First Nutritionist vist FREAKED ME OUT! - HELP

[LivingPink]

So...I am still a newbie to the sight and navigating my way around but I honestly need some encouragement right now.

I saw the NUT for the first time today and it was scary as HE—for me. I guess I was not really mentally prepared for some of the things she said about post surgery life and I am hoping that she was exaggerating at least a little.

First off, I LOVE water and I drink it all day. I feel perpetually thirsty and almost panic if I come to the bottom of an empty water bottle without having a full replacement in the other hand. (This may have something to do with the fact that I live in the desert and you need LOTS of water to survive.) So, when the NUT said that I would likely spend the rest of my life feeling thirsty and wanting more because the pouch is so small that you never feel like you can drink enough, it worried me. – Is that true? Can you really not get enough to drink? Are you always thirsty?

Second: and we are still kind of on the topic of water. Is anybody able to sip fluids with meals? How does the food not get stuck on the way down without water? I can get used to not drinking if I really have to; I guess I am just a little bummed by it.

Third: and this could unfortunately end up being a surgery deal breaker for me … I don’t drink shakes, smoothies, drink mixes or anything like that at all because I typically gag on them. I just don’t like the texture/thickness or general taste of things like that and I really don’t like sugary sweet stuff. I much prefer salty things. The sugar free pudding tastes like eating a creamy packet of sweet and low to me. Bad. According to my NUT if I do not learn to drink the meal replacements and shake type things I will die of malnutrition because it is impossible to get enough protein post-surgery without them. I was distraught and kind of freaking out so my surgery scheduler gave me one of their samples to try which I will have tomorrow for breakfast. The choices were strawberry, banana or chocolate. All sweet!…So…Who has suggestions for protein and/or meal replacement options that are not disgustingly sweet or thick? I am hoping that some of you have had similar issues with gagging on gross stuff and have found alternatives or options that might work.

About me: I NEED this surgery. My obesity related health issues are out of control and I am so tired all the time that I feel like I am pulling a car behind me everytime I move. I SUCK at dieting and self control. Not to mention all of the selfish "beauty related" reasons.
Please help ya’ll because I am feeling really down right now :-(

[Truffles]

Addressing your points, quickly (DD has swim lessons in a few minutes):

1. Some people (Me) went from loving water to having difficulty. I now drink herbal tea to get all my fluids. You adapt to what works. Other people have absolutely no issue.

2. Drinking and eating is a no-no. Watch this video for the answer:

http://www.gastricsleeve.com/forum/q...he-answer.html

3. I, too, like savoury more than sweet. I get most of my protein without supplements but I typically supplement a few times per week with either a bar or a smoothie. I cut the sweetness level of the smoothie by reducing the protein powder, and adding frozen fruit, unsweetened almond milk, and plain greek yogurt. The yogurt adds protein that was taken away by the reduced powder amount. Also, I always use vanilla as a base because you can mask the flavour. Chocolate, strawberry, et al cannot be masked.

I also eat plain 2% cottage cheese for breakfast everyday. Nice and sour. I eat beef jerky, too.

You can also buy unflavoured, unsweetened protein powder and add it to savoury foods.

Ran out of time. Gotta go.

[ShadowCruiser]

Check out Unjury for protein add it options. They had a chicken soup flavor, and a plain/no taste to add. I can't do jello/pudding and have a low limit on choco/straw/vanilla shakes. I just gag them down and found that to be an issue for me as well. Chike (Chike Nutrition - Best Tasting Meal Replacement Shake. Guaranteed. Pour, Shake, Drink & Go!) also has orange creme and banana. Yes, still sweet, but at least some more options.

Hope this helps!

[ThisIs4Me]

Once u heal after surg, u can eat meats and cheeses, eggs, yogurt almost anything that has quite a bit of protein. U only have to do the shakes/smoothies etc until u heal. There r some unflavored powders out there, unjury is one. Maybe try using water instead of milk in one, it might b better for u

[jenlyn]

I gag on shakes and love water too.

