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I'm 9 months out and still get them occasionally, though not as much as I used to. They are so weird, because I can't really feel them coming. They're just suddenly gurgling up. The sound reminds me of creaking ropes on an old sailing ship, so I just make occasional pirate noises ("Arrr! Arrrr mateys!") and let it go. Totally normal, right?

I hated protein shakes too and was so glad that my surgeon didn't have us use them. I did drink isopure drinks when I was desperate for protein, though. They are a thinner consistency, like kool-aid, and may be easier for you to get down.

The first week I literally dreamt about food. They were the most boring dreams ever: just me eating a cheeseburger or a slice of pizza. It went away within a week or two. I also felt the call of McDonald's drive-thru at breakfast almost every morning on my way to work, no matter how full I was. I was bever really tempted to eat it or craved the taste, but the habit was so strong it surprised me. You CAN stay away from these temptations, and eventually you'll begin to have cravings for the kind of healthful foods you do eat. Then life is pretty good.

Also, I did my first big trip overseas at 10 weeks post op. I think for that one it was mainly protein bars, protein bars, and more protein bars. That one was also traveling with a large group of senior executives that I didn't know well, so the food situation was even more awkward than normal. It does get easier with both time and practice. Eventually you'll be able to eat more things and experiment (successfully) with local cuisines. It just takes time and patience.

I travel all over the world with my job, and always pack lots of food from home just to be safe. You never know what will be available where, and can have problems where you'd least expect it. The places you'd think would be safe and reliable aren't, and vice versa. I don't dump and I'm 9 months out from surgery, so I can probably tolerate things that not everyone can. But this is what I've brought with me for a trip to Sydney Australia this week. Portions are 1/day unless otherwise noted. * Protein bars (2/day) * nuts * crystal light single serving mixes (5/day) * dole fruit squish'ems * bear naked honey almond high protein granola * natures all organic fair trade dark chocolate strawberry pieces * natures all organic fair trade dark chocolate banana pieces * fruit and nut blend antioxidant fusion dried and unsulfured trail mix I will also find a grocery store right away and buy bananas, raspberries, blueberries, and greek yogurt if I can find them and if my hotel has a fridge. I eat these things for Breakfast and lunch, focusing my energy on finding a nice 4oz plain chicken breast for dinner. I find that if I tell the waitstaff that I am on an extremely restrictive diet and just want plain grilled chicken (or whatever) they have no problem accommodating me. Hope this helps!

Way to go, Karl!!

@@LoseItKacy, I agree with @@dhrguru. Your goal is 100% achievable. My starting weight was 305 eight months ago, and I'm just 35 pounds away from my goal of 145. I'm 5'4", and I also had RNY. My weight loss has definitely slowed down since the six-month mark, but I still expect to hit goal before the end of the year.

This morning, I got to the 5:30am (UGH!) Body Pump class at the gym a bit later than normal. The only remaining open spot was in the very front of the class, about two feet away from the instructor, so I had a good view of myself in the massive mirror throughout the workout. I realized then that I haven't spent any time gazing at my reflection this year, and I couldn't believe how amazing I look. [if I do say so myself... ] I seriously can hardly recognize my own body when it's staring back at me. Even more amazing... about 20 minutes into the class, the woman next to me leaned over and said "...Amy!? Is that really you?!" It was the nutritionist who got me through all six of my monthly pre-op appointments. She left the clinic shortly after I had surgery and I haven't seen her since. This woman had a huge impact on the success I've had to date, and I am so grateful for her help and support. Even more incredible is the fact that just 8 months after surgery, I can work out right next to her and keep up at every step of the way. Sometimes, I hardly recognize my own life.

If you can lie on your tummy without pain, do it.

I'd also suggest checking your Iron levels and/or starting iron supplements. 8 weeks out was when I was having my period aaaaalll the time, and my iron levels got really low and I had no energy at all. The supplements perked me right up.

I cannot live without my Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt. My strong preference is for vanilla flavor with Bear Naked high-Protein / gluten free granola, raspberries, and blueberries. But just about any flavor will do, and I never pass a full day without one. I just came back from 2 weeks of overseas travel for business, and the days I couldn't find Greek yogurt were very bleak indeed. I also *have* to have Crystal Light lemonade. On this same trip, brought four boxes of single-serving lemonades. I ran out the day before I was scheduled to come home and was all "welp, time to go!". That last day was rough. Other common items in my pantry include Quest protein chips (especially the cheese flavor), and Quest Protein Bars only for emergencies. My freezer always has Sea Cuisine tortilla-crusted tilapia and raw chicken breasts to make into chicken salad as needed.

