lsheshequin

I've had questions and worries myself - I'm 12 weeks post-op now and I am up to about 3/4 - 1 cup of food per meal. I actually called my dietitian (Canada) just yesterday to discuss the amount of food I'm able to take in and the fear of stretching my pouch. She assured me that as long as I'm at 1 cup or under, and paying attention to eating healthy Protein first and foremost, I will be fine. She said that the dreaded stretching of the pouch won't happen unless I am not being mindful and reverting back to old habits (i.e. eating junky, fattening food and in the kind of amounts I did pre-surgery on a regular basis). Initially I ate about 1/4 cup at one sitting and I think by 6 weeks I was up to about 1/2 cup. A gradual increase is normal and to be expected because the pouch will naturally stretch on its own (words from my dietitian) but the key longer term is to not eat more than 1 cup at any meal. I really feel better now having talked with her. Good luck!

About the walking - the hospital made me start walking on the first day post-op. Walking immediately after helps decrease the possibility of blood clots and alleviate gas. I experienced the worst of the gas on Day 2 post-op, but nothing too unbearable. I made sure to keep moving/walking, balanced with a lot of rest, when I got home (3 days post-op), and I was doing fairly vigorous gardening 11 days after surgery. Just take your pain meds like clockwork for the first week and make sure to drink water as advised, and barring any complications, hopefully all will be fine! Good luck!

I have a VERY high pain threshold and was definitely uncomfortable - same as Daisee68, take your meds like clockwork and walk as much as possible to help with the gas pain. By day 5 or 6 all was good. The pain is definitely worth the gain - I'm 12 weeks post-op and down 55lbs Take care!

Hi there! I just found this forum site yesterday and didn't hesitate to join. I am 12 weeks post-op (RNY) and so far things are going pretty well. My starting weight was 250 lbs and I've just hit 199 lbs so I'm down 51 lbs! I'm 43 with 3 young children (6yrs, 4yrs & 3 yrs) and have been overweight and obese for most of my life. I've lost weight many times in the past, only to gain it all back (and then some) over the years. Many health issues on both sides of my family (diabetes, heart disease, cancer), and the fact that I want to be an active, engaged mom to my kids were the underlying factors for me deciding to go ahead with gastric bypass surgery. So today I have no regrets. My goal weight is 150 lbs so I'm halfway there. In the first 6 weeks or so, I was losing about 4-5 lbs per week. Over the last month or so it has slowed to 1-2 lbs per week and I'm ok with that - everything I've read says those who lose it at a slow, but steady 1-2 lb per week rate have the best chance of keeping it off. Fingers crossed! This past weekend I spent the majority of my time outdoors with my kids and it felt so good to be able to move about without pain and discomfort. I think that is what will keep me motivated as the journey continues. Of course, I have struggles (salty snacks!), and I know I'm probably still in the "honeymoon" phase, but I'm determined to lose the weight and keep it off this time. One mental challenge I do have is constantly worrying that I already have, or will, stretch my new pouch. I try to be diligent with the small portions, but I have overeaten (not intentionally) a few times. I need to be more mindful of eating meals slowly, which I was really good at during the first 6 weeks. I so don't want to ruin this for myself! Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this post!

Hi there! I'm 12 weeks post-op and don't regret it at all. I also had second thoughts, and seriously considered cancelling the whole thing, but I'm so glad I didn't. As of today I am down 51 lbs and 3-4 sizes, but more importantly I feel SO MUCH BETTER! I spent this past weekend outdoors being very active (compared to 3 months ago) with my 3 young children and that alone is the reason I made the decision to go through with the surgery. Yes, it takes some adjusting to, and there is some trial and error in terms of diet, but so far, for me, the pros definitely outweigh the cons or any challenges I've come across. Good luck!

I am 12 weeks post-op (rny). I am brand new to this forum and just wondering if there are any other peeps out there who may have had surgery around the time I did? Just wondering what your experience has been to this point. Of course I have questions, but don't want to bore anyone, lol. For the record, I am down 51 lbs overall, 40 of those post-op. Thus far everything has gone fairly smoothly, though I constantly worry if I will or maybe already have, stretched my pouch...

I'm 12 weeks post-op and I started Protein bars probably at about 3-4 weeks post-op (because I can't stand the taste of most of the protein powders/shakes). I haven't had any problems with tolerating them - but initially I stayed away from the nut heavy ones and went instead with the softer, Cereal type (e.g. Atkins, Pure Protein, etc.). In talking with my dietitian, the key is to make sure they have less than 5 g of sugar per bar. Now that I'm farther along post-op I eat the ones with nuts and they are fine, but I still adhere to between 5-10 g of sugar per serving (that applies to any food).