Djmohr

drinks can be a little tricky post op. The biggest thing is to stay away from any caloric drinks. You want your nutrition to come from good food and you only have so much room in the budget. I will say that figuring out what works best for you can be tricky. I only drink room temp Water and hot tea. The reason for the room temp thing is because anything icy cold actually causes my pouch to seize. I know, that sounds horrible but it's simply uncomfortable. This is really at its worst in the am, I could probably tolerate icy cold later in the day but I simply have learned over 19 months to drink my water that way. I am highly sensitive to any artificial sweeteners, they cause severe migraines so that is why I stick to water. Hot tea is also very soothing. Occasionally I will have my chocolate chai tea with hot milk as a treat but that adds carbs so I budget for it. There is 0 sugar in it but the milk adds carbs. I promise you will figure out what works for you and you will be fine with it.

The right carbs are an important part of your diet. Without them your body and brain simply doesn't function well. Good carbs come from fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese...... It is difficult to find prepackaged foods that don't have hidden bad carbs in them. Especially Soups. Soups and stews are some of the best foods early on. I began making homemade soups minus the potatoes, Pasta and rice right away. At about 6 months out I began adding some whole grains like barley to my soups in small amounts. I have learned to make large batches of food and freeze them in me sized portions. Now that I am at goal and trying to maintain I am ok to add a little whole grain bread, brown rice and even a small amount of high Protein pasta. This week I had a craving for my famous home made lasagna but I wanted to tone it way down from the many layers of lasagna noodles and I really wanted the real thing. I decided to make mini lasagna in a cupcake tin so that I could freeze all the other portions. Instead of using lasagne noodles I used 2 wonton wrappers for my pasta. Because wonton wrappers are so thin, it allowed me to fill up the cup with more of my meaty sauce and delicious ricotta/Parmesan mixture. I got two layers and topped it with a small sprinkle of shredded mozerella. Let me tell you, they were absolutely delicious! 1 lasagna cupcake and a tiny side salad. Now I have a bunch in my freezer that I can simply bake off when I want them. My husband was bummed because he loved my lasagna before. Then I made him two for lunch the other day and he told me it tasted the same as the real thing and he liked the fact that the pasta got crispy on the edges. Re-engineering recipes is so much fun now! It's best to try to stay away from prepackaged processed foods which then allows you to add good carbs through veggies and fruit. And when you get to the point where you are close to goal adding in whole grains for a meal here and there is controlled by you.

@@Pinkgirl1234 You are doing fantastic! It took me 18 months to lose 147lbs. There were some months in the very beginning where I lost about 20 but there were many many months where I lost less than 10 lbs. in fact I had a couple of months where I lost less than 5. I did not have a revision went straight for bypass. I think the great thing about losing it a bit slower is that you really are forced to be very diligent about your diet which builds very good longer term habits. At least that is what I have told myself. My husband and children point how my choice of food has changed for the better. My youngest son who is very fit has even learned some great habits from me. He worked hard at staying fit before but has learned better nutrition from me. Who would have thought I could teach good nutrition? I was 310lbs and malnourished! I think the slower you lose, the more you are forced to focus on your behaviors. Now I am just hoping to learn to maintain. I have not figured out my sweet spot yet. Best of luck to you but you really are doing fantastic!

I used to literally hate hate hate shopping. Now I actually think I could become addicted if only I had the budget to support that addiction. I could spend all day, every day simply trying on and buying new clothing. It is my favorite thing to do, Who knew this would happen and I am just getting started! I cannot imagine being post goal weight for 2 years!! I have a hard time purging items that I love and fit me great. This is Lind of funny but I had a gorgeous sleeveless designer top when I was 310lbs. I absolutely loved this top and didn't want to get rid of it. I even thought I could get it Tailored from a size 26 to a size 10/12. I finally gave in two weeks ago and put it in the goodwill pile. I was sad but hubby promised if I got rid of it, he would let me go shopping. That top made it off the hanger and into the goodwill pile in less than a second. He laughed at me! I ended up buying 2 new complete outfits - Calvin Klein and Ann Klein. I love how their stuff fits me.

