JamieLogical

Weight and BMI are ultimately pretty meaningless numbers. There are SO MANY more important numbers. BP, A1C, cholesterol, triglycerides, body fat percentage. THOSE are the numbers you should be focusing on for health and longevity!

I started my bariatric multi-Vitamin and probiotic pre-op. Didn't do the Calcium and B12 until I was post-op.

@@Momcat What's your activity level like? 1200 calories a day sounds low to me, but I'm in maintenance and training for a half marathon, so my perspective is pretty skewed. How much more weight are you hoping to lose? 164 for our height isn't that bad, depending on your body composition. The goal weight my nutritionist set for me was 165. Any idea what your body fat percentage is?

That's definitely not enough calories! No wonder you are tired. I made sure I was up over 800 a day before I started working out. I could only eat about 3 oz. of food at a time too. The key is to eat at least 5-6 times a day. For me, once I was cleared for solid foods, my day looked like this: Breakfast: Protein Bar/Shake Morning Snack: String cheese Lunch: 2-3 oz. of meat Afternoon Snack: Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt (I would add a little granola if this was a cardio day) Dinner: 2-3 oz. of meat Evening Snack: Protein Bar/Shake I always work out after work, so my afternoon snack was my "pre-workout" snack. Which means I would like to throw a few carbs in there to help fuel my workouts. It was usually a little granola or Kashi Cereal mixed into my yogurt.

My GI feels that with a few pounds lost I will be fine, as it's very mild. Is the choice ultimately up to me? Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App Absolutely the choice is ultimately up to you! No one can cut you open and perform surgery on you without your consent or the consent of your medical proxy.

My nutritionist set my goal weight at 165. In order to be a "normal" BMI for my height, I would need to get below 154. I have gotten down to 159 and am fighting hard not to lose any MORE weight. I can already see my ribs. I don't want to be thinner! My body fat percentage is the thing I care about. I'm at 21.4% body fat now which is very lean for my age.

I had fatigue for a good long while post-op. For me it improved when I was onto solid foods and could get in a reasonable amount of calories. Any idea how many calories you are getting in at this point?

I'm not sure if your reflux would be any better with a band than with a sleeve. Really the only way you be sure you won't have reflux issues would be to have RNY. Ultimately the decision has to be yours. For me, it was an easy choice with all of the potential for long-term complications with the band. But there are many people who are happy and successful with the band too.

Wait, am I missing something? You don't actually say what the guy was eating in your post.

Awesome!

It's common to be nervous and anxious with major surgery only a day or two away. What helped me was to focus on small tasks, like the things I needed to do around the house to be prepared for the surgery. I also worked on getting together the supplies I would need for after the surgery. And I put together a calendar to hang in my kitchen with all the dates I would be moving through the food stages post-op and what specifically I could eat at each of those stages. Just whatever I could do to keep my mind busy.

We need more info on your current nutrition and activity level before we can offer any sound advice.

I was told no nail polish or toe nail polish. No mention of acrylic nails though. Definitely check and double-check with your surgeon.

To be fair, the "after" video and photos on that show are only a couple of months post-op. Plastics take a LONG time to fully heal from. If the "after" images were from more like 2 years out, we'd be getting a much more accurate idea of the results. I had extended tummy tuck and breast lift with implants and it was a good 2 years before my scars had faded to where they are now (5 years post-op). Even the swelling lasts a good 4-6 months. So the final results might not be as bad as they seem on the show. But I still just feel like their technique and level of knowledge is terrible.

True Jamie, you're so right, even getting to the bathroom takes longer for me now. Thanks for the advice, you're amazing. I can tell you're very knowledgeable about this journey Sent from my SM-N910P using the BariatricPal App I was exactly where you are at one point and I had a million questions and concerns of my own. These forums helped keep me sane through the whole process, so I really like to be able to pay-it-forward now that I've "been there, done that".

Exactly the point I was trying to make.... Hypothetically speaking, if a fly was to get WLS, would that still hold true? Hahaha! That gave me a great visual of an obese fly that couldn't even manage to lift itself off the ground.

Oh yeah! B12 is a great point. Make sure you are taking it now. That can help some with the fatigue as well.

Any idea what your daily calorie intake is? How much Protein are you getting?

I would be cautious about counting 15 grams of Genepro as 30 grams of protein. The science is still out on it, so to speak. No independent studies have verified those claims. I would still only count it as 15 grams until there is more evidence available. Getting the benefits of the extra protein won't hurt you if their claims are true. But thinking you are meeting your protein goals and really only getting half as much as you need really could cost you down the line. So my advice would be to still count a serving as 15 grams for the purposes of meeting your daily goal and if you come out ahead, all the better.

You should be fine for a job interview on Monday. The main issue at that point will be fatigue, but you should have enough energy to get ready for the interview, get there, do it, then come home for a nap. Make sure you leave yourself some extra time to get ready, because you'll likely be moving a little more slowly than normal. As for gas pain and discomfort, I would say the worst of that was over for me around day 4 or 5, but still had some through the first week.

I agree with @@Threetimesacharm that compression garments are not something you want to skimp on. They are critical for proper healing long term. You can get away with budget versions of stage 2 or 3 garments (like generic Spanks), but for stage 1, you want to have something heavy and durable that is really going to hold everything together,

Definitely sounds like you should call your surgeon's office. I've known of people who are *still* experiencing nausea at 7 weeks out, but not many who develop it at 7 weeks out.

Thanks Jamie, what do used for the gas? The NP said to get gas x, but my husband just called n said walgreens said they don't carry it anymore. Sent from my SM-N910P using the BariatricPal App I used GasX strips and they helped a little bit. Another thing that helped me with gas pain was marching in place. Moving around seems to really help. I bought GasX strips at Walmart, but that was pre-op for me, which was like 20 months ago. So I can't promise they still carry them.

These emotions are 100% normal. It is VERY VERY common to experience this sort of "buyer's remorse" in the early days/weeks. There are a couple of things going on here. You are tired, you are uncomfortable, your head hunger is likely making you crazy, and you are rapidly losing fat, which releases stored hormones back into your blood stream. Your energy will improve as you heal and are able to eat more and get more calories in. The pain/discomfort from the surgery should really be easing up by now. You'll eventually get a handle on the head hunger. And once your weight loss slows to a more normal, gradual rate, the hormone flush should let up as well. Just hang in there!

A lot of people don't have a pre-op diet. Every surgeon has their own plan and it's important to make sure you follow YOURS. I agree with the others that say cutting caffeine and carbs now will make it a little easier on you post-op. Going through caffeine withdrawal and entering ketosis at the same time, while dealing with the pain and discomfort post-op would not be much fun.