December 2018 Sleevers!

[Lolo 2020 236]

Sounds like u r doing great ! Ru really down to 200? I am stalled at 208 but have been in florida at my parents and no spin , just walking ..think it makes a difference, no intense exercise and eating only 650 calories a day , but just puttering along

Edited January 22, 2019 by Lolo 2020

[SteveT74 360]

17 hours ago, Lolo 2020 said:

Sounds like u r doing great ! Ru really down to 200? I am stalled at 208 but have been in florida at my parents and no spin , just walking ..think it makes a difference, no intense exercise and eating only 650 calories a day , but just puttering along

I am sort of stalled between 208.4 and 208.8 for the past six days. I don't think it's a real stall, since I am still seeing improvements in other measurements for weight loss. For example, during this "stall", I dropped another 3/4 of an inch off my waist. That's pretty good for a six day period. Still, I am getting a little irritated by my scale, so I am going to experiment today with changing things by doing doing 16-17 hour fast (started after dinner last night and consumed zero calories so far). I'll break the fast around 2pm today and see how things go. I wouldn't make a regular habit out intermittent fasting of it at this stage in my post-op recovery, but for one day it won't hurt (I did get the ok from my nutritionist for a 16 hour fast). Tomorrow, I'll go back to 3 meals a day regardless of whether the fast breaks the stall or not. I'll report back on the results tomorrow.

[Louise is gonna Lose 26]

17 hours ago, marismommy1 said:

I had my surgery 12/20 so I am almost 5 weeks since surgery. I have been struggling to get more than 400 calories a day since I switched to puree. When I was on liquids it seemed to get easier over time but with puree I have been having trouble. I have tried Beans and cheese, or making Soups and then put them in the blender. I also just went back to work part time and it is hard to keep track of Water intake while there. Thanks for the advice!

I also had my surgery on 12/20. It is extremely hard for me as well to get past the 400 calorie mark. Lately I have been forcing myself to try to get to 600 and I feel so full and sick when I do. I can in no way do close to 64 oz of Water and I never make my Protein goal. Everyone tells me to just give it time. I am a little upset with myself because I feel like I will stretch out my sleeve if I keep overeating to try to get my calories in. I can also tell you that I am a much slower loser than most on this site. I have only lost 12.7 lbs since surgery. I am not bothered by that but I know it is because of the lack of calories, protein and water. I lose more on the days when I have more calories and fat. Have you tried adding no sugar Peanut Butter to your shakes? Two tablespoons will almost get you 200 calories. Even if you can just eat it off a spoon that would work. We are all so different that it amazes me. It just shows you that each body performs differently.

[TaeRenee 26]

Is there ANYONE else that has started eating some solids at week 5 and just get nauseated? I am hungry usually, but some things I eat chew very well but just get nauseated and don't hold my food down all the time. I am drinking my Protein Shakes to accommodate for the meals I am not getting down. I am kinda upset about it but please tell me that this is going to pass soon. I try to eat more times than before to keep myself from being hungry or feeling starved but by body just rejects it but at the same time I'm hungry as all get out.

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[Sophie7713 3,335]

Hi TaeRenee: I am in week 6 and in soft food stage. Some mornings I've woken up nauseated, and its been helpful to drink Decaf hot tea with some 1% milk to settle my stomach. After drinking and waiting 30 minutes - I prepare ¼ cup of low fat cottage cheese with some fresh smashed bananas mixed in. On those mornings, I will also postpone my Vitamin regime until lunch meal and stagger them thru the afternoon - As I suspect they can sometimes irritate my stomach. All these required Vitamins + supplements are new to my system as of week 4. There are a few favorite foods before surgery like eggs in any form that no longer settle well. It may be their sulfur content. Perhaps, by trial and error you might experiment and find some relief with different foods? I spike a lot of my recipes with chili pepper flakes and/or fresh chillies that believe it or not, calm my nausea. Maybe review your current eating plan with nutritionist to see what might be going on? The surgeon, too. What you are dealing with on a daily basis and at each meal is no fun and must be very discouraging. Every body will heal and progress differently - so don't loose heart. I certainly hope to enjoy an egg omelet, egg salad and red pickled beets with hard boiled eggs again sometime in the future!

