terry1118

I'm exactly one year out on May 30th. I eat shrimp cocktail, homemade spicy turkey chili, tilapia, egg salad, scrambled eggs w/salsa, spicy shrimp sushi (made w/brown rice), Greek yogurt w/chopped pecans, spaghetti squash, quinoa salad, spinach salad, turkey jerky, nuts, hummus w/lentil crackers, chicken salad w/feta in a high protein wrap, burger w/o bun, turkey meatballs, turkey meatloaf, pea soup, refried beans, baked ricotta, pizza-stuffed zucchini, chicken sausage and veggie stir fry. I can't tolerate baked or roasted chicken or turkey and I can't eat anything w/rice flour. I haven't had any sugar, bread, white potatoes, white rice or pasta. I can eat brown rice on very small amounts. I still love my morning high protein coffee shake. :-)

I eat spicy food all the time. In the early stages I ate spicy hummus with no problem. Later I went on to adding chopped jalapeños or spicy salsa to things like eggs, fish, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and spaghetti squash. Spicy foods never bothered me. In fact, when nothing tasted 'right' the first month or two following surgery, the intense spicy flavors were the only things that tasted normal. And w/spicy things a little goes a long way, which was good because I could only eat very little of any one thing. Everyone is different. I tolerated spicy things just fine, you may or may not. It's hard to say. Just follow your docs instructions, eat slowly, take very small bites, and chew, chew, chew. :-)

The one and only regret I have is that I didn't do it years ago. I'm one year out and EXTREMELY happy with my results! :-)

I'm one year post op. I take Synthroid for hypothyroidism. I've had no problems - all my labs have been good. :-)

I have to say, though, that Southern New Englanders have access to a lot beautiful places within several hours in any direction. Mountains of NH and VT for hiking and skiing; Maine wilderness and lighthouses; Boston shopping and restaurants; Cape Cod beaches and small quaint towns; 400 miles of RI coastline; Newport mansions, beaches, and shopping; island getaways on Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island; CT coastal attractions and beautiful lower Berkshires; NY city shopping and restaurants. And the best tasting and freshest seafood anywhere! I work on Aquidneck Island and today a quahogger will be delivering fresh clams to me that he's probably digging right at this very moment. Cut out the middleman for an indecently cheap price - I'll be steaming those sweet-tasting clams for dinner tonite! :-)

I would love to travel all over the US. Every state has it's beauty and I'd like to see it all. :-) High on my list would be Alaska and the Florida keys - two opposite extremes! :-)

Whey protein isolate IS what body builders use, if they know what they're doing. Lifting weights tears apart muscle fibers and protein is needed to repair them. For WLS patients it's important to have protein for good health and to prevent muscle loss. Some body builders want to gain weight while increasing muscle size, and some want to lose fat while increasing muscle size. The protein used by the second type is also good for WLS patients, though I don't think they taste as good as those that were developed just for us. I don't like the flavor of my husband's protein. Most inexpensive proteins are loaded w/sugars, fillers, and cheaper proteins that aren't absorbed as easily as isolate. Not good for ANYONE except the pockets of the people who make them. These are never used by educated body builders (like my husband). :-)

Isn't it fun? Shopping has been my motivation through the whole experience! It's a pleasant activity instead of the dreaded experience that used to cause tears and bouts of depression. Now everything I try on fits, although sometimes I tend to grab clothes to try on that are too big because I still can't believe I'm that small! I like to try on clothes for fun, without even buying anything. It's like playing dress-up, and it helps me figure out what size I really am. Today is my day off and I'm about to go off on a mission to find a maxi dress in a petite small - very difficult to find a petite short enough for my five foot frame... :-)

