TheWigster

When I am hungry I first reach for something to drink. If that doesn't help, I eat something with Protein.

I used liquid Tylenol postOp when the pills were hard to swallow. It didn't pack the same punch as Tylenol 3, but it was better than nothing.

I hit a major stall about 3 weeks out and it lasted almost a month. It was depressing! I had a hard time believing everyone when they said to hang in there that the scale would move again....well I am happy to report that it did. I upped my Protein and exercise (walking daily) and that helped. I also noticed that since I quit taking my blood pressure meds postOp (no longer needed everyday), which contain a diuretic, I was retaining fluids and my blood pressure would elevate slightly about every 6 days or so. I would take a BP med about once per week and that helped get things moving. I am able to keep the Water weight down and the scale keeps moving. Little by little it is coming off. I am now down 73 pounds. If you have a history of BP issues, monitor your BP carefully and consult with your doctor about how to use your meds postOp. My doc said to take my meds if it went up over 125/70 on any given day. That gives me a marker to shoot for. Good luck.

I didn't exercise preOp either. Now that I am 9 weeks postOp I am walking daily. I set an alarm on my phone that rings at 10am and 2pm to remind me to go outside my office building and walk a few laps around the building. Once I am at home it gets difficult for me to carve out time to walk; I care for my mother in the evenings and am usually wiped out by the end of the day. I am getting in about 30 minutes a day walking this way. I know it's not near enough, but having gone from zero to 30 minutes a day, I consider it a triumph. Use your phone to set an alarm. It works!!

At first I used weight watchers to loose the first 20 pounds but then discovered I didn't really know how many calories I was taking in (WW doesn't track calories, just points) My NUT then recommended I follow an 800 calorie a day diet and I used the Lose It app to track calories and Protein vs carb intake. I ended up losing over 35 pounds preOp and met my surgery date no problem.

I didn't tolerate the acidic drinks like Crystal Light and Vitamin Water well. Chamomile and Peppermint tea went down very well and were soothing.

I was told by my NUT that they don't really get concerned about the amount of weight loss until you are on a regular diet. While you are healing they are not as concerned with the weight loss.

I had three weeks off and wishes I had taken four. The large incision was painful and in tired easily on the liquid diet. Take as much time as you can.

My goal is to lose 175 pounds. Starting weight is 355. PreOp loss was 45 pounds. 27 since surgery. I now weigh 283 for a total of 72 pounds loss since I started this journey. I guess that puts me at about 40% of total weight loss needed.

I Am down 27 pounds since my surgery Mar 17th. Am I on track? Am I losing at a good rate or am I behind ? What has been your experience? Appreciate the feed back.

I am 7 weeks post op and Have been having some pretty intense leg pains at night. It feels like bone pain. Anyone else experience this post-op??

The hardest for me has been not being able to eat as much as I want to feel mentally satisfied. I am physically full long before my head says we are done. Hardest thing hands down.

Get a small refrigerator for your Office and keep healthy foods/snacks in it. I stock mine with Greek yogurt, laughing cow cheese, sugar free jello and pudding, eggs, cheese slices etc. This has been a life saver. I quit Bringing granola bars and high carb Snacks because the more I eat them the more I want. Also bring your Lunch. Resist the temptation to go out for lunch. Eat a good breakfast,have Mid morning snack, eat lunch and then eat a mid afternoon snack. You should be in good shape till dinner. Good luck!!!

I was advised no more than 2 healthy Snacks per day. More snacking will lead to over eating.

71 pounds in 6 weeks? Wow!!!!!!! This includes preOp weight loss. 71 pounds total. Lost 45 before surgery.

Have read here that certain foods should be avoided because they can get stuck in the staple line and get infected. i.e. Popcorn, seeds, nuts Etc. Has this happened to anyone and if so what was your experience and outcome?

Sounds about right. I could literally feel food going down. It would feel like it was stuck and if I waited a minute it would go down. I think it was the swelling. Now I hiccup when I am full and it tells me to stop.

My hubby counted the days and reminded me last night that it was 6 weeks to the day. Needless to say with the weight loss (down 71 pounds) it was the best it has been in years.

Took me a good 4 weeks for the incision pain to go away. The largest incision was on the left side and it hurt a lot. The others not so much.

2 Flinstones Complete 1 1000 b12 sublingual 1 5000 biotin 2 Viactive Chews

I too had a stall at 3 weeks. Thankfully the scale started moving again last week. Best I can tell, an increase in activity and Protein kick started my weight loss again. Everyone says it its completely normal and to hang in there, but I completely understand everyone's frustration. I found it depressing; thinking I wasn't doing things right. The kicker was when the scale jumped up 5 pounds literally over night. How can that be....And of course it was the day of my 4 weeks post op appt. Grrrrrrr But really and truly, you will start losing again. Just stick to the program. Don't be tempted to give up!! If you are sticking to the program the weight has to come off. At this stage you should not be eating enough to maintain your current weight, let alone gain. Stay the course!!

I drank lots of strained beef veggie soup. It was a nice change from chicken broth!

Mine lasted 3 weeks. It was tough but the scale has started moving Again!!:-)

I get this too when I eat eggs. I have to eat them very slow or it is worse.

I understand about the stalls. I was in a three week stall 4 weeks post op and I am happy to report that over the last two days the scale is finally moving down again! I had been off my blood pressure meds since the surgery and it had been normal. Then all of a sudden my blood pressure went up again. I took my BP meds two days in a row and that seemed to have kick started the weight loss. I am sure I was retaining fluids of some sort. My BP is back to normal again and the scale is moving. I also upped my Protein and exercise; that probably had a lot to do with it too. Hang in there. I understand about the frustration. I had convinced myself that I was doing something wrong and that I was going to fail at this too. It's all a head game. Your body is adjusting and will move when it's time. Good luck and stay positive.