Question:
I am two weeks post-op and unsure if I am doing this correctly. (long)

I am 15 days post op, and at 10 days post op I was down 13 lbs. Then not a thing since. I havent been able to get all my water in or my protein. I rarely have an appetite and when I do, I am not sure of what to eat. Eggs and beans are fine, but other than that, a full source of *soft* protein is hard to find. I feel that having potatoes and other soft carb-like foods will hinder my loss. Also sometimes when I drink from a glass, it hurts the stoma to swallow. Small sips from a straw sometimes helps. Its like sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesnt. I have been working hard to get into my vitamin routine, and exercise, but its hard when I barely eat. Once a day twice at the most. Im generally not hungry, but know I need to eat and DRINK. I was a super hydrated person before and now nothing. I know I will be a slow loser, but this is not what I imagined. I physically feel like i never had surgery (pain free and such), but now the thought of eating is stressing me out. HELPPPPPPP!!!!! Thank you! Rachel~    — Rachel *. (posted on December 4, 2001)

December 4, 2001
Hmm, flip your priorities around. Protein supps FIRST, then water. ESP since you were well hydrated before. Your body is probably FURIOUS with you right now. Water, water, water. It's free, it's easy, and still plenty of it in this country. Then vites, then food if you get to it. Exercise comes when you get there, but FIRST protein supps & water, water, water. You will feel SO much better once you are afloat again. Eating is not important at this stage. Many of us are on clear liquids for a long time, but we are doing the protein supps, because that is a reliable way to get full protein on board.
   — vitalady

December 4, 2001
Relax. It sounds like you're doing everything fine! I'm about 15.5 wks post op and down 54 lbs, so I too am a slow loser. Do what you can, when you can. Just focus on water. Your body needs that more than anything right now and don't worry too much about carbs right now either. When I was on soft foods, I ate a lot of mashed potatoes. (I should say I ate them often, not a lot of them.) Yogurt and cottage cheese are good sources of protein and relatively easy to get down. You may not be losing weight right now because your body is holding onto it because you're not eating enough. It seems like when I have my days where I feel like I can eat everything, the next day I lose 2 lbs. It'll take a while before you have a normal appetite. Take it easy, it's only been a little over 2 weeks! Hang in there and believe me, it'll come off and things will get better! Good Luck!
   — Amy E.

December 4, 2001
Your doing good. just keep after the water. Few of us got all the protein in early on, it gets easier with time. Hang in there and enjoy the ride, watching the scale drop was the most fun I have EVER had.
   — bob-haller

December 4, 2001
It is so easy to panic this early out, but there is rarely any need for it. You will get the hang of things, but you don't want to crater your metabolism while you do it. My doctor (and a lot of others) recommends eating something--ANYTHING--caloric every two hours. Protein is optimal, but I ate sugar free/fat free ice cream bars when I was an early post op. This will keep your metabolism going. Protein supplements are ideal, but hard to get down if you don't like them. Milk, if you can tolerate that, has protein. Cream of wheat with a scoop of protein in it tastes just like cream of wheat. You don't have to eat much, just a little to remind your body you're not starving. BTW, I really wouldn't consider 13 pounds lost in 15 days slow loss. I think you are doing fabulously!
   — ctyst

December 4, 2001
First, relax. I'm 23 days post-op and at 2 weeks I had only lost 12 lbs. My doc says it's proportionate to my size, so it's a good amount. As far as what you're eating/how you're feeling, I found that between 2 and 3 weeks was the real low point of my emotions. If I saw another protein supplement, I was going to (and did) puke! From what I've read here, the overwhelming opinion of successful post-ops is DRINK. If water doesn't go down easily (which it doesn't always for me, either) try juice, iced tea, etc., cut half-and-half with water. For whatever reason, it seems to sit better. And know that there does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. I feel 100% better now than I did at this time last week. Hang in there, and watch that scale go down!
   — Danette H.