I took two weeks but could've gone back after one. The second week felt more like vacation to me. I cut my grass only eight days after surgery. I had no complications, very little pain, no drains, no stitches (my surgeon used glue). My children are grown and my husband capable of caring for himself so I could rest as much as I needed to that first week. When I went back to work I had a 10 pound lifting restriction. I work in a bank, which my doc considers a 'light duty' job. For more physical jobs they prefer people to take up to four weeks off. There really are many different factors to consider when deciding how much time you need to recover. Your general health at time of surgery, pain tolerance, complications, how much help or support you have if needed, how long you are on pain meds, your doctor's requirements for recovery (I needed my doctor's release before returning to work), and so many other things. Everyone is different and it's hard to guess what your own experience will be like. The best advice would be to hope for the best but plan for the the unexpected. I was only out for two weeks but before I left I applied for FMLA so if something I unexpected happened I would be covered. Good luck to you! :-)

We were told no coffee for three months, then decaf for another three months. After six months caffeinated is okay but only if you're getting all your fluids, and only one or two per day. They used to restrict caffeinated coffee indefinitely but caffeinated coffee has been proven to work wonders on constipation, which is a problem RNYers are very familiar with! I have not had been constipated since I began using Chike High Protein Coffee (it contains two shots of real expresso). :-)

My son introduced me to sushi when I visited him in California a few weeks ago. The first night we went we ordered over $100 in food so I could try a lot of different things (12 different dishes). I had a bite of each, my son who is a big marine ate all the rest. :-) Everything was good and everything sat well. We ate sushi every other night - we ate Mexican the rest of the time. I am now a sushi fan. The place next door to where I work makes it w/brown rice which I prefer. :-) My surgery was a year ago.

I live in RI, the state that recently received the dubious honor of being the most corrupt state in the country. My property taxes are $7000 per year and I don't live in a luxury home. I'm a bank teller and my hubby is a mechanic, the taxes are killing us! We are seriously considering moving south where the cost of living is much, much lower. Bonus - milder winters and gun-friendly. We're thinking the Carolinas or maybe Georgia. I will miss all the people I've gotten to know over the last 50 years but I'm friendly - I'll get to know more people wherever we end up. :-)

Land's End has a fit&flare dress with elbow length sleeves. I have the sleeveless one and have been eyeing the one w/sleeves for the fall. I'm also going to buy the maxi. I love the fit of that style and they have it in petite!

I LIKE my protein shake in the morning. It's the perfect breakfast food. When you get up in the morning your body has gone many hours w/o eating or drinking and needs both fluids and protein - a shake provides both. An hour or two later I have a solid meal. :-)

I get a 'tight' feeling around the area of my esophagus. It's a warning sign that another bite or two will cause me misery. I still measure my food - I can eat about 1/2 - 3/4 cup depending on the density of the food. Usually I feel satisfied and have no trouble if I stay in my measured food range. Edited to add my surgery was 5/30/13 so I am about one year out.

I miss nothing from before. To miss the things I used to eat would be like missing an abusive husband after you left him. My relationship with food was like that - I loved it but it but over time it hurt my health and made me miserable. If I had not had WLS it would have made me a diabetic, destroyed my joints, and put me at risk for a deadly heart attack, eventually killing me. I'm happy and I feel good. I never dreamed life could be this good. :-)

My team also mentioned this. I found that being upright and walking helped the feeling pass more quickly. Sitting still seemed to make the stuck feeling last longer. Even so sometimes I end up throwing it up. I am one year out from my surgery and still can't eat poultry in any form except for ground turkey or chicken. Every attempt ended in misery. Your best bet is to avoid it for a week or two before trying it again. Make sure it is chopped up small and moistened, take VERY small bites, chew, chew, chew, and wait for a bit between bites. If it still happens you may be someone who can't eat it, at least for now. Try cooked ground turkey/chicken. You may tolerate it better. :-)

There are a Lot of things you can buy on the way if you make quick stops at a grocery store, Walmart, or Target. Things like Greek yogurt, cheese, Mexican food, Soups, and Wendy's chili. You can do it - you know what you can tolerate by now!

