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How to get my energy back?



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I'm 9 days post op, and have been feeling fantastic nearly the whole time. I seriously felt normal the last 6 days or so, except for minor incision pain.

Yesterday I overdid it with a long grocery shopping trip. I had also not been hungry the past few day so I hadn't gotten my Protein in, and have only been at between 100-400 calories. I now realize this was a mistake :( This morning I am absolutely physically exhausted. Taking out the trash can has left me incredibly shaky and weak.

How do I recover my strength? I have a business meeting tomorrow, which will be the first time I'll need to get professionally dressed, make up and all. I'll make sure I get as much protein, calories, and Water in today as possible. But is there anything else I should be doing? I was thinking that maybe tomorrow morning I should have some carbs/sugar to give my body some fuel so I'm not as weak? I'm obviously not wanting to do that long term and sabotage my weight loss, but I need to get through my meeting tomorrow.

Any advice would be appreciated, TIA!

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Kitty,

The obvious is to constantly stick to your Vitamins and Protein regiment prescribed by your nutritionist. I began exercising and started walking 45 mins a day again as I did post surgery instructed by my doctor and slowly increased my walks based on my progress as I recovered. In just a few short weeks, I was riding my bike again and those rides began small and worked my way back up to 25-30 mile bike rides. Today, I lift weights 4 to 5 times a week and have endless energy, in fact, I have to keep myself in check so I do not overdo it. The best cure, in my opinion, is exercise AT YOUR PACE and try different exercises and you will see improvements and regain your strength.

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My energy was pretty good....but my clinic stressed eating more calories than most do. By three weeks I was eating 1000 calories per day and felt terrific. I still eat 1000-1200 per day and will stay here for the remainder of my post surgical 18 months, or until I'm at goal. I think it's the starvation level calories that cause the energy crash.

Eat more as soon as they let you. it'll help.

PS...carbs have always been part of my group's plan. Ate cream of wheat and thin oatmeal very early.

Edited by Creekimp13

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Protein, Vitamins, fluids and if you want to add some carbs do so in the form of more complex ones like thinned cream of wheat/oatmeal or no sugar added dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese and even milk have plenty of naturally occurring lactose which is sugar). The refined sugars or even the fructose in fruit juices might not be the best idea this early out:


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Thanks for everyone's advice. I'm still weak and shaky, and now have developed pain in my stomach after I swallow, that wasn't there before. I canceled my meeting today and have a call into my Dr., to make sure this is normal recovery, and not something else.

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Hopefully it’s just a bump in the recovery road! Let us know how you’re doing


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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.
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      1. LeighaTR

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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. 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.

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      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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