smg

Well, I would certainly suggest reaching out to your NUT and/or surgeon as they may have specific things to eat and/or not eat during that phase based on your specific progress/situation, but there is a recipe section on this forum that is separated out by phase and there are some good recipes for the soft food phase. The ricotta bake saved me during this phase....
You should be able to find recipes for the phase you're on here --> http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1052-recipe-sharing/

Ype as @orionburn said it's completely normal when you're body is in a ketogenic state. I took a toothbrush with me everywhere...and mouthwash...lol. I use the breath-strips and they seem to work well. Careful with some mints like altoids and others that have sugar/sweeteners in them. While 1 or 2 now and again aren't bad, when you're purposely depriving yourself of sweet things, they can actually start to satisfy a craving, which will cause you to overeat them....

For me telling people I am on some FAD diet or doing Weightwatchers when I had WLS surgery is hiding the truth. That said, I totally understand that some people are more private than others and want to keep it to themselves. I interact with lots of different people at work, socially and at the gym) and I didn't feel like constantly trying to remember what I said to whom.

Well, I would certainly suggest reaching out to your NUT and/or surgeon as they may have specific things to eat and/or not eat during that phase based on your specific progress/situation, but there is a recipe section on this forum that is separated out by phase and there are some good recipes for the soft food phase. The ricotta bake saved me during this phase....
You should be able to find recipes for the phase you're on here --> http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1052-recipe-sharing/

Then don't do it. You need to want to do this. If you aren't doing it for the right reasons, you'll set yourself up to fail.

I'm not being snarky. I'm thrilled with my surgery and would do it again. But I think it's a mistake to do something this drastic when you're not sure.

I understand all right.

I have told anyone and everyone about my entire weight loss journey (including the surgery) since I began my six-month pre-op diet program March 21, 2016. It keeps me accountable, and it also educates people on the realities of weight loss and the surgery itself. I have never had one person say one negative thing to me. I have lost nearly 185 pounds. That is an incredible accomplishment, surgery or not. At this point, people just want to talk about the transformation, and they don't really care about the surgery part. And, most importantly, I am not a liar. I don't want to purposefully mis-represent my situation.
Frankly, I consider the surgery to be a supporting player in this journey. I lost 100 pounds during the six month pre-op diet program before I even had the surgery. The sleeve is only a tool that has been around since the beginning of the second half of my journey. I am the one who has done all of the hard work.
And with my level of weight loss, people would assume that there has been some level of medical intervention.
Everyone has the right to share or not share. But to go out of your way to deceive people is another thing entirely.

I'm certainly not trying to be pushy. You offered your opinion in response to a question and so did I. Mine just happens to be different than yours. It's a forum, and not everyone's going to agree with you or with me. There's no need to get defensive...

I'm certainly not trying to be pushy. You offered your opinion in response to a question and so did I. Mine just happens to be different than yours. It's a forum, and not everyone's going to agree with you or with me. There's no need to get defensive...

It's not our job, that's true. But when you're questioned about your success (and you will be), giving them "advice" that's just plain false is a complete disservice to the people you're speaking to.
If you're giving information such as nutritional tips and advice based on facts you learned throughout the process without actually revealing your surgery, then great....but telling someone you're on a fad diet when you're not is not advice I would give to anyone.
Remember, there are others in the position now that you were before surgery. Some feel lost, some feel defeated. Is it "your job" to help them? Of course not. But if you can help them, then why not try.....that's my underlying point.
To clarify, the journey is a personal one...and though we all have our opinions on what's best, they are just that...opinions. We think they're best because they were best for us individually, and you have to decide what's best for you. My only point was to not be swayed by perceived negativity surrounding WLS.

It's not our job, that's true. But when you're questioned about your success (and you will be), giving them "advice" that's just plain false is a complete disservice to the people you're speaking to.
If you're giving information such as nutritional tips and advice based on facts you learned throughout the process without actually revealing your surgery, then great....but telling someone you're on a fad diet when you're not is not advice I would give to anyone.
Remember, there are others in the position now that you were before surgery. Some feel lost, some feel defeated. Is it "your job" to help them? Of course not. But if you can help them, then why not try.....that's my underlying point.
To clarify, the journey is a personal one...and though we all have our opinions on what's best, they are just that...opinions. We think they're best because they were best for us individually, and you have to decide what's best for you. My only point was to not be swayed by perceived negativity surrounding WLS.

Ype as @orionburn said it's completely normal when you're body is in a ketogenic state. I took a toothbrush with me everywhere...and mouthwash...lol. I use the breath-strips and they seem to work well. Careful with some mints like altoids and others that have sugar/sweeteners in them. While 1 or 2 now and again aren't bad, when you're purposely depriving yourself of sweet things, they can actually start to satisfy a craving, which will cause you to overeat them....

