miiasan

I stalled only one week after surgery and the stall lasted a little over 3 weeks. It was frustrating to say the least. I am a patient person, but it was really trying. I went to my nutritionist yesterday and even though I have been getting in my 60 grams Protein she wants me to try to get in 75 to 80 per day. She also wants me to get in more calories - even if that means eating 6 2oz meals a day. She told me that some people's insides take longer to heal (hence the need for added protein) and that some people go into a starvation mode at only 600 calories. I worked hard yesterday - got in 75 grams protein - almost 800 calories. This morning I woke up and had lost 4 lbs. Hoping it is the beginning of a new trend for me - I've only lost 11 lbs since my surgery but I'll take it with renewed optimism!

@whoahbabyy. I invested in chewable vitamins and calcium from bariatric advantage. Got enough for 3 months. They are so much easier than the pills and I like the taste. You might want to consider a chewable until you get everything else back to normal. I have to take omeprazole every day and that has gotten stuck. Not a good thing to have to go through!

@jhod thanks so much. I will try that out! Would be nice to have something tastier. I was able to get 75 grams protein in yesterday, but still struggling to get in enough calories. Good news, though....I got on the scale this morning. Lost 3 lbs from yesterday! Trying not to get too excited, but it could be the start to something good.

Went to my nutritionist today for 4 week check up. As most of you know, I have been in a stall for 3 weeks and we talked about that. She reminded me how much I weighed when I saw her for the first time in July and told me that I am doing fine. She said that some people take longer to heal on the inside and that things eventually catch up. Then she told me to up my protein to 75-80 grams per day even if I have to eat 6 times a day - every 2 - 3 hours (I'm doing well to get in 4x right now). She told me that my body probably needs more than 600 calories a day to kick start it and told me to get it up to at least 800 calories per day now with a goal of 1000. I don't do well on whey protein shakes but I need to supplement with a protein shake every day, so trying a plant based one. It doesn't taste all that great - mixed it with almond milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Thankfully is only 6 oz for 18 grams of protein so think I will survive.

Hi sounds like you have prepared. Although I know the anxiety right before surgery, I sailed through mine - very little pain for me - except some gas the first week and minor incision pain. I was off pain meds after the first day. Just be patient with yourself on the other side as you try to get in all your nutrients and begin to heal. Follow your doctor's instructions as best you can and good luck with your surgery!

The good news is that you have lost a good bit of weight up til now. I can relate to your frustration, though. I am 4 weeks out today and although I lost 7 lbs the first week after surgery (on top of what I gained during the surgery) I have yet to lose a single ounce more. That is 3 weeks - no weight loss. I am getting in both my liquids and my Protein. I am exercising every day. I was actually losing better before the surgery! Nevertheless, I have faith that all things will work out eventually. I cannot go on forever eating only 600 calories and working off over 500 every day without eventually losing. It will be a topic of conversation with my nutritionist at my appointment tomorrow though! I think you are probably just in a stall. I have read about them a lot on this forum. As long as you are doing what you are supposed to be doing things should work out. I think sometimes the body just needs to catch up with what has been happening. If the stall goes on for more than a week or so, it probably wouldn't hurt for you to call your nutritionist. As for me, I am hoping that my body is still in shock from the surgery and one of these days will recover. Try to relax and follow your routine - perhaps stay off the scale for a bit. Good luck

I agree with a lot of the other posters. I am at 4 weeks today. Once I got my protein and water levels to what they are supposed to be- and took my vitamins - my energy level increased. I walk and go to the pool to exercise every day now. I hardly ever even feel the need for a nap anymore.

mine does the gurgling noises for about 20 minutes or so after I eat. LOL I just fancy it as my stomach saying 'thank-you" and move on.

my office gave me a list of all the requirements (both the insurance and the doctor's. They submitted to insurance a few days after all those requirements were met. I have BCBS of NC and it only took about 3 days to get everything approved. My BMI was under 40 - but I had plenty of co-morbidities, so approval was easy and quick. After approval it was only a little over 2 weeks before my surgery date. Different doctors have different time lines I'm pretty sure. I went on my liquid diet right away - had my pre-op class, saw the surgeon and anesthesiologist all within 2 weeks. I had gastric bypass so stayed in the hospital for 2 days. I had a friend that had the sleeve and only stayed one day. I am only 4 weeks out. Balancing everything Water and Protein wise is pretty hard and it took me almost 3 weeks to find what works for me. It also took a little over 3 weeks to get my energy back. I'm still not at 100% but function quite well without a nap most days. All that being said - if you have a coordinator at your doctors office, that is the person who can answer your questions best. Every bariatric office seems to be a little different in what they require and their timeline. Good luck to you in your journey!