[TaeRenee 26]

Hi TaeRenee: I am in week 6 and in soft food stage. Some mornings I've woken up nauseated, and its been helpful to drink Decaf hot tea with some 1% milk to settle my stomach. After drinking and waiting 30 minutes - I prepare ¼ cup of low fat cottage cheese with some fresh smashed bananas mixed in. On those mornings, I will also postpone my Vitamin regime until lunch meal and stagger them thru the afternoon - As I suspect they can sometimes irritate my stomach. All these required Vitamins + supplements are new to my system as of week 4. There are a few favorite foods before surgery like eggs in any form that no longer settle well. It may be their sulfur content. Perhaps, by trial and error you might experiment and find some relief with different foods? I spike a lot of my recipes with chili pepper flakes and/or fresh chillies that believe it or not, calm my nausea. Maybe review your current eating plan with nutritionist to see what might be going on? The surgeon, too. What you are dealing with on a daily basis and at each meal is no fun and must be very discouraging. Every body will heal and progress differently - so don't loose heart. I certainly hope to enjoy an egg omelet, egg salad and red pickled beets with hard boiled eggs again sometime in the future!

Sophie, I enjoyed recipes with a bit of spice kick to it, but now the foods with a small amount of spice, I can feel the insides burn a little so I have been trying to avoid them all together. I am going to have to come up with something bc this is disheartening to me. Thank you!

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[Lolo 2020 236]

I am in week 5 and I certainly can’t do much in the way of dense foods . chicken and egg salad didn’t work . I am finding I need at least one Protein Drink a day to ensure I get my Protein and my surgeon has suggested same . I am doing a lot of cottage cheese or plain yogurt with sugar free fruit cups (soft fruit , 25 calories no added sugar) and I am carrying tons of low fat cheese sticks in my purse ! I am using bananas too. I get hungry but a lot of foods get stuck and are uncomfortable . But one cheese stick get me over the hump . I am having very good success with tuna salad and fish dishes - was out to dinner and had flounder Francais and grilled fish with lump crabmeat and a side of mashed potatoes and mixed vetables and all that went down well ! Only about 2-3 oz of fish at a sitting though

Edited January 24, 2019 by Lolo 2020

[marismommy1 1]

Sorry I don’t know how to reply directly to your message Louise, but I have tried pb fit Peanut Butter powder and that worked okay but when I tried regular peanut butter, it gave me the “dumping syndrome” so I was running to the bathroom. I agree, it is hard to force yourself to eat when the overeating makes me throw up. It is frustrating.

[SteveT74 360]

5 hours ago, Lolo 2020 said:

I am in week 5 and I certainly can’t do much in the way of dense foods . chicken and egg salad didn’t work . I am finding I need at least one Protein drink a day to ensure I get my Protein and my surgeon has suggested same . I am doing a lot of cottage cheese or plain yogurt with sugar free fruit cups (soft fruit , 25 calories no added sugar) and I am carrying tons of low fat cheese sticks in my purse ! I am using bananas too. I get hungry but a lot of foods get stuck and are uncomfortable . But one cheese stick get me over the hump . I am having very good success with tuna salad and fish dishes - was out to dinner and had flounder Francais and grilled fish with lump crabmeat and a side of mashed potatoes and mixed vetables and all that went down well ! Only about 2-3 oz of fish at a sitting though

It seems like everyone else feels all of this restriction and has to work to eat at each stage. I don't feel that way at all. I can eat pretty much anything at this point 5 weeks post op (although I haven't tried). I ate roast beef this weekend--not the cold cuts, but the real thing out of the oven. I had zero problem with it. I ate roast chicken breast--again, no problem. I haven't tried steak yet, but that would be in the same category as the roast beef. Cold cuts are no problem either. Plus, I can eat pretty decent quantities of food. I ate 7.5 oz of rotisserie chicken breast last night for dinner, plus 8 almonds. I was satiated, but not stuffed, although the line between feeling satisfied and sick to my stomach is very fine.

I don't know why my recovery and ability to eat is so different from everyone else's recovery. According to my surgeon and his post-op report, he made my sleeve as tight as he could without making it so tight as to risk stricture (40fr bougie with overstitch). I guess maybe men have longer stomachs than women, so some of us may have larger sleeve capacity???? Maybe it has to do with the fact that my post-op diet went straight to purees and soft-foods right after surgery--skipping over the clear liquid and full liquid phases entirely. I spoke to a PA from the office and they said this is normal and I am lucky it's going so well. I just worry that a few months down the road I will be able to eat like I did before surgery. In any case, I am losing weight like I am suppose to, so it is working. Anyway, I just releasing my insecurities.

