catwoman7

I agree that you haven't messed up your surgery - your tool is still there - but you need to get back on top of this before you end up putting all the weight back on. Unfortunately, this is a lifetime commitment. I've put on about 20 lbs since hitting my lowest weight, and believe me it's a battle every day to keep it where it is. If I stopped paying attention, all that weight would start piling back on again. According to my surgeon, grazing is the #1 reason why people regain weight. Try to get back to measuring, tracking, etc before it really gets out of control. It's not easy, but you've come this far - it'd be a shame to undo all the work you've put into it.

I think for a lot of us there's a stigma attached to WLS. As someone above said, we see it as a moral failure, even though we shouldn't. I told very few people because honestly, I was embarrassed by it - that I'd let my weight get so out of control that I needed to have surgery to "fix" it. I told my immediate family and a few close friends, but explained that I was very private about it and didn't want it getting out. After I started losing a noticeable amount of weight, I was more upfront with other obese people, but I told most "normies" that I was working with a dietitian, low-carbing, and exercising like a fiend - which was true - I just left out the surgery part. now at 6.5 years out, it honestly rarely comes up because most people either never knew me when i was obese or got used to seeing me without all the excess weight a long time ago, but I still run into someone maybe once or twice a year who hasn't seen me in years and is shocked by my weight loss. I'm more open about it now when they ask - something I wouldn't have done in the first couple of years. I don't know at all what your relationship is with Emily, and I am not you, so take this with a grain of salt, but if you're not comfortable with this getting out but want to be honest with HER, you could always tell her but then explain that you're not comfortable with this getting out - at least not yet - so you're sticking to the hernia story with others. And mention that you'd appreciate it if she keeps this to herself. This is a medical issue, so you don't have to feel like it needs to be broadcasted. Hopefully she'll understand.

as I recall, Lisa, you are several years out. So there shouldn't be any restrictions at this point - just whatever you yourself are able to tolerate. Some people, even years out, can't tolerate certain foods. I can't eat much pasta - it sits like a brick in my stomach. But I can handle a half cup or so. I don't eat it very often, though, as it doesn't have much nutritional value.

^^^^ agree 100%!

it's just this Christmas. For future Christmases, you'll be at least a year out and can enjoy the foods everyone else is eating, just in smaller quantities. But I get it - I was like that my first Thanksgiving (although I was about five months out then, so I could at least eat *some* of the foods). But you're doing this for yourself and your health. Just focus on the social aspects of the festivities..

the first thing I do when I get up in the morning, before drinking my coffee, is have 16-oz of non-carbonated, non-caffeinated fluids (for me, that means bottle of Bai (or similar flavored water)). I've been doing that for about five years. Doing that right off the bat has helped me meet my goal by the end of the day.

we were advised to avoid things like pasta and rice early out. In addition to what the other posters said, they also don't have much nutritional value. Our stomachs can only hold a limited amount of food, so we're encouraged to eat things that are nutritionally dense. I eat noodles and rice at 6.5 years out, but not very often and never very much of them. Maybe a half cup or so.

it depends on the program. Some surgeons want people on a low-carb diet, so if you have one of those, you'll probably have to count carbs. Other programs are more balanced, so you don't have to count carbs (mine was one of the latter). I don't know of any programs that have you track fats. Most seem to want you to focus on protein and fluids. most programs don't have you count calories the first few months. Most of us aren't eating enough to matter until we get a ways out. I do count calories now and have been since I was about a year out, much to my dietitian's chagrin (she hates it when people focus on calories - she like the "intuitive eating" model and keeps insisting I try it - but I'm afraid I'd intuitively eat my way up to 300 lbs again...)

I've always used drugstore vitamins (the better brands, like Centrum). You have to take two of them to meet the requirements. Here are the vitamin (and dosage) recommendations of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons (you have to scroll down to see them). ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf

I think most people are nervous before surgeries. I've had several surgeries and I'm always nervous before them Pain is all across the board, but most people seem to have little to no pain with these surgeries. I had none. They'll send you home with pain pills. I never even bothered to open mine, but if you do have pain, take them as directed and you should be able to stay on top of it. I started out at almost 400 lbs and had been on every diet known to man. Surgery is the only thing that worked for me. If you follow your surgeon's plan, you WILL lose the weight.

