catwoman7

not sure about making it smaller. As far as revision to bypass, yes - several people have had that done.

I agree - I just take mine with a tiny sip of water....it's not enough to cause issues.

^^^ this. It's very common - and it WILL stabilize.

weird hormone things are pretty common after surgery. Supposedly it's because estrogen is stored in fat, and when you have a rapid weight loss, a bunch of it gets released. Many women experience mood swings and screwed up menstrual cycles the first few months after surgery. But yes - it does stabilize after awhile.

I didn't puree any meats, either. I had a few during the soft food stage (tuna and shrimp come to mind), but I think when I was in the puree stage I ate things like Greek yogurt and pureed cottage cheese.

I don't have any food restrictions. The only thing my stomach doesn't seem to be able to handle are really fatty meals. My husband and I used to go out for Friday night fish fries all the time - with deep-fried breaded or battered fish, with tartar sauce, French fries, cole slaw made with mayo, and a roll with butter. I'd be in the bathroom after that meal now. I could maybe eat 1/2 of a fried fish filet - anything else I attempt to eat with that would have to be low in fat. Other than that, I can tolerate anything. P.S. just wanted to add that I'm 5.5 years out. During that first year, I DID have a lot of food restrictions. But once I hit maintenance, I could eat pretty much anything as long as I watched my portion size.

no - I don't count carbs anymore. Although I rarely eat "bad" carbs - my carbs are usually fruit, vegetables (even the starchier variety), and whole grain products. I do know some people who are a ways out from surgery who still restrict their carbs, though. I think some people are just really carb sensitive. I don't think I am.

you might want to run this by your clinic. It could just be that you're eating too much or too quickly, or it could be that you've developed a stricture. I had the latter - felt nauseated after eating anything and it progressed to not be able to keep anything down.

some dietitians consider protein shakes as part of your daily fluids, and some don't. Either way, I always considered them fluids for food/liquid separation purposes.

I lost 16 lbs the first MONTH, and I started off at over 300 lbs. Rate of weight loss depends on so many factors - starting BMI, whether or not you lost weight before your surgery, age, sex, metabolic rate, activity level. It seems most people lose in the 15-25 lb range the first month (although there will always be outliers), so you'll probably end up in that range, too..

you should feel the restriction once you get to solid foods.

that's an above average loss. You are doing fine.

it might help - but then again, it may be the sleeve - acid reflux can be an issue for some people with VSG. I'd try losing weight first, though, and see if that helps. I suppose it could be a hiatal hernia, too. Sorry you're going through this - I had GERD before my surgery - it's awful!!

I did occasionally the first few weeks out, when something didn't agree with me, but I don't vomit any more now than I did before I had surgery. also, vomiting is not as bad post-surgery as it is pre-surgery. For one thing, you have a really small stomach, so there's not much in there to vomit. Secondly, you don't have a lot of acid in your stomach, either, so you don't get that awful taste in your mouth. It tastes the same coming up as it did going down. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I don't mind it - but on the other hand, I don't dread it as much as I did before I had surgery.

I still see my surgeon annually, but I know of other people who just started seeing their PCP after the first year or so. I get my blood work done annually. Actually, I schedule my annual follow-up with my surgeon about six months away from my annual physical with my PCP, so that way she can follow up with additional blood work if there was something that had to be monitored.

that's really bizarre that your surgeon doesn't know about the three week stall. Pretty much everyone has that. I was told about it in my pre-op classes.

your surgeon will go over the options with you and will let you know if there is a specific surgery that is more appropriate for you given your health/medical needs. If he/she says they have no concerns and that you're a good candidate for any type of surgery, then spend a lot of time reading up on the different surgeries to make your decision easier. They all have their pros and cons. This site is a great place to start!

in addition to holding off on it immediately after surgery (I actually had to wait six months - but some surgeons are OK with you having it sooner), no, I could not have it during my pre-op diet. I was supposed to be off of all caffeine a couple of weeks before surgery. Although maybe your surgeon is of a different opinion. I'd ask...

I like the maple one from Aldi's even better than the pumpkin! (I have both - and I like them both - but that maple one is especially good!)

I had a hard time with a lot of meats the first few weeks. I could do shrimp and canned tuna, but that may have been it for awhile. I'm not sure if I could have handled turkey sausage, but then, I don't think I tried that until I was a ways out

even if BCBS covers it, your employer may or may not have included it in their policies. They can pick & choose what they want included in their employees' policies. I'd call the customer service line on the back of your insurance card and ask.

almost everyone has their first major stall within the first month or so of surgery. We call it the "three week stall", but it's not always the third week. Do a search on it on this site - you'll find over 15,000 posts on it. It'll last about 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale if you have to. As long as you stick to your program, your weight loss WILL start up again...

it's really common during the first several months post-surgery

I hit my goal at 20 months out, and I played around with calorie ranges until I figured out that I could maintain my weight if I stayed within a 1500-1700 calorie range. I still eat within that range (not that I never go over that - but I'm USUALLY somewhere in this range). Not sure if that helps or not. Although people are all across the board with calorie requirements. I know some post-WLS women who can eat 2000 (although they're pretty active) - and others who can only eat 1200. anyway, to answer your question, I don't know exactly when I figured out the 1500-1700 thing, but maybe around two years out? I've been eating at the level ever since.

I don't think anyone could tell at this point that I've had bariatric surgery. I'm 5.5 years out - although I don't even think they'd be able to tell when I was two years out. It was only obvious the first few months. Since then, I don't think I eat much differently than my never-been-obese women friends who are constantly watching their weight. When I go out with them, we all order an appetizer. Or else an entree and take at least half of it home. You mentioned not being able to eat 3 oz of chicken and 1/2 C of vegetables - I could eat that.