[SteveT74 360]

23 hours ago, SteveT74 said:

I am sort of stalled between 208.4 and 208.8 for the past six days. I don't think it's a real stall, since I am still seeing improvements in other measurements for weight loss. For example, during this "stall", I dropped another 3/4 of an inch off my waist. That's pretty good for a six day period. Still, I am getting a little irritated by my scale, so I am going to experiment today with changing things by doing doing 16-17 hour fast (started after dinner last night and consumed zero calories so far). I'll break the fast around 2pm today and see how things go. I wouldn't make a regular habit out intermittent fasting of it at this stage in my post-op recovery, but for one day it won't hurt (I did get the ok from my nutritionist for a 16 hour fast). Tomorrow, I'll go back to 3 meals a day regardless of whether the fast breaks the stall or not. I'll report back on the results tomorrow.

Just to follow up, I think the 16 hour fast helped me break the stall. YAY!! I still at my 1,000 calories, but I consumed them between 2:30pm and 8:30pm. Maybe it's coincidence, but I weighed in at 207 this morning! So, I am back to three squares a day until the next stall. I may try to do a 16:8 fast once or twice a week once I get past this early phase of the post-op experience. If anyone gets stuck at a weight for a week or so, a 16 hour fast might be worth considering as long as you are able to eat at least 800 calories in an 8 hour period after the fast.

[Lolo 2020 236]

Wow roast beef ? Man, no way for me . I had ricotta cheese last night and it got stuck and I had to walk it off for 20 min! And I am stalled at 208 although I plan to do 4 straight days of spin and keep carbs under 50. That usually helps jump start the metabolism. Sometimes I think it’s best to ignore the scale , it will go at its own pace

[SteveT74 360]

4 hours ago, Lolo 2020 said:

Wow roast beef ? Man, no way for me . I had ricotta cheese last night and it got stuck and I had to walk it off for 20 min! And I am stalled at 208 although I plan to do 4 straight days of spin and keep carbs under 50. That usually helps jump start the metabolism. Sometimes I think it’s best to ignore the scale , it will go at its own pace

You're probably right about ignoring the scale, but I can't help it!!! I need to get my daily weigh in!!! I could probably do every other day, but I couldn't do weekly weigh-ins at this point (which I know some people do). I nice to know I am losing, but it's more important for me to know if I doing something to screw myself without consciously realizing it at the time. The scale holds you accountable.

[Lolo 2020 236]

I know what ur saying , I need to make sure I am on track . ManningAd a problem with tuna fish salad tonight ! I have to use baby spoons .. I take too much I think . Then I am in trouble ..

[SteveT74 360]

17 hours ago, Lolo 2020 said:

I know what ur saying , I need to make sure I am on track . ManningAd a problem with tuna fish salad tonight ! I have to use baby spoons .. I take too much I think . Then I am in trouble ..

Over consumption is how we all get ourselves in trouble. It's going to happen no matter what in the beginning because the line between feeling comfortably full and puking is a fine one (at least for me and I think must of us 6 weekers). I still can't get used to chewing small bites 20 times before I swallow. I end up eating like I did pre-op which is not good. I really need to be more mindful of how fast I am eating.

Btw, my scale tricked me yesterday. The stall is not broken. I was back to 208.2 today. It's not officially a week stuck at 208. I know it's to be expected, particularly with the gym and all--but it still sucks!!! I am guessing it could stay stuck for a few more days and then hopefully I'll drop a couple of pounds overnight. I like to be optimistic.

[Lolo 2020 236]

Bummer .. I did spin today and yesterday and dropped to 206, but then puking last night freaked me out and I had only Water ..am trying to get to onederland by feb 1 but that might be difficult at this point . Just spoke to my nutritionist and she said 500- 800 calories - day and If u stall cut the carbs way down and increase Protein and water . I just wonder if u r eating too much ? She said once I reach goal I will consume 1000-1200 calories and 50% of that can be good carbs , but now to propel weight loss you want like 70% protein . R u drinking all ur water ? She said also that when the fat leaves the cells fill with water so try a natural diuretic like cucumber water to flush out the water

Edited January 25, 2019 by Lolo 2020