Depending on the surgery you had, it is likely not real hunger. In both the sleeve and bypass they cut the portion of the stomach that holds the hunger hormone. Many times dehydration feels exactly like hunger. The first question I would ask is are you getting a minimum of 48 oz. of Water? If you are then the 2nd thing it could be is reflux which is very common with the sleeve, not so common with bypass. If you had either of these surgeries you are not feeling hungry this soon. Now, I will say that your head is half the battle. Head hunger can happen almost right away and I do remember being frustrated because I so badly wanted to chew something. That will continue until you get to soft foods. If you have head hunger the best thing to do is do something to take your mind off of it. I crochet or read or take a shower. Incidentally if you have had bypass Everytime you eat or drink something your stomach will make loud obnoxious noises and so far that has not gone away. I am nearly 20 months post op......I call her the grouch pouch and she is gurgling right now! LOL!

Welcome Mike! Glad you joined us!

Why the heck do my pictures turn sideways? Anyone know how to fix it?

I had to go purchase a few new items to boost my wardrobe (if you can call it that). I noticed that suddenly I am drawn to bright colors. Usually I will try them on, look in the mirror and head back to the racks looking for black or navy. Well, I got this new very colorful Ann Klein wrap blouse! I also never ever would have worn a wrap blouse but this one looks very nice for my now boyish figure. My hubby loved it on me.

LOL! Isn't it wonderful? Who knew!

I don't think drinking too much water at least what you described would be a problem. If you are worried give your doctor a shout. The best thing you can do for yourself is be very well hydrated. Most people struggle with this at least the first week but some don't.

@@Tommy Joe I am glad to hear you have chosen to move forward! I have had many people share their friends stories of failure after weight loss surgery. I worked with people who had it done and gained their weight back. I have also met many many people who have chosen to have WLS and it changed theirs lives for the better. The reality is, the surgery provides the tool. You are in charge of what you put into the tool. I honestly never in a million years thought I could lose 147lbs! I, like you lost the same 70 or 80lbs over and over always gaining it all back until I got to a point where my metabolism no long functioned properly and I couldn't lose anything. My fight was never ever about portions. I never ate a lot to begin with but I did eat all the wrong things! I was 310lbs and malnourished! I decided I was going to make a difference. I started immediately changing behaviors. By the time I had my surgery I was set up for success. I absolutely love good food. Not junk......good homemade quality Proteins and vegetables. Because I eat so little I work hard to make sure what I do consume is both delicious and healthy. I am now at a healthy 163lbs. All of my comorbitities are gone! Having bypass was the best thing I have ever done for myself. If I had any regrets it was listening to all the horror stories that made me afraid to fail again. If you want to feel better, then it is time to take control. You absolutely can do this!

Isn't it grand to see yourself after such a great loss! Congratulations!

This is always a topic that gets people riled up. Honestly when I was right out of surgery and losing weight like crazy I had no problem sharing my story with those that were truly interested. In fact I thought I would help others understand that WLS and obesity are not very well understood. As time has gone on I have learned that telling everyone really brings with it nosey people who simply choose to debate whether or not I made a good decision. Or the gossip monger so who are simply waiting to see when I fail and gain it all back. Or the skinny people who have never had to deal with dieting and clearly don't look at obesity as a disease. I am more choosy now about who I share with and this is mostly to not have to deal with the bs that comes along with sharing with the wrong people. People can be cruel and honestly I have in fact been treated poorly by my obese so called friends. You really do find out who your friends really are when you share such personal information. I get riled up when someone says that choosing not to share means you are embarrassed. I am not embarrassed by having WLS at all. This usually comes from people who have yet to experience what it's like to live post weight loss. I have no problem telling people exactly what I think and can deal with whatever comes my way but when people really are not interested in the truth and want to hang on to every crappy story out there about WLS you are not going to change their opinions. They have to be ready to want to change. Lastly I would say to share or not share is 100% a personal choice. It is none of anyone's business what I do with my body. If I choose to tell someone it is just that, my choice. It does NOT mean I am embarrassed by my decision to cure this disease.

