Just sharing! http://aprilsleeve.blogspot.com

Good luck on your surgery. I ate pizza the nigh before as I think I ate so many my stomach was the size of a pizzzzza:( It was my first love. Sick to say but I followed the pre op diet exactly; for three weeks no food only the shakes and bars. I only lost 18+ pounds and was to lose 30! But so many people that knew me from where I came from and here who had surgeries like this kept saying: Just follow the instructions the doc gives you and the book. You will be fine. So, in the beginning getting down the shakes and water were so funny because the amounts were so small but it allowed the stomach to heal and for me to forget about the old ways of eating.. I ate all of it. Tv as a problem when they show people drinking and eating food on every show. So, I felt like I wanted to join in like a subminimal sp? message. So: my eating was from over eating and living with animals. One dog and two cats. Not many humans to talk to. So: I learned alot about myself and remember the days when I was 8-10 and used to run and do the sit ups 200 a day. After the six weeks were up; I went to PT as the wt was too much for me the past two yrs I didn't lose wt. So, I got stronger/ hurt my back/ and flew off the side of the mower putting me back a month on real exercise at the Y. I may go today as my first day but do isometrics on the bed and they work. I'd try to get pt afterwards if your not an exerciser and are weak in your strength and it's good to strengthen our backs. I am doing great and went from 272 at fasting/ to 265 operation date April 11th, after that each month went to the doc office to get weighed on the 11th or around there and I am now 185 lbs or less. I go to him tomorrow and can't wait.

I have 50more pounds to remoe but I feel better already; walk faster, and can do more or even feel like doing more. There are times I feel like eating pasta but only a little works/ and chew it thoroughly. I don't feel great aferwards if it's in soup so it's a waste of room something else could be in the stomach that's a protien not a carb. So, I am very careful to not eat sugar, I do have to get my water intake up as I am low still 24 to 48 oz sporatically and need to be at 64 fl oz. but I am still using the shake am's to give me 32protiens and try to eat protien lunch and dinner to make up for the rest. I got the vitimans ordered prior to surgery so I'd have all I needed at home to prepare the shakes ahead of time in a baggie and just add the amt of almond or coconut milk, frozen fruit as ice cubes and use walnuts with no salt for snacks which is more protien.

At first it's good to just have the jellows, puddings, which I hate anyways, but it takes our mind set and puts it else where so we can know: it's what we need to heal our new stomach. And as we move on to the broths and peanut butter in the shakes etc. we drink a little slower. I use a yogurt senstations? from Food lion which has plain/5grams of fat. Half in one shake also helps us to get in what we need.

It takes a while to get used to it but I loved not having all those dishes in the sink... I found making food to give away once in a while is satisfying to me as I can make what I want and it looks too heavy or reminds me of the past and I dont' have a desire for it.

I can try a little and there is this feeling you get and you know; best to not try it at this time, down the road; more is accepted and tollerated but until a yr. I am doing the best I can to do what I am supposed to do staying away from salts and sugars. Fake sweetners etc. except for crystal lite... water used to go down so easy now I have to sweeten it up.

I went into this as I'm brought to it; remove the part that has not worked well for me... and Healing will take place.

Hope this gives you Hope and know: IF you eat when your supposed to and follow directions, things will fall into place as each phase of the program moves forward quickly and you can try new things.

Carole