Creekimp13

Maybe at work you could set a timer for each hour...and put out four little one ounce medicine cups on your desk each hour...so that you can see them....and try to make a goal of drinking one every 15 minutes? Or if that's impractical....get a skinny tall 4 ounce glass and mark the ounces off with a pen? One ounce in 15 minutes is a much more do-able goal...and more satisfying to achieve....than feeling overwhelmed by staring at a large water bottle that hardly moves. I know it's just a way to look at it....but having it broken down into little goals was key for me. Success feels good...even an ounce at a time. And the more ounces you drink...I swear it gets easier.

Heading into soft solids this week:) Looks like some well balanced fuel I can live with:)

On day two, my group has us line up four one ounce medicine cups full of tepid to room temperature clear fluids each hour. (after a day or so, you alternate one hour of clear fluids, one hour of protein drink...but always four one ounce cups per hour) We were to drink each cup in 15 minutes. Ten little sips per one ounce cup. So, really teenie tiny sips. We were told not to nap during the day longer than 30 minutes, so we didn't lose too many waking hours that we should be drinking. Drinking is the big job the first week. Drink, suck on the lung clearing tube, go for two little walks per hour. If you're awake 16 hours per day...that's 64 ounces. I was able to do that on day two without any issues. Essentially, all you do each day for the first few days.... is keep a chart of drinking a million little medicine cups of fluids......but you can do it, and the more you drink, the easier it gets. By about a week out, the same ounce that used to take me 15 minutes and ten sips to drink...was taking just a couple minutes...and five little sips. I could see the improvement each day. By week three, I could drink almost as freely as pre-surgically. The key, I think...is consistantly drinking every single hour you're awake. Working up from teenie tiny amounts...and keeping really good records so you know where you're at and have proof that things are improving. I'm really comforted by data. LOL. When the nurses got out all those little cups, I thought it was kinda crazy....but they made a believer out of me. It's scary not to be able to drink. When I could drink without restriction and could get my daily intake in without any struggle...it took some stress off for sure.

Isn't that crazy? I used to love mashed potatoes before surgery and I was so excited to see them on my diet. Then, I had some and it was anticlimactic. Just kinda...Huh. They were good...not saying they weren't....but after about a third of a cup, I was done. Now I'm craving crunchy green peppers, artisan romaine, carrots, fresh mushrooms. it's different...but kinda cool:) Oh man....and this one salad I'm dying for has mandarin oranges, granny smith apple, avacado, strawberries and balsamic glazed chicken. That one has been missed:)

I can't eat more than 3 ounces at a time, either. But three little meals and snacks...adds up nicely, particularly when you're doing nutritionally dense foods:) Fluids haven't been a challenge for me since the first half of week one. By the end of week one, I could easily drink 64oz+ per day using the techniques they taught us. By week three drinking freely was pretty comfortable.

Why must we turn all threads into Tsk! Tsk! threads...instead of LISTENING to the OP who specifically said....NO JUDGEMENT PLEASE? She clearly just wanted a little support and encouragement. I think the reading comprehension of those of you who feel you MUST correct people is lacking. We're all adults. It's not your job to correct anyone. Particularly when you've been specifically asked by the OP not to. To me, that's disrespectful. And don't tell me it's about protecting her safety or protecting the newbies or whatever other bullshit you use to justify your piousness. If it was about that...you'd have said your piece once and walked away. This is a pissing contest. And it makes it unsafe for others to express moments when they feel discouraged. I think you're shitty to do that.

If you're talking about ancient Hunter Gatherers...they lived 200,000 to 1.8 million years ago...and while we can make a lot of guesses about their habits, not a lot can be gleaned about their metabolisms through archaeological evidence. The oldest written language, Sumerian, is only 5000 years old. So there's really no recorded history of true "hunter gatherers" that were early hominids. We have some bones and fossils...which don't tell us a hell of a lot about diet. We know they were tool users and ate some animals, but really have little evidence of what plants they ate and how their diets broke down....or how often they ate. Guesses are simply guesses. If you're talking about modern day primative cultures of people who "hunt and gather" resources as opposed to utilizing agriculture....an excellent example would be Alaskan Native Tribes. Having spent a year with Athabascan Indians as a kid in Alaska, I can report with authority that most Athabascans are very round stout chunky people...since about 50% of their diet comes from animal fat. Their fry bread was delicious...as were their smoked salmon sticks. Moose was excellent, too. But skinny? Those folks are NOT:)

That's total weight loss, not just since surgery. I'm four weeks out and have lost 12 pounds. Am really happy with this number because it beats the 18% of excess weight loss average of what most people lose in the first month. It's been steady, and I lost about ten with the presurg diet, too...so it's been a very good six weeks! I do think the walking helped immeasurably with the almost 30 pounds I lost this summer and fall, though. Ate 1800 calories a day and had nice steady weight loss. Walking is so positive. Good on so many levels.

