WhoKnows

Things seem to be looking up. Still uncomfortable sleeping, but I can sort of sleep on my right side now, so that's an improvement! Mostly I'm just super tired. I wake up every day with the best of intentions to go out and walk, but I often end up feeling like I may pass out since I'm just so weak. But I'm getting in between 1.5 and 2 liters of liquid a day, and according to Cronometer, I'm averaging 450 calories and 65g of Protein (I wanna see if I can get that up to like 80 though). I'm definitely losing! A lot of it must be muscle from not moving much, but I can feel my clothes fitting differently. I was able to fit into some pants I haven't bothered trying for three years! So, here are my current stats: SW: 265 DS: 252 CW: 241 I can't complain

You might be over washing your face and irritating your skin in the process, which believe it or not, will make acne worse. Remember, unless you're suddenly dirtier now than you were before surgery, the problem is on the inside, not the outside. My advice would be just use warm water in the morning and if you feel the need to rinse during the day. Then at night use something mild and all natural/organic to clean off whatever stuff is on your face from being in the world. Use a mild exfoliant maybe once a week in the shower. Also, go see a dermatologist and have your hormones checked too. And don't bother with most of the anti-acne stuff in the skin car aisle. Seriously, stuff like Clerasil just doesn't work.

The isopure is much better mixed with Water throughout the day (if you don't have water issues, that is), or as a popsicle. Regarding recipes though, I don't have anything exact yet, but I've been planning something with coconut Protein powder, coconut water and maybe some sugar free chocolate syrup. Also, ginger and lime (probably no protein added though; just for refreshment and hydration).

Just make sure you're getting all the right amino acids! It's difficult to do vegan while still being low carb (hence the waiting til maintenance).

I made a black bean/veggie Soup and pureed it the other day, then added some pumpkin seed Protein powder and had a dollop of soy yogurt. It was quite nice.

Thanks for starting the new thread @@lylabelle!

I'm still on purees and I've been dreaming of quinoa and black beans! Would you say this might work in the soft stage too?

I think being lacto-ovo vegetarian isn't a problem as long as you don't have any major allergies or restrictions on anything other than meat, but I think cutting out dairy (especially whey protein) could be more difficult. My plan is to go vegan again when I get to maintenance, but in the mean time, I don't feel bad about some dairy and eggs (especially since my overall calorie intake is so low anyway). My personal tip: pumpkin seed Protein powder; it's great mixed in or sprinkled on anything savory, and the brand I use is a complete protein. I don't know if it's available in the US, but amazon.com has this one: http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Nutrition-Pumpkin-Protein-21-Ounce/dp/B004L3VLFK People will try and tell you that you need to eat meat, but (assuming, like I said, that you don't have a soy allergy or something similarly restrictive) they're wrong. In fact, my surgeon even recommends meat eaters stay away from meat until two months post-op anyway (though he does have us on purees quite quickly). And now cue the anti-vegan comments...

Ugh, today has not been a good day. I didn't have trouble sleeping on my back at the hospital, but now that I'm home, it's more difficult. If I'm flat on my back for too long, my tailbone really starts hurting, and I don't know what to do about it (no, I don't have a recliner or a sofa, as I live in a two room apartment with my boyfriend and roommate). Last night I angled myself a bit onto my side and woke up with sore incisions. To make matters worse, the door bell rang and I sat up way too quickly without thinking about it and really hurt the incisions on my left side (at least, I think the pain is just the incisions). I didn't get any painkillers to bring home. Hell, I barely got any in the hospital -- Germans are notoriously stingy with pain medication (and I was literally given a homeopathic "sleep aid" while in the hospital), but in the hospital I didn't feel this bad and hospital bed was more comfortable. I've been feeling weak and dizzy ever since the incident this morning, and today I didn't leave the apartment at all. I'm worried about thrombosis so I try and get up to use the bathroom and bounce up and down on my feet every hour or two, but I wasn't given any shots or anything to take home and I don't know if I should be worried. I mean, I've spent plenty of days in bed during my fat lazy life, and I never got a clot before, but I dunno if having surgery changes things? I'm just so cranky! I'm taking it out on my poor boyfriend, but I just hate everything today. At least I'm not having trouble getting my fluids and protein in.

@@ekmw, I'm currently a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but I plan on going back to vegan once I reach maintenance. If you want some info, tips or to recipe swap, just send me a PM. It doesn't seem like many of the vegetarian/vegan sub-groups are very active on here unfortunately.

Oh yeah, he for sure makes some excellent points. I'm always telling girl friends (and actually my boyfriend, come to think of it) that they favor aerobic exercise far to heavily over weight training. Still, just thought it worth pointing out that the guy's attitude leaves something to be desired.

So, I'm 5 days out and feeling pretty good. My recovery this far as been among the easiest I've read about on here. I was sent home yesterday and I'm allowed to eat small amounts of purees (my surgeon said I should aim for three tablespoons or so). I'd been craving something salty so I mixed about two tablespoons of almond butter with some pumpkin seed Protein powder. Over about fifteen minutes, I ate about half the mixture (probably just about a tablespoon). I'd been eating purees already, but this makes my sleeve feel... odd. It's not unbearable pain, but it's a pain I hadn't felt yet, a sort of rhythmic clenching like every 20 seconds maybe? I was wondering if maybe I made a mistake with the almond butter. Could it be too sticky? It's basically the consistency of runny all natural Peanut Butter if you need a point of reference. Did anyone's surgeon explicitly mention nut butters? In Germany, where I live, they're not such a staple so if they are verboten during purees, my surgeon wouldn't have mentioned anything.

