tzbandtobypass

I also need one shake per day in order to get the required Protein. I have found some great recipes and been posting some of them on my blog: http://bandstertracy.blogspot.com Also, if you google for Paleo recipes a lot of those are perfect for RNY post-op because they have no starchy white carbs or sugars and the primary diet focus is on protein. I've gotten a lot of good ideas from this site: http://www.paleoplan.com

My nut says that the quantity progresses until you are six months out and that the first six months is when you lose most of the weight you have to lose. During the 1st month post op my nut says 1 ounce at a time up to 6 times per day. During the 2nd month post op my nut says 2 ounces, 3rd month post op my nut says 3 ounces, 4th month to 4 ounces, 5th month to 5 ounces, and the 6th month to 6 ounces. The number of times per day is supposed to scale down as the portion sizes scale up a bit. I am a little behind schedule because for awhile anything over 1 ounce made me throw up. I am closer to 2 ounces and just over 2 months out, so I am following their guidelines the best I can. At 4 months, that is a half cup (4oz). My nut and surgeon require that we measure our food and not eat more just because we can, as that can lead to stretching your pouch. All of these measurements are for dense Protein - like chicken. If you are eating things like refried Beans and yogurt, then the quantity *can* be larger without causing pouch issues. I have been doing 2 ounces of greek yogurt for about a month now. I try to stay away from anything that isn't super dense because it tends to have less protein and I am having a hard time getting to 60 grams per day!

I think your current diet is totally normal for the first 8 weeks or so. Way to go with the weight loss so far. This week I have realized that I am finally able to get in 2 ounces per meal instead of 1 ounce and that has helped get my calories a little bit higher (into the 700s) and get me to 60 grams of protein per day. My husband also freaks out that I really don't eat much at all, but that is why we had the surgery to begin with!

I am another January surgery that things have really slowed down for. It doesn't make sense. I average about 700 calories per day and am eating mostly Protein so I can get to 60 g per day. I have been drinking around 70 oz of Water per day and I have been burning around 400 calories every other day at the gym. When I looked at everything in MyfitnessPal and with my Fitbit, it looks like I should be losing weight hand over fist, but instead I am struggling to lose a couple of pounds per week. I am grateful to be losing and am down 43 pounds since surgery on 1-14, but I really thought I would have better weekly weight loss. I started at 290 and am just under 247 today. I realize that is more than I could have done on my own, but I am disappointed. I honestly don't know what I could be doing to lose faster and my nut agrees I am doing everything right.

Does anyone have a really tasty calcium chew they would recommend? The ones I have been taking taste terrible and practically make me gag. I am struggling to take them every day because they taste so bad. I know I need them so I am hoping that someone has a better product!

I was exhausted for about 6 weeks. It seemed like it was all I could do to go to work all day and drive myself home but then one day I woke up and was feeling more like my old self. I've been to the gym just about every day for a week. It's nice to finally have some energy again, but give yourself the time you need to heal.

I did not have a drain for my lap band surgery but I had three for my RNY. Two of them came out before I left the hospital and didn't really bother me because I was so drugged up. I had one that stayed in for a week and it drove me crazy. It was the JP drain the others have mentioned and I am glad that I had it because I did drain quite a lot of fluid. When it came out it felt like there was a giant snake in my body being pulled out. It did not feel good, but it wasn't exactly painful either. It was the thing I was most afraid of and once it came out, I didn't give it another thought.

Your weight loss is amazing!!

I was told to avoid the flavored greek yogurts and instead stick to the nonfat plain greek yogurt. I have added powdered peanut butter (PB2) and sugar free syrups (the kind for the coffee drinks like Torani and DaVinci) to give it flavor.

Congrats! You look amazing!

I had similar symptoms and it was a potassium deficiency. I was told to eat 1/3 of a banana per day and drink G2 mixed with water throughout the day. I've been doing that for 4 weeks and feel much, much better. No more tingles in my fingers and nose!

I have been having either Fage or Chobani 0% plain greek yogurt. It never occurred to me to look at the sugar contents because my doc and nut both said to eat it! I have found that it tastes great mixed with PB2 or Just Great Stuff powdered Peanut Butter (or even the chocolate peanut butter). I've also mixed it with caramel sugar-free coffee syrup (Toryani) and a few slices of mashed banana. My nut said to stay away from any of the pre-flavored yogurts and to always go for the greek yogurt because it has more Protein. It is easy enough to flavor yourself and it will be better for you than what they sell pre-mixed or in those little cups (like the Fage singles).

