Starting to worry...

I may just be being silly, but I'm starting worry and I just need to vent to you all.

I'm three weeks out today and have been clearned for soft foods for a week. For the last five days, I've puked at least once or twice a day due to my inability to get this whole eating thing down right, or I hope it's only that. I don't think it's something else because I have got meals down without puking as well.

I also haven't seen the scales move since Saturday- I'm hovering between 330 and 335 and don't seem to move. So I'm starting to feel like, "yeah here we go again, this isn't going to work either", I know that's defeating self talk on my part but it's hard when so many other things didn't work either.

I'm not getting enough protein in because I'm not keepin enough down so I'm sure that has something to do with it all too.

I'm worried that I've stalled and I'm doing something wrong and that it won't get better. I'm worried about being a failure at this too.

On an other note, clothes are fitting better and I do feel okay, but just discouraged I guess.

I was also reading on here about insulin resistance and sydrome X, which is what I was diagnosed with prior to surgery and how some people still don't lose weight after surgery, so that probably didn't help my optimisim either.

Sorry to be such a downer, thanks for listening.

Hi  Jenfa

supplement the protein with a  protein shake or carnation instant breakfast 
one of those a day  gives you most of the protein  you need.

chew  slowly  dont add  alot of different food.   Like try   eggs  and stick with that was a few days
If you follow the book  you just may be eating too much.
I would burp or hic cup and that meant to stop.

right now you are only trying for  one quarter of a cup and that is not much.

At first  all i could eat was  scrambled eggs.   rolled up  american cheese  and rolled up chicken.

with a little  gravy.   didnt even get the whole piece down.


It does  take time but you will get there.  do not over stuff.  I am so glad i am not lactose intolerant bucause  greek yogurt and  splenda  were and still is my best friend.  when all else fails.

You will also hit  little plateaus where you body holds a little water  as it doesnt want  to lose any weight  it thinks it is starving.  just be patient.  You are doing great.  Just slow and easy and fluid is still your most important  at this time.

Patty

Don't forget that you lost a lot of weight before surgery too, so you may not lose as fast at first as you think you should. What did they say at your two week appt?  Were you on target?  If you are concerned, I would email Lynn B. and let her know your concerns. Maybe she can give you advice or suggest something to ease your mind.

Good luck!  YOu will get there, I know you can do it.

Jen call me !!  :)

Ok guys things are getting better! I really think I haven't been eating ebough! Today I hav_ kept everything down so far and ground turkey has become my new best friend! Tracy I will call you soon! I'm in a training right now and on my phone hence the bad typing!

 Hi there...I can relate to some of what you're going through. I remember posting a similar situation that I was in during my first couple of weeks following surgery. I was convinced that I would be facing the weight loss journey without protein, because it seemed that I couldn't get any protein product down.

First of all, have you gotten anti-nausea medication (preferably suppositories) from your doctor? They help quite a bit. I actually had to double-up on the dose they gave me, but it helped.

I was very upset about the protein problem, and ended up jumping ahead a food group too early so I could start eating foods that had more protein. Bad move: I ended up with an obstruction, in the ER, and had to be hospitalized for three days, no drinking or eating, and on IV fluids. Thankfully, it worked itself out. Trust me, if you had an obstruction, you'd know it. The pain in the middle right under your ribs is pretty intense, and after a while, you start vomiting liquids, because they just can't get through. You'd also notice that you weren't having any BM's.

I got some samples from my nutritionist for Unjury protein powder. I don't know if you've tried it already, but the chocolate and vanilla mix tasted just like vanilla or chocolate milk to me. I diluted the powder in milk a little more than the directions said, and it went down very easy. It is the most easily digestible and mildest tasting protein on the market, and it is actually marked toward people post-operatively (for any surgery) because the protein is medical-grade, and helps wounds heal faster. You can go to their website and order samples (www.unjury.com), or maybe your nutritionist may have some??? This is my biggest source of protein right now. I learned quickly not to waste my time on protein bullets; they were not going to go down no matter what I did, and they are also not a good source of absorbable protein. According to my research, only 5% of that type of protein is absorbed by our bodies.

I also was craving something tangy to cut down on the nausea and help me get more fluids down. I came up with a quirky lemon-limeade recipe that works great for me. I start with a can of Minute Maid Lite Lemonade (it comes in cardboard 12-packs at the grocery store on the soda aisle), then I squeezed all the juice I could from 1/2 of a lime. Then I took a packet of Special K Pink Lemonade Protein powder, and added about 1/4 of a packet to the mix, plus a bunch of ice cubes (the colder something is, the less it smells, and the "crisper" the taste). Shake it or blend it well. I have invested in these great drink containers that have a round wisk-like stainless steel ball in the bottom, called blender-bottles. They mix up drinks really well if you don't want to constantly be dragging  out the blender. Here's a website where I found them for a great price: www.luckyvitamin.com.

I know I threw a lot at you in this post, but I've been whereyou are, and there's no sugar-coating it; it sucks. I would also tell you to stay off the scale for a while. Before surgery, what did we all do when we didn't see the scale moving on when we were on a diet? We ate! Start weighing yourself once a week.

I hope anything I wrote helps out. Good luck!

I personally agree with my surgeon. He didn't clear me to soft foods until I was 1 month postop. And then it was just scrambled eggs, refried beans, ricotta cheese w/sf strawberrys, egg drop soup and cottage cheese. What have you tried?  Maybe you should go back to the liquid protein? I know it is gross but it just takes time. You will get there, don't worry! 

Just because you were given the go ahead at 2 weeks out to advance to soft foods doesn't mean your pouch is ready to try everything listed in the booklet. Give one new food at a time a try and see how it goes.

Remember to chew chew chew and eat your meals slowly. Monitor your portions, keep note of how you feel and stop when things are tight or full feeling if you haven't completed your portion. One too many fork or spoons full can mean the meal comes up rather than stays down.

Get off the darned scale- It's only one mark of your success.

Hope that helps.

I don't have much else to add except to take your time, chew, chew, chew and use the protein drinks to get your protein in.  Early out, I found the Unjury chicken soup flavor to be one of the only protein drinks I could tolerate.  I know they will send you samples or maybe try vitalady.com or netrition.com

Good luck!  Keep us posted!