Initially, only my wife knew, but, once you start to lose a lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time people will (1) notice and (2) ask questions or ask for advice.
I really don't feel as though I'm helping anyone asking me for advice if I tell them I'm simply doing a fad diet. I'm not big on lying, and certainly not when it's going to send someone else down the (most likely) wrong path....so I decided to own it, wear it on my sleeve, and educate anyone who asks.
There's a cloud of negativity surrounding weight loss surgery, as though we've somehow "taken the easy way out", which couldn't be further from the truth. So I use it as a platform to help others who may have questions or concerns about wls in hopes that it can perhaps help others as it has helped me.
That being said, I don't wear a giant sign on my back that says I had surgery, but those closest to me who ask get the absolute truth.
I also believe when people around you know, it will motivate you more to succeed. If you're telling people that you're on a fad diet, then failing isn't "a bad thing" in their eyes. In fact, it's probably expected as it is with most other fad diets, and so you might be tempted more easily to eat things that you otherwise wouldn't if you are motivated to succeed. This isn't always the case with people who "hide it", but it's certainly something to consider.
In the end, it has to be your decision and you need to do what you're comfortable doing, but the longer we hide behind the fact that we've had surgery, the longer it will take for public acceptance, not to mention that when you're "hiding" it, you're limiting your resources in terms of recipes, information, etc. It's nice to not be afraid to pull my phone out in public and look at this site or search for bariatric recipes without fear someone will see me.

3 days post-op this could still be from the tubes that were in your throat and/or lingering effects of anesthesia and pain meds. Either way, it's not a bad thing to keep drinking throughout the day like you are. Sip sip sip....walk walk walk!!
Best of luck!

Regardless of what you wanted, it's out now. Embrace it. Holding a grudge will only add negativity to what sounds like an otherwise positive experience so far. Be proud!

Regardless of what you wanted, it's out now. Embrace it. Holding a grudge will only add negativity to what sounds like an otherwise positive experience so far. Be proud!

Definitely head hunger. It sucks but you have to push through. I had to just remove myself from the room. Or just not look. It gets better. Once you start eating real food or close to it it'll ease up a lot.

Everyone's rate of weight loss is going to be different. As long as the scale is moving in the right direction, you're accomplishing what you've set out to do.
The advice I was given was to take on healthy habits, and the weight will come, but don't make that the focus. Make the focus eating the right foods (nutritious whole foods, eliminate processed foods), embracing an exercise routine, and once you get into those good habits, the rest will take care of itself. Once you have it down to a routine, you can then make small tweaks to your eating plan and/or exercise plans to see if they increase/decrease your rate of loss....but I wouldn't focus solely in on how fast that you are losing, and embrace the fact that you ARE losing.
Best of luck

Ditto
For those of you fresh out of surgery and doing well on the Patches, just be aware that you will likely not develop deficiencies within the first few months anyways, with or without supplements. Make sure you follow up with labs annually forever....it can take years for problems to arise.

I've never taken the multivitamin Patches, but I use the Vitamin B patches daily and my numbers have always been good. In fact, I notice it when I forget for a day or two to put a patch on. Some of the B Vitamins are a bit different than others though as the concept of absorbing them through the skin is not new. There have been Vitamin B lotions for a long time.
Can't speak to the Multivitamins though as I take opurity for those. Interesting read. Even more interesting that both sides are making claims without science to back them up. I do tend to agree with the argument that the burden of proof lies on the vitamin company making the claim though....guess we'll see how it unfolds.

Everyone's rate of weight loss is going to be different. As long as the scale is moving in the right direction, you're accomplishing what you've set out to do.
The advice I was given was to take on healthy habits, and the weight will come, but don't make that the focus. Make the focus eating the right foods (nutritious whole foods, eliminate processed foods), embracing an exercise routine, and once you get into those good habits, the rest will take care of itself. Once you have it down to a routine, you can then make small tweaks to your eating plan and/or exercise plans to see if they increase/decrease your rate of loss....but I wouldn't focus solely in on how fast that you are losing, and embrace the fact that you ARE losing.
Best of luck

Bike riding! Can't wait for the warm weather

I find it surprising that there are so many different "reasons" for people to avoid caffeine coming from their surgeons. The "acidic" nature of it is always hilarious to me. Your stomach has hydrochloric acid in it already. Like, as soon as they close your stomach, it's producing acid again.
The diuretic nature of caffeine is nullified by the amount of Water present in pretty much any caffeinated beverage, so that one isn't true either.
The appetite stimulant is one I haven't heard before. Doesn't make sense to me either. Hell, all the diet pills and appetite suppressants on the market have caffeine as a key ingredient. So I would call bunk on that one as well.
The only verifiable thing I could find on why bariatric patients should not have caffeine is because caffeine attaches to the same receptors that absorb Vitamin D and calcium; and those two are vitally important the first year.
It is also common for caffeine to irritate the bowels in some people. And as a gastric patient, whether you have a sleeve or a pouch, you no longer have a reservoir to hold the coffee in before it seeps into the intestines. So you get a full dose pretty much right off the bat.

People who feel the need to act as the forum militia must be so much fun in real life.
"The topic of the evening is 'what would Himmler do.' Deviations will be severely punished!"
Seriously, I asked other humans for help. If it threw too much chaos into your life, you didn't have to read it. Hence "off topic."
Hope you have a great Friday and an awesome weekend.

I would steer clear of pastas if at all possible. Pastas are one of those "slider foods" where you can eat more of than you realize, and there's little benefit nutritionally. Especially now, while you can only eat such small amounts, I would stick to those foods that "feed you" nutritionally, like lean Proteins and veggies. You can make some great Soups with those two ingredients