catwoman7

it's supposedly one of the more accurate ways of measuring body fat

not all surgeons require one, even if your BMI is over 50 (yours might not if it's under 50 because they probably presume they'll be able to get under your liver if it's under 50 ). Regardless, consider yourself lucky. The pre-op diet can be hell.

I was told any non-caffeinated beverage counts toward the 64 oz of fluid requirement. And that includes protein shakes. I think some people who are lactose intolerant can handle cheese and yogurt - the fermentation and/or aging weakens the lactose - or something like that. Although I don't know if that's universally true. but other than that, yea - it sounds like she's not listening to you. I would have been mad, too

that "stair step" pattern is a pretty common weight loss pattern as far as "full" - I never feel "full" in the way I did before surgery. Early out, your nerves, some of which were cut during surgery, have to regenerate before your stomach starts talking to your brain again, so you might not feel hunger or fullness. Those sensations eventually return for most of us, but fullness, especially can feel different. I never feel "full" the same way as I did pre-surgery. Now, my fullness cue is discomfort in my chest -- kind of a pressure-like feeling. When I feel that, I know it's time to stop, or I'll end up getting sick. You'll figure out your cues after awhile - but they may be different than before (for some people, a runny nose is their cue, oddly...) I've never had any issue with diarrhea that I can remember. Maybe you've developed a sensitivity to a certain type of food? Some people become lactose intolerant after surgery - or at least temporarily (or for some, permanently) - and some of the artificial sweeteners (especially those with names ending in -itol) have that effect. it's doubtful you stretched your stomach. You'd have to chronically overstuff it for that - day after day of overeating. From what I understand, stretching one's stomach isn't very common.

I know you didn't direct this towards me, but I wouldn't take Epsom salts for regular maintenance. They're pretty harsh. Something like Miralax or fiber supplements (like Benefiber or Metamucil) are better for regular maintenance. I'd just take the big guns if I was SUPER stopped up (I've never taken Epsom salts, but I've taken a bottle of magnesium citrate before - another laxative that can pretty much blast out every last molecule...)

I only had one - about four years ago. All i wanted to know was how much more weight i could realistically lose, and the answer was... none. So at that point i had a good idea of a realistic range for me. Insurance doesn't cover them. They do for the kind you get at doctors offices when they check for osteoporosis, but that's all those give you... your bone density. To find out your body composition ( eg, percentage of fat), you have to go to a sports lab (some universities have then) or one of those commercial places like DEXAFit. I think the scans run around $100-150. They may be cheaper at a university, but I'm not sure To find a commercial one, just Google DEXAscan for your city. For universities, you'll probably have to go the university's web site to see if they offer that

it's probably because of the mayo. Some people can eat chicken breast if it has some kind of sauce on it. If plain, it's too dry for many of us - at least for the first few months.

my nicotine test was a blood test. I can't remember if I had a second one the day of surgery or not (it's been a few years), although I quit smoking many years ago, so it wasn't really an issue for me...

RNY here. I never had any issues, either. Some of us don't. Consider yourself lucky! (btw - not having issues won't affect your weight loss as long as you follow your surgeon's plan. I lost 100% of my excess weight)

^^^ yes - Heparin is the shot you get in the stomach - to prevent blood clots. That may be what the bruise is from

LOL - thanks! It's just that I've been hanging around on bariatric boards for several years - plus I used to volunteer for my bariatric clinic - leading one of the pre-op classes. After awhile, you absorb a lot of info..

re: 30 minute rule: at some point (I think I was a few months out) my dietitian said I could start drinking up until the time I started eating (so no more 30 minutes before), but the 30 minutes after part of it is for life. I think that's a pretty universal rule (the after part). Ask your dietitian about the "before" rule, though - some of them are OK with us dropping that after a few months.

there probably isn't much fat there - it's probably mostly/all excess skin. I had a lot of rolls when I had a DEXA scan done at 146 lbs. I thought it was all fat - and I wanted to see how much more weight I should lose (thus, i had the scan). Turns out I only had 22% body fat, which is pretty lean for a woman. That "fat" was just skin. I hate to say it, but plastic surgery is the only want to get rid of it.

I've gotten Egg McMuffins when I've been on the road - 300 kcal and lots of protein (I'm also six years out, so...)...but other than something like Wendy's chili (also eaten while on the road), that's pretty much the extent of my fast food eating these last six years.

Food plans are all different, but your dietitian sounds pickier than most... they usually don't care about the brand as long as it's the right kind of protein. Also, most of us do drink shakes the first few weeks or months after surgery ( i still do at six years out... but then, I'm one of those rare people who likes them..)

I have to eat every three or four hours or I risk unhealthy snacking or gorging at my next meal. Do you know how many calories you typically take in in a day?

