Taylor5

My date was the day before yours, so we are likely at the same place food wise. I was able to eat shredded chicken salad for a while there, but got tired of it. Then I was cleared to introduce new foods. I feel discomfort with a lot of "regular" foods meat/veggies/fruits/grains. I can eat nuts and protein bars for some reason. Anyway, just trying to be super aware of eating ridiculously slow is the first thing, and I struggle with it, but am constantly trying to improve that. I've backed off some of the more dense foods for now and often have something similar to this: yogurt/granola/chia seeds/pureed berries/unflavored protein powder = total 1/2 cup at a time. That is dinner most nights and sometimes lunch too. 3 Tbs of the unflavored protein powder adds 21 grams of protein and I cannot taste it at all. I use regular low fat yogurt as I can't tolerate the taste of Greek yogurt, but the reg. adds an add'l 3-4 g of protein. I also add a packet of Benefiber to keep that intake up. But when I do get that pain or a "clogged up" feeling (with burping or hiccups) I will have 1-2 Wintergreen Lifesavers, which actually help a lot with the digestive process for me. Something with the mint - Peppermint would work similarly I'm guessing since I know the tea is good for stomach issues. If I still feel pressure or any type of reflux symptoms at that point, I take 1-2 Tums - again the mint flavor works best for me. Then, since drinking too soon after is a no-no, I have found that sucking on ice cubes/ice chips helps me feel a little better, is almost as good as being able to drink something without the pain/stretching issues, and a whole cup can take 30 mins or more to finish. Those are just a few tips that help me! Good luck

You look great - tiny actually! Are you sure you have 40 lbs left to lose, LOL?! Congrats!!

Bahaha, that's hilarious! We so used to do that Well thank you very much! And of course we can be friends

