ivonneh

SlimFast has a decent shake=Cappucino Delight...weird little side note (and probably WAAAAY TMI, It makes your urine smell like coffee) just thought I should warn you!

Follow what YOUR doctor suggests. My NUT said coffee was fine, not too strong (didn't need to be decaf). I have my 1 1/2 cups in the morning and I mix it with my Protein Powder and some sugar free flavorings. Kill 2 birds with one stone. Get my yummy coffee and my Protein for the morning. In the spring/summer I will probably go back to shakes in the morning, but I so enjoy the hot beverage in the fall/winter.

I'm amazed at how different the doctors' rules are across the country. I complained about missing my coffee and my lack of energy at my first pre-op (3 wks out), and the NP said I could drink 1 cup a day. Her only concern was that I not use it as a substitute for Water. Maybe you should check with your doc again?

I am 6 weeks post-op. My Dr. said that Decaf coffee was okay from the beginning. I waited until 4 weeks post-op to try it. I bought a really good brand & it made delicious decaf. Like others said, just be careful what you put in it. Also, make sure that you can still get in your Water. The first couple days that I made decaf I loved it so much that I skipped out on my water. So, Enjoy some decaf. You'll be surprised how good it is.

Atkins has an iced coffee Protein Shake.< /p>

I been drinking Decaf since about 1 month pre-0p and was told i could drink it even as close as 4hrs before surgery and was drinking it by my 2nd day post-0p and im having a cup now

so embarrassed to tell you this
i know there are many coffee threads, i'm going to the search area in the right hand corner
only a couple of posts come up
what am i doing wrong???
been on the board for a couple of years, and never learned how to do this :ph34r:
confession is good for soul

I would talk to your doctor about this...my doctor has given the ok to have Decaf coffee. I would just be careful with sugar and milk going into it. Sometimes, just a quick taste of what you think you want will get rid of the craving.

I was told to wait 3 months because of the acidity in coffee could upset the new tummy. Whether Decaf or not...

Air was a big issue for me at first, I can use a straw now and I'm 7 months out and I'm fine with it. For the first 4 weeks I swear I used the one ounce medical cups to drink everything with or a shot glass. It was like 6-7 weeks before I could handle drinking out of a Water bottle and even then I took in too much air and it hurt me. Now, it's no problem and I can do a little Water chug if I want to.
It gets easier

I didn't touch a straw for at least 6 months then I randomly found one in my drink and had already used it before I realized what I had done. It didn't feel any different to me, but I do try to avoid straws when possible to be on the safe side.

I gave up my diet cokes too...never bothered me as I never let myself give it thought. i drank two Sonic route 44 's a day. Im two months out from surgery and 40 pounds down. It was a great trade : )

In my opinion, stop taking something you are addicted to it's really hard I knew that I would most likely get a headache if I didn't have some coffee and that is why I decided to do it gradually. Maybe instead of tossing the whole can just sip on it until night or you could easily be tempeted to open a whole new can later. Make a big effort but don't torture yourself and tomorrow do the same only one can and just a few sips here and there. At least that might avoid the headaches and frustration. good luck!

Well you are right I do see the picture at the end i guess i will be tossing this diet coke here on my desk. The start of a new journey.

I am afraid you should have stopped long ago. I had kind of the same problem with coffee but like 2 months before my surgery what I did was that I started to lower the amount of coffee I was consuming. It was usually 1-2 Lg coffees a day before that, sometimes more. But 2 months pre op I started buying just a small coffee in the morning and siping on it throughout the day. Sipping instead of drinking it within an hour helped me to have the taste all day and eventually I started noticing that I wasn't finishing it. By the time I had to start my preop diet I wasn't drinking coffee anymore and I didn't feel like I needed it. I know it's kind of a rush to do the sipping experiment but it might help. But still you should definitely stop taking soda. At least my doctor told me I was not going to be able to drink soda or beer ever again.
you can do it! just think of the huge reward that will bring and also the consecuences if you don't.

Did your surgeon give you specific instructions? I was only allowed to have Clear Liquids the first week (nothing creamed) and only a max of 4 oz/hour. I would check with your doctor to ensure you don't damage anything.

I also agree we should be very respectful. And it's even easier just to say "you are probably not making the right decision so you might want to check with your doc if it is ok for you to take solids so early" than going back and forth using and explaining sarcasm.
Thank you for speaking out Sarahcc. And you are right, we must support each other not make each other feel guilty.

Skidiving!!!!!!! and high heels!

I really don't think the sarcastic remark was necessary or very respectful. For what it's worth, my doctor approved me for solids 8 days post op. I ate tuna pretty much exclusively. It is important to follow doctors plan but her post didn't say she went AMA. I just really feel like we should all be respectful of one another and ask clarifying questions if necessary.

