Tired!

[Bryn Dawson 9]

Ok, here's my list of things I am tired of... I needed to vent...

1. Fatigue is getting to me, holy crow. I need my metabolism or whatever it is to pick up like yesterday. Most of all, I am tired of being tired all the time.

2. Protein shakes. They don't disgust me, I just don't want them. I need to find portable-to-work foods on the soft foods diet that starts on Sunday, cause this 2-shakes-a-day crap has got to end soon.

3. Water. Oy, Water. I don't want it, I don't like it anymore, it is the bane of my existence and I am not getting enough. I just can't force it down, Crystal Light or not.

4. Head hunger. My brain is still convinced that I can eat the way I was eating before the surgery. HA. Talk about eyes being bigger than stomach!

5. My clothes are ALREADY too big. I stood up and my pants fell down. Most of you are thinking, NSV! Except I hate clothes shopping. (Maybe I will hate it less as I can fit into smaller and smaller sizes...)

6. The smell of foods I can't have. Somebody brought Taco Bell in to work. OMG. I am sitting at my desk salivating. I suppose I could have pintos & cheese, but I wouldn't be able to blenderize it first and I'm still technically on purees...

Ok, enough whining out of me. I needed to vent. Thanks for letting me. Now the positives...

1. I'm still here to BE tired.

2. No pain.

3. No nausea.

4. ABLE to drink enough water and eat purees without super-tight restriction.

5. Hitting my Protein goals.

6. I have a lot to look forward to. I am trying to see it this way!

So there's the flip side of the coin. I just have to remember it's there.

[mjs6172 2]

Just one suggestion , I found that sugar free koolaid makes me much happier about getting my Water in....and I hate drinking water! !!!!!!!!

[Bryn Dawson 9]

sf Kool-Aid, huh? What the heck, it's worth a shot! Thanks for the suggestion!

[DDA84 2]

Hahaha your post made me smile, because I'm starting to feel the exact same way! I really liked how you listed all the positives too, though. You are going to get through this "icky" phase just fine. And don't forget, broth or other thinner Soups count toward liquid intake, too. Sometimes when I can't stand the nasty sweetness of Crystal Lite anymore, I eat some chicken broth or something. It helps me!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

The terrible fatigue was something that got to me as well immediately post op. I didn't even put in any worthwhile workouts until around 4 months out. I just really didn't want to at all! I hated going to work becuase I was so miserably tired all day long. I would go into the E Stations and catch a nap sometimes during the day. It was miserable.

I do love Protein shakes and will have one every other day or so. However, right on about having several per day for weeks. That's just more than any sane person should have to endure. Don't worry though, its not forever, even though right now I'm knowing it feels like it is.

Getting your fluids in counts by all your fluids you drink throughout the day. Even your Protein Shakes. If you drink it, it counts... even your jello!! Another suggestion to try is the SF Hawaiian Punch. They come in the single serving tubes. I also would only add half a tube because the flavors were way over powering.

Head hunger is another beast all together. I still get this way even nearly a year out. I'm not positive I'll ever get over this really. Oh well, it just makes me ever more thankful for my sleeve!!! It will stop me when my brain won't.

You will enjoy clothes shopping again soon. In the mean time, I spent most of my clothes shopping at Goodwill. They have saved me thousands of dollars over the last year!

Keep your chin up! You have a lot to look forward to. The first month is by far the toughest... then it's going to be all good times.

[Bryn Dawson 9]

Getting your fluids in counts by all your fluids you drink throughout the day. Even your Protein shakes. If you drink it, it counts... even your jello!! Another suggestion to try is the SF Hawaiian Punch. They come in the single serving tubes. I also would only add half a tube because the flavors were way over powering.

I didn't know my Protein Shakes counted as fluids... I thought they counted as meals. If that's the case then I'm doing just fine on Fluid intake... that's an additional 32 oz I'm taking in every day!

You're awesome!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

I didn't know my Protein shakes counted as fluids... I thought they counted as meals. If that's the case then I'm doing just fine on Fluid intake... that's an additional 32 oz I'm taking in every day!

You're awesome!

Yes they sure do!

[cam 15]

I found the Special K Protein Water tubes and love them. They are sold at Walmart but are not with the drink mixes, instead, they are with the Vitamins and protein powders and drinks (usually close to the pharmacy). They come in strawberry-kiwi and pink lemonade. Each tube has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber! I think they taste great! Also, during my liquid phase, I became addicted to egg drop Soup from a neighborhood chinese restaurant. It is heavenly!!! I strained out the onions but left in the little egg peices as they are almost liquid. Also Miso soup was wonderful also and again, I strained the veggies but left in the tofu- extra protein. Once I found these I knew I could endure the liquid phase. Good luck to you.

[myrori 55]

I have never liked Water before or after surgery. It just does not go down well period. My current love is Diet Raspberry Snapple ice tea and Lipton diet White tea Raspberry. I look at this way, it has water in it and it has antioxidants!

[Escape_Pod 358]

I lik Ocean Spray's on-the-go sugar free powdered packets really nice - Crystal Lite is generally too sweet for me. I bought Cran-Pomegranate, and White Cran-Peach, and half a packet my 24 oz sipper of Water is enough to give me some variety.

