Expectations

[lizag234 34]

Hello everyone. I am 7 days post op and am down 15 pounds. It's not much but seems like enough at this moment. I am miserable with not being able to eat as I am still on liquid diet but was wondering how much are seasoned sleevers eating right now? I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Congratulations on beginning your journey.

How much you can/should be eating at one week post/op is very individual. At one week post-op I was just starting full liquids. My Protein target is 100 grams of Protein.< /p>

Just focus on getting in all of your protein and fluids and following your surgeon's guidelines. Keep sipping.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

Congrats getting all the IV fluids out of your system so quickly. Keep up with the Vitamins and look for a tasty drinkable Protein source like Isopure. Adds Fluid and Protein which you need to heal. Good luck, keep up the good work.

[CJ Porter 93]

I'm not really seasoned, but, at 8 weeks out I am eating 2-3 ounces at a sitting. I'm not having any trouble getting my Protein in and I've been trying different foods to see how my body handles them. No beef for me right now, but, chicken, turkey, pork, and fish have all been great. My tastes have changed as far as broccoli is concerned but I'm doing well with all other veg including lettuce.

What do you have to look forward to? When I started eating foods, even the mushies, everything tasted gourmet to me. My first scrambled egg was heavenly. Hang in there - you can do this!

CJ

[pr_pitbullgrl 1,039]

the first two weeks are hell. no way around it. but you are half way there. the liquid phase sucks. but once you're done with that the mushy phase is nice. i'm about 20 days out. still not eating much but my options are way better.

scrambled eggs with cheese

refried Beans with cheese

yogurt with fruit

chicken Soup

that's kinda what im eating right now. i don't have much of an appetite. but tonight im gonna try a little ground beef with my refried Beans maybe.

good luck! 15lbs in 7 days is amazing! i'm at 20lbs in 20 days so you're doing great!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

The liquid phase is the toughest. I had an all liquid phase for 2 weeks and by the end of week 1 wanted to toss those drinks out the window. I'm 13mths out and can pretty much eat anything. Today for lunch was egg salad in lettuce wraps. I'll have a Protein Shake for a snack before my workout tonight and dinner is black bean Pasta with a pumpkin sauce. I still aim for 100 gms of Protein a day. According to MyFitness pal my projected protein for today will be 113. It gets better. Eventually you can try out other Protein Drinks, shakes and RTD options. One option that helped during the liquid phase was mixing unflavored Protein Powder with vegetable broth. It was a nice change from the sweetness of Protein Shakes.< /p>

[dlappjr 467]

There is a light at the end. I know you can't see it. I couldn't see it either, but week by week you feel better. Then all of a sudden you hit phase 4, soft foods. That is when you will realize the light is shining in your face. But then new challenges arise. Can I eat this? or that? What if I put this and that together? Will that be ok? It's hard to imagine this, but just keep on keeping on. It does and WILL get better! I am 9 weeks tomorrow. I had 1/4 of a Qdoba Quesadilla for lunch. That was about 3.5oz. I had a piece of salmon for dinner last night. Around 4-4.5oz. Soon you will be eating regular food like a regular person. Just less of it. You will start to feel better, because you will be gaining more freedom as far as the types of food you can have. These early phases are to allow you to heal and allow you to make the needed adjustments to stay away from the bad stuff later. Because you will eventually be able to have the bad stuff. But you shouldn't want to.

[thisfathasgot2go 235]

Are you tracking your food and exercise on MyFitnessPal or a similar site? I used it pre-op and post-op so that I physically see what foods had Protein and it helped me get to my goals. I am not doing the best with my Water intake, I am trying, but I hit my 60-75g Protein goal most days. I also friend stalk other GSV/GB patients food diaries for motivation and food ideas.

If you are on MFP, friend me and check out my food diary. I am 3 weeks post-op tomorrow and on soft foods.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/thisfathasgot2go

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I don't know what your starting weight was, but 15 pounds in a week is massive. I lost less than 15 pounds my first MONTH post-op.

The others are all correct that it gets so much easier as you progress through the food stages. Time moves in slow motion in those first few weeks when you are tired and miserable and hurting. Just take it one sip at a time. Sip, sip, sip. Get all your Water in. Get as much Protein in as you possibly can. Walk frequently, even if it's only short distances at a time. I did a lot of marching in place in my early weeks and that seemed to help whenever I was having trouble getting my Water in or experiencing gas pain.

