catwoman7

it's been over nine years for me, but I think they did test for certain vitamins because I remember I was deficient in vitamin (as are MANY people), so they had me on prescription vitamin D for a couple of weeks to bring my levels back up to normal.

that's totally up to you. Some people count their highest weight, others count the day they start their liquid diet, and still others count the day they had surgery. It makes no difference.

you could always get a Dexascan to see how much fat, muscle, etc you have. Not the kind you get at the doctor's office - those only check for mineral (bone) density. You need the kind they have at some sports places (some university sports labs have them) or at commercial places like DexaFit. Those scans will also tell you how much fat, muscle, etc you have. I got one when I weighed 146 lbs because I wanted to see how much more weight I could lose. The technician said nope - I was done losing. I had 21% fat at that point, which is pretty lean for a woman (unfortunately, I'm not that lean anymore!). but I found it pretty helpful. I think it was around $100.

I didn't have mine weighed after it was removed, but a lot of people claim theirs only weighed 4 or 5 lbs. I guess if you have a lot of liposuction you could lose more than that. I don't think my weight went down much. I looked about a zillion percent better, though!

yep - super common. It's just the IV fluid.

I think most of us were told to shoot for 60-80 grams of protein a day, but as far as sugar/carbs, plans vary quite a bit. Some are low carb, some are ultra low carb (almost keto-level), some don't count carbs at all and insist their patients follow a balanced plan (mine was one of the latter). I've never counted carbs, but I'm not particularly sensitive to them, either (I know some people are). That said, during my first few months post-surgery, I rarely ate more than 80 carbs a day, and never over 100 - although that was just because I ate very little in those days, and there was such a push for that 60-80 grams of protein that I didn't have room for a ton of carbs. I don't pay attention to carbs at all any more - I just watch my overall calorie level and still make sure I'm meeting my protein goal.

I went back and forth for at least 10 years on this. Fortunately, I didn't have the health issues you have, but I knew if I didn't get the weight off, I wouldn't live to see my 60th birthday (I was 55 at the time). I went into it thinking it was a "dangerous" surgery, but I thought it was even more dangerous for me to stay at almost 400 lbs. I was happy to learn that these surgeries are no longer dangerous (like they were years ago) - they're actually very routine now and quite safe - safer than hip replacement surgeries, which they do all the time. So I took the jump. Absolutely the best decision I've ever made! I'd do it again in a heartbeat - in fact, I'd go back and have it done every year if I had to!

yes - it's super common. For some it's temporary, for others, it's permanent.

I'm pretty sure the OP is in the same program I was (UW Health in Wisconsin). Their plan isn't low carb, it's balanced. Or it was when I went through it 9-10 years ago.

I, too, take water fitness classes. Anything in the water is easy on the joints.

you should be losing on 800-1200 kcal/day. When did you start? If it's just been a few days, I wouldn't worry about it yet. If it's been longer, maybe you should check with them - they may have a dietitian on staff you could work with. It could be you're taking in a lot of sodium (that can cause water retention in some people), or more calories than you think - or something. Because if it's been more than a few days, there's something going on here.. I started out a 373 and my pre-program dietitian had me eating about 2000 kcal/day - I did lose weight. It wasn't speedy, but I did take about 40 lbs off in six months...

there was a lot of conversation on here about those when they first came out a few years ago. It seems they work for some people, but not for others. I never tried them because I figured I'd be one of the people they wouldn't work for. I've considered getting them for traveling, though, so I don't have to lug a bunch of bottles around. Even if they didn't really work for me, four or five days or even a week without getting adequate vitamins probably wouldn't really matter - esp since I'm only away from home that long maybe once or twice a year.

I'm nine years out so my memory is foggy, but I think they recommended we wait three or four months for those. Raw carrots still occasionally irritate my stomach.

I can't speak to somee of the other things you mentioned, but as far as BM's go, it's pretty common for it to take a week for your first one post-surgery. Not much in there...

I really didn't have any pain at all. In fact, at first I thought they hadn't done the surgery! Pain is all across the board with these surgeries, but I've been hanging out on this site for nine years, and from what I can tell, most of us experience very little pain. If you're one of the ones who DOES have pain, they'll give you pain killers to keep on top of it. They're pretty effective and the pain shouldn't last for more than a couple of days. I also would not worry about complications. Techniques have improved immensely over the last few years, and complications are pretty rare.

yea it happens. I try to add fiber and/or healthy fats without going over my calorie limit. Or as NickelChip suggested, more non-starchy vegetables.

surgeons do vary. At my clinic, both sleeve and bypass people were on the same plan. They had us on purees as soon as we left the hospital, but they changed that (I had my surgery nine years ago) and now they have to do a week (or maybe two?) of liquids before moving to purees.

for some of us it's a chronic problem. I take a capful of Miralax every morning to prevent it. Others take things like stool softeners, magnesium tablets, or Smooth Move tea. Whatever works!

I can eat pho - although I'm nine years out. You should be able to at some point, but not for a while (I was about six months out when all food restrictions were lifted). A lot of people have issues with noodles, though - they can sit in your stomach like a brick. I do eat them, but not like I used to. A half cup or so is usually OK, though.

yep - I think a lot of us how are a few years out can relate to this. I, too, thought I'd conquered all this. It's a lifelong battle.

if you increased your weight training, it could be water retention. Muscles hold on to water. Calories sound OK at this point in your journey with the added weight training, so I wouldn't drop those until you rule everything else out. AND three-week (or longer) stalls aren't uncommon when you get that far out. I remember times around the year mark (and after) thinking "OK - so this must be it.", and then I'd end up dropping 2 or 3 lbs. So it's not over 'til it's over.. EDITED to add that I just checked your stats. You're very close to goal. The closer you get, the slower the weight comes off. Those last 20 lbs were a BEAR for me to lose - but I just stuck with it and finally managed to make it

I agree with Nickelchip. Programs vary, but that sounds like a misunderstanding. Most people are on solid foods at about a month out (after doing a week or two of liquids, then purees, then maybe soft foods). You're two weeks out - most people at that point are on purees or soft foods - and they start introducing solid foods about a month out, give or take... or like she said, maybe you have some unique medical circumstances (?)

normal bites - yes. Drinking while eating - no. That rule is for life.

re: the photo of the plate you posted - I could eat that.

it usually does - but like the person above said, not always - although it's good to have it checked in case something else is going on.