One week post-op: How fast should I be eating/drinking?

[PuraVida37 715]

I'm supposed to hit my Protein goals of 60-80 gm and liquids goal of 64 oz. It feels like an impossible feat at this point. How fast should newbies eat/drink? (Obviously not making it uncomfortable.) And how fast can people a year out eat? What do you do to pace yourself? Thanks in advance for answering.

[MandoGetsSleeved 432]

Whew - That's a loaded question really. The first couple of weeks can be pretty rough to get in everything you're "supposed" to get in. Everyone is so different in what they tolerate with regards to eating and/or drinking. Personally, I've never been sick from drinking too fast (just felt really full). Mostly just listen to your body. Get your fluids in, even if it's an ounce or two an hour. It DOES get easier. In about two weeks I was able to drink normally (I couldn't down a 16oz bottle of Water in 10 minutes, but I could fairly easily do it in 30). DON'T compare yourself to others. If you need to do an oz at a time, just do that. BUT, if you're only doing very small amounts at a time, make sure you always have something in your hand to keep hydrated. Protein water is a good option at this stage - Also, changing the temp of your fluids make make it easier or harder - Try something room temp, warm, and cold to see what your body tolerates better.

I was sleeved in August 2020 - I can more or less now eat at a normal pace (just small amounts) - DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try to eat fast - You WILL regret it - trust me on that one... It's a mistake you'll only make once or twice (and again, trust me... you WILL make it...).

Bottom line, listen to your body, especially at first until you know what does and doesn't work for you. We're all different and tolerate things differently.

[NovaLuna 710]

I'm 14 months out and my surgery involves a sleeved stomach. I never really had to worry about eating too fast because I have EoE which is an autoimmune disorder that causes narrowing of the esophagus and choking issues. So I've been a suuuuuuper slow eater since 2015 when I first started choking on almost everything I put into my mouth. I had to learn to chew my food to absolute mush or choke and end up in the hospital with them trying to give me medicine to relax my throat so that the food could go down naturally. By the time I had my surgery last year I was already used to taking an hour to two hours to eat a meal. Nothing really changed for me in that respect except that because I eat less sometimes it only takes me 45 minutes to eat. I just take a bite and chew it slowly and then wait about 30 seconds before taking another bite. Then I take another 30 seconds or more to chew so that it's around a minute in total between swallowing each bite so I'll know when I'm full before eating too much and feeling like I'm going to vomit (not gonna lie, I HAVE eaten a bit too fast a few times and it's not pleasant. I get nauseous for a good hour or two and feel uncomfortably full for around two hours. Considering I can count the number of times I've done this on both hands and still have fingers to spare... it's rare. Eight times in 14 months is really not too bad imo.)

With Protein you can either add in a pre-made 20 or 30g Protein Shake (or clear protein) or two and then try to eat the rest in your diet. Or, you can buy Protein Powder and add it to your food or drinks. Fluid itself is a hard one. I get around 55-65 oz of fluid a day but early on it was a struggle for me to even get in the bare minimum my surgeon wanted of 48oz (half the time I was lucky if I could get in 32oz). The beginning is always the hardest. Trying to get into a routine that works for you, and getting used to a new way of eating. It's a lot to adjust to at once. Just do your best to meet your goals and if you don't then just try harder the next day. Eventually, you'll find a way to get there! (it worked for me, anyway)

[Lahela 82]

I just had my gastric bypass in March 25th. I can drink a protien shake in 30 minutes, I drink about 70-80 ounces waters in the day. My hard part is eating I am so tired of pureed food. I have 4 days left, then I can have soft foods. I am looking forwards to being further out. 😆

[LisLuva 1]

The bariatastic app actually has a timer that helps you get all your liquids in and even times how much you chew your food maybe check it out.