Congratulations!

When you say you cannot get them down does that mean you are vomiting them back up? Or do you literally have a blockage? Or are they gagging you so it's more of an aversion? I ask because I had a similar problem and had to switch from powdered shakes to ready made shakes that were milked down using lactaid. My Bariatric team switched me to premier Protein ready made shakes. I would take one 11 oz. shake and thin it out with fairlife milk about 12 oz. then I would get the whole thing down. It gave me the 30grams of protein from the shake plus the milk. I used fair life milk that also had a boost of protein. Once I did this, I was fine. But my issue was not a blockage. I still cannot do the powder protein. I gag. When you say you cannot get them down does that mean you are vomiting them back up? Or do you literally have a blockage? Or are they gagging you so it's more of an aversion? I ask because I had a similar problem and had to switch from powdered shakes to ready made shakes that were milked down using lactaid. My Bariatric team switched me to Premier Protein ready made shakes. I would take one 11 oz. shake and thin it out with fairlife milk about 12 oz. then I would get the whole thing down. It gave me the 30grams of protein from the shake plus the milk. I used fair life milk that also had a boost of protein. Once I did this, I was fine. But my issue was not a blockage. I still cannot do the powder protein. I gag.

Too funny! I did the exact same thing when mine started showing, I was shocked at how big that bump actually is. Are your hip bones or tail bone sticking out yet? That's next!

@@Inner Surfer Girl Congratulations! 150 miles swimming is fantastic. I love to swim but haven't been able to for this last year. I cannot wait until I can but I know I would never come close to 150 miles in one week. Nice work!

There are so many little ones that you don't even think about until you can. - fit in a booth comfortably. (I always ask for a booth now) - Not have to ask for a seat belt extender (every time I fly I smile when the seatbelt fits) - shop in regular stores (there are so many!) - enjoy trying on clothes ( I could seriously do this all day!) - cut up your lane Bryant card because you literally don't fit in anything they sell!) - keep up with your family on vacation - feel confident that you look normal for once! I could go on for hours. I get so excited when someone just had surgery because it's almost like you get a rebirth! Congratulations on your decision to get healthy! You guys are gonna love it!

I had both my gallbladder out several years ago and had RNY after. I cannot compare the two because I had an open gallbladder surgery that required 8 weeks off work to heal. I will say that I am guessing the pain will be similar.bfor me the gas was the most uncomfortable part of bypass surgery. However it should only last a few days to a week. The more you walk, the faster it disappears. Also while laying or sitting use a heating pad. Drink tons of Water to flush your system and use gas x chewables. I personally think once your bowels start working the pain is worse and the gas x will definitely help with that. The best thing you can do to get the gas out is walk walk walk and drink lots of fluids. Hope you feel better soon! It is so worth it! I promise!

@@esskay77 They are doctors that specialize in Bariatric medicine. They do not perform the surgery but follow patients who are obese or were obese. The program at park Nicollet in Minneapolis has Bariatricians, Bariatric nurses, Bariatric nurse practitioners and Bariatric surgeons.

@@ilydc I am so very sorry for your loss. Having lost both my parents at an early age, I understand the anxiety and depression that comes along with grief. Only time will heal and all the good memories will comfort you. Hugs!

I drink tons of room temperature water everyday and I love it. The minute I try to drink cold water my tummy seizes and I feel sick. I had hoped this would change but it has been 19 months and either room temp or warm water like tea. Never cold or icy cold......

@@axlr8n I did not have a lot of shoulder pain following my surgery either. Especially the first 18 hours post because they put a nerve block in that made my whole arm numb. I feel more pain in it now when I move it the wrong way than when I had the surgery. I hope the Vicodin works for you and I am glad to hear everything went well.

@@Martene81 Wow! You look fantastic. I bet people who haven't see you don't even recognize you. Congratulations!

You got those! I would start the exact same way, a pouch test to reset my system followed by strict adherence to the plan. Back to the basics and you will be sucessful! If I can do, so can anyone! It's just about how badly you want it and it sounds like you want it pretty darn bad!