BayshoreBuddy

I also are somewhat addicted to Premier Protein and have unopened Unjury shake mixes sitting on a shelf along with several packets of protein soup mixes. I plan on taking them to my next bariatric group meeting to give to anyone who prefers Unjury. For me, the Premier Protein shakes are a 60 g. protein foundation to my dieting. Something about chocolate shake snacks works for me. Sticking to our new diets is what is most important making sure we get our daily requirements including protein. It seems ironic that we are winners when we lose (weight)!

It is time to consider another practice who can work with you on scheduling. You may want to post your general location so other bloggers can recommend alternates based on their experiences. Having your surgical clearance may make this an easy solution. Good Luck!

Congratulations and welcome! You are displaying considerable courage and commitment to improving your overall health and living longer! I cannot stress to highly the importance of your commitment to a pre-op diet. I dieted for two (2) weeks before my 9/3 surgery and attribute my textbook surgery and uneventful/successful recovery to my pre-op dieting. My liver had shrunk, making for an easy operation, and I completely avoided the nausea, vomiting, "gas" pains. Recovering from the surgery was a breeze and my weight loss has been slow and consistent without stalls. Please don't hesitate to ask your questions, express your concerns, and share your victories! We are all walking the same path - the only difference is when we first started our individual walks. Welcome and come back often. BB

CONGRATULATIONS Best wishes and don't forget your pre-surg dieting - it really helps make your operation and recovery much-much easier!

Sounds like mind-hunger to me. The commercials on TV are quite inspirational and easily trick our minds into repeating old cravings - rest assured your pouch doesn't watch TV and will put the brakes on at 4-5 oz. Gaining or losing a (1) pound depends on the time of day, Water consumption, excreting, and meal proximity. It is quite natural for small weight fluctuations, you need to maintain control by sticking with your diet - it's not easy but your pouch will help if you listen to it. My pouch has this subtle deep growl that signals it is time to stop eating - I listen and continue to loose weight gradually. Don't worry and remain faithful to your Dr's. and Nutritionist's recommendations.

I got overconfident at 6 weeks (9/3 Op) and "tried" some baked/fried/cubed potato with less than desirable results - besides the hick-ups and queazy overfilled sensation - the potatoes felt like they were made of lead and took hours to digest. I retreated to puree for a couple of days and then slowly brought back chopped foods. Perhaps you are making the same mistake and need to be more conservative. Give your pouch a 2-day liquid vacation and then shift to puree for 1-2 weeks. Better yet, check with your nutritionist and Dr. and be patient with expanding your menu. Since the lead-potato episode, it has been smooth sailing - each of us relearns what works and doesn't work when it comes to tolerating food types. Good Luck and don't get discouraged!

Opinions - everyone has one, even doctors. Before my surgery (9/3/13) I tested 5-6 different protein supplements and found chocolate Premier Protein ( Costco) my favorite. 30g protein, 1g sugar, 3g fat - and it tastes good too. My nutritionist recommends getting 60g of protein daily and 64 oz. of Water. I drink two boxes daily to make sure I get 60 g of protein as between meal Snacks. There is no sugar craving and I know my body is getting at least 60 g protein while meals may, or may not, provide sufficient protein to replace my shakes. I also take daily multi-vitamins, Calcium, B-12, and papaya enzyme (my wife's idea). It is important that you find a diet regimen that works best for YOU! Good luck and don't give up, never surrender!

Remember, what you put on, you will have to take off! Binge eating before surgery is not a good idea, remember the purpose for pre-surg dieting is to reduce the size of your liver (easier procedure) and preparing your body for post-op dieting. Even though I only needed to diet for 1 week pre-op, I chose to diet for 2 weeks. Dr. Reich told me that my surgery was textbook perfect, i.e. no problems. What's more, my recovery has been a cakewalk - NO nausea, NO vomiting, NO reflux, and NO gas pains! Do the pre-surge dieting - don't cheat, it makes all the difference between an easy operation/recovery and suffering with the many problems you see posted on this blog.

The best analogy is to think of puberty growth spurts - in reverse. Let me explain, in puberty our bodies bulk up to prepare for growth spurts - as we loose weight - Our bodies pause for shrinkage spurts. First you loose some weight and then your body (metabolism) has to reset for less mass before resuming weight loss. Stalling can also be a result of snack grazing. A bowl of ice cream can stop weight loss dead in it's tracks. Empty calories easily shutdown your body's metabolizing fat as food. For me, weight loss means balancing what I eat with maintaining my weight loss momentum. We all "stall" it is just part of our commitment to a healthier lifestyle that began with our getting sleeved. Good luck and don't give up!

