shelly13

13. Don't expect your GI tract to work the same post surgery as it did before. Weird things will be happening. And under no circumstances should you trust a fart.< /p>

9. Be prepared for intense fatigue for a few weeks. Like, can't lift your head off the couch, mind-numbing, bone-weary exhaustion. It was explained to me like this: if you put 20 year old fuel in your vehicle, it wouldn't run well. Right after surgery, you intake is so low that you're body has to burn it's stored fuel, and its not a high quality fuel. Get those Protein Drinks in and make sure you stay hydrated, hard as it is and that will help combat some of the fatigue. I promise you this, one day you WILL feel better, stronger, energized.

9. Be prepared for intense fatigue for a few weeks. Like, can't lift your head off the couch, mind-numbing, bone-weary exhaustion. It was explained to me like this: if you put 20 year old fuel in your vehicle, it wouldn't run well. Right after surgery, you intake is so low that you're body has to burn it's stored fuel, and its not a high quality fuel. Get those Protein Drinks in and make sure you stay hydrated, hard as it is and that will help combat some of the fatigue. I promise you this, one day you WILL feel better, stronger, energized.

I see so many questions on this forum and remember all the questions I had pre op and especially post op...so I thought I would try too compile some information in one spot....here's hoping it helps someone and someone finds it useful....
1. Don't freak out when you can barely sip anything immediately after surgery.....I could barely drink a little medicine cup in the hospital...some can drink more....I just couldn't.....I can hardly remember the feeling in my stomach but I struggled and struggled, in fact I stayed an extra night in the hospital due to this and continues to struggle when I went home. It got better day by day...for me milk was easier.
2. On the same subject of drinking...water hits the stomach a bit hard in the beginning due to its density as my nutritionist explained to me....if you mix it with g2 or crystal light you will feel a difference. At about 3 months I started plain Water and now at more than 6 months post op it's no problem at all.
3. I don't feel very full on pureed foods..what's up? Wait till you get to semi solid or pure protein.....it's so different...even at 6 months out I feel incredible restriction when I eat a Boca burger.
4. Don't freak out when you come home from the hospital and all you do is feel sad, melancholy and cry yourself through the morning...for a couple of weeks I was mourning food. I missed my food friend pizza and chips, my love Pasta and I broke up and I didn't think I could live without any of them....I stopped crying at....probably 2 weeks....once I transition to pureed and ate the famous ricotta bake. Somehow I began feeling somewhat like my old self..
5. I am still kind of in 4. Will I ever be able to eat a piece of pizza again??????
Yes...of course you can...eventually you can..I could eat a slice and probably be very satisfied but now I don't want to....I find myself making healthier choices but I did make that cauliflower crust pizza and it was pretty good. I ate one small slice. It wasn't exactly like a traditional piece of pizza...but it was good! And I knew it was healthy.
6 . O.mg..I left the hospital weighing more than I did pre op. I figure it's all the fluids they pump used up with..
7. I haven't lost a lb in weeks...what's up with that????? I've been watching the rhythms of my weight loss...and I can clearly see I stay at number for two, three weeks and then I drop 5 or 6 lbs in a few days. It cycles this way and I don't freak anymore.
Feel free to add folks....

Fat girls unite!!! LOVE IT!!!

Fat girls unite!!! LOVE IT!!!

My surgeon suggested Carnation Instant Breakfast... But the NO SUGAR ADDED one! Be careful with that. And I add unflavored Protein Powder to it. It's working well for me.

Are you on Prilosec? Sounds like excess stomach acid. Definitely call your doc!

I think that's a great idea, feel free to message me anytime!

I was literally in tears this past weekend when I hit 200 pounds..... the last time I saw that number was......hmmmmm... about 5 years ago... right now I'm at 196 and I cant believe it.. I'm so happy ..

exactly what others have said here.. I vary between 600-1100 calories per day depending on what is going on. With WLS it is a bit of a different ballgame.. the way I look at it is in the early stages when we lose weight the most rapidly we are pretty much eating what we need to stay alive and active. Our small stomachs make it very hard to maintain much calorie intake anyway.
Once you get to the maintenance stage then you will want to work more on making sure you are getting a good amount of calories. Obviously protien is #1 then you want to try to keep your carbs low. under 50 should give you optimal weight loss by putting your body into Ketosis. I don't really pay too much attention to ketosis unless I am in a stall.. I will eat carbs for a couple days and then cut them out as much as I can (only 20-30g a day) and it usually kick starts my weight loss again.
Just a tip for something that worked for me when you get to that stage.. but for now, ignore the notice from MFP, but it is a great tool to track what you eat, how much, and be able to look back and see trends in your diet that can be adjusted to make sure you lose as much as you can.

Hola Fellow Sleevers!
I am about 10 weeks out from VSG and I started tracking my food on My Fitness Pal again. I am averaging about 800-1000 calories a day and My Fitness Pal keeps telling me I am eating too few calories and could be putting my body into starvation mode and slowing my metabolism. Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen and what I can do about it. I can only eat so much (duh!) and that was the point of surgery, right? I follow the guidelines set by my surgeon and dietician and am losing consistently but much more slowly than right after surgery. Thanks guys!

