Pandemonium

Looks like you've got a lot of October surgery buddies!

Congrats on your surgery date!

Seriously...the first couple of weeks are the absolute worst. Everyone can attest to that. You're already through the first week, so that's great! It WILL get better. I promise. I know it's hard to think that right now, but in another 7 days, you'll be a step closer to pureed foods, which will go a LONG way to helping deal with those cravings. Sure, it won't be pizza, but you're still a step closer than you were.

The Ricotta Bake is a godsend because it will hit so many delicious Italian food marks that you may end up craving it instead. https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1793517

Seriously...bookmark that recipe and make it one of the first things you make when you get the okay to move to pureed/mushy foods.

You've got this and you're going to continue to kick butt. We've all been there in the hell of those first couple of weeks and we all made it through. You can too!

6 hours ago, Oct 2020 said:

hi all, first time writing on anything like this not sure if im even doing this right

but im booked in for vsg next week and im very nervous but excited to... does anyone have any advise that they can give me...hopefully positive advise

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Set small goals for yourself. We all decide what our ultimate goal is in terms of weight loss, but it is very important to also set smaller goals along that road for yourself. Kind of like taking a long road trip somewhere. You break up the trip with stops along the way to do something fun. In this case, the something fun is celebrating your accomplishment for reaching those little goals so that you're not just staring at a finish line that is far away. Revel in the successes you achieve along the way.

Also, as you lose weight, challenge yourself to do something that you weren't able to do before. At nearly 350 pounds, I was not going to try running a 5k at any point in time. Now that I am where I am, I am in the process of improving my stamina and getting more comfortable with jogging and running so that I might actually do a 5k race once this pandemic is under control.

Any cardio workout is going to burn calories, so there's not really anything better than any other. Intensity is the key because the higher your heart rate, the more calories you're burning. At the end of the day, that will only be one part of the solution. Your caloric intake also needs to be adjusted.

Have you switched off of your maintenance diet back to something close to your diet when you were in weight-loss mode post-op? If not, that is the biggest step to take. There will be a much bigger effect if you're able to exercise and burn 350-500 calories a day and you're only taking in 900 calories versus getting the same amount of exercise while taking in 1400-1600 calories a day.

1 hour ago, Newhealthylife said:

Hi everyone! I was sleeved 9/8 and I’ve had a painless recovery so I’m truly grateful for that. But I can’t drink barley anything. The only thing my body seems to tolerate is just plain warm Decaf tea. No plain Water, all the sugar free Welch’s and crystal lights are just too sweet now, apple juice, Gatorade, sugar free lemonades, nothing. Anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions on warm drinks that aren’t too sweet? Thanks I don’t want to end back in the hospital for being dehydrated.

Sipping broths are a great way to get fluids if you need something warm. The key is to use the low sodium ones, which are pretty easy to find. While I did not have issues with cold beverages, I found that mixing between cold and hot was welcome change of pace, so I definitely was thankful for broths. You can also mix in unflavored Protein Powder into them, so I found I had to stir/shake up the broth a lot to keep the Protein from clumping up, but it wasn't a deal breaker.

3 minutes ago, MISTY_CEE035 said:

Hello,

I have been drinking Protein Shakes as a meal supplement and I am having a hard time moving my bowels. What laxative will help me with flow in my bowel movement.

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Miralax is a usual go-to and has helped me out. My doctor prescribed some Colace, but I found it largely ineffective when compared to Miralax. I also have had success with Smooth Move tea, which has a great taste, though it does tend to make my insides very talkative.

Not everyone loses hair as WLS, but it does happen commonly enough. That said, it's a temporary thing in almost all cases once the body adjusts to the changes brought on by the surgery.

In my case, the hair was already on it's way out even before I had my first surgery, let alone my revision.

3 hours ago, mrshenry said:

Hi All. I'm new to the group as of today! I am a week postt op and I can't get down Protein shakes! They make me gag to even smell them. I literally gag. I have tried several flavors and varieties in different forms...even making my own. Nothing works. For my pre-op doctor's visit , my doctor is going to flip his lid of I tell him I can't do the Protein shakes....HELP!!!!!!
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Adding on to the previous post I made about Protein Water options possibly being something to look at (though they are generally only 20g of protein where most shakes are 30g, so there's a deficit there that you'd need to be able to make up), you specifically said that it's the smell of the shakes that you can't handle. As others have suggested, have you tried using a flavorless Protein Powder yet? It doesn't carry nearly the same odor that flavored powders have and are flavorless, so you can mix it into something to get around the issues that the flavored shakes are giving you. I'd recommend Fairlife milk as a mixer as it has a higher protein content (stick to 2% for fat and calorie sake) so you would be able to use slightly less powder and still hit 30g of protein per drink.

