Daisee68

Congrats! What a great feeling and accomplishment!

Premier Protein (still drink it every day post-op). My favorite powder is Precision Engineered whey Protein Isolate (be sure to get Isolate). The chocolate tastes great and the vanilla tastes as good as it smells. It is low sugar and low lactose.

OK, so my NUT told me last week I could start increasing calories to 900-1000 calories and I have a question. (I am 7 1/2 months post-op. I had been averaging closer to 800 calories and still wasn't going hungry.) My problem is I should be eating more in the morning but especially since I have been off work, I don’t get moving as quick and get in early food some days. So for example today, I just had a Premier Protein shake for Breakfast but not a morning snack because I had an early lunch but didn’t eat a big lunch. I wasn’t really hungry for dinner (I am still not getting feelings of hunger really), but I did eat – turkey, avocado, cucumber and cheese. I was only at 738 calories for the day – 73g protein, 35g carbs, 36g fat. I wasn’t full so I had a Fiber One bar which increased my calories to 828 calories – 74g protein, 53g carb, 39g fat. I am satisfied. (It is 8:24 pm). So my question is – is it better to stop at this point OR would it be preferable to wait an hour and then have a Protein Shake or Protein Bar? I am not necessarily talking about tonight, but this is just an example. I have gone up to 1000 calories some days (generally by getting in an extra shake or protein bar), so this is probably a little more unusual day. I am trying to understand if it is more important to get in more calories or more important to try to listen to whether I am “hungry” or not? Does that make sense? I have emailed my NUT but just wanted to get some of your thoughts. Thank you as always!

I don't know what MFP has but what I like about Liberating Daily Plate is ability to add recipes (and any food for that matter) and ability to set your own micronutrient goals. I would use a BariatricPal app that had these.

I don't recall there being a restriction at all. No immersion / soaking until incisions are healed and probably ly not stand there in shower with water flooding your incisions but otherwise showering is encouraged ???? once you have the energy to stand up that is. It may exhaust you the first few times.

30 pounds in less than a month? That is great success. Much better than average

Absolutely possible if you use it as the tool it is meant to be and follow the program (and see a therapist if you can). I lost 15 pounds in 3 months supervised diet. 12 pounds on 1 week per-op liquid diet. And 92 pounds since surgery 7 1/2 months ago. So I am down 119. Another 20 or 30 to go.

Are you sure it isn't acid reflux? That often mimics hunger pangs. If you aren't taking a prescription PPI, check with your dr.

Congrats! You are almost there! Honestly it depends on how busy your surgeon's office is. They should be much less busy now than they were in December when everyone is trying to get surgery done while their deductibles are met. Mine got submitted a couple of days after all requirements were completed and I had approval from insurance 24 hours later. I think the average that I see others say is about a week after they complete everything. When you are there on Wednesday, get the name of the person who will submit the info and then check with them in a week and see if it has gone yet. Then wait a couple of days (after they say it was submitted) and call your insurance company to see if they got it and how long they anticipate it taking to be approved. Basically, be a pest if you have to. Good luck!

First, so sorry you are feeling so bad! Been there done that and it isn't fun! It is a bit of a vicious cycle - you cannot eat or drink but not getting enough Protein or fluids will make you feel sick. You may have a stricture. I did. Once they fixed that I felt MUCH better. Have they done an EGD to see if you have a stricture? If not, you may need to insist on it. If your bariatric surgeon will not do it, then you can go to a GI dr who will. Good luck! keep track of your symptoms for the next few days and talk to the dr about it. (It took me not being able to hold anything at all down for 4 1/2 days and a trip to the ER before I got them to do the EGD and found the stricture. To be fair to the dr, I don't think I was explaining my symptoms very well.)

Absolutely! And I don't really know how people get through it that don't. Now there are a few meals (like eating out) where I have to just guesstimate as best as I can. It is not 100% accurate on these meals, but it is the best I can do. I have been doing this off and on for years (long before WLS) and have always been much more successful when I do. What I use it for the most is getting to the end of the day (before dinner) and being able to see the macronutrients and what I need to have for dinner (i.e. high Protein, lower carb or I can afford some carbs but no fat, etc.). I am 7 1/2 months post-op. I use Livestrong My Daily Plate (and have for 5 years). I don't know if I will ever be able to get to the point where I can eat reasonably like @Kindle. I just don't know if I have the ability to do that. I kind of hope so but I know that I will always need to double check myself at least occasionally.

