February 2024 Surgery Buddies?

[Briss72 12]

I'm always cold too. I was cold before surgery and now it feels worse. Also i have a slow healing ulcer in my leg, which is going on three years everytime i get close to it healing somehow i manage to rip the dressing off it. Don't know if it's the extra walking I've been doing that has made it flare up again. On friday i had a fever and literally could not warm up (until i was too hot) that's gone now. Just called in sick for work to get some antibiotics for this leg. (Its Winter over here in Australia)

[RonHall908 60]

4 hours ago, BlueParis said:

How's everyone doing ? I'm so so so tired and cold the whole time ...

Doing pretty good so far, had a stomach ache the other day. I tried to vomit, but couldn't. I think I ate something my stomach didn't agree with. Which is weird, because it wasn't very much and something I've eaten before.
I've taken some of the meals I've had and blended them to see how much volume it is. I thought maybe I'm able to eat more than supposed to. But, when I blended it into a small mixer getting it to be a little thicker than applesauce, it's not as much as I thought it was. About a cup and a half. I braved eating some regular rice. Didn't have any issue with it. Though, I did feel like I stayed full longer than I have had with other food. I'm not going to push it, the riced cauliflower I get does the job when you season it just right. As far as the cold thing goes, I'm a heater. Only time I get cold is if I'm really sick with a fever. So that hasn't changed any as of yet! Hope you're doing well.

Edited April 21 by RonHall908

[Noelle74 26]

5 hours ago, BlueParis said:

How's everyone doing ? I'm so so so tired and cold the whole time ...

My energy level has finally increased some. Nothing too great but I’m not totally wiped anymore. Eating has improved the last few days or maybe I’ve accepted defeat on the chicken lol. I did mess up terrible Friday after we went to the zoo and I had raw onion on my sandwich. I can not even begin to explain the pain I caused myself. I thought I would die. Cooked onions are not an issue for me but I swear as long as I live I will never eat another raw onion. I have not felt this kind of pain since I had a Nissan wrap years ago and ate the wrong thing. I have settled in now to an egg for Breakfast, more applesauce than I ever thought I would eat in this lifetime. I have no desire to eat any bread so I just don’t. I have some Protein Shots that are only an oz so they’re a good go to if I'm running short for the day. Variety is not so much a part of eating anymore but I’m good with just finding things I’m comfortable eating. So many things made me nauseated trying to eat them the last couple months so I’ll gladly take what I have now. Yesterday when I weighed I was down 33lbs. My post op appt is in 5 days. I hope it goes well and after my surgeon sees my progress I still walk away feeling like I’m doing a decent job. It has not been an easy two months.

[NickelChip 747]

1 hour ago, Noelle74 said:

Yesterday when I weighed I was down 33lbs. My post op appt is in 5 days. I hope it goes well and after my surgeon sees my progress I still walk away feeling like I’m doing a decent job. It has not been an easy two months.

Sounds like you're doing well! I'm only down about 20lbs since surgery (but 35lbs if you count the 2 week liquid diet), so I hope they're pleased with your progress. And I completely agree it has not been easy! It's really been a struggle and never knowing what will be okay and what won't from day to day is very difficult.

[Noelle74 26]

1 hour ago, NickelChip said:

Sounds like you're doing well! I'm only down about 20lbs since surgery (but 35lbs if you count the 2 week liquid diet), so I hope they're pleased with your progress. And I completely agree it has not been easy! It's really been a struggle and never knowing what will be okay and what won't from day to day is very difficult.

It is SOOO difficult. I have to admit I didn’t think it would be this hard. I had a Nissan wrap in 2018 and they said swallowing and eating certain foods would be an issue then. I was able to eat anything I wanted after brief dumping syndrome from dairy. Because of that I thought this was going to be easy. Boy was I wrong. I’m so thankful for all of you sharing your day to day experiences and diets to help make this journey easier.

[NickelChip 747]

21 minutes ago, Noelle74 said:

I thought this was going to be easy. Boy was I wrong.

