Question:
I had surgery 12/24/2010... I'm not able to take my vitimans or protein.....

I can take it because of the taste. I should be on my soft food diet but i hadnt been eating much... i sip a little but i think i'm dehydrated because i only tinkle once in the morning.... I also can admit to trying to eat things i shouldnt be eating right now like a peace of candy (trust i paid for it... wasnt anything nice!) However i'm scared that i want lose weight because i'm not taking in the vitamins or protein or eating the 3 small meals a day or the in between snacks! I'm also always worried about stretching my stomach back out..... So do you understand what i'm trying to say..... Can anyone HELP please answer or questions please please!    — LickMiPink (posted on January 12, 2011)


January 12, 2011
What is so bad about protien and vitamin taste? Just curious? I mean I am no on to judge but can't u just pinch ur nose n swallow like when we were kids n the medicine tasted bad? Plus you should be drinking water, dehydration is not good when your body is trying to heal. I would contact the office nutritionist and consult your concerns, surely there has to be better tasting protien you can injest. Also, I am pre op but my research has showed me that with a pouch you will know when you are full, stop eating at that point. If you listen to your body and eat small portions you should not be stretching your body. Also candy is not the best choice it's sugar and it will only lead to further dehydration. If your urine is dark yellow in color and had a strong odor, accompanied by muscle cramps, weakness and fainting I would see your PCP about possible IV hydration until you can Injest the 64oz of water needed a day. Hope this helps, my experience is because of my 5 years as a paramedic and my previous WLS research. I am still pre op so take my advice with a grain of salt.
   — Frostbite25

January 12, 2011
I may not be understandng. It says you can handle the taste but it sounds like you are saying that you can't. First I would try better protein. I like Bariatric Advantage. It comes in several delish flavors, but don't follow the directions. Like Orange Julius? 5 full size ice cubes, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup orange juice (or better yet vitamin water zero rise), and a scoop of orange cream protein. Mix in a magic bullet type mixer (about $20 - $40 at Target or Macy's) until all the ice is broken up, pour and enjoy. Chocolate shake, strawberry daquerri, morning cafe mocha... It is all possible and delicious. For weight loss and health, it is KEY that you get 80 - 100 g of protein as well as your vitamins and minerals into a max diet of 600 - 1000 cal depending on stage. Eating the bad stuff (besides making you uncomfortable) doesn't work because it a) doesn't let you get in what you NEED in you calorie allotment and b) doesn't help form the lifelong habits you will need to make this really work. As for vitamin and mineral supplements, at your stage I took a very tasty chewable multi from Bariatric Advantage, 20 mg chewable iron that tastes like candy from Bariatric Fusion, and a sublingual B12 that is also quite tasty and also from Bariatric Fusion. They are all some form of berry. Now I add 4 omega 3 a day and 3 hair, skin, & nail a day but I am pretty much at my goal and can take bigger pills. Finally, on the fear of pouch stretching and dehydration... keep your bottle with you at all times and take baby sips constantly. It will feel silly but you are at a crucial stage. Set a timer or get someone to remind you to take a sip every 5 minutes. You need to get that water down. And when you make your protein, drink half slowly, wait another half hour, then slowly finish it. Even further down the line - I am 15 months out and 1 week out of every month I go on protein only taken 1/2 shake at a time to make sure my pooch stays nice and tight. I hope I have answered some of your questions <3 xoxo jeanette
   — Jeanette Hagar

January 12, 2011
It's rougher for some of us fresh after surgery. I sympathize but you have to make yourself get in those fluids or you will end up back in the hospital. Best thing to do is to sip continuously throughout the day; 1 oz. every 15 minutes. With soft foods I literally ate 1 Tbs at a time, waited a bit then tried another bite. The key is to pre-measure the amount you should eat then take it 1 bite at a time until it is finished. At first it's just a few ounces. Maximum for farther out is one cup in volume per my doctor's guideline for solids; a little more for liquids like soups. Be assured if you plan and prepare your meals into proper serving portions you will never stretch your pouch out. Get out those measuring utensils and put them to use now. Before long you will be able to "eye-ball" it. And get some chewable vitamins or a pill crusher to pulverize your vites for now. I promise that later on you will swallow them whole with no issues. Hang in there. This time will be behind you more quickly if you get in your fluids, protein and vitamins. Start sipping now. Dehydration will only make everything taste that much worse. You aren't going to stretch out your pouch from fluids. No way, no how.
   — Arkin10

January 12, 2011
I buy the fruit protein mix called Proti 15, then I mix my LIQUID vitamins I buy (see them at www.biometics.com) with the orange protein drink and sip on it for an hour or so every morning when I first get up. I mix other flavors throughout the day to make sure I get enough protein in and liquid. Then I ate a lot of soups or broth and cottage cheese right after I was allowed soft food. I was not able to eat much meat but did do eggs and in my soups I mixed Unjury unflavored protein powder...also mixed that with oatmeal or other hot cereals. Go to this site and check out the good foods you can eat, www.carbessentials.net THere is tons to choose from and I buy all my protein supplements from this store.
   — tfqh99

