LisaMergs

And post op is totally different! 1) you won't be as hungry 2) your shakes and Protein requirements the first few days are decreased as you're just healing 3) you will slowly, slowly convert using shakes as your main source of protein to the added extra to meet your goals as your foods will be doing the job 4). Did I mention you won't be anywhere near as hungry? I literally have begun setting my phone alarm to remind me to eat. Drinking isn't nor has it ever been an issue post op for me. Just remembering to eat meals is. What a problem!

I was told 4 protein shakes a day, with broth, jello and non starchy raw veggies in between. Fourth one was hard to get in but keep plodding on. Any liquid- tea, water, etc counts to your water intake. However I never counted my protein shakes towards it. Yours may be different.

In the dental/medical field, we tell you anything with sorbitol in it will give you the sorbie- squirts! Lol. Gross but true!

Omg you poor thing!!! I've posted this before- same thing. Told my doc there was NO WAY I could get through this. They allowed unlimited non starchy veggies (raw) to snack on. Worth a call. Green peppers, celery and I became best buds!!!

Hey guys doing liquids--- just bought Isopure ready to drink bottles to try. Refreshing flavors. Expensive as all get out though!!!

Thanks all. I literally called my mom to the store lol. Have to love moms! I ended up only buying one top and pants. Trying on more was too hard. I think you're right Cervidae. Cathartic. So much emotion built up in the years of being overweight and thinking I would never see my old self again. I was SURE ( probably like so many) I would be the one person this would not work for in the end. I've decided to indulge myself for the rest of the day- getting a mani pedi now followed by a massage. Want to look and feel my best tonight. The biggest shocker will come from my cousin. We grew up together, literally next door, went to school together, and now we still live very close and our kids have grown up together. I never told her about the surgery and purposefully haven't seen her since Christmas- which is when my journey started. She can be very judgmental. Never towards me, but usually I tell her to knock it off. This should be a fun one.... Thanks for allowing me to vent. I know you all know how important the support on this site is for each of us.

I'm Sitting in the dressing room at Dress Barn crying for what seems like no good reason. I'm seeing friends tonight -I haven't seen some for several years. They watched me balloon up over 6+ years. Over the last few years I just stopped seeing them. I've lost over 40 lbs since my surgery 6 weeks ago. My clothes are loose so I went to get a new outfit for tonight. From size 24 originally, I grabbed for the 22. Too big. Grabbed the 20. Too big. Grabbed the 18- fit but tons of room. 16 it is. Wtf. Why am I crying? My top sizes went from generous 3x to 1x and could likely go to an XL. I should be dancing in the aisles. Why the hell am I stuck in this dressing room crying???

If that body of yours is now 262 what the heck are you going to look like at 162???? Holy cow girl! You're an inspiration!!!! Congrats!!!!!!!

By day 4-5 I was calling my surgeons office and telling them that my blood sugar was too low and I was not going to make it. Basically told to hang in there, I would be ok. They were right. By day 7 it leveled off. I survived. It is soooo hard!!! But you've got this!!! How long is your preop plan for?

Good luck to you guys! I'm only 5 weeks post op but saw this and wanted to cheer you on!!!

Fantastic!!!!! May I ask- any issues with extra skin? It's the only thing I fear. My skin has no elasticity due to YEAR of prednisone for RA. There is no way I will avoid a drooping tummy. But that's what plastics is for!

Just wanted to share this- Pre surgery, I cooked up a STORM for my family of 5, which includes two teenaged boys who EAT. And eat. My kids will bypass fast food any day for a home cooked meal. They actually prefer it, along with fruits and veggies. So, being a typical mom, I didn't want them eating garbage while I was recovering. My lovely mom even contributed to my stockpiled freezer. My family had meals for 4 entire weeks. Last week I was moved to a general diet and finally blew through all the cooked frozen meals. Here's the kicker- I have been cooking all of those meals once again, and I'm ok with it. I really didn't think I would be able to, knowing there were things I could not eat at this point. But I did. And have enjoyed it. So, a different kind of NSV, but exciting nonetheless. Even made Desserts. Didn't want a single bite of any of it either.

I am chucking here. Was cleared for general diet last week including fresh fruit. All I could think about was honeydew melon. I knew I'd be running errands but HAD to have it. Local grocery has a wonderful full salad bar. Picked out a few pieces of the melon, some grilled chicken pieces, a piece or two of steamed broccoli. My salad bar total? 1.89. With tax!! Love it! Had a great, healthy lunch for under $2!