I've quickly tired of the Protein shakes, but I converted my morning one to a Protein hot cocoa, which hits the spot for now. I add some unsweetened cocoa to it to make it actually chocolatey, plus a pinch of salt. If you want to get really fancy you could add some caramel sugar-free Syrup. :-)

I also enjoy the variety of using the Synthrax Nectars. Lemon Tea, Lemonade, Fuzzy Navel ... there are a bunch, and it's a really nice break from chocolate or vanilla. I found a website that will let you pick out up to 11 different flavors and they send you single-serving sizes of whatever you pick out as an 11-pack, cheap shipping. (Good idea because the bulk coontainers are HUGE!)

Bryn, I totally hear you on the head hunger. I encouraged my hubby to grill ribs last weekend because the weather was gorgeous (after the WORST Spring ever!), and ribs are his favorite and he'd been craving them. No sweat, I thought. I haven't been missing "real" food that much, I'm never really hungry. Well, by the time they were done and all that garlicky goodness was wafting through our living room I would have just about killed for one of those ribs. I actually settled for sucking on a bone, just for a taste of garlic and rib juice. Pure torture.

Clothes: any chance there's a decent plus-size consignment shop near you? I need to do some laundry and pull together a few things that are too big for me and check out a consignment shop some friends have raved about. Even if I don't find anything I want to buy, I'm looking forward to trying to sell some of my nicer work clothes. I've got about 5 sizes worth of my old clothes I can shrink through for awhile (serial weight loser-gainer), but nothing's fitting the same as it did last time I was at this weight. Things are too baggy in the legs and hips, too small in the waist. I thought perhaps it was just post-op swelling, but at nearly 5 weeks out I think I have to say sayonara to that theory. Frustrating!

Those first few weeks really stink - I envy you moving on to soft foods so early. I'll bet your energy levels will be up quite a bit as you start to consume more real foods. I'm still on puree for another month, and I'm pretty pleased with my energy levels most days, and I'm just a couple of weeks ahead of you.

Welcome to the roller coaster ride!! :-)

[kellyw74 258]

Have you tried MIO?? It is flavored enhancer for Water. I love it because you can put a little or alot in your water. It is NOT super sweet like Crystal Lite. I hate that stuff!

The Pomegrante berry is my favorite, but they have lots of other flavors. It is in the isle with the juices and crstal lite.

Try it, it make the water drinking so much easier and no calories are in it!

Kelly

[virtygirl 11]

I too like Mio, but I have not tried it since surgery. Other options I would suggest are flavored waters such as fruit 2 O or Propel, they help immensely. I am on the last 2 days of full liquids and I don't think I would have made it drinking plan Water only.

[TheButterfly145 9]

I've been using the true lemon stuff (its usually in the same place as the koolaid) for my Water and it has really helped.

Have you had any resolution on being tired? I constantly feel exhausted and wish I could recharge or something. I have been hoping that eating a bit more would help but it really hasn't. My motivation for almost everything feels totally deflated lately. Does anyone have suggestions or at the very least hope?

[Bryn Dawson 9]

Thanks for the support and suggestions, everybody. I appreciate it greatly.

I'm starting to feel a little less tired... every day is a little better, I think. Still working on recovery more than I thought. Tomorrow starts another week!

[MegInNOLA 531]

Y'all hang in there. I felt "okay" for the first couple of months but not really back to baseline. Now, however, at 3-1/2 months, I feel fabulous--energy is back, positive attitude is back, sense of humor is back (even when I get sick)....

Part of the recovery process is learning what works for your body, which foods when, can you or can you not eat that, get your Vitamin and med schedule set and routine, etc. It takes time, and your body needs time to get used to things and feel better. If you've had any sort of complications, difficulty eating, food intolerances, or just general frustrations, your body needs EXTRA time to get better. Go easy on yourselves and Celebrate any success--seriously, the early part of the post-surgery period is just icky, and there's no getting around that.

Some "not sweet" liquid options:

1. Soup. Whiz it up to make it smooth--just no noodles or rice. You can add nonfat powdered milk to creamy Soups to up the Protein, or add some canned chicken before you whiz, or an egg if you can tolerate them. Try the old-fashioned "icebox" Soup with Tomato juice, cut-up veggies, and seasonings--just whiz it up and store in the fridge, shake well, and add a squeeze of lemon or lime before enjoying! (Or you could go "all out" and stir in some fat-free sour cream or Greek yogurt.)

2. Tea/coffee, Decaf if you like. I prefer my tea iced and unsweetened, but I love my coffee iced with milk, almond milk, and sugar-free Hershey's. Yeah, okay, that's sweet, but it's so good I wanted to share!

3. V8 or bloody Mary mix. Just so good!! And it's one way to get at least a little "veggie" into your diet at this stage. You can make a rather nice "chickamato" juice using the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken broth and extra spicy bloody Mary mix... it's delicious with a bit of Worchestershire and/or a shot of Tabasco or a wedge of lime. You can doctor up your tomato juice (get the low sodium--less frustrating Water retention!) with fresh herbs--I love cilantro, so that's a go-to for me--just whiz it up with a little taco seasoning, and serve super cold--YUM. Very refreshing and not sweet.

Work food for me needs to be reliable--something I know I can eat and have it behave in my sleeve. Soup fills that nicely. Some folks can tolerate boiled eggs or tuna salad. I prefer soft, creamy textures when I'm working, since they tend to sit comfortably, so for me, that's Greek yogurt (I add whatever sugar-free Syrup I need to to make it taste good), cottage cheese (savory with veggies chopped fine or a sprinkling of celery salt or both), soup, iced coffee. I also use Think Thin Protein Bars, but I'm not low-carbing; they're 20 g Protein per bar and a good source for me, since I can't tolerate the Protein shakes at all.