catwoman7

certain foods bother me now (although moreso when I was a new post-op - not so much bothers me this far out). Just don't eat them - or try eating them when you're further along in your journey. There's probably something in cream of wheat that your system is reacting to.

get packets of protein powder. You can take those on a plane (I've done so many times). The ready-to-drink ones (already mixed with water or other liquid) you can't, but powder - yes.

for multis I've always used Centrum or the generic equivalent (Walgreens and CVS both have generics for that). the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery publishes a list of vitamin/mineral requirements every few years. I'm guessing Nature Made are OK, but double check this list to make sure Nature Made contains the right amount. You'll have to scroll down a little to see how much you need of each vitamin: https://asmbs.org/app/uploads/2008/09/ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf

the second part of this isn't true - bypass usually improves or even cures GERD. In fact, many sleevers who develop severe GERD (and certainly not all will - but a significant minority) revise to bypass for that reason.

yes - GERD is a possible complication of the sleeve. That's not to say it's inevitable, but it is a risk and therefore, it's not recommended for people who already have pre-existing GERD. Gastric bypass often improves or even cures GERD.

I'd always heard and read that isolate is more easily absorbed. Now that I'm a few years post-op, I drink both - but we were told to stick with isolate for the first few weeks or months post-op because early out we got most of our protein from shakes, so it was important to use the one that was more easily absorbed.

they say more than a 10 lb gain or loss will affect your plastic surgery (to be honest, that's one of the main reasons I had it - as an additional incentive to keep from gaining weight!). As the above person said, it may not be as nice as when you had it done, but unless you've gained back all of your weight, it shouldn't go back to the way it was pre-plastic surgery. At least I wouldn't think so...

that's about where I was at that point.

I can eat pretty much anything now, but early out (once I was cleared for solid foods), yes - I ate international food. With Chinese, I'd skip the rice and focus on something with (non-fried) meat & veggies. Mexican - I'd order a fajita and again just focus on the meat & veggies. Or else I'd get a taco and just eat the innards. Middle Eastern places - kabobs work, and so does hummus. I"m glad to hear so many places are offering zoodles now. I heard recently that Noodles & Co has a zoodles option for some of its dishes, too. That opens up a whole new world, since I haven't eaten pasta in over four years!

the explanation I've heard is that some hormones (like estrogen) are stored in fat cells. When you start dropping weight really fast, they're released and start to flood your system. It eventually balances out again. I didn't have this issue because I'm older, but evidently it's pretty common.

I'd lost almost 80 lbs before people started noticing.

I was able to swallow all pills right away except for two (both were too big): ursodiol and those big calcium horse pills. The PA at my weight clinic just told me to wait two or three weeks on the ursodiol, so I did. For calcium, I just did chewables at first. So I never had to deal with crushed pills after I left the hospital (thank God!)

the hair & skin thing are individual and not much will help either one. I had minimal hair loss - as in, if it weren't for the extra strands I noticed in my comb, I never would have noticed. Most people notice some on themselves, but no one else does. Losing clumps of hair and having bald spots is possible, but it's very uncommon. with excess skin, you may not have much since you're starting at such a low BMI. But that also varies depending on a lot of factors. For many of us, it's very easy to hide. And I think all of us looking back would say we wonder why we wasted so many brain cells worrying about it, since loose skin is a very small price to pay for what we got in exchange. I would take my loose skin ANY DAY over weighing 300 lbs again! getting too thin: first of all, not getting to goal is a MUCH more common problem than getting too thin. And you do have control over your weight loss. You can always put on the brakes if you start to worry that you're getting too thin - you just have to increase your calories until the weight loss stops.

I'm vaguely remembering reading/hearing something about this - but ask your surgeon for clarification. Most are done laproscopically. Open RNY's are rarely done anymore - the few times I've heard of this happening nowadays is when there are some major issues going on with the person (like complications from previous abdominal surgeries) that would make it difficult to do it laproscopically.

I don't think most surgeons give people calorie limits the first few weeks or months because we're eating so little that there's no way we can get too many calories as long as we're following our plans. That said - follow your plan. You're not going to feel much - if any - restriction for things like pudding because it goes right through you - so make sure you're measuring it to make sure you're not eating too much of it.

good idea the above poster had on checking with your surgeon. Your tool will still work - you'll probably need to go back to basics to get things moving again (not all the way back to a liquid diet - that's not really sustainable - but eat protein first, then non-starchy veggies, then, if you have room, a small fruit or small "healthy" carb serving (e.g., whole grain things, oatmeal). From what I understand, the weight loss will be much slower than it was the first time around, but you can lose it as long as you stick to your program.

how long have you been stuck at 200? I've had stalls last as long as a month. Just stick to your program and your weight loss should start up again. I had very little hair loss, fortunately. It started at about five months out and lasted maybe three months. I didn't really notice it other than some extra strands in my comb - so I'm sure no one else did.

I'd run it by my surgeon for sure. It may just be reflux - but it could be something else. I'd run it by - if nothing else, for peace of mind. re: carbonation - I don't know how long ago you had surgery, but you're healing the first few months post-op, and carbonated beverages can irritate that. So try giving up on that and see if it helps - at least until you're fully healed. Some surgeons say to stay away from carbonated beverages forever, some say during the first few months. If after you're healed the carbonation doesn't bother your stomach, then you're probably fine to drink it. But for some people, the carbonation is *always* irritating - so they're better off staying away from permanently. but I would call my surgeon's office this week just to let them know what's going on in case it's more than that.

I told myself that for years (that I can do it on my own with diet and exercise). Every time, I'd lose 40-50-60 lbs just to gain it back - and start the cycle over again. This went on for decades. I finally realized that no, I couldn't do it on my own. I'd tried and tried and it just didn't work. So I finally went through with the surgery. I've lost over 200 lbs and have been maintaining ever since. No way could I have done this on my own. I'd have this surgery again in a heartbeat!

complications are not common. They may seem to that way because people who have them sometimes "talk" about them on the internet - they're looking for advice or support. On the other hand, people without complications don't broadcast that fact ("hey all - I'm three years out and have had NO complications!"). So you - and others -- are probably getting a skewed perception of how common they are. They really aren't. that said - I had two strictures - one at four weeks out and one at eight weeks out. Strictures are probably the most common RNY complication - and they happen to about 5% of patients (so..not very common). They're also minor and a very easy fix. Just keep on top of your supplements and follow your plan, and your risk will be pretty low.

depends on where you start (200 lbs? 300 lbs? 400 lbs?) , how compliant you are with your program, and your rate of weight loss. Some people lose everything in six months - some in a year (common), and some even into year 2. I finally stopped losing about 18-20 months post-op.

they wouldn't pump you with fluids for an endoscopy. Not sure what the problem is - is your scale on the fritz? Are you weighing/measuring and tracking what you eat? If your period due?

that is kind of odd - I didn't have any swelling at all with RNY. Maybe the hospital just routinely gives them to all surgical patients or something..

after plastic surgery, yes. After RNY, no. There were only five small incisions in my torso, so nothing really for a binder to hold in.

surgeons are all across the board on this. Some say never, some say right away is OK, some say to wait 3 months - or 6 months. Some say OK if limited to 1-2 cups a day. My take on this is that it isn't the worst thing you could do. The acid and caffeine can be hard on healing stomachs, though, so if that's the case with you - hold off on it for awhile. Some say it's dehydrating (but then if you drink enough water to offset that, then you're good). I know I'm not helping much, but it's kind of hard to when there seems to be no consensus on this among the professionals.