Swanton_Bomb

Wow, 120lbs in only 6 months! You must be working hard. Congrats!

I was told I only had to do chewables for a month or two until I could handle the horse pills again.

My surgeon recommends not getting pregnant for at least 18 months, and if you do, to see a high risk pregnancy specialist for an OB. Good luck with whatever you do.

Good morning everyone. Do you have any favorite weight loss tools to recommend? Favorite apps, websites, cooking equipment, protein supplements, etc.? I have downloaded the Bariastic app and I like it a lot, I just wished it showed fiber and sodium totals, but overall it has been more effective for me than My Fitness Pal or The Daily Plate because of the reminders. For the kitchen, I'm thinking about getting an Instant Pot.

Yep. That soup had more sugar than a can of Coke. Imagine drinking a can of Coke after having almost no carbs for a week (or longer if you were on a liver shrink diet). Most soups not high in sugar, just stay away from that one.

This was so inspiring to read. You look absolutely beautiful but what was even more striking was how happy you seem with your life now. Thank you for posting a sample of your daily menus and calories, that was so helpful. May you enjoy this happiness and good health forever.

Not exactly, but I'm on full liquids but after 5 days yogurt and blended black bean and lentil soup, 7 days cottage and ricotta cheese. No eggs until the 15th day, no poultry or fish protein until the 21st. It's easier to have options besides shakes but the downside is that it is harder to get your protein in because those foods are so filling. I can manage a 1/4 cup of ricotta, which is 8 grams of protein, a lot less than a shake. I am combining the two. The thicker foods, strangely go down easier for me.

If they know, then flat out tell them you can't handle restaurants yet, and if they are eating tempting food at home leave the room if you need to. Today my husband was eating pizza rolls. I don't even like them normally but they smelled like heaven after drinking all these overly sweet shakes with their nasty aftertaste. I went and did a load of laundry while he ate them so I wouldn't have to smell them.

That's it. You have probably had hardly any carbs on the liquid diet, mostly just protein, so this high carb/sugar soup spiked your blood sugar and then you crashed. I'm a newbie but I know that in the past if I was doing super low carb and suddenly had a lot of sugar it had a big impact, more of an impact than that meal would have if you were not low carbing.

Was it high in carbs or sugar?

Thank you, Jazzy. It's no big deal because I'm not really hungry, just annoying. Fortunately, this is temporary!

You look fantastic! And what a milestone, to be off those meds. You should be proud!

Protein water is so bad! 🤢

Does your family know about the surgery? I think going to a restaurant this early out would be torture and I think it's ok to skip out on it if that would be easier. You don't always have to do everything for others. In a month or so when you can eat fish, you can resume the dinners out. It will still be hard but at least you can chew.

Interesting. I never heard of keto rash before. Is it common? The mouth funk is definitely ketosis though, I noticed it after 2 days, and unless you are guzzling apple juice for your liquids you are probably in it without trying because your carbs will naturally be so low at this point. The strips aren't too expensive and can be found in any pharmacy or online.

Yikes, I hadn't even thought of how hard a bar might be (I've never been much for bars). Most of the non-alcoholic options involve carbonation (my surgeon also says absolutely not, but some allow it). How low sugar are you? Can you do diluted cranberry, orange or grapefruit? Maybe tomato juice?

I know, believe me, I know! Crackers are a major binge food for me, more than chips or cookies. I have destroyed more whole boxes of crackers in one sitting than I care to admit. Have a little more soup, it won't take much to make you full, then distract yourself. Go for a walk, watch a good show on Netflix (I recommend Daredevil, Jessica Jones or Wentworth), clean out a closet, call someone. Get away from the table and kitchen.

Beyond the struggle of the liquid nastiness, I think the surgery screws with your hormones. I've been insanely emotional this past week, choking up at the slightest things. If a mildly sad or touching scene comes on tv I'm in tears.

I'm on Day 9, so the pain is fresh in my mind. The stomach pain got remarkably better at Day 6 and I haven't needed anything for pain since Day 5. I'm very surprised that they didn't give you a nausea patch. I had a nausea patch in the hospital and they put a new one on before I was discharged. Nausea is pretty easy to manage with meds, I would suggest you call your surgeon and get them to prescribe some nausea meds for you. As for that crampy feeling, I still get it when I am drinking, my doctor said it is normal. It is fleeting after a swallow and it is getting less each day. In a few days you will see the scale moving faster than you ever thought possible and you will start to focus on that. I'm struggling with my fluids and protein but each day I've seen measurable improvement.

That is very unusual. My doc is pretty liberal about the food plan (no liver shrink diet, just lose some weight and clears 2 days before) and you are allowed yogurt and ricotta cheese after 5 days during full liquids, but considering how hard it is for me to get down a few spoons of yogurt, I would never attempt chicken by 2 weeks. Bean puree maybe, but not chicken. This is one time I would not follow professional advice to the letter. I would go very, very slowly so that you don't make yourself sick, especially with animal proteins like chicken.

You have to tell us a little more. I know you posted about struggling with the pre-op diet. If that is the reason, talk to your surgeon. Pre-op and post-op are totally different struggles. I don't think anyone should have a major life-changing surgery without being sure, but how can you ever be totally sure? I was fine for months and then a few days before I freaked out completely, crying non-stop. I was terrified. I did it anyway because I realized that the worst fear I had was dying, and that I had a lot more risk of dying of obesity than I did from surgery. I also realized that I had spent six months going to doctors, getting weigh-ins, having countless tests and procedures, and since I have been contemplating this surgery for 15 years, the thought of it wasn't going to go away, and I would only have to do all that over again.

I'm still on full liquids, so I am assuming (hoping!) this changes, but everything tastes so bad to be now, and having to take teeny sips and nurse this horrible swill just makes it seem like I'm being tortured all day with this awful taste. Then there is the aftertaste that lingers. I will have the best dental hygiene ever because I am constantly brushing my teeth!

Taking photographs like a normal person. Simply not being unbearably embarrassed and uncomfortable in every situation.

You look absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for posting these pics, they inspire those of us just starting out. You have worked very hard, mazel tov!

Thank you, I will try this. The thickness is so gross, and at this stage it's harder to get down enough if it's thick.