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Everything posted by catwoman7
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New here
like others have said, if you lost a lot of weight prior to this, you may not lose all that much on the liver-shrinking diet. Big drops are usually mostly due to "water weight", and if you lost a lot of weight before this, that "water weight" may be long gone. I wouldn't worry about it. This diet is to shrink your liver a bit so it's easier for the surgeon to get in there - the primary focus of it isn't weight loss. Definitely get your protein in - you need it to stay healthy.
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poop question after surgery
it takes many of us about a week to "go" after surgery. There's not much in there, so... also, chronic constipation is a common problem even months or years after surgery (not everyone has it, but many of us do). It's probably still too early to tell if you're going to deal with that (you're still pretty new out of surgery), but Lizonaplain has some good suggestions if you end up dealing with that long term. But for now, it may just be the very common post-surgery "thing" - just give it a couple more days...
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Tracking weight loss
I track my food in myfitnesspal - and record my weight there once a week (on Wednesdays - the day I had my surgery back in 2015). then once a month, on the date of my surgery (the 3rd), I put my weight in an Excel spreadsheet.
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Vitamins
it may be fine for sleeve - sleevers don't have the malabsorption that RNY folks do. You'll be having regular labs and adjustments will be made here and there depending on the results.
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How many calories a day?
yep - I agree with the others - programs are different. Some want their patients on very low calorie diets the first few months - others on higher calorie diets because (I think) they feel it's more sustainable. Some don't want you counting calories at all. As long as you're seeing a general downward trend in your weight, you're fine.
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Slow weight loss
there's your problem - you're believing what you read online. Just don't. NO ONE loses 5-15 lbs a week from weight loss surgery. People who are on shows like "My 600 lb Life" might lose somewhere at the lower end of that range, but even THEY aren't going to lose 15 lbs a week. the average WLS patient (and I am NOT talking people who start out at 600+ lbs, like on those shows) loses somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month - and then it drops to about 10 lbs a month (give or take) after that. And for lower BMI patients, it'll be even lower than that. Yes - you will find people here and there who do not start out at over 600 lbs who might drop 30 lbs the first month, but they are outliers. And NO ONE loses 15 lbs a week (OK - maybe the very first week when most of that is water weight - but after that, no. It just doesn't happen). I started out at almost 400 lbs and lost 16 lbs the first month. 12 lbs the second. And then around 10 lbs, give or take, for the next six months or so. And I lost every molecule of my excess weight - over 200 lbs. You are doing fine. Readjust your expectations a bit. If you are following your program, and you're seeing a general downward trend, you're good. your rate of weight loss is fine and perfectly normal.
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How many days in the hospital?
it's usually 1-2 nights in the hospital, depending on how you're doing. I took three weeks off but could have gone back after two. I had a desk job (I'm now retired). But I could probably have gone back even earlier if I was working from home. The big problem after the first few days, like someone else said, is fatigue.
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I started my purée diet early, oops!
my surgeon had me on purees before I even left the hospital, so you're probably fine. Most want you to wait a couple of week, but not all.
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Fluctuation and sudden weight gain
I agree with lizonaplane - that's a small enough gain that it could be normal fluctuation or a trend...hard to tell at this point. However, you're at a point post-op where many of us do tend to see a 10-20 lb rebound from our lowest weight. If you want to stay in the low 140s, then set a drop-dead weight ceiling and when you hit that, it's all hands on deck until you get back into your comfort range. But with that slight gain you're seeing now, that could also just be normal fluctuation. Give it another couple weeks and see what happens.
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Puréed Phase 2
that seems like a lot for just being a couple weeks out. We were told to measure stuff out and just eat that. Your hunger/full signals are likely to be off for the first few weeks. Nerves were cut during surgery, and it takes them awhile to regenerate - so your stomach isn't always talking to your brain. Also, most of us don't start feeling restriction until we start eating solid foods. I would run this by your clinic's dietitian and get his/her feedback.
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For the Trackers: What's your diet been like the last 30 days?
1700 calories/day is fine as long as you can maintain your weight on that - some of us can (I can eat that and maintain - sometimes even a little more if I'm being particularly active). But if that amount starts causing you to gain - then yea, you'll have to cut back. I still eat a mostly healthy diet. I only use the free version of MFP so I can't see my foods highest in calories, but I'm guessing they come from things like protein pancakes, protein muffins, and hummus on Wasa crackers (all of which I've eaten more than usual this past month or two). Also, I'm usually high on days when I've gone out to eat, regardless of what I eat. So I try to limit that (which has fortunately been easier with the pandemic).