I have really been going back and forth as whether to post here or not. I guess I am sort of a "forum person" in my hobbies and areas of interest, but I have to be honest, I have avoided posting on this site or even looking at it for a couple of reasons. I found this site only a few days before my surgery but when I found it I found more negativity and frightened people then I found inspiration. Actually, I have gone here and gotten the (bleep) scared out of me by a few posters, every time I see their posts I get knots in my stomach. The main poster that does that to me has a screen name that starts with the letter "i". Everybody is terrified of leaks and all the negatives of this surgery and I just haven't been able to relate to many of the topics. Below I will share some of the basics of my journey so far.
First off, I am a 35 year old male who is 6 feet 3 inches tall. I wasn't fat my whole life, I actually weighed 218 when I was 19 years old. That was pretty close to a "perfect" weight for me. I got into a business where the guys I worked with partied, ate, and drank to excess. Over the years I ballooned to 445 lbs which is where I have been for the past 2-3 years. In 2010 I was considering the lap band but chickened out. I was back on in 2011 but chickened out again. In 2012 I HAD to make a decision because I was put on Metformin for borderline diabetes and Lisinopril for borderline blood pressure as well. That was it. I started again with the nutritionist appointments and made an appt. to see my surgeon who is located downtown Chicago a few miles from my house. My first appt. with him was in early October 2012 and he suggested a VSG instead of the lap band because of the large amount of weight I wanted to lose. I left thinking about it and did the rest of my pre op requirements such as upper GI, psyche, EKG, etc. I saw my surgeon again on November 14th, 2012 and we decided on the VSG (which I really didn't know a lot about). We set surgery for December 21st, 2012.
Because I am a big fella, my surgeon put me on a 28 day pre op liquid only diet (to shrink my liver and loosen my skin) which I started on November 23rd, 2012 (the day after Thanksgiving). The first few days were tough but I have very strong will power and stuck to it, following the requirements to the letter. I didn't cheat even once. Again, not even once. After about 12 days it was smooth sailing and I just plugged away and kept up the exercise plan that I had been doing for over a year which was just walking 1.5 miles, three times per week at my local YMCA. I didn't weigh myself even once the entire plan and weighed myself the morning of surgery. To my astonishment I lost a staggering 49 lbs!!!!I I couldn't even believe it, to be honest with you I began to sob like a little girl! I went from 445 to 396. I was just so shocked. My surgeon told me that I broke his practice record which was previously 45 lbs for a pre op diet. Again, I LOST 49 LBS IN 28 DAYS!!!
On the morning of December 21st, 2012 I was ready for surgery at a major hospital downtown Chicago. I arrived, valet parked, checked in, and was laying on the table prepped for surgery within 1 hour just waiting for the anesthesiologist. I was in surgery about an hour and a half later and the surgery took 2 1/2 hours. I am going to cut the details of my hospital stay down so readers aren't sitting here all day reading. Any questions just ask me. I wanted to leave the hospital the next evening but my surgeon said that he wouldn't allow me to break two records and that I should stay another night. Quick recap, I was checked into my room after surgery at 6pm Friday night and was discharged from the hospital at 11am Sunday morning, less then 48 hours after entering my room.
Upon arriving home I checked my weight, expecting to have lost a few lbs, and actually gained back 2 lbs due to all the fluids that were pumped into me. I was back up to 398. My recovery went ok I think, I was in a lot of pain along my largest incision which is about 3+ inches wide. I was on Tramadol which sucks. It took me 9 days to finish the 25 pills that I was prescribed since I was skipping doses. I was home on Sunday morning and by Wednesday morning I was off to the YMCA where I walked only one lap around the track. I limped around and talked to my friends there before going home. I was back at the YMCA on Friday and actually walked 5 laps (a half mile). I finally weighed myself on Friday, one week after surgery, and I was down from 398 to 391. I weighed myself again on Sunday afternoon and I lost another 4 lbs from Friday to Sunday, 9 lbs in 9 days, ending up at 387 lbs, 58 lbs down in 38 days.
So that's basically that. It's been over 10 days now since surgery and I am feeling like a million bucks. Here are the "scary" parts. I am using the term scary because after reading this site I would have thought I was going to die from this surgery. I HAVE NOT been nauseous even for one second since surgery. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOT thrown up, or even gagged for that matter, not even once. I AM ABLE to drink 60ozs of Fluid per day. I just started puree on Saturday, 8 days out, and it's been perfect. I had 4 ozs of low fat cottage cheese (which I LOVE) today as well as only one Protein Shake, a bowl of Tomato Soup, and plenty of Water. I AM NOT hungry, EVER. I just eat to live, that's it. Today I feel the best that I have felt since surgery. Every day gets better. My goal is to lose 220 lbs, 100 in three months from the start of my pre op diet on November 23rd. I WILL do it.
I know I left out a bunch so fire away (or ask any questions that you want).

I think people are just trying to nicely help and give you good advise, that's what the forums are all about. There is a point where we all can eat any fast food. But is it worth it?

I am telling anyone that will listen! I need the support and the encouragement

It depends on your surgeon's post-op diet requirements. They are so varied. Some are on liquids for up to 3 weeks. Others can start pureed after a week.
What are your post-op eating instructions?

I always start with a Protein Shake in the morning.
Ricotta or cottage cheese or homemade or 98% fat free creamed Soup for lunch.< /p>
chicken, veal, or fish for dinner.< /p>
I always drink at least 50oz of Water /day

I have the same issue I'm 5 weeks out n I eat a spoonful of Peanut Butter this helps me , it makes me feel full and satisfies my wanting to snack .