BigTink2LilTink

Yeah I was pretty open about my having the surgery. Which now that I'm looking back on I am very glad that I did. There is nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to dealing with obesity and trying to do the things you can do to help overcome it. I also think that by me being so open about the procedure and all the pluses and minus post surgery its not only helping me to deal with the journey better, but it may help someone else who may also be thinking about weight loss surgery.

Good thing you went back and they caught it.

I ate beef brisket about 9 weeks post surgery. I then got beyond extremely sick. I think it was after that last sickness I was in the hospital getting IV fluids and having memory issues. Of course my surgeon got on my ass for eating beef way way too soon. I didn't touch beef again until 4 weeks ago. I spent 3 and a half of that time eating just ground beef. I tried small strips of steak just last week and brisket again a few days ago. No issues this time around. My point is this, my doc advised me on not eating red meat until 6 months post op. I tried to go 8 weeks post op and paid for it. Its not worth the risk and headaches it will cause. Wait the full 6 months before you try to eat the tougher Proteins like beef and pork. Trust me when I tell you that in the end of those 6 months, that shit will be there for you to eat, with fewer complications.

I honestly would say about two months where it doesn't feel weird. However for me in those two months it was trial and error on the things that I was allowed to eat. You'll get tired for fish and chicken real real quick. I mean real quick. So you'll have to become creative with different veggies, fruits, nuts, and other food sources.

Yeah a friend of mines named her's after her surgery. And I figured it was a cool idea, and since I was a heavy Game of Thrones watcher on HBO I decided to give mines a more fitting name.

For a while, cause I too got kind burned out on the chocolate and vanilla protein power mixes, I went with ISOPure unflavored protein powder and mixed that in with either orange juice or sugar free/low sugar apple juice. It kinda thickened up the juice a bit but it was good enough to drink and not feel like I was drinking a shake. I needed that the first two months post surgery cause the regular flavored protein mixes were too sweet tasting to me.

My want to call your surgeon and get advice on what over the counter meds you can take if any. You don't want to risk any complications with the anesthesia during surgery. It better in this case to error on the side of caution than to take any unnecessary risks. Good luck on your upcoming surgery by the way.

I am 8 months out now and I am starting to tolerate more food choices than I was even two months ago. Every new dish I try, even if it with the same basic Proteins mixed in (chicken/fish), I still take it slow. I have to make sure my Tyrion (name of new stomach pouch) can handle it okay before making it a more regular meal routine.

If you can use fiber such as Miralax and my personal fiber of choice Metamucil. I am to the point now that I can go a day or two without taking it and still manage a normal poop. But I tend to drink at least one 8oz glass of orange juice/Metamucil mix in the mornings.

Yeah I am at a current stall. I haven't lost any weight in almost two weeks. Even with my increased cardio, my pounds haven't moved much. I may take this current plateau and go ahead and really get back into resistance training and weights. I've been putting it off for months now, but I guess it might be the only way to re-trigger some more weight loss and past this current plateau.

So far from a year ago my Body Mass Index (BMI) number is down 20 points. This time last year I had a BMI of 51 and now I am at 31. Yeah its still high but that just shows how far I've come in so little time. I need to change my current weight on my profile too. But I am now about 100lbs away from my goal and about 120lbs away from my doctor's goal.

Thank you all. I mean that is a ton of weight to loose in 7 months 110lbs from my surgery date weight to now. If I add up what I lost from a year ago when I was at my highest weight to now, I am literally down 275lbs. And I can indeed tell the difference being that much lighter. I can run up about 4 flights of steps and not be winded at all.

Thanks for the input.

So as I am working out more and losing a so far consistent 6lbs per week, I am starting to worry more about the whole loose skin issue. I was looking into compression/binder garments to kinda help keep everything in and start shaping out the body. I know that this won't stop the whole loose/excessive skin that I will eventually have to deal with, but I am willing to try anything I can to help reduce the amount as humanly possible before going the surgery route. Mainly asking the guys on here, but would gladly leave this open for anyone to chime in here on, have you used compression/binder garments before and how would you rate their success rate? Here are some examples of things I am look at: http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/productFullReview.do?reviewid=4138&productid=64344 http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/product.do?id=64051 http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/product.do?id=64051

I've only tried the cookie dough one myself. I though it was okay. I tend to eat more of the Pure Protein bars instead cause they have around 15 to 20g of protein and sugars tend to say at or below 2g depending on which ones you eat.