Darn, not using Argus...but I think walking with these apps is a hidden gem. Good for you! I use Fitbit. Started with a goal of 8 thousand steps a day when my bestie bought me a Charger 2 in May. Now, I do 16,000-20,000 per day. My chronically miserable low back is MUCH improved. My stamina is amazing, and my resting heart rate has dropped like crazy. Walking regularly has made the biggest difference in my health of any fitness program i've ever tried. it's good stuff:) Best wishes, and hope you find some other folks on your app. Makes it fun:)

Glad to hear you're keeping track of your kidneys and keeping your doc in the loop. Kidney function was my concern. Am relieved to hear the tests look good:) Maybe your spirit animal is a sponge. LOL:)

To be on the safe side, mention this to your doc.

I think this is a brilliant illustration of two different schools of thought and two very different approaches....that might be at the root of this conflict. In my mind...unless I achieve moderation....food is still in control. I need to be able to have a bite and walk away....or food has won....and is still out there waiting for me to screw up. For me...being in control of moderation...is the only way to win the war. Interesting, no?

By the way...I really don't eat more than 3 ounces or so, either. But I do eat three meals and three snacks a day. Spread out, it adds up.

Have you tried foods like high protein oatmeal and cottage cheese? They were my go-to to get the calories in early. I ate a lot of them. LOL:) And quite a few protein smoothies with peanut butter. Hummus was also a great option.

My group says that eating less than 1000 calories will set you up to have a starvation metabolism that not only can halt weight loss, but also is correlated with less weight loss, and more weight regain in 10 year studies.....because your metabolism is reset to a sluggish starvation level that works against you when you start eating normally again. You really can't eat 600 calories a day forever without suffering malnutrition eventually. My group's protocol was developed by a major medical research hospital (University of Michigan) and is being picked up by Ceadars-Sinai and Bethesda naval hospital this year due to it's superior performance in longterm studies and excellent reputation in the Bariatric research community. There are still old-school doctors who push super low calorie diets post surgically. The weight loss is fast, and people are very happy with fast results. But they often don't last and can result in an unhealthy metabolism that can't handle normal levels of calories later...and eventually result in weight gain. The newer approach is to advance people to eating normal amounts of calories as soon as possible, so that they have the energy to add exercise and boost their metabolisms into athletic fat burning furnaces that last a lifetime and help them eat sensibly and continue to lose weight. My doctor: You get one chance to reset your metabolism with this surgery, why would you want to reset it to a starvation level that conserves every calorie? My nutritionist says that eating under 1000 calories is correlated with more hair loss, nutrient malabsorption, fatigue and stress. Fatigue and stress trigger cortisol...which again, is contraindicated for weight loss. Everyone has their own approach to who they trust and why.... A lot of my family is in medicine. I tend to trust the research hospitals and the empirical data of solid studies rather than the hype of clinics that are more interested in making a buck. I'm much more convinced by a collaborative consensus of what provably is healthiest long term and works. I've been eating 1000-1200 calories since week 3....very comfortably. I'm walking seven miles a day and feel terrific. The scale is moving down about two to three pounds a week and I'm off all my meds. I am loving this new lifestyle:) And I can live with it long term. And that's really the goal in my mind....the forever habits I can live with.

I lived on mason jar salads this summer....with chicken, eggs, black beans, garbanzos, nuts, seeds, low fat fetta and swiss, steak, all sorts of wonderful variations. All homemade dressings, too, so I can keep the fat olive oil and the sugar splenda...and the preservatives out. Love me a balsamic garlic dressing with a little ginger. Love, love, love me a salad in a jar. Can make sure to do higher protein content pretty easy:) I make a chicken taco salad with blackbeans and sweet corn that's really good. Another favorite is a turkey bacon BLT salad that I scoop into a protein wrap. Very little beats a steak and swiss salad, though....man, I miss that! I know I can't have all the crunchy veggies I want anymore...gotta save space for the proteins....but even having a little will add so much texture and flavor. Yum!

Consult your nutritionist for sure. Mine has me on: 2 Flintstones complete chewables B-50 Complex B-12 500mcg D 5000 IU (I'm deficient living in the north) 2 Calcium Citrate with D (500mg total) TWICE a day Whew!

Funny you should mention banana. I start week five in a couple days and my nutritionist has a banana listed as a snack on a sample menu of what we should be eating. Half a small banana with some peanut butter is listed as a healthy snack. I think i'm gonna love week five:)

Hard road ahead, but you'll make it. I believe in you! Yep, you might get hangry...and weepy...and foggy...and pooped. But this, too, shall pass...and you're almost to the prize! Day three sucked for me. But after that, I kinda gave up and soldiered on. You'll get there.

LOL...I'm no guru...that's for dang sure. But I've been there, girl.....and God, it's hard. A day at a time. You'll make it. You're so close to when thing start to turn around and you add some foods and things get easier. it's coming:)

Someday, if I ever reach my goal weight...I hope I have better things to do than to monitor weight loss message boards for naughty adult people who need to be told they've been bad. I have big plans. Making condescending posts on message boards post goal-weight...is not a part of them. Cause...ya know...I have a life. LOL:) If I'm still here telling other people how it's done and scolding them when I'm thin......someone please shoot me. Thank you.

I'm loving that we're moving away from so many protein supplements, eating real food, balancing healthy carbs, and getting some plant protein in there. And fruits and veggies make me smile! Couple more weeks until salad...and I'm dying for one:)

Might not seem like it...but yep, you'll make it.

Not normal at all. Seek medical help immediately.