Blueslily

Has your program cleared you for gym exercise? I'm walking around 30 mins a day. Thinking about adding a little more variety at my 6 weeks mark, but low impact. Had a tired day yesterday when I had planned to go on an one hour walk at a nice park. Ended up just doing a 20 minute walk yesterday evening in my community. Sometimes those tired moments come out the blue. Today I'm working a full day of work - first day doing it. Complete with clients and meetings. It will be a test to see how I balance taking care of me (getting in everything on schedule) and working a full day.

How many ounces can you eat per meal? I'm at around 2.5 - 3 maybe.

Happy May everyone! For those of us who had surgery the first week of April, this week will we will hit the one month mark for surgery! (For some of you, that happened during the weekend). So, how is everyone doing at the ONE MONTH point? Wow, an entire month. Any new milestones? What's better? How's everyone doing?

Good luck with recovery. Take one day at a time and know that each day only represents that day, not your forever. Also, the "freaking out" a week or so before surgery seems to be kind of common per posts on here. I got really nervous around a week before as well. I talked with my WLS program, made a I'm freaking out post on here, and talked with my own therapist. This all helped because responses normalized my anxiety and helped me refocus on why I was having the surgery. Plus, I decided to stop reading negative posts on here and watching YouTube videos because that was creating a problem. I felt much better after that. Then right when I had surgery, I had to take a break from everything and just focused on me as we all have our own journey. So, take care of you and know that it will be just one day at a time. Walk, walk, and walk. And reduce content intake that is not uplifting which is what you need right now. Good luck!

That varies by programs. For me, that was true for Week 1 when I was on clear liquids. Now that I'm in Week 3 and Stage 3, my program does want me to just count water for the 64oz goal. So, check with your program. Hopefully they will clarify. Honestly, my program was like if you can get 48oz of water in Week 1, that's great. And other liquids added to that counted towards my 64 LIQUId goal. So, Week 1 there was a liquid goal of 64, but now I have a WATER goal of 64 oz. My program also explained that during the first few days people's bodies were responding differently water, different temperatures, etc so they just wanted us to get in liquids as much as we could. Then as we moved forward, our bodies would hopefully be more accepting to water as we moved into the later part of Week 1 and certainly in Week 2. I know some people on here say they were drinking 60 oz of water by Day 3 or 4, but that's specific to them. Everyone is different. Some folks are struggling just to get two water bottles down, lol. We are all having our own journeys. Be patient with yourself and certainly ask your program for clarity.

Quick note. I chose Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup in the red cans instead of the regular chicken noodle soup in the white cans because the broth in the red cans seemed to have more flavor and seemed to be thinner or more like water. The broth of the soup in their classic white and red cans seemed oily and the protein powder didnt seem to mix as well with it. So, just wanted to clarify exactly which soup I used and why.

That's interesting. So, I did not like chicken broth in the carton. So, I bought Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle soup.and drained off the broth. That had more flavor and calories than just broth in the container. Then I added a half scoop of unflavored protein powder to it. I also added protein powder to some jello that I had in between water and protein shakes. When I could have cream soups, I strained them also. They have more calories. I did NOT add protein powder to the cream soups.

Wow, you just had surgery. For my first week, my program just had us working towards 40g of protein. They understood that all bodies are different right after surgery so 60 would probably be a challenge for most of us still only days into recovery. Plus, all liquids the first week counted towards fluid. So, we did not have to have a full 64oz of just water. Like broth could count. Good luck, and it's understandable that at just 2 days post, it's hard to get all of that in. Man!

Interesting question. I'm only at 3 weeks. During my first week, I was on the clear liquid diet. I didnt think about calorie intake at all. Was just trying to drink water and protein drinks. Then at week 2, I transitioned to full liquids for 2 weeks. I didnt think about calorie intake then either. Actually, I haven't thought about it now when I'm at just 3 weeks and on the soft food stage. Hmmm. Am I supposed to be thinking about calories at this point ? My focus is still water, protein, and starting to get in veggies. How many calories at week 1, 2, or 3 did your program recommend? I'm just curious. Looking at my booklet from my protein, the focus is 64oz of water and 60oz of protein right now. No calorie info.

Oh, hope it gets better. I fear the only way to be successful with this is just demanding to ourselves that we make some time for ourselves at work.

My half days this week is a "trial run" for working. I'm hiding in my office so I can learn what I have to change when I restart work full time next week which will include clients, tons of meetings I usually host, and people usually messaging me or calling me all day asking me for stuff. So, it's usually busy, fast paced, and a bit stressful. Today I was focused on trying to do my best to balance adhering to my water and food intake schedule and doing some work. So, it wasnt the best representation of what working will truly be like. But, I need this time so I can figure out how to take care of me. I feel blessed to be able to have this trial run opportunity. If you don't have a written intake schedule, I would recommend that. I didnt have an alarm. I had the schedule with me. My program gave us sample schedules for each stage. I don't think I can use alarms at work because I have clients. Most of my work now is virtual due to COVID so no one really can see what is in front of me in my office. I think I plan to tape my schedule to my computer monitor so I can be looking at it all day, lol.

