2 months post op..help..

I am two months post op and I really need some help. I am not getting in my water- only 20-30 ounces a day. I am not getting in my protein- only 30-40 grams a day. I need some help. I need ideas to help me increase my water intake. I need ideas of foods to eat that are high in protein. Please give my some ideas. Thanks Marty

Hey Marty.... I was having alot of trouble with water and protein also... I am 9 months out and am still having trouble... As for water, I hate water and still do, it actually bothers me when i drink it... I like crystal lite orange, tastes just like tang... I also drink alot of decaf tea and decaf coffee... my dr said anything decaf is considered "water" As for the protein, try eating that first when you eat.. dont fill up on carbs and veggies... Gia

I did a lot of protein shakes to supplement! It's hard at this point, I understand!

Marty, It will take some time to get used to this so don't be to hard on yourself though you do need to get both in.....some tricks I used... WATER: *sipping all day long, very little sips at a time *carring a water glass with me ALL the time *chewing on ice chips to help ge****er in (sothing and it was keeping my mouth busy as well ) *adding crystal light to break up the water (now I mostly do water for my intake and cystal light as a bonus) *SF ice pops *broths PROTEIN: *stallone pudding (wish i knew about this before my surgery) *protein shakes (sipping slowly, trying samples to find one/three that I liked) *FF refried beans *cottage cheese *power crunch bars *natural nuts (check with Dr, I am not sure when you can start trying them) Well that is all I can think of right now but I wish you all the best ~Hugs~ Debra P

The only way is to drink protein supplements that have a lot of water. I use the Nectar line of powder. It is fruity and delicious. If you sip a couple a day, you will have no problem getting protein and fluid in. It comes in yummy flavors like Verry Berry Cherry, Fuzzy Navel, Roadside Lemonade, Crystal sky ( tropical) and Iced Tea. I mix a scoop and a half ( 30g protein) with 12 oz. water and ice cubes in a sports bottle. Shake it up and enjoy. When I was 2 months out I was not yet allowed solid food, only mushy/purees, and the only way to get enough was to be faithful to my protein drinks. Your pouch is too small to take in enough solid protein and still drink enough water. another idea is to make sugar-free pudding ( jello or royal brand) with 2 c cold milk. then add 2 scoops of protein powder to it. If you divide the batch into 4 servings, each serving will have 17 g protein, and counts as 4 oz. liquid from the milk. I add vanilla powder to butterscotch, pistachio, lemon, banana, and I add chocolate powder to chocolate, fudge and cheesecake flavors. Yummy!!! Heather Dr. Galvin, Rochester General Lap RNY 6/13/05 297h/238s/169c/125g

