OKCPirate

I think they actually taste better post surgery when you are on liquids and your choices are limited. banana creme is yummy!

I drank Premiere when I had to but never really liked it. All the premade drinks basically tasted like industrial run off to me. I preferred to make my own drinks with Protein Powder and either Carb Master/Fair Life milk or unsweetened vanilla almond or cashew milk.
Some of my favorite Protein powders are Syntrax Nectar (favorite flavors: iced Cappuccino, chocolate truffle), Syntrax Matrix, Chike, Unjury (favorite flavor: chocolate splendor, chicken Soup is also good -- mix with hot water), and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard. You can buy samples of most of these powders on nashuanutrition.com. The Unjury website is the only place to buy Unjury.
I also like mixing in a couple teaspoons of instant coffee and/or some Torani SF Syrup flavorings to make things more interesting, like a hazelnut mocha or vanilla latte Protein Shake.< /p>

Hey, you want to be an oddball, be the guy who actually likes Isopure Clear. http://www.gnc.com/Natures-Best-Isopure-Zero-Carb-Variety-Pack/product.jsp?productId=41842836&network=g&device=c&product_id=15327232&creative=125833957874&c3ch=PLA&c3nid=15327232&matchtype=&adpos=1o1&gclid=Cj0KEQiAhs3DBRDmu-rVkuif0N8BEiQAWuUJrzcTXiPlORiG8yO-FW5ngHzmUCqAATlef_owk3Z2Zq8aAoOd8P8HAQ&eesource=CA_DF%3A19758526%3AGNC&flavourID=19758526

Hey, you want to be an oddball, be the guy who actually likes Isopure Clear. http://www.gnc.com/Natures-Best-Isopure-Zero-Carb-Variety-Pack/product.jsp?productId=41842836&network=g&device=c&product_id=15327232&creative=125833957874&c3ch=PLA&c3nid=15327232&matchtype=&adpos=1o1&gclid=Cj0KEQiAhs3DBRDmu-rVkuif0N8BEiQAWuUJrzcTXiPlORiG8yO-FW5ngHzmUCqAATlef_owk3Z2Zq8aAoOd8P8HAQ&eesource=CA_DF%3A19758526%3AGNC&flavourID=19758526

Over the years I've seen too many people from being gung-ho in the beginning with great weight loss that gained back weight in the end anyway.
However, I understand the need to think "this won't be happening to me because I will be the perfect patient following everything to the letter and more" - I'd like to have a guarantee that this whole WLS thing will be the end of obesity as well. Unfortunately there is no guarantee as it seems. Look at the long term studies. Ask any real old timer who is 6, 8, 10 or more years out and is still active on boards or in RL self-help groups.
Many people who were quite smug during their first months or even years have become much more modest after some years, even though they didn't gain back weight or only a bit.

Wow. As a nurse, that makes me suspect some very unclear communication, either on the part of the surgeon/staff or on the part of what you understood.
My surgeon has one of the most liberal diet progression plans I've seen, and she knew from our conversations that she could give me the written lists and some general guidelines and I'd know what to do with them because I'm an RN.
She started me on full liquids - which on her plan includes Jello, pudding, and greek yogurt and a couple of other pudding consistency items - on day 2 after I kept Clear Liquids down fine on day 1 coming out from surgery. There was no negotiation on that for the first 2 weeks until my first checkup. Protein shakes, and the things on the full liquids list, period.
She entirely skips the puree phase, as she says it's not functionally much different from the soft/mushy foods phase if your teeth work well, and most people hate it and aren't compliant. So I had a list of soft foods that I could START introducing after my 2 week checkup. One food at a time, from the softest and moistest foods first working my way to firmer consistencies. One new food at a time, tested a couple of times before adding another new food. This was for no less than another 2 weeks.
At my 4 week checkup, she allowed me to start adding in "normal" foods, except for a list of problematic foods such as raw veggies and things with seeds or small hard particles. Those were allowed after 6 or 8 weeks, I forget. I didn't actually try any of them until well after 2 months. But again, it was adding ONE food at a time, trying it several times before adding another.
So if your surgeon really said just "try foods as tolerated" then s/he failed to clearly communicate what the goal of the progressive diet is, and what you're trying to accomplish. That sounds like you can try all the foods in each phase for a day or two and if nothing causes a problem, go on to the next and you're on solids in under a week. Even if that's what s/he *said*, it is very doubtful to me that is what s/he *meant*. Doctors are not the greatest at patient education, it's not generally in their training. A surgeon who is truly advocating progressing the diet that rapidly has very likely not been doing it long enough to lose a patient to a leak or abscess.

