huge snacker, really. I have nuts, Protein shakes, cheese, hardboiled eggs... I make sure I have plenty of Protein rich options in case I get snacky. I might have a cup of coffee around 3:30.

I work out around 5:30 or 6. I don't' eat before I work out but I do use an energy booster.

dinner is always something light and high in protein. I DO NOT COOK so if I am eating dinner I pick it up from someplace-- grilled chicken from the grocer or KFC, side of green Beans or a side salad works fine. Taco Bell, I grab a burrito and a container of pintos and cheese, then when I get home, dump the burrito into a bowl and mix in some of those Beans, sprinkle some cheese on top. That's another couple of meals for me because I still can't eat a lot of food at one time. Hardees/ Carl's Jr/ Wendy's/ Five guys all make a lowcarb burger. ANy sandwich shop will make a sandwich a salad.

I try to be done eating by 8, but again if I need something, I have babybel cheese, some cheddar sticks, etc etc etc.

For food and recipe ideas, I love The World According to Eggface. I love any dish she makes in a muffin tin... it's the perfect size, yummy and packed with protein.

LOTS of options, tons of stuff we can eat. I just can't be bothered to cook and I am not an exciting eater but there is a typical day for me.

Call ahead, explain your predicament and ask the hostess what would be the best plan of action. Does your beau not know you've had surgery and are unable to eat? It would seem the easiest thing would be to change the reservation to a place that has Soup, at least. Barring that, hopefully they have a la carte side items so you can order something soft, like mashed potatoes.

I'm sure they're used to it and you shouldn't need a catheter for this surgery. A drain, perhaps but no catheter.. You'll want to speak with your surgeon about any meds you're supposed to take for your menstrual pain during/after surgery. I'd imagine the strong pain killers you'll be on should take care of any pain you get from cramps/gas.

Mine started almost immediately after surgery. JOY.

But yes, they should be used to it and if you happen to be on cycle when you go in, let them know.

Also, I weighed every single day during my weight loss phase. I was never the type to be swayed by whatever that number was. I need to know the number when I start the day, whether it's what I want to see or not. If you're not the kind of person that can handle seeing that number every day, I'd put that scale in a place where it's inconvenient to get on it all the time. Otherwise you can always plug that number into other stuff you're tracking (like inch loss and clothing size) and use that data to get a more well rounded number.

The scale can be a very useful tool in measuring your day to day performance-- I find it to be great feedback on how I did the day before. I think if the scale is consistently showing you numbers you don't like/agree with, the answer is NOT to ignore that data but to dig into why it is displayed that way. Is the scale broken? Are you more dense (muscular) and so you weigh heavier? Or maybe a scale that tells you more info like body fat % and BMI would be more helpful. Are you eating more/eating a ratio that doesn't work for you? (i.e. high fat, low carb works fine for me, but low fat low carb works better)

THe most annoying answer to me, EVER, is 'get off the scale'. That doesn't solve my problem.

Always go by the scale you're used to using. Your doc's scale is always going to be different. So is the scale at your best friend's house and the scale in your neighbor's house. Go by YOUR scale.

And if you don't trust the number, get a better scale.

It gets them attention. They think they get a prize for doing it without needing any kind of assistance. Get used to hearing it, get used to that comment rolling off your back. If only they knew how hard this was.

Daily is supposed to be the norm but I find a lot of us suffer from Constipation. I take Colace probably about once a week and try to increase my Fiber with ruffage like lettuce and broccoli. I just can't eat a ton of it, so I supplement.

You don't want to get backed up and you DON'T want to wait until you're in pain to address the problem! A lot of people like flax seed or chia seeds to add Fiber to their yogurt and what not. I can't do chia and I've never tried flax.

Thanks Kindle, I was beginning to think I was alone with the artificial sweeteners thing. I kinda count the sugar

in those drinks as calories eaten. I guess I just have to be patient. @ TheCurvyJones, how does the sugar make your body crazy?

I am pre-diabetic, so sugar affects me differently. Mostly, I feel like I need a nap after I eat fruit. It feels the same to me as if I ate a cupcake or a snickers bar. HUGE RUSH and then I need to sleep for 3 hours. I don't, though, have an issue with artificial sweetners. You've gotta do what you've gotta do to make it.

Overrall, you're doing great. Just clean up your eating a bit and don't stress about what you're not doing. No one is perfect and we all have different abilities and, once you're further along you'll find it much easier to hit those daily milestones. ALSO the weight will keep coming off.

Get it together. The better you do pre-op, the better you'll do post op. As well if your liver has not shrank enough, your surgeon can't perform the surgery. He will close you right back up and send you home to start all over. I'm not trying to scare you, but it IS a reality. There is a pre-op diet for a reason. It's very important that you hop aboard this train and do the hell out of this thing!

Start again today and don't stop!

It took about 12 or so weeks before I felt like myself again. Keep up on your Vitamins and Water... I get sluggish when I'm behind on my Iron and B vites! Hang in there and get LOTS of rest. You're still in recovery.

Good luck!

I am 5'3" and all I wanted was to wear a single digit size slacks. Thought I was good at an 8, but wearing a size 6 right now.

I don't like bars because they taste terrible and they don't help me lose. I can maintain on them but I see no loss.

I'd cut that shake in half or more. our sleeves can only hold 4-6oz at a time. 6oz would be max capacity. So take that shake and divide it by 2 and maybe increase the amount of Protein you're using. 12 oz in one sitting is too much to take in, no wonder you're full. I'd do 4-6 oz shakes about 2 hours apart.

I LOVE fruit but the sugar drives my body crazy so I know nothing about how good it is to have real fruit juice. I know there is a lot of sugar in it though. How soon until you can have solids? It will be much easier when you can eat actual food.

PB is a good fat and there is Protein in it.

You lost 24 lbs in the first two weeks. There is typically a pause during weeks 3 or 4, where your body tries to figure out WTF JUST HAPPENED?

Your loss is fine..trust me! Almost 2 yrs out, your post is extremely common. You're doing great! I didn't hit 30lbs down till around week 12. I'm 102 lbs down now. The sleeve works, give it time.

Stay the course, concentrate on Protein grams, exercise minutes and ounces of Water. You're one month out and doing just fine. Some of us are steady and plodding, some drop a HUGE amount right out of the gate. There was no way you were going to lose 20 lbs every week.

Also, it's WAY TOO EARLY for off plan eating. Get back on track!

Edit: As far as Water, do your best. Work up to 64+ oz of water. At 2 yrs out, I just barely make 64oz of water. Don't stress, just keep moving. Do what you have to do to get it down... I pour it into a cup and use a straw because a bottle just doesn't work for me.

As far as meals.....3 meals a day isn't going to cut it. Think of your 60+ grams of Protein as a goal to hit, then exceed. You may need to supplement with Protein shakes... get some samples, find one you can live with. I like premier because there's 30 grams of protein in one of those suckers. Drink one in the morning and you have a leg up. You will get full, FAST, but the sleeve is designed for the body to need fuel every 2 to 3 hours. I don't understand docs and NUTs telling people 3 meals a day? How do they expect people to hit protein goals on that? Meh.

Do what you have to do. There's not enough protein in ice cream and that sugar WILL stall you.

No real pain. ABout a week out, I felt like I got punched in the gut. Sore but not in pain. More annoying than anything. The doc gave me some good drugs tho and I took them all!

pizza will have to be edited for your sleeve's pleasure. I normally scrape the toppings off and do pizza in a bowl. I am nearly two years out, so if the crust is REAL THIN I can handle a whole slice if I haven't eaten in a while and I have full capacity in my sleeve. I have only recently been able to eat the slice, less the crust. That's just too much bread. ONE Slice, and that's ALL I can eat. No salad, nothing else, just that.

Load up on that supreme, lots of Protein and veggies. Beware that pizza is high in sodium and tomatoes are acidic. My sleeve does NOT like for me to eat tomatoes too late.

These feelings are normal. Totally normal. Trust is... You'll do great. It's better that you're worried about it instead of feeling like it's no big deal. You'll work harder if you think there's a chance you could fail.

Depending on your surgeon, yes. I was on Clear Liquids for 7 days, then full liquids which could include milk, almond milk and Protein shakes. My point was to the OP to not stress about getting in 60 grams of Protein so early out because some of us weren't even drinking Protein Shakes that early.

At 5 days post op,you'd have to have an IV inserted and have it drip nonstop. THink of 60+ grams as something to work up to as you move to full liquids, then purees, then soft foods, then solid foods. By the time you're fully on solids, you should be incorporating shakes (if you choose to use them) and real food to reach/exceed your 60 grams of Protein. At 21 months out, sometimes *I* have a hard time reaching 60 grams a day, especially if I don't have a shake.

Right now the most important thing to do is hydrate. Dehydration at this stage is a real danger, so sip sip sip that Water. I wasn't even on Protein Shakes until after day 7.

Also! Remember that the better you do pre-op, typically the better you'll do post op. Use this time to prepare your mind and get in a mode of eating to sustain your body, to feed it vital nutrients, especially Protein. You want to maintain a status quo, not gain or go backward right before surgery!

First of all, kudos to you on your decision to have weight loss surgery. You've taken an important step in taking your life back.

Second of all........it's really hard to screw this up. Like.....you have to try, physically TRY to screw it up, especially in the first three month, and trying will hurt more than just doing it the way it's supposed to be done. Especially in the first few months, your sleeve will bear the brunt of the work. You'll be eating a reduced amount of food and your body won't know what the F is going on. After awhile, you'll see the 'natural loss' start to slow down and that's why building healthy habits during pre-op and as soon as you get clearance from your surgeon is important. You'll need to take over once your body gets used to the reduced calorie intake and the expenditure of energy just to stay alive.

I was SURE I was going to be the one patient that WLS doesn't work for. If you follow the (very simple) rules, the Sleeve works. Protein first, HYDRATE, watch your cals, move your body. And don't forget your Vitamins. It works like a charm!

Important thing to remember is that you can't always weigh your success by the number on the scale. You could be a slow loser like me, who sees so much more loss in inches and ability to do things I couldn't do before, than I saw on the scale. I can wear a size 4 dress and size 6 slacks but I still weigh over 170. There are people that weigh much less than I do wearing larger sizes. It's all individual. Concentrate on you and your individual results and you will do just fine!

I eat it infrequently. It's my fave snack. It's not nutritionally beneficial, but I eat it anyway. Surgeon says it's fine, it's not a danger. Count the carbs, treat it like a special treat, not something to eat everyday.

popcorn did not hurt my weight loss and not everything I eat is the WLS Holy Grail.

I always weighed every day even pre op. I record once a week. Depends on what you can handle. I liked seeing how it would fluctuate and I learned to manage my eating/ exercise better.

That said I recorded my weight every week on Fridays because I had my surgery on a Friday.

I had to assign myself projects and deadlines otherwise I was going to go crazy waiting!

Yup, grab some dumbbells and dial up youtube! I just book marked a couple of Jillian Michael's strength workouts with dumbbells and kettlebells. PopSugar Fitness has a number of videos, cardio and strength. And of course my fave series the Firm has a lot of options for you as well. You can absolutely do it without joining a gym.