D had asked if I could do a post with the how and what I am eating since I had the VSG surgery. The first few weeks after surgery are very similar to band eating in the beginning. As with the band, every doctor has a different protocol. My Dr wanted me on clear liquids for 3 days, full liquids for the remainder of the first week and than pureed food for for 2-3 weeks.
Let me start by saying, I AM NEVER HUNGRY! I am one of the lucky ones whose hunger has gone away with the removal of Ghrelin. That is the "hunger" hormone that lives in the part of the stomach that is removed during surgery. With that being said, I will give you a snapshot of what I am eating. Since the surgery, I have not eaten more than 700 calories on any given day but that has to change now that I am exercising again. I can really feel the difference when I exercise and dont' eat enough. I get dizzy and nauseous.
At this time my stomach can only hold 2 - 3 oz of solid protein....liquids and pureed foods go down much easier. My doctor said that over the course of the next few years, my stomach capacity will possibly increase by another oz. at the most.
What I am eating today:
Greek Vanilla Yogurt, FF w/fresh blueberries - I ate about 1/2 of this before the gym and I will eat the rest as a snack later;
Pure Protein peanut butter/chocolate bar - 1/2 after the gym
Lunch - 2 - 3 oz of tuna w/light mayo and tomato
Late afternoon - If I feel I need some protein, I will have a Syntax Nector Protein drink. Very light and refreshing and only 90 - 100 calories, 0 carbs and 23 g protein. Love them!
Dinner - I roasted a bunch of veggies yesterday and will make a fritata. I use a 12 in. saute pan and historically, I would cut it into 4's and than cut a section into 2 pieces and eat 1 of those. I suspect that I will be able to only eat 1/2 of a piece.
If I want to have something after dinner, I will probably have one of these adorable little Dark Chocolate Frozen Baby Bananas...so good and refreshing!
I have to remind myself to eat....I can tell if I am hungry by my stomach contracting or I start getting a headache.
I have not had any bread, pasta or rice since surgery. My doctor told me I should try everything but follow the # 1 Rule and that is Protein First...sound familiar? The problem is, once I eat the protein, I am satisfied and full! My # 1 priority every day is to get at least 60 g of protein in and if I start eating that other stuff, I am too full for the protein.
The sleeve is a totally different feeling than the band. I have only gotten too full once and and I have never thrown up. It was close but I didn't. There is no getting stuck with the sleeve. Its a more gentle feeling that "if you eat one more bite its coming up" but it doesn't hurt. It just felt very uncomfortable. In the past, quite often I would get stuck with my band but still be hungry....I would always try my hardest to get another forkful in. I do not have that hungry feeling at all when I feel full/satisfied so its easy for me to offer my food to Steve to finish or save for another meal. I used to actually resent it sometimes when I couldn't finish what was on my plate! No more.
Other things I am eating:
I can almost eat a whole egg regardless of how its prepared.
1/2 cup of watermelon, 1/2 cup blueberries, a few cherries
2-3 oz of any protein, beef, chicken, steak, burgers
1/2 of a hotdog - tasted very different. Thats another thing with the sleeve, something happens to your taste buds. Not everything is affected but some things do not taste the same. This was one of them. Ick! Oh, and I had a home made chocolate chip cookie and didn't care for it. And, I am the one who baked them! Again, this change in my taste buds is not such a bad thing!
Basically, I can eat anything I've tried so far but just a little amount of it. I had an issue with ice cream on the 4th of July though. I ordered one scoop in a cup. I ate maybe a quarter of it and broke out in a cold sweat and just wanted to go home. We had just gotten to the beach for fireworks. Back in the car we went and didn't get home a moment too soon. I had diarrhea so bad. I had no idea where it all came from! I know, TMI but really! I told my doctor that I thought I had a touch of "dumping" that Gastric Bypass peeps get and he laughed at me. He told me it was physically impossible to have "dumping" with the sleeve because your intestines are not bypassed! He explained that what I was experiencing was a case of eating very low carb and than introducing liquid sugar into my system which resulted in my reaction. Oh well, call it what you want but it will be a very long time before I indulge in ice cream away from home, I can assure you! I am not even sure I want it at home...it was a horrible feeling. Again, not a bad thing!
All in all, the sleeve is very similar to the band and also very different at the same time. For me, since I woke up from surgery, I've had non-stop restriction, not hit-or-miss restriction that I had with my band. That alone is a Godsend for me.
If anyone has any more questions, ask away here or send me an email!
12 comments:
Thanks for the info Jacquie ....I have a friend in need right now and I keep talking to her about the sleeve.
XO
That was so interesting!! Thank you for posting. So glad to hear it's going well.
Thanks for sharing Jac! I am getting more and more excited about the sleeve, especially after hearing about your experiences :)
Thanks! So glad to hear you are doing well - nice to know that if the band ever goes wrong, that there are other options :)
Wow, thats all I can say. I am so happy for you, and a tad bit jealous! I don't regret my band at all, but the since of restriction all the time? how nice! and the thought of having to remind myself to eat? man oh man!
Whew Jacquie, you are making me so excited! I am thrilled to hear you are never hungry. When I'm on drugs that suppress my voracious appetite, I do great and the weight falls off without much effort---but that's also because I eat "right" 90% of the time as it is. I'm just too hungry to stop when I should (unless I'm on meds). It's great to see you're back to vigorous workouts after only 4 weeks. I hope to do the same. I'll start out slow with walking on the treadmill or something after a couple weeks. Is that too fast?
My doctor gave me a binder with a ton of information. One of the things he says regarding diarrhea is that it's possible to develop a lactose intolerance after surgery because part of the stomach that is cut away is responsible for manufacturing lactase (the enzyme that digests lactose). With less of it, it can cause intestinal distress. I wonder if that was a factor since you ate ice cream? Or maybe it was simply the carb issue after eating such a protein rich diet (like your doc said), I don't know. Just thought I'd throw the idea out there. My surgeon recommends trying lactose free dairy. Also, my binder says sometimes your body will eventually make enough lactase for you several months down the road. And sometimes not.
Oh, I just double checked my binder to make sure I told you correctly. It says "If lactose is not properly broken down it can cause undue abdominal discomfort, cramping, gas, bloating, nausea and/or a laxative effect, diarrhea. You may have tolerated milk products just find before surgery but now you may produce few lactase enzymes in your intestinal tract. Avoid ice cream. Hard cheeses, cottage cheese and yogurt products should be less bothersome because lactose is partially or fully broken down through processing."
So that might explain why greek yogurt didn't cause that reaction and ice cream did. Or maybe it's the sugar issue. But the chocolate chip cookie didn't do that.....
I got your comment on my page Jacquie, thanks. Cardio after two weeks. Awesome. Like hardcore gym class cardio or just like, go slow on the elliptical cardio?
Oh and I forgot to mention my binder recommends Lactaid, goats milk (gross, I hate the flavor of it) or skim soy milk. I've seen some protein ice cream recipes floating around the internet, where you make it yourself at home using protein powder and what not. I haven't tried it yet, but maybe in a few weeks if I'm desperate.
Like this one:
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/protein-ice-cream.html
I'm so So SOO glad to hear you say you aren't hungry!! Hallelujah for that.
Thank you!!!
1/2 meatball for you next week...
Why not get Mr and Mrs Dinnerland to come as well.. A hootananie... We would all get along probably...
I couldn't be more jealous right now! I, unfortunately, can't afford a revisment to the sleeve because my insurance won't cover it, even if it was medically necessary. So there'd go another $12,000 to get the sleeve and my husband would kill me if I even considered spending that much money again!
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