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Good morning!
I have my consult on Wednesday this week! So excited!!! I'm seeing a lot of post surgery foods that are sugar free, and I'm wondering if any of you found any alternatives for them. I am unable to use aspartame, splenda, sweet and low and the other chemical sweeteners as they give me migraines.
I currently use Stevia or small amounts of honey if I need a sweetener. I also use Swerve for baking.
Thank you all so much!!
I appreciate the time you all take to respond to my posts!
Cristie
It just dawned on me today is the 8th year since I had my surgery. I'm still weighing in at 115 sometimes down 2 pounds sometimes up but I jump back in and adjust my food intake.
It's been a long road and at times I regretted it. I'm being honest because my general health went through hell. My resistance was extremely low and I was constantly fighting off colds and fatigue. I was weighing in at 110
and wasn't feeling good so with my Doctor's ok I gained 3 pounds then 2 more. As each year went by I was gaining strength and making sure to eat as much protein as necessary. I decided against any plastics because I didn't want to go through another rough recovery. I'm almost 60 now and my bikini days are over in my opinion. I don't miss eating for entertainment like I did and I honestly don't think of food every second of the day. I'm happy to be able to play with my Grandkids and my dog without stopping to rest. My husband had the surgery 3 years ago and he's doing phenomenal. He's off all his meds as am I ,it's wonderful seeing him so active. My son is near his 1st Anniversary and I couldn't be prouder. He lost 159 pounds and is in great shape and health. This certainly was a life changing experience but now I wouldn't trade it for anything. I speak with those who are interested in the surgery but I don't sugarcoat it. It takes a lot of mental energy to be successful. Congratulations to those on this journey regardless of being an old timer or newbie. Happy Healthy You!
Thank you everyone. I guess i realize that i was probably mentally rushing my self. i also realized last night that for some reason i though i was bout to start my 4th week on Monday not my third. thank you for all the advice on the liquids. the snow cone and tea ideas sound great an i think i might try that. have to crush my ice in a blender though but should still work just fine.
Here's a thread with more tips for meeting your fluid needs.
https://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/6040762/Tips-for-inc reasing-fluid-intake/
Obviously, take your medical team's advice over anything I say, but here are my suggestions:
You don't have to worry too much about nutrition or meeting protein requirements the first six weeks or so. You're not going to get malnourished that quickly. But if you don't get enough fluids in you will be in trouble! A normal stomach holds a bit of fluid in reserve, but after WLS that reserve is gone, so we can get dehydrated very quickly. So your job now is to focus on the fluids. Once you can eat a bit more, you can start thinking about protein. A half a protein shake is fine for the moment.
You might experiment with different temperatures of water. Some people can tolerate hot or warm water better, others can tolerate cold water. Experiment with adding different things to water. Personally, I find adding a touch of acidity to water makes it feel less bulky in my stomach, so a little citrus fruit, or tea, works well for me. Try putting a tea bag in a bottle of water, and leaving it in the fridge for a few hours, and you have a lovely drink. Some teas that I find soothing for digestion are ginger (try lemon ginger!), any kind of mint, and chamomile. But really, any tea that you enjoy will probably help settle your stomach. Frozen sugar free pops are good too.
Also, I want to point out that one common symptom of dehydration is nausea. So if you're feeling a bit queasy, you can focus on taking frequent sips instead of gulps. Keep a close eye on your hydration, and call your medical team if you suspect a problem.
At two weeks out, I was on liquids only. Nothing like applesauce or banana. I drank a protein shake a day, some broth, sugarfree jello, and an ounce of water every ten minutes while awake. After two weeks, I was allowed applesauce, but I only ate about a teaspoon at a meal. I could also have pureed meats, but never ate more than about a tablespoon.
By three months, I was allowed to add salad and tender cuts of meat. Beef filet and chicken thighs and very flaky fish. By six months, I was able to eat almost any food, even very well toasted bread.
The reason we lose rapidly during the first months after surgery is because we are not eating much and our bodies are burning stored fat instead. Believe it or not, you will soon miss these days when you only want a tiny amount of food.
Your body will heal and you will be able to eat again. Just give yourself time.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
It may be that your body will fight with you to get to that lower weight. Some bounce back from the lowest weight is normal according to many surgeons. Not to say that the lower weight is impossible but you may find it will be a lot of effort and fight to get and stay there compared to a few pounds higher, (so you may have a weight range you need to consider rather than a number on the scale per se).
I would be more concerned if they haven't at least had the nutritionist come in and assess your current weight. Do you know what your BMI is or your healthy weight range? How tall are you? Beyond a bariatric lab panel, (which a primary can do), my surgeon's office has the PA's come in and then the nutritionist before he comes in. He trains future bariatric surgeons so although it can feel frustrating I understand the drill. Have any of the bariatric care team or your other providers mentioned if your current weight is healthy for you?
I always preface posts like these with, "please reach out to your program's bariatric nutritionist or nurse, first" but beyond that, it sounds like what you are experiencing is normal. My program counted any fluids towards fluid intake at that point and most of our effort was expected to be sipping and getting water and other fluids in, (including protein of course). Water made me nauseated at that point so I bought a sno cone maker ate tiny spoonfuls of chipped ice and would pour my electrolyte or other drinks over that and it helped me. I also found that hydration was a huge stepping stone and once that was better, more energy came gradually once I could have more nutrition. You can't really safely rush this stage so all you can do is focus on what you can do, iykwim and take it one day at a time. You did have major surgery so it is natural your body is feeling the effects. Please be gentle with yourself. I would worry more about kidney issues related to dehydration than kidney stone per se unless you have some other reason to think you are more likely to get them now. Hang in there. Soon this phase will be a distant memory.
Hello friends. I had my surgery on oct 28th this year 2019 and after the clear liquid stage for the first 3-4 days. i have been having troubles getting enough food let alone protein down. I cant stand the shakes i try to choke down a half a shake a day at the absolute minimum but it takes work. ive tried adding bananas apple sauce, milk and other approved variations and just hard to do it. I have not been tracking all my water in take as i should. im not sure im getting a full 64 oz as suggested for where i am even though i feel i am sipping water all day long. I also have noticed that regular plain water multiple brands even home filtered make me nauseous. Granted that happened alot before the surgery just not as often. I have been drinking alot of propel sports waters from Gatorade. my biggest concern is though i do get out and walk my dogs and move around alot more then i was before surgery i don't know if im expelling enough electrolytes for how much im in taking. I guess im worried i might end up with kidney stones or other adverse affects from it. i dunno.
Does anyone one else have any advice on getting my nutrition down these first couple weeks when im still restricted to liquids cuz sadly most of my nutrition is coming from barbaric fusion complete chew able vitamin and mineral supplements. And im sure my lack of energy is stemming from lack of nutrition!
Thank you guys!
