Sunshine_Gal

I'm curious to know if any of you were on Blood Pressure & Water pills prior to surgery and had your surgeon take you off your water retention medicine the day of surgery. I was fine for the first month and then my feet and legs, up to my knees, started swelling to the point of lots of pain. I waited until I had my six week check up with my surgeon assuming he would put me back on the water retention medication or suggest something else. To my surprise he wasn't really concerned but he did tell me if I wanted more followup to check with my family physician or cardiologist. I saw my family physician on Thursday, 3 days ago, and have lost 10 pounds, I can't believe the difference in my legs and feet in 3 short days! My family doctor was so upset because I also take another medication, which I'm still on, for incontinence, which also causes water retention. To be on the safe side he's having me do an electrocardiogram and stress test to rule out heart complications. I wondered if this is a general practice with surgeons with bypass surgery to remove the water retention medications. I look forward to your input.

@@anaxila I think that's so funny and congrats. My license has said 185lbs for eons, it will be amazing to actually be what it says, I can't wait.

@@JamieLogical Wow! Wonderful progress pictures and congrats congrats congrats on this fantastic accomplishment. I can't wait to move into that category.

@@heynowkc Thanks so much for the link to Fooducate, I'd not seen that site before and I think it will fast become a favorite. I love this thread since we are avid costco shoppers and are there often.

@@jrp12365 I gained 11 during my stay in the hospital and it took me 3 days to get that off. So yes, it happens and I also panicked, so hang in there and congrats on the start of your new healthier life!

This is my the start of my 9th week post op. Pre-Op and the first two weeks post-op I was doing great. Then I hit the 3rd week and stopped dead in my tracks for several weeks, the scales just didn't move, now to me that's a 'stall'. From then until now I have lost, if I'm lucky, a pound a week. It's so frustrating when you're only eating 600 calories or less a day, exercising and the scales just doesn't want to budge. So yes, I believe the body 'stalls' trying to desperately hold on to the fat it's acquired. I don't know what's ahead for me but I've come to the realization that even though I'm consuming way fewer calories than I ever have before the weight isn't going to 'fall' off for me. It's going to be a much slower process. The thing is there is no set time to finish to the goal line. I have the rest of my life. Every pound that is gone is gone for good (which is still hard to wrap my head around). So I keep plugging along, hoping one of these days the scales is going to drop more than a pound or two at a time. But if not, it's still going down not up and that's the most important thing. After all ask yourself how long it took you to put on all those extra pounds so a couple of years to take it off is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Another thing, the scale may glue itself tightly to one spot during the week but the tape measure has become my friend. The inches are melting, I can see it in the mirror, that extra stomach or two I was carrying around has disappeared, I finally have a waist again. My clothes are loose, the original pants I wore pre-surgery are long gone, the next size down many of them are baggy and the buttons on the blouses button all the way, always before the last one or two buttons never buttoned because of my stomach. So I'd say stall or not, this is the best tool I've ever used and I just keep on track and know that eventually the scales will catch up to the inches and I'll be one happy, healthy person!

My first NSV, well I'm sure there have been more, this is the first one I've shared. I can easily! reach the plug in the tub to let the bathwater out, scrub the bottoms of my feet like it wasn't a chore! Before it cut me in half to try and reach the plug let alone the soles of my feet!

@@MBM1Forever If it works for you, and it seems to you have lost 52 pounds in 2 months! I'd stay on track. You have things in the right order of priority, Protein, veggies, carbs. Keep on keepin' on, and great job!!!

@@JamieLogical Maybe something that will work later for you??? Had you eaten these raw veggies before? Or any raw veggies (if you stated this above, forgive me I don't remember who said what). Perhaps other raw veggies or was it the dip itself, I suppose that's a hard one to distinguish between when you feel icky. So sorry, that's not a nice way to start the day, hoping it passes quickly for you. I must say this whole process is such an eye opener, I didn't realize it would be so involved or take so much thought just to get by each day with my food. I'm not complaining just saying my eyes weren't completely wide open when I started this journey. We never know exactly what we are in for until we're walking the walk are we.

