Djmohr

I buy everything generic at Walgreens with the exception of calcium citrate Chews. Those I buy the Bariatric Advantage and I will buy them either on this site or amazon whichever is cheaper and has my favorite flavors. At Walgreens I literally buy the "buy one get one" for: Multivitamin plus D, D2, B12, B1. I am post op 2 years and because they have one for every day, I have on had to buy them once. ' It of course was approved by my surgical team and my blood work has been great with the exception of B1 which we added at 6 months post op. For some reason I was down on this nutrient and it is pretty critical.

You should be able to eat things like cheese, ham roll ups, lunchmeat......can you make a nice cheese, veggie and meat plate that you guys can snack on? As for taco cups.....I eat them all the time with hubby. I simply make a salad out of it for me and give hubby is favorite taco shell which is a boat. My favorite holiday treats are cheese, shrimp, veggies with ranch dip..... Chinese food even after 2 years post op dont do it for me unless it is a stir fry with lovely fresh veggies (no rice) - that is about the only chinese food that actually satisfies me. If i try the fried stuff or even a bite or two of rice, it does not keep me satisfied and i end up having to have a snack anyway so i usually will avoid it. Plus...take out, you never know what they put in their food. I like to go to places like Stir Crazy and then i hit their market bar so i put what i want in my stir frys.....YUM. I am making me crave stir fry now. LOL. You have been on Protein drinks, bars for a very long time. I know doctors are different by mine would be all over my rear for that......I still have to drink one Protein shake every morning for Breakfast and i only use a Protein Bar if i have to grab something while i am running out the door. Are you struggling with real food?

@@Diva Taunia I have to say i was severely anemic before bypass and have been normal ever since and I am two years out. I often worry about this and they dont have me on Iron either but that is because i had a hysterectomy and I am told i dont need it. I hope things get better for you and I will be watching my iron very closely.

I got to a normal BMI and never in a million years thought it was possible given where i was coming from. I have been told many times I am too skinny but this is by people who are simply not used to seeing me at a normal healthy weight. I will be honest, there are parts of me that look thin and other parts that carry alot of loose skin and look heavier. I am have had an arm lift and of course that made me look even more normal. Next i am having an Abdominalplasty and breast lift. I planned for that to be the end of it but if it is anything like how i reacted to my arms, i know my legs will bother me but you really have to stop somewhere. At the end of the day, I am at a the high end of the BMI scale for my height so having this skin removed will likely put me closer to the middle or lower end and I am ok with that.

This may have nothing to do with surgery. It may have alot to do with your back so you need to get checked out. If you have a disc pressing against your spinal cord, this can happen. I know this because it happened to me many years ago.

First.....it really is not a stupid question! Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss. I know how it changes a person and 2 years later i still cannot believe that i have lost 152lbs and am at goal. I stopped measuring at the advice of my nut at around 8 months post op. She really wanted me to focus on eating slowly but within 30 minutes and listen to my body. There are signs that tell you that you are full. For me, it is usually a sigh. And you need to pay attention to it because further down the road your body sort of gets used to things and you can overeat. I have done it and am miserable when i do. It usually happens when i eat too fast and my brain and tummy are not connected. If i eat slow. No problem. The other thing my nut and bariatric rn told me that you have to think about that amount of food as already chewed and in your tummy. That is why you can eat more salad that dense Protein. If i eat dense protein like steak or chicken i am lucky to get 3 ounces in but if i eat a Soup or salad i can eat a good 1 1/2 cups before i feel the restriction kick in.

@@kblanc Hah.....if you are on liquid only staying full is a bit of a challenge. I was given a very strict liquid diet. - Protein shakes up to 5 times per day ( i used carnation but if i had to do it over again i would use ready made premier Protein Shakes which have 30 grams of protein and 160 calories) - chicken or beef broth. At first i tried the can crap and it tasted like dirty dishwater so my bariatric nurse suggested i make a pot of homemade stock using chicken,carrots, onions, celery salt and pepper. Strain everything, keep the chicken meat for post surgery. This was what kept me going the 2 weeks prior to surgery. I think i would have went off plan if not for this delicious homemade savory stock. Everything else was cloying sweet. - SF popsicles which i hated and still do -SF Jello which i hated and still do - Crystal light which i simply cannot tolerated because of the aritificial sweeteners. - lots and lots and lots of Water I ended up drinking 3 shakes a day and the rest of the time i was either sipping water or sipping hot broth. After day 3 it really didn't bother me at all. However.....i had a whole new meaning of full and it was completely different to what i was used to. That is one thing most of us struggle with even after surgery trying to figure out what feeling full feels like. We were used to stuffing ourselves which is not necessary. Best of luck to you!

- I would make sure you have a good home made chicken broth. The crap in the can or box tastes like dirty dishwater. Make some now using chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Strain it into containers. I lived on it for the first 3 weeks. - SF Jello, sf popsicles, sf pudding, 1% cottage cheese (small curd), greek yogurt Also that first week i was on a clear liquid diet...no Protein shakes. They had me sipping unsweetened apple juice mixed half and half with Water in addition to chicken broth, water, popsicles, jello.

