BetsyB

Every doctor has his/her own postop recommendations, and every individual has his/her own food intolerances. I moved to pureed Protein on Day 3 postop. Now I'm eating solid protein, and have added nonstarchy veggies and legumes back. Fruit comes next. My doctor does not recommend adding whole grains back until 75 percent of excess weight is lost; your doctor may be quite different! Yesterday, I had: B: Inspire Dutch chocolate Protein shake (I'm a little tighter in the morning and had a pill get stuck on Saturday night, so I was playing it safe) L: stirfry with 1 oz. each of shrimp, chicken breast, and lean beef D: red Beans (New Orleans style--as in red beans and rice, without the rice) Add in LOTS of Fluid, a Multivitamin, Co Q-10, and Vitamin D, and that's pretty typical for me. Most days I'd be eager to add a nonstarchy veggie at lunch or dinnertime, but I was not at home, and didn't want to experiment--I save that for home! Today's plan is: B: same as yesterday L: leftover red beans with a sprinkle of cheddar D: tilapia or mahi mahi and chile lime cole slaw I have yet to encounter foods I can't tolerate---but there are many I have not yet reintroduced, and do not plan to for quite some time. These include the breads, rices, and pastas that many people find get stuck. ETA: I forgot Snacks. My surgeon discourages snacking--not something we see eye to eye on, but I really am trying to reframe my thinking about food, so I do my best to avoid snacking. When I am genuinely starving--or have not met my protein quotient for the day---I do grab a protein-y snack. Something like another protein shake, a string cheese, a Babybel, parmesan crisps, a little bit of Greek yogurt with PURE unflavored whey Protein powder (www.bariatriceating.com), a little vanilla, and some Splenda stirred in---that sort of thing. Not a lot of calorie damage, and a little bump in protein.

My loss from the time I started the preop diet to my first fill was 18 pounds. I don't have an official weight for surgery day (they didn't weigh me), but according to my scale, about 8 of those were due to the preop diet. (ETA: my first fill was 4 weeks after surgery.)

Meg, our preop diets were basically the same. And yes--I did feel the way you describe. It got better after a few days, when my liver started to release its glycogen stores. But it is quite difficult at times, emotionally. The preop diet sort of underlines for us the enormity of the coming changes. One thing I can tell you for certain: IT is the hard part. It truly is. If you can get through it, you will do just fine postop.

I like unflavored Protein in Soups, broth, chili, and Greek yogurt (with a little vanilla and splenda). As for the BP--how far postop are you? Are you under an unusual amount of stress? Is it possible that you have "white coat syndrome"---meaning that your BP elevates simply in response to having it measured? All of the things mentioned--sodium, excess weight, and so on---can affect blood pressure. But sometimes it's just idiopathic---it just is. My mother and grandmother had astronomical BP despite very low-sodium diets and being of normal-to-low weight. That genetic trait sent me RUNNING to the doctor when mine crept up just a little from a lifelong baseline of 110/70. I'm on low-dose meds now, but suspect I will be taken off the next time I see my internist. I'm glad you're seeing your doctor about this soon. If you're concerned, it would not be inappropriate to ask for an appointment sooner.

Well, that's just the thing, Jacqui---you do have to make allowances for that. AND you have to take any calculation of how many calories an exercise burns with a ginormous grain of salt. If I enter walking @ 4 mph for 50 minutes into fitday, it tells me I've used 207 calories, based on my weight. If I enter the same information into realizemysuccess, it tells me I've used 388. Do I believe either? No. I figure I've burned a handful of calories my body needed to burn. But I never believe what a machine or online calculator tells me, in terms of calorie burn. Exercising does permit me to eat more---but at this point, with so much left to lose, I am choosing not to make use of the leeway most of the time. When I hit maintenance, I know it will be what allows me far greater flexibility in terms of food vigilance. Plus, it makes me feel a whole boatload better, both physically and emotionally. The latter may be more important to me than just about any other aspect.