Breakfast I am getting anywhere from 10-20g depending on if I eat food or do a Protein shake. Most morning I do a Isopure protein shake/fiber mix that is around 15 to 20g of protein in it. For lunch I tend to eat pre-made microwavable dinners. Today for lunch I had a Stouffer's Fit Kitchen dinner that has about 27g of protein in it at only 410 calories. If I snack its usually with something like a pure protein or life choice bar meal bar. Those are usually in the 20g range when it comes to protein. So before I make it to dinner I'm usually at or really close to what I need to meet as a minimum daily intake of protein. Some days are indeed easier than others to get everything in. And I do notice when I have met my intake requirements for a few days versus when I don't. My muscles aren't as weak feeling when I am meeting the protein intake. I am still in the process of learning my stomach all over again. Some days some foods work without any issues and then I can come back a few days for weeks later, eat the same thing and my stomach revolts it like the black plague. I guess this is the life of a bariatric person. A diva tummy.

Yup I was told to wait 20-30 minutes after eating before drinking anything. Yesterday I didn't do that and wound up puking most of my lunch up. Today I've waited and my food didn't come back up. So yeah I definitely wait a bit to drink right after eating something.

I take about 1.5 to 2 minutes per bite. And yeah for me being almost 8 months post op, it takes me about 30 minutes to eat about a 1/2 cup of food. So some of it is true and some isn't. I know for me it did take a while to get use to and every now and then I do tend to eat faster than that and I'll feel it and slow myself down. But you will get fuller quicker and find yourself no where near as hungry as you use to be prior to the surgery.

Congrats on a successful surgery. And my you have a very speedy recovery.

You were eating beef at 4 weeks post op?

Nutrients, in particular B Vitamin. I was okay about the first 3 weeks post surgery. But then a bad sinus infection which was causing mucus drainage into the stomach got me really sick. I was puking when only taking down Water let alone soft foods and liquids. I got severely dehydrated and my multivitams weren't enough. My primary doctor did some blood work and notice I have a deficeny in the B vitamin area and got me on a prescription mult-vitamin as soon as he could. It took about a month for my memory to return to a functioning level. Its still not 100% but about 4 months ago it wasn't even 60%. And it was all short term memories too. Anything that happened within the past 2 to 3 months long term, or anything that happened that day. If I didn't write it down or recorded it, there was a very likely chance I would forget it. I just started doing research so I didn't know memory loss was an issue? What is the reasoning behind this? Too little food and nutrients? How long did that last?

I would say so. I was about two weeks post surgery when I started on prescription Miralax. After that I have been taking Metamucile daily since. When I wasn't on any fiber I was extremely bloated and I think constipated once. But you may want to clear a laxative/fiber with your surgeon before taking something over the counter.

I actually had some a few days ago, I also cut it with some tea too. It wasn't horrible on me as far as gas or feeling uncomfortable. But this was a fountain soda and not one straight from the bottle or can either. At a little over 6 months outs too. I have been mostly on flavored non-carbonated waters like Propel and Power Aid Zero for my liquid needs, when I want something other than just plan water or coffee.

I was sort of the same way. I have a co-worker who has been beyond encouraging me to stay healthy and fit. If it wasn't for her getting me away from my desk and walking while at work I probably wouldn't as consistent in it as I am now. It is easier to do when you have people around you helping you stay positive and motivated.

For me it was what would be the least problematic for my body to deal with. Losing a part of my stomach or having my entire digestive system rerouted. In the end I didn't want to take the risk with the rerouting of my intestines and digestive track. Plus this surgery had the quickest recovery time and less food restrictions that I saw. Over all I am happy so far with the choice I made as far as going the sleeve vs. bypass route.