JoiaRox

I've been on this stage for a week - granted, everyone's NUT has different recommendations, but here are my common foods: Fat-free refried beans (w/melted cheese or Laughing Cow wedges) Any soup that sounds yummy - blended up in my magic bullet (loaded baked potato - YUM!) Greek yogurt Mashed potatoes (again, add some Laughing Cow wedges - extra protein & flavor!) Protein shakes (although I'm more creative with them now - google some recipes!) Turkey Chili (either blended or not - if not, I chew any chewable pieces up really well first!) Scrambled eggs - small bites, go slow! My NUT and doctor said, essentially, I can eat anything that doesn't require chewing (although I have to chew my eggs...but they said those were okay!). I was also told that I should try one food at a time to see how my body reacts - tuna canned in water, for instance, is "allowed" on my list of puree foods, but I'm too scared to try it quite yet. I was reminded at my follow up earlier this week to just go slow, introduce foods one at a time, and remember that you are NOT healed yet! I do drink coffee with creamer and unsweetened iced tea...oh, and plenty of water! Caffeine has never been a "no no" for me, but I'm not allowed to try carbonated drinks until I'm 30 days post-op. Hope that helps! If nothing else, you could get a Quarter Pounder w/Cheese and throw it in a blender!!

I've since tried Chobani's flavored Greek yogurts and LOVE them! I don't even want to eat regular yogurt anymore because they can't compare with the protein content of Greek!

Yikes! unjury protein powders have been my secret! That and Chobani Greek yogurt!

Love the chicken soup powder in cream of chicken soup! Yum!

Interesting...I was getting all of my protein in (70g/day minimum) by Day 5 post-op...and was on liquids for 2 weeks.

I'll explain it a million times if it means that WLS (and, specifically, the sleeve) can be understood as a TOOL to help me in my lifelong journey for health and wellness. "Your stomach is the size of a football. Mine's the size of a banana..." I've been lucky not to encounter negativity (to my face anyway)...perhaps it's the former teacher in me? I'm not ashamed of who I am, how big I am (or not), the tool I chose to utilize, etc. Negativity is usually bred from ignorance - ain't no one got time for that.

Absolutely. I mentioned to my doctor at my follow up appointment on Day 6 post-op that I had consumed 24oz of water on my way to his office from my home (roughly 1 hour drive time) - he didn't bat an eye and congratulated me on a speedy recovery!

If you're thirsty, you're thirsty. It may be awhile before you can meet the daily fluid AND protein requirements - just keep listening to your body and "feeding" it what it needs. You're only 12 days out - it will get easier!

This, too, shall pass. I know it seems rough - but you'll get there! You'll soon Celebrate the pounds coming off, the ability to drink to your heart's content, and the ability to eat just a few bites of REAL food and feel full. Keep your eye on the prize!

