catwoman7

I eat sugar, fat, and spicy food (I limit my sugar, though - and since I hit maintenance at about 20 months out, I count overall calories, so if the high-fat food fits into my daily calorie range, I'm good. A super high-fat meal (such as a couple of pieces of fried fish with tartar sauce and a pile of French fries and cole slaw made with mayo) doesn't usually sit well with my stomach, but I can eat one of those things - just not a whole meal full of high-fat things). I can also eat spicy food. I rarely drank alcohol before surgery and rarely drink it now - maybe three times a year - and a glass of wine is about all I can handle now (you feel the effects much quicker and stronger after surgery, and transfer addiction happens with some of us, so you do need to watch it). The first few weeks and months there are a lot of restrictions, but after that, not really. There's not much I can't eat, but I eat much smaller portions than I did before, and I focus now on my calories rather than what I can..and can't...have. If a burger or a piece of cake fits into my calorie range, then I'm good (although I usually try to eat nutritionally dense things, so a piece of cake is an occasional treat, not an every day indulgence). do I have fun? Oh good Lord yes - this is WAY better than weighing almost 400 lbs! I don't EVER want to go back there! I feel like I finally have my life back! I'm so glad I had this surgery - best decision I've ever made. I'd have it done every year if I had to! Life is so much better at a normal weight!!! I have a LOT more fun than I did when I was super morbidly obese!!

are you still technically obese (as in BMI over 30?). If so, it could be the computer system put that in. I am now 4 lbs overweight (thanks to COVID!), and my doctor knows I've had WLS and lost over 200 lbs. But on the after-visit summary I got when I was there a couple of weeks ago, it said i was an overweight female, and the second page was a bunch of tips on how to lose weight. Seriously??? I know the doctor didn't put all that there, though - she's known me for a long time. I'm sure when they plugged in my height and weight their computer system calculated my BMI and put all that crap in there about being overweight and how to lose it. Still - I know what you mean. It was the last thing I wanted to see..

you'll probably sleep most of the time, so don't bring a lot since it'll likely stay in your suitcase. Phone and charger for sure. Some people also like to have lip balm and Biotene spray since dry mouth after surgery is pretty common. Comfy clothes that are easy to put on for the trip home (I just wore the same clothes that I wore to the hospital). I wouldn't bother with sleeping attire - you'll have a hospital gown on, and you'll be hooked up to machines so it'd be kind of hard to get pajamas on and off. Some people like a pillow for the ride home - to put over your stomach since you might be sore. I brought toiletries (deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste - maybe that was it), but they gave me those in the hospital, so I really didn't need to. But I'm not sure if most hospitals do that or not. I think that was pretty much it..

my surgeon's office contacted and worked with the insurance company. They'd worked with them before, so they were pretty sure it would be covered. as far as it being covered, it depends on your mother's employer. Even if the insurance company offers coverage for bariatric surgery, the employer decides whether or not they want to include it in their workers' policies. My insurance did not cover it until this past year because my employer wanted to keep the policies as cheap as possible, so they had the insurance company exclude a lot of things, like bariatric surgery. So I had to change insurance for a couple of years so it would be covered (of course, now our normal policy covers it, too....but I'm glad I had it done back when I did it, even though I had to change policies at the time...)

I think by the time I had my surgery (in the summer), I may have been up to my out-of-pocket limit because of the classes, appointments, and all the tests I had to take before I was approved (sleep study, nuclear stress test, EKG, labs, etc)

yes - ricotta bake. I ate that a lot when I craved pizza. I think I first ate real pizza when I was about four months out - but I did NOT eat the crust - I just scraped the toppings off one or two pieces. I was probably a year or more out when I ate an actual piece (with the crust). Now at almost six years out, I can physically eat 1-2 actual pieces (with crust) (1-2 depending on the size of the pizza and how my pouch is that particular day. Some times I can only manage one...)

most people see the biggest drops during the first month or two after surgery. After that, it does slow down to about 2-3 lbs a week (maybe a bit higher for those with a higher starting BMI). So your rate of loss is pretty normal. I'm not sure where you started, but I was well over 300 lbs. I lost 16 lbs the first month, and then 10-12 lbs a month for the next six months or so. Then it dropped down to about 6-8 lbs a month....and gradually went down from there (by the end, it was like two lbs a month - UGH!). As long as you're trending down, you're good! and to reiterate, yes, your rate of loss is completely normal. Just follow your plan. If you cut back too much from your plan, you risk getting sick or having deficiencies. So I would not worry about "moving the needle faster". Massive weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint, as they say...

no - we were just told to focus on protein and fluids the first few weeks/months. I think that's true of a lot of us. Most people eat so little the first few months post-surgery that once you get all your daily protein and fluid requirements met, the overall calories really aren't an issue. Since I tracked the whole time (and still do, almost six years later), I know I ate in the 600-800 range for much of that first year, but I wasn't actively monitoring that. I really didn't have to.

stalls usually last 1-3 weeks -and you're likely in one. A one- or two-pound gain is nothing to worry about. Like someone else said, it's usually water retention or constipation.

it wouldn't be dumping - that's when too much sugar or fat passes quickly into your small intestine. I'm not sure what that is - I'd call your clinic and let them know.

