Hi Chris,

That sounds about right.  My NUT wouldn't give me a calorie goal, but for two weeks post op I was instructed to be on full liquids (sugar free jello, water, crystal light, protein drinks, cottage cheese) and get 64 oz of liquids a day.  I sipped all day long, and was at about 400 calories per day at that point.

I moved to soft foods after two weeks (other plans keep people on liquids for longer, or pureed foods, and still other plans have people on food after 4 days).  Plans vary widely!  

Good luck!

Wow, you are kicking ass! My surgery was one day before you and I have also lost 53 lbs. but I started at 351. So you're doing amazing, considering you had less excess weight to lose :)

Re: wasting food, this is a huge issue for me. I do the following:

1. Freeze food. For example I made turkey meatballs the other night. One 20 Oz package made 19 meatballs! Since I eat 1.5 per meal, I will freeze some. When I put good directly in a ziplock bag and into the freezer, it tends to get freezer burn. I learned from a chef friend to wrap food tightly in Saran Wrap and then out it in the bag. So I will wrap two meatballs in Saran Wrap and then put four or five wrapped meatballs into one bag. As I need to defrost them, I take out one Saran wrapped little package. 

2. Share food. I have a pregnant friend at work who has gained a lot of weight and she loves my high protein low carb recipes. I bring her egg bites, turkey meatloaf, etc. it's better than throwing it away!

3. Do you have a trader joes? They have more reasonable portions of food, IMO. 

4. Cook up one thing for a variety of meals. When I pan sauté ground chicken or turkey, for example, I then make 3 Oz little tiny tupperwares of meat. Some get Italian seasoning, some get taco seasoning. That way I get variety :)

Re: exercise, I'm working with a personal trainer. Yes this is expensive. But it keeps me accountable. I was at the gym this morning because I had an appointment. Otherwise I would have rolled back over and gone to sleep! I figure I'm not drinking alcohol and I'm barely eating, so I may as well splurge on fitness lol. Also, muscle burns calories at a higher rate than fat and I am gonna take advantage of this year long honeymoon phase. I look at exercise as a necessary evil but as I get stronger and fitter, I actually (gasp!) like it :)

Re: vitamins, taking a multi twice a day is easy for me to remember. Taking a stool softener will never slip my mind! Lol. I also ordered Bariatric Advantage 500 mg calcium citrate chews in caramel. They're like dessert. Trust me, you won't forget!

Good luck!

Losing weight after five days in Vegas is no small feat! Way to go! Obviously you know how to live your life in a healthy way. Thanks for being a role model for us newbies :)

Oh my god I love you guys! I do not mind at all! Please if I ever miss just start a thread-I love seeing a window into people's menus :) And Ceithlenn, you cannot say you are not as good at communication!!! I think all of the regular menu posters are interesting and witty and give me such awesome good ideas. Here is what's on my menu today (and pardon my tardiness, I was busy this morning and then sooooo lazy all afternoon!)

Time since surgery: 10 weeks tomorrow! Time flies!

B: ate brunch out with out of town visitors at a French bistro. I ordered two sides (one egg fried hard and bacon). I ate the egg and 3 small slices of bacon. Everyone else ate French toast, oatmeal with brown sugar, eggs Benedict etc. I didn't feel deprived (bacon makes me so happy) AND everyone said how good I looked. HOLLA! 

L: nothing because brunch was at noon

D: 1/5 of a bag of Nasoya chickpea flour shirataki noodles (bag has two 2/3 cup servings but it's five for me) with 1.5 turkey meatballs (99% fat free ground turkey, egg, Parmesan cheese, onion, spices) and half of a quarter cup of tomato sauce. Sprinkled a little mozzarella on top. 

S: one premier protein shake before my morning workout

E: nearly keeled over in shock that on a weekend, I was at the gym at 8:30 am. What is happening to me?! Did 30 mins on the treadmill at 3.1 and then had a 25 minute personal training session. Cannot move. And cannot take Advil. Lord help me!

V: on track!

W: at 75 Oz and drinking crystal light while I continue to binge on my DVR!

Totals: 650 calories, 17 g carbs, 75 g protein

I love that you guys also love this post - it makes me feel like I'm not a daily nuisance on this forum. There are a few daily posts that um, I may have blocked lol. I don't want people to groan when they see the menu post, but I'm convinced there are enough of us who find it helpful and informative. Even if I never got a single idea from y'all, this keeps me accountable!

Omg you are so awesome to look it up! I live two blocks from a Safeway-I am going to have to check! And yes, that price is significantly lower than amazon...definitely worth a trip to the burbs. I had no idea I was overpaying by so much!!!

Yummy menu!!! I love shrimp too. And they are so low cal and high in protein. The perfect meal :)

Thanks, Scoobyluvr! The hike was muddy but awesome. We did almost 4 miles and it was hilly so my FitBit registered 19 floors! Whoa!

Your menu looks delicious. I craved sweets last night for the first time since surgery. May have to invest in some sugar free chocolate. I had a caramel calcium citrate chew and that satiated me :)

Shopping is TOTALLY exercise :) How fun to visit your daughter! You must feel amazing being able to spend the whole day walking and shopping with her :)

I do meatballs and meatloaf! What a great idea to put spinach in! Thanks for the tip :)

Gilly, you've got this! Although the pre-op diet is for losing weight it's more so to shrink your liver and get you in the mindset of drinking your meals, so that immediately post op you aren't having such a drastic change. One day you will look back on the pre op diet as a blessing! Good luck powering through-you're almost there!

Amy, I thought I was being sensitive :)  Thank you.  I will find my way in a post-WLS dating world...I just feel like Bambi with unsure footing :)

Thanks, Kim & Grim (LOL).  On a positive note, for the first time since surgery I think my blood pressure is high as opposed to it's normal low LOL.  Since I am here asking for advice and constructive criticism, I wasn't expecting to be told I am a fraud, will never have a good first date, and will pass out from walking 10,000 steps LOL.  Then I figured, people feel like they can say all sorts of things through the anonymity of the internet, so why bother commenting back at the same level.  Thanks for bringing the love.  I am far from perfect, I don't claim to be perfect, and I am on a great journey and trying to figure out how to date without involving food and alcohol.  That doesn't make me a fraud :)  Thanks for the love, you two!