Hello! 2 weeks post op and a couple questions...

Hello all.  First post so if I am doing something wrong, please let me know...

A little over 2 weeks after surgery (9-17).  Went to pureed stage last Thursday (doctor's suggestion) and was told I can try going to soft stage today (again, doctor's suggestion).  Everything seems to be going well.  Never got sick or felt nauseous.  More energy now than the month before surgery.  No real cravings but I am certainly making my shopping list for my new soft stage and have already bought a few cookbooks for after WLS. 

Anyway, a few questions if anyone has time.

• I used to drink 60+ oz of water a day.  Just plain water.  Never had any trouble.  Now, it seems to have a taste and after a short time, my mouth has a horrible sweet taste.  I just can't get rid of it.  I have added Crystal Lite to the water which helps in the overall taste of the water but then the taste in my mouth afterwards is even worse.  Has anyone experienced this and do you have any suggestions?  Is this common?
• I never was a "sweet" person when it came to food so I am having a horrible time with the protein shakes as they all seem to be vanilla, chocolate or strawberry.  I did find Unjury Chicken Soup flavored which has been a life saver.  Are there any suggestions on other shakes that aren't all sweet?  I don't want to burn myself out on the chicken soup.

Thanks and sorry if these have been answered.  I looked for a search but didn't see one.

Good morning.

I can't do crystal lite.  They have a funny aftertaste to me.  I do like Hawaiian Punch lemon berry and grape and also Good value (Wal-mart brand) sugar free drink mixes.  All of these are sugar free.  Hawaiian punch can be found at the Dollar tree's along with some of there other flavors.  If you aren't a sweet person, use one packet in a larger bottle of water.

I like atkins shakes as they don't taste sweet, but that is just personal.....

Carrie

Don't worry - sure, these questions have been asked before - but bringing up again isn't a bad thing.

I can't speak to your water question, I was lucky enough to not have a problem with it. 

As for the protein shakes, there's always a huge amount of personal preference in it, but my favorite early on was Syntrax Brand Nectar in the Lemon Tea flavor. It's iced tea(ish) so not super sweet. I also like the same brand's Roadside Lemonade flavor, though I would always add an individual packet of 4Cs lemonade to it to make it more tart.

Good luck!

Thank you both for the quick responses.  I have tried the GV stuff from Wal-mart too with the same results.  As for the Syntrax, I had assumed all protein shakes were thicker, milkier stuff.  I guess I need to go shopping and find some other options than the pre-made shakes.

Thanks again!

Syntrax has about a dozen different flavors;  they also sell a sample pack of one of each flavor so you can decide if you like a flavor without having to buy a large portion.  

I like their Cappuccino flavor as well as the Lemon Tea;  makes a nice change from fruity flavors.  Most of them seem to OK made with plain water.

The water thing is so different for everyone.  I could only drink room temp or hot drinks because cold was hard on my new little pouch.  As time went by, I could tolerate cold better.  The flavor thing will change, too.

You also can buy plain unsweetened protein powder and just add it to things like cottage cheese, etc. I've been buying Genepro off Amazon, what I like about this one is 1TBSP=30g protein-makes it so much easier to mix in the lesser quantity- and it can go directly into hot items. I have put it directly into tea and coffee with no clumping and no problems. Some items like cottage cheese, that already have some protein, I'll just add a teaspoon. Good Luck!

Try putting some lemon in your water. That might help. :)

I used unjury vanilla at first and now I use the syntrax nectar capuccino and I like it a lot. 

Good luck! Things will get easier and taste will change!