I wasn't eating that many calories at five months out, but then again, I wasn't exercising as intensely as you are, so...?? I do know that the further out I got, the longer stalls seemed to be. Three weeks is not that unusual for a stall, actually...

malnutrition with bypass is pretty uncommon as long as you keep on top of your supplements.

Dr. Laura Carmina Cardenas is pretty well-known among bariatric patients. I see her name A LOT on forums. I think she's also had bariatric surgery! P.S. I didn't use her (I had my plastic surgery in the US), so I can't do a personal recommendation, but I know a lot of people have been really happy with her.

I had to change insurance company because my former one wouldn't cover it under any circumstances. But it's always worth a try...

have you had labs lately? Vitamin deficiencies could cause that, too.

yes - I'd suggest finding a new PCP. He obviously doesn't understand much about obesity or WLS.

I had to switch insurance companies in order to get bariatric surgery. I first contacted the clinic about six months before my insurance changed. They said I had to wait to start the program until i had my new insurance, but they did say I could start the six-month supervised diet ahead of time if I wanted, because they'd worked with my new insurance company before and knew they'd accept a six-month supervised diet done ahead of time as long as it was within the last two years (but this may not be true of all companies). So anyway, a long way of saying, I had to wait until I was under the new insurance and we knew everything would be covered.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Basically it's serious, chronic heartburn.

those are all good. I read everything I could get my hands on about bariatric surgery. And spent a lot of time lurking on this and other bariatric boards. I also started exercising regularly and started gradually changing my eating habits so my post-op diet wouldn't seem as radical. Like you, I started tracking everything I ate, started gradually decreasing my carbs and increasing my protein, gradually reduced my calories (I worked my way down pretty quickly to 2200 - after probably eating 3000+ a day (I didn't know for sure because I hadn't tracked before...). Also started eating more vegetables (I was already eating enough fruit). I felt pretty prepared for surgery that morning they rolled me into the OR...

mine also insisted on whey protein isolate shakes - at least for the first few months. It's because whey protein isolate is better absorbed than other types of protein, evidently. I still drink those occasionally - but I also drink protein blends now, too, since I get most/all of my protein from food (I still drink a shake a day since I like them - plus they're a vehicle for Miralax) we didn't have a rule on spicy food, but that's actually not a bad idea. For some people, spicy things seem a lot spicier right after surgery, and you can't drink milk to neutralize it (because of the eating/drinking rule). I don't know about the ulcer part, but then, I'm no expert. I just know I was more sensitive to tastes after surgery - sweet things tasted sweeter, and spicy things tasted spicier - so I would have been in misery if I ate something really spicy and then couldn't drink anything to cool my mouth down..

with food, you can always back off for a few days and then try again. Some people's systems are more sensitive than others and it takes them a little longer to work through the phases. Also - eggs - a lot of people have trouble with those the first few weeks or months after WLS. Not everyone - but I seem to see a lot of posts on that. Maybe wait and try those again later...

I just told people I'd been working with a dietitian (or you could say a medically-supervised diet) and was exercising like a fiend. Skinny people believe this schlock (I was more honest with other obese people, though - they know better...)

set an acceptable range for yourself (because your weight WILL fluctuate a bit). Maybe a five-pound acceptable range. Then set a drop-dead upper limit. Weigh yourself often. I probably weigh myself five mornings a week, but even once a week is fine. I wouldn't go longer than that, though. If you start getting dangerously close to - or even a pound or two over - that drop dead red line, then it's all hands on deck until you get back safely into your range again. I monitor my weight very closely because I know in the past (before I had surgery), my weight would start creeping up whenever I stopped paying attention. Before I knew it, I'd have gained 20 - or 30 - or 50 lbs. Don't let that happen. Just keep monitoring yourself and paying attention - and spring into action when you reach - or get too near - your top limit. It's way easier to lose 5 lbs than it is 50!

my lower body lift was very painful. Breast lift wasn't too bad.

Yes - there are a minority of patients who can't absorb iron - or much iron - orally, so they have to go in for occasional infusions. Luckily, most of us do fine on oral iron though...