Struggling with the Sleeve

I bought canned fat free gravy in the beginning....for chicken, turkey and beef. When I made the meat, I heated a couple of tablespoons of the appropriate gravy and used it as lub. Dry food is the devil at this stage. Also don't be afraid to go back to beans, ricotta cheese, etc as they are easier so get down. Good luck!

I wasn't keen at all on ground turkey before surgery. Since surgery I have found it is "my friend". It settles well in any form, meatloaf, meatballs, seasoned patties etc etc.

Thank you everyone for the support and information. I appreciate all of you reaching out when I was feeling so low and desperate. I felt like I was failing at this. I am so grateful to have this community.

My program doesn't allow red meat until 6 months post op. Shrimp, salmon, tuna and dark meat chicken have been my go to foods. Pork loin also goes down pretty well.

Hamburger and chicken are both difficult early on. The first meats I relied on were deli meat. Try some ham, thinly sliced. It's very moist, chews up well, and goes down easier at that stage than anything else I tried.

I had a slow start, progressing through the first three stages in a prolonged time frame. By the time I got to dense protein, my stomach had matured enough to really feel the restriction. Learn to celebrate the restriction. Dense food is a lot harder to eat. That is what makes the sleeve such a powerful tool. Are you getting sick, or is it possible you are just pushing the limits of your restriction?

Those "several other people" were of the fortunate few that sail through recovery. Most sleevers have a rougher time of it. If you're still in the food-stages recovery period, don't be in a hurry to get to the next stage. If denser foods give you trouble, go back to the previous stage for a few days, then try again. That your journey is difficult is a very common response to the surgery. BTW, it's okay to feel a little sorry for yourself, but keep working on drinking enough water and trying to eat. It gets better, no matter how awful it may seem to you now.

psychoticparrot

You Seriously Made my DAY :)