Yup, know the feeling, I had the same stabbing until my 5th week. I believe it is all part of the healing process where our pouch reattaches to surrounding tissue. I continue to slowly lose weight and drink enough water to keep the pooping on plan. My 4th week blood work was completely normal and my endroconologist told me that I am NO LONGER a Diabetic !!!!! I am seeing Dr. Reich on Wednesday for my 6th week evaluation and expect to get clearance to resume my full exercise workout. So far, I am amazed with the ease of my recovery and learning to listen to my body instead of aimless food grazing. For the first time since my operation I took my wife out for breakfast and I had 2 eggs and a piece of rye toast. Best of all, I didn't miss/wish/want my former 3-egg omelet, bacon, home fries, pancakes, toast, juice, and 2-3 cups of coffee breakfast. Having my sleeve operation 9/3 was the best health decision I have ever made, no regrets - no diabetes - getting healthier every day!

I am in my 4th week and this sounds exactly what I have experienced. This twinge/cramp in my lower left abdomen has me stumped and I have not been able to link it with food consumption, drinking copious amounts of water, or position. It is a mystery; but, not a problem considering I have experienced NO vomiting, nausea, or associated surgical pain.

Fantastic - Congratulations - I'll bet there was a lot of hard work to to get where you are today. Seriously, your accomplishment proves that we all can have similar results, provided we commit to working every day on reaching our goals. Thanks for leading the way!

The funny thing is that since I was cleared for the puree diet, I have kept favorites from my 2 week liquid diet - V8 - yogurt - soups - applesauce - etc. being my go-to favorites along with Premier Protein shakes and Ice water cut with 50% filtered water (tap water in NJ is the pits)... I guess we find foods that we like and discard the losers (UNjury products w/undertaste).

Congratulations on Phase II; the secret of success is plenty of protein and water. It sounds like you have a solid grip on your puree diet. Hmmmm...Hummas, sounds interesting, I will have to try some.

Has your nutritionist cleared you for solid food including protein bars?

Not sure, I am still in my first month.

Congratulations and welcome to the "club". Sounds like you are off to a good start, it is important to follow your Dr's orders and focus on the big three: protein, water, and healing! Every day gets better and keeping positive without focusing on your scale will help overcome the "bumps" (heartburn, feeling stuffed, and weight fluctuations) as they come alone and then disappear.

YAH HOO, CONGRATULATIONS! It is always inspiring to see hard work pay off big! Way to go!

CALL YOUR DOCTOR! My surgery was also on 9/3 and my recovery has been uneventful - no vomiting - acid reflux - pain - only slight infrequent cramping.

Do you actually want/need bariatric surgery? This may be a hard question; but, realistically you need to be honest with yourself and not listen to guiltless comments from others. It is your body, how do you plan on managing your health? Sleeve surgery is a one-way journey to better health and longer life IF you use your pouch/tool to take control of your eating. Ask yourself what you want the rest of your life to be like and how do you plan on getting there! As for me, I got tired of lying to myself, looking in the mirror, and being a walking pharmacy. I committed, dieted pre-surgery, had textbook smooth surgery, follow my Nutritionist's and Doctor's orders, and am experiencing a comfortable recovery with desired weight loss. You can do the same once you have made your mind up!

It all comes down to your pre-surgery prep. I did 2-weeks, had a textbook operation & recovery, and 20 days later have not experienced any of the post-surgery difficulties. I'm not crazy about the puree diet but is beats the all liquid all the time by a mile. My next post-op appointment with Dr. Reich is on Tuesday and (fingers crossed) I move on to a "chopped" diet. Since you did the work preparing for your surgery, following your doctors instructions will make your recovery smooth sailing, like mine. Best wishes and good luck!

Also crush free!

That is your stomach/pouch retraining your eating habits. Mine regularly lets me know where the boundaries are and rewards "good" behavior. Best to take it slow and follow your Dr. & Nut's dietary instructions to avoid slimeing.

I asked during my 1-week Dr. follow-up last Tuesday. I am cleared for treadmill (40 min @ 2.9 mph today); but, will be waiting for my next Dr. visit in 3 weeks for clearance on machines and free weights.

Fantastic!!! When you call the coordinator; Don't forget to ask for the two for one operation special pricing! They could do both operations with one anesthesia, one operating room, and heck the same five small laparoscopic incisions - just different specialist surgeon teams - one recuperative hospital stay, all obvious savings! Good Luck with your sleeve do-over!