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Post Op Changes.... Meal Time Is No Longer A Delight



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Since surgery 2/22/12..... My diet has changed I no longer enjoy eating I barely eat I don't like anything anymore and the strangest thing my tongue is extra sensitive...certain goods irritate it....I most of the time have barely 300 calories a day because I will start eating something then feel like I don't want it then stop... My typical day is tea when I wake I'm not hungry until about 2 pm then I will have a few bites of something and by the time I can drink the drink fills me up sometimes I don't have another meal if you can call it meals...... I call it taste testing....I hate Water now I drink all day but I don't eat all day the only thing my mouth like is iced Decaf tea... I want to know if any body at this stage had these issues and how long do it last??? I would like to find something to eat that I can eat....

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Are you drinking Protein drinks though? It is really very important to get at least the minimum of 60g of Protein per day even if ou dont eat.I am only 3 weeks out and think about food a lot but cannot find anything that feels ok to eat either.

It will change.I have seen with my friends that time does change the eating thing again.Just get your protein and try something different to eat every day.

Good luck.

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We got fat because meal time was a delight. Eating is simply a daily requirement like brushing your teeth now. Get used to it.

That's the truth! I switched to mushies today and went grocery shopping last night - what a reality check!

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I agree I still have craving but...I'm discourage by the fact that I can only take a 3-4 bite before I'm full so I drink healthy drink. I Did eat mm yesterday :(

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I'm also struggling with this........Not much appeals to me and I could easily not eat anything for much of the day every day. I'm trying really hard to get in what I know I am supposed to but am having a hard time. Although I don't regret my decision for one minute, it is frustrating to only be able to take in a few bites and be finished. I am lucky enough to actually be liking Water MORE than I did before surgery and Fluid intake is the only thing that is not a problem for me. I am doing great on getting in my water but struggling mostly with getting in enough calories and it is showing on the scale now. I am not losing now and know that is probably the reason. Hang in there, you aren't alone :)

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The mental part of this is MUCH harder than anything physical. It takes mental effort to push away that food when you are satisfied and not keep pushing until you feel stuffed. It's difficult dealing with that fact that you can only have 5-6 bites of something that tastes good and thats it.

However, its doable. Its worth it.....and I wouldn't trade the health benefits for any food.< /p>

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Are you drinking Protein drinks though? It is really very important to get at least the minimum of 60g of Protein per day even if ou dont eat.I am only 3 weeks out and think about food a lot but cannot find anything that feels ok to eat either.

It will change.I have seen with my friends that time does change the eating thing again.Just get your protein and try something different to eat every day.

Good luck.

Can't drink those makes me sick to my stomach...

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We got fat because meal time was a delight. Eating is simply a daily requirement like brushing your teeth now. Get used to it.

I know eating is different now but I don't want to eat nor do I barely eat nothing and I know that can't be healthy just like being fat isn't.. I'm saying I like get full on a few bites but there is no food that I like or want to eat so I'm not getting in any calories some times ie yesterday I had two small bites of chix breast that's it for the entire day

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I agree I still have craving but...I'm discourage by the fact that I can only take a 3-4 bite before I'm full so I drink healthy drink. I Did eat mm yesterday :(

Yeah I've had craving but that doesn't bother me anymore.. My thing is I'm not getting food in I get my liquids cuz the only thing I can stand to drink is iced Decaf tea... I'm always tired no energy....

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I'm also struggling with this........Not much appeals to me and I could easily not eat anything for much of the day every day. I'm trying really hard to get in what I know I am supposed to but am having a hard time. Although I don't regret my decision for one minute' date=' it is frustrating to only be able to take in a few bites and be finished. I am lucky enough to actually be liking Water MORE than I did before surgery and Fluid intake is the only thing that is not a problem for me. I am doing great on getting in my Water but struggling mostly with getting in enough calories and it is showing on the scale now. I am not losing now and know that is probably the reason. Hang in there, you aren't alone :)[/quote']

Thanks this is exactly what I'm trying to say

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You need to find some Protein sources you can tolerate. You don't have to love them or enjoy them, but you need to be able to get them down.

I can't imagine that long-term you can continue to eat 300 calories a day with almost no Protein and not become very, very sick.

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I felt like this about 2-8 weeks out as well... I had a lot of anxiety about eating the wrong thing and messing my sleeve up... I had to take a step back and relax... I worked on staying hydrated and tried to find a good Protein drink/soft food that I could tolerate...

Also, I don't think you should wait until you're hungry to eat or drink.. That can cause you to be malnourished and dehydrated... I had to put myself on a schedule... When I eat/drink on schedule, I get 64+ oz of Water in and eat between 65-80 grams of Protein. Have you experiment w/ many foods?? I think I ate eggs, Tomato bisque Soup and chicken sausage for a month!! These were the only foods that I could eat w/o feeling grossed out..

I couldn't have Protein shakes for 3 weeks or so post-surgery.. once I did, I felt better... Now, I enjoy my meal time.. I actually can savor each bite,... all 6-8 of them.. I look at it as, I don't have space to waste on horrible tasting, non-nutritious junk!!... No, that doesn't work all the time for me.. b/c I still love Cheetos!! LOL...

But it's a start.. I hope this helps a bit..And I do believe things will get better!!!

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FavoredOne, I feel ya on the cheetos!! :) I agree that putting yourself on a schedule is almost a requirement. I eat at pretty set times and I carry premier Protein bars just so I can hit my times on busy days. On slow days, I just do the best I can to eat real food instead of the bars.

Early post-op it is difficult to get in all the Water and all the Protein, but you need to keep experimenting. The mindset does change. I am literally at a point where food either is or is not protein. I'm hitting a sea change right now because I'm trying to add in some good carbs in order to be able to work out without feeling exhausted halfway through. Weights, calisthenics and cardio every day have pointed out the deficiencies in my diet, so I'm having to rework things to make good carbs a healthy part of my diet.. Unfortunately, cheetos aren't good carbs! ;)

Just keep trying to find that balance where you can eat your protein and get your Water in daily. It does take time, but letting your calories stay below 300 a day is going to stop your weight loss because your body really will be in starvation mode. Not getting in enough nutrition will also lead to more skin damage and most of us are trying to minimize the impact on our skin, I think.

Good luck!! It does get easier with time.

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My surgeon told me that the first 3 weeks we burn fat. Then we start burning muscle if we're not getting our Protein in. So I love my Protein Drinks now bc they give me energy and help with eating healthy. It does suck at first but we adjust and get into our routine and then feel great about it. It is hard to not like the taste, but that could have something to do with ketosis. Meaning your not getting a lot of carbs so our body enters a state of ketosis where we are burning fat. Ketosis should e looked up on the internet to get a better understanding of it. You can do this the healthy way, or the unhealthy way and end up back in the hospital. I chose the healthy way. Hang in there and it will get better..... ;)

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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