catwoman7

yes - it's the IV fluids. They pump you full of them when you're in the hospital. Among other electrolytes, there's sodium in those, which makes a lot of us hold on to water. I've heard of people coming out of the hospital up to 10 lbs heavier than when they went in. It'll work its way out of your system - but it could take a few days.

re: revision - do you mean they're going to tighten the stoma? I've heard mixed results - but hopefully techniques have continued to improve.

my blood pressure always drops for a couple of days after a surgery - so it may just be that. Although even if it is, your BP should drop permanently after awhile...

I have some cheap ones I got a grocery store a few years ago - they're still OK - but I bought these on amazon a few months ago and like them even better: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GDXHSZ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 the two ways I make them: 1) Greek yogurt mixed fruit or SF pudding mix 2) SF pudding mix mixed with unsweetened almond (or cashew) milk + 2 or 3 scoops of protein powder neither of these recipes are super low in calories (but then...I'm in maintenance), but they have a fair amount of protein in them, which I need...

yes - I was told to ramp it up the week before and for several weeks after...

programs are all different. I was started on purees while I was still in the hospital!

they're kind of all across the board. Some people don't even have one at all! some people are allowed one small meal a day I was one of the unlucky ones who had two weeks of liquids only. I could drink all the water and no- or very-low cal beverages (like Crystal Light) that I wanted, 4-5 protein shakes a day, unlimited sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello, and a limited amount of broth and V8 or tomato juice (I think it might have been just a cup of each)

you'll start feeling restriction once you start eating solid food, so no worries. I was able to drink much more quickly than I thought I should have, and I never had any pain or swallowing issues. I seriously started to think that maybe he didn't really do the surgery. But I sure noticed the restriction once I started eating solid food!

you're fine as far as water hurting your pouch - some people's pouches are sensitive to extreme temps in the first few weeks after surgery. Maybe try drinking it at room temperature?

I'm sure it's fine. I had that with RNY. I was a little worried they hadn't really done the surgery!

10 lbs is month is pretty normal. I started at 373. I lost 16 lbs the first month and about 10-12 lbs a month after that. At about six or seven months out, it dropped to 5-8 lbs. I did eventually lose it all, though, so don't despair. your calories are fine. I wouldn't increase.

I don't know your starting BMI, but 100 lbs in six months would be pretty optimistic for a lot of us. Some lose that much in six months, but I wouldn't say that's normal. Regardless, you should lose quite a bit if you're committed to your plan.

that dizzy feeling when you go from sitting to standing is pretty common (although it eventually goes away for most of us). It has to do with lower blood pressure. About all you can do about that piece is transition slowly. Lack of energy the first few weeks is also common. Not sure about the flushing.

if you're able to eat and your weight isn't at a dangerous level (and you're not losing weight that you don't want to lose), I'm not sure I'd worry about it. I wish *I* hated eating. Unfortunately, my hunger came roaring back when I was five months out of surgery and never slowed down. It makes keeping my weight off a daily struggle. I would check with my doctor, though, just to be sure there's nothing medically wrong.

she must have meant temporarily. I had to gradually reintroduce fruits and vegetables - for example, I know I wasn't supposed to eat fruit that had seeds or skins - or any raw vegetables - for several weeks because my stomach was still healing. Check with a dietitian.

developing reactive hypoglycemia (RH) isn't that uncommon, but I haven't heard of people developing diabetes after surgery. In any case, I'm not sure it would be result of the surgery or not, since these surgeries tend to improve diabetes (or put it in remission). in the case of RH, the things you mentioned happen to people after ingesting a lot of sugar, but the symptoms usually kick in an hour or two later. RH can be controlled by limiting (or avoiding) sugar and eating something every three or four hours. And if you eat a carb, you're supposed to eat a protein with it. I'd check with my PCP - not sure what's going on. But I'd sure want to get that under control...

when I had nerve damage (to the peroneal nerve in my left leg - due to a fall), my leg from the knee down was completely numb. So it doesn't sound like you have nerve damage, but then, I'm not a medical person, so I don't know for sure.

