Eureka-C

I like the cherry twist with 24 oz water or crystal lite or koolaide. I also liked it mixed with frozen fruit and juice in a blender for a smoothie. Didn't like the tea favor at all. Fuzzy navel was okay,tolerable.

Coming from a 24/26, I feel in heaven at an 18/20 only 4 months out. I would love to see a 12/14 by 1 year out.

I love your analogy !

I use the benefiber to keep moving and only take a stool softener if I hit day 3 with no bm. I have only had to do this twice in 4 months

So at 51 pounds, what % have you lost? What did you want to lose? What are you doing/eating/drinking?

I suggest start a new thread asking this question with more info about your diet and fluids, as well as the amount you want to lose.

I have bcbs CA, and I had to appeal, things may have changed after the new year. Give them a call, and just be prepared to fight for what you know is best for you.

I am 4 months out. I am 5'7" and started at 299. I lost 16 pounds pre-op, putting me at 283. I was 225 this morning for a loss of 58 pounds since surgery, and 74 pounds since starting all this. I want to get to 150, so I am almost halfway there. I eat basically whatever I want, but proteins and veggies first. I usually eat three meals and one or two snacks. Snacks are usually a protein bar 170 cal/15 g protein or a laughing cow cheese wheel and beef jerky. Last night I had cherry tomatoes for a snack, but 2 nights ago I had cheese puffs. I gain 5-7 pounds every month during my TOM, but I know I am still losing because afterwards I drop it plus 3-5 pounds the next week. The other two weeks I have been losing 1-3 pounds a week. I stopped logging my food, and refuse to diet or be obsessed. Long before surgery, I decided that was more harmful to me than being fat. I had this surgery to eat less and not be obsessed with food. It has worked. If I stopped losing today I would see myself as a success and anything past this point is just a bonus. I feel comfortable eating about a cup to a cup and a half of food at meals. I drink whatever I want, mostly flavored water and teas. I find I no longer like the taste of diet sodas, so if I want soda, I drink about 4 oz of regular soda. I do try to make good healthy choices, so if I want something higher calorie, I have a small serving, and I am satisfied, something that never happened before surgery. I do weigh twice a day, because it keeps me aware of what my body is doing. I work really hard at seeing how far I have come and not obsessing over the normal fluctuations. I think this has taught me more about how much my weight fluctuates throughout the day. I still have to make myself drink enough. I still forget to chew enough and swallow a bite that sticks, which is miserable. Overall though, I feel normal for the first time in my life. I eat a meal, feel satisfied and don't feel hungry again for 3-6 hours. I used to start obsessing in about 30 min after i ate about what I would eat, when I could eat again, whether people would notice, how much I ate ant lots of guilt and shame. I could never shut my brain off to food. Now I don't think about eating so much. I feel normal.

I have a weight gain every month a couple of days before my period starts. I also stall or gain when I take some medications for my sinuses. It is frustrating to say the least, but after 4 months, I am no longer terrified by it and know it will be gone in a week and I will be back on the losing track.

Tiffykins, OMGOMGOMG. I am sooooooo happy for you. Since I have been on this site, I have watched you faithfully post support to those looking to become pregnant and share in the joy of those who become pregnant and soothe the fears of those who accidentally become pregnant. All the while, you scarcely mention the disappointment it must of been for you to wait so many long months and nothing. You deserve this joy! Revel in it. Thanks for sharing this moment with us and overflowing a little joy our way.

I use fatsecret.com. It also tells you fat/protein/carbs etc.

I couldn't stand the bariessential after surgery because it got thicker on standing and I drank so slow. I also get sick of the sweet, so I mix Syntrax cherry flavor with Water and some lemon juice or lemonade to cut the sweet. I also add two spoonfuls of benefiber. It was the only thing I could take long term. I drank cytomax tangerine - tastes like tang- the first 3-4 days, and Gatorade and broth, and lots of fruit juice bars. Whatever it takes to get the fluids. Some people like the warmth of teas too. Hang in there.

