Ray92

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch I am not very good with Asian cuisine to be quite honest. I live in Atlantic Canada and the most interesting "Asian" dish I made was to make short grain rice, add up some chopped sashimi to it, seasame seeds, lettuce, cucumber, avocado, ponzu sauce. It was like a sashimi, salad bowl. On another note, did you know that you can get low fat halloumi? I recommend grilled halloumi, olive oil and zaatar. I would adopt you if I was a great middle eastern cook but I am very mediocre. If I crave something, I usually ask my mum or grandma to do it for me. I try to learn but they live in the Middle East so the times I do get to learn from them are limited to when I am visiting. However, you are welcome at my dinner table any time.

Ahh you are talking about wara2 dawali, I thought you were talking about wara2 bil zeit/yalanji. I love wara2 with kousa. It sounds like you have the authentic recipe. My grandma adds some diced onion and tomato as well but not always. 3/4 of my family is on a diet so someone is always asking for a special recipe. Instead of using rice for the stuffing she does exactly like yours only adds onions also without too much oil. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Never is a strong word. Maybe after a while you can have a small piece. Something in a very small amount and in a moderated setting will not harm you. We just have to learn self control and management. It is very heavy though I would probably wait, like a long time till you feel 100% well Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch I have never tried it with feta but I think the premise works even though shanklish is an aged cheese usually covered in zaatar or chilli. Other than shanklish cheese which is now grated, you add diced onions, diced tomato, parlsey and mint (if you like those things) and then you drizzle it in olive oil as the dressing. That's it. The zaatar herb adds a very nice flavour to it. @@TheNewSusie How do you make it without the rice?! I am very curious. I stumbled upon your baked kibbeh recipe on the page before and it seemed great.

Be careful with kibbeh, when its fried its very very unhealthy. I second the kibbeh nayyeh suggestion. It is the most delicious mazza in my opinion. For the grape leaves/dolma suggestion, pretty sure once you have no restrictions you can eat them. Also be aware, they are stuffed with rice. Might I make some middle eastern suggestions that are low carb?: 1. Shanklish, a goat cheese salad. 2. Muhammara, a red spicy paste with nuts 3. Tabouleh salad. Has bulghur but not essential to the dish and not enough to be high carb. 4. Grilled kafta. Can be high fat but 0 carb so if you are going keto it should be fine. 5. Hummus or foul without bread. Also be weary, you would be surprised how much fat there is in hummus from the seasame paste. Again, works for keto. 6. Grilled chicken with toum (garlic paste). 7. BBQ pro tip: grilled onions and grilled tomatoes. Very common in middle eastern bbqs and very delicious. Things that should be occasional because they are high carb and fat: fried kibbeh, shawerma, muajanat/manaeesh/middle eastern pizza although as an alternative to regular pizza they are relatively good. Thin crust and if you get the zaatar then you avoid the cheese, fried falafel, our rice dishes also have lots of oil, phyllo/cheese rolls (fried). Source: I am Jordanian. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I am still a ways off until I get to where you guys are at but there is one thing that has started to affect me in a negative way already. For whatever reason, my feet have super deflated. I am guessing it is a combination of weight loss but mainly the fact that I no longer hork tons of salty foods which means there is no excessive bloating. Also the weight loss has given my knees, legs and feet some great relief which also means that they also don't bloat as before. As a result, all my shoes are starting to feel loose and wide. I am obsessed with shoes and have put in A LOT of money into buying really nice shoes from all over the country and all over the world. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that I will not be able to wear my shoes after a few months because they are really starting to loosen up. I also think that maybe I always used to buy shoes that were a size or two bigger than my foot length because my feet are wide due to the weight.

2 weeks out, same exact pain, just 2 inches left of the belly button. Sometimes it radiates even deeper almost to my back. I don't have a fever, rapid heart rate, abdominal pain or anything like that. I have a feeling it happened because I have a nasty habit of stretching out in my bed when I wake up in the morning. I stretch my arms and legs out which causes my abdominal muscles to contract. I do it out of habit and have tried to stop myself from doing so but I am not too concerned to be honest. Sometimes the pain also comes with itchiness which makes me feel like it could be something to do with nerves reconnecting as well. I have an appointment with a doctor less than a week from now and I will ask him and update my post!! Hopefully everything will be fine.

When I am really thirsty, sometimes I forget that I cannot gulp Water and I take about 2 gulps before I realize what I have just done. Of course my stomach also reminds me in the form of pain... I don't consume enough Soup, juice, water etc. as they have recommended on the program. I am trying to get better at that by leaving the glass of water or tea beside me and drinking it over an hour if necessary. Other than that I have not tried to consume anything out of my program. I am too scared lol.

Pillow under the belly, one between the knees. I was able to sleep on the "other" side, i.e. the side opposite from where they removed the stomach. I was able to comfortably do that just past the week mark.

I am going to give the nut a call just to get a green light and then I am going to do that. Also today's fatigue I discovered was because I have not consumed any juice or anything with sugar for more than 48 hrs. Once I had a glass of juice I felt energetic again. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

@@drmeow As per the doctor's orders. No meat,chicken or fish for 35 days. He didn't prescribe any Protein supplements either. I think he expects patients to focus on consuming dairy and high protein Beans, lentils and such. To be very frank, the program is not working out for me today. I feel very faint and very fatigued. I really need to find a way to get more protein into my system. Unfortunately I still have 22 days to go until I can eat meats.