Marty: at 2 months out it is near impossible to get in ENOUGH protein without using Whey protein shakes. The focus on fluids is VERY important because dehydration can cause severe consequences and 20-30 oz fluid will get you in trouble and the ER quick! Try samples from: www.bethsproteinboutique.com (she is wlser in NY) My favorite is the PVL whey gourmet line, white chocolate, vanilla, milk chocolate, raspberry and caramel are best of the 15 flavors! Champion Pure Whey stack banana and chocolate are good also. Nany like the fruity nectar flavors (I like all but the cherry YUCK!) or www.vitalady.com owners are wls pts over 10 yr postop or www.wlssupplies.com or www.bariatriceating.com susan maria is a wlser I recommend getting many samples then see what you like before u order a tub! The crap they have in GNC is yucky in my opinion the designer whey may be the best they have and thats not great! Happy sampling!!! here is my info on fluids postop! HTH: Focus on Fluids One of the main challenges for a gastric bypass patient over time is to maintain hydration. Your body needs just as much fluid after the surgery as it did before surgery, yet the new stomach pouch limits you to 1-2 ounces at a time. (NO MORE GUZZLING!) Maintenance of fluid intake may also be difficult because of the necessity to take in food or fluids, and not both at once. You must compensate for this by taking small amounts of fluid on a near-constant basis. Usually this means that you should carry your fluid source with you at all times. *** We cannot overemphasize that the liquid must be a caffeine, carbonation & calorie-free. Patients who use fruit juice or other calorie-containing liquids for hydration may experience inadequate weight loss because of the calories in these fluids, and can experience dumping syndrome from the sugar. Caffeine is a possible appetite-stimulant, diuretic and irritant and can potentially cause ulcers in the new pouch and add to dehydration and low-iron blood (which we already poorly absorb iron post-op). Carbonation can possibly cause gastric irritation, if carbonated beverage also contains phosphorus it may act to leach calcium out of bones, and some feel it may stretch pouch/stoma. Drinking at least 64 ounces of fluids post-op is a necessity. Water is the body's best source, and serves the purpose to aid digestion and absorption of food; it regulates temperature and circulation, carries nutrients and O2 to the cells of the body and removes toxins and waste. Dehydration can cause/aggravate constipation, kidney stones, urinary infections, high or low blood pressure, difficulty controlling diabetes and migraines. Dizziness, clumsiness, muscle cramps in arms and legs, dark yellow urine, fatigue, irritability, are sunken eyes, low blood pressure and fainting, bloating, and a fast, weak pulse -- are signs that dehydration is setting in. Fluids should be consumed on a near-constant basis, but not during meals and not soon following food. If you drink during your meal, you will tend to wash the food out of the stomach pouch, and consume more food than is desirable. It may seem strange at first to eat without drinking but it works fine. A good tip here is to actually not have any fluid on the table while you are eating. In addition to reducing your overall food intake, this new habit will encourage you to chew more thoroughly before swallowing, because you will not count on the fluid to wash down half-chewed food. Also note that soup is kind of like drinking liquids with food - soup is not an absolute "no-no" but recognize that it should not be a regular part of your diet. Liquids should not be consumed for about 30-60 minutes after eating. This is because the food actually forms a plug that blocks the outlet from the pouch until it has all passed through. If you drink liquids on top of this plug it will create a very uncomfortable sensation and may also force food downstream more quickly than it should go. A brief review on coordinating liquids and food: ü Sip liquids constantly, even just before eating. Don't drink liquids while eating. ü Don't drink liquids until about one hour after completing your meal. ü When the stomach pouch is mature (six months or more after surgery) it is useful to wait two or three hours after eating before consuming liquid. If you must choose between liquids and food (frequently true in the first months after gastric bypass) - choose liquids! CLEAR LIQUIDS IDEAS: ***(VARIETY IS THE KEY TO GETTING THROUGH THE FIRST 2 WEEKS!)*** ü Broth any flavor (canned or made from bullion cubes) or strained soups such as chicken noodle without the noodles! Cup of soup brands strained. ü ¼-½ strength apple or cranberry or grape juice (OJ may be too acidic at first). ü Full or ½ strength Ocean Spray lite cranberry juice varieties (white, cran-grape, cran-raspberry, ****tail) these have 40 cal a glass vs 120 cal a glass of regular juices and are made with splenda. Available at Wal-Mart and PC. ü Diet V8 Splash (Wal-Mart and PC) 10 calories a glass and made with splenda, full strength or watered in ½. ü Carb Countdown dairy beverage. *has lactose. ü Carb Countdown yogurt smoothies (black cherry, peach, strawberry & strawberry-kiwi) *has lactose. ü Carb Countdown fruit flavored beverages in OJ section. (OJ flavored, orange-pineapple, orange-pineapple banana, Ruby red grapefruit & lemonade flavors). ü Old Orchard Low carb juices (30-40 calories a serving with 6-10 G carbs/with different varieties) full or ½ strength. Cranberry, Cranberry Raspberry, Cranberry Grape, and White Cranberry flavors available. ü Diet Very Fine juices. ü Crystal lite (Wal-Mart) any variety (decaf tea, lemonade, fruit punch etc), diet Tang (Wal-Mart) diet Kool-Aid any variety (Wal-Mart). OR Carb options & Wyler's Light powdered beverages. NEW Wal-Mart-brand called great value, 4-C's and Crystal lite have to go sizes! To add to a 16 oz bottle water! NEAT!**NOTE MANY PEOPLE WATER DOWN EVEN MOR FINDING IT TOO SWEET*** ü Decaf tea or herbal decaf teas or decaf coffee hot or iced. ü WATER, try it iced, warm or with a little lemon or lime to flavor, many like to add a little splenda to change the taste! Water may have a metallic taste initially this is normal and goes away. ü Fruit 2O (bottled or/& they make a frozen Fruit 2O in raspberry and lemon! YUMM). ü Propel Fitness water by Gatorade: Kiwi Strawberry, Peach, Orange, Berry, Black Cherry, and Lemon. ü Diet Jell-O (you make or premade varieties). ü Sugar-free Popsicles (Popsicle brand has original and tropical fruit flavors. ü NO-Sugar added Fudgesicles (popsicle brand). ü New Minute Maid light (Light Lemonade, Light Guava Citrus, Light Raspberry Passion & light mango tropical) It is a 5 cal/serving juice (2 servings in a bottle)...0 fat 80 mg sodium 2 g carbs (less than 1 g sugar) 0 protein...(It comes in 4 packs 16.9 oz plastic bottles or 12 pk 12 oz cans). ü Wal-mart has SAM's brand (called First-Harvest) non-calorie non-carbonated flavored beverages: cherry-limeade, lemonade, strawberry Kiwi and MY FAV peach-grapefruit. (4 pks of 20 oz size) ü K-Mart has similar ones 1 L size. ü Many many flavored waters popping up. ü http://www.flavors2go.com/ Flavors2Go are designed to offer the delicate taste of real fruit, not the heavy, artificial fruit taste that people have come to accept. ***TIP Keep a journal of each hour in a day for the first week of fluids. Write down what you drink in the hour and what activity you do! You should move every 1-2 hrs even if it is just walking around the house to avoid respiratory or circulation problems. This helps keep you mindful! Remember you cannot catch up on fluids later in the day OR take a 2 L soda bottle empty and fill it each time you sip some fluid with same amount this is a great visual as to how far to go and how much u have drank, set midday to have it 1/2 gone!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Take Care, Jamie Lap RNY 10/9/02 Dr. Singh 320/163 5'9'' (lost 45# before surgery) Plastics 6/9/04 & 11/11/2005 Dr. King "Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!"