ShelterDog64

@@KristenLe So happy for you!!!!

I'm using the Patches...my MD loves the idea, my dietician not so much. We'll see when I have labs later on.

@@Jadane_dm You need to be measuring portions if you're already on pureed Soups and meats. 'That stuffed feeling' is your body telling you to stop, even if you don't throw up. Learning to read your body's signals and not eating past that 'stop' sign is a huge part of being successful at this. I'm almost 3 months out and from about 1 month, it's been very clear when I need to be finished eating. Different foods of different densities trigger my 'stop' feeling differently. Measure and portion your food, drink liquids as often as you can, make sure you're meeting your Protein and Water goals and get out and walk...

I have almost no hunger, but sometimes I get an 'empty-stomach' feeling. I've found that I can drink Water and quell that feeling. It's a kind of grumbly, weird feeling but my brain isn't identifying it as hunger.

If your plan allows, I like La Tortilla Factory whole wheat fajita size tortillas (I make a quesadilla with one of them folded over). 45cal/4g net carb/6g fiber/4g Protein. They're not bread-y at all like regular white flour tortillas, they get very crisp when I heat them in a pan. I'm not much of a sandwich fan but I've had a few bites of one wrapped around ham and pickled asparagus and the texture was nice!

Are you on any hypertension meds? Or did you just discontinue your PPI?

I'm almost 3 months post-op and I take a small bite, chew well, swallow, wait a bit...repeat. It's how I'm planning to eat in the future. I never expected to just throw down food again

@@LipstickLady **Have healthy FILLING foods in the house that are already prepared for the times when you are hangry. Shrimp salad, cheese cubes, rotisserie chicken, imitation crab legs, hard boiledeggs... Sometimes when my sugar drops, I make bad decisions. I take that ability down a few notches by not having an excuse but to have something healthy available.** This is so true and such great advice! I make sure I have foods available that can save me from myself when my sugar bottoms out. I still have no hunger but I do have those times when my body is screaming for something to get my blood sugar out of the basement. Before my sleeve, I would have gone for something high in simple carbs, just for the immediate relief from hypoglycemia. Now, since I'm not hungry too, I'm more able to make the good choice and have a cheese stick or some hummus. I'm hoping that I'm setting my habits now, because my hunger feelings WILL return and I've got to be ready for it.

@@Suziesue1706 If you're on the mobile app, there's an icon at the top of the screen next to the search tool that's 3 horizontal lines...if you click it, a menu comes up and 'store' is one of the options. On desktop, it's the pink button in the banner at the top of the page. Lots of good stuff in the store!

I agree with Suzzzzzz, the Atkins bars (I like the salted caramel) are soft and the macros are good. I also like Quest bars, but I think they're a little heavier. I've been able to have Protein bars since 4 weeks out and haven't had issues with them or anything other than eggs.

You've got to give yourself a good, swift kick in the ass and get back at it! You've lost THIRTY THREE pounds in less than 8 weeks...when have you EVER done that before?? I've lost 48 in TEN WEEKS...why would either of us sabotage ourselves at this point? We've had this huge, life-changing surgery and to not change our lives would be such a colossal lost opportunity. Stop eating bread and crap that's not helping you right now. Jump back into Protein shakes if you need, to reset your head and your stomach. I've watched you since you got here (your photo grabbed my attention, I'm an OR nurse!) and you've been so upbeat and ON PLAN. Stop yourself from slipping into bad habits RIGHT NOW and get back on track! I'll message with you every day, I'll come back to this thread every day, we can share what we've eaten, I'll cry with you and yell at you and you can yell at me...but don't let this momentary bump in the road turn into anything bigger. You can do this. WE can do this, all of us.

I'm not a vegetarian, but a huge portion of my Protein comes from non-meat sources, and I can barely tolerate eggs post-sleeve so they're not a consideration. I eat a lot of Beans, regular cheese, cottage and ricotta cheese, yogurt, quinoa and whey-based protein supplements. You'll be great at it!

@@suzzzzz That's a great description, weight loss in waves. I was stuck in the same pound of hell for almost 2 weeks, now I've lost 3 pounds in 2 days. I've tried to not weigh myself daily, but that creates as much anxiety as not losing weight. I'm focusing on my interim goal, which is 50 lbs in the first 90 days...I'm SO close! I hope you're all doing well, we might need to start a new thread soon, I think this one is 600+ posts long

I didn't feel the restriction of my sleeve until I moved to solids. For the first week, every sip of Fluid was a bit uncomfortable, but after that it was easy to drink a whole Protein Drink. When I started solids, I could only eat about 2T at a time. I knew EXACTLY when I'd had enough...it's unmistakeable.