I think the hardest part for me, like @RonHall908 said, is having foods be fine one day and nearly lethal the next. I had scrambled eggs several times, no problem. So I ordered scrambled eggs while out one day last week and ended up searching high and low for a discreet place to vomit. I made a batch of tuna salad and split it into two servings. One serving was fine. The next day, nope. I could accept it so much easier if I just knew okay, this item is off the list for good. But having to build up the courage to try again in another week or two after an unpleasant experience is daunting.

[RonHall908 60]

5 hours ago, Noelle74 said:

My energy level has finally increased some. Nothing too great but I’m not totally wiped anymore. Eating has improved the last few days or maybe I’ve accepted defeat on the chicken lol. I did mess up terrible Friday after we went to the zoo and I had raw onion on my sandwich. I can not even begin to explain the pain I caused myself. I thought I would die. Cooked onions are not an issue for me but I swear as long as I live I will never eat another raw onion. I have not felt this kind of pain since I had a Nissan wrap years ago and ate the wrong thing. I have settled in now to an egg for Breakfast, more applesauce than I ever thought I would eat in this lifetime. I have no desire to eat any bread so I just don’t. I have some Protein Shots that are only an oz so they’re a good go to if I'm running short for the day. Variety is not so much a part of eating anymore but I’m good with just finding things I’m comfortable eating. So many things made me nauseated trying to eat them the last couple months so I’ll gladly take what I have now. Yesterday when I weighed I was down 33lbs. My post op appt is in 5 days. I hope it goes well and after my surgeon sees my progress I still walk away feeling like I’m doing a decent job. It has not been an easy two months.

The closet thing I've came to bread was the zero carb tortillas. I also found some BBQ pulled pork in a little to go pack like they have with tuna. It's a Pretty good little snack. I put it on the little tortillas. Two of them with a little of the pulled pork filled me up. Here's the link. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Pulled-Pork-in-BBQ-Sauce-2-6-oz-Pouch/982032683?from=/search
Down 33 lbs. is pretty good. Keep it up!

[Noelle74 26]

14 minutes ago, RonHall908 said:

The closet thing I've came to bread was the zero carb tortillas. I also found some BBQ pulled pork in a little to go pack like they have with tuna. It's a Pretty good little snack. I put it on the little tortillas. Two of them with a little of the pulled pork filled me up. Here's the link. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Pulled-Pork-in-BBQ-Sauce-2-6-oz-Pouch/982032683?from=/search
Down 33 lbs. is pretty good. Keep it up!

Thank you for the link to the pulled pork. I’ll have to give it a try. It sounds really good! I have some of the zero carb tortillas that I’ve tried with some Beans when my hubby had chicken fajitas since chicken has been a no for me. The beans have been filling and haven’t caused me any problems.

[LisaCaryl 51]

5 hours ago, Noelle74 said:

My energy level has finally increased some. Nothing too great but I’m not totally wiped anymore. Eating has improved the last few days or maybe I’ve accepted defeat on the chicken lol. I did mess up terrible Friday after we went to the zoo and I had raw onion on my sandwich. I can not even begin to explain the pain I caused myself. I thought I would die. Cooked onions are not an issue for me but I swear as long as I live I will never eat another raw onion. I have not felt this kind of pain since I had a Nissan wrap years ago and ate the wrong thing. I have settled in now to an egg for Breakfast, more applesauce than I ever thought I would eat in this lifetime. I have no desire to eat any bread so I just don’t. I have some Protein Shots that are only an oz so they’re a good go to if I'm running short for the day. Variety is not so much a part of eating anymore but I’m good with just finding things I’m comfortable eating. So many things made me nauseated trying to eat them the last couple months so I’ll gladly take what I have now. Yesterday when I weighed I was down 33lbs. My post op appt is in 5 days. I hope it goes well and after my surgeon sees my progress I still walk away feeling like I’m doing a decent job. It has not been an easy two months.