@@sharonsjourney - I don't think they are telling it to you correctly. Frankly if it was elective, it wouldn't be covered by insurance. One piece of advice - do your best not to overpay. What I mean by that is the hospital will ask for an amount before surgery, you will have paid for other tests which eat away at your deductible, etc. So try to keep a list of everything you paid and/or what you remaining deductible / out of pocket costs are so that you can show it to the hospital (or surgeon whomever you are paying last) and attempt to show them you have already paid these amounts. Basically trying to avoid double paying. I will warn you, that you are still likely to double pay, so keep track of everything and what gets paid after surgery because you will likely need to get refunds from the providers. Give them a few weeks after your insurance shows they paid it before calling and requesting the refund. @@Alex Brecher - My best suggestion is getting the insurance requirements from the insurance company in writing - not just from the doctor. The insurance companies have printed policies and they must be followed to a T. Like @@Elode, I followed everything exactly and had approval in less than 24 hours from being submitted (well submitted at noon on a Friday and got call from my dr office on Monday at 10 a.m. that I was approved.)

I'm with @Babbs. I don't mind any of it! I have gotten the "I'm so proud of you" one too and I think I like that one. But it was said by a very close (old) friend and quietly, in my ear as she hugged me. I just saw my aunt and she said a simple "You really look great". My mom (who I see quite often) said "Can I ask how much you lost?" Heck yea! I can't quite believe it myself so saying it outloud makes it a little more real! (Still cannot get my head around the actual amount yet.) I saw another friend today who just said "wow you are tiny". Um no. Definitely not tiny but funny to hear. The only time I have really been uncomfortable was the ones that are a little over the top and go on and on. (I have told everyone about the surgery so it's not that part. I am just uncomfortable in general with someone making too big of a fuss about anything.) Now I am going somewhere tomorrow where most people haven't seen me in years - and those that have it has been several months. I anticipate a lot of hoopla (I worked with these people for 14 years before my most recent job which was 8 years) so they really are like family - though long distance family. If comments tomorrow get weird or even anything new that I am comfortable with, I will report back. Thanks for asking @@Inner Surfer Girl. I think it would be a great article!

I am with @djmohr. It does get easier after surgery. (I had bypass so I cannot speak to whether the rule applies to VSG or not.) I struggled with the stopping before more than I did anything else. That one took time. I don't generally wait a whole 30 minutes though and I have seen this rule vary from 5 or 10 minutes to 30. I do the best I can on this one. I don't drink during eating. I have enough trouble getting in the right food that I can't waste the space. I have had a tiny rescue sip (as I have seen it called) when needed and then I just set an alarm on my phone for 30 minutes after I finish eating and don't drink until it goes off. Learning how to balance all this takes time. Try not to let it stress you out. These things all seem overwhelming in the beginning but some of it (most of it) just becomes habit eventually and you don't even realize you are doing it. Good luck with your surgery! Great job on the diet cokes! I promise you that is MUCH harder than the no drinking while eating thing! If you can quit diet cokes, you can DEFINITELY do the rest of this stuff!

You may have seen this before but checkout Poshmark.com. You can sell (and buy). I have gotten rid if lots of stuff that way that was only slightly used and in good condition and restocked my closet with same.

It could be gas also. Try some Gas-X strips or chewables and a heating pad on your stomach. Definitely see what you dr wants to do for constipation. That was the worst part of this journey (and frankly at 7 1/2 months is still an issue for me).

Agreed. You are fine. My NUT says to have no more than 6g of sugar per serving to be considered "low sugar". If you have shakes that only have 1g, then you are doing great!

