mi75

mine is to continue my weight loss and get to my goal (hopefully by spring, but no set timeline). Also, i am focusing on changing my career path and getting grad school done. it is time for ME now, and my family and our collective happiness. it is going to be a great year for me!

every doc is different, every bariatric program is different, every pre and post op diet is different. so, it goes without saying that every surgeon has their own belief about drains. i DID have a drain. it wasn't a big deal. it was not so comfortable to sleep with it, because i am a side sleeper. i had to sleep on my back for a week, then it was taken out. felt weird, like a worm coming out. not a big problem at all. i am planning on having plastics this summer or fall, and i have been well versed by my plastics guy on the TWO drains for the TT, and possible drains for my breast reduction/lift...

hello to all the post-op folks on this forum! my surgery is in 2 days and I have many questions about the success/failures of eating certain foods afterwards...I hope you will help me with a few insights! 1. Baked Beans- my family and I love Bush's baked Beans and the Protein count in them is great. But do they give anybody problems due to the sugar content (brown sugar, molasses, etc)?? 2. Kraft Mac/Cheese- another fave in my house. We have small kids AND live on a tight budget so every couple of weeks when the bank account is dry we have Kraft spirals for dinner with some ground beef mixed in... 3. Peanut Butter toast- a staple Breakfast. I know eggs are great for me post-op but I'm sure I will only be able to eat SO many days of eggs before I need a break... 4. Spaghetti- a weeknight staple for my family- I assume I would be able to have a very small amount of the Pasta with a nice serving of sauce (which I also put some sort of ground meat into for protein) Now...I KNOW that the purpose of this surgery is to re-start my eating habits and essentially give me a restart button. I absolutely believe that and I fully intent to eat very well 90% of the time. However, there are times when the budget, time or travel will play a big role and I may need to turn to one of these options. I would appreciate any feedback about these foods or any other 'typical' foods. I thank you all in advance!

Hi all- I am the OP and i was reading some of my PRE surgery threads... since surgery, i have had 1 TBSP of baked Beans, no mac/cheese, no Peanut Butter toast, and spaghetti a few times. with that though, i eat one good sized meatball with about 5-6 strands of spaghetti cut up with it, and sauce. i read this thread and kind of laughed. i was so nervous about giving up these foods, and generally they aren't really even too good for me! i am pretty much ALLOWED all foods, being 6 months out, but i am consciously making good healthy choices. i still get the whole budget thing, and feeding the family, but even my family is healthier since we are making better choices, and once in a while when we have these things, i find a way to make it work!!!!

Hi all- I am about 5 months out now, doing great, but the scale has really slowed. I've been told this is normal, but my 'honeymoon period' is coming to an end, and i still have about 25 lbs to lose until goal. After reading a lot online, I decided to try a shake/broth/yogurt type fast for at least a few days. Something similar to my pre-op diet. I am wondering if that will get the scale moving again? Any advice?

My real foods: cubed rotisserie chicken cubed cheese- Co-Jack, sharp cheddar, or Montaray Jack egg salad ground beef with shredded cheese, on top of 2-3 baked nacho chips broiled shrimp with Old Bay seasoning among others...

i'm with Kindle. i don't count fats, worry about the amount, etc. i eat according to my program. i count proteins, and loosely count calories. i also count oz of liquids. that's it! LOVE egg salad with avocado, a tiny bit of Miracle Whip, a tiny bit of yellow mustard and onions. YUM

while we must each walk this very personal journey in our own shoes, HANDS DOWN i would do it again, and again, and again. i had multiple co-morbidities pre op, and the day before my surgery i took 13 pills. today i took ONE! and that was only a PPI pill for reflux prevention. we can't tell you to do it or not, although i think most people here would heartily cheer you on, but the decision is yours to make. I wish you luck, peace, and a clear thought process. it took me 2 years from the first time i considered surgery to actually decide, so I understand your hesitation. one thing that may help you is if you go to "Google scholar" and search gastric bypass and RNY. according to the AMA, bariatric surgery is considered the ONLY cure for type II diabetes...

