Starwarsandcupcakes

I’m gonna sound like a terrible WLS patient with this but- ice cream, baked lays chips, rye chip gardettos, or everything pretzels dipped in cream cheese. However, I’ve had 3 intestinal surgeries in a year (dec 2019-dec 2020; VSG, RNY for GERD, and a small bowel resection losing 3ft of small intestines) and I find that some days I’m pretty short on calories to keep me in maintenance and I’ve usually already hit protein goals (100g+ daily) so good quality ice cream it is.

Campbell’s well yes sipping soups (no chunks to strain!) thinned a bit were lifesavers for me even though I like broth. Also, try a no sugar added sorbet or frozen yogurt. FYI- pudding and jello are on the full liquid diet (along with things like milkshakes for non-WLS patients) because they have a tendency to become liquid if left out at room temperature which makes them easier to digest and swallow (important for those with dysphagia [trouble swallowing]).

Most days it’s probably Diet Pepsi (which you can pry from my cold, dead hands!), coffee with a protein shake as creamer or a smoothie. If I’m working it’s usually coffee and protein shake that I drink in between sips of protein beef bouillon. On the rare occasion I’ll eat something first like a protein bar, pickled vegetables, or dinner (I work nights).

Maybe it just loses its frenchness and becomes onion soup. But I did end up going to Olive Garden with the kids for dinner and was able to eat a pretty good sized plate of salad AND a whole bowl of zuppa tuscana soup before being full. So it definitely had to have been the melted cheese because I can do cheese unmelted just fine. ?‍♀️

Also, I’d you haven’t seen this episode of hellthyjunkfood, Julia goes a little into the science of how they’re made and why they might actually taste like beef without being beef.

I get them in the frozen burger section of my Kroger but with with the other veggie options at Walmart. ?‍♀️ I bought some last week (along with the ribeye) because they were free after coupon, rebate and on your next order coupon. ?. I like free/cheap food. ?‍♀️?

They’re okay. I like the incogmeato burgers more though I think. Or is it the other way around? ? Either way they’re much better than the veggie sausage patties and I do like them better than most veggie burgers. Don’t overcook them though or they’ll end up dry. I actually have a coupon for a free package from some sample box so thanks for the reminder to use it before it expires.

I love red lentils Green ones? Not so much. If red ones are cooked long enough they break down into this gloriously smooth texture akin to those of red bean paste without the sugar. The green ones I don’t have that luck with; they always taste overly starchy. My last shopping trip I bought a bag of red lentils to make this- https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-lentil-soup/ I’m excited but I have to use the ribeye I bought from the butcher first before it goes bad.

Went out to lunch with my sister for the first time eating at a restaurant since my VSG in Dec 2019 (had revision in Aug 2020 and a bowel resection in Dec 2020), so I was over ambitious to say the least. This is an after picture. I stole 3 small French fries from her and ate a bite of bacon off the salad. I think the melted cheese is what did me in. Next time I’ll order without the cheese. ??

I haven’t found that to be an issue especially if I push the smaller piece(s) to the inside and then pinch the larger piece around the outside but don’t knead it in. I find that makes it too tough. I then usually let it rest for about 20 minutes (called benching) before final shaping and rising. Also, I use a bench scraper or a sharp knife as actual pinching ruins the gluten structure in the dough and can make your final product tough.

I find that my kitchen scale is amazing for portioning dough. I weigh the total in grams and then divide by the portions I want. That way they all come out even and bake (mostly) evenly. I do the same with muffins using a cookie/ice cream scoop.

It does get easier. Protein from meat can be a funny thing. Some days are amazing getting it in and others I stick to things like tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt and protein soups when shakes seem too sweet. Just do the best you can for now. Does your surgeon have you on an acid reducer? If not that might be an option in helping you feel better. However if you’re on one, see about lowering the dose to see if that helps relieve symptoms as gastric bypass can cause acid reflux due to low stomach acid.

Here’s what I ate yesterday. I work nights so times are approximate and wonky as I mostly just snack at work so I don’t keep definite track of times- 7pm- protein shake in coffee- 25g protein 8-9pm- protein beef bouillon soup packet- 15g protein 10pm-1am- 1 serving bugles, 1.5oz beef jerky, single serve packet freeze dried apples, and cottage cheese- 27g protein 2am-3am- protein cream of chicken soup packet and Starbucks doubleshot coffee- 22g protein 4am-5am- protein shake, 1/2 chobani blueberry yogurt- 36g protein 630-7am- 1/2 special k meal bar- 6g protein 8am- 3 bites of a bacon cheeseburger that I had already eaten from 3 other times. Maybe 5-10g protein Came out to about 140g protein and 1450 calories. My protein requirements are insanely high because I had a bowel resection in December ao I don’t absorb protein as well as I did before and I’m now trying to maintain at 150-155. So far today I’ve been up for about an hour and eaten the other half of that special k bar from yesterday.