Valentina, dear Valentina, so, you are telling me that SHOULD I have chosen to get an associates degree and then take 5 years to complete my bachelors degree it MATTERS??? The degree is not the same? Or, if I had to use invitro fertilization to achieve pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby that is better- or worse- than "normal" conception and delivery of a healthy baby? PUH-leeze! Get a grip. You are acting like judge and jury. There are CRAPPY doctors all over the US practicing medicine without censure- because they haven't been caught! And do not- for ONE MINUTE assume your journey has been harder or easier for any other person on this forum or in the "real" world. You do not know what the circumstances of the OP are- nor do you know mine. That is pretty dang assumptive of you, and we ALL know the old saying about AssUMe-ing. You'd be wise to remember that. As for praying for me, I'll take all the prayers I can get. Thank you. But don't forget! I get the distinct impression you have a direct line to Heaven's ears. As for flag waving- good on you! I'll join you anytime, any place, given the RIGHT cause. I don't think this qualifies. On this date-MY opinion.

Let's face it people- for some who have to self- pay for surgery, going over the border is the only choice they may have. Saying "aren't you worth it" is somewhat demeaning. We are ALL worth it. Unfortunately we don't ALL have the resources to afford it. I'm lucky. Good coverage by insurance and a world- class medical team via the University of Chicago. Sure- it's a win- win for me. BUT- the likely benefits to a persons overall health, especially when it is a self- pay situation in choosing over the border surgery FAR outweighs any hand holding your surgeon may do. Yes, I see my doc at post op visits. But my PCP could hold my hand while he is following up on my care just as well. Having an opinion is one thing- projecting negatives that are hurtful- possibly due to finances, quite another. We all walk different paths in life. How we get from A to B doesn't matter as long as we get there. Play nice people.

I found music to be helpful- no, seriously! I have been walking like crazy since I got home from the hospital. For the first two days just up and down the street. Then I ventured around the block. And then you could not stop me! I blew a crap-ton of money on the best walking shoes I could find (Brooks), queued up some new playlists that made me want to move ( I'm a product of the 80's music scene so there is a lot of culture club lol ) and I have found that the two have me happier then ever. You WILL get moody- about a week or two out. That's hormones talking sweetie. Tons stored in fat cells that are being released into you blood system. Hello! PMS on steroids. My oldest son got the brunt of it one day and there was NO controlling me lol. Fortunately, I went for a walk, calmed down and apologized ad nauseum. That too passes! The confidence comes from within! Embrace the changes, the stalls, the feelings- all of it. And btw- good luck!

Take a look at this website- you will find videos on tons of different exercises for all muscle groups. I linked to abs specifically for you, but if you go back to the menu under exercise guides, you will see all the different groups labled on a body- select the one you want and then there will be tons of videos to watch for proper positioning etc. http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/muscle/id/13/muscle/abdominals

What is v gel? For that matter, what is Alboline?

I giggled here! Lol

Shrinking a liver has less to do with calories in general versus TYPE of caloric intake, and it is a proven fact that over time protein will sustain you longer than carb-laden foods. She isn't getting enough protein, period.

Lol. Isn't that the truth!!??? I have yet to dump, but I have avoided sugars completely for FEAR of dumping and quite frankly the couple times I even put a piece of rice or Pasta in my new tummy I felt so restricted it hurt. Not doing THAT again! We live, we try, we learn. That's the name of the game, especially when we progress to a "general" diet. I've found, oddly enough, that several times since surgery, I've come upon a restriction that won't allow me to even eat mushy foods. I was completely freaked by it and my surgeon had me back off foods for a couple days, revert to liquids, and it cleared up. Happened again the other day, followed his instructions and it again abated. Use your body and its response as your guide. You really don't want to be eating sugars and heavy starches anyway- Devils foods I tell you!!!!

You will quickly learn the difference between "real" versus "head" hunger, the latter which can usually be calmed with a liquid such as water. It passes quickly. But 5 weeks (today!) post op I have to set an alarm to remember to eat! That is how awesome it is!

Per my surgeon- healing from the sleeve procedure is more intensive than the bypass, so progressing through stages is harder. There is a greater surface area to heal from a sleeve and it's much more delicate. Take your time, even if it is hard. You will be on foods soon enough. Good luck!

As an aside- if you were to look at your shakes as your meals, and the others as fillers, you may have more luck. And I agree with the others- drink, drink, drink your SF liquids! They go a long way to keeping the hunger at bay. Good news- on the other side of the surgery, you will no longer have hunger! Poof! It's gone!

My doc and his staff are soooo strict with the preop diet. Four(4) Protein shakes a day, SF Jello, broth and SF liquids. HOWEVER- they understood the need to "crunch" and such and allowed for unlimited NON-STARCHY veggies. It was a big deal- per his PA- to allow this, but she went through the procedure and convinced him that it was really non-damaging and actually beneficial to patient compliance. Truthfully, I can't see where 1-2 Protein Shakes are doing you any good! That's NOT enough protein OR calories in your daily diet. And tomatoe soup is 12g (or more) of sugar per serving. You literally are not getting enough calories to sustain you. In my opinion, the diet is off kilter.