PLANS are DIFFERENT

That's encouraging.  Maybe there is hope for this guy, then.

One of the things that I loved about my surgeon is that she genuinely enjoyed seeing people get healthy and get their lives back.

 

Lora

OMG!  What a horrible person!!

Yes!! 

Not everyone has to do weeks of liquids and/or purees!  My surgeon required clear liquids the day of surgery, full liquids the day after, soft foods on Day Three, and solid foods 7 days later if the soft foods were well tolerated.  I ate some scrambled egg and oatmeal before I left the hospital and ate a baked buffalo chicken nugget (with no ill effects) the week after surgery (and nothing made me sick early out).

My surgeon suggested protein supplements early out, but isn't a big fan of the chemical-laden protein bars.  She wanted us to get back to eating "normally" ASAP so we had even more time to strengthen our new eating habits before the cravings, etc. kicked back in. Almost no one had trouble with soft foods right away, and it drive me crazy when people tell others that they can hurt their pouch by eating real food instead of staying on purees for weeks!

Lora

Similar experience and plan. Seven days of liquids only though then my plan went straight to lean meats and vegetables. I ate baked chicken and green beans in the hospital. 

If I recall you were 18 months out before you threw up, right?  Same here and it was beef roast. ive tried it two other times and it gets stuck so I just don't eat it. I probably should try again, I think it's the stringiness of the beef but a steak or chuck roast doesn't bother me. 

Yep, I didn't throw up until 18 months out (some dry chicken that I ate in a hurry).  I got queasy a few times, and I dumped twice in the first year, but never had anything get stuck.  I might have had a very mild case of foamies once.

Yeah, roast beef is hard to chew compared to even a sirloin steak.

Lora

This makes me feel sooo much better, as everyone I have seen has posted about longer times before soft foods, like two weeks. My plan says soft foods while in the hospital. I also only have to do a 4 day liquid died, and the last two days are a "bowel prep" which I am NOT Looking forward too. lol

I was really amazed when I first started reading here how varied the pre and post op eating plans were.  I am following my doc's plan but realize his is but one of those varied ones.  I think the bottom line is that whatever your doc's plan is you will lose weight if you are true to yourself and the plan. 

Being on this site made me realize how different all the plans are.  Honestly, if we are all losing weight on all of these different plans then obviously more than one plan works for this surgery.  I am a firm believer that not all carbs are bad.  I have been "lectured" on this a couple of times from people who were told to cut ALL carbs out after surgery.  First of all, that's impossible.  You need carbs daily just to function.  I eat a baked potato from time to time as well as crackers daily.  Granted, its a small amount.  As of right now, I have control, however, I realize just how easy it would be for me to lose control like I did pre surgery.  That is why that I keep an eye on the amount of carbs that I eat.

Also, I do not really count calories.  My NUT and surgeon always told me that I should be working my way up to 1200 calories a day by 6 months out.  However, they told me not to really count calories, carbs or fat.  They told me to just eat protein first and count my protein.  At first I didn't understand how that I was suppose to get up to 1200 calories a day but not count calories.  How was I to know how many I was eating? But now I understand. I keep control of the protein and always do protein first and it just kinda falls into place. 

I must be doing something right because I have lost 121 lbs in the last 6 months.  But I make sure that I am very aware of everything that goes into my mouth.  When the caloric malabsorption wears off.... I don't want to gain back all my weight and not have learned anything during this process.  

I see too many people jumping all over other posters about their plan and how it doesn't match what they are doing. 

Thank you for posting this!  It needed to be done! 

My surgeon also didn't have us count anything except protein, and just emphasized protein first ALWAYS and healthy carbs.  Most of her patients (but not all, of course) have been very successful with that approach... and we don't have to obsess over tracking and don't feel like we are on a perpetual diet.

Lora

Agreed! I don't sit there and freak out over my calories. It has to be so stressful for those that have to count.