Now I'm 14 months post op and I eat lots of "normal" foods. I always put my Protein first, of course. I don't get to have many side dishes anymore. But I can eat a huge variety of foods. Nothing makes me sick, so it takes some discipline to stay away from the unhealthy stuff, but I've been doing great! Reached goal right around my one year mark and I've been maintaining for two months. There is light at the end of the tunnel. It get's better day by day. And you WILL feel "normal" again, I promise.

[jhclikesshopping@gmail.com 285]

The light is coming.... very soon you will be past this part an on to the next stage. It will all work out. Remember - variety is good. Add sugar free Torani Syrup to change up the shakes.

banana shake with chocolate

chocolate shake with peppermint (just in time for holiday)

Chocolate shake with PB2

Chocolate shake with Rasberry

vanilla with Rasberry

Hope this give you ideas....

[lizag234 34]

Thanks guys I feel much better

[anna9/15 93]

There is a light at the end. I know you can't see it. I couldn't see it either, but week by week you feel better. Then all of a sudden you hit phase 4, soft foods. That is when you will realize the light is shining in your face. But then new challenges arise. Can I eat this? or that? What if I put this and that together? Will that be ok? It's hard to imagine this, but just keep on keeping on. It does and WILL get better! I am 9 weeks tomorrow. I had 1/4 of a Qdoba Quesadilla for lunch. That was about 3.5oz. I had a piece of salmon for dinner last night. Around 4-4.5oz. Soon you will be eating regular food like a regular person. Just less of it. You will start to feel better, because you will be gaining more freedom as far as the types of food you can have. These early phases are to allow you to heal and allow you to make the needed adjustments to stay away from the bad stuff later. Because you will eventually be able to have the bad stuff. But you shouldn't want to.

This was so inspiring..i am 6 weeks out and i am struggling to see the light, but you mentioning eating at my favorite restaurant gave me hope.

[anna9/15 93]

There is a light at the end. I know you can't see it. I couldn't see it either, but week by week you feel better. Then all of a sudden you hit phase 4, soft foods. That is when you will realize the light is shining in your face. But then new challenges arise. Can I eat this? or that? What if I put this and that together? Will that be ok? It's hard to imagine this, but just keep on keeping on. It does and WILL get better! I am 9 weeks tomorrow. I had 1/4 of a Qdoba Quesadilla for lunch. That was about 3.5oz. I had a piece of salmon for dinner last night. Around 4-4.5oz. Soon you will be eating regular food like a regular person. Just less of it. You will start to feel better, because you will be gaining more freedom as far as the types of food you can have. These early phases are to allow you to heal and allow you to make the needed adjustments to stay away from the bad stuff later. Because you will eventually be able to have the bad stuff. But you shouldn't want to.

When were you cleared to eat out? I was told i can do regular foods but im scared.

[dlappjr 467]

There is a light at the end. I know you can't see it. I couldn't see it either, but week by week you feel better. Then all of a sudden you hit phase 4, soft foods. That is when you will realize the light is shining in your face. But then new challenges arise. Can I eat this? or that? What if I put this and that together? Will that be ok? It's hard to imagine this, but just keep on keeping on. It does and WILL get better! I am 9 weeks tomorrow. I had 1/4 of a Qdoba Quesadilla for lunch. That was about 3.5oz. I had a piece of salmon for dinner last night. Around 4-4.5oz. Soon you will be eating regular food like a regular person. Just less of it. You will start to feel better, because you will be gaining more freedom as far as the types of food you can have. These early phases are to allow you to heal and allow you to make the needed adjustments to stay away from the bad stuff later. Because you will eventually be able to have the bad stuff. But you shouldn't want to.

When were you cleared to eat out? I was told i can do regular foods but im scared.

I don't think there is an official "clear" date on that. I think it has more to do with finding places that have foods you are cleared for. I was cleared for soft foods at like week 5. So I could have cooked chicken or pork or fish, Beans, cooked veggies. At that point, I could technically eat out, as long as I found foods I could have. The choices for eating out grew as I could add more foods. I am now not in any "phase" and can have most everything except Corn, popcorn, Caffeine, Wild Rice, which is all 6 months, per my surgeon.

[dlappjr 467]

Today I went to Chipotle for the first time. It was good. I had a chicken bowl with just a little rice, Black Beans, Salsa, cheese. I ate about 1/6th of it.