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Hi, I’m new here
no - this is the surgeon's requirement. There are surgeons who won't operate on patients who have BMI's over 60 because that's considered "high risk". The insurance company isn't going to consider that particular piece when deciding whether or not to approve your surgery. In fact, they'd probably prefer you get under a 60 BMI as well so your risk of complications is lower. I was initially worried that if I was too successful in my six-month supervised diet that was required by my insurance company that they wouldn't approve the surgery. But that's not what they're looking for. They're looking to see if you're capable of following a plan long-term, since that's what you'll need to do AFTER the surgery. They don't want to fork over thousands of dollars for someone who's likely to not follow rules and just gain all the weight back. So if anything, this 80-lb required weight loss is likely to improve your chances of being approved -- not disqualify you for being too successful. I lost 57 lbs before surgery by working with a dietitian and gradually improving and shaping my eating habits to align with what I'd be eating after surgery (gradually increasing my protein intake, gradually weaning myself off caffeine and simple carbs, gradually reducing my calorie intake, etc). If you don't think you'll be able to do this on your own, then find a dietitian who's had some experience working with bariatric patients. I was really surprised I was able to lose all that weight pre-surgery - but I think it was a combo of wanting to do whatever I could do get the surgery -- and the accountability of working with a dietitian (i.e, knowing I'd have to report to someone every month on my progress).
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Post-op Anxiety
I still track everything I eat at 6.5 years out. I also exercise regularly - cardio 4x a week, weights 2x a week.
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Hospital Bag
Don't take much - many of us sleep pretty much the whole time we're there. Phone and charger for sure. Comfy, easy-to-put-on clothes for the ride home (I wore the same thing home that I wore to the hospital). Some people like to have Chapstick and Biotene spray because sometimes your mouth and/or lips get dry from the anesthesia. I brought toiletries, but I didn't need to because the hospital gave me a bag of them (travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo). I'm pretty sure I took a shower before I left.
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Weight loss stall 3 weeks after sleeve?
yep - it's the infamous three week stall - right on time! Happens to probably 90% of us. If you do a search for it on this site, you will find over 17,000 posts on it (as of yesterday when I looked, 17, 501 to be exact. And no, I am NOT kidding..)
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Surgery scheduled for 11/1
I worried incessantly about excess skin. Given all the posts about it, I think a lot of people do. But after losing all of my excess weight (over 200 lbs), I can tell you that I'd take the loose skin any day over weighing almost 400 lbs again. ANY DAY! Besides, as the above poster said, that's a year or more down the road. AND...yours may or may not be that bad. MIne was "bad", as you can imagine, but it was easy to hide in clothes. AND...there's always the option of having it surgically removed if it really drives you nuts. I would focus on other things right now...
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Struggling with emotions
if you follow your surgeon's program, it WILL work!
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Is popcorn a slider food for you?
people can eat way more popcorn than they think because it's mostly air. A piece of popped corn is probably 5x the size of the kernel - so yes, it's possible to eat a ton of it. I'm always shocked at how much of it I can eat (I'm 6.5 years out). And yes - there's some fiber in there, but it's mostly empty calories. I just don't eat it very often....and try to control my portion when I do. I don't think I ate it at all my first year or two post-surgery, though.
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Halloween and other “firsts”
Oddly, i didn't have that problem my first year (I had surgery in the summer of 2015). I was so excited about my weight loss and so gung-ho about following my program that I didn't want any of that stuff. I remember on that first Thanksgiving post-op I had some turkey with gravy, about 2 T of sweet potato casserole, some vegetables - and a thing of pumpkin-flavored yogurt for dessert. I was fine with that (can't remember what I had on Christmas, but I was really good at staying away from the "goodies"). Subsequent years I've caved more - but I just try not to overdo it. One cookie. A small piece of cake. I'm not a big candy fan, so that one was easy. So I do allow myself treats on those holidays - but I just have small portions on the holiday itself and don't keep them around my house the whole season - too tempting.
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2 weeks post op
it's the infamous three-week stall. Almost all of us experience that. It's called the three-week stall because it USUALLY happens the third week, but not always. Yours is a little early. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale if you need to. And know it'll eventually break and you'll be on your way again. Stalls typically last 1-3 weeks. if you want to see how common this is, search "three week stall" on this site. You will find over 17,000 posts on this. And no, I am NOT kidding... P.S. I'm bored so I did the search for you. Here you go. We're now up to 17,501 posts on it! https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall
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2 weeks post op
it's the infamous three-week stall. Almost all of us experience that. It's called the three-week stall because it USUALLY happens the third week, but not always. Yours is a little early. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale if you need to. And know it'll eventually break and you'll be on your way again. Stalls typically last 1-3 weeks. if you want to see how common this is, search "three week stall" on this site. You will find over 17,000 posts on this. And no, I am NOT kidding...
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Cannot eat / vomitting
I'm not sure about a mini gastric bypass. but with a regular gastric bypass, that's often symptomatic of a stricture. Call your clinic - they may want to take a look down your throat (and if they see something like a stricture, they can "fix" it while they're in there). Although if it gets to the point you can't even keep fluids down, then go to a hospital. You can live without food for a few days, but not fluids.
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3 options: which one would you choose?
I would also choose option 2 or 3 (depending on your finances and how long you're willing to wait). Fasting isn't a sustainable method - most (if not all) people end up gaining it all back.
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Hello!
I started out much heavier than you - 373 lbs - and lost 16 lbs the first month and 12 lbs the second. Rate of weight loss depends on so many factors, many of which you have little to no control over (e.g., age, gender, % of muscle you have, starting BMI, etc). If you stick to your program, keep active, and the weight is trending downward, then you're good!
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Hunger vs ?
most people do lose their hunger - at least for a time (up to one year) - but not everyone does. Maybe you're one of the latter group?