JustWatchMe

Kara, good luck to you, and I hope your husband is okay.

On MyFitnessPal, I'm SpazW. Someone else had JustWatchMe.

Meant to say I have five weeks left of full liquids, not clear liquids.

They didn't want to weigh me in the hospital on surgery day. I asked why, and the nurse said they just changed the policy. I begged her to weigh me because I just had to know how much I had lost on the 5-day clear liquid pre-op. She let me weigh. I was ecstatic to see I'd lost 13 pounds in 5 days. So... fast forward to post-op. Can I wait until my post-op appointment to see my newest loss? Of course not. I go out, buy a new scale, and weigh myself yesterday. I'm UP two pounds! Whaaat? Apparently the difference between Clear liquids pre-op and full liquid post-op plus the surgical experience was enough for a gain. Even with exercising every day on the treadmill. Not gonna lie, it brought me down. But then I did what someone here suggested, which was go on MyFitnessPal.com. I logged all my intake and my exercise from yesterday, and it became clear that even though I thought I was starving myself, I've been consuming about 1300 calories on the full liquid diet. Sure, it's lower than my old habits, but way higher than the 600-900 I was getting daily on the clear liquid pre-op diet. I've decided to cut some calories with better Soup choices and try to keep the full liquid diet to around 1000 calories a day. I've got one week down and five to go on clear liquids. This tool is pretty cool. Check it out if you haven't. And I think I'll wait until Monday for my surgeon to weigh me next. "When all else fails, follow directions."

Nat, call your doctor for sharp pain. Mine is on the left and sore and a lump. If I bend at the waist it still hurts. But I'm still healing, and have my post-op appointment Monday, so I'll know more then.

You're on your way!

Thanks for this today. Very true!

I lost over a hundred pounds over twenty years ago only to gain it all back. A combination of things is happening, in my experience. You're changing and that's changed your relationship with others. Some people can't handle it. I know I became much more confident and less willing to take crap from anybody when I lost my excess weight before. Back then I was single. It was easier for me to remove unhealthy people from my life. I'm not going to lie, this time it will be my marriage that is tested. The last 18 months have been the worst of our marriage, and things are still bad. But I went ahead and got WLS anyway. I absolutely had to get my health in order. I know I have a lot of decisions ahead of me. But I need to be the best me I can be to do whatever's ahead. One day at a time, one obstacle at a time. I feel very alone sometimes because my supportive daughters are off at college, one abroad. But they do support me, as does my mom, and my best friend. I told nobody else except my husband. Stay strong and know that the true you will end up with the people you need.

Good luck Nat!

Kell, same here. I was banded on the 13th too, healing fine, and getting hungry. Six weeks full liquids now. My NUT called today so I asked her how to make this doable. She said my surgeon likes a big weight loss during these six weeks so basically, tough it out. I can have soups, so before I left work I drank an Ensure Clear for protein, and when I got home, I walked the treadmill and then modified my own soup. I used organic black bean soup in the blender with about a handful of frozen peas. Heated it up and it was heavenly. Just that extra thickening from the pureed peas is satisfying me now. I have a feeling that my blender will be my friend for the near future. Oh, today I realized that even the pudding and yogurt I was eating wasn't getting a chance to satisfy me because I've been sipping water nonstop all day. Back to no liquids after eating for half an hour, even if eating is also a liquid. Seems obvious now, but I didn't notice it was flushing those foods through faster. So when I waited after pudding today to drink water, I stayed satisfied longer. Hope this helps.

So sorry to hear that. Did he have any idea why it flipped?

Clbsmm2000, congratulations! Take care of yourself and keep us posted. It gets easier.

Thanks!

I will say I was warned that this is the hardest time. On liquids, no fill, six weeks. After this food will seem like a gift.

My NUT called today to see how I'm doing. I asked for more liquid ideas. Basically anything sugar free, low fat, high Protein. I asked about keeping it interesting these next six weeks. She said the doctor's protocol goal is for me to achieve a big weight loss during this time to get a good start and good discipline. So, boring and hungry it is.

Lapper, doc decided not to repair my tiny hernia, but I was told to get on the treadmill post-op day one , 15 minutes at 3mph no incline, and add a minute every day. Gah! Today I'll walk 19 minutes. I am NOT an exerciser so this is huge for me. I think it helps a little with the collarbone pain that I still have a little of. I have to walk after work because it just doesn't fit my morning at all.

Gowalking, hold the praise for a few weeks. I'm on day five. LOL.

My WLS support group yesterday had a plastic surgeon as the guest speaker. Although skin removal and other procedures may be a distant goal for me, if ever, I went to listen. I'm so glad I did. Occasionally, insurance may pay for a panniculectomy (removal of the stomach excess skin), but only if the excess skin is causing medical problems that have been documented and treated, unsuccessfully, by your primary care physician over a period of months. Translation... Don't attempt to treat rashes or sores or moisture issues from excess skin without your PCP's help, prescriptions, and documentation. Make a paper trail, and if the skin continues to cause problems, you will have a starting point to be able to request insurance to pay for that kind of procedure in the future. Many of us just deal with it on our own from embarrassment. Think proactively!

Nat, congratulations on the fifteen. Isn't that a great head start?! I had some discomfort but very litle true pain after I got home. Ask for pain meds, speak up if you are nauseaus, and good luck. Soon you will be feeling great!

I'm day 5 post-op and doing full liquids for six weeks. Yesterday I got a bowl of soup from a local take-out. I had to eat the liquid and throw away the chunks of veggies, but it was fine, satisfying and only a little wasteful. So today I think, hey, speak up and ask for what you want. I spent several minutes explaining to the cashier that due to a dietary restriction, it would help a lot if today they could just skim the top, liquid part of the soup into my container and not give me any chunks from the bottom. Questions back and forth a few times, it seems they understood. When I paid at the second window, I confirmed that it was just liquid, right? Right, no chunks. Excellent, thank you! It smelled a little too good, however. Sure enough, when I opened it up later, there was the lovely liquid soup, with almost no chunks. Plus a hunk of bread and a free order of French fries. Gotta laugh. In the trash the freebies went. Good soup though.

Today was fine. Lots of concerned "are you feeling better" type questions, since they probably assumed it was some kind of illness. I'm no longer worried. Thanks for all the tips. I also told nobody at work, and not even two of my very closest friends, mostly because of one's husband and the other's connection to everyone on Facebook. LOL. I like the eating less, walking more, answer, which is all true. Assume away.

Amazing! So happy for you!

Yay!

Lapper, I'm back too and was also banded four days ago. Feeling a little "odd" but no pain. Sipping water a lot. Got lots of questions about my two sick days but deflected them successfully. People just concerned, not nosy. I joked about hydration and getting healthy, and that kind of thing. I definitely think I was a lucky bander, since my pain is nearly gone and I slept pretty well all weekend. Stomach is grumbling and when I feel I need nutrition it hits fast. Glad I brought Atkins shakes and jello to work. Lapper, hang in there, get up and walk a lot and hide out in the bathroom if you have to. That's where I am now. LOL.