Catherine707

I think it might be time to talk to your doctor and nutrionist. I would be in a world of hurt if I became lactose intollerant as I am allergic to soy. Are you eating any meat? Ground turkey, tuna? My nutritionist recommended peanut or almond butter as it is high Protein and calorie dense.

Good luck, I hope you find some food that sits well soon

You didn't mention your surgery date, but it is pretty common for people to lose a pound a day post surgery for 2 - 3 weeks then to stall for a week or two. For me I stayed at that plateau until I was able to get in 75 grams of Protein, 60 oz of Water and about 850 calories a day. Give your stomach time to heal, focus on balancing those 3 items and getting a little bit of exercise in, and you will put the stall behind you in no time.

I saw these in the store yesterday, but the sodium and chemical content steered me away. I have a package of the sandwhich thins in my freezer and will make an egg salad or tuna salad sandwich about every 2 weeks. I find I'm not missing bread that much, which is a big positive change for me!

Check out landsend.com if you can't get one from another member.

I didn't schedule surgery until I had the insurance approval. It took forever due to a computer error that said my plan didn't cover bariatric surgery when in fact it did. I had to scream a lot at the insurance company and the medical review people before they figured out it was a computer system issue. It sounds like you need to be the squeeky wheel and call every other day to check on the status. How long have they been reviewing your paperwork? It took 60 days for me to get approval from the insurance. Now 2.5 months post surgery I am arguing about the level of coverage. I am thankful that insurance paid, but it sure would be nice if they paid it correctly the first time.

Great observations and post! I have been right there with you in my experience too. I wish there were easy answers, but this is part of the complexity that comes with obesity. Fat can protect from unwanted attention, and when you lose a bunch of weight you also have to deal with being objectified in a reverse way. I'm sure this is an ongoing issue for many people here on this web site.

I had a rough time post surgery, so I'm probably not typical. (Last year had my gallbladder out and went back after 5 days) I had a total of 6 weeks off work and one week of half time work. I've been back for 2 weeks and am totally exhausted by the end of the day. I work in radiology in a hospital and the job requires some physical work.

I just wanted to post since not everyone feels terrific and ready to hop back on the life merry-go-round 3 days post surgery. Listen to your doctor and follow his instructions and if you need more healing time don't be afraid to ask!

Hi Mary,

Sorry to hear you have hit a bump in the road. It is tough having kidney disease period, and even more difficult with weight loss surgery. I think any of the surgical options are going to encourage you to eat a high Protein diet, which is counter to the diet needed for kidney disease.

Contact your surgeon and have the nephrologist and the surgeon talk. What is the root of your kidney issues? If it is related to obesity, then dealing with the weight should help with the kidney problems. In this case I wouldn't rely on information from the nurse or dietitian, I would have the doctors consult together about your particular situation.

Good luck, I hope you get this problem resolved.

I am 9 weeks out and 2 weeks back at work full time (I had one week of half time). Some days are ok and others I am totally exhausted. I didn't realize how physical my job is and so it is an adjustment being on 900 - 1000 calories a day and staying focused and detail oriented and meeting all the requirements of my job.

Hang in there, it gets easier. I figure that my first month back at work will require 100% of my energy, so I am not upset if I don't have anything left to clean the house or exercise. I expect that it will get easier as each week passes, I continue to lose weight and my body adjusts to the new changes.

Hi, I'm not sure how much research you have done on the various weight loss surgeries, but the major difference between a VSG and gastric bypass is that they surgically reduce your stomach and REMOVE it with the gastric sleeve. In the Gastric by-pass surgery they reduce the size of the stomach through staples but keep the original in place. Hence the gastric by-pass can be reversed (undone) and the sleeve can not be undone.

I would definately listen to the recommendation of your surgeon, and maybe get a second opinion from a different doctor. The type of surgery you have takes into account many different factors including how much weight do you you need to lose and what other conditions do you have that will be affected by the surgery.

Congrats on having your first visit with the surgeon, that is a big step on the journey! Make sure you have considered all the different aspects before you committ to a specific surgery. Best of luck to you!

How did you get in 80 g of Protein per day?!

I have a costco Premier shake each day and that is 30 grams of Protein. I also "fortify" Greek Yogurt with a flavorless whey protein and that averages another 30 grams. Then adding another 20 grams through eggs, cheese, cottage cheese or Peanut Butter. Means that I get enough protein in. I hope this explanation helps.

I did a ton of research about the VGS, DS, and Rouen X/Y before I even went to see a surgeon. For me the idea of purposely putting my body into mal-absorption was really scary. I was freaked out enough about the permanent surgery, and then adding worries about nutritional deficits for life just didn't work for me. I have friends and acquaintances that have had the DS or the Rouen X/Y and everybody is very happy with their choice.

I think for me I had to get very real with myself about the root cause of my over eating and what I was willing to do and not do to get healthy again. Each person's decision process will be different and you need to weigh out all the options to see what is right for you.

Hang in there, this is a tough road and it is helpful to have a forum to share your thoughts and experiences with. Don't worry about what people think or say, as the only thing that really matters is what you know to be your personal truth.

Oh I was right there with you at week 3 - 5. It turns out for me, that if I don't consume enough Protein, Water AND calories I won't lose weight. At week 3 / 4 I was only eating about 500 - 600 calories per day. I had vertigo and felt like crap. Upping my Protein to 80 grams and increasing my calories to 900 - 1000 actually jump started my weight loss.

Each person is different, but try out different protein and calorie levels and I'll bet the scale will move for you.