[Rose69]

Ok, first you were inquiring about water. It's not true, you aren't thirstyall the time. If I get 16 oz. of water, it's a goos day. I have to force myself to drink water. I'm really never that thirsty. When I'm working out I take a small bottle of water to the gym with me but never even finish it.

I don't know how to eat without drinking so I do sip with me meals. It hasn't affected me in a negative way at all.

Lastly, I know it's hard to drink those chalky protein drinks but they do grow on you. If you go to the vitamin shop they have protein drinks called isapure. They have many different flavors, orange, cherry, strawberry etc. Each bottle has 40 gm of protein. That's what I had to drink for the first week. Doctor wanted me on clear liquids for the first week.

It's really not that bad, it's only for the first few weeks, after that you can try to eat foods high in protein so you can skip the protein drinks. I only have about 2 protein drinks a week if I feel I'm low on protein for the day.

If you want it that bad then you will make the sacrifice, It's really worth it!

Best Wishes,
Rose

[kaygee]

I'm 7 weeks out and I've been able to drink water regularly for several weeks. As for protein, I eat mine. I eat eggs and deli meat for meals and snacks and usually a decent piece of chicken or steak for dinner. Right now I usually can only get in the protein and very little veggies, if any at all. I couldn't stomach the protein shakes so I switched to sugar-free Carnation Instant Breakfast with skim milk. It's sweet but like a thick chocolate milk. And, yes, I've had sips of fluids with my meal when I've eaten something spicy. It's been ok. But I'd never guzzle fluids while drinking. There is a leading curve to eating after surgery but you get used to it quickly. And since the hungry is gone, you get used easily. It's not as bad as it sounds.

[SethP]

I dont think your NUT has ever been sleeved so is teaching you from knowledge and not experience.

1) I drink four to five 16 oz bottles of water a day without difficulty now. In the beginning it is difficult to drink but it does get easier in time.
2) Drinking with a meal is a no no. We take smaller bites ( about the size of your finger nail) and you chew it to baby food consisitency. This stops you from having to drink fluids to force food down. Right you you are propbably just like everyone else in the un-sleeved world. You are taking to big if a bite and not chewing it enough so you feel the food sort of hang up on the way down, so you reach for something to drink to wash it down. That will need to change or you will be posting on here about lots of pain after eating or about throwing up.
3) Unjury.com sells unflavored protien that you can add to any liquid that is under 140° or it also has chicken broth flavoured protien drink also.

This procedure is the best decision I have made for myself. I have no regrets and would do it again without heistaion

[sleeve-me]

ok i am two years out and have maintained goal for quite awhile- 15 months plus. i dont do everything as prescribed at this point but still maintain. many of the items you find that you cant do at the beginning you can do at this stage. please talk to people who are a year plus out to get a better perspective on on going life after the sleeve. i am not here to advocate bad behavior but i can tell you what life is like now

what your nut is prescribing is a good plan to follow at the beginning... meaning keep to plan at a min 6 months to a year

at this stage i am able to drink lots of liquid. i even drink during meals but i have found if i do that i get a full feeling fast so trying to cut that back. i dont like that sickish feeling i get. i am going back to no drinking 30 min before or after and it is helping maintain fullness. if we drink during meals we push the food thru faster and you dont get as satiated of a feel. yes you wont always feel as full as you do at the beginning. not feeling satiated can lead to grazing on junk. when we push food thru we are also not getting all the nutrients needed. the nutrients keeps our blood sugars at a normal level. when blood sugars are very low our bodies crave energy to keep us going - the highest fasted way to get energy is thru carbohydrates and sugar. that is why when people graze its not usually on protein shakes/meat etc. this is not something that we do knowingly this is what our body craves.

