APRILDEE1

Long deep breath......... The last 3 weeks have been weeks of emotion. Week one discomfort wondering if its all worth it. Week 2 excitement because the pounds are coming off and the adding of full liquids. Week 3 excitement for purees and exercise, then moments of sadness and frustration when the scale didn't move wondering if I am doing something wrong. THANK GOD for this forum where just typing week 3 you she that the stalls are normal!! For those of you new to this take a few hours to just type in all your concerns questions or thoughts you will find something.
I got the go ahead to start eating "real food" and go back to the gym so super excited. I am down 17 pounds and 10 inches since day before surgery. The rate of weight loss was 12# week 1 , 4# week 2, 1# week 3....now you see the frustration LOL.
The surgery is definitely worth it! Tips that have helps with the mental aspect:
On a piece of paper write your why, then 5-6 NON weight goal i.e shopping off the rack, walking up a flight of stars post it on your mirror and check off each one as you meet them.
Remember the "old" you died on the surgery table. So what you did before is not going to be the same you are learning every day like an infant.
This is a journey not a race

Now I need help from the community:

I am supposed to add veggies to my meals but still reach my 65 gm of Protein but only eat 3 times a day with one snack...how the heck do I do that? I can only tolerate about a 1/4-1/3 cup of food. I asked the dietitian but honestly her answer was...just add then and take the food away..What the heck! ANY advice hot tips are wanted and welcomed!
Thanks in advanced!

Very early on, extremely soft vegetables (almost mush) will go down easier.

Later on when you are able to eat more (volume) maybe able to pick and chose when you substitute vegetables for other things in your meals.
It takes some time but eventually you’ll get the swing of it all.

Long deep breath......... The last 3 weeks have been weeks of emotion. Week one discomfort wondering if its all worth it. Week 2 excitement because the pounds are coming off and the adding of full liquids. Week 3 excitement for purees and exercise, then moments of sadness and frustration when the scale didn't move wondering if I am doing something wrong. THANK GOD for this forum where just typing week 3 you she that the stalls are normal!! For those of you new to this take a few hours to just type in all your concerns questions or thoughts you will find something.
I got the go ahead to start eating "real food" and go back to the gym so super excited. I am down 17 pounds and 10 inches since day before surgery. The rate of weight loss was 12# week 1 , 4# week 2, 1# week 3....now you see the frustration LOL.
The surgery is definitely worth it! Tips that have helps with the mental aspect:
On a piece of paper write your why, then 5-6 NON weight goal i.e shopping off the rack, walking up a flight of stars post it on your mirror and check off each one as you meet them.
Remember the "old" you died on the surgery table. So what you did before is not going to be the same you are learning every day like an infant.
This is a journey not a race

Now I need help from the community:

I am supposed to add veggies to my meals but still reach my 65 gm of Protein but only eat 3 times a day with one snack...how the heck do I do that? I can only tolerate about a 1/4-1/3 cup of food. I asked the dietitian but honestly her answer was...just add then and take the food away..What the heck! ANY advice hot tips are wanted and welcomed!
Thanks in advanced!

Long deep breath......... The last 3 weeks have been weeks of emotion. Week one discomfort wondering if its all worth it. Week 2 excitement because the pounds are coming off and the adding of full liquids. Week 3 excitement for purees and exercise, then moments of sadness and frustration when the scale didn't move wondering if I am doing something wrong. THANK GOD for this forum where just typing week 3 you she that the stalls are normal!! For those of you new to this take a few hours to just type in all your concerns questions or thoughts you will find something.
I got the go ahead to start eating "real food" and go back to the gym so super excited. I am down 17 pounds and 10 inches since day before surgery. The rate of weight loss was 12# week 1 , 4# week 2, 1# week 3....now you see the frustration LOL.
The surgery is definitely worth it! Tips that have helps with the mental aspect:
On a piece of paper write your why, then 5-6 NON weight goal i.e shopping off the rack, walking up a flight of stars post it on your mirror and check off each one as you meet them.
Remember the "old" you died on the surgery table. So what you did before is not going to be the same you are learning every day like an infant.
This is a journey not a race

Now I need help from the community:

I am supposed to add veggies to my meals but still reach my 65 gm of Protein but only eat 3 times a day with one snack...how the heck do I do that? I can only tolerate about a 1/4-1/3 cup of food. I asked the dietitian but honestly her answer was...just add then and take the food away..What the heck! ANY advice hot tips are wanted and welcomed!
Thanks in advanced!

