catwoman7

weight loss DOES slow down a lot after the first year. How long you keep losing depends on how much more you have to lose and how closely you stick to your program. My body stopped losing at about 20 months post-op. I can tell you those last few months the weight loss took FOREVER, though...we're talking like a couple of pounds a month...

yep - it's the infamous three week stall. Happens to almost everyone (it's usually, but not always, the third week. But sometime within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery, pretty much everyone has their first major stall. It typically lasts 1-3 weeks). If you do a search on this site, you'll find over 15,000 posts on it. And no, I am NOT kidding! Just stick to your plan and stay off your scale if you have to. The weight loss WILL start up again...

I think mine lasted about three months (fortunately, I didn't lose much - I'm sure no one could tell). There's really not anything you can do about it other than keep on top of your supplements (protein and vitamins) so it doesn't get any worse than it would otherwise be.. For the vast majority of is, it does all grow back...

I Just ate it with a spoon, as suggested above...

those last 20 lbs or so can be a BEAR to get off. It took me FOREVER to get them off. You might have to drop your calories and/or step up on your exercise to get the scale moving again, but it'll probably be slow regardless... I can lose weight on 900-1500 calories. But we're all different and our calorie ranges can vary widely. I'm 5" taller than you, so that's one factor - and there may be others. It's really an individual thing. Your dietitian may be right in that you may have to drop back down to 800-1000 kcal/day, unfortunately..

a lot of women seem to have mood swings for the first few weeks/months after WLS. Also, screwed up menstrual cycles are also common. It's supposedly due to estrogen being released - it's stored in fat cells, and with rapid weight loss, it's released. It'll stabilize after the weight loss slows down (which it starts to after the first couple of months. So that could be the causing your weepiness, too...

WLS doesn't cure food addictions. They operate on your stomach, not your brain. A lot of WLS patients work with a therapist to deal with food addiction - might be something to look into.

soup is a liquid, so it goes right through you. You won't feel the restriction until you start eating solid food... also, the "full feeling" is likely to be different post-op than it was pre-op, and it may take you awhile to figure out your new "full" cues. In the mean time, just eat whatever your plans says to eat (or less if you feel like you've had enough)...that's your safest bet.

I still have a protein shake every day as my morning snack. I have to average around 100 grams of protein a day, though, because we discovered early on that I malabsorb it (may have even before surgery, too - but we didn't do a baseline on that, so we'll never know) you should be able to get in 60 grams a day pretty easily at some point when your food volume increases, esp if you eat protein with every meal. I can get 100 grams a day in without the protein shake if I really focus on it, but I started drinking the morning protein shake because then it pretty much guarantees I'll have 100 grams in by the end of the day, and I don't have to obsess about it all day. anyway, this was just to say that yes - it can be a struggle to get enough protein the first few months out, but once you're in maintenance and eating more, it's actually pretty easy.

smells really bothered me the first few days/weeks, too. And my sense of taste became more intense, too - which was probably related. I don't notice it anymore and haven't in a really long time. Not sure if it went away or if I just got used to it.

I "gained" two lbs Thanksgiving day (I was two lbs heavier the day after). But I know that was mostly/all water weight since gaining two lbs would mean I ate an extra 7000 calories. In one day. Ah....no. It's all gone this morning, btw. Just get right back on track. the way I handle holidays now (and this wasn't true the first year, but it is since I went into maintenance four years ago), is I let myself eat the things I want to eat, but I just don't make a pig of myself. I try to eat like a "normal" person would. And the next day, I'm right back on track.

the Charge 4's are on sale for $99.99 in a few places - I know I've seen them for that at Target and Kohl's. I think maybe Costco and amazon, too (??)

those aren't the symptoms I had back when I had GERD (mine was more sour stomach - and burning in my throat), but I suppose their could be other symptoms as well. I'd just ask your doctor.

yes - when you lose weight, you'll lose fat, bone, AND muscle. It's not necessarily a bad thing since you need a lot more bone and muscle to hold up your starting weight than you do your ending weight. It's just when it's too much bone and muscle that it's an issue. If you lost 28 lbs and only five of it was muscle, I think that's pretty normal. Actually, it's probably pretty GOOD. It would likely be more than that if you weren't doing all that strength-training. Edited to add that I agree with ChubRub. If you're concerned about the muscle, then focus on the percentages rather than the raw weight.