One of the side effects of burning fat and being on a low carb diet is "Ketosis". It is a complex metabolic process, but the bad breath is a major indicator of your body actively burning fat because all the glycogen (easily stored and burned glucose based fuel) has been used up. Look at the horrible breath as confirmation that your body is using your fat stores.

I'll be honest. I have had a few mouthfuls of "junk" food. The world didn't come to an end and I didn't totally mess up my weight loss. The food addicts among us, who have tried to diet and restrict our way to a healthy body weight, are constantly challenged by the food around us. I gave in to some cravings and found out that the amount of food I can consume is significantly reduced post surgery. Now one or two mouthfuls of that tantalizing food and I am full or easily able to walk away from it.

My toughest situation was a birthday party at week 5, I ate some potato chips and felt totally guilty. Yes that was the downside of eating junk, I felt like I was squandering my opportunity for healthy living. After a lot of thought about how I was feeling, I realized that moderation is the name of the game. A bite or two isn't going to lead me down the binge path that I would have gone down pre-surgery. For me post surgery, I have to work hard at eating enough Protein and getting in enough Water, so there just isn't room for the junk anymore.

I suspect you will be surprised at how much easier it is post surgery to eat the right foods and not be tempted by the wrong ones.

Good luck in your surgery and congratulations for getting through a tough situation. It is hard pre surgery to sit and watch people eat all that crap that "sounds" so good, but you weathered that storm really well and made great decisions for yourself!

Ugh, glad I wasn't the recipient of the gift of a 3 week period! That really would have put me over the edge and I would have done something I regret! Glad to hear it all normalized in a couple of months.

Yes the anesthesia can do whacky things to the menstrual cycle, plus your hormones and body are changing daily. I don't think this is anything to worry about, but if you are concerned you should ask your doctor.

I have also experienced intense feelings over things that aren't entirely rational. One of the stories I heard at the WLS support group was a woman who started crying over the new tires on her car because they were "so beautiful". Her husband thought she had lost it and called the surgical support person to ask if this was a "normal" behavior. The answer "yeah, get used to it"!

We consciously made a decision to stop using food to numb or deal with our feelings. That is a huge change and it is to be expected that there will be some emotional repercussions.

I'm trying to make "Don't sweat the small stuff" my new motto!

I felt like crap at week 4 and was suffering from vertigo due to dehydration and low Protein / calorie intake. Everyone heals at different paces. I would read some of the posts on this site and get bummed that I wasn't walking a mile at week 4. Like you I could barely get anything accomplished each day. It got better for me each day and now at week 8 I am at about 95% of my stamina and energy.

I found that it was a delicate balance between fluids, Protein, exercise and calories. If any of those 4 things were out of whack, I would feel even worse the next day. I kept experimenting to see what combination helped me feel better and stronger. I'm not perfect every day, but if I get at least 50 ounces of Water, 70 grams of protein, 850 calories and a little bit of walking / movement, then I am assured of having a good day the following day. My weight loss accelerated when I figured out my "formula" as well. I'm down a total of 45 pounds and 28 since my surgery 8 weeks ago.

Hang in there it does get better and you should be able to enjoy your concert on 8/11 with a little advance planning!

That might be the CO2 used in the laparoscopic surgery working its way out of your system. You are only a little over a week post op and it can take up to 2 weeks to be eliminated by your body.

Caffeine can cause more pain with fibrocystic breasts. Eliminate it and it might reduce the inflammation that is causing you discomfort.

I was a slow loser too. I found increasing my Protein intake to 90 grams a day, ensuring I got the full 64 oz of Water and a minimum level of calories seemed to put it all in balance for weight loss. When I have about 900 calories a day I lose weight, less than that and I don't lose and I feel like crap the next day. I'm sure each person's "tipping point" is different so experiment with how you feel when you make a change to the pieces of the equation.

Thank you so much! I am 7 weeks out and it has been a struggle, so hearing your success and things learned on the way is really an inspiration to me!

I work in the medical field and did extensive research in the medical literature when I deciding to get my sleeve surgery. I found peer reviewed research that shows that the complication rate with gastric bands runs at about 15% (I thought that was way too high to consider banding surgery) the complications are everything from reflux to slippage to erosion and embedding of the band in the stomach. The details were enough to warn me off the gastric band and point me toward the sleeve surgery.

In my research on the sleeve, I found that the complication rate was less than 1% and that the morbidity statistics (complications so sever that it caused death) were almost negligible. So that is why I decided on the VSG surgery.

The information on sleeve revisions is spotty because there just haven't been that many second sleeves done in settings that are being reviewed for the medical journals. I'm guessing that the nurse quoted you statistics about revision of Rouen X/Y surgery, and while it is useful information, what really matters is what your surgeon thinks about your personal situation. Do you have any other chronic health issues that make having a second surgery more complicated and risky? These issues would include bleeding disorders, lung issues, allergies to anesthesia etc (your doctor can discuss all the various contraindications).

If I were in your shoes, I would have a very serious heart to heart with my doctor and ensure that the surgery is really going to improve your situation, and that you are clear on your personal risks. I also think that anyone who isn't nervous before surgery is not in touch with themselves. I had a ton of doubts the week before surgery and even after when I was in the hospital laying there feeling like crap and wondering "what did I do to myself!" But when the anxiety wears off and you are looking at losing the weight that will make your life better, and solving other health issues, I think you will be glad that you made an informed decision about your unique situation.

Good luck to you, I hope the surgery is a really positive experience for you!