ryebread

I'm a 9/2 girl here!! I've lost 71 pounds since June 5. Since surgery 9/2, I've lost 37 pounds. I'm doing great. Only meats I really like/have tried are chicken breast. I've also tried turkey/beef Jerky and I chew it to a purée and I love that too. Still do not feel hungry at all and have to remind myself to eat. As for "soft" things, I like yogurt, scrambled egg, quaker oats "weight loss" low sugar and fat oatmeal, cottage cheese, lentils, pintos n cheese from taco bell, string cheese, SF popsicles and Jello. Liquids, I do 64 oz + a day of mostly pure Water because I love water and also diluted Powerade zero. I will not be having any bread, rice, Pasta or fried foods AT LEAST until I'm where I want to be weight wise. My new miss. Tammy keeps me in check! Although, I haven't gotten sick or thrown up NOT EVEN ONCE!! But I also chew VERY WELL and eat VERY SLOW. So that's a big help. Very proud of no puke since I am frightened of it touching me or getting it on me. It's a fear!

My surgeon is Dr. Ahmad at Mather Hospital... He is wonderful as well as his staff! Can't say enough great things about him.

That is not including pre-op! But my SW was higher than most at 394... So that's probably why. But I am thrilled either way ????

i'm on soft foods as of today! one week of this and then i can eat anything.
i'm down 30.2 lbs since surgery day but i think i'm stalling as i've only lost a few ounces in the last 4-5 days. my energy came back last week. i haven't felt this good in YEARS. i took the kids on a two hour hike, chased them on the sand (which is a WORKOUT), played basketball with them the other night. i don't even feel out of breath and i'm sleeping so well on the nights that i do that.
i'm back to work tonight (i'm a photographer) and i can't wait!

Today was my first post op appt- I am down 17lbs!!!!!! Yay

@ryebread: congratulations. Keep me posted. I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 14th.

I noticed about 3 days post-op that my feet were super skinny! I know its strange but I was absolutely elated. Some of my flip flops come right off now when I'm walking in them. I wanted a skinnier waist , but if I have to start with my feet, that's fine too! ????

Also, a lot of times fried food is more for convenience. Do you actually fry your own foods? If so, it should be easy to transition to roasting in the oven. If not, the issue may not necessarily be that you prefer fried food. It could be that you prefer the convenience of picking up fried food. Don't get me wrong. I like French fries as much as the next girl. But there is NO nutritional content to them.
While it takes some work and planning, preparing and cooking your own food has so many benefits. It's usually more cost effective. It's WAY healthier. You know what went into your food. Yes, there's work involved. You have to come up with some recipes for the week and go grocery shopping. You have to remember to take your meat out to defrost. You prepare, cook, clean, etc. Picking up fast food is WAY easier. It's also why so many Americans are overweight now. We work our 40+ hours a week then we are too tired or stressed to cook dinner so we pick up our yummy take out and go home, eat it, then throw away the container. No cleaning! But what has that done for our waists and our bloodwork?
There has to be some work involved. Download Pinterest and search for Bariatric recipes. You have to be your own advocate. Surgery alone will only help you lose weight the first year or so. After that it's 100% up to you. If you don't fix those eating habits now you will be right back where you started.
If you want to follow me on Pinterest I already have a ton of recipes I've made and loved. Just send me a PM and I'll give you my email address.

I noticed about 3 days post-op that my feet were super skinny! I know its strange but I was absolutely elated. Some of my flip flops come right off now when I'm walking in them. I wanted a skinnier waist , but if I have to start with my feet, that's fine too! ????

I am so excited!! I am going to definitely be pushing myself this week. I am so exited because this is normally the time in my "normal diets" I start gaining my wight back. But I am excited that I will be still losing the weight and will hit MY goal of 165. Here is a picture of me at my daughters graduation in May at 260, and a picture of me today at 203lbs.  

So i started my pre-diet on May 19th, weight was 309.5, Surgery was June 2nd, weight when came home was 296.5, today im 239.5lbs!!!!!

Hi all. I am six weeks post op tomorrow. Here is my before and after pic. The first pic was taken a week before my surgery on July 28th. The second pic was taken today. I lost 32 pounds so far and feel great.

It does get easier. For at least the 1st month post-op, it didn't matter what it was. I could only take in about a teaspoon full - Water, Jell-O, Soup.... anything and everything threw Frankensleeve into a tantrum. I felt like he was turning and twisting into knots.

I realize your blood work indicates the chance of dehydration. This is only a temporary situation. If you aren't feeling the effects of dehydration, I would not push my limits on how much or fast I could drink. As long as I felt okay, I never worried about getting enough calories or Water during my 1st month. Everything just hurt Frankensleeve too much.

I did focus on staying hydrated. I kept a 32 ounce insulated mug filled with ice and Crystal Light within reach and sipped sipped sipped all day long. I don't think I ever finished the mug once during that 1st month.

Over the following months, as Frankensleeve healed and the swelling reduced, I could drink more and more at one time.
At about a year, I had learned I could take 3 or 4 big swallows of water with no consequences. I can now drink (chug!) 8 ounces of water at one time if I want, without having to worry how fast I drink.

