Jonathan Blue

Sounds fantastic. I may need to steal this recipe.

Congratulations! Best of luck and keep us updated on your progress!

During your stay in the hospital you will be poked and prodded so much, that the little things like that will barely be noticeable. Plus, you will be doped up on pain medications so that will make everything much more tolerable. The biggest thing I can recommend in the hospital is to stay on top of your pain medications. Find out how long they are supposed to last and let your nurse know half an hour before they are due. Usually injections last 2 hours and oral liquids last 4. I work in a hospital and know that if they are out of stock of a particular medication on the floor it can take some time to come up. That is why I was always trying to give my nurse a heads up in advance. Be polite though. They sometimes get distracted with everyone and everything they have going on and can forget. It is your job to gently remind them. Coming off of pain medication is a lot like falling off a cliff. Once you start to go down, you do down fast and it is hard and takes time to climb back up. That is why I suggest staying on top of it all.

I agree with the isopure. The zero calorie versions have no sugar, no carbs, and 25 grams of Protein for a scoop which is half a serving. They are also only 105 calories a scoop and have some flavors that taste just fine with Water such as mango peach and pineapple orange banana. I highly recommend these especially if you are getting tired of the standard vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. They have plenty of other amazing flavors as well.

There are several sugar free or no sugar added instant oatmeals that are worth a shot. The other big recommendation is definitely to perhaps cook on the weekends or just prepare a normal size meal during the week and then put into pre-portioned tupperwear containers. They make little half cup and cup size containers so just buy a bunch and you can package several at a time and know you are on the right track. I would strongly suggest you check out my blog. I have begun putting up recipes and cooking demos on there and there may be something there you would enjoy. Two of my early on favorites were the Protein fruit smoothie and the pureed cauliflower- alfredo style. The link is below my signature. If there is anything else I can do to help, or you need more recipes, and have additional questions, please let me know. I am here for you!

I would be happy to mentor you and answer any questions I can. Feel free to check out my older posts on here as well as check out my blog using the links below my signature. See if you think we may be a good fit or if I would be someone you would be interested in working with. I love helping others realize how truly amazing they are and guiding them through this amazing journey! I am an open book so let me know.

That whole thing sounds a little fishy. RNY has had many years of proven success. I agree that there is a risk of complications and things not turning out well, but the risk has decreased as time has moved on. More advanced and safer ways of doing the procedure are around. I strongly encourage you to read me three part posting on my blog about how I prepared for surgery. I think it will help to clarify some things. The link is below my signature. If you have issues viewing it just message me. It sounds to me like he may be trying to do two things. The biggest one is that if he is a pain management doctor and you lose weight and get better, then he would lose a patient and the income they generate. You need to realize that by you staying pain, you are keeping in wealthy and in a job. Not all doctors look out for their patients best interest. This may not necessarily be the case, but you just need to realize we all put on own lens and spin on how we view surgery. The other thing is that it sounds like his religious beliefs about "unnecessary" body modification are playing a role here. It should not be his place to impose his religious view on you whatever they are. His job is to present you with options. I don't believe he would call you RNY doctor to talk him out of surgery, but there is a chance he would to protect his interests. The nice thing is that if your RNY doctor has agreed to do the surgery, hew would not do so unless he felt it was medically appropriate. He would more than likely argue the case with your pain doctor and ultimately still do the surgery. He also is looking to make money so if he can safely do the surgery on and verify that it meets standards of medical necessity, he will. You may also need to seek out a new and more supportive pain management doctor. The surgery is a ground for a lot of debate among individuals and medical professionals. Some will argue its cheating and taking the easy way out. I can tell you it is not easy, but if you follow the plan laid out by your doctor it works amazingly well. Others think that you should just try harder to lose weight. Still others are just scared of what they do not understand. My in-laws were even really concerned about me having the surgery, not because they were scared for me, but they were concerned about how it would affect their daughter. The decision to have surgery is a personal choice and one you should not take lightly. I do not think you are and it sounds like you have done your research. Just remember at the end of the day, it is your choice.I applaud you for taking those first steps to reclaiming your life. This is a truly amazing journey of discovery. It will not always be easy, but in the end I can guarantee you that it is completely worth it. If you have any questions or if there is anything I can help you with at all, please contact me using the links in my signature line. Or you can message me on here! GOOD LUCK! I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!

I have an amazing recipe for chipotle that you can use during the pureed food stage. Hit me up if you are interested. I also have other pureed recipes on my blog like an alfredo sauce. Check it out if you are interested!