We are for sure surgery buddies! I'm down about 30 pounds, but that is starting at my 10-day pre-op diet. Eating is so confusing to me. It's hard to put it into words. I want food, but when I eatI'm usually miserable. For the most part, it's not horrible pain unless I overdo it, but it's just very uncomfortable. That heaviness in my chest and feeling like it all wants to come back up. And I wish I hadn't eaten. Nothing is satisfying like it used to be. Tonight we went out for Chinese food, at my request. I ate maybe an 8th of what was on my plate. Probably less. It was shrimp and veggies... and, of course, way too much rice. I had 2 tastes of rice that had been soaked in the sauce. It was ok, I guess. I had 3 small shrimp and picked at the veggies. I didn't eat so much that I was miserable, just slightly uncomfortable. But I wanted more. I knew I couldn't eat more, so I stopped. I am trying so hard to stick to a schedule of 3 meals and making them primarily healthy. I just feel so blah after eating.

smoothies made with coconut Water, 1/2 banana, spinach, blueberries, and some frozen fruits have been my friends the past few days. I don't think the sugar in the fruits is great for us, but it's helping me stay hydrated which I know is super important.

As for bread, a friend of mine who had surgery two years ago recommended Dave's Killer Bread, the thin-sliced variety. I really like it and can usually eat one slice. I've put a few different things on it: tuna, smoked salmon, and PBFit Peanut Butter. You may want to give it a try. The slices are small and taste good. The other night, I had some leftover Beans and cooked veggies. I took a taco shell and put them in it along with a bit of low-fat sour cream and taco sauce. I was surprised to be able to eat it all. It was tiny amounts of stuff inside but I even at the taco shell.

I absolutely have to ramp up the exercise. After NickelChip mentioned her walking pad, I started to look into them. I'm excited because I ordered one yesterday. I'm hoping to use it while watching tv. I've been doing some "cardio drumming" and it's super fun. It's also super easy so not sure how much exercise I'm getting out of it.

I'm rambling, sorry. I'll end now! It's been good hearing how you all are doing and seeing that while different, our paths are also similar! ♥

[NickelChip 747]

8 hours ago, LisaCaryl said:

smoothies made with coconut Water, 1/2 banana, spinach, blueberries, and some frozen fruits have been my friends the past few days. I don't think the sugar in the fruits is great for us, but it's helping me stay hydrated which I know is super important.

I have been kicking off my day with a smoothie, and I think it's probably the healthiest thing I could do. I know the opinions on fruit sugar can vary, but for the most part, science seems to be on the side of reasonable quantities of whole fruit (not juice) being good for us and valuable for weight loss. I usually put about a cup (150g on the food scale) of assorted frozen fruits (may include banana, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, pineapple, mango, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, avocado), a handful of fresh baby spinach, 1 Tbsp each of chia seed, hemp seed, flax, and sunflower seed, a serving of beetroot powder, a scoop of Benefiber, 20g worth of unflavored Protein Powder, and top it off with tap Water. This all fits in a 20oz smoothie blender cup, and usually takes me 30-60 minutes to drink as I start my morning.

At around 425 calories and 33g Protein, this is roughly half my calories and protein for the day! After that's done, I fill a 32oz thermal tumbler with 1 cup Fairlife skim milk and the rest Decaf tea, which gets me another 13g protein, plus 24oz Fluid. Since I can only get in about 15g protein at lunch and dinner when eating solid foods, it's really helpful for me to get so much in during the morning in an easy to consume format. I may try adding frozen riced cauliflower to the smoothie, too, as I hear that's good for the creaminess and I need another veg.

Has anyone used any veg besides greens in your smoothies?

[LisaCaryl 51]

16 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

I have been kicking off my day with a smoothie, and I think it's probably the healthiest thing I could do. I know the opinions on fruit sugar can vary, but for the most part, science seems to be on the side of reasonable quantities of whole fruit (not juice) being good for us and valuable for weight loss. I usually put about a cup (150g on the food scale) of assorted frozen fruits (may include banana, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, pineapple, mango, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, avocado), a handful of fresh baby spinach, 1 Tbsp each of chia seed, hemp seed, flax, and sunflower seed, a serving of beetroot powder, a scoop of Benefiber, 20g worth of unflavored Protein Powder, and top it off with tap Water. This all fits in a 20oz smoothie blender cup, and usually takes me 30-60 minutes to drink as I start my morning.

