TES

Sending positive thoughts!

My surgeon allows carbonated beverages (calorie-free/super low calorie ones of course) 3 months post-op. I used to drink several diet Cokes a day and now I will on occasion drink a Le Croix flavored carbonated water or Pellegrino or a diet ginger ale. I've had a diet Coke once or twice. I do this once every week or two and it's a nice refreshing change. I feel like those people who say they only drink pop as a special treat. I could easily go without it now (where I found that difficult in the past) and feel that I use it wisely. I would never drink a sugar carbonated drink--my surgeon's rule is no more than 15 calories per 8 ounces for any beverage. I sip it slowly and haven't had any issues. I drink water 15 minutes before I eat but I wouldn't do that with a carbonated beverage, since the air fills me up more.

But it's not a pouch, it's a smaller version of your own stomach when you have VSG. Sounds like a recommendation your surgeon makes to GB patients that may be getting extrapolated for VSG patients?

But it's not a pouch, it's a smaller version of your own stomach when you have VSG. Sounds like a recommendation your surgeon makes to GB patients that may be getting extrapolated for VSG patients?

Do you mean regular as in bowel wise or regular as in normal energy?

...and what size bougie your surgeon should use. LOL! I'm kidding.

Do you have a local LaLeche League?

Are you taking an NSAID such as Motrin? I would, if your surgeon okays it (you would want to take with a gastric-protective agent prescribed by your doctor too, like omeprazole). It's important to stay on top of the pain--once it starts, it's tougher for the NSAIDs to work bc prostaglandin response has already occurred. The trauma of surgery can affect your cycles, as can the release of excess estrogen stored in adipose tissue (fat) when you lose weight. This may be an ongoing thing, but good your body is regulating itself better already. Hang in there!

My surgeon allows alcohol 3 months post-surgery. I have had cocktails about 3 times since surgery (all on vacation) but always limited to one, due to calories etc. The alcohol affected me the same as it did pre-surgery. I would go with your surgeon's recommendations.

I would probably eat before going and then go with the late lunch excuse (which would be true if you eat before going). Honestly, people get so busy worrying about themselves, it probably won't even be noticed or mentioned.

I would be cautious about cutting your doctor's prescribed pre-surgery dietary plan short. He or she may be recommending it for a reason unrelated to total weight loss, such as decreasing the size of a fatty liver to make surgery more successful and to make it easier to operate. Good luck--it sounds like you are off to a great start!

PS--I'm 4.5 months out now and feel like I eat at a normal-slow pace--similar to other with whom I eat if they aren't fast eaters. I don't eat as slowly as I did early post-op, but more slowly than I did pre-op (and I wasn't a particularly fast eater then, unless I was super-hungry and would usually catch myself). It's my new normal--you start to think that the pace at which you eat and the amount you eat are what you've always done, which is great. It doesn't seem strange anymore...it seems like what everyone should do.

I think you would be hard-pressed to find a responsible doctor willing to prescribe you a weight loss drug (there are newer ones than phentermine on the market now) so soon after having bariatric surgery. I am assuming that you are eating very few calories right now, which is the point of both bariatric surgery and WL drugs. If you, say, cut that in half, your body wouldn't be able to function and would go into starvation mode, which would actually backfire and slow down your weight loss--not to mention messing up your metabolism. I would focus your energy instead on trying to get more exercise and making sure you get in your protein and water.

I've been taking Biotin since immediately post-op and starting at 3.5 months post op, the hair loss started. Not sure if it's not as severe bc of the Biotin, bc it's pretty significant. I am using Nioxin but will try the Garnier...thanks.

You could use a coffee mug warmer or heat up in the microwave too.

I hate to exercise but I love to have exercised!

Are you eating the same types of foods that you do at home?

I think a good rule of thumb is try the food that you might eat out at home first. Even when I first tried refried beans, we got them carryout first before I tried them in a restaurant. I don't think that I ate out for the first 2.5 to 3 months post op. I love the suggestions to do a fun activity with your son instead.

I think something that will help is to visualize your little swollen stomach. Right now it is only about the circumference of a coffee stirrer (not even a straw). So when you think about what you eat, think about it trying to get thru that little space. That is good motivation to stay on plan tomorrow (great that you have your 2 oz containers already made up!). I would try to think of the liquid phase not as a "diet," but as something that is medically necessary, sort of like any pre-op instructions that you had. Be glad your plan allows pudding and yogurt at this stage--I couldn't touch anything like that until 3 weeks post-op. Good luck...I know you will do better tomorrow! Be careful, bc complications like leaks can be really awful, and as someone else said, life threatening.

I have had chronic kidney stones since surgery. Luckily none that have been obstructive. I knew I had them because I get a dull flank pain, vomiting/nausea, and then "gravel" (looks like pepper) in my urine. I feel like I have the flu when I have them--probably about 6 times since my surgery 18 weeks ago. The stones were confirmed via ultrasound and they were all small and nonobstructive. I'm wondering when I get the vomiting if one might be stuck and then by the time I had the US, it has passed. I still need to do a 24-hour urine test so they can determine what type of stones I have, but here is the advice the kidney stone specialist gave me: 1) drink at least 100 oz of water per day 2) consume citrates, which are in citrus, melon, and tomatoes, 3) avoid oxalates in tea, spinach, rhubarb (this only matters if you have calcium oxalate stones--don't know what kind I have yet). He did say that kidney stones are more common in bariatric surgery patients. I never had them until surgery.

I am hypo and have many of the symptoms you mentioned, but my last thyroid panel was normal. I know they are mostly hypo symptoms but I think they are also symptoms from losing weight (hair loss, being cold, etc.). Can you get your TSH/T4/T3 etc tested?

Laura, I really don't think you can call yourself the still fat girl anymore--you are doing awesome!!!!

It's normal to stall for a little while after losing an average of 10 lbs a week in 3 weeks. If you didn't, you would lose 100 lbs in 10 weeks, and that's basically impossible. It sounds like you could benefit from a support group and/or therapy to help you wrap your head around all of this--the good changes, what's seemingly holding you back from truly wanting success, the fears of what lies ahead, etc. You probably will lose some hair but it's not the end of the world and it doesn't last forever. I am losing mine now but it's a trade-off for good health.

I mostly work from my home office at a desk job and I only took a few days off, but I was truly exhausted. If I had paid sick time, I would have taken at least a few weeks off, but I was worried about losing income or clients. I never, ever nap unless I am seriously ill, but I felt like I needed a nap every day for the first few weeks. I would say definitely don't go back until you are off full liquids if you have the time off available. Maybe try part time your first week back. I think 3 weeks off is about right. People with more physical jobs take about 6 weeks usually.

I bought mine from bariatricpantry.com