My husband who had a bypass almost 11 years ago advanced stages too early, also. He had to get a scope stuck down his esophagus because he had a piece of steak stuck. He was so embarrassed, lol. But it could have been SO much worse.

See, I was cool before it was en vogue.

Harsh.
I like it.

Welcome to Bariatric Pal?
After 3 years on this forum, I've seen hundreds of these posts. You're also going to see the indignation from the person when someone points out it may not be such a great idea. And then someone makes a thread like this ranting about said indignation.
Rinse. Repeat.

Thank you for posting your first-hand experience. I have had people in the past act like I'm being all dramatic when I say that people have died or landed in the ICU with a leak from disregarding their physician's post-op diet advancement instructions.
My surgeon kept saying, "remember, it's a little surgery on the outside, BIG surgery on the inside".
Once your suture line is healed, knock yourself out "cheating" on your diet plan. You'll only be sabotaging your success. Violate your surgeon's diet advancement instructions, and you're literally gambling with your life.

People have this very misguided notion that "cheating" on their post-op food stages is like "cheating" on a diet. IT IS NOT! You have a staple line all along your stomach that needs to heal. food particles can become trapped in those staples which can cause abscesses, which can cause leaks, which can cause death!
Trying to eat solid foods days after WLS is like trying to run a marathon days after having a knee replacement. You need to allow time to heal!

I'm sorry for your loss.
I have big time guilt and your concern or expression of annoyance speaks to me if it's worth anything. I'm for sure going to fess up to my doctor on my follow up about my half slice of cheese at day 5. I don't think it's ok for me to cheat anymore just cause I chewed really good and seem to have digested it fine and I don't condone anyone else do the same. I was just posting honestly because this has been very difficult! But no it's not worth dying from complications.
And well what's done is done, at least your cautionary tale is a driving factor in my will not to stray again and in fact you may have saved my life in doing so.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing this important information that we need to follow the plans (especially the post recovery plans).
I am equally annoyed not only at the people who blatantly violate important rules to follow post-WLS that are designed to help a surgically altered intestine and/or stomach heal properly but the enablers with no medical/surgical experience who say that it is ok not to follow these critical steps, because they did not, think it is ok to not follow or know someone who did not follow.

So I just read yet another post about someone advancing their diet on their own too soon. This one from someone 4 days post op advancing to broccoli Soup. Probably won't kill them but it could. Then of course we get the irresponsible follow up poster saying that they too advanced their diet on their own way early and explored all kinds of foods and as long as their stomach tolerates it they see no problem with it.
Now I'm getting super frustrated, I had to put my two cents in. And perhaps I was harsh. But I watched someone die 4 years ago from doing just this.
My x mother in law had gastric sleeve surgery. At less than two weeks post op she started eating tidbits of foods she was not supposed to have, turkey, stuffing, ham, chicken in very small bites and yes chewed very well. All that didn't matter. She was fine at first. In fact showed no symptoms for days. Then she became extremely ill, with pain and fever. She had a leak which had to be repaired by surgery. After surgery she developed a serious infection and a fistula which led to the outside of her stomach. Everything she tried to drink seeped outside her stomach onto a large padded napkin that she held up to the opening of that fistula. They could not get the infection under control. They fought it for three months with the best antibiotics they had. Eventually she became septic, her organs began to fail and she passed away.
I am only 4 weeks post op VSG, you better believe I thought long and hard about having the same surgery that she had. But I can also say that I have followed my an to the T, with the exception of drinking coffee which I discussed with my surgeon beforehand.
When are people going to realize that following their diet is serious. And more so when are these idiots going to stop coming on and saying things like it's ok to explore foods early as long as you tolerate them!!!! My mother in law tolerated those foods just fine for damn near a week before she finally showed the signs of a serious leak.
Your prescribed diet plan after major stomach surgery is not just a guideline that they want you to follow so you can lose weight. It's a prescription that really can mean life or death, I've seen it with my own eyes.
Ugggggh sooooooo frustrated!!!!!!!

The easy answer is this:
When you stop doing what worked before, it doesn't work anymore.
When you stop:
Eating Protein first
Drinking at least 64 oz of no calorie, low calorie fluids
Limiting sugar, white carbohydrates, and calorie laden drinks
Moving more than sitting
Not drinking with meals
Eating mostly fresh, non processed food
Eating tons of colored veggies
Weighing yourself to hold yourself accountable
you will gain.
Pretty much it in a nutshell.

I know where you are coming from and honestly, he is probably more worried about losing you once you gain more confidence in yourself. Insecurity and being overweight a lot of the time go hand in hand, we all have our insecurites. Just try to keep him rest assured that you love him and only him and he doesn't need to worry because hes got your heart ♡♡♡ My hubby was nervous about me getting it also, but I reminded him that if I wanted someone else, I wouldn't need to lose weight to gain balls and leave, I'd have done it already lol. Just show your baby some lovin, everything will be okay Good luck and congratulations !

Ask him to suck the CO2 out before he glues you up. @@Dub's surgeon did that and it helped a great deal. Take a look at the recovery rooms to see what you can realistically bring and charge. Get your diet for the first two weeks and purchase all that stuff this week. You need to prepare for the first two weeks post op which is the hardest and depending on where you live it might be difficult to get out with winter weather. You don't want to risk slipping and falling during the healing. If you are really new at this, have him show you what the inside of your stomach looks like post op. And have him explain what the post op diet does to promote healing. I found that to be really motivating to FTDI (follow the damn instructions). Oh, and bring your meds with you. Some won't be absorbed the same with a sleeve. He will probably know more about this than your PCD.

You will eventually. It is important to watch your calories and Protein the next two months. Read the article on metabolism and it might motivate you. Just remember Protein first always.

Be aware it changes the "power dynamic" within a relationship. As you get healthier and better looking, your confidence will increase and his comfort will drop. Sorry, it does change things. To put your head in the sand and say it doesn't it is an invitation for disaster IMHO. What this means is he needs reassurance and you need to be aware of what your priorities are. Communicate. I don't know you but I have seen people who changed their relationships because they realized they really were selling themselves short and were sticking around with bad partners because their self-estime was low due to their weight. And there are some partners who left because they felt they couldn't compete with a hotter spouse. These are all complicated issues. There isn't a "one-size-fits-all-solution" on this one. It is all communication, trust and commitment. This is serious work. Good luck.

@@Malin - no kidding. For anyone who doubts it, watch this:

@OKCPirate I'm an SEC (and Sooners) fan more than a Tide fan, per se..but I think Clemson is looking for revenge from last year. Alabama fans are REALLY smug...I'm surrounded by them! They're INSANE.

Definitely ask about getting the gas out before you are closed up. My surgeon did that and I had zero gas pain. Make sur you have post op instructions and keep them handy during recovery.
I'm sure all will go well.

I had NO idea they could suck the CO2 out of you after the surgery! Dang it, that would have been nice. Nothing like waking up feeling like the Goodyear blimp...with several holes cut in it.

Ask him to suck the CO2 out before he glues you up. @@Dub's surgeon did that and it helped a great deal. Take a look at the recovery rooms to see what you can realistically bring and charge. Get your diet for the first two weeks and purchase all that stuff this week. You need to prepare for the first two weeks post op which is the hardest and depending on where you live it might be difficult to get out with winter weather. You don't want to risk slipping and falling during the healing. If you are really new at this, have him show you what the inside of your stomach looks like post op. And have him explain what the post op diet does to promote healing. I found that to be really motivating to FTDI (follow the damn instructions). Oh, and bring your meds with you. Some won't be absorbed the same with a sleeve. He will probably know more about this than your PCD.