catwoman7

surgeons are all across the board on this. Some say you can never drink caffeinated beverages ever again. Some patients are drinking it before they even leave the hospital. Some surgeons have you wait a month - or three months - or six months. And some are OK with a limited amount - like one cup a day. Or some combo of the above (I could have decaf fairly shortly after surgery - maybe 3rd or 4th week? (it's been awhile for me). Then after six months, I could have ONE cup of caffeinated per day). SO....ask your surgeon. Opinions vary, and some might depend on your individual circumstances.

sugar free popsicles, sugar free fudgesicles, Greek yogurt, or sugar free Jello topped with light or sugar free Cool Whip. one of the first desserts I can remember was on Thanksgiving five months after my surgery. I brought a thing of Light & Fit pumpkin-flavored yogurt for my dessert. I think I enjoyed it just as much as I would have enjoyed pumpkin pie - and it was way healthier!

P.S. my standard breakfast is Greek yogurt topped with a few berries

nothing wrong with having a protein shake for breakfast. I know several bariatric patients who've had those for breakfast for years because they can't stomach solid food first thing in the morning.

P.S. A lot of people rave about Joseph Michaels in the DC area (I think he's affiliated with Johns Hopkins Univ in Maryland) and Joseph Capella in New Jersey. They both specialize in body contouring for massive weight loss patients.

when I was looking for a plastic surgeon three or four years ago, I was told (by people on this and other bariatric forums) to expect about $8K-10K per procedure, and I found through my five consults that that rang true. It'll depend on the surgeon's experience and reputation and his/her location (urban areas and the coasts are usually more). PLUS my consults were three or four years ago. So this is a long-winded way of saying, that $25K figure for two procedures in the Boston area doesn't surprise me at all. and yes - insurance usually won't pay unless there's some medical issue going on, like chronic rashes that don't respond to traditional treatments. If you do have such problems, make sure you see a doctor about them and that they're well-documented. The surgeon I used for my body contouring surgeries (two of them) didn't file with insurance, either, because he knew it wouldn't be covered. you can always shop around. You can get the same procedures done in Mexico for probably half the cost. There are a couple of excellent plastic surgeons there who've worked on many bariatric patients I've run into on these forums. Also, there are people on here who've gone to Miami for plastic surgery, because oddly, it's cheaper there than many other parts of the country, even though it's urban and on a coast. But yea - what you were told is pretty normal.

it's really just the first few months when you have to deal with all those food restrictions. I have no food limitations anymore, and haven't since the first year (or maybe even the first six months or so). Of course, you'll need to eat healthy most of the time (for life, that is..), and you may develop some intolerances (some people become lactose intolerant after surgery. Some people "dump" and therefore can't handle much sugar. I, for one, can't eat really fatty meals any more), but your clinic will lift all restrictions once you're a few months out. complications aren't common and most are minor (and "fixable"). A lot of us never had any complications. They have to tell you all the possible complications, but that doesn't mean they happen very often. You can have complications (or even die) from a tonsillectomy - or even a wisdom tooth extraction - but how often does that happen? These surgeries have come a long way from where they were 20 or 30 years ago. Deficiencies aren't common as long as you keep on top of your supplements. Follow your program to a "T", and you won't fail. It's when people start pushing the envelope that they screw up. So follow your plan - and keep in mind it's mostly the first few months that are really restrictive. I eat about the same now as I did before surgery (although I was always a healthy eater - I just ate way too much). I"m higher on protein and lower on simple carbs/starches than I was before - and of course my intake in general is about half of what it used to be, but I certainly don't feel deprived. I think your concerns are pretty common, though. It can seem overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's really not. I'm so happy I had this surgery and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

I loved cooking before and I still love it after. It's really just the first few months when you have to deal with a lot of restrictions. The only thing I really can't tolerate anymore is highly fatty meals. But then, I never made those before surgery (it's just when I went out - for example, Friday night fish fries - loaded with fat - no way I could tolerate that now). I eat more protein and fewer simple carbs/starches now (although I do eat some), but otherwise, the difference is mostly in my portion size. I eat probably half the calories I used to, give or take.

there are some people who can't throw up, but most of us still do. I think he meant vomiting is not one of the typical signs of dumping (some people think whenever they throw up it's "dumping", but it's not - it's what you guys talked about above - racing heart, cold sweats, dizziness, diarrhea, etc...)

"buyers remorse" is very common the first month or so after surgery. I had it as well. But for almost all of us, it goes away and we're really happy with our choice to have surgery. So just hang in there. I'm a Premier Protein hater, too. I used mostly Syntrax and Unjury products (Syntrax only comes in powder - Unjury now has ready-to-drink, but they didn't back when I had surgery). People's tastes are all really different - just experiment and see if you can find a couple you like. I was a presenter for my clinic's pre-op classes for about three years (until COVID struck). EVERY class someone would ask about hair loss. I could count on it. That and loose skin seem to be people's major concerns. And they were mine as well when I was a pre-op and early post-op. But I think I can speak on behalf of most vets here that we would take either or both of those any day of the week over being morbidly obese again. The hair loss is a minor inconvenience that may or may not happen to you. Not everyone loses hair. I lost hair between months 5-9, but the only reason I knew about it was I noticed about twice the normal number of hair strands in my comb after coming out my just-shampooed hair. Looking in the mirror, I couldn't tell. Even if your loss is more significant than mine, for most people (not all - but most), they're the only ones who notice it.

check the blog "The World According to Eggface". She's a long-time vet and is very active in the bariatric community. AND...she loves to cook. She has recipes on her site for every stage.

not all of us dump. I've read on this site in multiple places that about 30% do ( I never have - and I know lots of others who never have). I'm not sure if that statistic is accurate, but it sounds about right. If you're a dumper, then yes, it's probably for life - but you can control it but not eating a bunch of sugar (or for some people, fat) at one sitting. There aren't too many dumpers I'm aware of that can't have ANY sugar (or fat). Most of them can have some - but they have to know their limits. And most figure it out pretty quickly...

yes - broth counts for sure!

