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That's a tough one. I think it's really kind of you to be concerned how your surgery may affect her. I'm not totally sure talking to her beforehand is a good idea. You know her best and can probably judge whether that would head off a negative experience or create negativity where it may not have existed before. Perhaps you could find a way to wade in slowly. Maybe start by saying you're excited you'll get to spend more time with her while you're recovering. As far as how to act around her, first remember she's responsible for her own psychological state, just as you are. You can't make her feel jealous or sad. If you want to take extra steps to make her feel ok, it might help not to talk about calories, fat or carb grams, and pounds lost around her. Just talk about how you're doing in terms of recovering from surgery, getting your fluids, etc.

I LOVE the BSN Syntha 6 ones (Mochaccino is my favorite but they are all good) and have them once in a while now that I am in maintenance, but they are a lot higher carb than many. That's true. They do. On my program, they haven't told me to minimize carbs yet. They just said to make sure everything has less than 10g sugar per serving. These work cause they have 2g.

My personal fave is BSN Syntha-6 powder, chocolate cake batter flavor. I mix it with a cup of milk, making 30g Protein total. I also like ProtiDiet Soups, especially the creamy chicken. Those are the only Proteins I've tried that I think taste good and I've tried quite a few others (including Premier...yuck).

Oatmeal is a whole grain, so yes, it's a "good" carb. Look for old-fashioned whole oats as opposed to instant. The instant have been stripped of nutrients.

Awesome! We must be surgery buddies. I'm three weeks out as well. I have a clinic appointment tomorrow and I'm so hoping they'll tell me I can start on soft foods too! What have you tried so far and how has it gone for you?

Congrats and best of luck! My advice is just to be prepared for bumps in the road. This is one of toughest surgeries one can undergo. Nearly everyone I've spoken with says they regretted the surgery at some point early on. It's just because you're feeling the worst and have the least amount of reward (weight loss) at that point. I remember telling my dad I wish I'd just stayed fat when I was in the hospital. I had a reaction that made my skin itch and burn all over my body, so I was pretty miserable. I was doing much better a day later. Another thing, I was surprised both by how crappy I felt after and how quickly I improved. Let us know if you have any more specific questions or worries!

@@gowalking To answer your question about whether and why people may be at risk after WLS, the short answer seems pretty easy to me. It's a major life event and major life events cause stress. For a host of reasons (sorting out and identifying those is the hard part), major life changes put people at risk. From day 1, I felt this was going to be one of the biggest things I do in my life, after, perhaps, having children. Assessing my ability to handle such a major life event ahead of time has helped me a lot. I considered the positive and negative ways I've reacted to major life events before, lessons learned, where my support would come from, etc. and judged myself ready. I think going in thinking there were going to be some difficult challenges helped too.

They give you lidocaine. *shrug* It's all about what you feel comfy with.

Ladies, think about nexplanon maybe?

My gyno also told me oral contraceptives are a no go after bypass. She said the patch would be an option after I got down to 200 lbs. My choices were depo shots, nexplanon arm implant or IUD. I chose nexplanon and I've been pretty happy with my choice. It takes a minor in-office procedure to insert it and lasts three years. It can be taken out at any time.

Ditto the protidiet soups. I love the creamy chicken, which I order from Amazon.

I've been craving the same kind of things, cheese and pickles, quiche, chili, etc. I'm sure it's because I just miss eating anything really and having a little more variety.

Sometimes when you really need something, you have to commit yourself to making sure it happens. I'd be calling the scheduler and whoever else you can think of to speak with and tell them about your situation. Tell them why it MUST be this year. This is your LIFE on the line. This surgery is about preventing disability and an early death. After that, call those people every few days for an update. At the same time, I'd be looking at alternative programs. You've already completed the requirements. You won't have to repeat them to go with another surgeon. Concerning these toxic people in your life, you also have to take the bull by the horns and draw some serious boundaries. Blocking the MIL from calling was a great first step! Now make sure your husband knows she's not welcome in your home or in your presence. He shouldn't even speak about her to you. If she shows up, call the cops. Get a restraining order. Same with all the other toxic family members. There is NO reason you have to interact with people who verbally abuse you, EVER. If your husband won't get in line and back you up, I'd leave him. Maybe you should return to your own family and make a fresh start!