ROAR! definitely my anthem for my journey

hit the reverse button. FIND the passion you had when you started your pre-op diet, try to channel it, and start fresh. today is the start of a new week, make it count for you. first up, empty out all the junk food. run stuff through the disposal, so you aren't tempted to dig through the trash later and dust it off. next, go back to basics. plan your menu for the week. i also still boil eggs every sunday. i brown some lean burger meat, buy enough P3s for the week, pre-measure my Fiber-Con and Protein powder for every morning at work and portion it out into little snack baggies to take with me Monday morning. if necessary, get out your nutrition stuff from your NUT appts and try to focus on a few simple rules. I fall off track every couple of weeks too, i just have to push myself to get back on track. i figure this surgery was my ABSOLUTE last attempt at success. and although i have great insurance, i still had to pay a good amount out of pocket. i want that money to count. my LIFE means everything to me. hang in there!

i am 5 months out and am ABLE to eat all foods also, but at this point in the game, it's more about the CHOICES i make, and no matter what, the most i can eat at a time is still only about 3/4 cup...

i also had no appetite for about 3 months post op...then one day it showed back up! the good thing, like others have said is that it takes about 5-6 bites and it's all good. i LOVE that. i have also found that because my eating schedule was set to every 2-3 hours after surgery, i find myself needing to 'feed' about every 2 hours on que!~

Quest Cookies and cream, 21 g Protein every day. only chance i have of getting it all in. i find that on the weekends, when i'm not at work and on a strict schedule, it's much harder for me.

34 bougie, standard for my surgeon

i got the ok from my surgeon, and have had my calcium levels checked 3x since starting them, levels are within normal findings. i also drink serious milk every day in my shakes, so that could be helping too.

thanks everyone, i will definitely take this all into consideration. for ME, my shakes are just shake powder, and milk and ice. pretty easy. i will try this for a couple days then maybe switch to the solid protein/veg plan for a few days. i am also hitting the gym tonight and going to change it up there completely too. thanks!

I am 5 months post op, and like Lipstick Lady, I had an awesome thanksgiving. i always host, and for several weeks i was stressing it out, deciding if i should change up the menu completely. here in the midwest, we have a lot of starchy, filling sides, and all VERY yummy. i decided to cut out a couple of my regular sides but the rest remained the same, right down to my grandma's very special cake that i make every year in her memory. what was different for ME, was that this year i FEEL awesome. i think that i LOOK pretty awesome (still a size 14, but way better than the 22-24 i was last year!). i have incredible confidence, and a lot of energy! i ate a little turkey, a spoonful of mashed potato, a spoonful of stuffing, a few bites of greenbean casserole, and a small square of grannie's cake. it was all AWESOME. the harder thing for me was yesterday- the friday AFTER! it is a day that my immediate family watches the state high school football playoffs on tv all day, and it is usually an even BIGGER eating fest of leftovers, and usually some added surprise that i had just for the day. yesterday, i made my hubs and i each a lunch of the leftovers, enjoyed a very little bit again, and then packed up the tiny bit of things that were left and put up for his lunch on monday. i am so happy that i got to indulge a bit and enjoy with my family. the scale did NOT move upwards. that's the best part. like a few others said, i will indulge again on Christmas, and that will be it until next year at this time. i think i have finally made some peace with food and i'm really starting to understand how to make this sleeve work for me. YAY!

yes it is normal. i had pressure for several MONTHS afterward, and still will if i overfill. that fullness COULD be your full signal for those particular foods. i also found that things i could eat very easily pre-op, i couldn't eat anymore. i just backed off of whatever foods gave me pressure, reflux, etc until i was about 4 months out. now i'm over 5 months post and eating all foods, no problems at all. just give your body a chance to recover and heal...

