McButterpants

Here are some things I do if I need to add some carbs: Add some fat-free refried beans - maybe 1-2 tablespoons to a lunch. I make my shakes with 1% milk instead of water. I add some low-glycemic fruit to my shakes (strawberries, berry mix or peaches) - about 1/4 cup. I might have a Carb Balance Tortilla shell with dinner. Add some low-glycemic veggies to dinner - broccoli or cauliflower.

1000 calories is good, I think - I'm between 800-1100. The protein/carb mix you mention above seems a bit off, but that's just me. I would aim for a little more Protein and cut the carbs a bit. I think we all need to play with our individual numbers until we find a good fit - we're all different, we all burn calories differently. Good luck!

I had my 3 month follow up with my doc this afternoon. I was kind of dreading the appointment - I'm in a stall and I'm feeling a bit down. I haven't lost weight in 18 days...well, I've been playing with the same pound for the past week or so. So, here's what we discussed: 1. My weight loss is 49 pounds down since I first went to her (she is my local doc - I traveled out of the area for surgery, so her numbers are a bit different than mine). She is really happy with rate at which I'm losing; I said I wish I could feel really good about the rate. I want to lose it faster. She said the if you were to graph your loss, it wouldn't be linear, to expect more of a stair step. Lose, plateau, lose plateau, lose, plateau. Wash rinse repeat. 2. We talked about my brain and my want for faster loss. She encouraged me to go to the support group offered by the hospital. I know this, I just haven't made the effort to go. She also said I might want to think about counseling - It's probably not a bad idea. 3. My body fat percentage has reduced a little since my last visit 4 weeks ago. I've lost a little lean muscle mass, but not much. She wasn't concerned on either account. 4. She said I look a lot smaller and reminded me of the other signs of health NOT related to the scale. My clothes are looser - the jeans I bought just after Christmas are falling off. My blood pressure is lower than it's been in a really long time (112/75) and I've reduced my cholesterol by 30 points since November. She also reminded me that sometimes muscles will retain Water to help recover...something we should all keep in mind - water retention can affect us by 3-5 pounds in a day! 5. We talked about the hair loss again - she said it should stop around the 6 month mark. She reminded me that whatever I lose due to the surgery will grow back. Be patient. 6. Stop weighing every day!!!! Weigh once per week at the most. 7. She's happy with my exercise - I've been doing 60-75 minutes 5-6 days per week. I need to add weight training. I have some aversion to weight training for some reason - I really need to get on that. So, it was a good visit. I have some things to work on, mostly with my brain.

I'm doing about 50/day sometimes more. My Protein goal is 80-85 grams per day. I'm working out a lot, so if I limit them, I don't feel good. My body likes me to be around 50 per day

Hi there. Is this what you're looking for? http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.UwOFOxZCddg

From your mouth to God's ears!!!!!!!! LOL

I started losing at 2 months, a lot of people start losing at 3 and it can last thru month 6. There are lots of opinions why this happens - some say it's a by product of the surgery itself, others say it's because of low Vitamins or Protein. There are also lots of theories on how or even if you can remedy the hairloss. Do a search on this forum and you'll find hundreds of threads about this. My doctor said whatever I lose due to the surgery will grow back. She OK'd taking Biotin and Folic Acid. I use Nioxin shampoo. I also use a product called Toppik to cover up the thinning spots. I also concentrate on getting my protein minimum every day.

I was able (and advised by the nurses in the hospital) to sleep on my side on the first night.. sleeping on my back was uncomfortable.

Monkey Butt for sure. I went shorter and it helped a little. Some days I'm alarmed at the amount of hair that comes out when I shower. Then, like a good denier of the truth, I quickly stop thinking about it!!!!! My hairstylist says she can see new growth and I can see some up front, but OMG, I'm still losing. My hair lost started right at month 2...I'm at 3 months now. I hope it stops soon.

My first stall was for 10 days between weeks 3 and 4. 2nd stall was for 12 days in weeks 11 and 12.