The nurse at my surgeon's office got pregnant about 1 month post-op. she had previously been told she could never have children so she wasn't even thinking it was a possibility. She had a fairly rough pregnancy but the baby was very healthy and so is she. She ended up with a nutrition IV because she wasn't getting enough for the baby, but that was months 6-9. Anyway, the point of my post is that both you and baby should be fine. Just make sure that both your OBGYN and surgeon are aware of the situation and follow what they say.

I have found that the Isopure premixed glass bottles mixed half and half with a flavored Water have a lot less of that icky taste. I buy the grape frost, take 10 oz of it and mix it with 4 oz grape Gatorade G2 and 6 oz of grape propel. I also have found that Lean Dessert Protein really doesn't have the same protein after taste as some of the others. I've tried the Fresh Cinnamon Roll and the chocolate Fudge pudding. I like the Syntrax nectar White Chocolate Truffle mixed with 1c unsweetened almond milk, a few splashes of the caramel DaVinci sugar free syrup (or toryani), and 1 c water well shaken and served over crushed ice. You can get samples of some of the nectar Proteins and single bottles of the isopure at Vitamin Shoppe.

I have BCBS IL and I was approved 24 hours after my surgeon submitted the request. I had completed all of the pre-surgery requirements as though I was never banded. That meant I had to redo stuff like the psych clearance, but it was worth it to get the immediate approval!

I have a blog that I've had for several years. There are years of my lapband history in there and now the RNY. http://bandstertracy.blogspot.com

I went through this when I was getting my lapband three years ago. If there is a written exclusion, you aren't going to get around it. There really isn't anything you could do. You could be on your deathbed with a bazillion co-morbidities and they will continue to deny approval for the surgery. You can look into supplemental health plans as that is sometimes cheaper than paying out of pocket, but depending on your co-morbidities and/or your BMI, it may be difficult to get the coverage you need to have the surgery. It would be worth trying for something like that.

My surgeon said the exact opposite of what some of you are saying. He said that it will certainly stretch your pouch when consumed often, especially if you try to drink it the same way you do water. I don't think that one sip would do it, but why open that can of worms when there are so many much healthier things to drink out there. It's been three years and two months since I last had a soda and I rarely miss it. Even when I do, I know it isn't something that I need or really even want.

I have only thrown up once (I am four weeks post-op) and it was horribly painful for me. I had a lapband for 3 years and I used to throw up a lot. My band was just a little bit fickle and I just got used to it. Throwing up now is completely different. I threw up because I over ate. I wish I could say it was something incredibly delectable, but it was on sliced deli meat. I didn't measure out my portion and was eating from the bag. I realized it as soon as I had done it, but it took a few hours for all of the pain to subside and to stop the little bits from coming back up. Thankfully there was no bile. I sobbed for at least an hour of that time because it was so awful. When I would throw up during my banded years, it felt great. There was always slime and pain involved and the minute I was able to get whatever it was back up, I would feel completely revived. This was different and I hope it never happens to me again.

Also http://proteintogo.com appears to be having a sale. Buy one get one half off and they have free shipping over $50!

Interesting! I just read a bunch of stuff on their website and I am thinking I'd like to try them. Right now I use Isopure and I mix half a bottle with some Water to dilute it so that I can spread it out during the day to keep me from being hungry. My nut says not to consume more than 20g of Protein at one time because you won't actually get the benefits if you have more. Since these seem to be a little higher than that, I might make two diluted drinks from it. The other thing to be careful of is that one of the flavors has caffeine. My doc doesn't allow caffeine, but if yours does, it won't matter for you.

I have been worried about the same thing. I am pretty regular, had my cycle during surgery, and now am about 5 days late. I know i am not pregnant, so I am just waiting for something to happen. If you miss more than 2 cycles, you should contact your obgyn because they can trigger it for you. It isn't healthy to miss it for too long.

I have BCBS IL and I was approved the same day they received the paperwork from my surgeon's office. I had to call a LOT because the office kept saying they sent it, but BCBS kept saying they hadn't received it. I kept calling until they said they had it and she said she would try and get my paperwork through medical review quickly. I called back the next day and was approved! Before submitting to insurance I had completed all the normal things - psych eval, bloodwork, medical clearance, nutrition class. I also had to do a colonoscopy and endoscopy, but that was because I had a band that was causing me issues and they wanted to be sure they could do everything in one surgery.

I have had a lot of practice with this rule as it applies to the banded folks as well. It was hard at first but it became second nature after awhile. By the end of the first six months, it became habit. After that I really stopped thinking about it. Every once in awhile I will have a tic tac after I eat to try and cleanse my mouth and that helps. Also, you could try brushing your teeth after you eat or keep a little bottle of listerine to wash your mouth out. Once you get the food taste out of your mouth it is a lot easier to deal with the wait.