I like putting cottage cheese, a couple scoops of vanilla protein powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, artificial sweetener, and, if it needs it to get going in the blender, some unsweetened almond milk and whipping it up (in the blender) into "chocolate mousse" (sorry I don't have amounts - I always just dump stuff in and adjust it until it's "right"). Sometimes I'll top it with some light - or sugar free - Cool Whip and some fresh raspberries. I've never gotten the Aldi's keto buns, but I've seen them in there. I'll pick some up next time I'm there! I get their 35-calorie bread a lot, though

I eat out occasionally (not very often during the pandemic, though). I also check out the menu online before I go and figure out what I want. Like ChubRub, I focus mostly on portion size when I eat out (although I never order super fatty things, like fried things, since I know I don't stomach that very well...and I don't often get things that include bread, either - but when I do, it's never "big" bread items like buns. An occasional thing like a piece of whole-wheat toast I'll eat sometimes, though). Sometimes I'll get an appetizer, sometimes I'll get an entree and take at least half of it home. I focus on (non-fried) protein and vegetables, mostly. For example, at Chinese places I'll order a (non-fried) meat and veggie dish, eat about a cup of it (I'm six years out), and skip the rice. Mexican places I'll order a fajita and eat about a cup of the meat and veggies, and take the rest home. Or sometimes I'll order one of those small street tacos (with just meat, onions, and cilantro on it). Early out I'd just eat the innards, now I eat the tortilla as well (they're pretty small - usually either the 4" kind of the 6" kind). I remember getting shrimp cocktail a lot when I was early out - a lot of restaurants have that in their appetizer section. Chili is always a good choice, too.

yea - maltitol is especially notorious for that. It doesn't do that to EVERYONE, but it does to a lot of people. If you ever have time on your hands, read some reviews of sugar free Gummy Bears. They're made with malitol (or maybe were - with all the complaints, they may have changed to a different sweetener): https://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Free-Gummy-Bears-5LBS/product-reviews/B00CMS97YS p.s. some of these are pretty hilarious...

the stomachs are done differently. With sleeve, they just lop off about 80% of one side of the stomach - leaving a narrow tube that goes from the esophagus down to the bottom of the stomach - so the food still goes through entire length of the stomach, through the pyloric valve into the small intestine. The 80% they remove is pulled out of the body and goes into the garbage. with bypass. they split the stomach horizontally with staples. the top 1/3 of the stomach is now the "pouch". The bottom 2/3 is still there, but isn't used (well, it does create some enzymes that are passed into the small intestine to help with digestion, but the food never goes into the bottom 2/3 of the stomach anymore. Instead, they put a hole in the top 1/3 of the stomach (the pouch), and put a piece of the small intestine up there, so the food goes directly from the pouch into the small intestine. I've read that stretching either the bypassed pouch or the sleeved stomach isn't common - but you can do it by chronically overstuffing it (we're not talking about blowing it on Thanksgiving - but rather, by overeating day after day after day...). However, it's very possible to stretch the hole that goes between the (bypass) pouch and the small intestine (that hole is called the stoma).

I don't eat ground beef, however, I was cleared to eat anything at around 4-6 months out, I think (it's been awhile so I don't remember exactly when, but it wasn't as far out as nine months). Some people have issues with meat, so maybe that's why he's having you wait. I never really had issues with anything, though - other than really high fat things.

is there a chance this could just be pre-surgery jitters? If so, that's extremely common....I get that way before every surgery I've had! I think you'll be happy with either surgery. If you are very serious about wanting to change, check with your surgeon - although it's possible it could delay your surgery if it has to go back through the insurance approval process. what's the reason for wanting to change? They're both good surgeries - and eating plans and recovery times are pretty much the same. I had bypass and have been very happy with it - I'd make the same decision today.

I lost 235 lbs (initially) and got down to a normal BMI, and I know others who've done it as well, so it's definitely not impossible. HOWEVER, only about 10-15% of patients make it that far, so they may tell you to chose something more realistic - at least at first. I was discouraged from making that goal (although my first goal was 200 lbs, which they said was realistic), but I was able to make it all the way. Some of us do....

not much you can do about it - if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen... Just know that it's temporary - it should all grow back. hair loss can be a side effect of any major surgery (or of other things, too, like childbirth). It's due to trauma to the body. I think it's probably seen more often with bariatric surgeries than with other major surgeries because in addition to the surgery trauma, we're taking in very few calories those first few weeks/months after surgery. I lost hair from months 6-9. Fortunately, I didn't lose much - no one would have noticed. And it all grew back. about all you can do is keep on top of your protein and supplements so it doesn't get any worse than it would otherwise.

P.P.S. stalls typically last 1-3 weeks. If it gets to be a month or more. you could try shaking things up and see if it gets things moving again, but my guess is this is just a normal stall.