I was a sweets person and yes, I still am. I dont think it will ever go away and leave me alone. I cope most of the time by getting my mind off my sugar cravings....I crave chocolate in particular. So, i try different methods to get me to stop thinking about it. Keeping my hands busy seems to work the best. So i get on here, or i crochet or i play games, go for a walk, do the dishes, take a shower.....you get the idea. That being said, there are times when i give in and have some chocolate. I will say i am now rather picky and prefer dark chocolate which i guess is better for you anyway as long as you dont eat a whole bag. I try using pudding or Protein shakes but after two years, i simply want a piece of dark chocolate that is cold from the fridge. If you are binge eating you really need to talk with a therapist to work through that. The bypass will give you immediate restriction that releases over time. In the beginning i was lucky to fit 2 Tablespoons in my tummy. Now depending on what i am eating i can eat 1 to 1/2 cups of food. So it is important that i stick to the right foods. You can do this but you definately need some coping strategies because the surgery definately doesn't change your brain.

@@bayougirlmrsc Good for you! Get out there and have some fun! My brother is like that. They have been married for 36 years and have yet to go on a vacation or go out with friends. I just dont get it and having had 5 surgeries in the last 1.5 years, I have been cooped up and missed two whole summers. Staying cooped up sucks! I am not going to let that happen long term for me anymore.

Yes....and it sucks. LOL First week you likely will have gained only because of all the fluids they pump into your. But then things will start moving very quickly if you follow the plan. I lost my first 100 in 9 months an the last 52 in another 9 months. The last 20lbs seems near impossible but it is not....you just need to work the plan.

@@etorres Here's the thing, after surgery you will actually have to force yourself to eat. You wont want to. The most important thing is to stay hydrated then when approved to add Protein shakes back in, you will need to. Wait until after surgery to figure out which Protein shake will work best for you because your tastes change dramatically and everything tastes too sweet.

I have done it using ground almonds for the breading but i use full fat swiss cheese for sure. Delicious!

@@HanSolo1977 Are you eating too fast? The feeling of stuck usually happens when you dont chew well enough or eat too fast. it can be really uncomfortable. Try going slower and chewing even more than you think is necessary. Down the road the chewing part gets better but unfortunately i still have that horrible pain when i eat too fast and it is the one thing that i have still not accomplished.

@@RNY-Gal When you are sipping Water is it cold? I had the same problem and still do when i am drinking things that are cold. I drink water that is at room temp even now 2 years later. If you are drinking it at room temp you might try warm or cold and see if that help. ' In the morning our tummies have to almost wake up so it always seems to be worse in the am.

The are you on B12? That may need to be adjusted. I would call your surgeons office. For me it was right around week 7 that I started to have more energy. Up until that time i was exhausted every day. It could just be the surgery is catching up with you a bit but i would check on your b12.

@@proudgrammy It is when antibiotics actually kill the good bacteria in your digestive system and causes severe explosive diarrhea. It can make someone very very ill very quickly. They become severely dehydrated and have horribly painful cramps. Ask me how i know.....You guessed it. It happened to my husband when his dentist gave him an antibiotic in preparation for a crown. Within a few days he became so ill that he would drink Water and would immediately end up in the bathroom if he could make it that far. Poor guy, I thought he just had the flu and was being a big ole baby (like most guys when they get sick) Sorry guys...LOL. Well, he got such a high fever that I got scared, tossed him in the car and drove to the er where they promptly tested for C-Diff and told us it was positive. They pumped him full of narcotics, fluids and a different antibiotic that reverses this problem. He was sick for weeks and weeks......it took several trips to the er for fluids and different antibiotics. I remember begging him to sip pedialyte and sugar free gaterade. So.....that what i know about it. It is not fun and I could totally see having to wear diapers to deal with the accidents because I am telling you it is explosive. I remember having to disinfect my house....

Oh and my feet and knees no longer hurt. If not for my back i could walk for miles and miles without pain in my feet and knees.

@@shannenm You are definately not alone! I am excited for you! I used to snore so bad i would wake both me and my hubby up. I was on bipap for years and now i am 152lbs down and at a normal healthy weight. I no longer snore at all! I dont use bipap any longer. It doesnt feel like i am going to have a heart attack everytime i take the stairs. The only thing i do have a problem with is my back pain and i am afraid that i will have that for the rest of my life. I have always said my only regret is not having this surgery before i did so much damage to my spine. I literally know the pain and sickness you are feeling and I am telling you there is a whole new life for you! Keep us posted on your progress.

@@Thendy Glad to hear you are home. You will feel differently in a few weeks. The pain will get a little better every day and as you learn to eat differently and the weight comes off you will feel much much better about your decision.

I would definately check for C-diff which is absolutely miserable and sounds like what might be going on here. I usually hear most suffer from constipation. I know i do and have to take medications every day for dealing with constipation. I had the RNY though.

I hear that so often and honestly when i look at pictures of me I just get sick how heavy i was. People would always tell me i carried my weight so well. I call BS....I was very heavy and sickly from it. For people to say, you dont look like you need surgery is hysterical. I honestly think they simply dont know what to say or maybe are scared. Now I get the opposite. People that haven't seen me are shocked at how i look and those that do see me regularly shake their heads. Apparently they think i am too thin now, but i am not. They just aren't used to seeing me at a normal healthy weight. Even some of my doctors! Similarly I am at my father N laws again this weeked and every weekend he asks to take a look at me. He then proceeds to tell me how thin my face looks as if i have lost more weight. I stopped losing in March, in fact i have gained 3lbs so I have to keep reminding him that i have lost no more weight and I am where I should be. That i am healthy. He then proceeds to tell me how pretty i am and is constantly reaching for my a$$ which no longer exists. I told my hubby his dad is a dirty old man. He is 87. LOL... Today he was saying how much he loves to look at the pretty cheerleaders when watching football. Geez......