@@BLERDgirl This was a few days post op. I was having a little bit of runs and it was a little dark. Back to normal now!

You are lucky! I was sleeved the 19th too and I've only gone once! I know you have probably heard this line a million times but are you drinking enough Water? Makes a huge difference. Also plain, lot fat yogurt. It really gets my stomach cleaned out. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

My acid reflux varies but I mainly get it at night. Here is what I noticed: by virtue of this surgery I never ever feel like eating, especially at night. However tonight for example, I had panadol (pain killer similar to advil or Tylenol) because of some uterus cramps and my birth control pill. Since my stomach is empty, the acid reflux is here with vengeance punishing me for taking the pills on an empty stomach. HOWEVER when I eat a couple of spoonfuls of low fat plain yogurt or the yogurt drink called laban ayran, I don't get the stomach aches/reflux as I usually do. My reflux pill is in the morning so I find that by the time night comes around if starts to fade and consuming some Probiotics really helps.

My surgeon told me no citrus for 35 days as it can be harsh on the stomach and because of acidity. I think he is being very cautious about it which is good!!

@@4MRB4PHOTO I have been following my guidelines to the last letter. Haven't faltered once and wouldn't even consider it! I don't want to end up harming myself. Not to mention, I put my body through a surgery and I am not going to botch it over some cravings, thats for sure. Thanks for putting in perspective though! It's good to remember that in the grand scheme of things, I am blessed. @@BestDayEver Good luck with your nutrition plan! It sounds very much focused on Protein intake which sounds great. I have a 35 day restriction on raw vegetables and peeled fruit.

omg crazy!! I did it with Dr. Khrais as well. He seems to be very popular in Amman. I hope you are feeling better too. Please feel free to pm me! Maybe we can stay in touch and exchange thoughts and ideas since we are in the same region, same surgeon, same cuisine.

After browsing the forums for quite a bit now, I can't help but notice that there is quite a bit of variation in the post op diet plans that are given to each respective person by the surgeon and nutritionist. So, out of curiosity I am making this thread for anyone interested to post the plan that they were given to see what are common factors and what are different approaches. My assigned plan: Day of surgery: nothing entered my stomach. I was on IV fluids all day. Day 1-7: Clear liquids only. chicken, beef and vegetable broth. The seasoning was limited to very little salt, pepper and cumin. Only 2 juices are allowed: apple and watermelon, preferably fresh and without artificial sweeteners. Highly recommended: Tea with anise to soothe the stomach from gas, green tea, any kind of tea. Can add honey or up to 2 tsp of sugar a day only. Day 8-25: Anything mentioned above. oatmeal. Low fat/Non Fat plain yogurt. Yogurt drink called laban ayran or kefir. pureed Soups such as lentil Soup, squash, potato, carrot soup. Still avoiding any citrus, fruit heavy dairy. 2 times a week instead of juice: pudding, milk pudding or Jello. Day 25-35: Anything mentioned above. 2 spoons of soft rice without oil/butter etc. with grilled/steamed/boiled veggies, savory yogurt (this is a middle eastern thing), thin tomato sauce. Fitness Cereal with low fat milk. Make sure the cereal gets soft with the milk. A cracker or biscuit with tea. After that, no restrictions but they have given a long guideline of things to avoid, nutrition tips etc. So far I am hating the diet plan. I want meat, I want solid food, I want fruit, I want orange juice. All those things are banned for 35 days

11 days post op, had my surgery in the middle east which is where the origin of this advice comes from. My surgeon recommended adding a drop or teaspoon (depending on how much I like the taste) of something called orange blossom water or orange flower water to my glass of water. It's a natural 0 cal water substance extracted from the orange blossom. If you have ever had middle eastern desserts and noted a flowery taste, its the orange blossom water. It is popularly used to soothe the stomach and gives the water a nice taste. A warning though, the flavour is pretty strong and I would advice trying a teeny tiny bit. It's not for everyone but it has helped me quite a bit.

Sleeved on the 19th. Going through mood swings here and there. TMI: I poop twice a day. Not sure why it happens so often but it does!

My surgeon told me no fizzy drinks for 6 months after the surgery. I am totally fine with not drinking sugary sodas at all but before the surgery I was a fiend for Perrier or S.Pellegrino which are both just carbonated water. I am going to wait out the 6 months and give the carbonated water a go but not if its going to stretch out my sleeve. I plan to ask my surgeon closer to that time.

Happy Birthday! Good job resisting the temptations.

My weight has been dropping like crazy because I have 0 interest in actually consuming any food. Everyday I have to force myself but I am starting to feel weak so I think I need to pay more attention to getting nutrients into my body.

@ Thank you for the nice message! I fortunately do have a lot of support and I feel very grateful. The one thing I would just like to say is that I am not sure that fast track WLS is a brilliant idea. While I had the idea planted about 6 months in advance and took the leap with a fairly made up mind, I do feel like I didn't give myself enough time to process the complete lifestyle change that I have to adapt to as of after the surgery. Thankfully, due to my support system as well as the help of this site, I am settling in well. The only thing is that it is a major lifestyle change and if you are a food addict like me and also used food as an emotional crutch in life, the sudden loss of all of it can be very uncomfortable. Now I am 11 days out and I am slowly getting over my food addiction.

@@whisper43 Nope and I am now 11 days post op and I am completely fine. It varies from surgeon to surgeon and you also have to consider different health situations and body types. So while I was able to do the surgery without a pre-op diet, others may not be able to.