I didn't feel restriction until after the puree stage. I was terrified. Don't worry. The first time you eat one too many bites of meat, It will be "dramatic". Lol Ask me how I know.

Hi! I had the sleeve tumor removal and hiatal hernia repair on 4/8 today was my first day back at work. Week one was rough! I am a healthcare worker who works 12 hr shifts so I had the same fears you are talking about. I am lucky enough that my program has its own app I am sure anyone can use it Baritastic. You can log everything you need. I set reminders every 30 mins to remind me to drink (at 14 days post op I can comfortably drink 2oz in about 5 mins) it took a lot of trial and error finding the right cup to drink out of. The easiest for me was the Yeti slider lid you can sip comfortably. I also set a reminder every 4 hours to eat/drink Protein. It also has Vitamin reminders. I bought toddler 4oz snack cups to put my yogurt, egg salad, and refried Beans (I started purée yesterday). I drink in between Patients and take 15 min break to eat then my lunch break and 15 right now where I eat my 1/3 cup of which ever. Today worked out great I am getting my food and fluids in as hoped. I also started my day with a pre made Protein Shake. I was so afraid I wouldn’t have energy. I have been walking about 3 miles a day for the past 5 days but I took yesterday off, and today I just walked 15 mins at lunch. Hopefully this is helpful. Good luck!

Im So glad to hear you say how successful you are. I had surgery just yesterday but am
already thinking about when I go back to work, also a nurse, so the same challenges. I use the same app so I’m going to set reminders up for myself and I think that’ll help me stay on track! Thanks for sharing your tips!

Once a month. I'm trying not to focus on the weight. I measure myself once a week.

My programs approuch to eating phases is:
clear liquid = until hospital discharge (1 day for me) full liquids = 4 weeks (greek yogurt counts) pureed = 3 weeks soft food = 2 weeks I've followed this strictly and have had no issues. It was scary to transition stages, but I took it easy and everything went well. The worst I had was a couple of instances of discomfort from eating something that sat a little heavier in my tummy (like chilli) too quickly. I learned to go slower with these foods and, even when it was the same volume as other foods, to expect that I'd need to eat it in two sittings.
I'm in the soft foods stage now, during liquid and pureed stages the options were limited which did get old. Full liquid stage all I ate was Protein Shakes, greek yogurt, Protein cocoa, and strained bariatric protein Soups.
Here is what I lived on, in addition to supplemental protein shakes, during the pureed stage:
Refried Beans with a little Valentina sauce and a small amount of melted cheese My version of ricotta bake (made with cottage cheese, I don't like ricotta) tuna salad (For some reason, the idea of pureeing tuna didn't turn me off, but any other meat did so I never branched out. Tuna sat suprisingly well in my tummy. Also, I made this with pureed cottage cheese instead of mayo, more protein, and my tummy hasn't liked mayo yet) "Tuna melt bake" just ricotta bake with tuna added. (I like tuna melts and this was one of my favorite things to eat.) Pureed homemade chilli (also a favorite, but I had to be careful since it sat heavier in my tummy) Soft baked yam mixed into yogurt with PB2 added (tastes better than it sounds) Poached egg or soft scrambled egg (the poached eggs were especially easy on my tummy) Just plain cottage cheese or cottage cheese with 1-2 slices of pureed peach or a little mashed banana (sat great in my tummy) Egg salad (again, made with pureed cottage cheese - I don't know what I would have done without cottage cheese! 😂) Mashed banana with PB2 (l liked this the least, only ate it a few times)

I'm a week out from sleeve. It sounds a lot like my first few days. One thing I found was that warm liquids seemed to help because they did not stop in my chest. I still have some of the pain when I eat (drink) too fast but nothing like the first 3 days when my chest really hurt from the gas.

I was so bloated with the air and swelling in my abdomen post-op, I looked about 9 months pregnant for about a week. It will get better. Keep walking. Keep sipping Protein Drinks, Water, etc. It will get easier. 💕😊

Sleever here, but sounds about normal. Once the swelling a such goes down, it’s a TON easier to drink and far less uncomfortable.

