esskay77

I had to pretty much revise my menu which worked fine for Christmas since there weren't many of us. But for Thanksgiving, I hosted the dinner and made the traditional meal. But the best part was the next day I made Turkey soup from scratch with the bones/carcass. But this time instead of noodles or dumplings, I just added more turkey so it was a lot of broth, with the celery, carrots, and onions and then a LOT of turkey. I was surprised at how much I didn't miss the noodles or dumplings. Really surprised! lol But it was great. Since then I have done this with chicken, too, with the same results.

I can eat pretty much anything, too ,unfortunately! I wish that weren't the case. I don't have to sip water either. And my weight loss has completely slowed down. Sigh.

That's actually perfect!!! Egg drop soup and edamame--good for you and tastes good too! Wouldn't even feel like being deprived. Thanks for adding that.

When you say you go your whoohoo sugared, what does that mean? I know what you mean by whoohoo but what is sugared?

I use the chewables and they are pretty good actually. The things that tasted bad, like the Omeprazole, I would crush and put in a tablespoon with some pineapple juice. Pineapple juice covers the flavor of everything! BUT... only have as much as you need to get the pills or taste down. It is too sugary (naturally sugary) to have too much of it.

I think it is their sauces that are bad. The support group I go to said to never have Chinese Food again. I didn't get an explanation as to why but they are of the mind that you should not have it at all. Of course, it is what I will be having tonight but I won't have much at all. If you had something without the sauces then it should be fine (though not very tasty). I would say to not make a habit of having Chinese food. But you did what I do, not have rice or noodles and try to eat the protein and veggies.

The instructions that I were give was no mani OR pedi. Or, at least no nail polish. But definitely did the hair prior to surgery! lol. I also wasn't allowed to use any hair product or soap the day of the surgery. The had me use some special soap instead. No makeup, etc. I looked a mess before I even went into surgery.

Mine encouraged them! lol

Wow, I never heard of this! THanks. Is this something that any store would carry or some place like Whole Foods? I'll definitely give it a try.

I'm not a nutritionist but from what I understand, yes, focusing on Protein is one of the things that should help you lose weight. Reducing the amount of carbs is another. I was told to eat a bit of protein every couple of hours so my day generally goes like this: Breakfast: hard boiled egg and coffee Snack: Light and Fit yogurt Lunch: 2 oz. chicken and some raw veggies (green pepper, red onion, cherry tomato) with balsamic vinegar Snack: Cottage cheese with pineapple (if I remember to have this) Dinner: Varies: could be Lentil Soup, Turkey Skillet, chicken breast, edamame, etc. Snack: usually a piece of fruit but I think I'm going to change this one up and have a Protein Bar or some sort of protein I was also told to not count calories, but count grams of protein instead. Much easier and more focused. At some point you will also count grams of carbs and fats. Your NUT can give you the numbers for you. Best of luck!

I took Biotin from day one. My hair thinned out a bit but only I could notice and it wasn't actually visible. WHen I put it into a ponytail to work out, that is when I can tell--the pony tail is much thinner. But I can also tell I have a lot of regrowth coming in.

I totally get why you have nerves!! I was scared, too. Now I look back and laugh! lol. You'll be fine. And make sure you are up and walking as soon as they let you. Walk as much as you can right away. It actually helps you heal better. But wait until they let you, of course. These surgeons and their staff are extremely well educated and have a lot of experience, especially with this surgery. Or, at least the ones who specialize, which is most of them. Let them worry about this part. Your part to worry about and take care of is after the surgery but I know you will be fine and do great. Best of luck and let us know how it went!

Most of us have sleep apnea and have gone through the surgery. I can't imagine that you would take off the mask when under anesthesia. That's different from sleeping and is very controlled. Plus you have a whole team of people that are there in the OR that will take care of you. I understand your concern but this is something that should not be a problem. Best of luck!

You should actually increase how much protein you are getting. It seems counterintutive but that should help break the stall.

I didn't know there were chat rooms. I actually find it hard to find anything on here. I have bookmarked a page and I rarely go away from it because i can't quite find what I am looking for. Note that I design software applications and web sites myself so I'm probably a little hard to please! lol. What I really need to find on here are menu plans for people at various stages and ideas of what to eat for the day. I don't always know what is best to eat so I have been sticking to the same things over and over and am really bored with it. Is there a section on this site for menu plans, food ideas? Also note that even though I don't move away from this page much, I have found it extremely valuable!! I got more information from this site than I have from my doctor and the NUT!!! So true. And I really appreciate this site. Just want it to be easier to find things and navigate around.