I don't know if that one in particular covers it, but most insurance policies will only cover it - or a portion of it - if you are having medical issues that are caused by it. For example, chronic rashes that don't respond to traditional treatments. Make sure if you have anything like this, that it's documented by your doctor - they'll want proof the problem isn't responding to traditional treatment. I never had any issues like this, so I had to pay out of pocket. you can always call Molina and ask if they cover this and under what circumstances.

these are puree or soft foods rather than liquid. I was able to eat those kinds of foods at week 2, but not all surgeons recommend the same diet. You can always call your clinic to confirm those are OK for week 2.

I eat those kinds of things occasionally, but not as a regular thing. I'm afraid they'd get my mind craving the real thing.

my program wasn't ultra-low carb - it was balanced, so I suppose they might have allowed bread (although I didn't really eat bread until around year 3 post op) - but four slices a day seems like a lot. Even now, bread sometimes feels like a brick in my stomach. I'll have a piece occasionally - but things like bread and white rice and pasta (all things I avoided at first - but eat occasionally now), kind of just sit there like a gummy glob in my stomach. Plus they're not particularly nutritionally dense, and they take up a lot of stomach real estate to boot...

a lot of people assume we have diarrhea issues, but no. There's a minority who do, but most of us deal with the opposite problem. Diarrhea tends to be more of an issue with people who have the DS.

yep - it's a daily battle

I hate to say it, but most of us deal with chronic constipation, even years after surgery. It's due to the high protein diet and some of the supplements (calcium and iron being the two major ones) - all three of those things are notorious for backing people up. You'll just have to find something that "works" for you, and keep on top of it. I take a capful of Miralax every morning, which does a good job for me - others regularly take stool softeners, magnesium tablets, Smooth Move tea, prunes - whatever works!

they're both very safe surgeries these days, so I wouldn't really worry about that piece of it. what most people will tell you is that if you have issues with GERD, bypass is usually the way to go. Otherwise, it pretty much comes down to personal preference. There may be other health issues that would make one surgery more appropriate than the other, but that's the major one. Your surgeon will be able to explain the differences and recommend one or the other depending on your particular health issues (if you have any), although in the end, it's ultimately your choice. I had the bypass and have been very happy with it.

we were told the food had to be pureed - we couldn't just chew it to pureed consistency.

I was just going to say that! One hour 5x a week is a lot! I do that most weeks, but then I've been exercising for a long time (like...a few years). For someone just beginning, that is A LOT. I'd say 20 minutes or so for starters is a good start. But also, you (the OP) are only three weeks out - I was still really tired at that point, so you may not even be able to do 20 minutes - unless it's just walking. I only walked until I was about a month out - in fact, I wasn't even cleared (by my surgeon) to do anything else BUT walk until I was a month out. After the first month, I was able to start up with water aerobics again (my exercise of choice at the time) - but then, I'd been doing water aerobics for at least a couple of years before I even had surgery...so I was used to doing it for an hour a pop.

12 lbs in three weeks is pretty average. It seems like people expect to lose 30 or 40 lbs the first month, but that's pretty unusual unless you're starting out at the size of "My 600 lb Life" patients. I have no medical research to back this up, but I've been hanging out on this and other boards for about six years, and from what I can tell, most average WLS patients lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month, so you're right on target to be in that range. I lost 16 lbs the first month, so I was probably where you are a week 3. the other posters are right - weight loss is 80% diet. I exercised pretty consistently, but some people don't, and they still lose weight as long as they're following their surgeon's plan (it might speed the weight loss up a bit - but just a bit - most of your loss will come from what you're eating).