Just wanted to throw my two cents in. I had similar feelings of frustration & concern after surgery, and still do at times. My situation is not exactly the same as yours, but some aspects are similar. I never lost the hunger sensation, which was a huge surprise and letdown. I had been counting on that to get me through for at least the first few months, then understood for most it would gradually lessen and likely return to normal. For me it felt the same right out of the gate. I remember my husband eating a burger and fries a few days post-op and the smell was just amazing. -That's another thing that never changed for me was my sense of taste. Everything still tastes the same, making my cravings for unhealthy foods just as strong. I didn't feel like I had much restriction at first. Actually, I remember saying several times that if I didn't have incisions on my tummy I'd swear nothing had even happened. And I was baffled by that. I was able to drink water in large amounts right from the beginning (I never meant to gulp it, but would sometimes forget, as I was used to gulping it, but then when I did, no issues...so I'd think...isn't that supposed to be painful?) But then I would realize that I did have restriction with certain things, which I understand is different from what you are experiencing. Almost all liquids that I can remember I could take in larger quantities, but heavier foods I can feel. For instance I eat chicken salad a lot for dinner. I started with 1/3 cup. One night I felt more hungry so served myself 1/2 cup. I took very small bites and ate slowly, but I finished the whole 1/2 cup. As soon as I did though, I could feel that gurgling sensation in my chest and slight nausea and just knew - nope, 1/2 cup is too much. @dreamingsmall, I wonder if maybe this is what she means by "overeating". When trying new foods and we are experimenting with what works for us, sometimes we take too much, and many of us can tell this because our sleeve will give us feedback by way of gurgling, reflux, an uncomfortably full feeling, nausea, vomiting, etc. and she is saying she never receives this type of feedback. I could be wrong, but that is my interpretation. I am just over 6 wks post-op. I am down about 29 lbs right now. But 10 of it was lost on the pre-op diet. So 19 since 12/27. No, I have never dieted in my life and lost 19# in 6 wks and kept it off, so it is amazing and I should be over the moon. But I too thought 20# was the norm for Month 1 and that it slowly went down from there. I don't know if it was from reading forums or from surgery center/hospital statistics I collected or a combination, but that was my expectation. So, when it didn't happen I felt a huge sense of disappointment. Even though I lost a total of 15 inches that month & 7% bodyfat, I was so focused on those 20 lbs! And sure I complained and everyone pointed out that my starting weight was lower and lots of other statistics, which was helpful, but I still felt that sense of disappointment, so I can understand where you are coming from. Not only that, but we were self-pay for the surgery, and we traveled to have it done. I sometimes fear that if I only lose a certain amount that my husband may think, "She only lost 40 lbs? Couldn't she have done that on her own? Did we really have to take out a loan for X amount of dollars and fly x amount of miles and have over half her stomach removed so she could lose 40 lbs?!" Not that he has ever said one negative thing about any of it yet, just that I know the loan/surgery/travel was all a big deal for our family and I carry that with me that it really needs to be worth it. Also, even though I tried to inform him as much as possible ahead of time, he still says things sometimes like, "Oh well why don't you just drink milkshakes? They should be easy on your stomach, right?" -Um, because milkshakes have lots of calories and don't fill the sleeve so I'd be hungry again soon and I would gain weight!! -Oh. or "Oh, well I guess you can take as much Prednisone as you need to for your back pain now without having to worry about it, right?" -Um, no, because Prednisone will Still make me retain water, and will Still drive my appetite, causing me to overeat whatever foods I'm able to overeat at the time, (milkshakes maybe?) and cause me to Gain Weight! -Oh. I realized that even though he went to informational seminars with me and watched videos with me online, that he thought I could never again gain weight...no pressure there. Anyway, sorry for that sidebar, lol, but I guess I just wanted to say that I can relate to your reality of how much you can drink and why that concerns you. I can understand why it would concern you to not feel any type of restriction from your sleeve on the amount of food to eat, because for me that is the real benefit I get from it is it only allowing me to eat so much at a time. I understand your dismay at not losing more in the first month or so, but as several people have pointed out, is not unusual - and if you check out the thread Late December Sleevers (which you may already be on) you will notice is pretty common for most of us done in this time frame. I think it's great you were able to be open with your surgical team about this, and awesome that they didn't blow off your concerns. Maybe there is some sort of issue that is causing you not to feel any difference - I mean, hopefully not, I don't want you to need another surgery, but at the same time I know it sucks to feel different but not have a solid reason why. But at least they took you seriously and were willing to take a closer look and see what's going on. In the meantime I think it's a smart idea on your part to limit grazing and increase water. Yes, unfortunately willpower is still involved - I think what helps increase that though is during pre-op liquid diet you are excited that surgery is coming up so willpower is stronger, and immediately post-op I feel there is fear of damaging your sleeve/hurting yourself physically so you know you are limited in what you consume, plus the scale is going down and that is so motivating. Once you know you are allowed and encouraged to introduce more foods, and especially if the scale stops moving at the same time, I can see that being incredibly hard to call upon your willpower to carry you through - after all - if you had such strong willpower you never would have needed surgery, right? But, since many people stall you have to think that's all this is (until you get your test results and/or your drs tell you otherwise) and try as many things as possible to keep going. Maybe distraction? I like to paint/draw and read and do decorating projects around the house. Sometimes when I am all caught up in a project is one of those rare instances where I would "Forget to eat" - you know, that skinny girl phenomenon that never made any sense, LOL? For some people it's knitting/crocheting, woodworking, gardening, house cleaning/organizing, writing, cooking (although that seems like a bad idea, haha). If you can find something to keep yourself busy and have healthy things on standby for when you finally "remember to eat" like your protein shakes/bars, lean proteins cooked and portioned, soups, and of course, water by your side 24/7, that might help. And exercise and move around of course. I don't know, just trying to be helpful...I know it's not easy. One last thing, my surgery center never mentioned calorie intake either, and that bothered me a lot at first trying to figure out where I should be. I found food plans on-line from other programs that were all over the place. Some said as low as 250-450 per day the first month (Insane), others 400-600, some 600-800 and so on. I keep a strict food log and even when my calories are way more than I meant for them to be (about 10 days ago I ate a whole cup of pistachios because I was waiting for them to make me feel "satisfied" or "full" so I could tell what my limit was with them, and realized they just don't create that same sensation of fullness as other foods do, even though they are super high in calories, fat, fiber, and a good amount of protein. They are really good for you, and I love them, but it's not a great idea to eat a cup full at a time. And I was really sad to log in 576 calories and 56 grams of fat in one journal entry - especially in what was meant to be more of a "snack" category, but I'm all about being honest with myself, so I did. Anyway, I found I lose more weight when I'm eating around 1000 cals per day than I did when I was eating 700-750 cals per day. So sometimes you do need to eat a little more, but it's important to keep track, I feel, because they can add up fast if you aren't careful. Certainly not preaching, just saying, from my experiment and all But good luck with all of this. I hope you get some answers from your results, and if not, that your doctors can at least give you suggestions on what to try instead....Either way, let us know!

Thanks, I'll check it out!

