Diana_in_Philly

I don't know if you are single, married or have a family - so here's my take from the person who is married with two teen daughters and is primarily responsible for the cooking and shopping in the house. Even pre-op, I would make a plan for the week of what protein would be served every night and how it would be prepared -- it avoided the 6 pm - oh crap what am I going to do with those pork chops issues. Once I was on to solids, we all ate the same protein every evening, I just ate it in way smaller portions. So I take a day on the weekend, look at the schedule and figure out what's going to be for dinner every night. I tend to keep my breakfasts and lunches simple and repetitive. For breakfast I ususally have a smoothie with about a cup of fruit, coconut milk or Fairlife Skim and protein powder. For lunch today, I did a small salad with 3 ounces of chicken breast left over from last night. I had a Sargento Balanced Break as an afternoon snack and about a cup of red grapes for a morning snack. I fence on Monday nights so I had a protein bar before fencing. Yesterday - shake for breakfast. Lunch was at Ikea - 6 Swedish meatballs. About 1 ounce of manchego cheese for a snack in the afternoon and a BBQ chicken thigh for dinner with some cucumber and onion salad. Pinterest is an amazing resource for bariatric meal planning. But a word of advice - if you are keeping your surgery on the QT, make your bariatric related boards private and not public or your cover will be blown.

Is it possible it is acid in your stomach you are feeling that sometimes, to me, feels like hunger, but is actually reflux? Are you taking a PPI like Protonix? Talk to your team - I didn't know until my endoscopy that I had reflux - never really felt it - and now post surgery if I don't take my PPI, I get a feeling that is like "hungry" was prior to surgery.

Sounds like you had an eventful first night home! Part of your nausea may be from overdo-ing a bit yesterday. I found that I didn't need either pain or nausea meds after the first 24 hours home, but everyone is different. As for the 10 pounds, I wasn't cleared for that for 3-4 weeks - that has to do with your muscles healing from the incision and your staple line in your stomach healing. Keep in mind that anesthesia can mess with your body. Take things a bit slow. (I know its hard to do with small children in the house.) But you did just have major surgery. It may not "feel" major because it was laparascopic, but your body has been through a huge trauma and you need to be kind to it. If you had just had a c-section, would you be asking the same question? Now, as someone who had 2 c-sections and a sleeve, I will tell you that recovering from the sleeve is much easier, but you need to cut yourself some slack this first week home. Best of luck.

This is something to discuss at length with your medical team. My guess is you are going to need to be out for 4 weeks minimum given the physical demands of your job. Particularly if you have lifting that you need to do. Most sleeve patients are restricted to 10 pounds lifting for 4 weeks. For those of us that are desk jockeys, it's not an issue. Best of luck.

I have bone-on-bone osteoarthritis in my knees. Both of them. As in, they need to be replaced. That being said, about 4 weeks prior to surgery I was switched from a prescription version of Naproxyn to meloxicam, which is a Cox-2 inhibitor and not considered an NSAID. My bariatric surgeon and my orthopedic surgeon agreed this would work. I've been on it since with no problems. Before surgery my pain level in my knees was so bad that I was good for 1-2 Vicodin a day. I can count on one hand the number of Vicodin I've taken since surgery. You back will thank you. But Celebrex and Meloxicam/Mobic are in the same class of Cox-2s which give similar relief to NSAIDs but are in a different chemical category completely.

Don't rule out your local YMCA. If cost is an issue, most have programs that have a sliding scale based on income. I take classes like TRX, work with a trainer doing weights and agility, use the sauna, pool and hot tub. My main exercise these days is fencing - I fence foil (as in en garde) about 4-5 hours a week. It is a total body, high intensity work out.

