vsg2410

Honestly I tried these and they did not live up to the hype! I MUCH prefer Aloha and NuGo. But everyone has their own taste and texture preferences!

I ate and pretty much still do eat every 3 hours! That’s a schedule that works for me and that’s about how often I really do feel hungry

If you’re open to looking at other cruise lines my favorite is Holland America. I’ve been on carnival, royal Caribbean, and celebrity. I’ve always preferred Holland America. As a child/teen there were still a lot of kids around on break weeks but not as many as carnival so I actually developed some friendships during the cruises, and the kids/teen club was rarely full so I was able to do all activities. As an adult in my opinion the food is much better than carnival, the staff is amazing, and the ships are much less chaotic (especially on non school break weeks). Take a look at cruise critic and you can often find the menus for the Holland America cruises ahead of time. I went on these cruises pre surgery but they have always been accommodating to my dietary needs and preferences. Ultimately though a cruise will be an amazing vacation, have fun!

I took two weeks off after my sleeve. I will say I was much more tired than anticipated. I actually played in a tennis tournament before returning to work because I had signed up for it months prior (and I was cleared for activity). That definitely pushed me over the edge a bit as I was still struggling with hydration and obviously sweating all day didn’t help. But I was ready week three to go to work. Like you said it varies for everyone. The anesthesia hit me hard and I was nauseous and exhausted for days after, some people feel ready to go to work the next day. I applied for short term disability before going out of work for the surgery, if you haven’t looked into that with your employer I’d start there.

Carnival has a wide variety. They have a few standard dishes that will be on the menu every night but the rest of the dishes rotate. If nothing is appetizing on the menu you can always take a trip to the buffet or get room service.

Good luck tomorrow! Follow your medical team’s instructions. Don’t be afraid to ask for pain or nausea meds if you need them.

A had a LOT of yogurt and Turkey chili. This combination sounds weird but I also had cottage cheese with marinara sauce and heat it up in the microwave. Cottage cheese is much more satisfying for me than ricotta and it was just as delicious. I also had a lot of Aloha Protein Bars, they’re my favorite and they’re soft and not too chewy.

I also had issues with Water. I tolerated broth much better. I ordered a miso Soup powder off of Amazon and add that to hot water to get in some fluids. Or better than bouillon mixed with some hot water. And sugar free popsicles were great too! I like the no sugar added outshine ones - they were approved by my dietitian but they do have natural fruit sugar in them.

It depends a lot on your situation. I chose the sleeve because I don’t have as much weight to lose and didn’t want the risk of dumping. I also still hope to have kids, and the sleeve is favorable for that.

Part of why the bypass is recommended for those with a higher BMI is because of the malabsorptive factor. It’s not a “bad” thing it’s simply one of the facts about the surgery. The body has less time to absorb and use the calories consumed. There are definitely pros and cons to both surgeries, so discuss with your surgeon what would be best for you.

I was on vacation and needed a strapless bra for my outfit - the bra that I packed with me was a 44DD and it was literally falling off of me, I even tried stuffing it and putting a sports bra over it but it was wayyyy too big. I borrowed someone’s with a 36 band and it was tight but it worked! I couldn’t tell you the last time I was able to borrow someone’s piece of clothing and have it actually fit!

I had surgery at the end of November and I took two weeks off and I definitely needed the two weeks, although I don’t have the option to work from home. My first week back to work I was exhausted by the time I got home but I still felt ready to be back at work.

There are a lot of factors that go into weight - hydration, Constipation, fat loss vs Water loss. It can be extremely frustrating to not see a change on the scale but trust the process! The weight loss is not linear. As for your diet plan - is there someone you can reach out to at the office to answer those questions for you? My surgeon just has Protein and hydration goals - no calorie limit. For reference it ended up being about 600-700 calories per day in the soft food stage.

I haven’t been able to tolerate premier shakes even preop. Theres a lot in premier shakes that could be causing you issues - whey Protein, artificial sugars, lactose. My stomach has a hard time with whey protein but I can drink the fairlife Protein Drinks. Fairlife is my favorite Protein Shake hands down - it doesn’t have whey protein added to it but it is made with milk. You may want to try a plant based protein to see if that’s the issue! I like the OWYN brand for plant based pea protein.

Every surgeon has different recommendations. When I was in pureed phase my options were much more limited than a lot of others on here. Even bariatric pureed recipe books I couldn’t follow. It’s important to follow your surgeons recommendations. You can reach out to your dietitian who should be able to give you some ideas.

Hi everyone,

I am going on my first trip since having my surgery at the end of November. At this point my meal plan includes most foods, but I’m anticipating having some challenges with meeting my goals and tracking. I’m planning to bring some Protein Bars to have with me as I don’t think much time will be spent at the hotel - I’ll be sight seeing most of the day. I’m flying so can’t bring any Protein Shakes with me and won’t have a kitchen to do any cooking. Does anyone have any travel tips?