I'm taking centrum chewable multivitamins ordered from amazon and calcium and B12 from Walmart. My nut just said to make sure the dosages match what the program prescribes and they do.

For my Multivitamin, I take Centrum chewable orange burst flavor ordered from Amazon. I don't mind it. For about the first week, it was a bit uncomfortable to swallow my calcium pills from Walmart because they're so big. I tried Wellesse calcium liquid from Amazon and thought it was gross. I decided I'd rather take the big pills. My B12 is a small cherry flavored sublingual tablet from Walmart. It dissolves under the tongue and I don't mind it either. After about one week I was able to take bigger sips of Water. That's made my supplements and other meds no problem. Ditto the advice about taking the multivitamin two hours apart from the calcium. My nut has me take the multivitamin and B12 at the same time, then three calcium tablets in 2 hr increments cause she says you can't absorb all the calcium at once either.

Everyone's program is different, but mine allows us to slowly begin trying soft foods (anything you can mash with a fork) with approval from the team at our 3-week follow-up appointment.

Hi guys, I'm about 2.5 weeks post-op and have suddenly started having a lot of nausea. This is the first time I've really had any nausea since surgery. My tummy just rumbles and grumbles all the time and feels upset. This morning I had a few sips of a protein shake and had to quickly take nausea medicine and lay back down, plastic bag by my side in case I threw up. Managed to keep it down but felt awful. Anyone else suddenly struck with nausea at this phase??

Oh it would, if it could be done without killing us...lol.

My sister, after I told her I was having WLS: So is that like lipo??? We grew up in a medical family and I'm astounded by how little she understands about the human body. How in the hell does she think you could suck 100+ pounds of fat distributed throughout the body out of a person at once? What kind of stupid do you have to be to think that's possible?

Hi all, I'm 15 days post-op and am hoping for some insight into how others have transitioned through the phases of the post-op diet. In phase one (liquid only), my materials from my bariatric program seemed to say not to follow the 30/30 drinking rule, but instead just alternate sipping Water and shakes all day. I found it much easier on my pouch to do it this way and not drink too much of a shake at once. Now that I'm moving to purée foods, yogurt and such, it says to follow the 30/30 rule. Right now I can't seem to eat enough purée food to get even half my Protein in, so I've been mixing the two phases together. I'm still not following the 30/30 rule with shakes cause I find it difficult to get enough down that way. It's like once I'm full, I don't want anything for hours, so it's hard to have more than three "meals" per day. How long did it take you guys to be able to eat enough to get your protein from food? Did that happen in the purée stage? If not, did you start following the 30/30 rule with shakes too? How did you make it work?

Please tell me someone else here is watching Orphan Black! It's both dark and hilarious. It's amazing!

@@gowalking Good post. This is definitely interesting stuff to think about. I'd bet a lot of us never fully developed self-respect growing up. I grew up with an alcoholic mother with terrible boundaries. I didn't learn how distinguish between my own problems I needed to own and others' problems that I needed to let them own. I know a number of women with weight problems are survivors of sexual abuse, which is the ultimate way of taking away your voice. I had several crappy relationships both as a thin and overweight person. A couple years ago I saw a therapist who taught me all about boundaries and that I don't have to put up with other people's BS. That changed my life. I'd made a long-distance move for a job away from the place I'd been living for several years and loved. It looked like a good idea on paper, but I knew in my heart it was wrong for me. With my newfound courage, I got an even better job and moved back to that area I love. About eight months in, I learned about the bariatric center where I ended up having my surgery. I only told my dad, my best friend and my boyfriend at first and they all said they supported me. I had my dad tell the rest of my family first and he made sure they knew my mind was made up and I wouldn't tolerate any negative or inappropriate comments. Now I'm post-op and just trying to ride out the difficult time in the beginning. I know this is going to make me feel even healthier and more confident. Can't wait!

@@beachgal2935 I would love your recipe for when I start soft foods in a week. Thank you!

@@Daisee68 Thank you!! That was really, really helpful! It's nice to know others went through this and it gets better. I'm getting about 40g Protein each day as it is and was getting overwhelmed about how to follow the rules. Meanwhile I keep dreaming I've eaten half of a huge brownie or bowl of Pasta and am panicked cause I'm not even supposed to be on solid food yet...haha!