goodnuff

No nausea for me either.

Chewables from Bariatric Advantage.

I waited til 8 weeks and I can not eat them. Even 1/4 of one sits like a brick in my intestines and has me doubled over in pain. I'd try a few bites and see how it goes, most people I've talked to did not have a problem. Good luck!

I hope you are under anesthesia and getting your surgery by now but if not go light a fire under their behinds.

Wow, you have impeccable timing @misformimi. I have always been able to eat more than my bypass comrades admit to. I'd talked to my dietician about this around five weeks post-op and was reassured that I was "normal" but last night I was questioning whether the amounts I eat are because of my pouch size or my strong history of overeating. Of course hearing weight loss rates faster than mine hasn't helped how much I question my rate of success and everything I'm doing. All of this to say thanks for helping me feel normal and for giving me hope that weight loss will continue and may even speed up.

Taco Bell Mucho Grande Nachos. 1,300 calories 82 grams of fat. Weekly, until I found out they had that much fat. Or maybe until they were discontinued? Probably the latter.

I never had been a breakfast eater or a workout person before surgery. My instructions had been not to drink for 60 minutes after eating which would have meant waking up at least 2 hours before a workout so I could have 20-30 minutes to eat (fuel up) before a workout and be able to drink while exercising. My trainer was adamant about eating beforehand, my dietician was adamant about waiting 60 minutes to drink and I was adamant about not losing sleep just so I could do either. I decided to eat something small, string cheese, boiled egg, half a piece of whole wheat that with peanut butter, that only took 10 minutes to eat as soon as I wake up. Then I get ready, walk the dog and drive to the gym and drink. It's not always 60 minutes since I ate but it's at least 30. It seems to work ok for me.

Prior to surgery 75% of my diet was processed/sugar filled foods. Initially after surgery I had intense head hunger but stuck to the plan outlined for me. At 6 weeks I was instructed to focus on lean Protein and Water and that I could have all things in moderation. I didn't have a craving for sweet like I did pre-op and I listened to my body. I was afraid of dumping but more afraid I wouldn't get it as I had not had any problems with eating at that point. At 10 weeks I made a very conscious decision to share a dessert while out to eat. I had three bites, it was delicious and I was completely satisfied without feeling deprived or like it was an effort not to eat the whole thing. It was a phenomenal feeling. However, over the course of my four day vacation I had a few bites of foods that lacked any nutritional value; fries, a tator tot, an onion ring and some dark chocolate. All together it was about 12 small bites of food over 4 days. Two days after vacation I woke up thinking about the rest of the chocolate bar in the fridge. For 10 weeks I was not obsessed, nor did I feel deprived for not having processed sweets. Suddenly it was a challenge to pass them up. It was a miserable feeling that lasted about 4 more days before I wasn't craving/thinking about it constantly. So, the moral is be careful when you do decide to allow sugar in your life because it is very easy to slip back into old habits. The worst part was how I felt about myself, I don't want any food to make me feel like I'm good or bad for choosing it..it's just food. I had been seeing a therapist prior to surgery but after that incident I decided to work with someone that works specifically in the field of eating psychology. Ultimately my goal is to make healthy choices 90% of the time and to thoroughly enjoy that along with the 10% that isn't chosen based on nutrition. I didn't dump with 10 grams of processed sugar (the amount in the chocolate I ate) or 20 grams of natural sugar (the amount in my fruit added smoothie). A friend dumps with around 5 grams of either and it looks miserable. Be careful what you wish for.

Take 3 deep breaths between each bite. I use a timer and take a bite every 90 seconds. When I don't I get miserably bloated.

Amazing @@anaxila!!

Hopefully I figured out how to add full size pictures to my post? PS: Nope, guess thumbnails will have to do.

When I have too much to eat I no longer need to unbutton my pants, I need to undo my bra. True story. It's only happened twice since surgery but both times that's what got tight and uncomfortable. Bwahahaha!!

I feel so fortunate that the insurance coordinator at my office sent a letter that indicated in no uncertain terms exactly what Cigna required, including how it needed to be worded to get approved. Good luck to anyone jumping through those hoops right now.

Thanks for the responses. I did see my surgeon, he thinks it's my hernia repair coming undone on one part. He told me to wear an abdominal binder at work. The pain is not severe enough to be worth another procedure in my opinion and the surgeon didn't seem to think it was indicated. I just was wondering if anyone else had experienced anything similar?

To the best of my recollection the pain started two weeks ago. It's around my belly button mostly to the left and above. I had a ventral hernia repair during my bypass and my surgeon thinks I may have "popped" a suture that was anchoring the mesh. I've had times of relief and then for no apparent rhyme or reason it comes back. I thought for a bit that it may be stool even though I go most days. Or even muscle pain from straining to go. Just curious if anyone else has experienced umbilical pain this far out and if so did you figure out the cause?