I understand your anxieties--but would like to reassure you it will be okay. First, you can get through the preop diet. It's not fun, but it's doable--none of us have yet perished from it! Just adopt the attitude that failure is not an option, and you'll be golden. As for caring for a toddler---well, that's trickier! But you've got a couple of things working in your favor. First, your daughter is more mobile now than she was---so instead of lifting her into your arms or lap, you can tell her, "My tummy hurts and I can't pick you up, but I will sit down on the sofa, and you can climb into my lap." Toddlers her age are developing empathy, so this is actually a good thing for her, developmentally. Having her be your "helper" is also a good idea. Your doctor's instructions may vary from mine, but I had a lifting restriction for 4 weeks. As a mom, I'm pretty sure I could have managed this with an 18-month-old. I was good for the running-around part of parenting almost immediately---a couple of days of downtime, and I was good to go (though sore and more easily tired). If you can devise strategies to minimize lifting, you'll be a-okay.

Every doctor has his or her own recommendations; it's not unusual to get instructions like yours---so don't worry :biggrin: My doctor did have a 2-week preop diet. It consisted of 2 shakes and 1 meal consisting of 4 oz. lean Protein and 1/2 cup nonstarchy veggies each day. I could also have limited amounts of sugar-free Jello, sugar-free popsicles, and broth. This was not designed for weight loss, but rather to spur the liver to give up its glycogen stores, making it smaller & easier to maneuver around during surgery.

It's really, really hard---but we all have to give up stuff we love for that finite period of time. And we all survive. broth is a great idea. But failing that, you really just have to make relapse a non-option. For the next several weeks, you will be telling yourself, "no!" quite a lot; it's not fun, but it's necessary to your success. The GOOD news is that once you're back on solid foods, Protein will be the mainstay of your diet, and you will be able to enjoy all the meat you can tolerate again. Try not to interpret this short-term diet as a forever thing. It's not. You can defer your gratification because you know you'll have the meat you're craving again.

I agree that for most people, it is a calories in/calories out thing. I'm not 'most people,' I've found. I've tracked my intake on fitday for years, and when all other things are equal, I lose better on less carb and more Protein. It defies logic, drives me bonkers, and for years I rebelled against it...much to the detriment of my midsection and butt. But it is what it is---and I've learned I just have to accept it and work with it. I would never tell anyone else they had to do it in order to have success. But I do.

The Protein in the protein shots is not as bioavailable as whey protein isolate. I really like the Inspire shakes at bariatriceating.com. If you're sick of sweet shakes, their PURE unflavored whey protein isolate powder is undetectable in broth, soup, Greek yogurt, and so on.

I wonder whether sipping a warm liquid OTHER than coffee might be a good option? Coffee can be pretty irritating to the stomach, and if yours is already irritated, it might be making a bad situation worse.

I am more comfortable with the least-invasive route possible. That was my primary reason for choosing the band. I think the sleeve is an interesting procedure, and will be interested in watching its long-term success/complication rate; it's still considered experimental. Which brings me to the second reason I chose the band: it's not experimental. And that leads directly to the third reason: my insurance won't cover experimental procedures! If, for some reason, I encounter difficulties down the road, I would consider revision to the sleeve if it turns out to be as promising as it seems. But I am confident in my decision to go with the band, at this point, and have no reason to think I will have problems.

I do exactly the same thing! So many things have become totally un-pouchworthy.

It may not be practical for you as a preop option, but Bariatric Eating (BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for protein, vitamins, and success.) has EXCELLENT proteins. I really love the Inspire line...Dutch chocolate cake + unsweetened almond milk is heavenly.

It gets easier! When your liver starts releasing its glycogen stores, you'll feel lots better :biggrin:

Welcome, Melissa :biggrin:

Welcome, Belinda! The timing of surgery depends on your insurance and your doctor's schedule. I, too, had a three-month nutrition supervision. After that, it took about 3 weeks for insurance approval; it was near the holidays, or I suspect it would have been faster. The holidays also pushed back my surgery date a bit; from first appointment to OR, it took just over 5 months. Your mileage may vary, though!

I'm an RN, too--so I understand your reluctance to make a mountain out of a molehill. (This is what can make us VERY bad patients!) I'd ask the doc to call in an antibiotic. If you do it tomorrow, maybe things will be cleared up enough for your fill on Thursday. And I'd lose the dressing, pronto, unless there is so much drainage that you're concerned it will get on your clothes. Otherwise, I think you're doing all the right things--keeping it clean, using Bacitracin, etc.