PB2 is also sold at Walmart - in the peanut butter section

That is great! You probably won't have any problems getting approved. I hope you hear back soon! Don't know what your surgeon's schedule looks like, but when I was approved everything moved really quickly to the surgery date.

personally, I wouldn't do it - but that is me...I am a rule follower and the tool I was given is doing some pretty awesome things for me. I am about 4 weeks out myself and still struggle each day to get in all my nutrients so I can get healthy and strong. The choice is ultimately yours. I would, though, caution you against trying a new food like that for the first time in the company of others. Believe me, if it does make you sick it will ruin your whole day. I found out that I am lactose intolerant a couple of weeks ago - 2 bites of cottage cheese and I thought I was going to die from the pain - that went on for almost 45 minutes before I was able to throw up. For me it was a reminder that my stomach was new and was going to have its way lol.

@@anewme2015 Wow! I was told at my 2 week check up that I could go back to the pool. My doctor just told me to hold off on weight training for awhile. I got back into the pool at 3 weeks out - only made it for 20 minutes lol. Today, however, only 4 days later I exercised for an hour. I also walk for a half an hour every morning. I know every doctor is different. Ours pushes exercise as soon as possible. Is more time before exercise usual for yours or do you need more healing time for some reason?

Wow! you have had quite a journey thus far and are an example of commitment and courage. I wish you speedy recovery from the surgery and wild success!

I had that kind of pain for about a week after my surgery and it was due to gas. Are you able to walk? Walking helps alleviate the gas pain a bit. If it is really intense. continues, or is accompanied by a fever, though, be sure to call your doctor's office. They would rather you call and it be nothing than to have you have a complication and ignore it.

Welcome! and congrats on your surgery. The journey is well worth it! You will find lots of information, support and people with wisdom here on this forum. Let us know how you are doing along the way.

I am allowed 1 Tablespoon peanut butter per day when I get to the soft food stage

Hmmm...we all have our moments of weakness, but I doubt if you are weak and helpless. Every one of us has more strength inside us than we even realize. And none of us is perfect either. We are merely telling you like it is. The surgery can do great things for us, but it cannot crawl into our heads and change how we think about food and how we have used it to try to solve our problems. There is nothing wrong with admitting there is a problem and asking for help - in fact it is a sign of strength. I know you are new to this site and want you to know that there is a lot of good information here and a lot of helpful people. I wish you every success with your journey

what is a blended diet? I don't want to sound rough, but if you have been eating a lot of junk food right before your pre-op evaluation because you cannot bear the thought of not eating it after surgery, perhaps you have issues with food that need to be resolved before you have surgery. If you are not already doing it. getting counseling would be a great idea. Surgery is only a tool to lose weight - a lot of commitment to a new way of eating and thinking about food is needed for it to be a success long term. Having the surgery doesn't mean that you will never be 'able' to eat that junk food - and perhaps once in a blue moon it might be okay - but it is a slippery slope - there are people out there that do - lose control - and manage to gain back every ounce of weight they ever lost. Rather, if you change your relationship with food and are committed to lifelong changes, you will be successful at losing weight, keeping it off and remaining healthy for the remainder of your life. I am trying to be helpful here - I am about 4 weeks out from surgery and I know that pre-op and post-op diets suck - but they not only have a purpose but also help train us to be disciplined and to refocus us on what is important.

Great idea - think I will do that today...

I got a couple pair of jeggings which should last for awhile (especially since I am not losing ANY weight!!) I got a couple of t-shirts for my birthday that are 1x knowing I would have this surgery. I tried one on yesterday - perfect fit!! I went from a 3x to a 1x - got to get stoked about that... and my bathing suit just about hangs on me - could get embarrassing at the pool.... think it is time to head to the beach to find a new one! A few rays of light...

I will have to look for those.

@@60&goin4it yeah, I supplement with unflavored protein powder here and there, but I find that whey protein changes my sense of smell and taste for about 8 hours and upsets my bowels. When I had to drink protein shakes and use the powder exclusively to get my protein in I did what I had to, but felt pretty awful. Perhaps my reaction to whey protein will change in time but I am so glad that I can get most of my protein in with food now. Makes life so much easier and I have so much more energy.

Also, until just a couple of days ago I could only eat about 1/4 cup - less for chicken and tuna. Today I can eat about a half cup - if almost by magic! I am 3 was 2 days out. Being able to eat almost 1/2 cup for most things really helps to get the protein in

Lol. They had me drinking 5 ounces an hour before I even left the hospital. Another example of how different doctors do things differently. I still can't drink just plain water - even in baby sips because it hurts! But I can pretty much drink warm broth at a regular pace. I found I can get my water in much better if it is warm and was thinking of trying some unsweetened apple cider to see how that tastes. I can drink Powerade zero pretty well, but have to go much slower than the broth. I still get 32 oz in early in the day so I don't have to worry so much about it during the day. I don't think water stays in the stomach very long - probably wouldn't stretch the stomach unless we guzzled it. That being said, I find the farther I am out from surgery the easier it is to drink