softwsolu1

I think this is very different per person and habits - for instance I'm 4 weeks post and get between 900-1200 calories a day. I just saw my surgeon today and he was fine with this (although what my NUT will say tomorrow is another issue)... For me, it was because I did better eating a smaller meal every 2-3 hours than the normal 3 meals + 1 snack that my NUT suggested - however on very long days this meant lots of calories. So the point is, don't feel like if you are eating 600 or 700 you are overeating. Talk to your doctor and nutritionist, if they're happy you are fine.

I think the reason for a low-carb diet focus is to ensure that you get the appropriate amount of Protein in. The idea is to fill up on protein, then add the other stuff later. My own doctors did not steer me toward a low-carb diet, but rather toward a balanced diet that stressed protein intake and eating healthy whole grains for carbohydrates. In my experience even with low-carb dieting, the trick is to be low carb and not no carb. I've had a lot of luck making substitutions where they don't hurt, but in fact help flavor for me - for instance, I'll almost always opt for brown rice over white, long grain over short, whole wheat toast over white. These are flavor preferences for me that happen to also be healthy choices. As long as you eat healthy and keep your calories down, you should lose weight via portion control on the sleeve. In the end, with any diet - surgery assisted or not - is down to calorie consumption.

Myfitnesspal is awesome, seems to have most foods I can think of (even really rare stuff, like Costco-only brands) and as @SeriouslyChange said, will scan barcodes. It also integrates with the Bodymedia Fit, which I use to monitor my activity level.

It's in the bottle, ready to drink, like Iced tea. This has a pretty good picture: http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Best-Isopure-Ready-Drink/dp/B002TG3QLS They have 5-6 different flavors and they can be very strong - I watered mine down a little bit. But they contain a TON of Protein.

Ginger ale, unless it's flat, is a no-no - the carbonation will fill you up with gas, which for most people is a real problem. Have you discussed with your doctor? There are anti-nausea meds they can give you to help.

Clear Isopure - not the powder, but the pre-mixed drinks. I know you can get them at GNC, probably at lots of other retailers as well. Their flavor is very strong/artificial but you can drink them on clear liquid phase and they contain a *lot* of protein.

Don't overestimate its awesomeness - I work from home, and while it's great from the "yay, I don't have to wake up until 15 minutes before work" perspective, it's very bad for those of us who are mostly sedentary to begin with. When I'm in the office colleagues walk to lunch with me, I have to take a lot of steps just to get to the bathroom, I'm always rushing to meetings. At home I sit at my workstation or on my couch and get up to drink and prepare meals. It's a constant effort to remind myself to get up and exercise. Not saying there aren't awesome things about it, but they do come at a price.

twoolley, It didn't. It's been said already...the thread is days old. Let it die.

What a great post - thank you!

I find some stuff irritates my sleeve, but it's not dangerous - it just doesn't make me feel good. (I'm at 4 weeks post). I would watch out for sodium intake though - especially during the first few weeks of the diet when we *can* eat we fall back on what comfort foods and prepared stuff we can. The result for me is that my sodium intake has been way above normal. I'm compensating for this and it's largely a function of laziness on my part ("wow! I can have that canned soup!" instead of cooking some myself) as well as some rejoicing at getting old favorites back.

It's awesome and having it at the same time as the pizza is a great idea. My wife got pizza the night before and I was waving the smell over to me just to enjoy the garlic The ricotta fixed that. Forgot to mention, aside from chili - Panera's tomato soup! Some people blend in the croutons, I didn't - that was quite a treat. Some folks love hummus - I found the gas it generated intolerable.

I had a tough time with the fluids at first, really until I was on the full liquid diet. But I did get everything in - I had a timer go off every 15 minutes (boy was THAT fun) to remind me to sip, because I just couldn't remember. That helped a lot - an sip or two every 15 minutes got me up to my required count.

Shelly's Baked Ricotta got me through purees: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html I really had to go easy on the mozzarella cheese, but it was SO delicious and "normal" tasting. Mushies are, as you say, much easier.

Myfitnesspal, as suggested, is excellent. I also used 8 oz bottles of water to start. I'm not a huge fan of bottled water, but it helped me keep track when I was delirious for the first week or so, as I could just count the number of empty bottles when I was feeling lucid.

I measure volume. Your stomach's ability to handle volume was restricted, not the heaviness of the food. That said Fluid and dry oz measure up pretty closely for most foods in small quantities, so it's not that big of a deal. That said, I just use a measuring cup to portion out my food. You can also look up the equivalents (tbsp to fluid oz, for instance).