HELP...I don't know when to eat!

[decamom 31]

Hi all,

I am 3 weeks and 4 days out from my surgery. I have been lurking around on this forum for a while but now I have a question I would really like help with.

When do you eat? I find that I am still sipping my liquids (protein drinks and water) all day long to get in enough fluids and Protein. I am allowed pureed foods now (altho I eat soft foods and chew them really really well). I am thinking that I shouldn't really be constantly putting this stream of fluids into my new tum tum but if I don't , I can never get in enough. My average is 50 oz Water and 70 gr protein right now all from drinks. I am getting in a spoonful or so of salmon salad 2x per day and about 1/4 of a poached egg. I eat maybe 3 or 4 SF popsicles daily too.

I read somewhere that you should eat (chew food) every 3 hours. Does that sound right? Is it that important? Maybe I am expecting too much too soon. I certainly found out what my new sleeve feels like when I eat too fast! UGH!

One wonderful thing I want to share...I am a stomach sleeper and last night I was able to sleep on my belly for the first time! OH JOY!!

Thank you all for this wonderful forum. It is so helpful to me. Now if I can just figure out how to put a weight loss ticker on here...I will be golden!

LAURA

p.s I am down 34 lbs since I first began this journey last year! YIPPEE!

[mb20mom 9]

Are you experiencing hunger? If so I would say just eat when you're hungry. It's great that you're staying up on your fluids and Protein, so it sounds like you're fine as long as you feel good. When your swelling goes down more you'll be comfortable eating more spoonfuls at a time. Your calores must be low on such small amounts though, so try to get in more bites of food. Try refried Beans, mashed potatoes, egg salad, tuna salad, Soup...but if you don't fell like you have enough energy and feel weak, I've heard many say they feel better by getting some quick carbs in from ice cream.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Hi decamom, glad you came out and played wtih us!

In the very beginning it is really difficult to get all you should in. Right now just relax and keep getting in your fluids as you have been. IMO, it sounds like you are really doing quite well. No need to fix it up unless its broken.

In time and in the coming weeks, eating and drinking will get much easier. It actually took me the first 2 whole months before I was able to eat some and drink some on a regular basis. It's ok to take your time, in fact it is preferred.

Also, click this link, it is the ticker tutorial:

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/13516-ticker-tutorial-for-vst-lbt-with-pictures/page__pid__153616#entry153616

HTH!!!

[Husky2Healthy 1]

Man, this makes me feel like a freak. I have absolutely no problems drinking or keeping food down. I have to restrict my eating to half a cup of pureed food with a baby spoonper sitting and then I must tell myself to stop. I am 3 weeks post-op, I keep on telling myself, 'Yes, you had surgery and you will feel restriction once you go to solids, just follow the plan and don't push it!'

I finally called my doctor and I was informaed I was not eating often enough. I was going 3-4 hours between 1/2 cup meals. He told me to bump it up to half a cup every 2.5-3 hours. But this was my doctor for my sleeve. Never be afraid to call your doctor and ask. My docotor's Nurse Paractitioner said, it is very common to hear from his patients one a week for the first month or so. Keep a pad nearby, write down your list of questions when you get to a few, call your doctor and ask. You are not on this journey alone, and look to him to be your guide and shepard for the first couple of months. And never be afraid to bounce it off us older sheep <grin>

[samantha209 19]

Husky if it makes u happy I felt the same way all along, and today for the first time I threw up

trust me we did have surgery

[Foxbins 625]

I was on fluids only for the first month and I did fine. Now I am not hungry so I eat to meet my Protein and Fluid goals; generally that's 4-6 times a day. I'm not really eating "meals." I'll have a Protein Shake in the morning, then later, 3 oz of shrimp, and then a couple of hours later a slice of turkey, maybe some cottage cheese for dinner...with Water and Calcium in between. I can't eat enough at a "meal" to meet my goal of 60-70gms of protein so I have to do it this way.

[Beadingnurse 116]

I was on fluids only for the first month and I did fine. Now I am not hungry so I eat to meet my Protein and Fluid goals; generally that's 4-6 times a day. I'm not really eating "meals." I'll have a Protein shake in the morning, then later, 3 oz of shrimp, and then a couple of hours later a slice of turkey, maybe some cottage cheese for dinner...with Water and Calcium in between. I can't eat enough at a "meal" to meet my goal of 60-70gms of protein so I have to do it this way.