Quit this habit as soon as you can. In general, the more "Bad Habits" you can break before surgery the better. Your husband is correct that the pain meds will help, but the sooner you ween off of the need for caffeine the better. To begin this process just start by switching to the caffeine free versions of the things you love and then eventually find total alternatives. To deal with the withdawl headaches is a pain. To some degree it is just part of the process and one to immerse yourself in. To help you deal with the headaches, start with taking Alieve for the first week as needed or Advil Migraine. These medications have a small amount of caffeine added. After that first week then switch to Tylenol as needed for headaches. I know this sucks but it will definitely get better. Another reason to kick the habit for good is that caffeine leads to dehydration. With dehydration always being a concern post surgery, it is best to just avoid the stuff. You don't want to wind up in the hospital needing an IV because you weren't able to intake enough fluids or those that you took in had the caffeine and dehydrated you. A little caffeine eventually is probably more than acceptable. It is honestly just a better safe than sorry scenario. If you have any other questions or need anything at all, please let me know. You can contact me through the links below my name.

A lot of the weight will be from the IV fluids like others have said above, but also realize your body has gone through a traumatic experience and it will take up to a few weeks for all of the swelling to go down as well. This will also lead to a slight weight gain. Give it time and the weight will begin falling off. Though I lost a few pounds after surgery, the weight didn't start to pour off until after I went back to work six weeks later. Keep up the hard work. Things will even out before you know it. !

I am definitely thankful for @@SuzeMuze who has generously given of her time and information to everyone on this site. She has also begun working on my blog as a guest blogger to begin talking about women's issues in weight loss and bariatric surgery. I am so thankful for her help and willingness to be open and honest about her experiences.

You could try pureed Chipotle! puree some white Beans and carrots with a little bit of chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, and other Mexican seasonings as you feel you would like. Don't forget to salt and pepper to taste. Then put that in a container and layer mashed/ slightly pureed avocado and fat free sour creme. This tastes very similar to Chipotle. If you are looking for the textures of the rice and beans this won't help, but if you just want the taste sensation, then this will get you close. I have more if you are interested. Just let me know. You can contact me at the links below for more.

Awesome!! You rock!

I would avoid the eggs for awhile while your stomach is still healing. They don't seem to be going down too well. One thing to help with the liquids is to drink warm liquids like decaf tea with lemon, or broth. The warmth will help sooth the stomach and keep it from seizing up causing the vomiting. If you have any other questions be sure to let me know. I will do what I can for you. You can contact me through any of the links below.

Have you been drinking milk post surgery? I know I had the same issue and it was because I was mixing milk in my Protein shakes and I had become slightly lactose intolerant. This is a common occurrence among bypass patients. Anytime I would eat anything all day I felt that way when I was drinking milk. I switched to almond milk and after a day or two everything went away. Over time I was able to add milk back into my diet, but I just needed to give my stomach a break for a few months. If you try that and it doesn't get any better or if the pain worsens, I would call your surgeon to make sure he wouldn't want to see you again. They are their to answer questions so use them. I hope this helps a little bit. If you have any additional questions or if there is anything else I can do, please let me know. My contact information is below.

At 9 months post op, you should be able to eat corn without any issue. The only thing I would caution you on is to take it slow at first. As with adding any new food, try a little bit at a time until you know how your body will react to it, then go from there.

I would recommend Simethicone chewables. They are an over the counter medication. The name is the generic brand. Just ask the Pharmacist. That is what I used post surgery. The gas pain is just the gas they used to inflate your stomach during surgery working its way out. It usually takes a week or two to subside. I know it sucks. The other thing to do is to try moving around. Get up and walk. I know it is very uncomfortable, but the more you move, the more it works its way out of your system. Don't worry. The worst is almost over. Soon you will be on your way to doing amazing things that you never thought were possible. Keep strong. If there is anything else you need or any questions, please let me know. You can contact me at one of the links below.

Mountain biking the Colorado Trail is on my to do list in the next few years. I think it would also be awesome to hike out there too!

I love this video! I think it is spot on. Not much I could say differently about it.

Many companies make a flavorless Protein powder. This would be something to stir a little into what you are eating. I would not necessarily stir a whole scoop, but a teaspoon or two would not change the taste too drastically. That way you are sneaking in more protein without even realizing it. I know

I think you can achieve this with not problem. My rapid weight loss didn't even start until about week 7. Everyone is different. The biggest factor in how rapidly the weight will come off for you at this point will be activity level. The more active you work to become, the faster it will come off. I am not saying running marathons or anything, just even getting out and walking, or swimming. Moving around for about an hour a day should be your first goal, take baby steps and work your way up to it if you cannot do it right away.