Of course, if the texture is something you're having issues with, then a clear Protein Drink (protein water or the previously recommended Syntrax Nectar powders) would be the way to go, keeping in mind that you'll need to drink more of them during the day to meet your program's protein goals, which is the priority.

36 minutes ago, The Greater Fool said:

If the program is Protein shakes, then this is what was agreed to pre-op. At least, I agreed to my post-op program before surgery. Does anyone NOT know what their plan is post-op?

Things are not always that cut and dry. For my lap band surgery 9 years ago, yes, I knew the post-op road map before surgery and what my diet plan would be.

For the revision surgery I had in July, I THOUGHT I knew what my post-op road map was because I had a 2 hour long pre-surgery class where I received what my program refers to as the "Bible" - a 61 page handbook that details general instructions pre-surgery, what to expect the day of surgery, what recovery will entail, and, of course, the diet plan road map for their Phases 1 through 6.

I went through that handbook cover to cover multiple times leading up to surgery.

I had my surgery. I woke up. I started in on Phase 1 which was 1 ounce of Water every 30 minutes. Phase 2 would start once I got home which would be 1 ounce of water every 15 minutes. Phase 3 would start after my first post-op follow-up (1 ounce of Protein Shake every 15 minutes, twice a day and then 1 ounce of water every 15 minutes whenever I wasn't doing Protein shakes).

The morning after surgery, my doctor came to check on me and to get my discharge going. It was then that he told me to ignore what the handbook says and to not follow it. That he would be giving me instructions directly that he felt would be more successful. Did I mention that he WROTE the handbook? Because he did.

So, there I went from knowing exactly what my post-op program was to being completely clueless about it because it would be parsed out to me every 1-2 weeks by my doctor instead.

Based on the handbook, I should be in the tail end of Phase 5 which would be me eating soft foods.

Realistically, I am still in some hybrid phase (4.5?) where the 3 meals I get a week are mostly blended/pureed with the occasional attempt to at soft food to see how I tolerate it.

In two weeks time, I should, according to that handbook, be in Phase 6, which is the return to "normal" foods and being able to eat one meal a day, with protein supplements making up the rest of my intake.

Except that doesn't seem likely to be what will happen because my doctor threw his own handbook out the window.

So...nothing is ever set in stone, in terms of post-op diet plans.

Did you have any issues with Protein Shakes pre-op? If not, the issue may just be a temporary one as many people find their tolerances for different foods to be different in the post-op period. If you had issues with Protein shakes pre-op, you should definitely have spoken with your doctor about it prior to surgery.

That said, it is not the end of the world, but you definitely need to inform your doctor about this issue ASAP. While you say he won't be understanding, he may have other suggestions for you to get your protein in. There are MANY protein Fluid options out there and there is certain to be one that works for you.

The most obvious one that comes to mind is Protein Water (Premiere Protein Clear, Protein2o, etc), but you absolutely need to be consulting with your doctor on this.

Overall, I've been doing great as far as weight loss goes. Mentally and emotionally I've been through the ringer the past few weeks. It also hasn't helped that it looks like I'm on the cusp of a stall right now. Have gone from generally 3lbs a week to 1.8lbs and then this week down to .8lbs this morning. So I'm having a bit of a blah morning. While I know that the slowdown is inevitable, I'd hoped to get another month or two before it set in. Either way, I have decided to scale back to 3 meals a week again, after moving to 4 a week as of last week. We'll see if that helps.

3.5oz piece of halibut that I was lazy with and just used Old Bay to season with a shake of Everything Bagel seasoning to get some crunchy garlic in the mix. Made an ounce (dry weight) of edamame spaghetti and tossed it with Taste Cilantro Lime Ranch...and more Everything Bagel seasoning. I slightly overcooked the fish sadly (not used to baking such small portion sizes) but it didn't get too too dry.

Of course, I finished it and was quite happy and then saw the news about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and now I'm heartbroken and sick to my stomach. Considering my day started with being told I had to get a COVID test by my employer and can't return to the office until I get the results and ended with this awful news, I think I'm done with Friday. At least my dinner was successful!

All things in moderation.

Carbs are not inherently the enemy. Carbs are inevitable. Every single Protein Bar I eat has carbs. The body does need carbs for energy.

