BLERDgirl

@@Pac-woman - I did too. When I work up I had to pee from all those IV fluids. I was given the choice of the bed pan or the bathroom. I choice the bathroom. Getting up wasn't hard at all. I didn't really have pain. I was just really sore. We all have different pain thresholds.

It really depends on what I am eating. For example, tonight's dinner was ¼ cup red kidney beans, ¼ quinoa and 3 ounces of Beyond Meat Not Chicken. On another day I might change that to ½ cup of red kidney beans, ¼ cup quinoa and ½ cup cooked spinach. I switch it around to meet my protein & other nutritional needs and depending on what I want to eat.

It's surgery so there is reason to be concerned, however I have to say this was the easiest surgery I have ever had. 3 years ago I decided to get healthy. I joined a gym, went 3 -4 times a week, sometimes 5 times a week. I started eating clean, quit sodas, only drank Water. I am a vegetarian. I was living pretty healthy. I spent those same 3 years losing and regaining the same 35 -50 lbs. Sometimes we need help. I've lost in 4 mths what previously took me an entire year. Even better, I am still losing. My surgery couldn't have been more textbook. No pain, I walked in recovery, and I have tolerated every food I've tried. Don't let fear hold you back. Thank your son for his concern, but do what's best for you.

@@tart - Glad to see you hanging in there! It's my understanding that the weight loss can be slower for those with lower BMI's.

If you can stop at one, eat the cookie. If you can't then go drink some Water or well, really anything else. Something tells me you can't eat one cookie. If that's the case you need to get them out of your house. It's sabotage in the making. Sometimes a cup of hot chocolate is enough to soothe the sugar cravings. Other times I have to get up and go clean the bathroom or worse yet, clean the litterbox. It sort of grosses me out enough that I don't want to even think about food.

Try doing a search on proteins. There are several active thread with loads of good information.

It varies from person to person. Some people are fast losers. Some are slow and steady losers. Are you getting all your fluids and exercising? Are you logging your foods? Eating processed foods? There are many variables.

Congrats!

I wonder if people have difficulties working things out with their nutritionist. I have to admit, my first meeting with the nutritionist wasn't complete smooth sailing however. We had a minor quibble over truvia. (she called it stevia and I explained to her it isn't 100%stevia). Once she saw that I had done my homework by researching what I could use, and that I was putting in the work in terms of food logging and exercise, she loosened up.

Welcome! You're off to a good start. I will say this. WLS will teach you patience and consistency. I don't know what your doctor's protocol is but mind was 2 weeks all liquids > 2 weeks purees > 2 weeks soft foods then everything as tolerated. I made a personal decision to not have breads or crackers until I hit maintenance. They are slider foods, food with minimal nutritional payoff that are easy to eat. I would prefer to limit my carbs to complex carbs instead. Those first 2 weeks of full liquids were a challenge. You have to gradually work up to getting in 60+gms of Protein and 64+ounces of fluids. I did both peppermint and ginger tea. Once I hit purees my tummy suddenly preferred ice cold drinks and I started putting ice in all my beverages. That first egg when I hit purees was heavenly! 10 lbs is a wonderful amount of weight to lose in just a week. Compare that to the 3 weeks pre-op it took you to lose 10 lbs. You're now losing 3 times as fast!

I was. I took my iPad and charger. I had a pretty uneventful surgical course so I wasn't on pain meds. I did't bother to put on clothes but I did shower. It depends on your comfort level in hospital gowns. I went in on a Thursday and was discharged on Saturday.