Let me start by saying it has been a rough week and I know I screwed up. It's ok if you feel like you need to remind me I screwed up, but please keep in mind that I already know. I am actually trying to figure out a couple of things and appreciate any help. First, went out to dinner on Sat - 1st time eating out since sleeved. Ate small piece of mozzarella and part of a meatball. Ate very slowly, chewed thoroughly, felt full and satisfied, had no problem declining dessert, and felt happy like, "Yes! If I can do this for the rest of my life, I will be so happy!" But since that day my cravings have been through the roof. I have been having them regularly since @3 days post-op (pizza, fries, burgers, cake - all the usual suspects), but have been able to move past the cravings and stay on track. Have found this very encouraging. Except this past week since I ate such flavorful restaurant food, it has been so much harder. Not only craving more things, but also feeling hungry more often, not being able to wait as long between meals, etc. Very concerned this triggered the end of my "honeymoon period" prematurely and now I am going to have a harder time controlling my appetite. The other thing, I am 5 weeks out, so on to moist foods and some types of solids. Am getting very sick of protein shakes - even though I've tried getting creative with them. So, I carefully tried out a favorite protein bar of mine from pre-op - it's called Power Crunch Protein/Energy bar, I believe. It's a wafer-type bar, so technically would be considered crunchy, but once you start chewing it dissolves so quickly in your mouth that by the time you get to 30 chews it is less than pureed. I have been able to add those in and they help because 1. they are chocolate and help with those cravings some, but 2. also have a salty component so sort of help w/that too. But being able to eat this w/o problems led me to do something I know I shouldn't have, but did anyway. And the results have really stumped me. So, I have been craving chips and such this past week A LOT. So I figured instead of caving to that craving, I would try one of my favorite foods, Pistachios. No, not on my approved list yet. But again, I can chew them so finely they are less than pureed. I figured that since they are high in fiber and fat and protein that they would fill me up quickly, take care of the chip craving, and still be healthy. I ate 1/4 c on Tues nite and didn't really feel full but stopped anyway and felt satisfied. Last night was different. I had a bad day, only slept 4 hours, ran a lot of errands, was in a lot of pain, my daughter made chili for dinner which I was supposed to be able to eat but instead of being mild she made it spicier and I couldn't eat it. So I was really hungry, and started eating pistachios. It takes a long time to eat them since you have to open the shell, then I chew each one about 40 times, etc. I kept waiting to feel that sense of fullness coming on, but it kept not happening. So I decided to keep slowly eating them until it finally did happen. So I would know how many it actually takes before that happens. It took a full cup!! I keep food logs, so I had to enter in the horrifying 692 calories and 56 grams of fat (14 g of fiber and 26 g of protein helps, but does not override the first 2 numbers). I know it was really stupid to eat something not on my approved list yet (but I seem to have no problem with consuming/digesting) - and even though it was an experiment of sorts which gave me good feedback (a whole cup til fullness?!) it obviously wasn't helpful to my diet. I am dreading getting on the scale tomorrow. These are a favorite food of mine that I used to eat a lot in the couple years before my surgery (almost daily), so I am thinking I may have to throw the rest away to avoid the temptation. But I am really stumped as to why it would take so many to fill me up/satisfy me? I can only eat 2/3 c of chicken salad, 1/2 c of chicken soup, maybe 1/2 c of oatmeal, so this is a little baffling. Does anyone know if crunchy foods like this (ones easy to grind down, prob not raw veggies/apples etc) would take so long to fill the sleeve? Is this common? And how do you get back on track after you start tasting "normal" food again? I feel like it was so much easier to stick to the program when it consisted of chicken broth and sugar free popsicles. I mean, it sucked, but somehow I was able to do it...

Oh my gosh, good luck with everything, and let us know how it's going please!

That is one of my staples right now actually. I put chicken breast in food processor and pulse a few times - makes it really small like crumbs almost, then add low fat mayo and a little salt and pepper. Make enough for the week, then every night for dinner have 1/3 c (all I can eat of it right now) with one TBS unflavored protein powder for the added boost. It is really filling. I've been trying to have something different at each meal to mix things up - especially since multi-vitamins make me feel sick and I'm using the patches (unsure how well they are absorbed), but I guess I could try having it for lunch also. It does seem like the more choices you have, the more you tend to eat. I've always felt that way, even when dieting in the past...

Thanks you guys for your support and tips on possible substitutes, etc. I really appreciate it

Yeah I think I was expecting them to be so filling bc of all the fiber/cals/fat/prot combined, but after my "experiment" am now realizing they are not very voluminous (espec after such careful chewing) so they don't register/fill you as quickly as you would think. Pre-op I had been hoping that at some point post-op I'd be able to eat my beloved pistachios again every day but would be forced to eat a small amount bc of the sleeve. Now I know that's not true, so I will probably just avoid them altogether. It's a bummer, but it's just one of those things I can't seem to eat a little of It will however, be a small price to pay to be thinner and healthier again

No, you're right. I had been doing so well - people were eating "regular food" all around me and regardless of how good it smelled/looked, I would just eat my little container of chicken salad or sip my broth. I couldn't believe I was able to do it, but the fear of eating something that could damage my sleeve or cause other complications was an excellent deterrent. I think adding foods back in is actually making things a little harder. With more choices comes more responsibility - and accountability, LOL. I just need to slow down and keep things simple for as long as possible I guess. Thanks!

Personally, I am struggling this week. My sister-in-law was up from VA last weekend - the first time we've seen her in over 2 yrs (since her son's funeral). She wanted to take us out to dinner. I had just started on moist foods. We went to Buca Di Beppo Italian Restaurant. I ate part of one piece of fried mozzarella - trying to remove most of breading, and part of a meatball (bc they are HUGE). The food tasted AMAZING! So much flavor after a few months consuming liquids and more bland diet. I ate very slowly but all of a sudden was very full. Wasn't even tempted when they ordered dessert. So I thought I did pretty well. But every day since, I am struggling more with cravings - unable to push them aside as easily as before. I am hungry more often than I used to be - having the urge to snack before I would normally eat again. And it takes me longer to feel satiated. I used to fill up pretty quickly. I wish we had never gone out. My calorie intake for that Saturday and every day since has been 200-250 more than my norm. Dreading getting on the scale tomorrow, and wondering how to get my body (mind, sleeve, etc.) back on track...

I used to try videos at home, but couldn't really get into it. I even did private instruction but I have chronic pain so a lot of the poses are really uncomfortable. Some of the stretches I have been doing for years - especially after my days at the gym {not recently} - are modified yoga postures, and they really help with tight muscles. It's a different experience for everyone, but I wish I could get into it like a lot of others do. I have just been walking now, little by little, which is pretty boring. But have been thinking about adding in Tai Chi and maybe finding meditation/relaxation techniques that would be good for my pain issues. Also I always really liked Tae Bo, even though it's considered old school these days

Dang, you go girl!

I have been doing chicken salad for about a week now - chicken breast broken up and pulsed in a mini food processor - makes it into really tiny pieces, almost like crumbs. Mix that with low-fat mayo, and then I scoop 1/3 of a cup max into a little dish and mix in one TBS of unflavored protein powder for the extra 7 g of protein. I have been tolerating that really well, I just use a little plastic fork and take very small amounts "chew" thoroughly (although by this point it is extremely creamy-ish), and take my time. It takes a good half hour to get through 1/3 of a cup, which drives my dog insane bc she gets a snack when I'm done with dinner, lol. I have found this to be very filling and satisfying, but am definitely on the lookout for a change! The one thing I tried that didn't work was a baked sweet potato with lite canola butter & protein powder mixed in (didn't try to eat skin of course) but even just the filling after two swallows I could tell it was complete rejection. It's the only time I've felt nauseous from eating so far. Might try chili this weekend though, thanks!

What's everybody doing for "Moist Foods"?

@marthaalcantar70, apologies, I thought your height said 5' 8"!! My bad. I'm only 5', so I can definitely relate to how much every pound feels more noticeable on a shorter frame. Still, you are only, what - 37 lbs from goal? Everything I said still applies, I believe, but I definitely understand your distress more now that I know you are not 68 inches tall (which is like, super model tall from where I'm standing, lol). Anyway, I hope at least some of my advice will be helpful to you and sincerely wish you the best of luck

I'm not a DS patient, but was recently sleeved (12/27/17). Just checking in on DS patient forum wondering how much better you all may be faring in the early months. Anyway, the reason I chose to respond to your post is that 1. I have had 2 c-sections - but I was young when I had them and bounced back pretty quickly. 2. I had 3 car accidents (victim, not cause of, lol) and 3 back surgeries that really screwed up my non-WLS weight loss efforts in past years. Chronic back pain, sciatica, neck pain and Fibromyalgia together ripped me out of my 5 day per wk 2 hr per day gym habit. I gained weight first up to the 170/180 set point and more recently up to 190/205. That's when I decided to have my surgery. Right now I can only walk (and at an extremely moderate pace), use resistance bands or like 1-2 lb dumbbells and do physical therapy stretches for exercise. My weight loss even after liquid pre-op diet, surgery, and 3+ weeks of post-op diet is only around 21 lbs. I'm not giving up - I know it's just the beginning, but I definitely know what defeat and depression feel like. Looking at your stats & reading your post, you are pretty tall, and 177 does not seem super-overweight for your height. Obviously it's higher than you want it to be which is all that really matters, I'm just trying to say that considering what you've been through, it doesn't seem like it's gotten too out of hand. If you are able to exercise at all right now, I would definitely recommend anything you can Safely and Comfortably do. Work your way up Slowly, building up tolerance and endurance. You don't want to hurt yourself! Stretching after is so important - take it from a chronic pain pt. Use ice/heat on any sore areas after, as a lack of aches/pains the next day will make it easier to keep going. As far as diet goes, if you really feel stuck in old habits again, maybe try switching things up by going back to the liquid diet for 7 days/Soft diet for 7 days/Moist diet for 7 days - This should hopefully reset your sugar/fat tolerance, get you out of the unhealthy food habit, and they say it takes about 21 days for a new habit to actually set in and become a habit, so after that you just start reintroducing your healthier whole foods again, which will taste so amazing after 21 days of "post-op dieting"! Worst case scenario you could always inquire about the help of some of the newer weight loss meds to help you get started again - if they are not contraindicated by your health issues/any other meds you might take. But given the success you had after surgery, it seems like you already know how to do this and just need a boost getting back into the groove, which I know can be extremely hard after time off from health issues. Just figure out what has worked best for you in the past, make a plan, and get started. You'll probably be feeling tons better by summer! Good luck!

Nice! Good luck on your journey!

Lucky!!! Good for you! That is where I wish I was...but we're all on our own journey, etc. etc. Congrats & good luck

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking...that's why the 1.5lb loss week 3 bothered me so much. Just that extra little half pound and I don't think I would have felt as bad. No I'm sure they didn't say you're losing too fast! Some seem to just fly down the scale, especially guys - you are the envy of us slow-pokes! Congrats & good luck

Vitamins make me sick too - especially multis. I use the patch for my multi and hope it is working. I can do sublingual for B-12, D3, & Biotin. And I do the caramel flavored chews for calcium bc it's like a mini treat

Thanks, I'm trying. Seems like there are several of us in this boat, so hopefully you're right and it's just a combo of different factors and it will all work itself out in the end

Even in the first few weeks? I mean, I lost 10 lbs pre-op on the liquid diet - thought I would have lost more w/it being such a shock to my system, but was happy enough w/5 lbs each of those two weeks. But then post-op I was down 6 lbs week 1, 3 lbs week 2, and 1.5 lbs week 3. I weigh in this Weds for week 4. So far that's only 10.5 lbs for 3 weeks, plus whatever I've lost/am losing between wks 3-4. Say I (optimistically) lose 3.5 lbs by Weds. That would be 14 lbs in the first 4 weeks. Isn't that low? I know everyone loses at a different rate, but still, it Feels pretty low... I had my surgery in MX so I don't go to an office for weigh-ins but rather do them at home and log them on the surgeon's website where it's graphed out from Day One and they can follow my progress. I can call or email the nutritionist, but I haven't yet. Waiting to see what happens on Weds. Also that's when I'm supposed to move to soft foods, but am now wary to do so bc I'm afraid it will slow rate of loss even more. But ugh am I sick of the protein shakes. I have the unflavored protein powder from BariatricPal store and I have been adding that to everything I eat - which doesn't seem like a lot, at least to me. My average is 700/750 cals per day. I feel hungry pretty often and have cravings for tons of stuff, but have been able to reign it in so far. At least I get full on a small amount - that was the long-lasting effect I was going for, I was just hoping for less hunger the first month or so, and More Weight Loss the first month ("the weight just falls off!") - I swear I read that a thousand times waiting to have my surgery. So I am grateful for feeling full/satisfied on much less. I have begun adding exercise this week, hoping that would ignite a change. Keep wondering if I need to lower my calorie intake or increase it? Or stay the same and wait it out...bash my head against the wall...etc.

If you haven't already, I would suggest Gas-X strips or dissolvable tablets, plus a hot water bottle or warm heating pad over mid to lower ab area (also around sides toward back can help if you have any discomfort there). That is what my surgeons suggested and it has helped me a lot.