ShelterDog64

Your nutritionist or dietitian would be a good person to talk with this about. If you can't reach that person, I'd divide all the food he's asking you to eat into manageable amounts. Right now, I can eat 3 oz. Protein and maybe 2 oz. veg or fruit at one meal, so that 3 oz/3 oz/3 oz meal would have to spill over to a snack...you may need to do 5 meals/day. You'll feel awful if you try to eat 9 oz of food at one meal. That's a lot of food for 1 month post-op, and it will be very hard for you to get your protein requirement in without supplementing with a shake. You really need to speak with your dietitian/nutritionist.

@ I'm also an ENTJ and never waver from that. I've probably taken some version of the M-BTI 30 times since my late 20s and the result is always the same, and I'm waaaaaay to the deep end on all 4 categories.

@@determined1LD I've lost 46 lbs so far, and I've been losing/gaining/losing the same .5 lb for about 10 days, so really 46 in 8+ weeks. Every surgeon has different pre-op requirements; mine felt that it wasn't necessary to do prep for the sleeve other than what you'd do for any surgery. Not trying to override anything your surgeon requires, just that there's really nothing 'weird' out there, only different approaches by different docs.

Really! Any complications determined1LD Not a single one. I probably had one of the easiest recoveries of anyone posting here...I was on full diet at 4 weeks and haven't looked back since.

It definitely gets easier! The first week sucked, quite frankly...the swelling is overwhelming your stomach and just getting enough Fluid to support your body is difficult. My surgery was 6/21 and other than the restriction I feel when eating, it's like I never had surgery. Hang in there, it does get much, much better! Congratulations on getting your surgery, you're on the loser's bench now

Definitely clarify with your team, but for comparison, I did no prep at all for my surgery other than being NPO from midnight the night before my 0800 procedure.

Thanks for the heads up! Hard to imagine mammograms being worse than they currently are, but sounds like it's likely.

@@Dub We're gonna need a 2 person kayak for the trip to see @!

@@Kelleylu * My head can't get past the idea that chopping off half my stomach to quit overeating is barbaric and someday I'll regret it.* I held off for 10 years because of this very thought. But guess what? It turns out that getting 3/4 of my stomach removed (it's not half, btw!) was the absolute right thing to do, for ME. I walked out of the hospital after a 2 night stay off my hypertension medicine, and with my fibromyalgia trigger points GONE. Clearly, having 100% of my stomach was increasing my body's inflammatory response to the point that I was having to control those responses with medications. My mild arthritis is nearly gone, my leg and arm muscles don't hurt anymore and my mood is greatly elevated by the absence of chronic pain. My experience doesn't mean this is the right surgery for you, but only to illustrate how intrinsically interwoven all of our body's systems are. Merely losing the weight I need to lose wouldn't have had the same effect on me.

Main thing I was inquiring about was because the new sleeve pts seem to be eating much less. I know I'm allowed to eat that but I was asking if it were normal. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Many people probably could get 4T in pretty soon post-op, but just don't try. I never tried any more than my doc suggested at 2 weeks out because I didn't want to push the limits of what my sleeve could hold...that might be why it seems like others have less capacity. Just guessing.

@@Dub Hearing the words 'charcoal' and 'tequila' in the same sentence makes me swoon...just need some sand and saltwater and it's heaven.

@@LisaMergs * If you're melting a ton of velveta cheese PRODUCT, well now, that's not really cheese, I would say.* This made me laugh...I have a friend who ADORES Velveeta and that 'cheese' in a spray can. I call it 'cheze' and I've been able to annoy her for 15 years by saying it. It's the little things, sometimes!

Oddly, it boils down to if you like the person who answered or not. I have seen that answer come from one member and it HELLFIRE HORRID BULLYING but coming from another member, it's humorous and lighthearted. Weird. It's the way of the world, isn't it? Lets all have a taco and move on? Through a straw, while chewing gum, on vacation 30 mins after discharge. There.

@@gustavio I've read through this whole thread and it seems that your plan says 4T of banana is fine, and that's what you ate. I don't really understand what you're asking? Soft, mashed and liquid foods will move through your sleeve faster than heavier foods will later on, so you probably could eat more than 4T of some of them, but it probably isn't a great idea. I didn't feel real restriction at 2 weeks, I thought I was but it was only until I moved to non-pureed meats that I felt true restriction. When you feel it, you'll know it. And my plan doesn't allow for bananas at all, so I'm having a little banana envy over here.

@@LipstickLady Newbies are rude, vets are rude....lather rinse repeat. I don't understand why it has to be an 'it's THEM, Mom!!!' situation at ALL times. The newbs vs vets situation was at a peak when I got here and it almost sent me immediately away. This forum would be a nicer place for EVERYONE if people could just take a breath and re-read what they write before they hit 'post'. I know it's not likely to happen because we're all human and all have buttons that get pushed. And now this thread has degenerated into far more rudeness than this topic ever warranted. And PS...the word 'bullying' should be struck from use here. So ridiculous.

@@LisaMergs Oh, I can tolerate the sarcasm...I think that's a problem for a lot of others. I thrive on sarcasm For me, it's the meanness that is, on occasion, instantly directed at people who ask questions or post about their behavior. It serves no purpose.