While I can't speak to the same circumstances, I'm also going through somewhat of an awkward move. When my boyfriend and I moved into this house last August, we signed a 2-year lease. I was confident in my employer and we had decided to "settle" into this area. Lo and behold, I was laid off right before Thanksgiving with a Dec. 31 end date. I spent time looking for new work and, thankfully, was re-employed at the end of January...but in a different state. Granted, the Washington, D.C. area has many states nearby - I thought I could commute the 38 miles to my new office in Maryland (I'm in Virginia now), but the traffic of this area is making me spend 3-4 hours a day on the road (for a total round trip mileage of only 76 miles!!). I got to the point, immediately pre-op, where I just couldn't keep spending my life commuting and asked the property manager for my place if we could break the lease. We were allowed to break the lease, but (a) I'm losing my entire deposit ($1,650) to "re-listing fees," ( I have to pay rent on this house until someone else takes over and ( I have to pay utilities here until someone else takes over - this is all in the effort not to cost the property owner a dime because of our inability to complete the lease. I had my surgery on June 7 and have been stressing about the "what if" since then. Luckily, we found and were approved for a home in Maryland last weekend, but we won't sign the lease until July 7. We were hoping to get out of this house in mid-July to allow the owner time to clean the house properly for a new tenant, but our new home won't be ready until August 1 (I'm hoping that when we sign the lease on July 7, we can negotiate a few days earlier - even if we have to clean our new home ourselves). Of course, our current property manager just e-mailed yesterday and said someone has been approved to move in to our current home (yay!)...and how soon can we be out?! Ugh. The cost of staying in a hotel and putting our things in storage is not cost effective. I told him we planned to leave July 31, as our new home wouldn't be ready to move into until August 1. I told him we *could* be out earlier if it was absolutely necessary, but told him that would not be ideal. His reply e-mail? "It is what it is." I'm completely stressed about the transition - I'd love to get out earlier so that they can clean, paint and have someone move in by August 1 - wouldn't cost me a dime more in rent, utilities, etc. (I'd still lose my deposit - although I'm curious to see THAT bill because my boyfriend was the one who did all the house showing - we haven't seen the property managers). Every day into August that someone does NOT move in will cost me more money. And, of course, it could be that the people who were approved don't want to wait that long to move in, so they may say "screw it" and then we're right back to where we started in showing the house and looking for a new tenant to take over the rent and utilities. I'm hoping all of the timing will be settled up after we sign our new lease on July 7, but it SUCKS not being able to make my moving plans, budget plans, etc. In the meantime, I know my surgery bills from June 7 will start rolling in after insurance processes and pays their parts, so I'm trying to make this move and lease breaking be as CHEAP as possible so that I have money leftover to start working on hospital bills. Perhaps that's why my scale has stalled for awhile? Damn you stress. As I see it, I agree with what you wrote - the fact that my weight hasn't gone UP is a victory. I know things will eventually settle, we'll both be happily in our new homes, and some new stressor in life will appear. We'll continue to fight for our health, regardless. I remind myself to keep choosing the right foods (Protein, fluids) - the weight WILL come off.

I work in Rockville! I'll be moving to Germantown on August 1 - the commute from Woodbridge, VA is gruesome!

Yeah - it was over a week before my first BM and it was PAIN - FUL (to say the least). Luckily, that's the only issue I had...have been regular since.

Only regret is that I didn't do it sooner! When I stopped to be honest with myself - I wasn't going to "seriously diet one more time." Sure, I could have...and I probably would have, eventually, gained that weight back (again). C'est la vie. I can donate a portion of my stomach to the HazMat container if it means I can get healthy, once and for all!

Breathe. Soon you'll be recovering and enjoying your new life! Come on over to the loser's bench - it's amaaaazing over here!

Depends on the doctor and patient! I have coffee every day without problem - started drinking it in my first week post-op. My NUT doesn't care as long as the coffee doesn't interfere with my ability to get protein/liquids/vitamins in each day! Mmmmm coffee

My signs are usually hiccups or general fullness in my chest - very similar to LapBand restriction, but much more pronounced! When you eat sloooooowly, these signs (or something like them) make themselves available to you!

No carbonation until 30 days post-op...and then only if I want to/am comfortable with it. Caffeine, on the other hand, is just fine - been drinking coffee since my first week post-op.

P.S. Just like the LapBand? You'll know when it's time to stop...or slow down...the restriction post-op is amaaaaazing compared with the "restriction" I had with my band

That long on liquids?! Yikes! I was on "clear liquids" for the first three days post-op, then on "full liquids" until Day 14 - and even that included yogurt. Day 15 brought the transition to purees - so, essentially, I can eat anything that doesn't require chewing. I'll be in this stage until Day 29 (beginning of 5th week post-op). I've been advised that as I move through the stages, continue to go slow when introducing new foods and consistencies to see how your stomach handles them. Honestly, my doctor said any surgery complications were gone within the first 48 hours, so it's unlikely I'll "bust a gut" at this point (3 weeks post-op today). However, taking it slow and introducing foods slowly (and one at a time - in case any problem develops with digestion, I know what caused it) is the key to recovery. My doctor *did* say that weeks 2-3 were the most critical for recovery. I guess I'm past that now! My recovery has been textbook and my doc has been quite pleased at the two follow-up appointments I've had so far, so I must be doing something right!

I'm sure snow cones would be fine, as it's nothing more than flavored ice chips (which I was given in the hospital). Stick to sugar free, though, as the sugar can cause you digestive issues this early!

I'd recommend sticking with liquids until you feel better. Either your tummy didn't like the chicken or the "buffalo" - have you had either before (post-op)? Sounds like you did everything you were supposed to - sometimes our tummies just don't want to agree!