My intake is very much like Foxbins. My doc prefers that we eat only 3 meals a day and nothing with calories in between but I can't eat enough during just 3 meals a day so I am splitting my calories up over 4 or 5 mini meals. A typical lunch for me at work is to take about 1/3 of a can of tuna fish w/fat free mayo, have a greek yogurt or cottage cheese as a snack. Breakfast might be a Protein Shake or a piece of deli meat with a bit of cheese. Maybe over time I will be able to reduce my eating to traditional meal times but that feels a long way away right now. I don't really have hunger but the appetite is still going strong!

[GreenEyedMamma 5]

I have to eat on a schedule or else I will forget to eat. I have Breakfast at 7:30am, a mid-morning snack at 10am, lunch at 11:30 or 12, mid-afternoon snack at 3, and dinner at 5:30. I drink between 80-96 ounces of Water throughout the entire day. My meals are usually between 1/2 and 3/4 cup (snack is a mini babybel cheese round) and I usually get in between 80-100 grams of Protein a day. I plan my meals ahead of time so if I see that I am going to be on the low end of Protein, I will slip a protein shake in there somewhere during the day.

It took me a while to get adjusted to eating on a schedule because prior to surgery my stomach was the boss. BUT now I have control and I have to tell myself that it is time to eat (which still amazes me).

[Margaret 4]

Sounds as if you're doing quite well! I started feeling LOW on energy around 3 weeks. some of it was lower bp but once I upped real food-----more seafood and a little salt and more Water I felt a lot better. Even a Gatorade few sips helped. I could pretty much eat a whole egg from the get-go----add a little melted cheese to a scrambled egg, try Jimmy Dean turkey sausage----microwave 1 minute and it's very soft!

Hi all,

I am 3 weeks and 4 days out from my surgery. I have been lurking around on this forum for a while but now I have a question I would really like help with.

When do you eat? I find that I am still sipping my liquids (protein drinks and water) all day long to get in enough fluids and Protein. I am allowed pureed foods now (altho I eat soft foods and chew them really really well). I am thinking that I shouldn't really be constantly putting this stream of fluids into my new tum tum but if I don't , I can never get in enough. My average is 50 oz Water and 70 gr Protein right now all from drinks. I am getting in a spoonful or so of salmon salad 2x per day and about 1/4 of a poached egg. I eat maybe 3 or 4 SF popsicles daily too.

I read somewhere that you should eat (chew food) every 3 hours. Does that sound right? Is it that important? Maybe I am expecting too much too soon. I certainly found out what my new sleeve feels like when I eat too fast! UGH!

One wonderful thing I want to share...I am a stomach sleeper and last night I was able to sleep on my belly for the first time! OH JOY!!

Thank you all for this wonderful forum. It is so helpful to me. Now if I can just figure out how to put a weight loss ticker on here...I will be golden!

LAURA

p.s I am down 34 lbs since I first began this journey last year! YIPPEE!

[Raine 170]

I am 4 weeks out and I split it up through out the day.

Wake up Protein shake

Midmorning at work, greek yogurt

lunch bare burito or baked potatoe or I'll have about 3 oz of deli meat and cheese

Midafternoon shake or greek yogurt

dinner 3oz of what ever meat hubby is making

Evening Protein Shake

My issue before was that I ate until I was over full and I am finding that I do the same a little bit now. Not to the point of getting sick but being really full. I still only get in about 3 oz when actually eating food.

Gotta work on that.

[Husky2Healthy 1]

Thanks Samantha, in a really warped way that give me hope that I will experience that soon too. Thanks for being honest and sharing!

[juliarh 35]

I still have to remind myself to eat -- I do it on a schedule -- breakfast, something at 10 am, lunch, something at 3 pm, dinner, and then maybe a snack afterwards. I usually do not experience hunger until around dinnertime -- and this has just been happening lately (I'm 8 mos. out) --so just make sure you eat on a schedule and don't worry about not feeling hunger -- if you're getting in your Protein, that's the main thing