SandraD_PDX

The creator of the ricotta cheese bake is Shelly, and she has an amazing blog at theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com filled with lots of great recipes for pureed stage and after. I've found it to be an absolute godsend. Her protein ice cream is better than halo top and easy to make, here's a link to her recipes for that: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/protein-ice-cream.html She's also on Pinterest, IG and Twitter. I seriously don't know how I'd be making it through these last 2 weeks on pureed/mechanical soft without her. Give it a try! And seriously, that protein ice cream is to die for....

Wow! You look amazing!

I love Eggface's blog! She has great recipes for each stage. I think her Ricotta Bake is a rite of passage....although I tried it my first day on puréed foods and it was kind of a tough to digest, there's a lot of cheese in it. Tasted wonderful though. I've also found some good recipes here: http://milestogo.squarespace.com/post-op-food-phase-3-soft-food/ Also, check out Pinterest. Just search on VSG Puréed Food recipes, you'll find a lot.

My favorite thing to do with Premier Protein is mix half a carton each of chocolate and banana, add a little ice and blend. It's a nice change from just drinking out of the carton. If I really want to get fancy, I add a couple tablespoons of PB2 powder and call it The Elvis.

I was at 400 and my head was so foggy! I was getting in enough protein but not enough carbs. I'm averaging between 600-700 calories now, which includes 80 G protein and 55 g carbs. Still on full liquid.

No. It will not make you say no to bad foods forever. It is just a surgery. As several people have posted, the mental/emotional part of the adjustment is also a crucial part of sustaining a healthy lifestyle and weight loss. You have said that you've tried everything, but have you really tried therapy to deal with your eating issues? If you are this unsure, then maybe you should consider working on that aspect first. I did. I spent 2 years in weekly therapy working on my eating issues before I felt I was at the point where surgery would be a good tool for me. From what you have said, and repeated, it sounds to me like you want someone to give you absolute assurance that you'll never eat a pound of chocolate again if you have the surgery. No one can say that or provide that assurance.

For what it's worth, I think your posts are well written, well thought out, and provide excellent generalized information. Please don't stop posting because one person takes something you wrote personally. It was clear to me that you weren't singling anyone out, that you were simply trying to provide information the poster requested. Thanks for your posts. I found them very helpful.

I ordered it from Amazon, but a lot of people here found it at Walmart. Good luck! Get some Sugar free jello and pudding to mix with unflavored protein powder too. When you are on full liquids, you will want some variety. I like the Unjury protein powder and they make a chicken soup flavor that is really good too.

Just do it one day at a time. Get creative with the things you can, like protein powder in SF pudding and jello, you can even freeze the pudding and make fudgsicles. I'm not gonna lie, I just started my second week of full liquids post-op and I'm learning very quickly what a fixture food was in my life. So at least I'm learning the difference between head hunger and real hunger, because I have none of that. I'm just bored, and I'm learning new ways to occupy my time. When I think of how much longer I am going to have to do this, I kinda panic, so I just think about getting through this day. It's getting better. At least by then end of this I know my intestines will be CLEAN! It's all about perspective. Good luck! [emoji106][emoji4]

They are probably feeling threatened that the status quo for their group will change. You are exactly right too! If they don't support you, they're not good friends anyway. You deserve better!

This is so true! I am just past my one week, and am looking forward to that scrambled egg more than I ever thought I would! I've been trying to stay out of the house as possible to stay distracted. Some days are much easier than others.

Me too! I'm sure it ends eventually. [emoji4]

I'm sure my expectations are a little high of how my mind should be functioning at this point after surgery, but my thinking is pretty "foggy." Or maybe lightheaded is a better term. I haven't taken narcotic pain killers since the day after surgery, the strongest thing I'm taking right now is liquid tylenol. I have been meeting my protein goal (70-80g) and my fluid intake goals. I just don't feel very sharp. I'm walking on average 10,000 steps per day and still napping pretty frequently. Any thoughts on why I'm lightheaded? I feel like my calories are on the high side of normal - 400 to 600 - so just not sure where to go from here. Thanks

My Dr just moved me up to 55g of carbs today, I called because of,the foggy brain thing and he said I wasn't getting enough.