Hello, Mel and welcome! Do try shakes - but keep in mind your taste may change. It's tough to tell. Mind didn't change a whole lot, but on certain days, I couldn't even open the vanilla powder for fear I would puke! RE: Friends - I can't offer a lot of advice on that because I didn't tell many people. I told my husband and two teen daughters and two best friends. That was it. Work was just told I had to have a surgical procedure. My mother and my sister don't know because I knew they would be negative. I would suggest you work with your therapist to develop a script to deal with the negative Nancy's you encounter. S/he will be able to help you find something that feels true for your reply. I'm 56 years old and had surgery August 23, 2016. I'm down 99.5 pounds. And I'm loving life. Best wishes on your journey.

I ruptured a peroneal tendon a number of years ago and used a recumbent elliptical bike - rather than the go around motion it's more of a push back and forth motion which was fine with the boot on. In fact, it's still my fave cardio equipment piece - I have bad knees. Good luck.

Your body is reacting the way it wants to and that is fine. For some, fluids go down really easy - including soup, yogurt, etc. I remember when I went to puree/softs - I was so excited for that first scrambled egg. I ate two small forkfuls and thought I was going to die I was in so much pain. That was when I learned about eating slowly. As you move to your next stage be very mindful to pace yourself. Best of luck.

When you get all the new plan information, talk to your doctor's office. They may have a financing plan available for you to use for the co-pay and deductible. Many policies have them now so it's not uncommon.

I find almonds to be my go to or cashews. But I avoid the honey roasted stuff. Starts me down a nasty slope.

Told my husband and two teen daughters. Told my two best friends. Everyone else - including my sister and mother, have no idea. I owe them nothing. When people ask, I say I have been working with a medical team, monitoring every bite I eat and logging it, working on portion control, eating between 60-90 grams of protein a days and drinking at least 64 ounces of water and exercising hard for at least an hour 5 out of 7 days a week. All of that is true.

HW 271.5 BMI 48.1 - Squeezing into a 24 and looking like a sausage CW 172 - BMI 30.5 Currently wearing size 8 or 10 depending on how things are cut - want to drop another 20.

Generally, even at 11 months out, I do lettuce wraps. Damascus makes a high protein low carb wrap, but it is very dry and requires use of mayo or mustard or hummus or something. Sometimes after a major work out (I fence for 2 hours twice a week which is good for 1200 calories burned) I'll have half a bagel, toasted with some kind of protein on it. But that is only on days where I have exercised more calories out than I consume in a day. I still stick with 1,000 or 1200 calories consumed on those days and no more.

"Thanks for your concern, but my doctor has me on a restricted diet - I have to be careful due to my surgery and will be eating this way for some time to come. Would you like me to pass the donuts to you?" Keep repeating that. Over and over. Sooner or later, they will get the message.

I loved to eat good food before surgery. I still love to eat good food. But I eat it in much smaller quantities now. I'm not sure about what you mean when you say "mental hump of changing my lifestyle forever"? From being sedentary and in pain from carrying too much weight on your bones and joints to being able to do things? From being able to buy clothes in the big or plus section to walking into any store you want and buying clothes? What I can tell you is that in the last 11 months, my life has changed. Memorial Day weekend 2016 I went to the University of PIttsburgh with my older daughter for a campus tour - she was considering applying. I couldn't make it through the whole tour. She and my husband and other daughter finished the second half of the tour and I had to take refuge in the bookstore and sit down - I was in too much pain from the walking. Fast forward to end of June 2017 - back out to PItt for two days of orientation. Parked the car at the hotel and walked everywhere -- 5-8 miles a day and then came back to the hotel and worked out for an hour in the gym. Had no pain. No shortness of breath. Was able to eat whatever I wanted (albeit my choices are much better now) just in smaller quantities. So we went to this wonderful little breakfast and lunch place again - I had the same breakfast - a sausage and cheese omelette - with their version of home fries. I ate less than half of the omelette and had two bites of home fries. My daughter had my toast. The food was still amazing. I just ate less of it. Once you get in your head that the only thing you are giving up is large portions and a sedentary life - it's not too bad. I went zip lining in Jamaica at the beginning of the month. I was well under the weight limit. Went hiking and horseback riding, too. Your life is going to change for the better.