I've been posting on forums, support groups, debate groups, list serves, loops, etc for years...the single best 'rule' that I've found is to NOT say something on the internet in a manner you wouldn't say it to someone's face. For ME, that means not making demeaning remarks, and trying to be at least civil if not kind. Sarcasm doesn't convey well in written form, either. I know I'm a newb, so I don't have all the time the vets do here, but I do literally cringe at some of the flippant, seemingly thoughtless rudeness I see from time to time. That's my issue to deal with, of course, and my ability to cruise on by that kind of behavior will ultimately determine whether I continue to participate here or not. This forum has MUCH more good than bad, but to some new people, at times the bad really stands out

I agree with @Valentina...if they are truly good friends you enjoy spending time with, don't close that door yet. I have exactly ONE acquaintance, who is very obese, who put a lot of effort into talking me out of this surgery. I've put her aside for now, since I don't want to end our relationship, but she will NOT be a part of my life right now when I need positivity and support. That said, anytime there's a change in a relationship I have with anyone I care about, the first thing I do is check my own attitude/behavior, to make sure it's not me. Especially when I'm going through some sort of turmoil/large change in my world...I can get a little snarky, snappy and withdrawn. Hell, who am I kidding? I'm always kind of snappy and snarky, it's the 'withdrawn' part that isn't 24/7

I buy my Vitamin Patches from here, and they just started carrying my Protein so I'll get that here, too. Shipping is fast and you can do subscription purchasing, which helps me always have my Vitamins without having to plan/think about ordering.

@@theantichick I'm in complete agreement about complex carbs...so much so that I barely consider fruits and vegetables carbs when I'm thinking in terms of eating whole foods. I recently went into ketosis, because the need to push Protein coupled with my restriction was causing me to basically eat protein and drink Water. I didn't feel good at all after a few days, so I upped my complex carbs by adding them in as additional small meals. Now my weight loss has slooooooooowed down. Not sure if it's related, but I can't stay in ketosis. I think, for me, it's less about whether its a carb or not and more about the glycemic index or load of what I eat. Interesting discussion, thanks!

I hate to be one of the support group naysayers, but I have to be honest. Of all the classes, instruction, research...everything I did to prepare for this, the ONLY negative was going to support group meetings. They're required by my program, both pre- and post-op and I swear if I make it through this post-op year without going OFF on some contrary whiner, it'll be a miracle. I privately call them 'Enabling Group' because, much as @@Dub describes, they tend to be dominated by a small but vocal minority of malcontents who just want permission to be miserable and to be off-plan because they 'can't help themselves'. 'I couldn't stop myself' or 'I can't help it, it just happens' are two of the most irritating phrases I've ever heard and I hear them at every meeting. I leave support group not supported in the LEAST, but as I walk to my car, I remind myself that even watching bad behavior being modeled can be a moment of learning. And I'm DEFINITELY learning what NOT to do

I think those negative thoughts come when you're not in control of what your body is doing, and at 1 week post-op, you're definitely not in control! Your sleeve is still terribly swollen, your bowels probably aren't behaving properly, your brain thinks you need to eat but you can't...it's a confusing, tough time. The good news is that it gets much, much better relatively quickly. By 4 weeks I was eating a regular diet of well-chewed foods, walking long distances, sleeping beautifully and had no pain. Now, as I start my 11th week post-op, it's like I didn't have surgery, except for the restriction I get from the sleeve. You WILL be successful if you decide that you'll be successful. Your sleeve is a marvelous tool, but you decide how you're going to use it...start visualizing success and you'll be successful. Good luck

Your broth is lower in sodium and likely much healthier than store-bought! Enjoy it

I finally lost a whole pound over the weekend but unfortunately, it found me again We also went to dinner at friends' home and I grazed/ate over a few hours...got in a LOT of calories and way too many carbs. They didn't know I'd had surgery so it was a teeny bit awkward. I told them about it and they were super supportive but I didn't prepare well for being in a situation where we sat and chatted, nibbling on food and drinking wine. Not as much exercise as I should get, either, so not my best weekend. I'm back on track this week! I did have a lovely NSV, I had ordered some denim capris from Talbots end of season sale in a 12 and a 10...I wore the 12s this weekend! I haven't been out of plus sizes in forever, so that was great! Focusing on THAT and getting over my food stupidity is what I'm planning for the coming week. @@magoosmom I'm so happy to hear that you're seeing good results on the scale. I don't envy you younger women who have to contend with your cycles while doing this weight loss thing...I've been menopausal for about 18 mos (although the hormone dumps have caused some bleeding ) and it's nice to not have to deal with the water weight gain. @@suzzzzz That's tragic about the popsicles...I've been eating them too and had no idea they have that many carbs. May have to reevaluate them, but they've kept me sane at times! I hear you about the shot metabolism...all those years of losing/gaining/losing have destroyed mine.

1) You should not eat tacos at 3 weeks out. 2) You should not eat even the filling from a taco at 3 weeks out. 3) You should not eat taco shells, whether hard or soft, at 3 weeks out.