jess9395

I guess the question is why would you want to have more than three drinks? I didn't do that before surgery!

"Normal" is so subjective! What most people eat today is NOT normal, honestly! We live in the age of super-size-me. When you say a normal size, is that what you mean? Most women shouldn't be eating most restaurant size meals. By about six months or a year out you will have the capacity you will have forever if you are a sleeve patient. It's the bypass patients who can stretch their pouch. Will you be able to eat an entire restaurant meal? Maybe. I can't. Do I want to? Nope.

Yeah, I made myself sick once wth too much shrimp. Only happened once. Yes I order an appetizer or, more frequently, I share with my husband or kids. I'm a cheap date. I would recommend not trying anything new for the first time post op while out, try it at home first. Eat slowly. You will know when to stop if you do. Most of us find we have a "tell" be it a burp, hiccup or (mine) a stomach gurgle. It says "stop" and if you listen you're fine. You will be learning to navigate it early on, but by six months you will have it down! I promise!

Why would you be miserable and unable to go out to eat/drink with friends and family? I do it all the time. Perhaps you can't drink alcohol for six months or a year... perhaps WHAT you eat when you go out will be different, especially at first, but you can go out! And isn't that time to enjoy other people's company anyhow? You can do that no matter what you are eating.

Some docs (mine) use 32 for a sleeve. New research shows smaller bougie does have higher complication risk (slight) and no higher long term weight loss. So that may have been when the change happened, when that research came out. But I'm not sure a 32 is truly "dangerous" just has a higher complication risk.

Interesting! I have fully experienced the "getting drunk faster/on less alcohol" but from my perception I felt like it wore off quicker!

Caffeine as a diuretic is an urban myth that they have disproven which science. I have posted links to peer reviewed scientific articles but don't have the time to go back and find them. If you'd like you can search my post history or just use google!

I'd really recommend NOT doing that. It's all things you don't need at a stage it will be hard enough to fit it what you DO need. I had the same issues first Christmas and just have this to say.... there will always be more holidays, more chances to eat those foods. This reset happens ONCE. Make the most of it.

Yes hydration is number one, I was just saying "but..." to the don't worry about protein yet part. Hydration first, but you can do both at the same time. Since protein shakes are liquid, why not?

Right after I hit goal, the holidays hit me and I did! Got back on track with the shakes and stopped sliders and lost it. Now I maintain at about 5-10 lbs over my lowest. I go up and down in that range now and know how to get back on track when I get above my "bounce" range

I do shakes on a regular basis, I'm four years out. I will have one several times a week.

Yup! I didn't even know I had one & my surgeon had fixed it until my nurse mentioned it the next morning.

Thanks! I told DH this morning I wanted one for Christmas and that his assignment was to find me a good electric one!

Yes...., BUT....., For the time you aren't getting all your protein in your body is cannibalizing your muscles to get the protein it needs to heal. You NEED protein to HEAL. It's medicine. To heal your staple line and your laparoscopic holes. The sooner you get it in the less muscle mass you will lose. Yes fluids are important too for dehydration, but fluid protein shakes count too! Why not try for both? I almost recommended the protein hot chocolate too, but I pulled out my box and the top sources of protein on it include hydrolyzed gelatin which isn't a great source for a healing body it's not very bioavailabile. And I'd recommend anyone considering Genepro do a bit of reading and research.... it's quite controversial.

You have to keep trying till you find a shake you can tolerate. And by tolerate I mean it doesn't make you gag or throw up.... you don't have to LIKE it. Then just suck it up and keep drinking it, honestly. It's medicine. Think of it that way! Tell yourself it's only a few weeks you can do anything for a few weeks! Try it hot like hot chocolate or blend it with ice. Dilute it so it's thinner. Experiment with textures and temperatures and brands. But most of all tell yourself it's medicine, you need it for healing and strength. This will pass!

The problem is B12 is absorbed and processed in the stomach lining, not the intestines like most vitamins; and with less surface area in the stomach you can't efficiently process normal doses! It's like 75% less (don't quote me on that number, but it's close). That's why other methods are preferable to taking a pill. Sublingual, nasal, shot... none of those have to be processed by the stomach lining so your absorption is much better.

Your doctor is just relaying the odds, the averages. You can be average or you can be yourself and keep working what works. Plenty of people are above average!

Then supplement with liquids. I needed to until more than a year out. I actually still supplement more days than not.

I LOVE smoked meat! I want to buy an electric smoker (because yeah I'm lazy.... or busy!). Can you recommend a good one?

I'm four years out. I took the whole time till goal (which for me was almost exactly a year) to eat NONE of the junk that made me fat. I followed my plan to the letter. I completely eliminated almost all simple and processed carbs--bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, crackers, etc. I ate almost no fruit because of the sugar content. No sweetened drinks. Not even once in a while or a bite or two at holidays/parties. I do and have always done fake sugar. Sue me, but to this day I need protein supplement and haven't found one I like without it and it doesn't seem to affect me. Once I got to goal it was Christmas and I tried moderation and gained about 10 pounds! Got back on my program and dropped it. There are things I know I can't open the door to now (hello cheezits), there are things I don't care for anymore--that I've lost my interest in (potatoes, pasta, sweet drinks) and things that don't agree with me (rice, untoasted bread). Other things I can do and enjoy in moderation (cookies, pizza, alcohol). Some now have a place in my normal diet (fruit, oatmeal). But for me it was important to have that year of a reset! To break my habits, to learn new ones, to change my relationship with food and to change my tastes and cravings. That's what worked for me!

This initial post is from two years ago. The poster is long gone, which is too bad. I'd love to hear how things are for her now.

It will go away. It will go away to the extent that you can get into trouble and eat too much because you eat to fast and don't chew enough. It will be so normal you can regain. So these are new habits to develop that will become YOUR New normal... if you want to keep off the weight you've lost.

And before anyone goes crazy about the added sugar it's less than a half gram per serving...

My plan from my surgical team is low carb and doesn't limit healthy fats (as in naturally occurring fats not transfats) I don't have a problem with mayo either... I use Best Foods/Hellman's and their ingredient list seems reasonable. I find some foods too dry (tuna mostly) especially when I was early out and the mayo helped.

Most likely yes. But depends on what you consider "normal" and your individual case. Most of us eat without pain and average sized bites.