Surgery date: April 28th!
Options
plmelquist
Posts: 42
Hey everyone,
I joined here in December but have been scarce while having all my dietician visits/psych/EGD, etc. Got the call yesterday and scheduled my surgery for April 28th. They offered March 24th but that was a little soon for me with all the expenses coming up - $250 inpatient copay, 3 more doctor/dietician visits, 2 weeks of Optifast. So, I picked April 28th. I'm very excited.
I know you all are happy with your decision and I want to make friends with all of you. With my surgery being just 2 months out, what should I do at this point? Should I start researching/sampling protein drinks? Any ideas? What else??
I need support! I want friends. Please message me with any advice.
Thanks
Patty
I joined here in December but have been scarce while having all my dietician visits/psych/EGD, etc. Got the call yesterday and scheduled my surgery for April 28th. They offered March 24th but that was a little soon for me with all the expenses coming up - $250 inpatient copay, 3 more doctor/dietician visits, 2 weeks of Optifast. So, I picked April 28th. I'm very excited.
I know you all are happy with your decision and I want to make friends with all of you. With my surgery being just 2 months out, what should I do at this point? Should I start researching/sampling protein drinks? Any ideas? What else??
I need support! I want friends. Please message me with any advice.
Thanks
Patty
0
Replies
-
For sure check out different protein supplements. Does your Dr's office/dietician have recommendations and/or samples? I used Unjury and I liked it, but many prefer Syntrax brand, because they have more flavors. Work on increasing your water intake and protein intake. Stop drinking sodas and using a straw. Check out the websites for Bariatric Foodie and The World According to Eggface (yes, that really is the name!). Both sites provide a wealth of information and recipes for the bariatric post-op, plus a great support forum and a place to get input from other post-ops. Bariatric Foodie has a couple of recipe booklets available on Amazon.com that can also be purchased for your e-readers (Kindle, Nook, etc). One in particular is all about making the perfect protein shake and multiple recipes. Good Luck on your journey! Karen0
-
It helps so much to change some of your habits now. My doc had me on a 1200 calorie diet for 2 months. I didn't do so great on some days, but some days I did well. It showed me how out of whack my eating habits really were...the constant grazing, the huge portions, the extras like condiments that add so many calories. Try Premier Protein drinks (can be found at walmart). They are my favorite so far. I have some samples of Syntrax Nectar coming, so hopefully I find a few more flavors that I like. I tried Bariatric Advantage and could not even choke it down.0
-
Best advice from me would be to sample different shakes. Carefully evaluate the cost per shake. Also start practicing not drinking 15 minutes prior to a meal and 1 hour after. That was the toughest I had to do. I had mine on 3/19 and I am looking SO FORWARDS to my new eating habits. GOOD LUCK to you.0
-
Don't stock up, your tastes often change dramatically after surgery. My favorite Unjury shake was completely revolting after surgery and at $17 I was not happy. Grab your favorite yogurts and some protein powder sample packs along with broth and sugar free Popsicles and that will get you thru the first days. After that just go to the store I and buy the stuff you end up liking. Also get rid of your Kryptonite food now. You don't want to be cruising the pantry or fridge for items not part of your new lifestyle.0
-
Get a bunch of samples but don't buy anything bigger than a sample until you try something AFTER surgery and like it a lot! So if you want to try protein drinks before surgery, great, but make sure you get at least two of each flavor so that you have one left for after surgery.
Places to get samples:
http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html
https://vitalady.com/protein-supplement/
http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-starter-kit.html
http://www.chikenutrition.com/chike-variety-pack.html
http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Coffee_Lovers_Sampler_p/mbp-coffee_sampler.htm
http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Pantry_Selections_Hot_Chocolate_Protein_Drinks_p/ps-ht_choc_variety.htm
http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Pantry_Selections_Variety_Soups_p/ps-soup_variety.htm
Good luck!0 -
Congrats!! My surgery is April 4th and I am in the pre-op diet phase, feel free to add me as a friend :-)0
-
So when meeting with the nutritionist on Friday last week, I asked her about protein shakes and powders. They don't recommend either - the surgeon prefer I get protein from food: tofu, beans, legumes, etc. The week of/after surgery, I do only Opti-fast shakes and soups. The next week will be mushy food with some Opti-fast supplementing it. After that, no shakes or powders, just food.
Does this sound feasible?0 -
So when meeting with the nutritionist on Friday last week, I asked her about protein shakes and powders. They don't recommend either - the surgeon prefer I get protein from food: tofu, beans, legumes, etc. The week of/after surgery, I do only Opti-fast shakes and soups. The next week will be mushy food with some Opti-fast supplementing it. After that, no shakes or powders, just food.
Does this sound feasible?
This doesn't sound feasible at all in my opinion. I am 6 months out and I can't eat enough food to get all my protein, I rely on a protein drink or a protein bar each day. I asked my dietician if it's possible to get all my protein from food, and she said "eventually". Eventually hasn't happened yet!0 -
It doesn't sound feasible to me either....maybe it's a good plan for 6 months out or more but before that, protein shakes can be your best bet for helping you hit your protein and fluid goals. I don't think there's anyway I could hit my protein goals on tofu and beans at this point. My doctor's office also said something similar in that I should (eventually) be getting all my protein from food but I'm happy to be including one shake per day as 'food' at this point. I'm just 6 weeks post-op.0
-
So when meeting with the nutritionist on Friday last week, I asked her about protein shakes and powders. They don't recommend either - the surgeon prefer I get protein from food: tofu, beans, legumes, etc. The week of/after surgery, I do only Opti-fast shakes and soups. The next week will be mushy food with some Opti-fast supplementing it. After that, no shakes or powders, just food.