January 12, 2011
First of all, I want to tell you this, I am not advising you what you should eat, you need to go by what your Dr tells you to eat. I had a rough time of it too when I first had my surgery, matter of fact I am home today because of the week I have had with food and hurling, I will go to my surgeon today. When I had my surgery it went into stages, 1st was just liquids for 7 days, 2nd only protein shakes for I think for two weeks, 3rd only protein that was put through a processor. After I can't recall , a couple of months I added veggies. Not until I lost 75% of my weight was I allowed to eat carbs, and then they were complex carbs. As far as your vitamins, take them, you will do damage to your heart and muscles. Plus you may lose your hair!!!! I know this was a major life changing episode in your life, but you must change the way you think about sweets. You just only surgery, try not to eat candy again. I am almost 18 months out and candy doesn't bother me in the least. I am so happy to have lost 125 lbs, that I am very cautious about what goes in my mouth. To tell you the truth I also seek counseling, I am deathly afraid of gaining. We can be are worse enemies! Make sure you walk too, when I first had my surgery I would go to my grocery store, I would use the cart for support and I would walk for around 20 minutes. The store manager was a doll. Love yourself and your new you!
   — FSUMom

January 12, 2011
Also, BariatricEating.com has some EXCELLENT tasting protein powders - their peanut butter protein drink is to die for, and so is their german chocolate cake drink. Lean Desserts, available at The Vitamin Shoppe are also delicious, thick and creamy and come in flavors like chocolate coconut candy bar and fresh cinnamon bunn. Additionally, the IsoPure bottled protein tastes just like adult koolaide, and goes down very easy, and had 40 grams of protein per 20 oz bottle. So, if you drank two of those per day, you'd be getting in your protein without any problem. I like the grape frost the best. Eggbeaters is another good avenue for protein....I mix mine up with half a slice of finely diced fat free turkey breast meat from walmart, and a little bit of finely diced fresh mushroom and 15 grams of weight watchers 4 cheese Mexican shredded cheese. It's really yummy. I add a quarter of a banana for some carbs, and a couple of sliced strawberries with a packet of splenda sprinkled on them. For lunch, I have a quarter cup of fat free cottage cheese with a couple of tablespoons of Pace mild salsa over it, or with a quarter teaspoon of hidden valley ranch dressing mixed into it for savory flavor... or if I want something sweet, I eat is with a couple of tablespoons of no-sugar added diced peaches. For dinner, a couple of ounces of Tilapia fried quickly in olive oil, with a teaspoon of low-fat mayo mixed with dill relish for a kind of "tartar sauce".... hope this helps. I also buy my multivitamins from Bariatric Advantage. They are chewable and tasty... and my calcium citrate from twinlab - you can get it at the vitamin shoppe or at the Vitamin Cottage. The other vitamins, I get a vitamin shoppe, and they are small enough for me to swallow - the biotin and the D3, and then the B-12 sublingual.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

January 12, 2011
Centrum has a chewable vitamin that doesn't taste bad. And for my protien drink I used Muscle Milk Light. I didn't like the taste either until I put a tablespoon of Hershey's unsweetened Cocoa (regular) in the Cookies and Cream and the Hershey's dark cocoa in the Chocolate milk. Not only does it cut the aftertase but it makes it richer and adds one gram of protien and no sugar. You might try it and use non fat milk and about 6 ice cubes and have a shake.
   — tlscannell

January 13, 2011
Not going to advise on food intake, but I will suggest that you telephone your doctor and/or nutritionist right away. If you are only urinating once a day, you are definitely not taking in enough fluids. This is very dangerous and needs to be addressed immediately. Talk to your care team about the problems you are experiencing. Commit yourself to heeding their advice and in a short time you will be well on your way to a much healthier, happier you. Elizabeth
   — Elizabeth T.

January 13, 2011
Hmmm... you are avoiding eating & drinking, but worried about stretching your stomach? I worry that you may have some issues that need addressing with a good counselor. It's possible to develop something like "anorexia" after surgery, and that will NOT help your health OR your appearance at all. I second the call to get help with your doctor, nutritionist, support group. Don't let all our worried-sounding posts push you away from the OH boards, either... see if you can find other folks having similar reactions after surgery and find out how they got help. Please seek better health... you've done an amazing thing by posting your question here, keep seeking better health and better behaviors for your future. The surgery is an amazing gift, but you really have to pick up the cause of health and soul-search as to how you're doing on that path. This is NOT easy... the addictions to food and other bad habits (no exercise) that got us obese are very powerful and hard to fight, but we must breathe... examine our deepest heart... and take action. Can you find a friend, a minister, a counselor... someone to confide everything that's going on? Might help to sort out where your head is at right now.
   — Greg K.

January 15, 2011
Wow, if you think you are dehydrated, call your doctor right away or go the the emergency room. That alone can make you feel miserable, sick to your stomach and unable to think about swallowing anything. Don't mess around because dehydration can be REALLY serious. Vitamin and Protein suggestions: - I really like Natures Plus Adult's Chewable Multi-vitamin and Mineral Dietary Supplemnt--Natural Pineapple flavor. It has kind of a tropical flavor. www.naturesplus.com - Sounds like you really like sweets. Another way to get protein: make some Jello Sugar-free pudding and add a similar-flavored protein powder to it. I love the chocolate pudding with chocolate protein powder added. I also like decaf coffee with chocolate protein drink added. Also, try mixing some dry orange-flavored sugar free jello powder into nonfat cottage cheese or plain greek yogurt. Yum!! BTW, greek yogurt is REALLY high in protein. I used to hate cottage cheese, but I love it with the flavored jello. How about making egg custard and substituting Splenda for the sugar? There are also plain protein powders that you can add to soups -- like lowfat cream of chicken. You don't even taste the protein powder. Add some nonfat condensed (canned) milk to everything for an extra protein boost. Your nutrition is critical. Whatever motivates you, whether it be the risk of serious health issues, or knowing that you're going to lose a lot of your hair if you don't eat your protein! You need to stay hydrated and get your protein and vitamins in. Good luck. I just said a prayer for you.
   — Brenda2928




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