Jenkins

I am not a fan of Protein Shakes but I was given a sample of Syntha6 chocolate Peanut Butter cookie flavor. I just tried it this evening and oh boy it's like drinking a milkshake. No lie its yummy. It has more carbs than I would like but at 12g I'll deal with it. I blended it with ice and almond milk. I am thrilled to finally find a Protein Shake that I like. Good luck

If it makes you feel better, I have had less than 10 Protein shakes in the last 29 months. Past the first week or two post-op, I never drank Protein Shakes again. I went through a brief phase where I would blend almond milk, frozen greek yogurt, PB2, and Protein powder, which is really good and has a ton of Protein, but I got tired of washing the blender everyday, lol. You will be back to eating normal foods again and as someone who has maintained at goal weight for 10 months now, I can say you really don't need to drink Protein Shakes to be successful past the point where you can have normal food again.

Those Protein shakes are a right of passage to re-inventing yourself. i found all of the pre-made store-bought ones to be disgusting, but I get along quite well with the Syntrax Nectars because they come in so many flavors. You can even mix them with Crystal Lite Lemonade instead of dairy milk or almond milk.
My favorite right now is the chocolate mint. Oddly enough I like the grapefruit flavor, because mixed with the lemonade, it tastes like Fresca soda.
You can get those and other bariatric groceries at www://bariatricchoice.com and www://my bariatricpantry.com.

BariatricFoodie.com has lots of recipes, for all phases I think. There are all sorts of tricks to make Protein shakes taste better and also reviews of new Protein powders. I am still working through the pre-surgery requirements but I ordered some Protein Drink mixes from AmBari on the basis of a bariatricfoodie.com review. They are definitely better than tolerable - no chalky or grainy texture. If you only add 4 ounces of Water it makes a pudding like consistency, 8 ounces - milk like consistency (not thick at all).

I second the bariatric foodie.com. I actually enjoy shakes now! On the liquid stage I drank a lot of milk because i couldn't drink anymore Protein Shakes I was getting sick from them.

I was so done with the shakes by the time I was back to solid foods too. You just have to tough it out, as it really is your only way of getting Protein in until you are cleared for solids. Once you are back on solids, you can find ways of getting more Protein through real food and switch to Protein Bars (just be SUPER careful to get low car/low sugar bars and watch out for the saturated fat). Meeting your protein goals is imperative forever, especially in this beginning stretch. Even if you hate it, you have to put on your big girl panties and suck it up.
As for your head hunger and craving all those old foods, this time, more than any, should prove to you that those cravings are all in your head and have nothing to do with physical hunger. There is NO WAY your stomach could handle those things right now and yet you still want them. This is a really good time time evaluate those feelings and think about how you might ultimately change your relationship with food. Though, I will admit, that during some of those moments for me immediately post-op I did just straight up lie to myself to quiet those thoughts sometimes. I would tell myself, "you'll have that in a few months" knowing that I probably really wouldn't.
Breaking that emotional connection to food was a major challenge for me in the early weeks and months, but I did eventually manage it, and I am sure you will be able to as well.

Wow!! I never knew how many people commented on this one! I am sorry to be out of touch. The hunger is still there and I am 10 months out. I can definitely eat a lot more than I could in the beginning. Sometimes it scares me how much I can eat. Carbs tend to take up a lot of room in my stomach (rice, bread, pasta) so I try not to eat as much of those so I can focus on Protein. Drinking Water and exercising has been quite helpful for me!! I can exercise I a lot more now since I am so much smaller.
It is the only thing that helps, especially, since I felt so HUNGRY at about 1 months until about 8 months. I am 93 lbs down since 4/3/15, which was date of surgery. Dr. Sudan's team at the hospital is marvelous! I had such a great experience there, the nurses are wonderful and everyone is so nice. Every visit I have had to Sudans office post op has been very good, he always says I am right on target! Billing at that office has been a bit of a dilemma, just never pay a bill if you have a question! Make sure to stay on them about it! I have had to, but it might be that I have duke insurance.

Good luck with your surgery! You will do awesome! Just remember to ask questions, if you need to. I felt like such a failure because I was hungry all the time. I do not know if it was head hunger or not, somedays are better than others. I now get hungry but not quite like it was. I had this conception that I wouldn't feel this hunger anymore... that I would be like Scarlett O'Hara and never be hungry again! Alas, it was quite different from what I thought! But in reality I find that if I exercise as much as possible, like 4 to 5 times weekly and push the Water, I do much better.
As for my diet I do a low sugar (by choice, because it sends me on a roller coaster ride of emotions) (low sugar for me is NO white, raw or processed sugar, fruit is okay, very little honey, I try to stay below 5 grams per serving, with natural sugar only), high Protein (chicken, fish, Beans, I don't eat red meat or piggies by choice) But I have NO issues with any foods, besides foods that have high fructose corn Syrup in them, those will send you to the bathroom with promises of "never again"!! I wish that I had done low sugar from the beginning like 3 months out. I only started that at about 8 months. The low sugar has helped me substantially, emotionally and physically. I think my cravings for for food or that hunger that I felt so much was the sugar wreaking havoc on my body!! I am a sugar addict, I was before and I will always be.

Thank you for responding, everyone! It really does feel like I have come so much further than I think some days, because reading through this and how different I feel now.

I will update my profile with new pictures too!!
Again, good luck! Feel free to contact me on here too if you wish!!

