Inner Surfer Girl

Try using a toddler spoon, appetizer-sized spoon, or just the tip of a regular-sized teaspoon to take tiny bites. Go slowly and put your spoon down between bites. It takes practice, just be patient and gentle with yourself.

I don't know, why not ask her? My guess is that adding cocoa-powder may make things "clumpier" with chocolate bits. The clear and full liquid stages are all about the texture. Why not ask? And, why not just follow the directions? You can always add cocoa powder to things once you are cleared for all foods of you really, really want it. In the meantime, just have what is allowed.

I am a huge fan of the Water. I went from being barely able to walk and having a tremendous amount of trouble getting in and out of the pool to now swimming an hour of laps, PLUS water weights/aerobics, and stretching in just over six months.

Before I had surgery, I bought a rashguard and some bathing suit pieces in a smaller size from clearance. I misplaced them and just found them this week. They fit but just barely, they are all a bit too big on me now so I won't be wearing them very long!

You definitely need to keep a food log. I would have no idea whether or not I was meeting my protein target without one. My memory is just not that good.

I was never much of a cook either but I am trying to do more. I also have a small apartment kitchen (with no stove/oven). I am learning to do a lot with a microwave, toaster oven, and crock pot. I used a rice cooker a lot pre-op. Now I use it less often because I don't cook as many grains, but it is great for oatmeal, quinoa, etc. The toaster oven is great for cooking fish, meat, and vegetables under the broiler. Check out recipes in Pinterest for sheet pan recipes in addition to crock pot recipes.

I was given a Protein target. That, in conjunction with avoiding starches and added sugars, keeps my carbs fairly low naturally, especially when I was early in the program. I track my food in MyFitnessPal but don't really pay attention to the carb number. My driving numbers are my protein and Fluid targets. I avoid Pasta, rice, bread, potatoes and starchy vegetables like corn. In addition, I choose foods low in sugar and completely avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup (as explicitly directed by my surgeon). Pay attention to the carbs on specific foods by carefully reading labels. For instance when choosing a Greek yogurt I make sure the protein number has at least 2 digits and the sugar number has only 1.

Walking and moving around as well as a heating pad seemed to help the most for me.

Chapstick, Biotene, pillow, heating pad, and my mom!

Congratulations!

As far as I know, the sleeve won't stretch because the stretchy part of the stomach was cut away. I watched my barium swallow test immediately post-op and liquids were emptied from my stomach rapidly. Once the swelling goes down, I would think that fluids would travel even faster. This is a long way of saying I truly doubt that drinking Water would stretch your stomach. I would think that if you drank too much water it would just come back up before it stretched anything.

Yes. Not getting in enough Fluid can cause all kinds of issues, the least of which is inhibiting weight loss. Follow your program. Make sure you get in all of your Protein and fluids. Take your Vitamins and supplements as instructed and exercise moderately until you can eat enough to support more intense exercise. The best thing to do early out is to stay off of the scale and weigh infrequently. Weighing only at your doctor's appointments is the strategy I chose in the first several months post-op. You are healing from major surgery so the most important thing is to stay hydrated and get in all of your protein (but only as allowed by your program). Advancing your diet too rapidly can cause set-backs.

You are welcome. This is one of those things I wish I had learned pre-op. It might have saved me years of frustration and yo-yo dieting.

Another good one is Ear it Up! I can't remember the author off the top of my head but you can get it on Amazon. The author has a website, too.

Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process. Almost everyone experiences their first stall about three weeks post-op. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I am so glad you are seeing your bariatric team. Let them help you. With support and help it may be scary, but you can do this!

ProtiDiet liquid beverage concentrates, decaf tea, Herb tea, ProtiDiet hot chocolate, ProtiDiet tomato basil and creamy chicken soups, V8, water enhancers in water, sugar-free Popsicles.

None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. We all have slow downs and stalls as our bodies adapt and change. Make sure you are following your program. It sounds counterintuitive, but just arbitrarily cutting calories is not going to help and may hinder your weight loss. It may be a pain but without tracking my food (I use MyFitnessPal) I would have no idea whether or not I was meeting my daily Protein target. Stalls and slow downs are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process. Focus on following your program. Make sure you are getting in all of your protein and fluids every day. Take your Vitamins and supplements as instructed. Exercise reasonably. And, embrace the stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Also, when I asked whether it was can't or won't I meant in relation to eating more than 800 calories. It sounds like you really need an appointment with your NUT and a counselor or therapist to help you through this.

Are you getting in all of your Protein every day? I ask because if you haven't tracked your food before today how do you know of you are following your program?

Can't or won't. There is a big difference. Why can't you?

You will lose weight if you increase your calories. It sounds counterintuitive but keeping calories low will actually keep you from losing weight. Eating enough is critical for healing and weight loss. Add an extra protein-rich snack or two to your plan. Eating more real food rather than solely relying on Protein shakes will also help.

I think we need to worry about it now because we didn't worry about it before. The more I learn about the disease of obesity the more I am convinced that conventional dieting wisdom is what got me in the place for surgery. I think I was starved for nutrition, especially Protein, but basically lived on carbs (good and bad). Protein was almost incidental. Why do we need protein now? Because our bodies need protein and we don't store it. We store carbs and fat but if we don't get enough protein then our bodies can't do what it needs to do and will consume the protein in our body (muscle).

Just something to keep in mind: Many people assume that a higher starting BMI automatically means that bypass is the best choice. That is not necessarily so.

You have gotten some great advice. Sip, sip, sip, and sip some more. Staying hydrated and getting in all of your Protein should be your primary focus right now. Also, be sure to walk and move around. Follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your protein and fluids every day. Take your Vitamins and supplements as directed. Exercise when cleared. Walking is a great way to start. Also, as @@Babbs mentioned, none of us lose at a constant or predictable rate, but most of us experience our first stall about three weeks post-op. Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. Follow your program and weigh infrequently if the numbers on the scale mess with your head. And, Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall