BLERDgirl

I make an avocado sauce. smashed avocado, tiny bit of milk of choice, salt pepper to taste. I serve it over black bean pasta with a warmed salsa verde.

As a vegetarian I struggle with supplementing. Ultimately I wanted to do this in the most effective way possible. My compromise is the Isopure clear drinks. I only drink the black tea, green tea & coconut flavors, but it's 40 grams of protein/ 160 calories. I often dilute it with my Water in order to kill 2 birds with one stone. I can then eat a normal vegetarian diet and met all my nutritional needs. Going back to your first post. I wonder if you need to adjust your expectations a bit. May of us quickly hit our Protein & Fluid goals. However for some it's more of a build up. I've seen many newly sleeved people end up in the ER with dehydration. Yes protein is important for healing as well as safe & effective weight loss, but if you are struggling, aim for that fluid first. Then as soon as you can start focusing on getting in that protein.

It depends on the person. I never freaked out or felt anxious over my surgery. I had everything organized and prepped. I made a list of things I needed. It's okay to be nervous, but not everyone is. I had thought long and hard about this before I made the call for my initial consult. I was ready, so no nerves or freak outs for me.

I use it instead of cheese for thing I would use powdered parmesean, but it's not going to increase Protein that significantly. 1 tbsp has about 3 grams of protein. The good news is it has zero fat and sugar.

I'm confused by this. Vegetarians don't live without protein. We just get it from mostly plant based sources.

It's temporary. It's your body reacting to the change in your fitness routine.

There's an entire thread for those over 50 right here. I'm 52, I turned 51 1 month after my surgery.

I would focus on getting in enough fluids first and foremost. I would also call the doctor and get a f/u on the pneumonia. Some of this sounds like dehydration but some also sounds like the bug you had hasn't fully gone away. Protein is important but dehydration is worse.

Do you have a nutritionist? I agree with @@Babbs - the processed carbs create a vicious cycle of addiction and cravings. Fruit is good, but needs to be in moderation as well. Even now I limit myself to half an apple or orange a day. The only exception I make is watermelon in the summer. Otherwise I have no more than 1 serving of fruit a day. Unless you're an athlete or working out super hard, your work burn all that fruit off. There's also the mental work. Once you hit that one year mark, it's easy to let old habits slip back in. If you are one of those who don't get sick from food, there's no restriction to stop you from nibbling or overeating. I still do not allow any food I would binge on in the house. I tossed holiday foods as soon as possible. I still keep a food diary and every few months I reevaluate my activity/exercise level and eating habits. It keeps me honest.

That's a conversation for you and your nutritionist. I did 800ish calories until month 8/9. At that point I was working out 4 -6 days a week and needed to increase my calories. I currently eat about 1,000- 1,100. (15 mths post op)

@@Scottyd1264 - Dude you are going to make yourself nuts! Relax, follow the program and stay in communication with your medical team.You are fine. This is normal. At some point you may even experience a stall. Try not to borrow trouble.

Perfectly normal. Search 3 week stall. Also it may be best to step away from the scale for a few weeks. Your body is adjusting to a lot of changes at once. Until it figures out you are dying, it's not going to five up the fat. Stay the course and follow your program.

I think you can but expect to work at it. I was over 400 DOS. The first 100lbs was relatively easy. I'm down 115lbs and find I have to work harder now. I ate 800 ish calories until about month 8. Now I'm at about 1,000 calories a day.

@@Scottyd1264 - Did you check in with the doctor? What was the result?

It may be nothing. I wouldn't leap to internal bleeding as the first culprit. Especially if you aren't having issues keeping food & liquids down. Just to be safe, call the doctor in the AM. It may just be your body adjusting to the changes and decreased caloric intake.

@@Scottyd1264 - Were you on BP meds prior to surgery? Are you getting in all your Water? Protein? All of these things could contribute to light headedness/dizziness. Call the doctor in the morning.

I don't think I have ever said this to someone before but, dump him girl! You can do bad all by yourself. Someone who not only expects you to be molly the maid post surgery, but also gives you the ultimatum to leave the house if that's too much is not the man for you.

Ditto. I was never on clear liquids post op. In the hospital I was given, tea, veg broth, ProSource Nocarb and jello (which I refuse cause I hate it, lol). I was discharged on full liquids.

I was 412 day of surgery. 414 was my highest weight. I had an absolutely easy and painfree surgical experience. I was achy & sore but not ever truly in pain. I hope you read the previous post. They had some really great info. What you can expect is: Check in day of surgery, get arm bands, etc... then you sit in a waiting room until they call you back. The surgeon and medical team (anesthesiologist, etc...) may come out and introduce themselves. A nurse will give you an IV and have you put on a gown. When it's time you most likely will walk into the OR. Some hospitals wheel you in, but walking is not uncommon. The OR will look a little intimidating. Keep in mind OR's are set up to accommodate a lot of various types of surgery. Not all the equipment is for you, but there will be a lot. You will get on the operating table. It will look tiny. There will be 3 or 4 people in the OR, if students are allowed maybe one more. They will likely be gowned and masked. They will clip a pulse oximeter on your finger, a blood pressure cuff and hook the IV up. *I recommend practicing taking slow, deep breathes to help calm and center you. This is the point where people sometimes get nervous and the deep breathing can help that. They put the mask on your face and ask you to start counting backwards. You will be out quickly. After that you wake up in recovery. You will feel like you slept 5 minutes. If you are like me, you feel really refreshed. Propofol is typically used for this type of surgery and there's a reason why Michael Jackson was addicted to it. Some sleeve patients wake up in pain. If you do, let your team know and they can help with meds to control it. In prep for post-op life I recommend: Practice walking and increasing how far and how long you can walk. If you can also strengthen your core. Eating very slowly (30 mins or more with each meal) and taking super tiny bites & swallows. Quit sodas & caffeine.

I used to do that it tasted so yummy and makes you full for longer~~ but then the brand I use had a strong smell of protein ,,, I couldn't like it anymore and I had to stop T_T lucky I manged to stop drinking from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or any other coffee shop .. if I went there with friends or on an appointment with someone or so I order nonfat sugar free latte (/^\) but really! I think the coffee we make ourselves taste much better than Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts I like them both. I don't buy flavored drinks. My fanciest order is dark roast coffee. I often get gift cards for free from Starbucks or Dunks so it doesn't cost me anything. Otherwise I just make my own in the Keruig or coffee press.

She may also need a PPI like prilosec/omeprazole.

You've gotten really good advice so I won't add to that. I do want to comment on your language in that post because it gives a bit of insight into your thinking. Words like "cheated" "failed" came up frequently. It's negative language that I try to avoid because for me it was how I thought when I would diet over and over again. When I decided I wanted better health, I was looking to change my lifestyle. That meant, how I eat, how I think about food and how I exercise as part of that life. The reintroducing food stages aren't forever. What is forever is how you plan to eat going forward. "cheating" on you diet implies sneaking and doing something bad. You want to be able to live and plan Snacks and indulgences. For now just plan and think about how to follow your program from this day forward. Stop treating yourself like a naughty child that needs to be scolded into doing the right thing. You can do this!

I just make regular coffee and instead of cream I use vanilla protein powder. If I get coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts I get it no sugar and add either my unflavored whey or vanilla protein powder to it.

Are you getting in any carbs? Not processed carbs, but healthy ones from things like whole grains. They don't run through you as fast a fruit and may prevent those dips. It's one of the reasons why I don't do low carb. A healthy dose of carbs is actually good for you.

With the exception of my D levels, I have been insanely steady throughout this whole process.