I'm 6 days post op and I keep finding myself grazing all day. I take a sip (literally a small tiny sip) then dash away. 5 minuets later I take another. Then repeat.

Is that normal? Should I be sitting down and measuring and monitoring each and every gulp? The funny part is although I'm on all liquids (I was on clear until my md cleared me today for full liquid) I still feel so naughty doing this sip & dash dance.

You can buy melatonin anywhere,walgreens ,Walmart ,grocery stores it will be in the vitamin aisle. I take 10 mg about 20 min before I go to bed

I'd measure my food. Not because I think you're consuming too much but because I think it's important to start that habit immediately so that portioning and recording what you eat become second nature to you. Later on you'll have questions about how much you're eating and if your loss slows you'll want to know what you can do to fix that. The best way to control what you eat and to stay out of denial if bad habits slip back in is to track every mouthful of food.

So, perhaps making eight ounces of a liquid and slowly doling it out to yourself would work. In the very beginning, I think most of us eat this way. It's hard to eat the three larger meals we're used to with a stomach that's a fraction of the size!

I think I slowly grazed on food until about six months post op, when I could fit in a more reasonable amount in a sitting. At that point, it was no longer necessary to eat all day long just to hit my nutritional goals, so I transitioned to a more normal eating pattern.

What's important here is that you stay hydrated and try to get some Protein in. You're newly sleeved and that's where the biggest issues with healing come in.

It's also important to make sure that your grazing doesn't turn into a bad behavior. Meaning, don't allow that desire to slowly nibble all day make you allow yourself slider foods (and junk!) once your sleeve can tolerate it. The biggest way I see people slow their progress is by not addressing this kind of behavior. We go from being overeaters to sneaky grazers and again, the best way to stop that and stay accountable is to track your food. I did this, too - it's a learning process. So, keep yourself honest and don't worry about it unless it becomes a problem.

If you're having trouble sleeping, make sure you're not consuming way too many artificial sweeteners. I avoided them for the most part prior to surgery but post op they were a huge part of my diet, until I realized they were causing me to have trouble sleeping. In the meantime, half a melatonin tablet will do the trick, though you might feel a bit groggy in the morning. I'm more sensitive to it post op than I was prior and it really knocks me out, much the way a sleeping pill would do. Crazy, the way our bodies change.

Good luck, and congrats on your new sleeve.

~Cheri

Be careful new studies show melatonin can be quite dangerous. PLEASE check with your DR.

I work a graveyard shift. I've tried many, many things for sleep. Ambien is the best, but you have to have a prescription, and can be addictive. Also, some people have problems like "sleep eat, sleep drive and sleep sex," don't even know their doing it! Needless to say, I quit that stuff like a bad habit. I have used melatonin, and it works to help me fall asleep, but not to stay asleep. Also noticed that I tend to have crazy nightmares while using it.

Cheri,

Thanks for the excellent advice.