It all gets easier, but it does require some relearning about your limits. It's all worth it in the end.

No one will do the work for you. You cannot depend on anyone else. Your success starts and ends with you. Personal responsibility is #1. You cannot have self-doubt. Do not let self-limiting beliefs hold you back. Create your plan. Get support. Set a deadline. Crush it.

@@belindadcns I am 3 days post-op from having my band removed and revised with the sleeve. Best of luck to you with your surgery!!!

August 31st sleever too! Everyday has been better and easier to get in fluids, but I can't drink water! Lol! I was a HUGE Water drinker before surgery and now it's kind of "slimy".....weird, right!?! I have been enjoying Vitamin Water Zeroes along with my Premier Protein and broth. I just had creamy Tomato Soup and it was one of the best things I have ever had! I have felt really good throughout the last week and I'm so grateful for it! Glad to find you guys! ????

Feel like I turned a corner today! So glad to make it to full liquids! Went the grocery store alone and picked up a few extra things to get through the next few weeks, and maybe wanted to see how it went on my own. Moved much slower through the store and I'm ready for a little nap but .....yay me!! Hope the rest of the 8/31 peeps are doing well today!!

I was sleeved on 8/17 and had my first post-op today. Everything is going well and I have lost 18lbs since my surgery date. I'm thrilled with the loss. I purposely didn't weigh myself until I went to see the doctor today. I will probably weigh once a week from now on. I don't want the scale to be my only measurement of success. I got the go ahead for exercise today and I'm back walking. So thrilled to be advancing the diet a little and adding some new foods.
Hope everyone else is doing well. Since 4/1 with the pre-op I am down 52 pounds!
???????????? this is how I feel today!

I'm August 31st too, and glad to hear all of you are doing well for the most part!
I write in my phone everyday my intake so I can see how I'm doing. I've been getting 45gms a day of Protein which is below the 60-80 I should but its getting better. I debate if I should drink Water or the Protein at any given time since I don't have any hunger pangs yet. The random gas pains are my biggest issue. I finally went out shopping today and was able to walk around for about an hour, with breaks in between. I go for my follow up on Tuesday and can't wait to see how much weight I've lost so far!

Ugh! The gas pains! Kept me up off and on all night. Better today, I'm thinking I pushed it too much yesterday. Everything I drank yesterday either had Protein or Vitamins in it. Sticking closer to just Water today and figure if I get 30 gms in, I'll take that as a win. I've divided the Premier Protein into 3 servings, hope I sleep better tonight.

I had surgery on 8/31 as well, and it can get a little boring being on the liquid phase. But to help me push through, I drink different flavors of Protein Drinks (I use isopure), and try to add different seasonings to my broths. Just take it a day at a time and you'll be done before you know it! ????

My bariatric nurse told me in the first few weeks, getting protein and fluids would be a struggle, and if I had to sacrifice one to get the other, sacrifice protein. Protein will help us heal, but Water is going to keep us out of the hospital. Made sense to me.
^^ I think I'm going out tomorrow to get some of the clear protein drinks, so I can make sure I don't have to sacrifice protein to get my fluids in.

I thought I was the only one who felt like this! My head hunger is the WORST thing I'm dealing with. And i'm not even actually hungry. I just keep thinking about food that I cant have, and its not even like bad food. Like I'd kill to have an egg, or a piece of meat. (its this liquid diet part that stinks, you dont feel like you're actually eating) And then you think to yourself that you made a mistake by getting the surgery done. But, its our minds playing tricks on us! I just keep reminding myself why I did this, and that I'll be able to eat solid foods soon. Remember, this stage is only temporary, and so so so worth it. hang in there, it gets better !!

When you want to quit remember why you started! You will have cravings,You will desire what you shouldn't have, Be strong! and just think about what you put in your mouth before you do, I take comfort that I'm not alone with this tough task, there are a lot of people that are in a tougher situation than us, you made the right choice by having the surgery, It was a big step in the right direction You put yourself on for a healthier future and I'm sure for a longer life, Just keep being strong and continue to make the choices and you will see results every week. I was second guessing myself also but I regain my focus and saw that i put myself in the situation I was in to need the surgery,Then when I eat I get full quick and that's my safety net that catches me and keeps me on track! Protein first and veggies second.
I wish You the very best! and remember you are not alone!

I eat a lot of cool stuff, the hardest was the Soup phase for two weeks, cream mushroom, chicken, celery, etc... Yuk!!!! Soft was great I had been craving eggs and probably cooked them differently everyday for like 2 weeks, lol, I realized after two months out that I could have a lot of what I craved, shrimp, steak, fish, crabs, etc. only 4oz at a time, take a step back and realize you will have all that again, only in moderation, so you will get the taste fix, but you have to learn that your portions are the new standard, BTW I now hate McDonalds, it smells bad to me( side effect) I can smell when the meat is sour, and the oil is old, and I really don't like sweets anymore, i craving fruit at times, hang in there, it catches up to your stomach way before your head.... I promise

Thanks, Alex! I hope this really takes off - what a great idea, and done so quickly! What's your secret?