Matt Z

The Thirst Mutilator! It's got what plants crave!

My post-op is/was: 1 week post op with PCP 6 week post op Nutritional group class 3 month Surgical and Nutritional one on ones. 6 month Surgical and Nutritional one on ones. 12 month Surgical and Nutritional one on ones. Follow ups will be yearly or as needed afterwards.

Liquids *SHOULD* go through through you... That's a good sign, means your swelling is going down. That'll be why you are getting some hunger as well, those aggravated nerves are healing up and getting back to their normal jobs. Your body isn't defective, wait for those foods and you'll get some restriction again.

Totally normal. Focus on healing up first, then worry about anything else.

Post op, just follow your surgeon's orders. Walking is going to be pretty much the second you fully wake up from surgery until... well forever. You'll get cleared for extra things as you heal. Focus on healing first. Keep that cart firmly planted BEHIND the horse!

My wife has dropped 25-30 lbs herself as well... AND she's toning up something fierce! She makes me jealous of her muscles, I know that they are smaller and less powerful than mine are, and she tells me that... but her body fat is so much lower than mine that her muscle mass is much more visible... I'm jealous yes, but also super proud of her!

Just keep a bottle with you at all times. It's odd at first, but after a while it's second nature. I keep a 32 oz bottle with me at all times. So my daily goes kinda like this 8 oz of coffee with 1/2 oz or so skim milk to bind the caffeine 8 -10 oz of skim milk for my protein shake 14-20 oz of water after I finish my shake (whatever the size blender bottle i've used that day gets filled and consumed) 32 oz of water while working etc 4-20 oz of water with my Creatine 16+ oz of water with a propel powder in it while at the gym (Sometimes another round of coffee or maybe some milk or another shake made with Casein) 32 oz of water while home and overnight while sleeping. So I'm getting about 114 oz of fluid a day on the low end 138+ on the high end. It takes time, but as long as you just keep trying to get more, you'll get there.

Your call out says you've lost 86 lbs already, but not what your height or current weight is. Check your BMR and pay attention to it, as we age and as we get thinner our BMR drops, your BMR is the amount of calories you burn just from being alive, as this decreases, we have to adjust somewhere else to make up for the decrease. Are you getting upwards of 128oz of water a day? If not, work on that, we need quite a lot more water per day than most people realize and our body uses water to break down fat, SO, if we don't get enough water, our bodies won't be as efficient at fat removal. Also, it's possible to lose body fat but not weight, ESP if you exercising. Check your body fat % if you can as well.

I've got some check ins... but so far they have been overly useless. Your money might be better spent on a personal trainer, they do nutrition as well usually and they will assist with your working out to REALLY help you shed those pounds. Just my 2 cents on the matter.

Don't worry about it. You are swollen and healing. Focus on your intakes and rest right now. Worry about the weight loss after you have healed.

Stalls happen all over the place, outside of what you stated you were increasing... that's really it, just stay focused, stay on track and keep doing everything you are supposed to. You could be losing bodyfat and not lose weight, happens to me quite often.

I'm using them. I like them. Anything else I say about them is going to quickly be shot down by several people due to a lack of trials and some potentially questionable numbers about the product. However, so far, my doctors are also happy with them... so, do your research and make the decision yourself. There is anecdotal support from folks reviewing them and reporting their extended use has also shown positive results in their blood work, but there is no "official" medical support highlighting their effectiveness. So, do they work... it seems so based on user reviews, but there are going to be folks here telling you they don't, even though they don't have and clinical or medical support stating they don't work, just like there isn't any clinical or medical support saying they do.

How about something natural... like some cut up strawberries and banana? Or any other fruit really for that matter to get that sweetness you want but while being healthy and eating natural foods?

It sucks. Hard. But, it does get easier the longer you stick with it. Cheating tends to set people back. So, just focus on all the reasons why you want this surgery, the change can be drastic, so the adjustments needed can seem drastic as well. If you feel like you aren't getting enough, talk to your surgeon/nutritionist and see if they will adjust your diet. Not all pre-op diets are the same. I was allowed unlimited amounts of celery, which helped out greatly. But the biggest advice I can give, is to be VERY open with your doctors/nutritionists and call them when you have questions, it's what they are there for.

I wasn't cleared for raw veggies or certain other very fibrous veggies until like 6 weeks post op. I was on puree's only for the first full month post op. Now however, no issues with any veggies. I'm a steamed or raw veggie guy personally.

Oh of course more exercise is going to result in more weight loss, but your healing should be your first priority.

I was cath'd, but I didn't know it until I needed to void after surgery when the nurse warned me it might hurt due to them having cath'd me while I was under. I'm pretty glad they did it while I was unconscious...

You can't add your stats from the App. I've requested that the site update the app so folks can, but right now, you can't. It's *ONLY* available on the web page.

Does your pre-op diet say you can have oatmeal? It sucks, but it's best to just do what your doctors have told you to do... if you are having an issue, contact them and talk to them about your problems with the diet. Everyone has had a different pre-op diet, so changes *shouldn't* cause any issues, but there are doctors that will cancel a surgery if you haven't followed what *they* stated you should be doing for your pre-op. So, best to stick to it as best you can and only make changes that have been approved by them. Stay strong, it's only tough for a few days, then it gets easier. Cheating makes it harder, personal experience.

4 sets of 8-12 reps of a weight that's 80% of your 1 rep max is pretty standard set up to use for muscle growth. Mixing up the activity helps as well. Incorporating drop sets and Eccentric exercise into your routine will help keep those muscles growing. Don't forget about proper supplementation for weight gain as well, Using isolate proteins during the day, casein proteins for overnight repair / growth, creatine and other pre-workout supplements help as well.

My band ended up giving me Grade 3 Esophagitis, I had no idea either, it wasn't until I had the upper endoscopy to make sure there was no erosion with the band before my revision that I found out I had a moderate to severe esophagial damage... Now, heartburn and other burning issues are totally gone!

I'm using my original wedding ring from when I got married 20 years ago to hold my larger one in place. Really just because I love the look of the larger tungsten carbide ring over the tiny white gold ring.

I personally never did get sick from water. But I know LOTS of people have, some of which still can't drink plain water. Try adjusting the temp if you haven't, some folks can't do cold, some can't do hot, some can't do unflavored. Experiment to find out what works for you, but it is pretty common for folks to have "texture" or "flavor" issues with water.

I'm a band to bypass revision myself. Had the band installed in 2011, and whereas I didn't have any severe issues, the band just didn't work out well for me, I got stuck constantly, leafy greens hurt to eat... it was just not how it should have gone. I spent years feeling like a failure. I finally went back to my surgeon after years of not checking in and we discussed my options and on March 21st, I had my band removed and was revised to the bypass. And I haven't been happier about a decision in a very long time. I really do wish I had the bypass back in 2011 and didn't get sucked into the promises of the band. The Bypass surgery has come a long way since it showed up. Do people have problems, they sure do, but seems you are already dealing with some pretty intense issues with the band, not sure what potentials with the bypass are scaring you away from it... I'm so very happy with my revision.

If you didn't get sick... you'll be fine. Just make sure to watch the intake with sugary sliders like that.