I knew it would be impossible (for many reasons I won't go into here) for me to keep this surgery secret, even if I wanted to. I haven't told my distant relatives or a few people who don't live near me, but I've told most everyone else who is a regular part of my life. We entertain and socialize extensively, so there's no way to hide my decreased intake of food. I hit a point, pre-op, where I basically said 'f**k it' and told people...if they aren't willing to be kind and supportive, I don't need them in my life. This isn't vanity surgery for me, it's to improve my health and extend my life. If they can't support that, they aren't decent human beings and I have no issue cutting them out of my life in a hot minute. Happily, I've had nothing but support and now that I'm post-op, everyone has been wonderful and have been cheering me on through every step of this. BUT, this is up to no one but you. Only you know what your friends and family are like, and how willing they are to be the kind of support you need. And you don't have to make a decision now and never deviate from it...in a few months, you might feel differently than you do now and you can tailor your information sharing as needed. Good luck to you!

The best reassurance I can give you is that anesthesiologists who are associated with bariatric groups generally have extensive experience with obese patients and are probably your best bet for a safe anesthesia episode. If you share ever aspect of your health with them, being 100% truthful about the good, bad and ugly, they can do the job they need to do. They need to know if you have sleep apnea or suspect sleep apnea, your drug/alcohol usage (both prescribed and OTC drugs as well as any herbal/vitamins/etc), your activity level, and so on and so forth. There's no guarantee for any of us, but we can up the odds we'll get through surgery safely but being honest and trusting our caregivers with all of our information. Good luck to you!

The store here on Bariatric Pal has both PatchMD patches and BariMelts vitamins.

I don't think a 30 lb weight loss in 7-ish weeks is 'only 30 lbs'. What was your expectation? Why are you still missing food, has your plan not allowed you to advance to a full diet yet? I guess I'm just kind of confused...you didn't have the surgery for no reason, you had it because of your weight and now you're rapidly losing weight. What's not going the way you want it to?

Babbs usually chimes in on these carb threads with good info, but until she does, remember that all carbs are not the same. Simple carbs (white flours, sugar, non-diet soda, honey, corn syrups) are the ones to be avoided for the most part. But complex carbs, like those found in whole-grain foods, vegetables and many fruits, can be a part of a pre- and post-op bariatric diet. Dairy and nuts have carbs, but are a staple in my diet...I avoid bread, Pasta and sugar but always have vegetables or fruit after my Protein at every meal.

I had my surgery in June and I've had sushi, but I only ate half of a slice of a roll with brown rice and the rest was sashimi. You shouldn't have to completely remove ANYTHING from your diet forever but you'll probably want to limit rice. So yes, you should be able to have sushi, in limited amounts

@@leese1978 You can't really do anything 'wrong' 4 days post-op, be a little nicer to yourself Walking, sipping Water and drinking Protein is your whole job right now...and if you can't get much protein in this soon after surgery, you'll be fine. Keep trying to increase it and you'll soon be at your requirement. I struggled with getting my water in and still do...it's just not something that comes easily to me. Keep moving, keep sipping and it DOES get better...the first week or 2 is hard and then it's suddenly easier and you feel much better. Congratulations on getting through your surgery!

My plan allows for carbs, much like @@Christinamo7, but I've chosen to limit things like bread and Pasta to keep my weight loss moving better. That said, I have eaten toast with a poached egg and didn't have any issues at all with it. It fills me up very quickly and sits kind of heavily in my stomach, so I don't really enjoy it like I used to. And when I eat bread, I make sure it's the highest fiber/lowest sugar I can find. Simple carbs like white flour and sugar are the ones I avoid like the plague.

Is your week 4 purees or soft foods? Every plan is different, I was on full food by the end of week 4. Good soft foods: refried Beans with cheese, ricotta with sauce, cottage cheese with pureed fruit, soft scrambled eggs (for most people, not for me), yogurt, softer cheeses. I mixed unflavored Protein into most everything I ate. Like @@amandastearns said, shakes are a good option still at that point, especially if the food choices are complicated and you don't have a lot of time to spend worrying about food.

@ I spent 10 years convincing myself that the surgery was too drastic, that I didn't need it, that I could lose the weight on my own (and somehow magically keep it off THIS time!!), etc, etc, etc. Now, 10 years later, I've just wasted 10 good years of my life being fat, in pain and in declining health. I kick myself daily for not doing this a LOT sooner It's not as drastic as I thought it would be, mostly because I don't care about food much any more. I care about being active, not having joint pain and not being on a couple of meds I started out on. I literally can forget to eat now. FORGET TO EAT!! That NEVER happened to me before, ever. Ever. You're the only person who can make the decision for yourself, but WLS is effective, and it's safe. And if you're at the point where it feels like your last option, it probably is. Good luck with your decision and keep us posted!

I like infused Water that I make myself, my current favorite is cucumber lime, or I use the Mio Vitamin drops in Blackberry Raspberry flavor. It's sweetened with stevia instead of sucralose, which I hate. They also have a Tropical Cherry flavor that I haven't tried but is stevia sweetened. I have no idea which Vitamins they claim to contain as I use a tiny amount because full strength is too sweet :-P