At around 425 calories and 33g Protein, this is roughly half my calories and Protein for the day! After that's done, I fill a 32oz thermal tumbler with 1 cup Fairlife skim milk and the rest Decaf tea, which gets me another 13g protein, plus 24oz Fluid. Since I can only get in about 15g protein at lunch and dinner when eating solid foods, it's really helpful for me to get so much in during the morning in an easy to consume format. I may try adding frozen riced cauliflower to the smoothie, too, as I hear that's good for the creaminess and I need another veg.

Has anyone used any veg besides greens in your smoothies?

Have you ever tried putting an egg in your smoothie? The thought of raw egg is gross, so I have never tried it. But the protein factor would be nice. I forgot to say that I put a scoop of GENEPRO unflavored Protein Powder in mine too.

[BlueParis 49]

II could have written this word for word.

I'm at 66 days post op and I'm down 36lbs since surgery or 18% of my starting weight in just over 2 months. I'm 10.5lbs from being on the healthy weight range for my height (BMI) even though I do best with my leg and balance issues at a much lower BMI (BMI20) So I'm about half of the way to where I want to be ... even though I know that timescale woze the weight will start to come off slower soon. All that is positive but ....

I could have written this word for word.... I'm also just so cold and tired the whole time. I'm eating the best I can quantity and quality wize but I'm just exhausted...

10 hours ago, LisaCaryl said:

It's hard to put it into words. I want food, but when I eatI'm usually miserable. For the most part, it's not horrible pain unless I overdo it, but it's just very uncomfortable. That heaviness in my chest and feeling like it all wants to come back up. And I wish I hadn't eaten. I just feel so blah after eating.

[Beljer72 2]

My surgery was Feb 27th. I began at 217 and now am 177. Your posts describes my roller coaster ride from the beginning. I am working on real food and what causes issues and what doesn’t. I know anything greasy is a no (I now rinse any grease off, if used). I go back to shakes for a day if I have problems to settle things down. As long as I keep the portions very small at a meal, I can eat most things. I bought a Bariatric cookbook. It has some very tasty recipes. I cook them for my husband and even guests. No complaints!

[NickelChip 747]

On 4/22/2024 at 9:46 AM, LisaCaryl said:

Have you ever tried putting an egg in your smoothie? The thought of raw egg is gross, so I have never tried it. But the Protein factor would be nice. I forgot to say that I put a scoop of GENEPRO unflavored Protein Powder in mine too.

No, but I did cut back on the amount of seeds (too much fat) and put drained and rinsed white Beans this morning. It's definitely a work in progress to figure out what to eat. The bean taste was subtle so I think I will get used to it, and I may add some ginger to cover it.

Frustrated to be on day 6 of a stall. My doctor told me I needed to increase my activity level, so I've been going on an hourlong walk and hitting 10k steps or more every day for the past...yep, precisely 6 days. Wondering if there's a correlation, like the extra activity made my body temporarily panic. I'm just trying to ignore it and carry on.

The good news is I've had a lot fewer issues with stomach sensitivity this week, so I'm feeling brave enough to try some new recipes and incorporate more veggies.

[LisaCaryl 51]

2 hours ago, NickelChip said:

No, but I did cut back on the amount of seeds (too much fat) and put drained and rinsed white Beans this morning. It's definitely a work in progress to figure out what to eat. The bean taste was subtle so I think I will get used to it, and I may add some ginger to cover it.

Beans is brilliant and ginger sounds wonderful! I could probably use that to help with my stomach. Today for lunch I'm having one with banana, blueberries, strawberries, PBFit, and coconut Water. Simple and easy to get down.