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Hello!

I'm new to the site, I'm scheduled for a sleeve "orientation" in two weeks to make sure I'm 100% decided on this before moving forward.

I have a question for those of you who know more about the post-op eating than I do:

I've calorie counted for over two years now, lost 60# so far (went from 368 to 308, 6' tall, 23 yrs old) and one thing I've heard over and over is that I shouldn't let my calories drop too low. I wear a bodymedia to track my body's burn level and never let my calorie deficit get greater than 1000cal/day.

My question is this, what about the sleeve makes it okay to eat so much less than is normally okay? I know I (mostly) won't be hungry once I'm sleeved, but I guess I'm worried about nutrition more than anything. Eating around 800cal/day would give me at least a 2000cal/day deficit, something I've been told over and over to avoid. In fact, I went several weeks eating at 1200cal/day and kept a terrible headache and was drained of all energy.

I don't want anyone to think I'm preaching against WLS, that's not it at all, I want the sleeve and am about to start the process towards getting one. I'm just worried that I'll have the headaches and no energy like I have when I restrict calories too much.

Any input is appreciated!

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Initially, the first 6 weeks or so you cannot physically eat more than a few hundred calories, if that. Over time, a few months into it, your nutritionist will let you know how much you should be eating. I have to eat 1000 calories a day. We need calories from good sources. Otherwise you will become lethargic. The key is to get your Protein in first, then veggies, etc. Protein is the only thing we cannot get from a Vitamin and we need on a daily basis plus it helps with hunger. The few week period your calories are low doesn't cause "starvation" mode. Once your body heals you must have the proper intake, but it will be hard to make sure you hit those numbers initially.

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So, did you not experience headaches from restricted calories? Or do the Vitamins take care of that?

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So' date=' did you not experience headaches from restricted calories? Or do the Vitamins take care of that?[/quote']

No headaches at all since surgery

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
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    • Doughgurl

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    • Alisa_S

      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. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      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

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

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

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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