Even without perfect restriction, your stomach capacity is significantly smaller. Your smaller stomach gets full---but because there's less-than-optimal restriction, empties faster than ideal. I don't know anyone whose hunger stays at bay for 6-7 hours, though. I'm not sure that's a realistic goal. I'll be ecstatic with 4.

I can't diagnose what's going on, but agree that it's important that your doctor do so. Please call him tomorrow.

The liver stores carbohydrate in the form of glycogen. When carbohydrate is restricted, the body draws on this store for energy. Yes, fat is also lost with weight loss. But that's not what the preop diet is all about. It's about depleting glycogen stores.

Elcee, I do think there is more emphasis on low-carb here---but only among a handful of physicians, and (it seems) only during the weight loss phase. You know, when we already have enough energy stores plastered on our thighs and bums to sustain us for a decade! I don't think that, for most people, going low-carb is a necessity. For many, it's purely an energy in-energy out thing. For some of us (and I am among them), there is a degree of metabolic resistance that responds better to paring down on carbs. Not the good stuff (veggies, legumes, etc.). Just the junkier stuff that we're all better off without. I suspect that the U.S. has more of the garbage-y stuff, more readily available, than Australia, but I may be wrong. I think my surgeon's primary rationale for promoting low-carb eating is that he really wants his patients to restructure the way they eat. Committing to eating this way for the first year gives us adequate time to get a good handle on the weight loss, and reframe our relationship with food. It's not the low-carb regimen, per se, that gives his patients a higher success rate than is most often achieved in this country. It's the overhaul of eating habits, in general. If you rethink your relationship with food quite thoroughly, you're less apt to slide (no pun intended) back into bed with the junky stuff that goes down easily. It's not a bad approach, though it IS quite restrictive. With the band, however, it is not difficult--as long as you approach it with the understanding that life is life, and there will be occasions when you do deviate from the plan. And that's okay.

This sounds great! For those of us who count carbs, I looked up the nutritional information, and found that it has 30 g carb/4 g fiber.

Bandwife, I'm sorry for your husband's difficulties. Like fourme mentioned, you might want to start a thread so that you get more responses--I think your topic might get buried here. You can get a LOT of great feedback. It might not always be what you want to hear, but you will get good alternative perspectives that can help you formulate your own plan. Why don't you start a thread and tell us a little more about what is going on with your husband. When was he banded? How much fill does he have? What does he typically eat in a day, and in what quantity? How much has he lost? It sounds as though he might need a little unfill. Many of us do have foods we cannot tolerate--though your husband seems to have many, and lots of them are things one might expect to be able to eat after 2 years. How long has it been since he's seen his surgeon? Does his surgeon do fills under fluoroscopy? Once he's at a good fill level, he may be far happier with the band. No, it's not guaranteed. There are people who have difficulties on an ongoing basis. And the odds of this being the case increase the longer a problem remains unaddressed. PLEASE encourage him to see his doctor---rule out problems like erosion, slippage, etc., then hit a good fill level. It may take some time and tweaking, but it may make all the difference in the world for him. Even then, he may still have foods, like steak, that he cannot tolerate. And he may have to reluctantly accept that--and accept that his family can still eat it. But that will be far easier for him to tolerate if he's not struggling with everything he eats. (It's also perfectly reasonable for you to remind him that soothing himself with "treats" after a stuck episode works against his band and increases his dissatisfaction with it; in this respect, he is not exercising appropriate personal responsibility. It's understandable, and I certainly am not judging. But his body would benefit more if he were to choose liquids or mushies that have nutritional benefit.)

Welcome, 2GoodDogs--I'm a dog lover, too :smile2: Bob, I think we can pretty much direct our attitudes. It really does help things go more smoothly, as long as we're not squashing important emotions that need to be felt. (I say this only because I am the queen of repression--which explains every.single.extra.pound on my body.) I have been experiencing orthostatic hypotension, too--time to have the BP checked, I think. Hummingbird, bowling sounds fun! Gloria, I'm glad you had a lovely dinner. We've been having gorgeous weather, too. Truman and I have been walking at least once--usually twice--a day to soak up the sun. I love this area (Chicago-ish), but miss the Texas sun. I may have to go down to visit my daughter once she returns to school. (A little Houston humidity will make me grateful, again, for my wimpier sunrays.) My personal trainer is giving me the stinkeye and pacing--I'd better lace up my shoes and find his leash. Have a great day, everyone!