I don't think I ever went off plan my first year. Maybe occasionally after that - but only very occasionally. I don't want to start gaining my weight back. It took too much work to get it off!!

should be fine. Like someone else said, by that time (24 days out) you'll likely just be tired...

I didn't have to wear a halter monitor, but I did have to do the other two. My surgeon required it for everyone over age 50, and those below age 50 if they'd had previous heart issues.

although a stricture would cause vomiting - not diarrhea. At least that would be the case with RNY (I had two of them early out). I agree with what you said about fluids, though - and artificial sweeteners. Those give a lot of people G/I problems - esp sugar alcohols (those whose names end it "-itol" - like xylitol.

VSG people can dump, but it's not very common - it's much more common with the RNY. You get it from eating too much sugar at one sitting (or for some people, fat). It can cause diarrhea - but it also causes chills (or sweating), heart palpitations, rapid heart beat, flushing, and dizziness. And it doesn't last four days - more like a few minutes to maybe an hour or so. So I agree with the others - this doesn't sound like dumping. But I also agree that your surgeon treated you like crap.

it's a more powerful surgery than the VSG or RNY. You're likely to take more weight off, and it's likely going to be easier to maintain your loss long term (although you'll certainly find people who've had VSG or RNY who've taken off all their excess weight and managed to maintain it). But your odds are better with the DS. My insurance doesn't cover DS, just RNY and VSG, otherwise I would have considered it given my starting weight. Although I ended up losing all my weight with my RNY anyway, so I'm good. DS does come with more potential complications than either the VSG or the RNY, so there's a trade off. But as with the other two, you'll find a lot of people who've never had complications at all with it. If you have a history of GERD, I'd still go with the RNY, since DS has a sleeved stomach (in fact, the VSG used to be phase 1 of the traditional DS surgery, back when it was often done in two phases. A lot of people ended up losing a substantial part of weight with just the sleeved stomach and really didn't need phase 2 - the intestinal part. So eventually VSG ended up being offered as a standalone surgery). So you still have the potential of worsened GERD (or new-to-you GERD) if you go with a DS, but then 70% of VSG/DS people don't develop GERD issues at all, so there's that... tough decisions. I'm still very happy with my RNY - but I would have at least considered DS if my insurance covered it.

I actually can't eat much of any of that, even at over six years out. My stomach often rebels if I have more than a little of any of those things.

I"ve ordered online and also gotten them from places like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe. Also, some of the grocery stores I shop at carry them. Just pick up a few brands and see which ones you like.

4 lbs a week after the first month is pretty extreme, unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". Does this dietitian have any experience with bariatric patients? Doesn't sound like it. most "normal" WLS patients lose about 15-25 lbs the first month after surgery, and then it slows down to about 10 lbs (give or take) a month for the next several months - and then it drops even further. Of course you will find people who lose more or less than that, but they're outliers. So you are fine - that dietitian is very misinformed.

P.S. I don't think there are any ready to drink shakes that are 100% whey protein isolate, not even Unjury's. Someone asked this on one of Unjury's virtual support groups one night, and the owner said they've tried doing them with whey protein isolate, but the texture is "off". once you're a ways out, you can probably switch to a protein blend since you'll be getting more protein from your food, but early out, the isolate is best because it's the most absorbable form.

no - most people are able to get off them once they can meet all/most of their protein requirements via food. So after the first few weeks or months, most people are able to get off them. I still drink them at 6.5 years out because we found out early on that I malabsorb protein (and fortunately, I'm one of those weirdos who actually LIKES protein shakes), but I'm an anomaly.

it takes awhile to figure out maintenance. You have to experiment with calorie ranges to find the one that works for you. I can maintain my weight on 1500-1700 calories per day - a bit more if I'm really active. If I go over range too often, my weight starts heading north - if I'm consistently at the low end or below, I'll lose. That figure is going to be different for everyone though. There are some women who can eat 2000 cal/day -- and others who can only eat 1200. It'll depend on a bunch of factors like age, height, how muscular you are, how active you are, etc. keep in mind that it's very, very common to have a 10-20 lb regain during year 2 or 3. It's just your body settling in to its new, hopefully permanent, weight (and it WILL be permanent as long as you monitor it). I purposely went a little under my goal to account for this, because from everything I'd read, I knew it was likely to happen (it doesn't happen to everyone, but it does for most people) a lot of us set a drop-dead weight ceiling once we reach maintenance - and if and when we reach that drop-dead weight, it's all hands on deck until our weight is comfortably back in our acceptable range. That's going to differ for people, too. My personal ceiling is 160 lbs. Weight fluctuates all the time - up a pound, down two, maybe up three. But once I hit that ceiling, I really crack down until my weight is back down again. I think that's probably what most of us have to do -or something like that, anyway -- to keep from gaining a bunch of weight back. As long as you keep an eye on what you're eating - at least most of the time - and monitor your weight, and take action when you need to - you should be fine.