Physical concerns aside, mindful eating is important in the success of the surgery. It’s difficult when our lives are so busy but it’s important to take meal time for you. Sometimes I divide my meal into thirds to pace myself and watch the clock for the 10 minute markers. I know for me eating something “quick” was part of my problem. I know plating my food is very important for me and often when I’m rushing to get a meal in that won’t happen. So in those times I know I’ll be in the car or out running errands, I bring a shake with me and take my time with it. These habits are meant to be long term changes and eating meals should take about 20-30 minutes. It’s also much better for digestion!

One of the most difficult challenges is probably going to be decreased levels of energy, especially with the long shifts. I’m a nurse and struggled to get through my 8 hour days on my return - although I only took 2 weeks off. Now I’m 2 months post op and can do my 8 hour days but on my 12 hour days I’m exhausted. Protein Shakes will be your best friend! It sounds like you know a lot about the recovery period but you may find it difficult to manage eating every 3 hours while also getting adequate hydration. Sometimes it takes me an hour or more to eat a yogurt due to patient care and then that’s more time taken away that I can drink fluids. One of the hardest things has been no caffeine and sugar for the energy boosts.

The medical term is actually orthostatic hypotension. It can be due to dehydration. I struggled with this a lot and still am. I drink Gatorade fit every day and chicken broth to maintain my electrolytes. Definitely contact your office though because it can be due to low Iron also.

I have only told my family and close friends about my surgery, and if anyone explicitly asks if I did I tell them. For general diet questions I say prioritizing Protein, avoiding added sugar, and small frequent meals. When I went out for dinner with a large group I told them I was avoiding gluten for digestive reasons. I’m still in the soft food stage so all of these things are true without sharing I’ve had surgery.

The pain from the surgical gas was actually more painful than my incision sites. The pain went away after about 7-10 days. Continue to take gas x and walking! It will get better but it’s an uncomfortable period when you’re in it.

I’m also 2 months post op and struggling with this. I have always been very active and am struggling not being able to do all of the things I used to do. I would do back to back tennis sessions so 3 hours in total and now I can only do one and plan on doing nothing afterwards. I have to be very mindful when planning my activity now.

One thing my dietitian encouraged me to do was continue drinking a Protein supplement daily even though the generic plan doesn’t include one at my stage anymore. The generic meal plan doesn’t account for the 800 calories I burn in my 90 minute sessions, so I needed more calories. She also looked at my Vitamin D and said although it isn’t “low,” it could be higher so I added a Vitamin D supplement as well which she said could increase my energy levels.

4 minutes ago, DTB583 said:

I was reading that it’s best not to do gummies at first so i wasn’t sure. Did you take anything before? Regular Vitamin?

I did the Celebrate chewable for the first month after surgery until the nausea was effecting my work. So then I switched to the Gummy Vitamin and got the okay from my dietitian. Some people do the flint stone chewable and that was okayed from my dietitian as well.

Congrats! It’s an exciting journey. I used Celebrate Vitamins per my surgeons suggestion but they caused me extreme nausea so I just take a regular Gummy Vitamin twice daily along with a b complex vitamin and Vitamin D supplement. You’ll find what works for you! Main thing is you want to follow all of your surgeons guidelines.

1 hour ago, kcuster83 said:

I can't find fairlife anywhere around me.

Premier always has chunks and sludge like stuff in it, I strain it and it taste fine, but it is gross and annoying. I have had this with my last 8 cases!

I am so frustrated with trying to find shakes. I have tried multiple different brands but really only these 2.

I have never been a Breakfast eater, so shakes always worked for me but now I am dealing with this.

I do like some powders but they get the throffy when I mix them and the texture starts to gross me out.

Most Protein drinks don’t agree with my stomach and didn’t before surgery either. Fair life is one of the few that I digest easily and tastes delicious. My costco has had them regularly, I’ve also seen them at BJs, and my area’s grocery stores - Wegmans. You can order them on Amazon but they’re much more expensive that way. At Costco it’s $28.49 for 18 bottles which is the best price I have found.

I just wanted to share some costco finds that are Bariatric friendly. I found these this week and they have made my meal planning super easy!

-Sukhi chicken Tikki Masala: 1/2 cup is about 145 calories with 17 grams of Protein. The box comes with 2 bags. One bag provided me with three 1/3 cup servings and one 1/2 cup serving. I’m freezing the other bag for another time!

-Sous Vide egg bites: one egg bite is 145 calories with 9 grams of protein

-Paleo Chicken Sausage: 1 link is 160 calories with 16 grams of protein

-Fairlife chocolate Protein Drinks

If anyone has any other great Costco finds to share please do!