Grazing can inhibit weight loss and actually cause you to gain weight, according to my team. When you graze you don't realize how much you are actually eating and you can easily consume more calories without getting the benefit of feeling 'satisfied'. We were advised to eat only three meals and two Snacks per day. Six mini meals are also acceptable. Never go longer than 3-4 hours without eating. Meals and snacks should be Protein based, w/a little complex carb. Simple carbs like sugar, white Pasta, white rice, white potato, white bread, or anything made w/white or enriched flour should be avoided completely. It sounds like six mini meals would possibly help you at this stage. When I was doing mini meals it consisted of: 6am - Protein shake, Vitamins (multi, B, D, and biotin) 9am - Greek yogurt w/2tbs bear naked peak protein granola, Calcium chew Noon - 1/2cup homemade turkey chili w/black Beans, calcium chew 3pm - 1oz cheddar or string cheese wrapped in thin sliced buffalo chicken (or you choice of deli meat), calcium chew 5-6pm - 3oz protein (my favs were tilapia or shrimp), a little quinoa w/brown rice, and if I could manage it, a little brocolli. Multi Vitamin 8pm - CrunchO's protein snack or a protein shake if I haven't met my protein goals yet. A couple sf Popsicles if I did.

Height definitely figures into it. I'm barely 5' tall - my doc says 4'11" but I claim the whole 5 feet! Sometimes even petite sizes are a little too long. :-)

I keep non-perishable protein bars in my lunch bag, car, and purse for food-emergencies. My lunch bag goes everywhere w/me. In a pinch I'll grab an Oscar Meyer ham & swiss lunchable from Walmart, Target, or the grocery store (the little one w/o desert). I throw out 1/2 the crackers. Subway soup. Panera soup. Wendy's chili. Perky Turkey Jerky (low cal all natural). Nuts. So many options for a meal, or at least a snack to carry you over till you can get a real meal. :-)

Pre-surgery, it's hard to imagine how unappealing food will be for a little while. I couldn't imagine it! The first month or two everything smelled bad and even what I could eat tasted 'not right'. That helped me disconnect from my unhealthy relationship with food. I eat for fuel, not pleasure. Even now, a year later, what other people are eating doesn't even phase me! :-)

I'm a size 8, and a small in Lands End dresses. :-)

I'm 54 and had rny on 5/30/13. I'm 5' tall. I weighed 233lbs, had high cholesterol (was on meds that affected my liver so they took me off them temporarily), I had constant pain in my back, knees, and feet, I couldn't climb stairs, and I was winded after only a few minutes of any activity. My endocrinologist said I was on my way to type two diabetes. I looked terrible and felt terrible. I was miserable and would rather die than continue my life the way I was. Since surgery I've lost 115lbs and am in a size 6 pants and a small top. My cholesterol is normal (all my labs are good) and ALL my pain is gone. I have tons of energy! I have a saggy belly and batwings on my arms. I see more wrinkling on my face but that was already starting when I was heavy. I would rather have saggy skin and batwings and feel as good as I do now, than be heavy, in pain, and on my way to an early grave. And if the wrinkles are a little more pronounced because there's no fat filling them out, so what? I'm almost 55 after all - I'm not young. But I look good in clothes and I love to shop for then now! :-)

I gave up caffeine three months before because it was going to be hardest for me. I also began practicing eating smaller frequent meals and making better food choices. I found a Protein shake I liked and began drinking it for Breakfast. My insurance required a pre-op weight loss and practicing helped me lose 13 pounds. I figured that was 13 pounds I wouldn't have to lose afterward - sort of a headstart. I felt it was an advantage to be mentally and physically prepared for my surgery but that was strictly my choice. As with anything it was one choice but not the ONLY choice - everyone must do what works best for them. And I am not claiming to have been religiously eating well the whole three months before my surgery. I had my share of 'last suppers' and 'food funerals' beforehand, maybe as often as once a week. I didn't let it get out of control, though. Good luck! :-)