Starting Week 4 Post-Op Feeling better

Good Day and Happy New Year to all us sleevers!

I am starting week 4. Surgery was Dec. 12th, 2016. I mostly slept the first day after surgery, was out of surgery by 1:30 p.m. I started a bit of walking the first night and had a bit of juice. I did not have a lot of pain, I was just uncomfortable, basically. I felt bloated, and anxious to get healed so I could sleep on my stomach! I had a problem with one of the stiches (it came out and is still healing) so have not had the pleasure yet. I tried last night but thought I could wait a day or two so I can heal properly. My other wounds look good and are nicely healed.

I was released the next morning at 9:30 a.m. I then plopped myself in bed and slept some more. My main goal at that point was to drink water. I drank water and juice for the first two days and decided no more juice. It wasn't sitting well with me and I was worried about the amount of sugar in it. So I stuck to water and broth for the first week. By the 5th day I could move around and go the day without a nap. I did a bit of walking, no marathon, more like, up off the office chair or couch every hour. I was able to houseclean and move around all right. A bit of soreness when bending. The bathroom end was the runs as soon as I started putting the protein shakes in. Using just water, but my body starting getting used to it and as soon as I switched to pureed food (pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot mash) I then became constipated. That lasted three days. I then was back to just loose stuff till the next week and I became constipated again. It seems to last three days then I am back to normal. The past two weeks I have been using myfitnesspal faithfully, keeping track of protein, water, carbs, sugars and sodium. I am up to about 650 to 750 calories a day. I also am walking everyday, nothing major but it feels good! I love to bend now, I mean bend! I don't look at it first, I just bend over and pick it up. Incredible feeling.

(start weight was 225) My first weigh in was a week after surgery and I was 216, third week 209 and this morning 207. The doctor did mention by week three the body does think its starving so will hang to anything in your body and weight loss will slow down. I decided to weigh myself just once a week. I did take measurements after week one, and have not remeasured, but my clothes are speaking for me right now. It feels incredible! I am busy looking up foods that we need for our bodies after a bariatic surgery like ours (husband had it done 10 days after me) and trying to make sure I have the right amount and types of vitamins so that I don't get thinning hair, weak fingernails and shallow skin coloring. Also looking into super foods so any extra calories after protein count. I have wanted to live a healthier lifestyle for a long time. Now is my chance.

Not all of it is rainbows and sunshine, I still have bad days, I want to cook, I can't. I get angry at myself for not having the willpower to do it myself still. Really a bit of an emotional roller the first three weeks. I don't get hungry as I did the first week (I watched videos and people mentioned it was head hunger so decided that is what it was and the hunger pains would go away). I was hungry last night but was so happy that I was full after 4 oz of soup and 1/4 slice of toast. I should start keeping track of the money my husband and I will save on food. That will boost my low moments. Yes they are just moments now. It gets better and reading other people's struggles really helps both my husband and I. Plus we are lucky ... we can cheer each other on!

The protein we are using is body building stuff. It comes in very large containers but for the two of us it has worked out well, we have one chocolate, one strawberry and one vanilla. They have zero fat, zero carbs and range around 27g of protein per serving. If we want more I add milk but typically do that on Sat and Sun as a treat. I have starting to add some fresh fruit to the shakes as well. We drink 3 to 4 oz in the morning and sip about 8 oz of the shake for the rest of the day. It keeps me full throughout the day. Supper is now a hamburger soup (tons of veggies) or a shrimp thai soup (Tom Yam) or the other night it was ham and vegetable (purreed cauliflower, zucchini and potatoes). I know I can start on solids food like toast and things, but my husband is 10 days behind me so want him to keep with what the doctor told us. It will help with my weght slow down as well, which I am not seeing as a problem yet.

I am finding a lot of good recipe ideas from paleo and keto sites and of course Atkins. I made the cauliflower cheese bread the other night. We shared one slice out of 8 slices (had to freeze the rest) and we both were stuffed. I average about 60 g of protein a day and my husband is about 70g per day. We are plugging away at it and we get excited that we eat so much less. It feels good to be in clothes that are stretched over bulging body parts but actually hang the way they should. My husband wears suits everyday and the one he put on this morning, looks so big on him. So proud of him!

Hang in there fellow sleevers!! All the best in 2017!

Laura M.