I drank copious amounts of decaf green tea!!!!! Also, drink lots of Water to keep the hunger at bay. The first few days are going to suck - I think I started feeling better around day 4 and human on day 5. Knowing that will help - it's going to be hard at first, then you get used to it. This is a means to an end. You're going to do great!

This was interesting for me after surgery - I don't have the sensation of needing to pee like I did pre-surgery. I'm three months out and it's still the same. I don't know if pressure has been taken off my bladder or what. Right after surgery, I couldn't feel the sensation at all - I've gotten it back since then, just not the same as before.

Propel Zero or Vitamin Water Zero - I can't stomach plain water since surgery. Some days I can do water with two packets of Just Orange.

I was allowed 2 tablespoons of egg the day after surgery and it took about 30 minutes to eat that. Ugh - that's a long time to eat 2 tablespoons of food! On my Weeks 2-4 diet, I allowed myself 30 minutes to eat. If I wasn't finished with it, I stopped anyway. I didn't want to eat thru the restriction. Many days in that timeframe I wasn't able to get to my minimum Protein without a shake. My doc thinks shakes are OK to continue - at 3 months out, without a shake, I wouldn't get to my minimum protein very often.

Wow! I can tell you're a strong person - I admire that. Going thru this alone is amazing to me. I hope you reconsider telling your husband - if something happens or if there are complications, your husband will have to cope with the fact you kept this from him while potentially making decisions for you. That's a lot to ask - I know complications are rare, but they do happen and we all need to prep for them. Best of luck to you!

I have a desk job and I telecommute from home full time - not taxing on the body at all. I had my surgery on a Thursday and went back 1/2 days the following week. It was nice because I could stop, take a nap or just take a break. The following week I went back full time - it was OK, but I did get tired very easily. By the following week I was good to go full time.

Nate - welcome! I commend you for taking this step - I wish you good things! I'm going to address the next 2-3 months before surgery - this is a great time to prep for your surgery, recovery and life after surgery. Take advantage of this time and the words of wisdom headed your way from other members. Here are some things I did to prepare for surgery - I had a month to do these things and they helped me greatly. * Start walking/exercising. Do something to move your body every day. Being in good physical shape with help you recover easier and quicker. * Start incorporating a shake or two in your diet every day. Play around with different flavors and textures - add some sugar free Torani syrup or some berries, try different temperatures - iced, cold, hot. Find a shake you like (don't overpurchase, your tastes may change after surgery and you don't want a lot of something you're not going to drink) * Practice eating slower and without distractions. Turn off the TV, radio and don't read during your meal. Sit down and taste your food. Pay attention to how your body feels as your stomach starts to fill up. I downloaded an app called Eat Slower and set it to one minute intervals - it will chime when it's time to take a bite. * Practice taking smaller bites - I started using small appetizer size forks and spoons. And chew your food 20-25 times per bite. These are things you'll need to do post-op and it takes practice. * Start limiting your Snacks and soda/caffeine. My doc required me to to be caffeine free before surgery - caffeine withdrawal sucks. Best of luck to you, Nate. I look forward to reading more about your journey! Take good care.

I didn't feel "full" until I was eating food and a few weeks after surgery. Full feels different now for me than it did pre-surgery. I try not to get to full because it's uncomfortable - my goal is more about making the hunger go away. You have to be aware of your signals while you're getting to full - sometimes my nose will start to run, sometimes I do a hiccup/burp thing, and other times I feel a poke in my stomach. Those are my triggers to stop. If I take even a couple of bites after that, I'm full and uncomfortable. When you start adding foods to your diet, you need to weigh/measure your food. When you eat, take your time (I downloaded an app called Eat Slower - it chimes once per minute and that's when you take a bite), eating slower will help you be more aware of your body and it's signals.

You are an inspiration! Congrats on your surgery and I am glad it worked out OK. I look forward to watching your journey thru this. Take good care!