Citrical (calcium citrate) now has some really AWESOME chewies out. They are three flavored gummies, but they aren't really chewy gummy, they break down really easy and almost dissolve. They are purple. pink, and orange. They are delish, and like candy to me! I get them right at Wal-Mart. they are the ONLY calcium citrate chewables i have found in a regular store.

hey all, still perplexed about joining a gym. i went this week to a local one at got a trial 1-week thing to try it out. it was good, but i have also been exercising at home with resistance bands and dumbbells, plus walking. FYI- i have a great treadmill at home AND work, plus a bike at both too. i want to get some strength so i'm not sure if i NEED to go to a gym, or if working out at home like i have been will work. the HUGE issue for me (besides the money commitment), is the drive to the gym, and the gas spent doing it. i would have to go at about 4:45 am before i start my day just due to my crazy life/work schedule and kids. the time thing i could handle but if i can get a good workout at home, i would rather. i have about 3 months left of my 'honeymoon period'. at that point, i would like to be darn close to goal-i have 30 lbs to go until goal. i don't know if going to they gym will boost that along, or what. any thoughts are appreciated. thanks!

any of the South Beach cookbooks work well too.

hey all- I am 19 wks out and on my last 25-28 lbs to go until goal! WHOOP! many days i feel like i have barely lost anything. however, i KNOW my pants size was a 22 (even though i wore scrub pants every day to avoid that reality) and i was wearing a 2x shirt. these days my size 14 pants are just a bit snug and wearing a XL top. i really thought i would be in like a size 10 or so at my goal. BUT... knowing that i'm close to goal, i joined a gym and have recently started an actual workout regimen-other than walking. i also am trying to really measure everything closely because i am MUCH more able to eat freely now. any suggestions to keep the scale moving? i have been in a very slow window for about 3 wks now. scale moving a bit up, a bit down. i am trying to eat very similar calorie amounts every day. i am hopeful that 25 lbs from now, and with a committed workout regimen, i will be seeing those size 10s and looking awesome!! thanks

i am sorry, i didn't mean that ALL my weight loss was moving slowly..in fact the first 50 lbs practically fell off! what i meant is that it seems like these last 25 lbs are going very slow. i am just looking for some support or tips to keep that scale going. thanks!

i believe it can stretch. i am 19 wks out from surgery. i can eat WAY more right now than i could just 6 wks ago. i have noticed that some days, i DO eat more. i have had to commit to measuring everything and getting back to my small serving bowls to contain my eating habits.

i used to be able to eat way more than my hubs- a football coach! typical for me was : 3 heaping plates of nachos with the works. now, 19 wks post op, i can eat SIX chips with a little ground beef, some shredded cheese, and a dab of sour cream that is is my meal! pre op i drank 3-4 44 oz regular Mtn Dew fountain pops a day, now i haven't had a pop in 6 months. pre op i could go to most restaurants and eat a large appetizer, a huge regular meal, with my 'healthy' salad and sometimes a dessert. now i eat about 1/2 cup of my meal and done. i can only eat 1/2 of a snack wrap from mcdonald's now. i used to also eat a huge double cheeseburger meal upsized and still be hungry. i still eat pizza, but our days of having chicago style deep dish are done. we would also typically have an appetizer with it. now there is just no room. we get very thin crust with a Protein topper (our fave italian place does homemade meatball slices!) and mushrooms. they cut it into squares so i can have two small squares. that's it. that is my meal. i still love pizza. overall, my relationship with food has changed greatly. i no longer dream about certain foods. i no longer cook and eat all weekend. i still enjoy food, but now it's for nourishment. totally different mind-set . my hubs has lost 30 lbs just from me cooking differently (since surgery every meal is a protein, a veg and some complex carb). i eat very small portions. he eats one normal portion. my kids have gotten off of pop except when we go out, they are allowed to get one. we are all much better since my surgery.