I am so sorry that happened! That is very disappointing I know. What you are feeling is completely normal. I woke up from surgery thinking "What the heck have I done" and a lot of people feel the same way. Everyone's pain is different so there is no way to know but you just have to get through the first few days. Take your pain med, sip, sleep and walk. I think it is supposed to be a week before you drive maybe? I don't really remember and honestly I drove earlier. There are some folks on here who drove home from the hospital (which I can't imagine as my hospital and surgeon would not allow). And some go back to work in a matter of days (presumably driving). So it depends on how far you have to go, how you feel, if you are taking pain med, etc. My energy level was fine after day 3 but then sort of derailed on week 3 (after I went back to work and became more active but it quickly resolved again). Really too many variables to give you any definitive answers, but I will tell you, that I have had a LOT of surgeries (4 shoulder surgeries, D&C, Hysterectomy, 4 Kidney Stone surgeries in addition to the RNY) and with every single one, I thought about backing out even as late as them rolling me down the hall to the operating room no matter how much pain I was in and knowing the surgery would fix it, so your fears are normal. Just try to stay focused on your pre-op diet and changing some habits (like stopping carbonation, not drinking during eating, etc.) Deep breaths. You can do this!

Oh gosh! To all of you struggling a few days out, just know that it gets better. Everything you are going through is perfectly normal and reasonable! I think the ones that come through this "feeling great" are more rare than it seems. You just had MAJOR surgery and I can tell you after having a LOT of major surgery in my life that Day 2-3 are the worst. (Even drs will tell you that.) So just hang in there. Rest. Your body needs it. When you are awake, sip and walk and DO NOT BE AFRAID to take that pain med. It does taste bad but it is only seconds. Just take it. You might try a heating pad (or even ice pack - I did both) on your stomach. You are supposed to work up to 64 oz so do not fret if you are only getting in 30 oz (and know that your Protein shake DOES count towards Fluid goals). I promise it does get better. It might not necessarily be an upward trajectory of better. It could be good some days and then not some days but I promise you that when you look back at this post in 2 or 3 months, you will smile ear to ear and this will be a distant memory. Hang in there!! You just have to get through the beginning.

You look amazing! Great job! I'm sorry you have gotten these comments. Just ignore all those people. Laugh it off. It isn't worth giving it the brain space (or heart space) to even think about. I think people just don't know what to say. I saw someone recently who I hadn't seen in over a year (a boss from out of town who then subsequently laid me off a few weeks later) and at over 100 pounds down, I expected him to say something but NOPE. Not a word. Perhaps he thought it rude. Mostly it was like a strange elephant in the room (especially since I met him for drinks but only would order Water and not alcohol). I am not sure what I would have wanted him to say. Perhaps a "Wow you look great!" would suffice. What I also notice is that the younger men find it acceptable to say something but older men have likely been taught it is rude to say something about a women's weight. I have an interview tomorrow at a place I worked for 14 years (and then left 8 years ago). I have seen a couple of people in that space of time and even a couple of them since surgery, but not most. It will be interesting to hear what they say. I am bracing myself to just smile and say "Thanks!". One of the people had sleeve surgery a few months before my RNY. I have seen her a couple of times and unfortunately other than the first 30 pounds right off the bat, she has given up and gone back to her old lifestyle. I know seeing me will make her uncomfortable and I hate that but I can't change it. I can just be encouraging if she asks (and only if she asks how I am doing so well) and tell her what everyone here says - get back to the basics. Keep up the great work! Enjoy the new body and new health!

LOL @@Inner Surfer Girl! I was thinking the exact same thing! Great job @@cslove!! Keep up the great work!

First 3 days are the worst. Just be prepared for that. But it does get easier. If your doctor does allow broth, look for something other than plain chicken. I used Swansons Mexican Tortilla Soup broth and man that saved me! It tasted wonderful! They have a Thai Ginger one too I think. Broth helps. sugar free Popsicles help. Lots of Water or tea or whatever else you are allowed and just keep your eye on the prize. YOU GOT THIS!!

Glad all went well! Keep sipping and walking!

Definitely can be acid reflux. Try Zantac if you don't have a PPI prescribed.

Ugh. So sorry. The nausea was the worst part of this journey (well actually the constipation was the worst but then the nausea). I was nauseas for a good 6 months (partly because I had a stricture which they found at 3 months though - not sure why the nausea after that). Good news is mine has virtually disappeared. Stay hydrated. Tiny sips of Water. And hopefully tomorrow will be better!