They just are not the best choice to make when eating in terms of encouraging and sustaining your weight loss. So if you're sitting down to a meal where the bulk of the calories that you are consuming are from the carbs you're eating, it's not a good situation. You will end up burning through that energy and then will find yourself hungry again sooner than you would if more of those calories came from Protein.

You are not banned from ever eating bread or rice or Pasta or your carb of choice every again. You just want to do it in moderation and to always seek out options for those items that are lower in carbs and to really focus on eating your protein source first.

Hey everyone! It's a new week! New thread!

Honestly, I am having trouble with things to be thankful for as I've been dealing with a lot of muscle and joint pain the past few days in both of my arms. My right arm feels like it's an RSI that I've dealt with intermittently in the past, though it hurts worse this time around. Not sure what is going on with my left shoulder. It has made sleep very difficult the past few nights. Coupled with a lower weight loss this week and reemergence of Constipation and I've got a bit of the blahs going on.

That said, I am thankful for the amazing fresh fish market that's 30 minutes from my house for giving me delicious options for Protein.

I'm thankful for Halo Top/Nick's light ice creams for giving me a way to occasionally indulge in some ice cream without completely tanking my calorie count.

I'm thankful for the Favorite Grocery Items and food Before & After threads for all of the countless ideas for meals to make down the road.

And I'm thankful that my doctor didn't have an issue when I told him I wanted to talk about bariatric Vitamin options soon so that I can stop drinking these awful Celebrate 4-in-1 shakes.

1 minute ago, sillykitty said:

Have you tried Protein Pasta? I really like Edamame Pasta, tastes good, and high Protein.

I actually have several boxes of Black Bean and Edamame pastas in the cupboard from pre-surgery. I haven't touched them post-op yet. The tofu Shirataki noodles caught my eye due to the low calorie count and figured I'd give them a try. I definitely prefer the protein pastas, but I'm always looking for new options!

So tonight involved trying to make something other than leftover ricotta bake or reheating the frozen bariatric shepherd's pie servings my mom made for me. And it also involved trying out two new products to see how I liked them.

Even then, I kept it simple and just heated up some Tyson's grilled chicken strips, mixed it with some tofu Shirataki macaroni elbows I grabbed at my local Asian supermarket, and some Spicy Garlic Parm sauce from Taste. Sprinkled generously with some Parmesan cheese and dug in.

The flavor of the sauce was stellar and had a nice heat to it. The noodles were...odd. There wasn't anything wrong flavor-wise (wasn't really ANY flavor) but the texture was reeeeeeaaaalllllly weird. They're very chewy. It didn't completely turn me off of them, but will take some getting used to.

All told, 18g of Protein packed into 117 calories and it managed to hit the spot.

I eat 4 times a day:

Breakfast at 9am

lunch at 1pm

snack at 4pm

dinner at 7pm

This is the same schedule I followed pre-op, and it has kept me comfortable. I will infrequently indulge in an extra snack (slice of deli ham or turkey, spoonful of hummus or ricotta cheese) if I think I'll come in a little low on my Protein for the day, but that doesn't tend to happen too often.

18 hours ago, Hollylee71 said:

I just started puree the beginning of week two

Two puree meals a day under 200 cals

2 to 3 Protein Shakes @ 160 cals per

One snack under 100 cal

Or Protein Water @ 90 cals

So, to me, that does seem like it's a bit more than one would expect from an immediate post-op diet. That said, I only have my own experiences from which to speak and if this is the diet that your doctor prescribed, then they may have a reason.

For comparison, here is the diet I am on currently (I hit 10 weeks post-op tomorrow), which is not really standard for most programs that I've seen:

2 times a week:

Breakfast - 9am - 2 scoops of Celebrate 4-in-1 in 8oz of unsweetened almond milk + 2 tsp Benefiber (185 calories)

lunch - 1pm - 1 scoop of Celebrate 4-in-1 in 8oz of unsweetened almond milk + 2 tsp Benefiber (115 calories)

snack - 4pm - 1 Protein Bar (18-20g of Protein -Think, Pure Protein, or Built Bar) (160-230 calories)

dinner - 7pm - 1 protein bar (18-20g of protein -Think, Pure Protein, or Built Bar) (160-230 calories)

60+ ounces of Water (usually Crystal Light) (40 calories if all Crystal Light)

1 time a week:

Breakfast - 9am - 2 scoops of Celebrate 4-in-1 in 8oz of unsweetened almond milk + 2 tsp Benefiber (185 calories)

Lunch - 1pm - 1 scoop of Celebrate 4-in-1 in 8oz of unsweetened almond milk + 2 tsp Benefiber (115 calories)

