Just stay focused on your goals and look forward to your new journey. I look forward to your updates!

I had the sleeve last year but somethings are don't the same way. Our doctor had us start using baby spoons and forks to help us by not taking such big bites. Do you chew your food 20-30 times applesauce consistent? Don't drink a half hour after you eat.

Don't feel bad my husband has been getting very nauseous and doesn't want to eat and he had the bypass too.

Good luck

Debbie Cutlip

Also, for some reason, Veggie, I thought you were a very recent post-op. I notice now that you are actually seven years out (?) You seem to have a lot of (unanswered) questions regarding your surgery posted on here of late. Didn't you address any of your questions/issues with your surgeon's office before now? Who WAS your surgeon, btw?

I don't think those scales are super accurate - it's more ballpark. I don't know that there's ANYTHING that'll be 100% accurate, but those DEXA scans that you can get at university sports labs or commercial places like DEXAfit are pretty good - much better than the home scales. That being said, though, it should be better than the scale you have - that sounds way off to me.

AlyssaBiddle, I had my only gastric surgery on October 31st.96..by an experienced teaching surgeon..n Memphis Tn.

...Yes i ate thanksgiving lunch.. I had a tablespoon(15 cc.) of moist turkey breast, a teaspoon(5cc) of my MIL's turkey dressing, a half teaspoon of cranberry sauce., a single bite of sweetpotato(tasting spoon bite),combined cran/sweetpotato= less than 4cc.

total meal less than 25cc. ... at 6 weeks i could eat ..45cc. I could not eat more than 60 c****il 16 weeks? post op... MY Volume went from 60oz to 1.5 oz./6 weeks.

I had an early open surgery that included a bypass, gastric banding, esophagus banding a hiatial hernia repair, a duodenal ulcer repair,a small bowel resection, a cholecystectomy(gall bladder was bad)and a large bowel resection...( removed all but 2 ft of colon.)+ 3 other female related surgeries..

The problems you are having is why my Surgeon did the banding..of esophagus and at base of pouch. He explained that experience taught him people often will under-judge the size of a bolus they are swallowing.He said if something got stuck it could be retireved with standard ER/OR equipment and no internal surgery..The first 6 weeks you will have more edema/swelling inside.. as it goes down your tolerance will increase .

Here is how you correct it. Here was his instructions.

Be careful not to gulp air when swallowing.People who are chronic air swallowers will have more difficulty with lquids and reflux/backfeeding.

Eat with a baskin robbins tasting spoon

....chew every bite 20 times... this will slow you down.

.. before you eat hold all liquids a minimum of 30 min, and do not drink anything until at least 30 min after you eat.

Other tips.

Get prescribed amount of water minimum..

. I was allowed to count all liquids-and used sugar free hot cocoa mix with a special protein supplement that was very low in carbs..to get protein in.and it counted as both protein and fluids.

Nothing carbonated.filtered water.

Make sure you get enough calories.. I lost 50 lbs in the first 4 weeks. i was weak and occassionally dizzy, and really tired. I was getting my rx'd protein of 90 grams(using the supplement) and the prescrbed water. but my calorie count was too low .

Nutritionist in office did an eval on my diet diary-and increased my carb intake by adding a half-serving of carbs to every meal.(One serv. of carbs is 15 grams.. my carbs were still under 25..).within 2 days my energy level came up.and i stopped being dizzy...

Be patient with yourself and your body as it adjusts to the massive changes. The hardest thing for me was learning to eat foods i had always consumed hot-cold. e..by the time i would eat 2 bites it was cold.

If something you try does not sit well- go back to basic diet.. liquid proteins for a day or so. and find on food to try and master foods one at a time.

.. if a meat is very dry , I can still have trouble with them mash with a fork and add a few drops of the cooking liquid will help things like a dry chicken or turkey breast...the mashing with a fork will help you break it ins smaller bites as well.