I took my docs advice and replaced two meals with Protein shakes. It gave me a chance to find what I liked before surgery. I had a dinner of meat and veggies and one to two high protein Snacks ( cheese, Jerky, egg, deli meat/lettuce wrap, cottage cheese, milk w/scoop of powder milk) If I had a bad food day and ate something I shouldn't, I just tried again the next day. It made all the difference in my liver, which was swollen and mushy 4 months before surgery and small and firm the day of surgery. Also, my surgeon thought I was doing so well, he only made me do the clear liquid pre-op diet for 3 days instead of two weeks. I lost at first, had a setback and ate tons of junk when I was denied by insurance, got back on track after my appeal and still did good. You can see my weight loss graph at fatsecret.com.

I had my surgery nov 22 and felt hungry until mid feb, then something clicked and I just wasn't hungry so much anymore. I do still have cravings and days before my TOM when I just want to eat all day.

Ditto, It is probably nothing, but we are not doctors. It never hurts to give a call to your surgeon's office. Thats why they get paid the big bucks. If you had it out of country, then check for fever, pain level etc. and you might want to consider requesting scan for leaks. It can still happen even this far out. My surgeon explained that the swelling going down can reveal a leak that was restricted by the swollen tissue.

It does not sound like it will meet my bread craving :/

I was abourt 10-11 weeks out when my hunger started reducing finally. I thought it wasn't going to work for me. I am now at 14 weeks and have lost more weight in the last 2-3 weeks than I did from weeks 3-10. Your body is still adjusting. Be patient.

Do you take a PPI or other acid reducer? What does your doc say?

Has anyone tried this? Its in the frozen food section at health food/whole food groceries all around Dallas. Several of the people at work swear by it. 80 c a slice, 1/2 g fat, 15 g carb (3 Fiber, 0 sugar), 4 grams of Protein their website http://www.foodforlife.com/ I am still not sure???!!!

first of all, take your pain medicine. I would get enough liquid to wet my mouth and just let it sit there slowly dripping down. I found that popcicles were easier because they only let a little liquid in at a time. I also found warm drinks easier. That being said, at five days out, I was not having pain while sipping. You DONT want dehydration. its a vicious cycle. It makes you nauseous so that you want to drink even less. YOU CAN do this!!

Yes, it is normal. Dense Proteins, like ground beef, and chicken seem to fill up faster. It does get a bit looser as the swelling keeps going down.

refried beans: that reminds me. I would cook one small egg, add a spoonful of refried beans, a pinch of cheese and a dash of hot sauce. mmmmmm....

On soft foods, I could have veggies that were steamed or canned fork squishy. I avoided seeds like tomato seeds, cucumber seeds, and zuchinni seeds. I also was told to not eat celery unless I destringed it even if it was cooked soft. Fruit. I was allowed canned fruit, again squishy. I was told to go easy on the fresh fruit due to the tough digestion of fibrous foods. Absolutely NO peels. I also had a small applesauce or two. I really didn't do cereal because of the low Protein and fear of becoming a slider food. I tried mixing flavorless protein with my oatmeal, but it made a weird texture, and if it got the least bit hot, it clumped. I did have string cheese in tiny well chewed bits, but not at first. Melted cheese was fine. mostly protein, tuna, other fish, ground meats, chicken cooked moist and tender, cottage cheese, greek yogurt. I wasn't allowed raw fruits and veggies until 6 weeks. I loved my first salad.

I slept on my back propped with pillows. It stretched everything to lay flat. I did that to stretch, but couldn't stay that way to sleep. It was the middle of week two before I could be on my side with a pillow under my belly.

The typical weight loss is more in line with percentages than amounts. People who need to lose more lose pounds faster, but it all is about the same percentage. I am 14 weeks and have lost 40 pounds (64 since pre-surgery). For me, that is 32%.