sort of on that point - skipping meals is a huge no no. i skipped meals all the time and ended up at over 200 lbs. its vital that are bodies have the nutrients it needs to keep our metabolism going. i think that has been critical to my on going weight maint. we take in enough fuel to get our body thru to the next time we eat. if we take in more fuel then what is needed that gets stored . fuel enough to keep us going but not overboard. the sleeve does that for us but we have to concentrate on nutrient rich foods that actually give us energy not empty foods that dont. we have limited space in our stomach fuel it will protein first.

meal replacements - there are other options out there - i used and still do use a protein pudding in a limited fashion. see mhp it tastes great and i have to keep them hidden from the other members of my house bc they love them. they have anywhere from 30 to 15 gr protein. at the beginning i survived on these to get enough protein. i also did not like shakes but found ones i did- i like pre-made eas low carb one alot. i buy a lot of them to have in the car or when i need a grab and go meal. on powders the extra money is worth it!!!! i really mean this .... the 40 dollar tubs of protein powder is significantly better then the 20 ones. way less chalky tasting. protizyne is great and a lot of folks like isopure. think about it how many meals can you get out of a tub prob 40 - where can u eat for a dollar a meal.

i still see a nut every two weeks. after about 3 months she had prescribed me to slowly introduce food for my protein intake. she had me start on 3 meals of protein liquids and 3 reg food meals with soft foods at the beginning really soft veggies and protein. but her goal was to eventually eating in a more normalized but healthy fashion. i eat 3 meals a day typical meal for me is prob a cup or so of food. 1/4 cup protein/1/2 cup veggie/1/4 cup grain. i also have 3 protein rich snaks in between . she actually has me on all foods and frowns if i use shakes etc for my protein. these are used for backups mainly. i get all the protein needed from actual food. i have to keep to my meal plan and it works. i dont feel like its a diet but a way of life now.

i dont know if that helps but that has been my experience - i am still learning. this thing is a lot more then food and there is an emotional side to this that you will also experience. at first the high of losing and transforming your body. but then there becomes the true emotional side that needs work too. food was filling other needs for me. at first i didnt realize that but after the initial high has subsided then those issues remain and have to be dealt with too.
i know you can do this - the support of this board is amazing. i still turn to it when i have a bad day or i am struggling. the people on here have helped me so much from pre surgery to now.

[MysticalMaybe]

There are different stages to what you feel and what you can eat with the sleeve.

The first two weeks I felt very thursty because I was! I was trying to get that water down but as soon as I drank it I wanted more but had to wait for it to go down. Plus you have to drink your food too so theres not much room for both. The first three weeks you are eatting things you never thought you would ever eat LOL. I hate!!! soup but here I was eatting it. The first week I had to drink Isopures RTD clear liquid drinks... some where pretty gross but I did what I had to do! chicken Broth, Beef Broth. Week two was Soup and protein drinks again not what I wanted but I got them down (I was more consurned with what my body needed then what my taste buds wanted) Now at week 4 I'm really trying to get the water down. I never feel thursty and I have to remember to drink. Sweets are a major part in this post op diet as almost everything was sweet to me but you only have to do those for a few weeks. Also Unjury has a chicken soup that's ok. you may like that one. Kinda like a cup of noodles but no noodles or veggies. Now I still do two protein drinks a day (they have grown on me and plus the protein makes me feel better) but I eat normal, I eat deli meat, cheese, Cali rolls. I even had a piece of bacon the other day. I think the hell I went thru the last three weeks was well worth it.

The main thing is that if you really want this that its not going to be easy, Not at all! We have all ate things we don't want to just because our bodys need them. Protein Drinks are awesome for your body but may not taste the best. I drink Premier Protein RTD so I just pop one open and drink it on the way to work. Without my protein drink I feel really weak and tired so yeah my body wins and my taste buds have to get use to them.

This surgery is about changing the way you think about food. Normally we wanted what tasted the best. Now its what is best for our bodies.

Vitamins are mostly sweet flavors too but you have to take them everyday... something you will have to get use to intill you can swallow your vitamins.

Oh and right now if I drink and eat at the same time it feels like my food is going to rip out of my chest.... You eat small bites and moist foods so you don't need anything to drink with your meals.