@@beachgurl84 Do you track your fat grams too, if so what are they at?

@@Beni So I'm really curious, by expending more energy all day did you see the weight come off faster?

@@AuriP - Can you share how much you upted it? And are you tracking carbs and fats? If so where do you try to keep them. There's a sweet spot I'm sure the body likes and it looses more when you reach it. My problem is at this point it's all a guessing game as to how much of each I should be eating! Congrats on the loss and fingers crossed it keeps on moving down at a faster pace!

@@JamieLogical The way I try to keep my sanity is the realization that this time is different from all the rest. We both lost much faster but boy we gained it back much faster too. This time it may be slower but each pound, in my opinion is gone for good, I won't be regaining it and losing it ten time over like in my past yo-yo days and I assume most of you are the same way. We're all turtles I guess slow and steady! And I'm only getting on an average of 500 -550 calories a day. I think that may be some of my slowness but at this point I'm just not able to each much more than that. Once I get the go ahead to added Protein powder, shakes or Snacks perhaps I'll be able to up my calorie count. I still find it utterly fascinating that I'm not hungry most of the time even on so few calories and what small amounts I eat fill me up and satisfy me. My biggest complaint is finding something to eat. Nothing has that zip and zing it used to, sigh, can't have it both ways I guess. I dress my food up with salsa and hot stuff (which thank goodness still doesn't bother me) but ------ well ----- food is kind of boring now.

I have been a heavy coffee (caffeinated - black) drinker all my life. I drank it up to midnight post-op. I was so worried I would go through withdrawals, headaches, etc. when I went off it in the hospital. I didn't have any, but I think it was because of the pain meds from surgery. I tried a sip about 4 weeks out and had to spit it out, it tasted awful. I almost cried to think my coffee was gone. I tried again a week later and it wasn't quite as bad but no where near good. This last week (7 weeks out) I tried again and now it tastes good. I only have about 1/2 -3/4 cup in the morning, just black and it satisfies my zen coffee morning moments again.

@@Babbs I think that's a great idea!

This thread has been really good. It's like the old saying misery loves company, well in this instance it's slow losers love company, just so we know we are not alone, failing or the odd ball out. I have never lost like this in my entire life. The last time I lost a great deal of weight was in 2001 and it was a little over 90lbs in less than 6 months. I just 'assumed' it would be the same this time if not faster. WELL the scales are sure showing me wrong. In the last four weeks I've lost 4 pounds. It's frustrating, but I keep trying to tell myself this is the 'FOREVER' time not like any of the times that have come before. Every pound gone this time is gone for good. At 65 I just wanted to hurry up and loose it all so I could get on with my life. Now I'm beginning to think it might take me a couple of years to loose it unless something turns around. The good thing I've read is that the slower you loose the less saggy skin you have. Have to keep looking on the bright side my friends.

@@Goatfarmer - It's nice to see someone close to my age here as well. And what I think we both forgot to mention, is that we are only 65 and 66 in number, inside we are still young chicks and soon to prove it when our outside catches up to the inside. I so agree with all comment. It's never too late to take hold and change your lifestyle and the course of your health.

I was 65 in December and had gastric bypass on January 16th. I'm excited for the months and years ahead. I wish I could have done it years ago but insurance was nil so had to wait for Medicare. I'm already down one size and close approaching the second. I'm so glad I did this. Good luck to you!

@@KS123 Hi I've got a real jump on you. I turned 65 on December 15th and had surgery on January 16th this year. I would have done it much sooner if I'd had insurance that would pay for it. It's up to the individual but I don't see that age is a factor as long as your physician and surgeon agree you're a candidate for surgery. My choice was live a few more years at the rate I was gaining and feeling, or have surgery and perhaps live to be 100 like my Momma. It's a struggle, probably the hardest thing I've ever done but I'd do it again in a heartbeat! I would think you're probably the norm age. Go for it and don't look back just forward at all those years you'll spend in a healthier, more active body! Good luck.

