Some further thoughts - Like you I also like to cook.  I don't really use written recipes - I combine ingredients as needed depending on what is available and how strong / weak things are.  After working with an ingredient for a while, you get an idea of how it works so you don't really have to measure every time.

I use CalorieKing.com to get an idea of the calorie density of groups of foods: oils, grains, nuts, beans/legumes/, vegetables and then estimate how many calories and how much protein is in a dish I am making.  It is really easy to do - I do it in my head.  All you need is a rough idea.  If you are checking your weight, your scale will tell you when you have a problem.  Then you can dig in deeper.

I estimate per dish - never write it down - just keep in my head for reference.  For example: olive oil (a favorite of mine) has 120 calories per tablespoon.  Two to four tablespoons is plenty for an entire pan of stir-fried vegetables and tofu.  The vegetables range for 4 to 9 calories per ounce -- basically nothing.  The tofu I use has about 480 calories in an entire pound with about 45 grams of protein.  I just add up how much I put in and have some idea of what I am eating.  Add in some cashews which have some calories - about 100 in a small handful.  Soy sauce or miso has nothing.  So there may be 1300 or 1400 calories in a large pan of stir fry that might take me three or four meals to eat - about 400 calories per sitting.  I spread it out over a few days...

Like I said, I eat other stuff too.  So I am eating about 2000 calories per day to maintain my weight at 190 lbs.  I am a 6' 2" male who is 47 years old.  I used to weigh 400 lbs and consume over 5,000 calories per day to maintain that weight.  It was all processed and fast food.  What a change!

The scale is my check - if I am gaining weight (or losing it), I can start logging everything to see where the problem lies.  Logging in detail every calorie consumed really take the fun out of everything.  I only do it if I have to.

The salt, fat and sugar that occurs naturally in the foods I am eating is in-balance with everything else, so there really is no need to track it on a daily basis.  I don't eat low-sugar, low-salt or low-fat processed foods as salt, sugar and fat add flavor and feel to food and are necessary components of a healthy diet.

Of course I take the recommended supplements and get regular labs - that combined with my weight keeps my on-track.

I am almost 9 months out and have the same problem! I get in over 96 oz of water every day, take two stool softners daily, Benefiber daily and 2 fiber tablets daily AND still can't go. I drink Smooth Move every night and go only once, maybe twice a week and not very much when I go. I feel like bawling when I do go b/c it hurts so so bad. I am going to schedule an appt with my gastrointerologist. I'm fed up and something needs done to help me!

Laura, I love your new profile picture. Sorry I couldn't help you any.

Lora,hubby had it done a couple years ago.  For him, it was outpatient.  They gave him Vicodin and Percocet.  He had stints put in, he said the worst past was having them taken out.  You may need some help that day for sure.  He is military and so he get two weeks convolscent leave.  I would imagine it may be more painful for men though,just because of how they reach the kidneys.  He has been great ever since.

I met my husband on Match.com in 2009.  He's the best thing that ever happened to me (and my 2 boys).  We had a baby boy together in 2010.  It is a crap shoot but great guys do exist.  Good luck.

It sounds like you might want to try eating a protein bar or a shake to help you get in your protein. Or try snacking on some greek yogurt or something else that is higher in protein.

sorry i am very dumb when it comes to this am i getting to much not enough on soft food

what i ate today: ps did i use the right measures for food it that how you would count the portions? thanks

morning :

1/2 cup egg better carton said 10 gram

1/2 piece dry wheat toast (bariatric book  says( 1 gram)

snack cup of broth

lunch

2 oz ground turkey 14 grams?

2 oz soft carrots  1 gram

1 table spoon non fat turkey gravy container said 0 gram for  little more

dinner

1 oz  beef  8 gram (per nut)

1/4 cup soft carrots 1 gram

so i totaled 35 grams did i figure this correct  and i am supposed to have 65 grams 30 grams so its evening  and i am short 30 grams? thank for anyones help

My surgeon said as soon as my incisions had healed completely.

I am not a calorie counter.  I do it maybe twice a year just to see if I am still on track.  The only thing I track is protein.  I eat mostly simple, prepared at home meals (e.g., grilled chicken breast and some veggies) and I don't have any trouble being able to track my calories on the rare occasions that I do.  Yes, it is slightly more work than looking at the back of a package of Lean Cuisine, but it shouldn't be difficult unless you are doing casseroles with a dozen ingredients.  I know what a 2 ounce portion of chicken or beef looks like, so that is easy.  I also know about how much a half cup of fresh broccoli,green beans, etc. is. Even if I make a simple casserole, it is usually under 6 ingredients and only requires knowing how much meat, veggies, cheese, etc. I put in. 

If you make a stir fry, I guess I don't understand why it would be difficult to know how much of each veggie you used and then track each one (especially if you use an online tracker)... 

You couldn't PAY me to go back to nothing but protein shakes and cheese sticks.

Lora

When you eat and drink at the same time it washes the food down out of the pouch allowing you to eat more. 

I saw the urologist today.  I have multiple stones in each kidney, and one of the stones is 6mm and another is 8mm (and the rest are still tiny).  He ordered an x-ray of the kidneys/ureter/bladder and said we will likely need to consider lithotripsy.  That, apparently, requires that I stop my Coumadin, but he didn't tell me anything else about it, and the info I was able to find in a Google search was pretty general.

So, for those of you who have had it done... was it inpatient or outpatient? what kind of pain medication were you given?  how long after the procedure did you have pain (hours or days)? how long were you off work (just a day or more than that)? did you have to have the procedure repeated? 

Anything else I might need to know?

Lora

p.s.  the urologist did confirm that fluids high in citrate (lemonade and orange juice) are helpful in preventing kidney stones AND that the calcium citrate we take does, indeed, help prevent stones (as opposed to calcium carbonate, which actually causes stones)