My wounds were small but did leak a bit and soiled my sheets so you may want to have something to put down on your sheets. But the big gauze squares are really good to have. Have lot's of them!! Just in case. Make sure to have your Vitamins all bought and lined up. Have some food items ready, that are stage appropriate for you. Also, start to prep for the next stage as well. So, have your liquid stuff ready for the first phase. Some broth is good to have because it has some flavor to it. sugar free Jello and sugar free popsicles are really good to have around as well. Have some pureed stuff ready for your next phase: some yogurt, cottage cheese, sugar free apple sauce, etc. And of course a lot of Protein drinks. Your tastes might change after the surgery so have some different flavors around.

I used to pull my mask off too but finally got the mask that has the 2 little nodes that stick inside your nostrils instead of that big thing covering up my whole nose area. I don't pull the mask off anymore because I don't feel like I am suffocating. Don't worry about the surgery--you have professionals in there watching your every movement and breath and they will take care of you. The surgery itself was a breeze, for me anyway! You sleep right through it. The next few days are uncomfortable to say the least but they have you up and walking very quickly. The faster you get up and walking, the faster you will heal. Once I got home, I stopped taking the pain meds because I discovered it was the pain meds that were making me nauseous and the pain wasn't really that bad. But, everyone has a different experience. Best of luck!

So, the pureed food phase only last a little while. After that, you start experimenting with real food. However, there is a difference in being able to eat or tolerate food and being "allowed" to eat those foods. I say allowed only because I didn't know how else to say it. My NUT has told me to avoid white flour and white sugar so something like french bread is not something they want me to eat. I probably could eat it and feel fine but it's something they want me to avoid. Have I had it? Yes, sometimes I have and it's fine but I want to keep losing weight and keep off the weight that I have lost so I have had to reprioritize what I will eat. I do indulge in some things that I shouldn't and I haven;t gotten sick but I luckily can't eat very much of it!! So, while your body may be fine with you eating some of these foods, you should remember that you have to change the way you eat. "If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got." In other words, if you end up eating like you used to, you will gain your weight back. So, feel free to experiment but really try to change how and what you eat for life. (And that is sort of me, reminding myself not you, to eat right!! lol Sorry about that)

Speaking of magnifying glasses to read labels, I think it is my nearest CVS that has magnifying glass sheets hanging from the shelf for people to be able to read the labels in the vitamin aisle!! I thought that was awesome.

Suzemuze has a good point--always read the label! Not all Protein bars (or anything else) are created equal or are even good for you. Some are even really high in sugar. I can never remember which one I get so I always have to read the labels again. Try to stay under 9 g of sugar. I found some that are around 6 g. Some are really high in sugar!! Probably the best thing to do is not have any dessert but I just don't know how that is possible! sugar free puddings and jellos and popsicles are really great options for our needs but I do also worry about all the chemicals in things like Jello. I go back and forth in m head on what to eat that is low in sugar but still tasty vs. what is healthy to eat in general. Sometimes, it's tough and I have to go with the jello, etc.

Thanks! I didn't know the app cued you when to run/walk!! THat's good news. I couldn't figure out how to run and keep track of time etc. Also, whomever suggested CHI Running--a big thanks to you!! Great YouTube videos that really explain how to run properly. Another yoga saying: Stay on your own yoga mat! In other words, don't compare yourself to anyone else, just do what you can do. I hear people use that phrase for everything now, not just exercise. lol

It takes time to get up to that point. Do what you can. Keep track of your food in a journal and write down the amount of grams of Protein for each food item. Find out what works for you. I know there are a lot of Protein drinks that have up to 40 grams of protein in them, like Isopure drinks. But they are an acquired taste so be careful if you try them. You might not like them at first! lol.

I;m not using it but what a good question. My NUT seemed fine with smoothies so I guess it might be ok but you should check with a NUT to be sure. Unless someone else on here seems to know the answer.

Fair enough. Everyone has different interests.

There are different types of yoga. When I first looked into it, I went to a class that I would totally describe as "hippy, dippy" and really hated it. It was mostly meditation. Really turned me off. But then I found Bikram yoga and discovered that there are many types of yoga. Bikram yoga is not hippy dippy at all!! It's really tough and more of an exercise. I loved it but it's a hour and a half long and just not possible for me to do all the time so I stopped but I still miss it. So, the person who described yoga as hippy dippy has probably only seen or tried the meditative yoga. I challenge you to try the Bikram yoga (it's the hot yoga)! I haven't tried it since surgery so not sure how dehydrated I would be but definitely keep drinking the Water in there! It is HOT!!