Ok. First half day of work down. I gave myself permission to take a late morning walk at 11a. Walked for 25 minutes. Felt good to not be sitting and to be outside for fresh air. I learned that eating a scrambled egg for breakfast will not work. I tested egg yesterday afternoon. It was fine. But, apparently on an empty stomach might not be ok. I didnt vomit, but I could feel a little nausea at the very first tiny bite, so I stopped and drank a protein drink instead. Ate some blended chicken salad, 2 ounces, for lunch before I left so I could stay on food schedule. No problems. It tasted great. I use a mini blender to break it down a lot since many people on this site say chicken gets stuck for them. By blending, no stuck issues so far. I did find that I eat a little faster at work then home. So, i will need to purposefully not multitask going forward at work when eating. No weird questions from colleagues today. I've been gone three weeks, but no one saw me today. I worked in my office and rarely left it today. I start seeing clients next week and start hosting meetings again this Friday. So, I'm guessing questions will start more when I interact with folks more. Today the few comments about my absence were people saying that it's great that i took some time off from work. With COVID, we talk a lot about self care at work. So, I'm guessing that's what folks who are not as close to me assumed. As the week progresses, people closer to me will reach out. You can see a little weight loss in my face. I haven't told anyone at work about my surgery. Only my supervisor knows I was on Sick leave for some type of surgery. None of her business what specifically. We will see if she kept that to herself or not. Time for water! Using crystal lite. By the afternoon, drinking plain water comes with a nasty taste in my mouth. So, I drink one bottle of crystal lite a day which is usually in the evening. I limit it to one since it has artificial sugars. 🙂

We are sleeve twins! Man, I could not imagine going back to work after only 4 days. I was certainly not myself at that point. Was still walking to move the gas pain and getting tired easily. I had a stall a couple days ago but it has passed.

Interesting responses here. There are indeed some insurance plans that have requirements of things they want you to do prior to approval for the surgery. Yes, the medical WLS program requirements are separate. Indeed some people have insurance that do not require anything. But if you do a search on this site, it's not just about hoops from the medical staff. Folks indeed report that their insurance required 3 months, 6 months, weight management, etc. And, for some of the "hoops" reported, some can be regarded as helpful in some ways just for your own medical care perspective and preparation for surgery. You can tell which programs prepared folks and which did not when you read posts on here. But, people also have all kinds of programs and insurances. Plus, some folks are self-pay and move through the process faster. From the medical program perspective, blood work and an EKG seems simple to me. Plus, some do EGDs before to see if you have a hernia that needs repairing or if there is anything internal that might cause a problem with the surgery. That's cool with me. I haven't had a lot of other surgeries, but getting information beforehand and tests that provide information about my health seem like a good deal to me. I guess that's also because from my perspective I wasn't trying to race through this process. Man, after surgery you certainly can't race through the process either. I think that if I had to wait more than 6months, I would be annoyed, but 3-6 months seems tolerable to get info, prepare mentally, prepare physically, fully understand what the program does and does not do, etc. I think one of the better "hoops" that people report is meeting with a therapist who understands bariatric surgeries, food addiction, eating disorders, etc. For folks on here who report not meeting with a therapist prior, many times it is recommended after. This is not a fast process. I'm glad that I had time to really fully understand and know what I was getting into. I recommend a good therapist for everyone going through this process. Good luck

Hello all, This week is the 3 week mark for several of us who had surgeries the first week of April. How are the 3 week folks doing? Today is my 3 week mark. I'm returning to work today, but just working a half day to see how I feel and how my energy level is at work. So, a test run. I started soft foods a day early just so I would not be having day 1 of it at work with possible vomiting or diarrhea, that would not be fun. I tried a half scrambled egg with a little milk and little reduced fat cheese to make it softer. No issue. I also tried 1.5 ounces of chicken salad. No issue with either. I only put a tiny bit on the tip of my spoon. Maybe the amount you give a baby or less and chewed and chewed. So, how are the 3 week folks doing?

What did you include in your chicken salad and tuna salad?

Very nice post. Hopefully it will he helpful for some folks.

This thread just made me remember that I received a card at my one month follow up. Hmmm, where is that card? Hmmm. So much has been my focus like water and protein that I haven't even thought about it. I was just talking with a friend earlier about going out to eat for my 2 month surgerversary. He is the only person who knows that I had this surgery. Well, the WLS team and a therapist. But, he is the only person in my life. I joked that he would just share with me as I have no need to order anything. Just eat off his plate. We had a huge laugh because generally, he does not like to share. Hahhaha. Ok, let me find this card. Hopefully it does not have all that information about WLS or the programs name on it. That's way too much. Everyone doesn't need to know all my business. And, like others have said, when I do get further along, I mainly plan to just order an appetizer and call it a day. (If my friend still doesn't want to share, lol).

Your response made me laugh. Not liking onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cauliflower does not sabotage weight loss, lol. But, not continuing to stick to your plan will probably dampen your mood a bit more because that won't help you get out the stall. This process is a journey as others have said. I'm glad that many people responded to your post with support, but also taking about the reality of this process. Talking with your dietitian seems to be the best next step. And, since you have questions about your food plan, I would just stick to whatever information is provided on the list of foods for your current stage until you speak with the dietitian so you dont choose something that might impact your tummy, healing process, or weightloss without realizing it. Good luck, and it's way to early to say it's a waste. So, hopefully you will move past that mindset soon. Good night.

I wonder how I can find that post about your confusion about your food plan. I'm guessing most people will refer you to your program since they are all so different, but, yes, there are some basics that are pretty similar across programs.

Yes, a message or call to the dietitian sounds like a good idea. My program lists no bread, crackers, pasta, cereal, rice, etc. at all within the first 6 weeks during healing and surgery recovery. Plus, does not help with weight loss. The carbs probably deter progress. I think it's also something about swelling in the tummy.

Yes, from the many posts on here about transitioning to this stage a lot of the foods you mentioned were a challenge for people and they had to wait a little longer to allow their new tummies to be ready.

Maybe checking out some of the recipe posts on this site will help also. Helped me figure out some healthy yet flavorful options.

Is bread approved on your plan at this point?

I hear that you're frustrated. But, there are normative changes during this process. Maybe some searches on the site about stalls will help you create some realistic expectations of this process. That usually helps people reduce their emotional distress because they are more prepared for the ebb and flow after WLS.