sillykitty

All I used was my phone, my iPad, my charger w a long cord and chapstick. I took other stuff that I just had to unpack when I got home.

Ash, do you just use straight greek yogurt and dip mix? I tried it based on your suggestion on another thread. It was a bit too intensely yogurt-y for me. Any tips?

Vodka soda with lime or lemon

Three weeks post op, I went on my first business trip. It was a big wine and dine event, and then I stayed the weekend over, laid by the pool. I drank each day, beer, wine and/or Mai Tais. But I logged everything, and averaged over those 7 days, 700 calories a day. I came back and in the week since I had last weighed myself I gained more than 2 lbs. Now, it could have been the 3 week stall, it could have just been restaurant food vs. the very basic food I was eating at home. It could have been the transition to "real" food. It could have been 700 calories vs, 400 calories I was consuming prior. But it could also have been the alcohol (and mixers). Those were purely unnecessary calories I was consuming. Honestly, I was pissed at myself. After that point I have had the very occasional glass of wine, but I am determines that I will not be consuming liquid calories going forward. I want this weight loss too badly to sabotage it. This has been an awkward and challenging decision. I do a lot of entertaining in my job. My industry and my company have a big drinking culture. I also miss a nice glass of wine with a good meal. But if I'm willing to undergo surgery to remove most of my stomach, I'm willing to make other sacrifices to get this weight off.

No it is protein water

Have you tried Protein2O? It actually had no protein taste at all to me, I really liked the flavors I tried. https://smile.amazon.com/Protein2o-Low-Calorie-Protein-Infused-16-9-Ounce/dp/B01GQ5HBGI/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1531094754&sr=8-5&keywords=protein20%2Bprotein%2Bwater&dpID=41i0oXqWpKL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1

Even more reason your body needs adequate protein

Exactly as @Orchids&Dragons said. beans and lentils are good, but they are not very protein dense compared to other sources. "tiny portions" throughout the week is not going to make a dent your protein needs. I get it, protein shakes, water, etc., don't taste great. But you really don't want to go very long depriving your body of protein. http://time.com/4374959/protein-health-benefits-nutrition/

This! I'm 5 months out and I can't do 3oz by weight.

I agree. And quite honestly I find blanket statements like "NSAIDs could be life threatening" to be scare mongering. Sure, maybe prolonged use, maybe high doses. We can survive having 80% of our stomach removed, but 1 Advil may kill you. I think they just dumb it down to the lowest common denominator. So instead of saying limited NSAIDs might be ok, talk to me about it. They simply say never ever, and be done with it. I think it really short changes patients. Sorry, off my soapbox!

Some programs do allow limited NSAIDs , especially if the patient is on a PPI, and sometimes taken along with an acid reducer like Tums. So it is not a cut and dry never again for everyone. @gully90 I'd suggest asking your surgeon's office, if Tylenol doesn't work for you

I think you're pretty safe with protein powders and bars. You may not be comfortable with this, but I wouldn't declare it. That way you'd have to get pulled for a random customs inspection, and the inspector would have to disallow the whey. So the risk would be almost nil. I've never been on a tour, but I assume you get some free time in the evenings? You could pop into a grocery store then. Or if not, then I assume you might make some convenience store restroom stops, there is guaranteed to be at least nuts available. I won't be there for Tattoo. I will be there for the Edinburgh Fringe. But we only have 1 night in Edinburgh, so not going to be able to experience much of it. Where all does your tour go?

I agree with the suggestion of probiotics. My stomach has moved around and been noisy consistently since surgery

How about drinking protein water to get your protein in? Are you allowed protein shakes?

Refried bean, cheese and hot sauce

I felt the same about your posts on the "Back with a Vengence" thread!

Then surviving past infancy was a miracle!

My largest incision had dermabond and was covered by a dressing, so I think you can cover this up this weekend, and not have any effect on the glue.

I'd just plan to purchase protein snacks while you're there. I agree, you don't want to take a lot of space. Also meat and dairy product can't be brought into the UK. Now, there is a good chance you could get away with it, but you risk having some not inexpensive food getting confiscated and thrown out. Also, I love going to grocery store in other countries, so this give you a good excuse. Have fun in Scotland, I'm going in August!

I realized something today, making healthy choices at the grocery store has become so easy. I've been doing it consistently for months now without even thinking about it.

How about Benefiber? It is gentle and just provides some bulk

I'm definitely in the relaxed category when it comes to vacations. Enjoying the local food is a huge part of my desire and enjoyment of international travel. There is no way I'm going to torture myself and deprive myself of food that is part of the experience and culture. I will eat whatever I want, and also drink. I will though log everything and make sure I take my supplements and meet my protein goals. I only get a few weeks of vacation a year. So going off the rails is not going to do any long term damage to my weight loss. I also have a lot of restriction, so I will be consuming far far less than I would have been able to pre WLS. I'm not going to consult my surgeon or NUT because I don't think I need their permission.

See, I guess this is another pet peeve of mine. Every surgeon's program is different. There is no standard program. I agree that alcohol should be avoided because it is liquid calories. But I don't agree at all that it is a safety issue. That brings me to another pet peeve, scare mongering by surgeons and NUTS. No straws, because you'll swallow air? How do you even do that? And if you do get air in your stomach, you burp, bfd? Carbonation will stretch your sleeve. So these tiny little bubbles are powerful enough to stretch this incredibly tough organ that churns and breaks down all of our food. I'm not a Dr., but I have common sense, I just don't buy it.

I'm also sorry you are offended. As mentioned, this is in the Rants and Raves section. In just about every internet forum though, people get frustrated by having the same questions repeated over and over again. It is just considered good etiquette to look for an answer before you make a new post. This forum is actually kinder and more patient than most! Also, speaking for myself, I have a low tolerance for drama. There are posts like, "I've lost 30 lbs in two weeks, but I gained a lb today, this surgery didn't work." I am glad to to offer my input, support, experience, advice when someone is legitimately looking for it. But I'm not a good hand holder when someone's expectations are far removed from reality.

Thanks, I needed to hear that. That day was in the middle of a stall, so I felt incredibly guilty.