Snack - 4pm - 1 bottle of Premiere Protein protein water (20g of protein in 16.9 ounces of fluids) (90 calories)

Dinner - 7pm - 1 protein bar (18-20g of protein -Think, Pure Protein, or Built Bar) (160-230 calories)

4 times a week: (up from 3x/week as of this week)

Breakfast - 9am - 2 scoops of Celebrate 4-in-1 in 8oz of unsweetened almond milk + 2 tsp Benefiber (185 calories)

Lunch - 1pm - 1 scoops of Celebrate 4-in-1 in 8oz of unsweetened almond milk + 2 tsp Benefiber (115 calories)

Snack - 4pm - 1 protein bar (18-20g of protein -Think, Pure Protein, or Built Bar) (160-230 calories)

Dinner - 7pm - 3-4.oz of allowable soft foods (I've had ground chicken, ground turkey, pureed chicken salad made with hummus & greek yogurt, ricotta bake, baked/steamed whitefish, scrambled eggs) (210 - 250 calories)

So I think there would be room to make adjustments to your diet plan, as long as you would still be hitting your protein goals, but that is definitely a conversation you would want to have with your doctor. Simply be upfront with them about your concerns about the slow weight loss and ask for guidance on how to make changes to your diet plan to facilitate better results. Some times you have to make those changes to the diet plan in order to keep your body on it's toes!

Can you give us a rundown of what you're generally eating for meals and when you're eating them? 800 to 1200 calories immediately post-op seems a little high. I am 9 weeks out (VSG) and I only occasionally break 800 calories (and only once have I gone above 900). But I also suspect there's a little bit of 3 week stall creeping in, as well.

1 minute ago, tarotcardreader said:

When you agree to follow a program which they make you do in order to get the surgery and you go awall dont run in there like a terd trying to get people fired because you just look dumb. Hows that for bold true words bud

Again...so many assumptions about what the OP did from someone who wasn't in the same program as them. We all know how the saying goes abut what happens when you "assume". So keep on assuming for all the forums to see, my dude.

I just had my revision from band to sleeve in July due to band slippage and weight gain over the past few years. I was in the same boat where I assumed that my insurance wouldn't cover it to the point that I initially was going to join the non-surgical weight loss program as I didn't think I could have another bariatric surgery. The PA I met with assured me that was not the case and that revision surgery is common and approval for them is not that hard to get.

The fact that your lapband is in complete failure due to the damage sustained to the port means it should be easy for your doctor to provide all of the documentation needed to your insurance provider that the revision is medically necessary. Most bariatric surgeons are going to know how to "dance" with the insurance companies in order to get the needed result for their patients.

5 minutes ago, tarotcardreader said:

I disagree because it was probably all mentioned in the dietician appointments prior to surgery which the patient said she would follow post op but patient went awall as some patients do.

Those are some pretty bold, off-base, and antagonistic assumptions (and accusations since you're claiming the OP lied) there, especially since the OP never stated whether they were using PP pre-made shakes or if they were using PP powder and mixing their own shakes, since the powder does not contain milk Protein concentrate.

2 hours ago, Cheeseburgh said:

I’ve had the bottom 2 and yes they are good, they get stale fast so store them well! The crunchy ones look so good, did you find them in a regular grocery store @GreenTealael ?

The ones I posted I found online. They look to be a small company out of California. They also have a delicious looking selection of regular tortillas. It looks like they just recently started selling the 1 Carb Tortillas and they make them in batches, as my order was actually a pre-order for them that will be filled on 9/17.

https://mrtortilla.com/products/1-carb

Found these this morning online while trying to find tortilla options. Ordered 4 packs of them and am cautiously optimistic!

40 minutes ago, July222020 said:

Is it possible?

I'm not starving but I'm sure I could eat more i just dont!

I must admit I am curious if I will get sick or feel really full if I eat a bit more.

Drinking i can chugga chug!

I am going on 2 months out.

I've lost 33 lbs so losing, I'm just scared about whether I have stretched my pouch, if I even have one!

I felt that way for the first weeks too. I wasn't achieving a feeling of "full" (but my doctor also kept me on full liquids FOREVER, so kind of hard to get full on 8 ounces of almond milk and 2 scoops of Protein powder) and really wondered if he actually did my sleeve. Then I tried my first 2.5 ounces of pureed chicken salad and suddenly I could feel it. 8 weeks out now and I can comfortably eat 3.5-4 ounces of soft food, though 4 can sometimes feel like I'm pushing it.