Though medications could be an issue, you are definitely not eating enough calories. Your body is shutting down because it doesn't even have enough energy to get through the day. I would try upping it to 800 to 1000 calories. Still eating the 6 small meals throughout the day. Also, how much Protein are you getting in a day? Increasing the amount of protein can also help. There is a delicate balance between the number of calories you eat in a day and the number of calories you work off. I suggest religiously tracking both using a FitBit or other activity and calorie tracking device. After a few weeks you will discover what your sweet spot is. You definitely want to burn more calories than you take in, but you also don't want to not not have the energy to make it through the day which is what is happen in your case more than likely. The other thing is that when your calorie count is so low, your body will think it is in starvation mode and actually start storing fat instead of using it. I went through a period of 3 months where I lost nothing because I was working out really heavily and not adjusting my calories up just a little to make up for it. If you have any additional question or I can help in any way, please let me know.

Saying goodbye is difficult. It is one of the hardest parts of this process. That is why I say to take the time to have those last meals. Savor each taste and each bite. Say your goodbyes and cry a little. Mourn the loss. You will definitely go through a process of grieving. I did. Then pick yourself up and move on to the next item on the list. Something that really helped me out was every time I was done crying or grieving or towards then end I would watch someone doing something that was a goal of mine after surgery. So I would watch a youtube of a triathlon or I would do something physical like go for a walk or a swim until I was completely done crying. That way you begin replacing the old high with a new one. It will not be an easy process and it really sucks going through it. I know! Savor each moment, each tear, and remember the hold that food had on you. How much it ruled your life. Keep that inside because that will help you remember why you never want to go back. The other thing that helps is time. I used to love and crave pop. I am now pop free for over a year and I never even think about it. Right away it was about all I could think about. As with any loss the further away it gets the less it hurts. Also, it helps that the surgery will make it so you really can't enjoy any of that stuff like you used to. I promise those things will taste entirely different to you after surgery. There will probably even be a point where you loath having to think about food it all. It is amazing! You will both get there. Just stay strong. You have support and friends here. If there is ever anything I can do for you please let me know.

I wouldn't purchase anything that small at first. Remember baby steps. I would pick something a size or two under what you are currently wearing. You want the results to be something you can reach in a month or two. That way you notice the difference faster. Then you reach that goal have a party. Wear the clothes until they fall apart and buy another size or two smaller. Make those little jumps and you will small victories throughout and you will be at that size 8 in no time!

I am just curious if anyone else has any fun or informative hospital stories. My experience had a few interesting moments and I am curious if anyone else wants to share theirs? For me, It was a fun catheter story lol. I am going to be a little forward with this post so hold on to your hats! The PCA came into my room the middle of my first full night in the hospital. She was wanting to fix my catheter. You see there is a clip the goes on the inside of your thigh the holds it in place so it doesn't get snagged on anything and yanked on. I don't know about you but I cringe just thinking about that. Anyway, they forgot to put one on when I was in surgery so the PCA came into my room to do this. This girl was a little on the special side I think. She lifts up my gown and grabs onto the tube to move it to the side, not the best feeling in the world really, and she slaps this clip onto my thigh. Shen then proceeds to start try to attach the tube to the clip. She is fiddling, fumbling, and tugging around for about 4 minutes and I am sitting there gown up looking at my wife all while shooting her looks like, "I feel like I should be buying her dinner first." I am starting to get a little annoyed though at this point. She then proceeds to say she can't figure it out and will need to get the nurse. So, with one hand on the tube, all up in the air, she casually uses her phone to call the nurse. We proceed to wait for another 6 minutes with her just hanging on, talking about her day to me, and seeing how my stay was going. I really think she could have just covered me back up and left me alone. Now the nurse comes in to explain to the PCA that she did it wrong and needed to clip it to the tube before she attached it to my thigh. Oh Brother! She it was fixed in a matter of seconds. All this tugging and awkwardness with my wife sitting right there. It was annoying at the time. By that point in my day I had been through too much to be embarrassed. It actually got fun the next few days when nursing students would come in to do evaluations seeing how awkward and hesitant they were trying to work around everything. I look back now and laugh about the experience though it was annoying at the time. I just wanted to sleep and I am getting all to familiar with my PCA. LOL so that is my funny story. What is yours?