as someone else said, pain is all across the board with these surgeries, but most of us have little to no pain. I had pretty much no pain with this at all. I was sent home from the hospital with a bottle of pain pills which I never opened - I just didn't need them. the insurance-required diets are all so different that it's sort of pointless to even go into them. It's not a specific across-the-board diet - the insurance company just wants to be assured that you're capable of sticking to a plan. You'll likely get specific stages of eating from your bariatric clinic once you get closer to surgery date. We had I think four classes and they went over the guidelines pretty thoroughly. They'll have guidelines for the couple of weeks pre-op, and then several months post-op eating. But for the insurance-required diets that a lot of us have, the surgeons aren't involved in this and may not even be aware of what exactly they're having you do. It's really just for insurance approval. my six-month insurance-required dietitian meetings weren't done through my bariatric clinic (my insurance company said it could be through any PCP or dietitian sometime within the past two years - they just needed documentation of the meetings). I actually had two different dietitians since the first one had to take a leave of absence for a couple of months due to caregiving responsibilities. Anyway, both had me gradually increase my protein, gradually cut back on carbs, focus more on lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables, had me gradually wean off carbonated beverages and caffeine, and start exercising regularly. In other words, start developing healthy habits. There wasn't a specific weight loss requirement (although I did lose 30 or 35 lbs), the company just wanted to see if I was capable of sticking to a program - which I was. It also helped to prepare me for what life after surgery would be like.

just over five years out. At this point the only thing I consistently can't eat are really fatty meals. When I was pre-op, my husband and I used to go out for Friday night fish fries once or twice a month. You know those things - two or three pieces of breaded and fried fish, a stack of French fries, some cole slaw (i.e., mayo...), and a roll with butter. A meal like that would have me in the bathroom vomiting for sure. I could maybe eat a half a piece of fried fish now. Anything else with that would have to be something like non-starchy vegetables. also - falafel. I love falafel, but I can have maybe half a one - or maybe a whole one if it's small. Beyond that, no. Again, it's the fried thing. Same with reuben sandwiches. I love them, but....fat. Sometimes I can tolerate half of one, sometimes not. At any rate, a whole reuben will have me in the bathroom vomiting.

teaching hospitals (like UAB) are usually excellent since the surgeons there are on the university med school faculty and are usually top-notch. I personally would feel very comfortable there (I was at a teaching hospital as well)

it's actually a lot easier AFTER surgery, because if you're like most of us, you won't be hungry. That two weeks pre-surgery is tough, though - you just have to white knuckle it. It seems to get easier by the third or fourth day, though.

the first two years weren't that hard, to be honest. I just stuck to my plan and tried to exercise regularly. I wasn't a gym rat, but I'd do SOMETHING three or four days a week, even if it was just walking. I wouldn't say it didn't take effort, because it certainly did, but if I stayed committed and didn't stray very often, the weight would come off and stay off. Year three and beyond got a LOT harder. I gained 12 lbs (which actually I probably needed to - my lowest weight was too low for me), but then it became a constant battle to maintain my new weight. If I stop paying attention for more than a couple of days, my weight starts to go up again. I still weigh myself several times a week and track my food - and weigh/measure when I'm not 100% sure how much I'm eating of something. I also set "oh crap" weight levels for myself (which unfortunately I've adjusted up a bit the last couple of years), and when I hit that, it's all hands on deck to get my weight safely back down into an acceptable range again. That worked for a long time, but then I went to India for a month last fall. I didn't have a scale and I ate more than I would if I were at home, but I did NOT eat like a pig. I ate about what a normal person would. And I came back eight lbs heavier. It's been hell taking that off. I've lost 3-4 pounds of it (depending on the day). I used to roll my eyes at these "normies" who'd whine and complain about how hard it was to lose five or ten lbs, but now I totally get it. It is TOUGH. so my advice is 1) follow your plan until you get to your goal 2) once you're there, do whatever you can to avoid gaining weight. A 10-20 lb bounce back after hitting bottom is VERY common, so some of us try to get a little UNDER our goal to account for that. But once you're at what you want to be your final weight, do whatever you can to avoid gaining weight. People do lose regain, but it is TOUGH, especially if you're within a normal BMI range or within 10 or 20 lbs of it.

yes - that's normal. I think it was a couple of months for me - although it kept getting better and better up until the two-month mark...

you might want to start at 800-1000 and see if that works. 500 may be a bit low for you given you're eight months out (although I do know people who've stuck with 600-800 until the year mark). I was in the 800-1000 range when I was where you are, and I still lost weight. But then so many things factor into weight loss (genetics, etc) that you sort of have to experiment to see what works for YOU.

omg that looks good!!