I'm a very tight sleeve. I got exactly what I didn't want. I top out at about 3 ounces per "meal" so my meals are almost exclusively Protein. Frankly, once I am out from under the watchful eye of my program I intent to assist the protein with drinks so I have space to eat a bit of other foods, especially once veggies are in season. But right now that's forbidden. Well, I'm lucky if I can get 500 calories a day. And I'm not losing much weight. So the suggestion back was that I need to add cardio into my routine to kick my metabolism into gear. Frankly, there are days when I am lucky to get home from work I am so fatigued that adding cardio in right now is a pipe dream. But I was wondering what those of you who are expert on this process think about this suggestion? Is there a point where an extreme low calorie diet and adding something like cardio into the plan becomes dangerous? Did anyone do this?

I am not. I know it would not be safe for me right now. My body is giving me the answer. I could barely mow the lawn this weekend. I was so wiped out by the job, which I broke into 3 segments, that I'm calling around for estimates to get someone to do it for me the rest of this summer. And I'm cheap and broke so that should tell you how little I feel able to exercise right now!

Thank you for any opinions and experience.

i am going to make my Protein drink later and put some Peanut Butter in it. i guess i just need to be creative and find ways to up my calories without eating them (so to speak).

I find peanut butter to be the single best addition to my post-op diet so far. I used to not like it much pre-op, but now it tastes like heaven to me. It goes down well, fills me up pretty quickly though, and has good carb and protein stats. I just told my husband we have to bring our jar on holiday with us (it can't be found everywhere, so I never know when I'll find it!) because I'm scared of trying to get enough calories without it. My snack every night (my after-dinner snack, which is on my plan -- 'late snack') is a spoon of peanut butter that I nibble on for a few minutes till it's all gone. Delish.

Well, y'all know I'm right there with you, 6 weeks out (sleeved 4/18) and still unable to eat more than 2 tablespoons of food at a time at the most--the amount of food I can eat seems to have actually gotten smaller since I first started mushies. On top of the small amount of food I can handle, I have a VERY limited and ever-changing repertoire of foods that my sleeve will accept...I've been ill every day since surgery except for a 4-day run last week with no throwing up (best 4 days of my life so far post-sleeve!). Prilosec made a difference, but that's not the only issue, obviously. I have no experience with bulimia/anorexia or any sort of yo-yo dieting pre-sleeve, so I don't think it's a "head" issue, if that makes sense.

SO I got depressed and angry and then I got sensible and made a plan. I eat a small amount of food every 3 hours. If it stays down, great. If not, I try something else at the next 3-hour point. I don't push the amount of food--that's a sure-fire way to lose it--and I eat slowly, small bites, thoroughly chewed. I have 1 sip of Water after eating to clear my throat, and that's it for drinking close to meals.

I don't worry about calories or carbs at all right now. Frankly, I NEED the calories and the energy. This is really different from what others are doing, I know, but I don't seem to fit any of the "norms" of recovery, and I do need to have my brain and body working to be able to function and do my job. Exercise-wise, I occasionally walk, and I'm a choir director (which is surprisingly physically taxing), and I'm not likely to add anything more strenuous than that for a while, until I can routinely get my calories above 800 (I run between 300 and 400 most days).

It is what it is. Once I came to peace with that, I was fine--and stalls SUCK!!! I have had 2 week-long stalls that seemed to only break when I was able to get a few days' worth of okay eating in.

We can do it, ladies!!! Just hang in there, make a plan, and go with it. I imagine we'll feel so much better about this in about 6 months. It's hard to feel good about it at this point, at least for me, but it's here, it's real, and I have to deal with it.

Edited to add that I LOVE Peanut Butter and use it daily.

Meg