catwoman7

most of the ingredients in this are B vitamins, which are water soluble, so you just pee out anything your body doesn't need. So those shouldn't be a problem. It also has vitamin A, which you CAN get too much of - but the question is, how much vitamin A does this have in it, and how much does your multivitamin have in it? (just checked - this has 300 mcg of vitamin A. Recommended dose for women is 700 mcg. So as long as your multi doesn't go too far over 400 mcg, this should be fine (of course, you get some vitamin A from food, too. Although it looks like the toxicity level is 10,000 or more mcg - so that's quite a bit..) I don't know about these other ingredients: Dermal Repair Complex Blend Ingredients -- Hydrolyzed Collagen, Saw Palmetto Fruit Powder, Methylsulfonylmethane, Wild Yam Root Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Silica although the collagen shouldn't be an issue another thing to consider, does this even work? A lot of these kinds of products make a lot of claims that aren't very realistic. Although I can't speak to this particular one.

I wouldn't do the pouch test again. Most nutritionists hate it because it's too much of a restriction, which for many people will just end up setting them up for a binge. Just start logging your food again and see how many calories you're averaging a day (may have to do this for a couple of weeks to get an average). Then once you know your average, start cutting back - slowly - by about 100 calories each time (maybe once every two weeks) until you start losing. Gradually getting down to 1200 a day (or whatever you need to for losing) should be easier than dropping 500 - or 600 - or whatever - calories overnight.

I used (and still use) my blender and food scale all the time. I've never used an air fryer and rarely use sieves. I agree with the small dishes - I bought ramekins in different sizes so I could "eyeball" portions easier. Of course, I could have measured things as well (and some things I DID measure), but sometimes it was easier to spoon things into a 4 oz ramekin, or an 8 oz ramekin, or whatever, since that would have been pretty close (if not exact). Plus then I could just eat whatever it was directly from the ramekin. I also bought baby spoons and still use them to this day - mostly to eat yogurt with. I don't know why, but I love them!

I took three weeks off but probably could have gone back after two. I was a university librarian at the time (have since retired), so it was mostly a desk job. I did teach classes occasionally (teaching students how to do research and use the databases), but I was only on my feet for an hour at a pop when I did that - not sure how it would be for a high school teacher if you're on your feet most of the day.

could be the hunger. Or maybe one of the artificial sweeteners? Some people are sensitive to those - or at least to some of them. The team must have thought it was something in the whey-based protein, which makes sense as well. Not sure what else to suggest other than thankfully you're almost done with this. Although it might continue after surgery if it's some kind of food intolerance. In that case, I hope you can figure out what exactly it is pretty soon!

at 2-3 years out, many of us put on 10-20 lbs, unfortunately (some gain much more, but that 10-20 lb bounce back happens to most of us, it seems). I gained 10 during that period, and then put on 10 more over the last year or two. I'm trying to lose that last 10 (I don't want to take off all 20 because I got too thin for awhile). The simple answer is to cut calories and/or increase your activity (and preferable both) - but I know that's easier said than done. I still track my food at almost six years out. I know from tracking that if I stay within the 1500-1700 calorie range, I can maintain my weight. So to lose weight, I have to eat around 1500 pretty consistently (or better yet, under it - but that's tough). Looking back at my records, I'd been eating at the high end of that pretty consistently, and often a bit over. So I had to gradually pull myself back. It's easiest to do it if you just cut 100 calories at a time - do that for two or three weeks, and then cut another 100. You don't notice the drop as much if you do it gradually.

I agree with not going back to a liquid diet. Just go back to the way you're supposed to be eating. Protein first, then non-starchy veggies, and then an occasional small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb if you have room and/or really want them. Track your food. Make sure you get all your fluids in. You haven't gained anything yet, so just pick up where you left off. if you must snack, keep things like sugar free Jello and sugar free popsicles around. I also mix ranch dressing mix in plain Greek yogurt and use it as a dip for raw veggies, which I keep cut up and in the fridge. I also usually have grapes around most of time. it's tough to rein yourself in, but you can do it!

most people just sleep most of the time they're in the hospital. The only thing I really used was my phone and charger. I brought toiletries, but the hospital gave me a bag of them (toothbrush, small toothpaste, shampoo - even deodorant!). Biotene is good - I didn't use mine, but a lot of people do - dry mouth after surgery is pretty common. Otherwise, like someone else said, loose comfy clothes to wear home (that are easy to put on). I just wore the same clothes that I wore to the hospital. Other than that...???

it has nothing to do with dumping syndrome. It's because fluids will wash the food out of your stomach, and you'll get hungry again faster. And yes - it's for life. Fortunately, you get used to it. It doesn't bother me at all anymore, and really hasn't since close to the beginning.

you're in a stall. No way you're gaining weight eating 500-800 calories a day. Those slight gains (1-2 lbs) are likely due to water retention. Just stick to your plan and your weight loss should start up again. Stalls happen occasionally throughout your journey and typically last 1-3 weeks. And they eventually break..

I told the surgeon during my initial visit that I would have been ecstatic to get to 200 lbs - and I would have been! (I got much lower - 138 at my lowest, but I've settled in the 150s (I'm almost six years out). Never in my dreams would I have imagined that - even 200 lbs seemed like a pipe dream when I first started my journey!

yes - I had almost no pain at all. At first I was afraid they hadn't done the surgery! And yes - that water will work its way out of your system within a few days.