The only medications for me that were added were- pain medication, protonix, vitamin b-12, and iron for my post-op anemia. I didn’t have to do the heparin (to prevent blood clots) but do realize some surgeons prescribe them.

I recommend a recipe that calls them “bakery style” as they’re the best when it comes to the crumb you want from a muffin and the sour cream can be replaced with Greek yogurt to up the protein content without changing texture. Plus, they stay fresh longer.

I’m in the middle of stress baking and started with carrot cake (top ones) and morning glory muffins (bottom ones) Ate half a carrot cake muffin about 2hrs before dinner and then had corned beef (ate about 1/2oz before picture), homemade pickles and salty roasted potatoes. I have plans for more baking that include a lemon poppyseed loaf, chocolate chip muffins, cranberry orange biscotti, and some kitchen sink cookies and maybe something else who knows.

My days usually consist of Breakfast- protein shake with coffee (165 calories) on occasion I’ll have a smoothie that’s around 200 calories with frozen fruit in it. ~20-30g protein 1st morning snack- protein or bone broth (50-70 calories) ~10-15g protein 2nd morning snack- cottage cheese with fruit or vegetables like cucumbers, peppers, or celery (150 calories) ~15g protein Lunch- protein soup packet and salad with light dressing and either seeds or nuts (usually around 250 calories) ~20g protein Afternoon snack- light Greek yogurt or protein bar (80-150 calories) ~15g protein Dinner- varies from seafood or steak with a side of vegetables to vegetable curries or just snack type foods like cheese and crackers with lunch meat. Sometimes I’ll have a snack after dinner but just depends on how I feel.

Yes. I’m not exercising a whole lot right now due to a surgery right after Christmas and before then I was living a mostly sedentary lifestyle (12hr desk job shifts) with a slow metabolism even before WLS. I seem to maintaining pretty well with that calorie range but should I get back to exercising once cleared I’ll more than likely need to adjust calories with recommendations from my WLS team.

For me the first 6 weeks after both my VSG (12/2019) and revision (8/2020) the focus was on protein/water and slowly reintroducing foods. After 6 weeks my calorie goals were 6-900 calories a day and a minimum of 60g of protein. Now that I’m at goal it’s 1000-1200 a day and a minimum of 90g of protein.

I developed another hiatal hernia 3 months post VSG (had one repaired with my VSG. I then developed GERD, esophagitis, and hiccups. It was to the point that I was suffering with my work and sleeping. The picture is from my Upper GI. The stricture from the hernia was so bad my surgeon faxed over approval paperwork the day he called me with the results. I ended up having to appeal it over the phone while hiccuping the entire call with the insurance company but ended up having revision with hernia repair surgery 3 weeks after my phone call to insurance at 8 months post VSG. And technically while they remove most of the fundus you still have one even after VSG because it’s upper most part of the stomach connected to the esophagus farthest from the pyloric valve. Outpouching might be the beginnings of a hernia and coupled with the GERD might be what’s making the hiccups so bad.

My sleeve surgery I’d have been ready by week 3 but had hardware removed from my knee during the same leave period so went back after 9 weeks. When I had my revision surgery it took a full 6 weeks before I felt better but my hemoglobin was really low after surgery causing me to be anemic. I went back to work 2 weeks after that. I had an internal hernia repair in November and was back to work after 2 weeks. Then in December I was hospitalized for 2 weeks (12/18-12/31) with a small bowel ischemia that required a resection. I didn’t go back to work until 2/16. Every person and every surgery is different but it’s totally possible to go back to work later in the week or the next week.

I’ve been taking the depo shot since before I had WLS due to period related anemia. Even during my 6month pre-op period I lost weight. Post-op I haven’t had any issues either with weight loss. Now that I’ve been at goal for about a month and eating more I’ve still managed to stay in my goal range. I will say that when I wasn’t on the depo for around 6 months post-op I had only lost about 35-40lbs.

If they aren’t allowed on your pre-op after you talk with your dietitian/surgeon you can always save them post-op. My post-op plan allowed them specifically if I strained out the chunky bits. I always added unflavored protein powder to them before straining. My pre-op was- protein shakes, 1-2 cups broth daily, water or low calorie drinks like crystal light, celery and cucumbers. That’s it, no sugar free jello or popsicles.

A slider food is usually an easily digestible food, mostly carbohydrates, that isn’t super nutritionally dense. This article explains it better than I can- https://www.bariatriccookery.com/slider-food/

I’m not a big pasta fan but I do eat rice and crispy toasted breads. I find that toasted bread sits better. In either instance both rice and toast (along with crackers and chips) are slider foods for me so I have to be careful not to overeat.