After Surgery

[Texasgirl 0]

:thumbup: Can anyone please tell me what life is like after sleeve surgery.Such as what you can eat or will be able to eat in the future.

Thanks

[Stacy160 201]

Different surgeons have different instructions for the days and weeks post-op. Mine had me on clears the day of, then full liquids for two weeks, purees for two weeks, soft solids for two weeks, then anything as tolerated.

In the long-term, you'll be ABLE to eat anything you want (although a small percentage of people do become lactose-intolerant after surgery, which may or may not be permanent). While you're losing though, the general rule of thumb is Protein first always, for a total of 60-100 grams a day (depending on what your surgeon instructs), 600-800 calories a day, and less than 20-40 grams of carbohydrate (again, depending on the surgeon).

Ultimately, using common sense of course, you'll be eating just like anyone else, except in much smaller portions.

[MINI-Me 196]

Stacy160 is right. After the healing process, just about anything in moderation. Watching calories and carbs while you are loosing helps you stay on target and lose that much faster.

Any other questions, just ask!

[Texasgirl 0]

How did you handle the changes in you life. In the states most of them require a psych evaluation to see if you can handle the changes. My niece had to go through a 6 month process before her gastric bypass

Thanks

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I am almost one year post op. I just got back from a Caribbean cruise where food was everywhere. I ate anything I wanted.

It's a little bit difficult to eat much meat if you eat bread when the bread basket comes, when eating out. You have to pick and choose what to eat because your portion is going to be small.

I don't have a problem with the changes in my eating habits. I take my kids to pizza once a week. I can eat one piece of pizza. I am very satisfied with that and I don't feel badly watching them polish off the rest of the pizza because I am full.

I think it's more common than a small percentage of us that become lactose intollerant after the surgery. I can eat yogurt and cheese just fine, but drinking more than a few sips of milk gives me gas and diarrhea.

If I haven't answered all your questions, just let me know.

The changes in my life are so worth it. I love wearing cute clothes again and being able to do things that there is no way I could have done, without losing 100 lbs.

[Tiffykins 673]

For me, the changes mentally weren't that difficult to deal with during my losing phase. I think I was too focused on being successful, and optimize my honeymoon phase that I didn't really mourn or grieve food that much. Of course, there were days that I wanted to cave, but staying focused on my end goal was more important than getting off track.

Now, at a little over 9 months, I honestly eat anything and everything I want. I haven't found anything that doesn't set well except overcooked, dry chicken. But, I'm not sure I know anyone who enjoys over dry chicken?

Today, I went out to lunch with my best friend to Uno's Chicago grill for lunch.< /span>

I ordered the Sirloin Steak tips with onions, rice pilaf and french onion Soup before my meal. I ate all of the broth which was about 3/4 cup of broth. None of the onions, bread, or swiss cheese. Then, I ate 5-6 of the steak tips (cooked medium), and about 1/4 cup of the rice. It took me almost an hour to eat, but it was absolutely fabulous.

I'm still never hungry. Literally, I never feel physical hunger so eating is just something I do for fuel. I still love food and eating, but having the sleeve really helps me make better choices.

On my way home at the Atlanta airport, I stopped at the chinese place at the food court, got lo mein noodles and bourbon chicken. The noodles were horrific so I only had 1 bite of them, but I ate about 6 little chunks of the bourbon chicken with one bite of a spring roll with some soy sauce.

So, I never feel deprived, never feel like I am dieting, never feel like I can't have something.

Of course, during the temporary post-op diet, your choices are limited, but it's temporary, and every week, month get better. Your restriction decreases as the swelling goes down. I can eat a lot more than I could just 4 months ago. Now, that being said, that doesn't mean I'm chowing down on huge portions. I can only eat 5-6oz of dense meat, and that takes me forever to eat. I can eat 1 cup/8ounces of more mushy/liquid foods. But, nothing compared to what I ate pre-op.