Give it to me straight

The shot glass idea is a good one.  And my shakes do count to my liquid goals.  My dr doesn't have you talk to a NUT, but I just might have to find me one.

That glass should be near you at all times. For a while, I had to remind myself to drink.  The protein keeps your lean muscle mass in place.  You definitely want to keep that!

Well, since you asked for it, here goes:

You need to stop trying and just do it. At one month out, it is still a job to get liquids and proteins in, but it is your job and you have to do it. I recommend either the shot glass idea, or a 16 oz water bottle. If you choose the water bottle, set a timer to go off every 15 minutes. You will need to drink 1/8 (2 liquid oz) of the water every 15 minutes. Over the course of the day you will get a full 64 oz of water in (and then some, if you keep going every waking hour). Also, there really is no reason for you to not be able to drink an 8z protein shake in 30-60 minutes. Nursing it all morning is counter productive.

If I were you, and mind you I'm not a medical professional, just someone who's been in your shoes, I would take a few days and go back on shakes and water to get your protein up and the water intake up.

BTW - 400 calories per day seems absolutely fine to me as long as your protein intake is adequate. This idea of eating too few calories has been debunked over and over through scientific study.

It is possible that if you had a large weight loss prior to surgery your body is still trying to rebuild its glycogen stores which will make you hold on to water. This does not mean you are not losing fat at the same time.

Relax and stick to it. The weight will come off.

The reason it takes so long to get the shakes in (11 oz) is because my pouch gets full so quickly that if I drink any more I get sick.  And I'm struggling with water because I'm trying to get food in and I can't drink before/after eating.  

UGH this is frustrating.  LOL

Clearly you still have swelling. That happens. It's taking your body a while to let go of the inflammation caused by the surgery. You might have a tiny sleeve, too. The not drinking before or after eating is why I recommended going back to liquids for a few days. Your pyloric valve will not hard close with water or a protein drink (keep the shakes thin if you make them. If they are RTDs, don't add anything to make them thicker). If you take little tiny sips over and over and over, you should be able to get it all down in 30 to 60 minutes. If you take too large a sip and dump a ton of liquid into your sleeve all at once, your sleeve is likely to rebel and make you feel ill. IF you trick it by taking those miniscule sips, I bet you'll be able to do it.

Like I said, this takes works. It's not a cake walk, by any means!

On Monday the dr said I must still have lots of swelling.  She recommends taking 1-2 bites of food every 30 minutes or so.  But I just might go back to full liquids because eating is hard.  Everytime I eat, I end up in the fetal position.  No matter how little I eat or how much I chew.

And you are probably right about liquid intake.  I am not the best sipper.  But I have finished off 1 shake and a cheese stick and it's not even noon.  LOL

How much protein are you getting each day?  How much fluid?  Your first goal should be making your liquid goal because dehydration is, literally, a killer.  

Low protein will get you in the intermediate to long term (months to a year or two) - it will lead to excessive loss of muscle mass which leads to lowered metabolism and slower or stalled weight loss, and in extreme cases, organ damage (but your body will draw the protein from everywhere else before it goes after critical organs. Low water intake can lead to dehydration which will put you in the ER tomorrow. So - sip,sip,sip and get your water in and sip, sip, sip and get your protein in.

My wife also had notable inflammation limiting her fluid intake when she was early out and it really put her off the protein shakes as they had to be so concentrated to get them in, but she did it. I was the opposite and fluids went right through me from the outset - just luck of the draw and we take the gifts that are offered and deal with the challenges that we get in exchange.

Try not to be such in a hurry to lose your weight, it will come off. Allow time for your stomach to heal and focus on water, its definitely more important. Your protein will get better as you get further out. Good luck!

Premier protein shakes are good. I had to use those for quite some time to meet protein goals. Probably about a year. Hang in there!!