Intake Help

Hi Everyone! This is my first post, as I just joined OH recently. I am 14 days post op and am still learning how to adjust and manage my new stomach. Even with all the prep we go through and all the information we are given, I honestly don't feel like I could have prepared enough for such a drastic change. I see all the great support everyone gives each other so it pushed me to share my journey, because just like typing this out is helping me, I hope others get inspired and know that we are not alone in this journey. With that said... I am having issues with my intake of water and protein and also with certain cravings :( does anyone have any best practices or advise? I feel like Im falling behind and i don't want to mess this up.

Welcome!

Have liquid in your hand all day long if you need to. The worst thing you can do early postop is not drink enough. It's a good way to get readmitted.

Protein is really important. If you go long enough with a deficit, your body will start breaking down muscle to use for vital processes. Your hair will suffer too.

Cravings are likely acid. Very common. Are you on a PPI? Most are, and many need dosages or types adjusted until it works.

Hang in there. It gets better.

At this point, many people find that setting an alarm to go off every 15 minutes is good as a reminder to drink. I was getting most of my protein from protein shakes when I was that early out - I could eat pureed foods, but I could only eat an ounce or two, so shakes would get me to my protein goals.

When you say cravings, what do you mean? Are you hungry? Do you just want to eat things because you miss them? Are you seeing a therapist?

Hello and welcome!

I had my vsg 12/18/18. Like you the first few weeks were the hardest and I focused on liquids. I was able to get most of my daily protein via protein shakes and protein water. I also sipped water and broth in between. I felt like I would never be able to get in food and fluids but, after about 3-4 weeks I was able to tolerate a larger volume of liquids. The first couple of weeks I literally could only take 2-3 sips and then wait 15-20 minutes and attempt again. It will get better- my bariatic team told me to focus on staying hydrated and avoiding dehydration the first week or so. The protein will come! Good luck!

I'm with Gwen. I set my phone alarm every 10 minutes to remind me to drink 1 oz each time. By 14 days I was doing this automatically. Now I just keep a bottle of water by my side and I constantly drink. For protein you have to find a protein drink that works for you and you HAVE to get it down for your health. If you physically can't drink that is a problem, and you need to reach out to your surgical team ASAP, otherwise it is a matter of discipline.

Congrats and welcome,

I found drinking my protein made it easier to get in fluids. Chicken broth, a squeeze of lemon if you need some variety. I carried water everywhere with me and set my timers farther apart so that if my bottle was not gone, I'd stop what I was doing and spend the minutes necessary to drink.

Hi, I know what you mean and how you feel, all the weeks of planning and learning seem like nothing compared to actually going through the process after surgery. I had a hard time wrapping my head around what my body was going through and couldn't understand how my body was going to survive on liquids for two weeks! I kept reading the postings on the site to better understand. It is very important, you must drink your liquids and take your vitamins. At first it took me two hours to drink an 11 ounce box of Premier protein. But I was so fearful of losing my hair, and I didn't want to do anything to make myself sick and go back to the hospital. Another important thing to keep in mind, don't be hard on yourself. Just take it one day at a time and do your best, focus on what's up ahead. It's been four weeks since my surgery and I am finally feeling normal & happy I lost 25 lbs! Hang in there, you can do it!

I am 8 years post VSG and I still struggle with getting in enough water. I downloaded a water drinker reminder on my cell phone and set it to remind me to drink X amount of minutes (like 20 minutes) and I would make sure I drink water. That seemed to help a bit.

There are still days I can go all day without drinking (terrible I know), but lately I have been doing better. Water is SO important! I also purchased some cute water bottles with lines and times on it (on Etsy) which pretty much say by 9 am it needs to be at this line, at 11am it should be down to this line. That visually helped me track my water too. Hope this helps!

I do a similar visual reminder with a pitcher I keep in the fridge. I know where I'm supposed to be at certain points of the day if I want to get all my liquid in. It definitely helps me to stay on track and to ensure I finish up the day at a good place!