@lgrey- I am vegetarian and I have a zillion food allergies & multiple med allergies. Since my allergic reactions vary from severe hive to anaphylaxis, my nutritionist and I sat down and we discussed alternatives. In the end I went with whey isolates. Isolates are better than concentrates because it's a more potent form of Protein. I drink almond milk and yes it is a lower protein source. Thankfully I can eat Greek yogurt made from milk. Of the non dairy milks I believe hemp milk has the highest amount of protein. It's not very high, but when you are working around allergies and intolerances every little bit helps. Since you have an intolerance I would do whey isolate combined with an non dairy milk to lesson the impact on your system. I also supported my protein needs with Beans and almond butter. A tbsp of almond butter in my Protein shake in the morning, blended smooth. Black beans are lower in carbs so I use a lot of them. In my all liquid stage I pureed them and made them into Soups. I also added chopped spinach which is a plant based protein source and also has lots of Iron. I also used Prosource No Carb Liquid Protein during the 2 week all liquid phase. I was given this in the hospital. It's protein sources are Collagen Hydrolysate and Whey Protein Isolate so it's not strictly a vegetarian product but it helped get me through those 2 weeks. Orgain organics has a high Protein Drink that has a good amount of protein in it. I used the regular protein drink because the high protein has stevia in it which I am allergic to. (FYI -The regular uses sucralose which I can tolerate.) Here is a list of protein sources. Like I said, it took being really creative. I literally spent a week going to going to Whole Foods, drug stores and Vitamins stores reading labels and buying samples. I am 4 mths in and 55lbs down. I still manage to eat a mostly clean vegetarian diet with no artificial sugars or food dyes. I use Myfitnesspal to monitor my carb intake, drink my Water and workout 4 -5 days a week. I average about 800 calories a day.

I would venture it's not unusual. Any dramatic change to your body like WLS can change your monthly flow.

They still have the same amount of caffeine.

I often use plain, greek yogurt instead of mayo and you can't taste the difference. I also use it instead of sour cream. I like the taste.

I put black Beans in the nutra bullet and pureed them, Then I strained out the skins and thinned it in a pot with some veg broth. I added a spoonful of FAGE 0% greek yogurt and a tiny bit of mashed avocado. I seasoned the soup with a bit of garlic powder and cayenne powder. Mostly I just played around with what I could puree and thin to a liquid.

Buy a video, if you have cable see what's On Demand. There are always yoga or pilates workouts available. Check out youtube. Sparkspeople has a series of exercises, many that can be done in a chair. Push come to shove, just walk through your house. I have a small house and for the first few says post op I would walk back and forth from the living room to the kitchen.

Yes short term disability only kicks in after you have used up sick time. The downside of having PTO instead of sick/vacation/personal days is it then views all of it that way. Think about how your body works. I had a really easy surgical process. I could easily have gone back to work after a week off. My doctor advises his patients to take at least 2 weeks off.

It varies for each individual. Many factors come into play such as age, genetics, sex, how much weight you need to lose, etc... that there really is no definitive answer. I started back exercising at 3 weeks post op. I know work out 4 -5 days a week. However I am 51 and menopausal. I know my body and I know that I have to both watch what I eat AND work out or I don't lose. I began trying to improve my health 3 years ago and learned quite a bit about what sort of proper nutrition and exercise my body needs. For example I learned I have to eat before and after the gym for the best results.

You ever try losing 40lbs on your own? It's hella hard. I think it's a slippery slope to judge others based on how much they had to lose. There could be mitigating health factors and or co-morbities to take into consideration. Even if there aren't it's not our place to judge. In many ways I wish I had taken action when it was just a matter of 40 or 50lbs. Now I'm looking at at least a 1½ years before I can even get to the high end of a healthy weight.

The definition of Puree.

I know it's hard to believe, but once I kicked processed foods, my cravings for sweet things changed. I still enjoy sweets, but I don't crave them. When I do use sweeteners I can use the real stuff and use less. I most often use raw, local honey. I also occasionally use organic sugar, and maple syrup.

However it is entirely possible to eat both low fat and low carb without eating fake foods and artificial sweeteners. I am doing just that. I would say my weight loss is about average, neither super fast, except for my 2 week loss, but not super slow either. I avoid them because of life threatening allergies, but even if I wasn't allergic to them I doubt I would eat them.

Yeah different programs have different protocols. Mine was Full liquids>Purees>Soft Foods. I was on each stage for 2 weeks. By 6 weeks it was regular food as tolerated.