catwoman7

although there's no way of knowing for sure, the severe cramps may be from the constipation rather than the tea. I get horrible cramps if I get too backed up...

I was just going to say what Arabesque said - most dietitians allow you to count protein shakes toward your fluid goal. This will all get a lot easier. i know those first few weeks can be overwhelming - but it does get a lot easier as you go on

there's really nothing you can do once it starts falling out. There are things that might help the new hair come in, though (like Biotin - some people claim it helps, anyway...)

I'm looking at this now from the women's perspectives - it's kind of awkward NOT to say anything when people have clearly lost a ton of weight. Pretty much everyone has seen me by now at a normal weight, and a lot of people never knew me when I was obese, but the first year or two after surgery, I got A LOT of comments. They kind of bothered me, but then again, when someone DIDN'T say something, it was almost weirder. Like...how could they not notice that I've lost 200 lbs? (I'm sure they DID notice, but it seemed weird to see the look on their faces, and then not having them say something). One woman, who clearly didn't want to mention my weight, asked if I had new hair style. WTF? I almost burst out laughing. The whole situation is just awkward all around. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Your husband probably didn't know how to respond to their comments other than to say something humorous and move on.

on the other hand, he probably didn't know how to respond to that, and he didn't want to sound disagreeable or confrontational around people he really didn't know very well. I'd just let it go. I'm sure he just said it because it seemed like the thing to say to smooth over the situation, with a touch of humor at that, and it seemed like an easy way to just get out of the conversation and move on.

a week is common - three weeks is too long. It's good you're doing something about it...

I agree - ask your dietitian. I wouldn't have been able to eat that, but that might just be me. I didn't eat potatoes until I was probably a year out - also, some people have trouble with chicken the first few weeks or months. I remember eating shrimp cocktail early out, although I can't remember exactly when that was. I could eat like four of them.

I had surgery when I was 55 and post-menopausal (I went through menopause at age 51). I lost all of my excess weight. I was a slow loser, but it was consistent. P.S. age IS one factor in your rate of weight loss - so is gender, activity level, metabolic rate, starting BMI, and how closely you stick to your program.

it's a stall. Going that long isn't common, but it's not unheard of. As long as you're following your program, you should be fine and it'll break...

you can - but it's not common. For most people, bypass improves if not outright cures GERD - but unfortunately, there are a few that it doesn't work for.

it usually starts up about month 3, but not always. Mine started during month 5. If you get beyond six months or so, though, you may be one of the lucky ones who doesn't have it (and not everyone does...)

you'll start feeling the restriction once you move to solid foods. For now, measure out what you're supposed to eat and just eat that. Some of your nerves have been cut, and takes awhile for them to regenerate. Also, you're eating soft foods that go through your stomach quickly. So don't chase the "full" feeling for now - just trust the process. And yes, the surgery WILL work as long as you follow your program. 21 lbs down in three weeks is fantastic - you're well ahead of the curve.

I would not do the band. In fact, hardly any surgeons place the band anymore - there have been way too many problems with them, and many people have had them replaced with sleeve or bypass. Sleeve is a good option as long as you don't have GERD. honestly, complications with either bypass or sleeve aren't that common and are usually minor. For some reason there's the opinion out there that these are really risky surgeries and you're bound to have a lot of problems, but it just isn't true. Yes you'll always find people who've had a ton of problems with weight loss surgeries (both sleeve and bypass), but for the vast majority of us, we sail through them just fine and have no issues. The only thing different about my life now (other than being 200 lbs lighter) is that I now have to take vitamins every day (and of course, I eat less that before)

unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", no, it shouldn't be more substantial. Most "normal" WLS patients lose about 15-25 lbs the first month, so you're on the high end of that. Of course you will always find people who lose more or less than that, but they're the exception. You are doing fine.