Cigna here too, I got a first letter of denial too, basically all of the t's weren't crossed. I was approved within 2 weeks. Don't worry about it, they are very picky about the appointments needing to be 30 days apart. I have no doubt that once you meet that requirement all will be a go.

Ditto. I've worked on it for years and realize that it will be a lifetime of work, but I know I'm worth that effort which is a far better place than my mind was just a few years ago. It's not a destination, it's a journey.

I can not do it daily, or even weekly. If it doesn't go down enough it throws my day off. And Lord have mercy if it goes up. Right now, while single digits won't make or break me I'm weighing every 3-4 weeks...it's a guaranteed loss from the previous weight and I haven't stepped off the scale without a Cheshire sized grin on my face yet. Once I'm at goal I'll probably weigh weekly to make sure I'm staying within 5 pounds of it. It's interesting how even this part of the journey is individual for each of us, what works for one doesn't work for another. We all have to learn what motivates and what discourages us.

Be patient. Your body is going through a lot right now. You'll read here http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/341786-when-did-you-start-to-feel-like-yourself-again/ that we all take so me time to feel "normal" again. I was feeling great for about a week and now am tired again. Be sure to get 64 ounces of fluids, including Protein shakes. Your body needs fluids, Proteins and vitamins to heal. You need to heal to start feeling energy. It'll happen.

Every surgeon and dietician will likely have a different answer for you. My surgeon is ok with 2 cups of caffeinated coffee/day and has been since 2 weeks post-op. I have one or two cups in the morning, I add Benefiber to one cup so I have no guilt about it. I also drink 16 ounces of water with it. I will also have a decaf, sugar free mocha Americano in the afternoon many days but add a scoop of unflavored protein and call it a win. I use Splenda, I know there have been studies saying artificial sweeteners increase cravings for sugar, cause cancer, make the dog bark at the wind and are the reason for global warming. I'll risk it.

It is an NSV! Celebrate!! Went out to eat last night to a BBQ joint. I ordered the sliders appetizer, no buns. When the plate arrived with three "dollops" of meat I thought maybe I should have ordered a side too. Nope, half of it was left on my plate and I was full. Funny thing was when my friend apologized for eating her bun in front of me. It's the second time that has happened. Oddly enough I don't feel deprived like I have in the past so I hadn't even thought about it. Weird how these surgeries work on your brain just a little.

Thanks lisacaron. The bariatric surgeon did my bypass and two hernia repairs, I was surprised when let me return to work without restrictions at six weeks. His nurse even verified it with him because I had complications, a bowel obstruction, that required a second surgery a week after the bypass, she wanted to be sure that he had remembered that. I trust that my personal trainer will be able to modify my workouts but I can't change what I do at work other than wearing the binder. It doesn't fit well and rolls up on itself so this should be a fun 8 weeks. Good luck to your husband. @cowgirljane, he used mesh to repair both hernias. Not all doctors use it. The only restrictions he gave me after 6 weeks was not to do "sit-ups or crunches"

I started having a burning pain that turned into sensitivity around my belly button on monday. I knew I was seeing my surgeon on Wednesday for my three month follow-up appointment so I just waited until then. He thinks on of the sutures that anchors the mesh "popped". He asked the same question he has asked at every appointment, how much weight I lift at work. I told him once again that I'm a labor and delivery nurse and my patients weigh 150-300 pounds. In urgent situations I reposition them by myself and they often have epidurals that limit their ability to help. I also help hold their legs while they push their baby out for up to 3 or 4 hours. Epiduralized legs are not light. I don't understand why he seems to have a difficult time grasping the concept that my job is physically demanding. The first time I answered that question he tried dismissing my answer by stating that "babies don't weigh that much do they?" I told him that as a Labor Nurse I rarely hold a baby, I work with the moms. Anyway, after listing some of the things I do in a typical day he advised me to wear an abdominal binder at work. He told me at my six week appointment not to do sit ups or anything that would crunch my stomach in half but cleared me to start working with a personal trainer. I followed his instructions but was curious why I couldn't do a sit up if I was released to work where I'm bending, stooping etc.? I asked if I could continue my work outs, he kept saying that he doesn't think I need to lift weights and that I should just do cardio to lose weight. I explained to him that I do the weight lifting to tone-up and build strength, he seemed confused as to why I would want to do that but said it was ok to do. I asked if I could do planks, again...I'm engaging my core at work All. The. Time. His response was to "give it two months to heal". So I can work. I can work out. But I'm not supposed to use my abdominal muscles? Umm, ok. The biggest irritation is that this hernia never bothered me before surgery. I was aware that my stomach pooched out a bit but it never hurt and never gave me problems. Now there's constant pain, severity depends on position and if I have anything to eat or drink. I really really hope this isn't the start of long term complications. Anyone have similar hernia issues after repair?

@@foodfighter78, if I remember correctly, we had surgery the same week. You are looking amazing! Congratulations on your success!!!