Feeling any better today? I think I had noticeable improvement n day 4 and then it was a more gradual thing from there on out. The first few weeks suck pretty hard. Once you get over the pain/discomfort and general ickiness from the surgery, then it's like a full time job keeping track of your Protein, Vitamins, and Water and figure out how to space everything out so you get it all in while also napping like three times a day. The fatigue clings on for a while until you are back on more real foods and can get some calories in. Just focus on getting through each day right now. There IS light at the end of the tunnel, but it feels so far away in those early days. It's very common to experience regret in those first couple of days/weeks, but ask anyone a few months out and they will all tell you it was WELL worth it.
Another thing to keep in mind for this first little stretch is that as the fat breaks down and you lose weight, a whole bunch of hormones are going to be released into your blood stream, so if you experience mood swings or cry a lot (I did!), that is most likely why.

I feel exactly the same about this site. I would be completely freaking out right now about this regret I am feeling if I hadn't have read so many people who had the same feelings.
It seems to just be part of the process so I am just taking it in my stride

It's hard not to question it when it's such a drastic change in our lives. I started to guzzle Water today while watching tv and not thinking about it. I freaked out. Luckily I caught myself right away. I went to costco today and the whole place smelled like blueberry muffins and I still have another week before I move to puréed foods. I am starting to notice little changes in my body so that's exciting. I looked at an ad today and actually allowed myself to browse through the clothes that aren't plus sized. There are sacrifices with this decision but I'm excited about the rewards we can do this. This site means so much to me. I feel like it's a place where I fit in when that hasn't always been the case in my life. Thank you so much to all of you and your stories ❤️

I am day 5 and feeling better and better each day.
Day 3 was the turning point for me, I was due to be discharged at 2pm that day and when I woke up at 7am I just thought it would never happen, I felt so bad, the idea of walking out of the hospital seemed like an impossibility but within a few hours I just felt so much better.
I am definitely questioning my decision but I know it is part of the process - just looking forward to getting past the liquid diet!

@@jessmarie - I'm in the same boat as you. I had my sleeve on the 19th and after all the reading I did beforehand I was convinced I would be one of those "no issues at all with recovery".
Boy was I wrong. Broke down and cried to my sister yesterday. Want to give it time before I say I regret it, but it's much harder than I anticipated. I remember people saying they were having trouble getting all their fluids down and thinking "how hard can it be?" I was used to drinking over a gallon of Water a day.
My abdomen is in pain. I feel gassy & constipated. I'm lucky if I get 40 oz of liquid in. I bought Protein Jello from the hospital and the thought of them makes me want to gag. I'm praying it gets better real soon. I quit the heavy duty pain meds cause that's adding to my constipated feelings.
I clearly am not in control of this vehicle but I'm buckled up and hope the trip gets easier REAL SOON!

Today is the day I begin a new life! Leaving for the hospital in a half hour! Talk to you laters, gators!

I just got the call Tomorrow Tuesday Jan 26th at 11:30 I am to go to the hospital. Have been on 2 days of Clear Liquids. Had pictures taken today. This has been a long journey as I had been trying for many years to lose weight on my own and when I first saw the surgeon I had all ready lost 145 pounds. He put me on a 6 month supervised diet as was requested by my insurance. So from June until today I lost another 36 pounds. Now the remaining 162 will come off with the tool of having the sleeve.

I loved having my own pjs to walk around in at the hospital...also bought some comfy slipper boot things that I used to walk around in. Chapstick was a biggie for me--i forgot it :-( I bought extra pillows for at home was glad I did.....didn't need my gas x strips.I wish early on I had kept track of my weight in a journal and taken more pics before/during the process.

Definitely bring lip balm, lotion, deodorant, slip on shoes (I chose Crocs - easy to slip on and easy to clean if needed), my own fleece blanket, a long phone charger (the standard ones are too short!), I-pod and earbuds (helped at night if a loud patient nearby)...I did not use a lot of the things I brought!!!

If I had to do again...a sleep mask! I had to stay two nights and since the nurses check every couple of hours, they just flick on the light. Drove me nuts!

sugar free throat lozenges & I was so glad I had brought an extension cord for my cell phone

I felt great when I got home after surgery, the only thing was my throat and all was still very swollen. I couldn't even sip sip sip on Water. I sent my fiance out for pedialyte, drink and popsicles, to keep me from dehydrating. The ice pops also helped the swelling. I wish I had them right when I got home. All I did was walk at the hospital, I didn't even them he touch half the stuff I brought

All I brought was my iphone, iPad, Chargers and toothbrush/toothpaste. Didn't need anything else that the hospital didn't provide. Wore the same clothes home that I came in, including a hat so I didn't have to worry about brushing my hair. All postop meds were dispensed to me before I left.
I actually went shopping for drinkable yogurt, pedialyte, Lifewater, Decaf herbal tea and GasX strips on my drive home from the hospital. Already had Protein shakes, unflavored Protein powder and broth at home.

soft pajama pants.. Loved the in the hospital & Chapstick.
At home..a body pillow if you're a side sleeper

Soap or wash for the shower.
An extension cord for iPhone, computer, etc.
Some sort of slippers.
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The worst part for me was 2 weeks of the liquid and full liquid diet after the surgery but I stuck it out. You have no other choice but to stick it out because if you stray from the rules you could hurt your new stomach. You do want to heal properly.

Hi all,
Would love your advice (or your complete lists) for what to bring with me to the hospital and what stuff to buy in advance so I have when I return!
Perhaps things that I wouldn't have considered or aren't obvious!
One thing I have picked up on from reading peoples stories is about having dry lips from dehydration so I have added lip moisturizer to my list! Would love more insights like this!
Thanks,
J

haaaaaaa!
That made me properly laugh out loud!!