Schmincke

I got horrible smelly breath soon after surgery from ketosis - despite really super oral hygiene. It got better after a few days.

My Mum's boyfriend had a stomach resection for bleeding ulcers and always ate like a sleever. He was nearly 90 when he died, and healthy up to the end.

My doc had it for everyone who had BMI over 40. Those of us 35-39 had to maintain weight and pre-op diet was optional. He said being healthy was his top concern. I did the diet anyway. I looked at the medical literature and there is conflicting evidence about its necessity (especially for lower BMI).

I have more questions than answers, sorry!

Cotton mouth - dry mouth?? More fluids are usually the key to this!

Are you drinking 8+ cups of Water a day?

Are you avoiding caffeine (no coffee or tea)?

Are you on some meds (the most common cause of dry mouth)?

Is your bedroom very dry?

Are you snoring?

Is your pee pale colored like lemonade or dark like apple juice? Dark can mean dehydration.

Good luck figuring this out!

All I can say is... Wow...

Like many others, I weigh myself most days, in the morning after going to the bathroom and before eating, but I don't get too worried about minor fluctuations.

Welcome Jessica! I have got so much positive energy, encouragement, reassurance, and good advice from the folks here. And a few great laughs! I hope you enjoy your journey although of course there will be rough spots. With this group you never need to be alone though! Welcome!

For example look at the mayo Clinic site:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vaginal-dryness/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20029192

That does not sound like fun at all!

Have you looked it up on PubMed? If you don't know how send me a PM and I will help.

But regardless - if you are uncomfortable with this choice, investigate alternatives that you are comfortable with. How about KY Jelly or other lubricants?

The Sleeve Who Must Be Obeyed!

It seems to be two things

1 our basal metabolic rate has dropped because of our calorie restriction

2 we have a lot less insulation

Good news - trying to warm up burns calories!

DrPatient, I had the same issue last week with old suits. A size 16 designer suit.at the back of my closet has been calling wistfully to me for 20 years. Guess what - it fits perfectly now! Guess what else - it looks ridiculous! Into the bin with the size 20's!

The opurity Vitamins made me nauseated too and I returned them. For a while I used liquid Centrum but the alcohol content bothered me. My NUT told me to take 2 Centrum tablets a day now that I am 2 months post surgery, and a sublingual b-12 tablet twice a week. I eat/drink a lot of Calcium and don't have any osteoporosis so she told me I can skip the calcium tablets ( it also helps that I am a sleever).

I had the same problem for about 5 weeks and pants actually hurt because I felt swollen. I wore yoga pants because nothing else felt okay. My doc said all was okay with me. I am now 8 weeks out and it has gone away. My pants size has gone down and my middle has stopped being swollen. Good luck!

I am so happy for you. You deserve smooth sailing from now on!

Surgery 14 Jan 14

SW 206

CW 183

Eating 500-800 cal a day and tracking it all on Myfitnesspal.

No doctor- imposed food restrictions but The Sleeve likes seafood best.

Happy!!

I dislike Unjury too, although they are pretty popular. I do like the Premier Protein shakes that Magtart likes. I have been also buying vanilla whey Protein Powder and adding things to jazz it up like berries, sugar free syrups, cinnamon, coffee, etc. I started out with Target's house brand powder which is $18 for a jar, because it was not such a huge investment if I did not like it. Turns out I do like it, and also Cytosport's vanilla Protein powder from costco, about $50 for a big bag, tastes quite similar to me. Good luck!

We have all had our moments with weight. You are not alone in this!! Consider it a sign that your decision is right for you and let it give you even more strength.

My surgeon had me on soft food after 7 days too, and any texture at 6 weeks as long as it is low sugar high Protein (except: no skins on fruit like apples). Understand your surgeon's recommendations clearly. But being allowed to eat something is not the same thing as being comfortable eating something. Just progress as your sleeve allows, within the rules that your surgeon gave you.