Thank you! I called and turns out it is too much and I'm not getting enough carbs. Problem solved! 👍

I am concerned that you are taking such a drastic step physically without considering the mental/emotional aspect of your eating choices. If you gained your weight back with the sleeve, how will you prevent it this time? It can't be a solely physical solution - your body adjusts and your brain learns how to get the calories it wants, you've already proven that. Weight gain isn't solely a physical thing - the solution isn't solely physical either. It really worries me to see folks keep cutting away at themselves thinking the next surgery will be their nirvana, when what really needs to happen is dealing with the mental issues that drive the weight gain. From a personal perspective, I started looking into WLS two years ago and went in to therapy to deal with my compulsive eating issues before I had the surgery, and I think it's still a challenge even after all of that work. Just a thought, this isn't a judgment by any means, I found therapy to be really helpful and I'm so glad that I have that support right now as I deal with post-op stuff.

I have a Fitbit to track my steps and I use a Withings (now Nokia) Healthmate Scale to weigh myself - both devices will input to MFP, so I track my steps, my weight and my nutrition. I count carbs to make sure I'm not eating too many.

It's been an interesting week, full of new things learned, ups and downs, and lots of introspection. The following made my life so much easier this week, and I'm so grateful for them: 1. This site. I did a lot of research on this site prior to surgery date, so my home was prepared for post-op. The grocery lists on this site were so helpful. Having a community of folks who supported me was amazing. I received messages from people that I just met, who wished me well. It is such a good feeling to have this kind of support! And I really appreciate the authenticity of folks who share. There hasn't been an emotion I've felt that someone else hasn't described, an issue with gas, hunger, food, etc. that hasn't been covered. It's so nice to know I'm not alone. And those before and after pics!! Keep them coming, it's so inspiring to see that weight loss! 2. My husband. I'm almost always grateful for my husband because he's an awesome guy, but man, has he stepped up even more. He got right on this "let's be healthy" bandwagon and is changing his eating habits right along with me. He uses his fitbit and My Fitness Pal to track his steps and his calories. He's even learned how to cook with Kale! He's really putting his passion into this for us, and I just love him for it. He's not left my side at all, he would bring me my plate of 1 oz sippy cups with protein shakes and vita water and document my liquid intake. He tracked my meds and made sure I got them all in on time. He stops whatever he's doing to take walks with me when I'm ready to walk. He's held my hand through this whole process. He's my biggest cheerleader. I love that man more than air. 3. Unjury Chicken Soup Flavor Protein Powder. Thank you BP community for this hint! I love having something warm and savory to sip at night. 4. Unjury protein power in Sugar Free Jello and Sugar and Fat Free Pudding. So awesome. I ran out of the unflavored, so used the strawberry sorbet with raspberry SF Jello and it was really good. Used the chocolate powder in chocolate pudding - that was a little rich, maybe vanilla next time. 5. Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt. This just showed up in my market, perfect timing. 6. My Fitness Pal - such an easy way to track fluid, calories, protein and steps. It synchs with my Fitbit, so all of my info is in one place. My Withings scale also synchs to MFP, so I don't even have to manually add my weigh-ins. I love simplicity. 7. Protein2O protein water in the coconut/pineapple flavor, just like a pina colada! Only 1 carb. Delicious. Items 3,4, and 7 came from this site, which leads me back to #1. I'm just so thankful BP is here.

I love VitaWater, Crystal Light and Mio drops. There's a black cherry flavored Mio drop,that is really good. Also Snapple Diet Iced Tea is really good if you don't mind the caffeine. I thought kicking my Diet Coke habit would be so hard, but it didn't take long for me to not miss it at all. Another thing I like is the water concoction from the Flat Belly Diet book, add sliced cucumber, grated ginger, sliced lemon and crushed fresh mint to water, let it steep and drink it. Lovely!

Wow! Congrats!!

Congratulations! You are on your way to a healthier you! Sending lots of positive energy your way! [emoji122][emoji122][emoji122]

My dr orders are to stay away from hard candies. The sugar offers no nutritional value at all. I wonder if you could create a protein-based recipe that would have the same flavor? Have you tried sugar free jello made with unflavored protein powder yet? Unjury protein powder has the recipe in their website. You could make SF watermelon jello with protein powder and sprinkle it with the chili powder, or just mix it in. That way you get the flavor you are craving but in a protein-rich food that fits within your meal plan.

I was sleeved on Aug. 2. Was able to move fluids up to 1.5 oz/15 min with additional water, but my brain still feels pretty foggy. Not sure what is causing that, I'm sleeping a ton. I've been walking daily, up to 5k steps, and planning on getting to 7500 today. I know that resistance training with a band is a good way to help keep skin toned so I was wondering how soon post op folks started doing that? Any resources would also be appreciated.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your feedback. I love this site, such great support.

Thanks for sharing your experience! You look so healthy and happy!