Does anyone here regret having had gastric bypass surgery? ** nope. Not for a minute. I'd do it every year if I had to. Best decision I've ever made!! I keep hearing about the downsides: adhesions, forever being careful of what to eat, dumping, stricture, malabsorption, etc. ** first, the downside of remaining obese - high risk of diabetes, heart issues, early death. As far as gastric bypass downsides that you mentioned: Adhesions - very rare Forever being careful of what to eat: you'd have to do this if you lost weight the old-fashioned way, too, if you wanted to maintain your loss. Dumping: 30% of us dump. I never have -- and I know lots of others who never have, either. If you turn out to be a dumper, it's controlled by avoiding or limiting sugar (or fats - some people dump on fats). These are things we should be doing anyway. Stricture: happens to 5% of us. Minor issue and very easy fix. Malabsorption: 1) calorie malabsorption is what gives us a leg up on weight loss. It lasts a year or two. 2) nutrient malabsorption - rare as long as you keep on top of your vitamins I think a lot of us once had the same concerns. I did too - which is why it took me ten years to take the plunge. And now my only regret is that I waited so long to do it. If you don't feel you're mentally ready for it, then maybe now isn't the time to do it. It takes some serious dedication and I think you really have to be in the right mindset to be successful. But seriously, it really is the best decision I've ever made. Should have done it years ago.

just be aware that not all restaurants will honor that - and children's menu choices are often crap - chicken nuggets, hot dogs, etc. When I was early out (once I could at least eat soft foods), I'd just order an appetizer or a bowl of chili or something. I didn't really go out to eat the first month since there was rarely anything I could eat, and I ate so little that I was afraid the wait staff would assume I didn't like the food. So we waited a few weeks..

a lot of us get pretty tired the first month or two after surgery, but after that, energy levels for most of us return to normal.

there seems to be no consensus at all among surgeons about caffeinated coffee. Some say never drink it again for the rest of your life. Some patients are allowed to drink it while they're still in the hospital. Some say it's fine to drink it as long as you limit it to 1 or 2 cups. Some are OK with it after the first month - or three months - or six months. And some are a combo of the last two. Check with your surgeon. Mine allowed us to have a limited amount (1-2 cups a day) once we were six months out, but like I said, surgeon opinion seems to be all over the place with this.

their brown sugar is good, too. It's the only brand I've seen so far whose brown sugar is 100% artificial (other brands I've seen are a blend of the real stuff and the fake stuff - so ...calories).

get an afternoon appt if you can. Then you'll drink half the prep the night before and the other half that morning - much easier.

most people can only sip the first few days or weeks, but I never had a problem taking bigger drinks (I didn't chug, though - but I drank normal-sized gulps). Your stomach will tell you if you're overdoing it.

32 lbs in one month is A LOT. Most of us "normal" WLS'ers (i.e, not the ones you see on "My 600 lb Life") lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range that first month. Of course there are always outliers, but they're the exception. So you're definitely an exception. we were told to focus on meeting our protein and fluid requirements the first few weeks and not worry about other things (although it does sound like you might be taking in too little...). We were told to shoot for 60-80 protein grams per day.

I had one last summer (five years after my RNY) and had no problem.

there's nothing you can do to help with the hair loss, other than be sure to stay on top of your protein and vitamins so it doesn't get any worse than it is. The stress on your body from the surgery - plus the limited calories we're taking in the first few weeks - cause many of the hair follicles to go dormant. Your body has better things to do with those calories than worry about your hair - for one thing, it needs to heal! Some people swear by biotin, but just as many say it did absolutely nothing for them. There's no harm in taking it, but don't be surprised if it doesn't seem to do anything. some people don't lose any hair at all, and some lose so little that THEY barely notice, let alone anyone else (I was in that second category). Many people lose a fair amount of hair, but they're the only ones who notice it. Losing big, noticeable (by others) clumps isn't very common. and of course, this is all temporary. It'll grow back. I lost hair from months 6-9, but again, it was so little that it wasn't noticeable.

you'll probably only be there for one night, and you'll be sleeping most of that time. I really only used my phone when I was awake, so that and a phone charger for sure. Some people also take along something like Biotene spray, because dry mouth is a common complaint after surgeries (and dry lips, too - so some people take something like Chapstick along) Take baggy, easy to get on & off clothes for the trip home (I just wore the same thing that I wore TO the hospital). I took toiletries (deodorant, tooth brush, toothpaste), but it turned out I really didn't have to because they gave me all that at the hospital. other than that, you're not going to need much. You won't be there very long, and as mentioned before, you'll likely be sleeping most of the time.