Ok. So I've been able to get down a "normal" amount of water, juice, anything really. And I've gone up in weight! Do you think it's water weight? Please, oh please, say that you think it is...
I mean it has to be, right? I couldn't get anything down before - I was really dehydrated.
And I haven't been exercising.
Before surgery I was drinking a gallon and a half a day.. and I've worked back up to almost a half gallon..
I guess I need to concentrate on things other that the scale. And I need to get out there and walk!
And I think I've been overdoing it on the yogurt. But it tastes soo good and it hardly has any calories. Do you think that I'm overeating?? I think I might be. "Pay attention to your body." I guess it's time for me to make friends with it.
I guess I could portion out the yogurt. That's what I'll do. Hmmph, this is really hard.
Like right now, I can't really get down water - and then later I'll probably be able to get down a giant tub of yogurt. Do others have difficulty in the mornings?
Thanks.

Hi Jax! I'm trying to figure out when your surgery date was and what type of surgery you had. One of the comments you made concerns me, though. Yogurt is quite nutritious, but it may be more calorie-dense than you think, depending on exactly what kind you are eating. Having said that, you might want to concentrate more on sticking to appropriate portions than worrying about over-eating. Write down everything you consume, including fluids. This journal will be your best tool for a while. It will tell you if you are over or under eating.
As far as mornings go..... Yeah, I had massive issues before noon or 2 p.m., lol. I just had no appetite or motivation to stick anything in my mouth for a while. I could sip luke-warm water or fat-free milk (not too cold) before then, but I consumed the majority of my calories after the sun started setting. I had surgery in January, go figure. Eventually, your brain and your body will regain match speed. Match, not mach, lol. Also, the day after I had surgery, I was 30 lbs heavier. I told my surgeon about both the morning and fluid issues. He said that they were finding both issues quite common. But if you have a heart or circulation problem, you definitely need to see a doc about it. Hang in there, and keep up the good work!!!

Angie

my vote: stop drinking the juice! in general, it's a VERY BAD IDEA to drink your calories. and i'm with Angie about the yogurt - it's basically a LIQUID, so it falls under the heading of 'don't drink your calories.' don't get me wrong, 1/2 cup is FINE, but more than that might get you into trouble. and the other thing about yogurt is that there are actually quite a few carbs in it. so, between the juice and the yogurt, you're getting MANY MORE CARBS than PROTEIN. not good, when you're supposed to be getting more PROTEIN than carbs!

AND, if you can find something other than yogurt to eat - something that you have to chew - you might be better off because it'll stay with you [physically] longer than the liquid yogurt.

try focusing on drinking calorie-free beverages for awhile and see what happens [and most of us consider anythning under about 15 calories to be 'calorie free.' this lets us have a little bit of milk in our coffee or tea].

oh - and that morning thing - i don't consume anything except tea for about 2 hours after getting up. just not happening!!!!

I am also having trouble eating in the mornings. I do get some milk in with my decaf coffee, and sometimes I can get oatmeal or cream of wheat down. My main difficulty is meat. I chew and chew, and I know it said moist, but when I try and swallow, it feels as if it's stuck in my chest and hurts. Any suggestions on some protein that would be easy to get down besides liquids?
By the way, I've been off for a while, but computer is back. We did lose all our addresses, however.

Lois - Wow! look at your numbers! Great!
When I wrote this post I had just entered the full liquid phase - and apparently it was going into my TOM.. I don't know how every month, EVERY SINGLE MONTH, I freak out and don't understand what's going on!
I just started the mushies phase.. And I put some protein powder into my mashed potatoes.
I just started mushies and yeah, it's hard to get down. I don't know what others have done to get in their protein.. But since you have the bypass, did they tell you NOT to drink while you eat? Because I've been told not to drink - and so yeah.. it's not been good with the stuck/painful feeling. - but if you can drink, does that help?

NO!!! drinking and eating with the bypass DOESN'T help with that 'stuck in the chest' feeling. if anything, it'll make everything WORSE. see - everything' packed into the new tiny tummy [think of a tube of toothpaste!]. adding liquid to that will make it EXPAND, and trust me on this, it'll come back up and you'll be GRATEFUL that it came back up.

sometimes, of course, it can move things through your system faster, but that also defeats the purpose.

sooo, bottom line, drinking with meals makes the food move faster - in one direction or the other!!!!!!

for things that are getting stuck - go slowly! yeah, i know you think you're eating slowly, but since it hurts, maybe you need to go SLOWER. like take a bite about the size of your pinky fingernail, put down your spoon or fork. then chew. then swallow, then count to 30 before taking another bite.

When cutting food I ask myself if it is the same size I would give my two year old to eat. That is about the biggest size of food I can handle even if I chew very well.

Hey, thanks for the information! I will begin using even smaller bites and no, I don't drink when I eat and I wait for thirty minutes afterward, although when that stuck feeling does occur, I have been guilty of trying to get a swallow down, which is just like you said, it doesn't help and hurts like crazy.
I sure need a good protein powder that is tasteless, if anyone knows of one, but also one that is tasteful, for adding to my milk. I have to drink two cups a day of skim milk. So far, I eat everything pureed, except oatmeal and cream of wheat and I haven't tried pureeing meat yet. LOL. EXCEPT in my homemade soup, I did and it was tasty! What a journey, but I love it! How about you all?