James Marusek

Congratulations.

I was told by my nutritionist that RNY gastric bypass patients were not to take gummy multivitamins. I asked her again when I was 2 years post-op and the answer was the same. As a result I have been using chewable Flintstone multivitamins. I have been buying these by large bottles at Sam's club but they recently discontinued carrying these. I have found a large bottle of a generic equivalent at Krogers. It is a Kroger's brand and it tastes very different from the Flintstones, much more chalkier. But it is cheaper and I can tolerate almost anything.

That is very strange. A condition that was both pre and post surgery! I did a quick search on the internet and came up with this. http://www.mitoaction.org/guide/fatigue-and-exercise-intolerance If this rings a bell, might I suggest you try a product available for purchase on the internet called Juvenon. I have been using it for almost 10 years and it restores my mitochondria. I have asthma and it improved my peak flow about 200 points. The effect is almost immediate. So if you try it, you should know almost immediately if this is a fix. http://www.amazon.com/Juvenon-Inc-120-Capsules/dp/B009XIF7C6/

In the beginning of the weight loss process, your body was converting extra fat into the energy that drove your body. Thus if you were a little shy on Protein, the effect might have been masked. But at bottom weight, you may not have very much fat to lose. So perhaps you might check the amount of protein you consume each day and see if the total of protein from meals combined with protein from supplements (protein shakes/protein bars) meets your daily minimum requirement. Here is another perspective. http://www.obesityaction.org/wp-content/uploads/Dear_Doctor_Answer_provided_by_Jacqueline_Jacques_ND.pdf Did you change any of your Vitamins recently. There are a variety of B12 supplements available. If you are taking the wrong type, this could be the cause of your problem. For example the sublingual Vitamin B12 methylcobalamin is an approved type but time released B12 is not.

Congratulations on the surgery.

After RNY gastric bypass surgery the three essential elements of the program are Protein, Vitamins and fluids. These daily requirements are important and critical. food is secondary. This is because your body is converting stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Consuming only 200-300 calories per day is not a problem. You will not starve to death. Concentrate on the essentials.

I am sorry to hear about all the problems you encountered post-surgery. I will pray that you find healing and get back on track.

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 30 months ago. Two days after surgery when I left the hospital I was taken off all my Type 2 diabetes meds and about a couple weeks later I was off all my high blood pressure medicines. I no longer had sleep apnea and the GERD went away. These conditions all remained in remission ever since. I lost almost 120 pound and kept the weight off. The main reason why I choose RNY gastric surgery was to take care of my health issues. If you have GERD, they recommend this type of surgery. Also my position was that if I underwent the knife once, I did not want to repeat the process over and over again. RNY had one of the lowest revision rates. I put my experiences with the surgery in a couple short articles. If you want to read them, here are the links. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Good luck on your surgery. Let us know how things went when you are on the other side.

How far along are you? Did you have RNY gastric bypass surgery? For those that have moved past the "Weight Loss" phase and into the "Maintenance" phase, the general recommendations from the nutritionist is to eat a well balanced meal (Protein, carbs, and fats) with protein FIRST. Right after surgery, the part of your stomach that processes sugars and fats is cut away and those substances move into your intestines which does not know how to process these foods and it can cause dumping syndrome. But after about a year your intestines change and they begin to take up the slack. At this point you can reintroduce fats back into your diet. Fats are important because they inhibit hunger.

Welcome and let us know if we can be of any help.

After surgery I became lactose intolerant. I couldn't drink milk. This condition lasted for about 2 months and then went away. Some Protein shakes contain lactose. So you may want to see if yours does and if so switch to a brand that is lactose free. On the other hand, if you are drinking milk without any difficulty, then your problem may lie elsewhere.

This is the approach that I am using. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Let's see! 4 years post-op. Lost 168 pounds. Transitioned successfully through "Weight Loss" phase and "Maintenance" phase. That makes you relevant.

I had RNY surgery. After about 6 or 7 months, I transitioned from the "Weight Loss" phase into the "Maintenance" phase. My weight loss came to an end. My weight was stable within 2 pounds for the next 6 months. If you had RNY gastric bypass, you lose weight very quickly and then level off. Sleeve patients lose weight more slowly and experience weight loss over a period of a year or two. Your daily Protein requirement is a combination of the protein you consume from foods combined with the protein from supplements (Protein shakes, protein bars). If you focused on consuming high protein meals as your meal volume increased, you should be able to drop off some or all of your protein supplements and still meet your daily protein requirements. Doing this will drop off a few hundred calories and may kickstart your continued weight loss. I am 29 months post op and have written a short article that focuses on the "Maintenance" phase. It is available at http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

My discharge directions said that if you have a temperature greater than 100.5 call your physician.

Congratulations and let us know if we can be of any help in the coming days.

The first few weeks after surgery is rough. You may not meet your Protein and Fluid goals. But keep trying. For fluids you might try other fluids. I switched to Crystal Light. Later I found fine English teas were good. Then when it turned cold, a cup of hot cocoa (no sugar added) with no fat or low fat milk was good. The liquid in Soups also counts towards your daily requirement. Even the Water that you use to swallow your Vitamins counts towards your total. So don't get too discouraged. Experiment!

Congratulations on you weight loss thus far.

I had RNY surgery and at 1 month the meal volume was limited to 2 ounces. So you are exceeding your meal size. Also you have one month to go before you should be eating solid foods. You should be entering the pureed food stage at this point. [i am assuming you had RNY gastric bypass. It might be that you had some other type of surgery and the requirements are different. But if you had RNY, it is important to follow the directions given by your surgeon, if you want to lose the weight and be successful.] In the early stages after surgery, the most important requirements are meeting your Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body will convert the store fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. If you limit your meals to 2 ounces, you will not starve. I don't think you have stretched your pouch, but if you eat solid foods too soon you may damage the surgical seams in you pouch and that can cause complications.

Good luck on your surgery. Keep us informed when you return home and let us know if there are any problems you need some help with.

I will pray that your surgery is successful. Good luck.

1. Many people have doubts or questions about going ahead with the operation. They still wonder if they can achieve weight loss without surgery. For many that undergo the operation, we have come to realize that we can't, and this represents the only viable real option available. 2. I told everyone that I had the surgery. But many people limit who they tell. In part I think this is due to the diet mentality. Many people go on diets, lose weight, tell their friends, gain weight, feel like failures. Since I didn't do too much yo-yo dieting prior to surgery, I didn't feel stigmatized like those associated with diet routines. Whenever someone approached me and asked me "How I lost the weight", I told them "I had an operation". After a pause, I could see the wheels moving in their brain. They thought what kind of surgery? Cancer? So I said "It was Weight Loss Surgery and it seems to be successful". I am now 29 months post op, and the main comments that I receive is "You sure look good!"

Congratulations on your weight loss and all the hard work you put into this weight loss journey. The key to the "Maintenance" phase is to be happy. Try to figure out fixes for all the many little problems you encounter. "I can't eat more than 1/2 cup or so at a sitting." That doesn't sound normal. Could you have an obstruction? When you lose weight, you lose the padding on your rear end. It can make sitting for a long time painful. I use gel cushions and that helps. Also when you lose weight the fat that normally insulates your core is gone, thus you are more sensitive to the cold. When I work outside in the cold shoveling snow in the winter, I began using hand warmers, otherwise my fingers froze.

Try hot Soups. It might be a stomach flu.