Try the Kashi Cereals. I eat the Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Nut Flax (or something like that!) and it has as much Protein as an egg, and it's nice and crunchy!

One of the things I was told by my surgeon and dietician was that post-sleeve I would feel differently about food, that it wouldn't appeal to me so much. I walked out of that appointment going "Uh-huh. yeah, that's not going to happen. I LOVE food too much" Well...it happened! I really don't have an appetite anymore, I eat only when I feel actual, physiologic hunger. It's amazing, I feel completely full and satisfied with a very small amount of food. My family and I can't believe the transition. I think you would do well to go with the sleeve. There is absolutely no question as to when you're full. It's obvious. Good luck!

I went through that, too. I upped my Protein and it really, really helped! You'll get through it! Good luck!

I've used the words blender and balls in the same sentence but I'm pretty sure it wasn't in this context! What is a blender ball??

My kids beg for McDonald's and Burger King prior to surgery and now. Doesn't mean I give them what they want. I'm the mom, the adult and I say what they eat. Currently they are both healthy and slim.

Um, I'm sorry but that doesn't sound rights their paycheck and success depend on you. To be honest, I've never heard of a medical professional tell someone to seek non professional medical advice. My surgeon gave me a full 12 month diet post op (I'm 6 days out) and it does not include non FDA approved foods filled with preservatives and fillers! Good G** why do you want meat that is not even FDA approved? Can you not make your own tacos, burritos and quesadillas? Remember this is a lifestyle change, not a quick easy way out. Beauty is pain, so no pain no gain!

I am not trying to be rude but why would you want to put that junk (taco bell) back in your body? or calzones they have so much fat!! You went thru so much to do that to your self. Again please dont think I am trying to be mean, I am just being honest.
maybe you can have grilled chicken with green Beans?
tuna in Water, hard boiled eggs? so many options beside fast food.

Thanks guys! I did order some unflavored Protein to put in the things I can have. I'm not allowed cottage cheese yet. I can have yogurt and pudding. Canned or store broths just make me gag, but I have some homemade chicken broth that's going down easy. I really am pushing the fluids and walking and haven't felt the nausea since the last post! Yay! Hope it continues..

My doc had me hold fresh fruit and veggies until about 6 weeks, I wouldn't but that is just my opinion. Your doc or RD would know better, maybe give them a call?

This must be so frustrating for you! I am so sorry that you are having such a rough time. My first thought is to find out if you are taking Prilosec or another proton-pump inhibitor? If not that would be the first thing I would try. The second thing is adding an anti-gas med like Phazyme or Gas-X. If I were in your shoes, I would back my diet up to post-op day one and start advancing as tolerated and very, very slowly. Make sure you are sipping, not gulping and chewing extra thoroughly! I like the other suggestion about seeing if you have a stricture or other GI obstruction. If you are this miserable and your doc isn't looking for the answer, maybe get a second opinion? Try not to compare yourself to others, each body heals differently and at a different speeds! I really hope you get to feeling better, make sure to keep us informed!.

I'm SO sorry to hear that you are going through this. Has your surgeon specifically checked to make sure that you don't have a stricture? My next stop might be a gastroenterologist who has a subspecialty in treating patients who have had bariatric surgery and who is familiar with VSG. As an aside, I don't think you meant to say that your pre-op BMI was 53? It had to be lower at that weight and and height. But the main thing is, I hope that you get some answers--and relief--soon.

What is a typical menu for you in a day? (It's hard to see what's making you sick when we don't know what you are eating...)
Are you adding a little Crystal Light or lemon juice to your Water to make it a bit more acidic? (sleevers report this helps alot).
Did you follow your Doc's guide lines on food progression? (started with Clear liquids, then progressed to full liquids, then to purees ONLY after your tummy was able to handle the full liquids without making you sick? Did you back down to full liquids after your tummy refused a certain puree and let it heal again before you started on purees again? Are you adding in only one new food every few days to see which food is making you sick?)
If you are really sick from what you are eating, perhaps it's best to back down to just full liquids for another week, and try again later with real foods, one at a time to see which is causing the issue.
Are you taking Vitamins and is your body handling those okay?
There is so many variables, but I hope someone can give you some good options to try because being sick that long doesn't sound right.

The Protein Shakes get old pretty quick. I hit that point where I was gagging on them. Special K makes a Protein Water mix like Crystal Light, I sipped on that and put the Protein Powder in/on anything I put in my mouth. If you can eat soft foods, try some cottage cheese or scrambled eggs. Get creative to get through this. After a few days off the shakes I added them back. I try to force one down over the course of a day. Just make sure you are getting your protein somehow or the fatigue will make the nausea seem like a walk in the park. GNC has a flavorless, clear protein that you can put in anything. I also used powdered skim milk in anything dairy based to boost the protein. Good luck and I hope you feel better.