As for the later stages of the sleeve... I'm not sure because I'm not there yet

check out: The World According to Egg Face - She has alot of different foods you may like and I even think she has them for the different stages.

Good Luck to you and I hope you don't see this as something you can't do... If I can eat soup you can eat sweets LOL just remember that your doing this for your health and over all well being. (Plus its only for a few weeks then you can figure out what to eat to get your protein and vitamin levels up)

[painfreenow]

Herbalife has a good chicken broth with high proteins. Isopure protein drinks are also good. The beginning is hard but it will get better.

[Juliebythec]

try GNC protein powder with almond milk I think it is really good.

[LtWeight]

I started out with Pure Protein shakes (vanilla) from Wal-Mart and had to switch after surgery because it was nearly impossible to choke them down. I just couldn't handle the taste. I switched to Trutein (chocolate peanut butter) which was much less thick and tastier. It was well worth the extra money. I noticed a lot of tastes changed after surgery and had to adjust.

I can drink almost as much water now as I did before surgery (7 weeks out now) and I never drink with a meal or 30 minutes after. I just take very small bites and chew really well. I used to eat without drinking when I was a child so it was pretty easy for me to slip into that habit. I still supplement my protein with 1 or 1 1/2 shakes every day. I'm still on my soft food diet until 60 days out and then I can start introducing regular food one at a time to see how they do. I work out 2 - 3 times a week at physical therapy (squats, lunges, abdominal exercises, etc.) for about an hour and I swim for an hour and a half twice a week and water aerobics three times a week for 50 - 55 minutes. I feel like I really still need the extra protein with all the exercise. I only eat three meals a day and have 1/2 of the protein shake after therapy and after water activities. Sometimes I have another half shake if I am low on protein or feel empty during the day.

I would recommend getting a variety of protein to try because something you may like before surgery may not be tasty after surgery.

Good luck! I would do this all over in a heart beat, best decision I ever made!

[PipperMarrow]

The first stages might be difficult for you. I'm seven weeks out and I was drinking water normally the day after surgery with no problems. Also, I can actually guzzle water now after a work out with no problems. I won't guzzle the whole bottle of course, but I can hydrate myself pretty quickly. Almost all the protein I take in is food now. I will occasionally drink an EAS shake for breakfast in a hurry, but for the most part I eat cottage cheese, cheese, eggs, meat, beans, meatballs, and turkey cold cuts. I do not eat sugar, bread, potatoes, chips, etc. I can now I suppose if I wanted too, but once you get used to this high protein low carb diet, you feel like crap after you eat just a little of something you are not used too so why bother.

You also get used to not eating and drinking. I don't drink anything on the way home so I can eat dinner when I get here. I don't drink on the way to work so I can have breakfast when I get there. The only time I did want to drink was when I put homemade hot sauce on some eggs! I made it too hot and had to have a sip!

If you want the surgery bad enough you will take the first six to seven weeks and do what ya gotta do. It's not fun for any of us to be on all liquids, but it's required so you grin and bear it or pray to God on occasion. We are all here to support you.

Good Luck!

[bucbratt]

I haven't heard people on here talking about how they are thirsty ALL the time, that's new. There are so many more options out there than you/she mentioned when it comes to protein. Everyone has touched on that. Just keep reading here and you will learn so much more than what she gave you. I can't believe she said you would die if you couldn't drink the shakes...cray cray! Maybe she is just trying the tough love route to weed out the folk who think it's a cake walk, cause it sure ain't!

That said, you are going to have to suck it up a little if you get the surgery. I know you are set in your ways, buy your ways (and mine) got you where you are. Open your mind a little and be flexible...it will all be ok. One day soon, you will too be wondering why the hell you can't swallow more than 4 spoons of soup!!! Oh, that's me, sorry!

Good luck...I've just had mine, so I'm still in the icky full liquid stage, but I can already tell you I don't regret one minute of it. Good things on the horizon, my friend!