I am 3 months out yesterday. My life has changed in so many ways - FOR THE BETTER. Your apprehension is normal. I waffled back and forth during my waiting period and almost backed out the day before surgery and the day of surgery. I was scared to death!!!!!! If I had known then what I know now, I would have saved a lot of anxiety. First, the big meal thing...I loved to sit down to a big steak dinner with all the sides like a loaded baked potato. Give me a pizza and I was in heaven. And, I loved my sweets. Now, I can still have steak, I just eat much, much less. I might have a couple of bites of potato. I can have pizza, just not 2 or 3 large slices (my favorite pizza is one I make with a tortilla shell). Sweets - I really don't want them any more, but if I do have something, it's a couple of bites. I, like you, thought I was going to feel deprived - not so. After 3 months, I'm back to being fairly normal, can eat out at a restaurant and eat the same things my family does, just in much smaller quantities. It's not all sunshine and lollipops...I get frustrated that I can't eat faster. Sometimes my brain wants more food than my tiny tummy can handle. But, the energy I have, the pain I don't have and the increased quality of life, totally trump that other stuff. Best of luck to you!

I chose

It's counterintuitive, right? As you know, I've been working out a lot lately and I've also been in a 12 day stall...Ugh. So, I ate more (added about 250 calories more per day) and miraculously, I'm down 2 pounds in 2 days. Go figure. It is so against what we've been told for so long. And CARBS????? OMG - the "C" word. How many people are afraid of carbs?!?! We've been told for so long CARBS = BAD. Here's what I'm learning - for me 50-60 carbs per day makes me feel good. I can function quite well at that level; I'm not tired and don't need to take a nap mid-day (unless I'm being self indulgent and take one). I reduced my carbs a few weeks ago down to 20-30 and felt horrible. Yes, some carbs are bad. Complex carbs are good and you're body needs them. Is it like having a secret in your writing class??????

Are you confusing hunger with acid maybe? That happens quite ofter. There were times in the beginning I thought I was hungry, but it didn't make sense - I had just eaten or maybe I just had a shake, so I shouldn't feel hunger. You may want to talk to your doctor - he may tell you to try an acid reducer or a proton pump inhibitor. I find if I feel hunger when I don't think I should, it goes away with an acid reducer.

I can tell you I couldn't function on what you're allowed. I restricted my carbs in the beginning - on my own, not dictated by my doc/nut. I felt like crap. I had no energy. Then I started exercising and it got worse. I was down in the 20 range for carbs at that point. I burn between 500-700 calories in a 60 minute cardio work out, depending on what I'm doing. After going to my doc and explaining my situation I let her know I increased my carbs to about 50-60 and she agreed that would be good and to concentrate on the Protein. She asked how I'm getting in more carbs - I told her I was adding low-glycemic fruit to my shakes (berries or peaches) or I added 1-2 tablespoons of fat-free refried Beans to a meal and I started adding 1% milk to my shakes. She said these were great ideas. Right now, I'm taking in 800-1000 calories per day. I'm getting about 50-60 carbs per day and meeting my protein gold of 80 grams of protein. I exercise 5-6 days per week - mostly cardio right now, 60-75 minutes. I have lots of energy and I feel great. My suggestion would be to go to another bariatric nutritionist to get a 2nd opinion. I think the theories here are correct - you need more. 500 calories is not enough to sustain you.

You're still very soon after surgery - your stomach is still healing so you may not feel that "full" feeling yet. That's why it's important to follow your doc's instructions with regard to measurements of food you're allowed. My doc reminded me - "measure your food and remember, you don't always have to eat it all." Take small bites and slow down your eating (I use the Eat Slower app on my phone and set it to one minute intervals - you take one bit per minute). Also, "full" may feel differently than it did pre-op. My full feeling is very uncomfortable - I try to avoid "full". Sometimes my nose will run or I do a hiccup/burp thing while I'm eating or I feel a poke in my stomach - those are my signs to stop. If I eat past that point, I can get uncomfortable. I read something interesting on this site - rather than feeling full, it's better to eat to the point of ridding yourself of the hunger.