Does this sound feasible?
Honestly, no. it is so hard to get in the protein. Just the volume alone is gonna be way hard the 1st year. All my meat had to be ground for the first 3 months. I never could chew it enough to not get stuck. I eat lentils, beans and dals all the time and I still miss my protein goals. Even though my labs are great my hair is coming out in handfuls. I do recommend carbmaster skim milk to sneak in more protein. I only get 750 cals a day til maintenance. I mean it is really hard to get down 6 oz of beef in a day and that only has 46g of protein not the full 70 a women with a sleeve needs. I can really only stand 3-4 oz of meat in a day, typically that is lunch and it takes a good 30 min to get it down. I have 3 meals and a snack. I can't graze. breakfast is eggs and milk. my MFP reports say I'm averaging 55-65g protein a day. the more you hit your protein goals the better you feel. I understand about getting you on to regular food quick, in the past they kept people on liquids for a long time and then people struggled to eat normal food without nausea. I know a lot of veterans to VSG have been stunned to see the recent VSG'esr transition into soft foods in one week. God bless you if you can get down 11 oz of beef in a day. I mean you would have to eat 5 cups of black beans in a day to hit 75g. I only get 3 cups of food in a day0 -
I just joined the group and I am finding it very helpful to read y'all's comments. I'm still in the hoop jumping stage but hope to have surgery end of May/first of June. I love reading the weight loss tallies and struggles because those are some fears I have. I'll keep reading and just know y'all's advice is appreciated!0
-
Hi! Congrats on setting your date! That is a huge step and can be really scary! You are not alone. We are here for your. Don't hesitate to ask questions and share your opinion and thoughts too. I had surgery on 1/20 and am new to this group, but from what I have read, everyone seems so supportive!
As far as protein supplements...here is my openion/experince....I could not stomach them, the powders are what I am speaking of. The smell is what really hung my up. I tried several types and flavors; I even mail ordered unJury, the one recommended and the only "real" non-taste non-smell powder. Well, I call BS! Again, that is only me. I found that I can use (with the total support of my dietitian) Boost Glucose Control or a new one I found called Svelte (the cappuccino is delish!). Both are low sugar and calorie. I can/have also used Ensure High Protein, but that is about double the calories.
It is all trial and error and unfortunatly everyone's taste buds are different. Also, something to consider while you are testing this stuff is that your taste might change after surgery. I was surprised to find that I like sugar free stuff when it made me gag before sugary. Not sure how much of that is mental, but that is my experience. This is your journey. Welcome and enjoy!0 -
Hi! Congrats on setting your date! That is a huge step and can be really scary! You are not alone. We are here for your. Don't hesitate to ask questions and share your opinion and thoughts too. I had surgery on 1/20 and am new to this group, but from what I have read, everyone seems so supportive!
As far as protein supplements...here is my openion/experince....I could not stomach them, the powders are what I am speaking of. The smell is what really hung my up. I tried several types and flavors; I even mail ordered unJury, the one recommended and the only "real" non-taste non-smell powder. Well, I call BS! Again, that is only me. I found that I can use (with the total support of my dietitian) Boost Glucose Control or a new one I found called Svelte (the cappuccino is delish!). Both are low sugar and calorie. I can/have also used Ensure High Protein, but that is about double the calories.
It is all trial and error and unfortunatly everyone's taste buds are different. Also, something to consider while you are testing this stuff is that your taste might change after surgery. I was surprised to find that I like sugar free stuff when it made me gag before sugary. Not sure how much of that is mental, but that is my experience. This is your journey. Welcome and enjoy!
I was looking into Unjury since I already HATE anything milk-like and never drink the stuff to begin with, so I'm in search of a protein sup. that I can stomach that isn't a.) milky and b.) non chalky. For the non flavored Unjury, what was it exactly that you didn't like? Was it the smell or did it actually have a taste?
Thanks!0 -
Eventually you can get all your protein from foods but sometimes that's not the best thing either as I've recently discovered. I had my sleeve 2.5 years ago and I still drink a protein shake almost daily, Understand, this far out from surgery I can get all my protein from food, but it's hard to keep the calorie level down if I do that. If I have a protein shake for breakfast, it makes it much easier to keep myself where I need to be in calories to keep my weight loss going. After stalling again for the last several months, going back to the shakes and bringing my calories down has really helped. Yes my doctor and dietician have said they prefer me to get my protein from food, but this is what is working for me right now.
One other tip, get a good unflavored protein powder. It may change the consistency of the food, but won't change the flavor and will help when you need a boost of protein in your day. You can add it to anything that has moisture or a sauce to it. It really has come in handy some days!0 -
Thank you, everyone. I'm in the home stretch, the month of surgery! I'm looking forward to the week off from work as much as I am the surgery! Lol.0
-
Hi everyone,
I am new to myfitnesspal, then I just happened upon the VsGers Group, and now, the first page I open to read is from, Patty. I was interested to hear what you had to say and what responses you received as I received my surgery date, and pushed it back, too (only 1 week.) I am scheduled for April 23rd. Our dates are close! Thank you for all the information everyone shared. I am learning so much from you all and I have only been here a day or so. I will follow your progress Patty. I wish you Great Success! :flowerforyou: Patti0