there's no way that's a true weight gain. I would guess you're retaining water or your intestines are full. a lot of people don't lose much the first week because of the IV fluids you get in the hospital. In fact, some people "gain" on that (not really a true gain, though - it's just the fluid). I've heard of people "gaining" as much as 10 lbs in the hospital! It can up to a week for all that fluid to work its way out of your system.

if you feel nauseated, then I'd stop even if you haven't eaten the whole measured-out amount. Some people's systems just aren't ready to progress as quickly as others. Some people have to back up for a few days and then try again. And the above person is correct - a lot of us are on liquids or purees for the first two or three weeks ANYWAY. I'd contact your clinic and just let them know what's going on and see what they suggest.

oh wow - sorry to hear that. Those kinds of symptoms aren't uncommon early out (like the first month or two post-surgery), but this far out, that's pretty unusual. Or at least having all of them is unusual (some people, for example, do develop GERD....or lactose intolerance...or whatever - but not the whole shebang). Sorry this is happening to you. I hope they can figure this out. I agree that maybe a visit with a specialist is in order.

could be your new "full" signal. Some of them are pretty weird - like sneezing or runny nose.

you aren't the first 70+ year old I've seen on this site! So you're not too old!

I've never had trouble with antibiotics. The meds that don't work as well are extended release formulas - and I seem to remember hearing that certain kind of coatings make some pills harder to absorb, too. I Just always tell the prescribing physician that I've had WLS.

if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Fortunately, most of us don't lose enough hair for others to notice (and even if you're one of those who do, it's pretty rare for it to fall out in big, noticeable clumps - rather, it's more like shedding - so your hair just looks thinner). About all you can do is keep on top of your protein and supplement requirements to keep it from getting any worse than it will anyway. It's temporary and will all grow back, so there's that. I had loss from months 5-9, but it was pretty minimal. I noticed more strands than usual in my combs and brushes, but just looking in the mirror, I couldn't tell - so no one else would have noticed, either. And then there are people who don't lose any hair at all. nothing you can do about skin. Although you're what we call a "light weight", so you're not likely to end up looking like a Sharpei puppy like someone who starts out much heavier might (I was one of the latter - I was almost 400 lbs and in my late 50s when I had surgery). You'll likely have some sagging, but it probably won't be what I'm guessing you're imagining. And there's always plastic surgery if it bothers you - but I'm betting it won't be that bad. I was really worried about the hair loss and saggy skin (I think most people are), but honestly, most of us would take those any day of the week over being obese. And again, the hair loss part is temporary.

^^^ agree with this 100%!!

that's weird. I was even told to increase my protein a couple weeks before and a couple weeks after all the other surgeries I've had (not just my WLS) because it supposedly helps with the healing process.

water them down. Or get some of the fruit-flavored ones from Syntrax and mix them with water

I took this online test that I think went about an hour. It seemed to ask the same questions over and over, using different wording. I think, like ShoppGirl said, they're looking for signs of untreated mental illness, addiction issues, etc. I talked with the person one-on-one afterward. I think he also wanted to make sure I had realistic expectations from the surgery.

it seems 15-25 lbs is pretty average for the first month, but you'll always find a few folks who lose more or less than that. They're kind of outliers - but on the other hand, since you're male, it wouldn't be surprising that you've lost more than the typical range.

probably not a physical issue (like a stricture) since you're not having a problem digesting. I know for the first five months or so, I was never hungry and had pretty much zero interest in food. Eating became a chore. Could it be something like that? I actually liked being that way and wished it would have gone on longer since it was so easy to lose weight when I really didn't like food and had no interest in eating. however, if you're concerned, contact your clinic - esp if you think there's something going on other than loss of interest in food (which isn't uncommon when you're early out from surgery)

I don't know of any plans that limit or restrict spices. some people have a harder time tolerating spice, though - esp the first few months while they're healing. I was more sensitive to it the first couple of months out so I had to dial it back, but I've been eating spicy foods for a long time now with no issues.

I'm a few years out so I don't remember how many calories I was eating early on, BUT....my clinic had the bypass people and the sleeve people on the exact same plan, so calories would have been the same. I know a lot of people on here eat around 600-800 calories from about month 2 to about a year out, but some plans are allowing more than that nowadays. And then there are some clinics that don't want patients focusing on calories (mine was one of those - but I always knew how many I was getting since the tracking apps display calories)