Tbiz68

Sorry to hear you're struggling. It wasn't that long ago I was right there with ya. It's definitely a process and can wear on you physically and mentally. If you're tracking with a food diary it may benefit you speak to your team for support as well as to address any issues you're having. This is a tough journey but you can do it... you're not alone!!! Congrats on your surgery!!!!!

Sorry to hear you're struggling. It wasn't that long ago I was right there with ya. It's definitely a process and can wear on you physically and mentally. If you're tracking with a food diary it may benefit you speak to your team for support as well as to address any issues you're having. This is a tough journey but you can do it... you're not alone!!! Congrats on your surgery!!!!!

As @GreenTealael said, the only way through it is through it. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Right now THE most important thing is liquid. Get your Water in. Get up early if you need to in order to accomplish this. It's vital to your health and can quickly land you in the ER if you don't. Plus the bonus is, the more hydrated you keep your new tool, the easier time you will have in your Protein Drinks.
Tips for getting your Protein and water in:
Vary the temperature and find the one your pouch prefers the most. That's the temp of both protein and water (both count towards Fluid totals for the day) where things go down easiest with the least pain. Vary the thickness of your protein and water to find the thickness that is the easiest to go through your tool. The thinnest would be water, the thickest would be like a Premier Protein RTD drink or cream Soup. I had the best results by cutting PP RTD drinks with things like Decaf coffee, decaff tea, water, unsweetened cashew or almond milk, fat free Fairlife or other Protein Milk, etc. Vary the strength of your protein to find a sweetness level that you tolerate. I did best with a 50/50 mix of PP RTD and Isopure Drinks also Premier Protein Clear mixed with fluids that cut the sweetness such as fat free Fairlife Milk or Mootopia (adds protein from the milk), decaff coffee, decaff tea, water. Add unflavored whey protein to Soups, both broths and strained creamed soups. This gives a savory protein option. Also BP Store here has lots of lovely individually packaged protein soups. Use fat free Fairlife or Protein Milk to thin soups too, for even more protein. Make yogurt soup using Premier Protein RTD drinks mixed with Greek yogurt or Kefir (both fat free). For the first week or so don't worry too much about your protein. Focus on getting a minimum of 64oz of liquid made up from water, decaff coffee, decaff tea, protein drinks, warm cocoa (sf protein style), popsicles (sf), ice chips, whatever you need to function.
The last tip I have for you is that we all have an individual level of emotional maturity. Temper tantrums and rants are sometimes necessary to vent emotions but left unchecked can be detrimental. Not only to you but to your immediate peers in a support group. I found that when I took my power back and seized action by reframing the situation, my mood and outlook improved. The energy drain was stopped. And the future looked brighter and more hopeful. I would really encourage you to take your control back and plan your actions for success. It truly helps.
Hope you feel better soon.
Oh and don't forget to walk! Walk it off. Walk walk walk. It helps with the hunger, helps with mood, helps with strength.

I was scared too...but I can honestly say it's the best decision I've ever made. You'll do fine just focus on how much healthier and happier you're gonna be. Based on my recent medical tests this has improved and extended my life. My surgery was July 19, 2019 and I've lost 51 pounds and counting. Good luck, you've got this!!!

You can order the Protein 2.0 Water from Amazon as well. It's definitely a great addition for both hydration and protein intake

Sorry to hear you're struggling. It wasn't that long ago I was right there with ya. It's definitely a process and can wear on you physically and mentally. If you're tracking with a food diary it may benefit you speak to your team for support as well as to address any issues you're having. This is a tough journey but you can do it... you're not alone!!! Congrats on your surgery!!!!!

You can order the Protein 2.0 Water from Amazon as well. It's definitely a great addition for both hydration and protein intake

Do you have a Sams Club near you? They have Protein Water with no carbs and 15 g protein per bottle. And it doesn't totally taste like a$$...
Protein2O
I haven't had my surgery yet but have been drinking it for a while and certainly will use it after surgery.
Hang in there, it WILL get better!

Such a great succinct post FC... I do follow this way of eating but having it all spelled out in this way is really something that I need to pin on the front of my fridge! Hope you’re doing well? You are clearly shrinking which is amazing ... well done! Xx

Tried both collard greens and Miralax. As long as I have them close together I'm good, miralax doesn't seem to want to work alone -- doesn't bother me I'm finally feeling "human" again. Thanks @BigViffer, @BetterBelizeIt and @catwoman7.. as well as everyone else I appreciate it!!!

Looked it up on Google, seems to be pretty similar to Miralax, but Y3s we can get it here also. It can be ordered from from Jeff Bezos and his Inflated spider "Amazon", seems to come in packets/ sachets not a bottle like my last Miralax purchase. Okay?

What is your concern about them? You are losing really great! Congrats!!

Volume is king.
In the early days when you are only eating an ounce or two at a time, then you fill that meal volume with lean dense Protein only. It gives the most satiety for the least carbs and fat.
Then later as you progress and you are able to eat more like 1 cup of food, you can fill your cup with 3oz of protein per meal and have a little room left over for veg and a bit of fat.
And pretty much, during the losing phase, if you do that--you will lose all the weight you need to lose very swiftly. Later on you can stress about adding carbs to your life.
Carbs (other than veg) are added to a meal at the very very last. And if it were me and it is...lol. I add veggie carbs first, then nut/avocado/olive carbs next, then berry and yogurt carbs next. There is rarely any room for shenanigan carbs. And I keep chips and crackers far far away cuz they are my crack.
You daily protein goal for a woman is somewhere between 60-80g per day depending on many factors. That's non-negotiable.
The 3-4 non-negotiables are:
Fluids
Vitamins
Daily Protein Goals
Exercise (ie walking)

I'll second this! I make these quite often. I usually will do a mix of kale, mustard, turnip, or collard greens with bacon. Guaranteed to work!
If that doesn't sound appealing, I also recommend dried apricots, figs, or prunes. I love all of them and used to put them in my smoothies. I really don't like using laxatives because many of them work by pulling Water into the bowel from the body.

My surgeon put me on psyllium Fiber. I’ve been on it about 2 months now and am finally regular. He said it is pure fiber and is gentler than the miralax and benifiber on the market.

Collard greens

I'm betting Movicol is the same as Miralax. It's safe to take every day, according to my doctor. Lots of us have a capful of it every day to keep things moving...

P.S. I just googled Movicol vs Miralax. Yes - they are one and the same.

Not sure if you get Movicol in the states but it is very gentle doesn't affect electrolyte balance or hydration levels. If you haven't heard of it google the name to see what it is called there.
I swear by it for patients as it doesn't cause irritationof the gut like most others. good luck.