Mine was great, and I chose to do all of my pre-op appointments with her rather than others on the team because we had a great rapport and she was super-practical. I didn't follow any of her advice during the "supervised weight loss" phase leading up to surgery, but I was apparently listening and processing and remembering it all more than I thought, as it's been super helpful since surgery. I hear her voice in my head in the grocery store when I recognize the things she suggested, and gravitate towards them more often than not. I think she was absolutely critical to my success in the 7 months since surgery.

I added coffee back after about 3 months. The surgery team's guidance was to wait until I could routinely get in 100 oz of Water in a day. Also, they advise me to *subtract* the number of oz of coffee I drank from my total liquid intake for the day, to counteract the dehydration risk. So if I have 16 oz of coffee, I track that as -16oz of water. I have no idea how valid this is, but it makes me limit my total caffeine intake and I've had no issues for the past 4 months.

Hey, I was there at the support group meeting. We need to come up with a signal to recognize each other at these!

I had just the opposite problem! I was trying to insert thumbnails, and ended up with HYOOOOGE images. We just can't get what we want, can we? Love your update! You look fantastic!

I am 6 months & 2 days post-surgery, and life is beautiful. Front, back, and side photos are in my gallery folder: http://www.bariatricpal.com/gallery/image/85333-6-month-progress-picture-side/

At my 3-week appointment, the nurse asked me "How have your emotions been?", and I was all "Why, what have you heard!?" My husband was in the corner of the room, so he just smirked. He knew I'd been an emotional basket case for the week or two prior, crying at literally anything. If you Google estrogen and fat, you'll see why she asked this question. As one of the the sources explains it (which is basically the same thing she told me): "Estrogen likes to store itself in fat tissues so there is a problem for some people when the fat breaks down (through nutrition, exercise or other methods) it releases the estrogen back into the system. " So until the estrogen makes its way out of your system, it's running around your body wreaking havoc and causing all sorts of chaos like untimely PMS-like symptoms and frequent periods. It does get better.

It was several months after surgery before I tried any fruits, and I have tolerated them well. But just because it's a banana and not a Twinkie doesn't mean it won't make you sick or won't make you dump, so tread lightly here. I don't have a goal for grams-of-sugar-per-day, but I do have a limit of 10g per serving of anything. And that's a regular serving, not a bariatric serving, because it's mostly about the proportion of sugar-to-other-macros that I care about. So bananas are mostly out (except for occasional post-run recovery) and strawberries and other berries are in. There are simple and complex sugars and different kinds of sugar (e.g., lactose, fructose, glucose, maltose, sucrose, galactose), and so there's a continuum of badness that has lactose on one end and Twinkies on the other. My nutrition said that lactose was so far on the side of goodness that I shouldn't worry about limiting it, which seems to be common advice. But basically everything else is still a potential danger spot for your RNY-shortened digestive tract, so please be careful with the fruits and sweeteners until you know how they affect you.

My understanding is that Extended-Release formulas are a thing of the past post-surgery, permanently, for the same reasons cited above. RNY digestive tracts are too short for the ER formulas to break down, and they end up passing in and out before doing their little medication-goodness.

I realized one day last week that I was running on the treadmill at the gym while watching "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives", and the cognitive dissonance nearly made me fall off. I switched to HGTV instead. House porn is way better than food porn anyway.

My surgeon went straight to purees as well. I had scrambled eggs for Breakfast in the hospital the day after surgery, and subsisted on pureed chicken taco meat and refried Beans for most of the first week. Every surgeon is different. Just follow the plan you were given.

The one I used, "C25K Free" by Zen Labs, also let you skip days.

I did bypass at a center of excellence. My surgeon was the founder of the center and has been in the business for decades. His program's guidelines are unique, from what I've read here. No shakes, no liquid pre-op phase, straight to purees/soft foods. I had scrambled eggs in the hospital the morning after surgery and was working out at the gym after a week. My recovery was a breeze with no complications. Now I am 6 months out and have lost 105 pounds. Every surgeon is different and so is every patient. I think this is particularly true of the surgeons who have been at it for a long time and have learned what works best with their particular surgical / cutting style and habits. Follow your program and no one else's.

I had the same thing happen in the weeks after surgery. I tolerate them just fine now, when I'm in a pinch and can't get to a meal.

Here's a new one. I went to see my parents at the end of April for the first time since surgery in January, when I was about 70-75 pounds down. My mother took one look at me and immediately burst into tears. She hugged and clung on for a while until she could get control of herself. Mom's always been very petite, and I had no idea how troubled she was by my size until that moment. I'm glad she kept it to herself, but it was also gratifying to see such a strong reaction. They just came to visit last weekend and were both amazed again at how different I look from April to now (about 105 pounds down in total). When they left, Mom took away 29 grocery bags filled with clothes in size 20-24 for her next garage sale. That's practically an NSV all on its own. Overall, there's nothing like family to give you honest feedback (for better or for worse) on how you're doing. At this point, I'll take it!