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I did not tell anyone about my surgery except some immediate family members. I did not want to overload them with all my needs and emotional support, so this board was really important to me. I would say the board even became my lifeline and sole support group as I went through the ups and downs of the first year post op. Unfortunately, some of the most informed, experienced, and supportive members formed their own forum and moved away from this site, but.......there are still many supportive and great folks here who will help you through the process. Spend some time exploring the different threads and you will find answers to most of your questions. I can almost promise you that you are not going to experience anything (including complications) that someone else has not also experienced. Make this journey your own. No one else has the right to tell you how to navigate this in your life. You are making this decision for your own health and well being - not for anyone else. And you are the one who will reap the benefits of your decisions, or...... not, but the choices are still yours to make. Expect that some people will feel threatened by your decision to have surgery and by the dietary and lifestyle changes that will follow. Even my supportive family was knocked off kilter a bit by my new energy, focus of exercise, and all the new ways I needed to eat. (Like, "Mom, I don't know how to cook dinner for you anymore." or "Mom, you are riding your bike so much I don't know how to spend time with you.") These are areas that have to be navigated and redesigned - not just by you, but by those around you. Not all of them will be happy. It's easier for them if you stay fat and everyone knows their role in the relationship. As soon as you get thinner than others, they will not be able to justify they own obesity and you will upset the order of things. THEY will be the "fat girls" in the room now - not you, and that is going to be pretty hard for them. I do have in-law relatives who were obese and lost a lot of weight from other programs. They got tons of praise and compliments at Christmas dinner, for example, and by the next year, they had gained back ALL of their lost weight! Now I am the thinnest one in the room - really! I used to be the fattest, and now I actually AM the thinnest, and NOT ONE of those relatives have acknowledged my weight loss or given me any kind of compliment at all. Amazing, but it just means that my own weight loss has highlighted their regain and sense of failure. Again, make this YOUR journey! Lots of people will give you their opinions, but YOU are the one behind the wheel. It is your body, your life, your health and your decision. This board will help you. Hang in there! PS: I would also suggest branching out socially as you continue this journey. As you form new relationships with people who do not know about your surgery, you will have freedom from all the back story and baggage. Most of my co-workers now never knew me when I was obese or that I even had surgery. My relationship with them is different than with others who knew me 100 pounds ago. There is no fat shaming or labeling, and no expectation or unsolicited advice, as they have only known me as thin. It's kind of refreshing to just be me in a normal body.

My go-to snack was beef jerky. I aways had a ziploc of the stuff in my purse everywhere i went (often i would make my own so i knew exactly what was in it...) oh, and i also carried around a tiny tupperware of protein powder...

I have a very similar situation (except I was fortunate to be able to work mostly from home for the first couple of months after my surgery, but I have to be on site full-time now in a setting where I can’t have food or beverages). I’ve also been insanely busy this week and have had very little time to take water breaks. All I can really do is make sure to drink water when I get the chance, like on my way to and from work, and a big cup of tea at bedtime. It also helps to have a protein shake for lunch because that counts towards fluids in addition to a nice amount of protein. I don’t know if your job is like this, but I usually have some paperwork to wrap up at the end of the day, which I can do in an area that I can have food and beverages, so I drink some water while I’m doing that. I make myself finish a water bottle before I go home, so there’s an incentive.

It is hard for me to get in enough at work, as well, since I am in a clinical area. What I do is drink 16 oz of herbal tea as soon as I get up, and I try to get another 16 oz in on my way to work. By the time I get there, it is time to pee off the first mug. I then try to get 16 oz during the day, and then 16 oz again in the evening. By keeping on this schedule, I can get 64 oz in on a work day.

I am soooooooo feeling this comment right now - for me it's hell 2 weeks! I type this on day 3 as I'm looking at my water the and the clock gsking how many more hours before I can eat something ? LOL Will attempt to not bite off my husband's head before then

Hello everyone. I'm new here. I had my 1st appointment yesterday with the Dr and a surgery date of January 22nd, assuming all goes well with pre-operative testing. 36 y/o mom of 2. Current weight = 243, Goal weight = 150 and I'm 5'5. I'm excited but extremely nervous as well. I've been reading a lot and look forward to being a part of the group. Any and all advice is appreciated.

I have to agree with seeking the psychiatric evaluation. For many years psychiatric care has had a stigma, but caring for the mind is just as important as the body. You can tell from your initial post that you have quite a bit of anxiety, and sounds like could be leading to a vasovagal response. This is like people that are terrified of shots and pass out. If you were dehydrated or had a B12 deficiency they would have see that on your labs, and why the other test that they ran are normal. It would definitely be worth looking into.

Fairly early out, I had a small (9 grams weighed on my food scale) of extra dark (low sugar content) chocolate. I did not die. I did not feel like I was going to die. There does not seem to be any lasting ill effects from doing so. Strangely, I rarely crave it at this point, but do have my 81% cocoa chocolate bar in the refrigerator just in case I want a small piece. I agree with the other posters, that it has the potential to get you on a slippery slope so soon after surgery. Be aware of the dangers (dumping, poor weight loss, increased cravings, knowing you can get away with a small piece so maybe a bigger piece is ok too, etc.) and proceed at your own risk. Good luck!

When I was losing, I had the odd glass. I think the first was a gin at my cousin’s 40th at about 2 months but then I didn’t have another for months. It truely took me hours to drink the low ball & no effect. Alcohol just doesn’t interest me as much & I had at least one big glass every night before I had surgery. I find a lot of alcohol too sweet now even some red wines. I’ll have a glass of something if socialising now (but who does that much anymore) but it’s not uncommon for me not to finish it. Honestly I do consider if it’s worth the calories & it’s usually not. The concern about alcohol is the addiction swapping: swapping a food addiction, which can’t be easily satisfied after surgery, for an alcohol addiction. My dietician told me Esomeprazole medication does reduce the effects of alcohol (not the amount of alcohol in your blood steam). I’ve never seen reports of this but she was a pharmaceutical rep previously so ... shrug. I’m certainly not advocating its use for this if it’s true but it could also explain some of why you didn’t have any ill effects after if you are taking it.

I had purchased patch vitamins and EZ melt vitamins to meet vitamin requirements. Purchased Propel water at Sam's club, 15g protein, 0 cal, 0 sugar to meet liquid intake to prevent constipation. Purchased from Bariatric pal soups, chocolate drinks, shakes replacements to be sure all protein was met. After surgery on the 28th of August 2020, no pain, some discomfort. Went home the next day after x-ray showing no leakage at Mayo Hospital in Florida. I did walk in place in the hospital to help release excess gas. I did purchase a abdominal binder on Amazon and used it after the surgery. This helped a great deal and Dr said this was a good idea to do this. My goal is BMI 20 or less. Enjoy your healthy journey. Dr. Stephen Bowers did over 1000 gastric bypass surgeries and he was awesome.