@@Jkpizano5 I use Fat Secret and I really like it. It will Sync between my Kindle, Iphone and PC. You can set it to track your calories, fat, Protein any number of things. Plus you can tell it your target range of calories and it will track what % you are throughout the day. I also love that you can scan your items into it with the bar codes.

@@boosh10 Almost the same as you I'm sad to say. I've lost 3 pounds in 3 weeks and I'm at six weeks tomorrow. It's so frustrating. I do see changes and feel them. My clothes have changed I'm down one complete size (well the largest size was stretched to the limit pre-op) and even more than that in some clothes. My face is where it really shows. But the scales are glued in one spot. Oh I take that back they go up a pound and then down a pound. As I've been told over and over, stick with your plan it will come off eventually. Still hard though isn't it??

@@SandyS Thanks so much, I appreciate the input and guess I'm pretty much on track. It's such a learning curve, I guess I had blinders on because I didn't realize there would be. I think my solution is to add a couple of Snacks, similar to yours to get my Protein up to at least the 60-80 a day. I get close but not quite there.

Hi PrincessDeb I had Gastric Bypass on January 16th. I've lost 33 pounds since December 30th. When I saw my doctor on February 3rd he was so happy I was down 30 pounds. Now I've lost 3 in 3 weeks! URGHHHHH it's so hard, in fact I just posted on here today about this same thing. I try to stay positive and I try to concentrate on what I've accomplished instead of how far ahead I have to go. Try to do that. And I so agree with Ready2B, this isn't a race, we both need to remind ourselves of that daily. As my niece (who is now 5+ years post op) told me the other day, Auntie each pound is one that's gone forever, just be happy with what you've tossed away and the rest will follow in good time. Our problem Deb is we want it all today, it's that tiny little word called patience, which I'm finding I don't have enough of and you are probably short a little too. Hang in there, friend me if you like. We'll make this journey in due time and be so much better off for it. Take care, here's to a good week for us all!

This is a great topic! Thank you CowGirlJane especially for the pictures with the nutritional values! Since costco is less than 2 miles from my house we go often, but I must say not as often as pre-surgery. It's great to have new food sources to check out. Since I'm only about 5 weeks post op can any of you tell me how you gauge what's a good thing (nutritional wise) to eat? Are you checking fat per serving and if so where do you try to keep the fat grams at. Of course the Protein is the main thing I'm looking at right now and these were super ideas! Do you worry about fillers? Like in the chicken Patties, Crab Cakes or the Smoked Sausage?? I wish they would bring EggBeaters back, they have the Kirkland Egg whites but they aren't the same.

Thanks everyone I so appreciate your great responses. It always helps to hear what others have done or are doing. And, most importantly, it helps knowing you aren't the odd duck out that something strange is happening to!!! If you were me, would you wait and continue as is until my next Surgeons appt on the 17th of March, or would you add some Snacks to boost the Protein and calorie count? Djmohr - How far out were you when you started eating nuts??? esskay77 - Do you worry about your fat grams count? Mine seems to be high and yet I eat low fat, no fat as often as possible. I am also tracking my food using Fat Secret. I pay attention to the Protein and Calories more than anything else but the Fat has seemed high. Jess9395 - I think our brains revert back to what we used to consider 'snacks' now adays it's as you said, cheese, meat, nuts, etc. Samuelsmom - I so agree and thanks for the link to the article. It was perfect for where I'm at now. I do agree as well that the Surgeon is wonderful but the Nut or Dietitian can be much more knowledgeable on the points of food. I was surprised that Medicare won't pay for any Dietitian or Nut counseling :-( I may check to see how much it costs anyway. The help may way out weight the dollars spent.