Once I was allowed soft foods, I did not always eat them - some days just Protein shakes and yogurt, especially at first. I am still supposed to have 2 Protein Shakes a day, so I do. I know other people's NUT teams say no shakes so just follow your team's orders.

My surgeon defined soft food as anything that I can cut easily with a fork, so under his rules I was encouraged to eat fish, stewed chicken, ground turkey, cottage cheese, yogurt (especially Greek), eggs, fat free retried Beans. I used my slow cooker and made lots of stews and soups: fish chowder, black bean Soup, Tuscan white bean Soup with garlic (yum!), chicken curry not too hot, chili with ground turkey, spaghetti sauce with turkey meatballs but no actual spaghetti. All delish! Also baked or grilled fish. But baked/grilled chicken was too dry for my sleeve - even now if I try it I need a sauce for it. Ground beef or pork were sometimes okay with great caution - harder to digest and can be very fatty if you are not careful about what meat you cook and how you cook it. I went for turkey sausage (including turkey Italian sausage) instead and have avoided beef and pork. I was disappointed that I do to do well with eggs - I made a low fat quiche and The Sleeve did not like it. Ditto for scrambled or fried eggs, and hard boiled eggs were not much better so I think eggs are off the menu for a while for me.

There are some great websites with menu ideas - like "bariatriceating" and "the world according to egg face" and 7 Bites Jen's terrific YouTube cooking classes! Proceed very slowly and follow YOUR doctor's rules. But don't be afraid to go back to liquids as required - good luck!

I have been to lots of restaurants since my sleeve 7 weeks ago, largely because of work travel. My best hints:

Japanese restaurants: eat just the fish from the sashimi; also the clear Soups.

Chinese: dim sum comes in small pieces at a nice slow rate; I concentrate on the shrimp items and don't eat the wrappers.

American: a few bites of the Protein from my DH's plate, or an appetizer like grilled shrimp.

Italian: minestrone Soup, maybe a bit of Parmesan cheese on top.

Fast food: Wendy's chili.

Starbucks: brewed chai and skim milk, add your own sweetener - the pre-made chai is loaded with sugar.

Any time: skip the meal, just have a Protein shake first and go for the company.

To my surprise, almost nobody has noticed that I am eating very little. One person assumed I was doing Atkins. One person said I eat like an elf, and we all had a good laugh, but no embarrassment at all.

Next week is my big challenge: a formal banquet sit-down with open bar, for work, at a table with my boss. I hope my sleeve is not too loud because it makes major noise sometimes! :-)

You DO have somebody to talk to always. You have us, your fellow travelers on this wonderful weight loss journey. You are not alone!

Not a cruise, but I flew to Canada for a trip 4 weeks out, no problem, and now 7 weeks out I am going on 3 back-to-back business trips. Just be careful to respect your weight lifting restrictions when handling your luggage. Be extra careful not to pick up an infection like Norovirus and remember that hand sanitizer is NOT effective in preventing Norovirus transmission, you need good old soap and Water hand washing for 30 seconds (sing "Happy Birthday" to yourself). :-)

Do the Protein Shakes count towards the liquid intake. Or is it just Water?

Protein shakes do count as liquids. All fluids count - and so does sugar free jello! Except, you have to be careful with caffeinated fluids, because they do not hydrate you well.

My MD's advice was similar to Bluesea's. While others at my center had to adhere to a 2-week liver shrinking regimen pre- op , he told me I did not need to since my BMI was also "only" 36. He said the main thing was for me to be healthy and rested. Like Bluesea, I did the diet anyway because it seemed like a good way to get in the groove, and I lost 6 pounds. I was also at a Center of Excellence, although a different one.

I looked at the medical literature and the experts don't seem to agree whether it is strictly needed for everyone.

I think for each of us, it comes down to this: if you trust your doctor, follow their advice. If you don't trust them, you should talk to a second doctor.

I have occasionally had 1/2 of a whole wheat sandwich thin. They are shaped like hamburger Buns but very thin. My sleeve liked it toasted. I am 7 weeks out.