I have posted a version of this before but since i have new recipes to share, thought I'd start over.
At first I drank my Protein Shakes like a good girl. Then I struggled through them. Then they made me sick. By the time I was post op, I was so sick of them, I’d rather have starved. Three things saved me.
1. If you find yourself getting nauseated with them, chances are quite good that you are lactose intolerant, especially after the surgery. I take lactaid pills with my first sip and it really helps with nausea, diarrhea, gas, gurgling, cramping hell.
2. I found two shakes I liked. Yours will be different but for me it was Chike coffee Protein, Syntrax mint chocolate chip, and I can also tolerate Syntrax Double Stuffed cookie. It helps to make only 4 oz, with 1 scoop of powder, half a cup of liquid, and the rest ice to make a 6 oz cup to slurp on, so keep the quantities small.
3. HIgh protein Soups. These saved me. You can’t do these unless you are on full liquids, but once you’re on them, and if you are sick of sweet protein shakes, please do try these.
I am posting links to my blog where I have posted them. Full disclosure, I do not make money off this blog, so this is not for self-promotion. I like creating different recipes and sharing so I hope they help someone.
Once you are through your liquids stage, also search for soft foods, or look up the ground chicken and ground beef recipes, and you may find something you like that is sleeve friendly. I've posted links to a few here to get you started.
Here’s the list of foods:
Full Liquids Stage
1. Egg drop Soup ( I haven’t posted a proper recipe because it’s so simple. Boil chicken broth, stir in two beaten eggs when it boils, stir with a pair of chopsticks. Take it off the flame immediately, cover, and let it sit for 5 minutes to let the egg cook. Add salt, pepper, and my fav, some sesame oil for a fresh flavor). liquid diet Friendly Hot & Sour Soup with Egg" rel="external nofollow">Hot & sour soup Shrimp “bisque” Lobster bisque Tortilla soup Chicken and mushroom soup Protein pudding Chocolate Mousse Soft Foods Stage
cheese Souffle" rel="external nofollow">Cheese Souffle vanilla Protein Pudding" rel="external nofollow">Pumpkin Cheesecake Vanilla pudding Pumpkin Caramel Bake Banana Egg Protein Pancake Home-made refried beans 5-minute Hummus Do you have others to add to this list?

Post op day 4...... 1st I got on the scale this am... down 5 pounds from morning of surgery. I only got 40 oz of fluids down yesterday. Today has been a little easier still quick pains that go away almost right away with most sips. I am really thinking it has more to do with the tumor they removed and the hernia repair my esophagus just feels really tight. I only took 1 dose of Tylenol today pain really is minimal. Passing gas but have not had a bowel movement which is a little concerning I am to call my dr after 5 days so fingers crossed for some action tomorrow. Only 3 more days of Clear Liquids then I go full liquids I have never been so excited for Tomato Soup and pudding LOL.

Hopefully my day by day will help someone moving forward I will post under post op. Thank you again for everyone’s support!

Shortness of breath from just turning yourself over in bed
Arms that are too short to clean yourself properly
Clothing sizes that begin with X
Shame when you hear the whispers and giggles behind your back
The appetite of three people

I am 3 months out and have zero problems with lettuce. I see no reason in drinking pop whatsoever, even though others do it. I was told the carbonation does expand your stomach (which it does while you are drinking it) whether or not it stretches is a highly debated issue on VSG.
There are those of us that would rather not take the chance. Should you get the sleeve and start eating candy bars, I would say the answer is NO, do people do it, I am sure they do. I have read people eating potato chips as early as a week out.
If you are going to go back to your old way of eating after surgery, then surgery should put off until you have enough psychological counseling to change the emotional eating issues, and get proper nutritional counseling to see the hows and why on how you gained so weight in the first place and realize that this is something you need to do for life.
The sleeve is for you if you want to make lifestyle changes. Can you gain the weight back after you get the sleeve and lose all your weight? Yes, if you do not make lifestyle changes.
The sleeve DOES stretch. It will never get to the size your stomach was pre-surgery, but it does get bigger and it is easier to eat more food as time goes on, so it has to be a lifestyle change.
I can eat just as spicy a food now as I did before surgery. I do not drink caffeine, pop, beer. I have had a glass of wine with no problem.
When I hit goal I will probably have a glass of champagne and deal with the bloating of my sleeve and come what may whether or not my sleeve with stretch a bit.
The issue is, people thinking it's okay to drink real coffee, eat what they want right after they get sleeved. Your stomach gets cut from the bottom to the top and it's a massive surgery. Your stomach is extremely swollen inside and out and putting things like caffeine (which could cause ulcers), carbonation which is very rough and acidic on your swollen stomach or foods that are rough could cause a leak.
After you reach goal I think what you can and cannot tolerate is up to you. If you start throwing high carb food in, you will gain weight. It's a lifestyle change, not just a diet.