I was opposite. I had one done when I got down to 146 lbs (I'm 5'6") so I could see how much further I had to go. She said "ah...you're done". My fat % was 22%, which is on the lean side for women. (I did eventually get down to 138, which I knew was too thin for me - I'm pretty muscular and have a large frame, and I didn't look very healthy at that low a weight). But anyway, those DEXAscans give you info you'd never know otherwise - I found it very helpful (it also reported that my bone density was below average, so I went to my doctor, as the scan technician recommended - turned out I had (and have) osteoporosis. Never would have known it that early if it hadn't been for that scan!

re: that article - I've been hanging out on bariatric forums for six years. I've never seen anyone lose 15 lbs a week. Maybe 5 lbs a week for the first two or three months. I never lost that much, though. I was 16 lbs the first month, maybe 12 or 13 for the next two months, and then gradually down from there...

let your clinic know. There's a chance you could be developing a stricture. You're in the right time frame for it.

which surgery did you have?

I also lost 16 lbs the first month, and I was heavier than you are. And yes - your expectations are too high. Most of us seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month. Of course, you'll always find outliers, but they are the exception. I think people's expectations are shaped by shows like "My 600 lb Life", but you have to remember that the people on that show start out MUCH heavier than your average WLS patient. And the more you have to lose, the faster it goes - or at least at first. You are fine. You're within the average range!

if you do lose 100 lbs, you'll likely have at least some excess skin. that is something so many pre-ops and early post-ops obsess about, and I did as well, but from where I now am five years out and over 200 lbs lighter, I can tell you that I have no idea why I wasted even one brain cell worrying about it. In the grand scheme of things, the loose skin is kind of a minor issue. And I think a lot of vets would agree with me. I'd take the loose skin any day of the week over being morbidly obese again, and plus, it's easy enough for most of us to hide. You'll likely be the only one who'll know it's there. And if it really bothers you, there's always plastic surgery P.S. this is me after losing 235 lbs (I've since gained a few back). I had a ton of excess skin here (have since had it removed)

how long has it been since the weight loss stopped? You may just be in a stall. It's common to hit one occasionally while on a weight loss journey. They typically last 1-3 weeks. And they are frustrating!

I doubt you've stretched your pouch. They aren't that easy to stretch - it would take constant overeating and probably way more than six weeks. Lots of us have "small pouch days" and "big pouch days". Just stick to your plan and don't do a "pouch reset". Most dietitians don't recommend those AT ALL, and besides that, you're way too early out for that. also, don't chase the "full" feeling. Sometimes you'll feel it, sometimes you won't. Just eat what you're supposed to eat. The feeling of restriction will come back. I don't always feel it, but if I eat something really dense like meat, I do.

yep - the IV fluids. Some people gain as much as 10 lbs from it! Should be gone sometime within the first week.

yes you'll wake up. The mortality rate on RNY is 0.3% (it's even lower on sleeve - can't remember the stat on that one, though). So you have a 99.7% chance of pulling through just fine. And you will. These have become very routine and safe surgeries. People have died during tonsillectomies or having their wisdom teeth extracted. But how often does that happen? Hardly ever. And same with WLS. You've been thoroughly checked out physically - or will be by the time you go to surgery. If there were any red flags, they'd have cancelled or delayed the surgery. You will be fine. You will lose weight as long as you stick to the plan. It's when people stray and let bad habits creep back in that they run into trouble - either quit losing weight or start gaining it back. Just stay committed and you'll do fine. yes - if you lose 100 lbs, which looks like your goal, you will most likely have loose skin. I had a ton of it (I've since had it removed). But it was easy to hide in clothes - no one knew it was there but me (I've attached a picture of me BEFORE I had plastic surgery. Betcha can't see any loose skin. And no, it didn't look great - but it looked better than when I weighed almost 400 lbs! I think almost all of us who are a ways out would take the loose skin any day of the week over being morbidly obese again. ANY DAY!! In the grand scheme of things, the loose skin is actually pretty minor. In retrospect, I wonder why I wasted even one brain cell worrying about it. Major issues aren't very common. And most (maybe all?) are fixable. Most of us have little to no pain with these surgeries. A minority of people do have some pain, but not excruciating. They'll send you home with pain meds (I didn't even open mine, to be honest - I felt fine) - so if you're one of the unfortunate ones who has pain, just take the pain meds to keep on top of it. It'll last at most a few days. And here I am, at the time having lost 235 lbs (I've since gained back 20), and BEFORE I had my loose skin removed...

of course a protein shake is not going to make you feel full. You are going to be hungry the whole time you're on the pre-op diet. You just have to white knuckle it. It does get better by about day 3 or 4 when your body goes into ketosis. I'd make sugar free Jello almost every morning and eat the whole thing in the evening, just because that was the only thing I could have that resembled food (i.e., somewhat solid...). I was also allowed a limited amount (a think a cup each) of broth and tomato juice (or V8), so I had both of those every day as well. The salt in those make me retain water, so I felt a little "fuller".

it gets easier by about day 3 or 4. The pre-op diet is the worst part of this ordeal - you just have to white knuckle it. I was actually relieved the morning I went to the hospital. That stupid pre-op diet was OVER!!

actually, a lot of us (both sleeve and RNY) are automatically put on omeprazole or something similar for the first 3-6 months after surgery (it was a year for me - but that was back before all the warnings came out about PPIs, so I'm guessing my clinic has probably cut back to 3-6 months as well. Of course, for people dealing with severe GERD, taking PPI's long term is better than getting Barrett's esophagus or worse, cancer. But I don't think there's an issue with taking it short-term. Many of us don't need to continue taking it long term - it's just those first few months after surgery)