mkvand
Reflections on the first three weeks
Jan 24, 2014
Things I've learned:
Drinking is hard. I honestly didn't expect to feel restriction with liquids, but I absolutely do. My first few days I was only able to drink about three cups of liquid for the whole day. I'm now averaging six, but I still can't finish a protein drink. Water, broth, and milk are easier. Also, syntrax nectars suck. I know a lot of people love them, but they were intolerable. The unjury broth is way tastier, and easier to get in because warm liquids go down better.
My tastes have changed. Not in that I don't find the same foods appealing, but they taste different. The yogurt I used to like is too sweet, I only need half as much sweetener in my tea, some of the protein drinks I liked before are icky now. Even water tastes slightly off. The exception is cranberry juice. It tastes exactly the same. Also, don't drink too much cranberry juice, even if it is a clear liquid. When it's all you're having, it takes way less juice to cause diarrhea.
I still get hungry and full--and they feel exactly the same as pre-surgery. The differences are in frequency and volume. Before, I'd eat six times a day. Now I'm "eating" (I'm still on full liquids) four times a day. I used to get full after half a pizza and some dessert. Now I'm full after six ounces of a protein shake. No weird burping or hiccups, just full, and it lasts for several hours.
Eating under six hundred calories a day is easy. Pre-op, when I read posts from people saying they only ate 500 calories, even though their doctor allowed more, I thought they were crazy. Why go even lower than the plan? Now I know it's because you can't fit anything else.
Recovery from VSG is not the same as your gallbladder or appendix. The first few days were comparable, but then the lack of fluids started to get to me. I was very weak, shaky, and tired while on clear liquids, but improved when I started full liquids. I also think my incisions are healing slower, probably from eating so little protein.
I am not hitting any nutrition goals. My targets are 700-800 calories, 70 grams of protein, 64 ounces of water, and under 40 grams of carbs, and I'm not meeting any of them. I'm averaging 500 calories, 40 grams of protein, 48 ounces of water, and I'm exceeding the carb limit because my chewable multivitamin has 23 carbs a serving. It tastes good, but I'm going to have to switch. I just can't afford that many carbs. The lack of protein and fluids are not from lack of trying--I'm just too swollen yet to get in any more.
Stalls can happen super early. Counting from the start of my pre-op diet, I lost 22 lbs in 22 days, then stalled the day I switched to full liquids. I know mathematically I didn't really lose 22 lbs of fat, because my calorie deficit wasn't that high, and that now I'm retaining water from having so little to drink, but it's still annoying. It kind of makes me wish I hadn't bought a scale, since I didn't have one before. You can't get upset with what the scale says if you don't have one.
I can't wear an under wire bra. When I lean forward, the bottom of the wire hits my largest incision. Also, my tight jeans are now loose, so when I wear them they slide down just enough for the button to rub my belly button. And my tight slacks are now loose enough that the crotch is low, so when I walk it rubs between my things. I have not, however, lost enough to fit correctly into the next size down. :(