Post op day 4...... 1st I got on the scale this am... down 5 pounds from morning of surgery. I only got 40 oz of fluids down yesterday. Today has been a little easier still quick pains that go away almost right away with most sips. I am really thinking it has more to do with the tumor they removed and the hernia repair my esophagus just feels really tight. I only took 1 dose of Tylenol today pain really is minimal. Passing gas but have not had a bowel movement which is a little concerning I am to call my dr after 5 days so fingers crossed for some action tomorrow. Only 3 more days of Clear Liquids then I go full liquids I have never been so excited for Tomato Soup and pudding LOL.

Hopefully my day by day will help someone moving forward I will post under post op. Thank you again for everyone’s support!

End of day 3 I was able to get down 48oz of liquids I have been using a heating pad to the stomach walking once and hour taking Tylenol and Gas X every 6 hours. I find drinking standing up is the easiest for me. Warm fluids feel better than cold to me and chamomile tea seems to ease the stomach pain. I haven’t used the Biotene in the hospital once other wise I have been taking sips to keep my mouth moist. I will probably get on the scale tomorrow and see where I am at I have good urine output and no swelling to the feet. Day of surgery I weight 254 stay tuned.

It’s go time

I did the same thing! In the first week drinking while standing was so much easier. I kept my glass on the dining room table, would do laps around the table, and then take a sip when I passed my glass. it got to be a fun game. Fun get's weird when you are holed up at home post-surgery. 😂
Sounds like recovery is going well for you, here's to good results on the scale!

End of day 3 I was able to get down 48oz of liquids I have been using a heating pad to the stomach walking once and hour taking Tylenol and Gas X every 6 hours. I find drinking standing up is the easiest for me. Warm fluids feel better than cold to me and chamomile tea seems to ease the stomach pain. I haven’t used the Biotene in the hospital once other wise I have been taking sips to keep my mouth moist. I will probably get on the scale tomorrow and see where I am at I have good urine output and no swelling to the feet. Day of surgery I weight 254 stay tuned.

Thanks for the update! So glad you are not in much pain anymore. I did hear about the drinking Water thing after surgery so I'll be sure to opt for IV fluids rather than getting water down. Hopefully that will be an option. I hope you get some rest over the next few days and get those steps in!

Soooooo first several hours I was in pretty severe pain. I do not do well with anesthesia so I literally slept for 6 hours when I was awake I was in pain stabbing pain a 8-9 and I have had 3 c sections and kidney stones and this was worse.. I was trying not to take opioids because I get so much nausea and vomiting but the pain was too much. I took 1 oxy at 8:30 last night and here at 4:30 I am in good shape. I have walked every hour did my breathing exercises. Looking forward to going home lasted this afternoon.

Nobody is lying when they say you can’t drink Water. I am a water snob I love water drink a gallon a day easily so after about the 3rd sip and realizing that is what was causing pain I stopped. My RN who is excellent made me watered down juice and a veggie chicken broth which was heaven. So ask for that. I quickly learned he much I can drink you definitely can feel it.

All I really needed for the hospital was biotene chapstick the clothes I wore in and a next pillow which was a life saver!

They did find a tumor on the outside of my stomach near my esophagus she they removed that and did a hernia repair so all of that may have contributed to the pain.

All and all all the advice I have gotten and found here made me very prepared and I truly appreciate it!!
I will keep updating on her my goods and bass so the next persons can be as prepared as I was😃

Good luck today. You’ve got this!!

I'll be thinking about you! You'll do great!!