Good info for sure, but the tone is kinda douchey and does nothing to improve upon the stereotypes associated with male gym rats, which i think are at least partly to blame as well for women often fearing to go to the men's side of the gym (to the free weights, for example).

Yeah, I had one a day at the hospital, but none at home. I think as long as your recovery is going well enough for you to be going about something resembling a normal routine and you're getting all your Water, you don't need to worry too much about thrombosis.

I've been consuming so few calories lately, I figured if it was "healthy" fat and if I mixed in more Protein, it wouldn't be a problem, but you're probably right about my reaction to it. I ordered some PB2 from Amazon yesterday, so that'll be nice. Long term though, like once I get to maintenance, I hope I can get most of my calories from "whole" foods. In any case, I guess I won't be eating any more almond butter for a while. I'll make a thing pureed black bean soup tonight (also with some pumpkin seed protein mixed in) and hopefully I'll handle that better.

Well, after being cut on the 28th, I'm home now! I was discharged yesterday and I feel pretty good. Incisions still suck, but I'm able to get in all my liquids and I can do purees. I'm getting way sick of Protein drinks though; some other people mentioned being fed up with sweet stuff, and I hear that! All I want is something savory. My last day in the hospital they gave me mashed potatoes and it was truly awesome. Of course, that's not the sort of thing I'll be making for myself at home, but it was nice! And @@hrhlaurie, you're not the only one who didn't get a leak test. My surgeon said he does the one while before they stitch you up, but doesn't do a swallow test because of the two leaks he's ever seen, one happened too soon to be caught by the test and the other happened too late, so he just doesn't see the point. Fair enough I guess. I mean, I wouldn't have minded doing one, but I trust his judgement, and since I'm feeling so good (relatively speaking), I think I'll know if something is wrong. I also had my first BM today (yay for bathroom talk!). It was teeny tiny, which doesn't surprise me, since I've eaten probably less than 1/4 cup of actual food since Tuesday. But today all I want is something savory and not made from instant powders like at the hospital! So, I'm gonna make some black bean Soup and puree it, then mix in some pumpkin seed protein, and instead of sour cream I'll do a dollop of quark (something common here in Germany that is sort of like Greek Yogurt, and tend to be eaten on potatoes; also very high in protein and low in fat). My surgeon said for now I can eat about three tablespoons at once, so I'll just freeze the rest in ice cube trays, and I should be set for food for a while, even if I half the recipe. I'm gonna save a bundle on food!

Hello hello! So, I just got home from the hospital today, and I'm feeling pretty good! The only annoying thing are my incisions, which get really irritated by my clothes and bedding. When I was in the hospital, they were bandaged, but the doctor took those off this morning. Is there a reason for them to be uncovered? Do they, like, need to breath or something? I'd love to just slap some bandaids on there, but I wouldn't want to interrupt the healing process. Thoughts?

I'm also lactose intolerant and I put pumpkin seed protein in a lot of savory dishes. It might work in a green smoothie, but probably wouldn't be ideal. It's good for sprinkling on regular food though.

My surgeon gave me a card to put in my wallet. He said medical staff will always looks for ID and that I don't need any kind of jewelry. I'm relieved.

I have discovered that drinking with a spoon creates by far the least discomfort. Just something to try if anyone is having trouble!

So, 2 days out, and I'm doing ok. Trying to drink, but still not enough to do without and IV. I was able to shower, and that made me feel better. Some gas pain today, but not too bad. Mostly the incisions are just uncomfortable. Also, this feeling of my stomach just tightening up when I drink more than one drop. I'm sure hoping that goes away as I heal, especially since tomorrow I'm supposed to eat some yogurt. My biggest complaint though is the lack of ice or popsicles! Unsurprisingly the Germans do neither of those things. Very annoying. My kingdom for some ice chips!

Well, I survived! I'm doing pretty well all things considered. Some pain with the incisions and when I drink, but no gas pain. I had some visitors today, which was nice. They'll keep me until at least Saturday, but maybe longer depending where I'm at with drinking. Now I'm just gonna relax and watch Orange Is the New Black!

What your uncle did was horrible, and I hope surgery will be healing for you. Will you be in therapy during your weight loss process to help you cope with your new body and the new way it will force you to relate to the world? If it's something you can manage, it might not be a bad idea. Although I'm not a survivor of sexual abuse, I can relate to not knowing how to accept male attention. In fact street harassment is one of the few things I'm really worried about regarding life after weight loss. I get some now, but not as much as I know I'll get when I'm smaller, even though I live in a country where it's not as big a problem as others. Truthfully though, I'm not a particularly feminine woman. I wear dresses and skirts everyday now because they're comfy and stretchy and relatively flattering and fashionable, but once I drop down to a 12/14 I think I'll be presenting much more masculinely (get a short haircut, wear menswear inspired looks, etc). Not just to stave off street harassment, I genuinely am something of a tomboy, but I'm hoping a reduction in street harassment will be a bonus.

Well, it's 8:30am here in Germany and I'm all checked in to the hospital. My surgery isn't supposed to be until 4:15, but it looks like there may all ready be a traffic jam, so it might be closer to 6:15. I'm afraid it'll be like waiting on a plane for take off and being told over and over again "just another 20 minutes or so folks!" Anyway, I'm really sleepy since I had to get up so early to be here, but I don't want to nap, since I'm afraid that'll make it harder for me sleep tonight after surgery. I know I'll probably be totally conked out anyway, but my sleep cycle is crazy and delicate, and napping is pretty much never a good thing for me! Plus I have a friend coming to keep me company in a little while and it'd be rude to nap. So, good luck to everyone else getting cut today!

Just so everyone knows, here's the link for the new thread in the post-op forum: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/308820-may-28-31st-sleeve-week/ Thanks again to @@lylabelle!