CharlotteKat

Update - I have lost 3lbs. since my post last week. The 2 biggest things that have helped me get back on track is observing the 15 minutes before/30 minutes after meal rule for liquids and tracking all of my food on MyFitnessPal. Exercise is next on my to do list now that I've gotten the food situation under control.

I'm 5 years out from my surgery and dumping triggers change over time. I had a terrible time with breads and anything with more than 12g of sugar per serving initially. Now I can tolerate most breads and a bit more sugar. There's still a cut off for the amount of sugar I can consume before it makes me sick (Publix's Key Lime pie 🤢). I'm not sure why this changes over time, but it does get better. I still have issues with greasy fried foods, but that is probably a good thing since I automatically avoid them now.

I have experience with this. I was referred to a hematologist and ended up getting an iron infusion. Iron pills and supplements do nothing after a gastric bypass because the part of your digestive tract that absorbs iron, the duodenum and proximal small intestine, are completely bypassed. I've ended up having 2 iron infusions, 1 each year. This will continue for the rest of my life. I do the day long infusion which is about 6 hours. I take things to read and watch on my phone. There are no side effects of any kind. The upside is that after about a month my energy level is greatly improved. The downside is the cost if you haven't met your deductible for the year. It costs me $1100 each time.

I am also in maintenance. I fiddled around with several calorie calculators online. The one that seemed to come up with a workable number of calories that is holding me steady can be found at http://www.healthycalculators.com/calories-intake-requirement.php According to an article in Bariatric Times, 130 gm of carbs a day seems to be maximum for losing and sustaining weight loss.

I lost 112.4 lbs. from the day of surgery to the 6 month point. My loss is a bit on the high side according to my surgeon. I think that it may be because I am a vegetarian, I worked out daily and I kept my calories between 400-800 a day. I also faithfully tracked all my food and daily weigh in's on MyFitnessPal.

hair loss is inevitable after surgery. The low calorie intake is why we all lose our hair initially. It is hard seeing the hair in the drain and on your hairbrush every time you take a shower. The good news is that it that it will definitely come back. (No amount of Protein or Biotin will stop it while you are losing weight.) Try to roll with it and know that it is only a temporary problem that will resolve.

My NUT didn't provide any advice on this either. I found a very helpful chart on Bariatric Times. It is from a research article called "Recommended Levels of Carbohydrate after Bariatric Surgery". It has the breakdown of everything you need to watch. http://bariatrictimes.com/wp-content/uploads/faria_table6_march13.jpg

Everyone, this is my last post on this topic. I'm done. I initially tried to be helpful by pointing out that there is research to back up weighing daily. Most of my life, I had always heard to weigh weekly. Reading the research changed my mind on the topic. It is the reason that I began weighing daily more than a year ago. These researchers are on to something. I think they are correct about the benefits. I am still baffled by the people who get so upset about getting on the scale. I am also mystified by the people who say you have to do what works for you even if it means setting yourself up for failure. I posted the excerpts for the folks who needed solid evidence. That was obviously a mistake.

Diet Myth: Daily weigh-ins aren’t helpful for weight loss. Fact: Many people are told to weigh themselves on a weekly basis or use the fit of their pants to assess progress, perhaps because the number on the scale can have a negative psychological effect. The truth is that the more you weigh yourself, the lower your body weight is likely to be. This daily weighing effect has been studied in randomized trials. Time and time again, daily weigh-ins have shown to positively influence weight loss or lead to lower BMIs.

@@Icantbelieveit, Stop posting negative things! It's not funny and it does not help anyone. Where are your stats??? When was your surgery??? Are you nothing, but a diet troll???

Luanndo, You are the most beautiful person! Not me! You are the best!!! I wish everyone had a friend who is as wonderful as you are! If it wasn't for Bariatric Pal, we would have never met each other. My life is so much better because you reached out to me via this site. No one else understands what you are going through as the people who share the same surgeon and the same surgery. We traveled the same path. This site is a powerful source of support. This journey is not an easy one. It is a life changing event. There are remarkable people who you will meet along the way via their posts on Bariatric Pal. "Luanndo" contacted me when I knew no one. How lucky I am to find a kindred spirit! If you read this post, please think about reaching out to other people who are sharing the same journey. The rewards are immeasurable!

Today is my one year anniversary of my surgery. It has been an amazing year and I have lost 180 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and I'm thrilled. In the old days, going out to eat would have been the way to Celebrate. That's not the case now. I'm looking for fun ways to celebrate my surgiversary. Any ideas?

I have used Dramamine and the Scop patch in the past, but I have had the most success with Bonine. FYI - Bonine (Meclizine) is safe at up to 50 mg for one dose. That means 2 pills instead of one. This higher dosage might work better to stop motion sickness. Some Costco's stock the generic Meclizine at the pharmacy counter.

KritenLe, This comes from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the largest national society of surgeons for this specialty. From their website they say, "The Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass – often called gastric bypass – is considered the ‘gold standard’ of weight loss surgery." The statistics show that gastric bypass patients lose 60-80% of their excess weight after surgery. Sleeve patients only lose around 50% or less of their excess weight. This is why gastric bypass is considered the gold standard. It simply works better. Doctors are people and people have opinions. Doctors will never force you into a surgery they don't think you can handle. The sleeve is easier since you will not experience dumping syndrome. The downside of this is that you can eat things that are sugary and greasy without consequences. I'm glad I have consequences to deal with if I eat that stuff. It keeps me on the straight and narrow. I now have a normal BMI of 21.7 and have lost 176 lbs. since my gastric bypass. It has been the best decision I have ever made. Here's the link to the ASMBS. https://asmbs.org/

I am thrilled to be down 160 lbs., but I have an embarrassing problem. My butt makes me uncomfortable any time I'm sitting. It is caused by the loose skin I'm sitting on top of and I am always shifting to get more comfortable. Does anyone else have this issue and is there any trick or shape wear out there to make this darn butt of mine behave????