"I am 7 mos post op and down 90 lbs ( 89.7 to be exact)" You forgot to count the weight lost when the ex was removed. That was the easiest 175 pounds I ever lost. Congratulations - you look great. Hopefully you feel as good as you look

I'm bone on bone in both knees. I need to have them both replaced, which was what started this journey - my ortho wouldn't do the surgery unless my BMI was under 35. (I'm probably putting off the replacement by at least 10 years now due to weight loss.) So here are a few things to consider - 1 - While you cannot take NSAIDs, you can take Cox-2 inhibitors (Celebrex, Mobic). I was switched from Naproxyn pre-surgery to Mobic and it has really helped control my pain. My VSG surgeon was part of that decision -- get both docs on the same page. 2 - My YMCA has recumbent elliptical bikes - so the pedaling is more like just pushing back and forth - very low stress on the knees. I could even do that pre-op. I would cue up and episode of Breaking Bad and pedal until it was done. 3 - Work with a trainer at the gym or get a referral for a few PT visits from your ortho to have a physical therapist help you set up a plan for weights with your legs. Strengthening your quadriceps and hamstrings is vital to rebuilding strength in your knees and transferring the load to the muscle from the joint. Start with low weight and 3 sets of 10 on leg press, leg extension and hamstring curl. But do work with a trainer or PT person to set up a safe plan for whatever your knee issue is. 4 - Consider a cortisone shot for the knees - I have them done about every 4 months with viscous supplementation about every 9 months. (I prefer Synvisc One which is a single injection rather than the repeats of smaller.) The cortisone injection will not affect your stomach and will reduce the inflammation so you can do more. For what its worth - pre-op I was taking multiple Vicodin a day for knee pain. I'm down 99.5 pounds and almost a year out - I now fence (as in en garde) 5 hours a week and am in the gym another five and haven't taken a narcotic for knee pain in probably 8 months. Remember - each pound off your body is 5-7 pounds of pressure off your knees. Get on a recumbent bike of some kind for your aerobic activity until you have more mobility.

I understand your frustration, but you didn't gain 200 pounds in a month. I doubt in any other diet you have done you have lost 18 pounds in a month. So let's look at what is going on. 1 - you have had major surgery and it is going to take your body at least 6 weeks to heal - that healing takes time and results in things like water retention because you were on IV fluids and a predominantly liquid diet 2 - 1,000 calories a day seems like a lot at 4 weeks out. I wasn't there until four or five months out. 3 - check the sodium content of what you are eating 4 - protein first, then water, water water 5 - You don't mention physical activity - you need to get active if you are not - even if it is just a walk around the block. Finally, stalls happen. Embrace them and move on. Sometimes, the scale doesn't move but the tape measure does.

Every plan has different requirements, but I know that one of the requirements to be covered under my plan was showing that you had tried other methods of weight loss and failed, along with BMI over 35 (or 30 with co-morbidities), a two year history of your weights, a letter from your primary care doctor outlining your health history were the insurance requirements. (Call the number on the back of your card and talk to someone who deals with your plan or search via the online portal - there are clear requirements.) My center (a university hospital) required a three month supervised diet (some insurances require 6 months), attendance at a seminar, support group meetings, psych eval, pulmonary and cardiac clearances, barium swallow and endoscopy if necessary. I met with my registered dietician and nurse practitioner every month. Saw my surgeon on my first visit and my pre-op visit. Had a four hour pre-op post-op eating class, two week pre-op diet and then surgery. You had to do the seminar before any of this. My seminar was end of April 2016. My first appointment May 11, 2016. Surgery was August 23, 2016. High weight - April 2016 - 271.5. Surgery weight 246.9. Today's weight - 172.0. I've lost 99.5 pounds. (I'm going to get rid of that other half a pound.) BMI from 48.3 to 30.1 - my BMI is within a pound or two of "overweight" from morbid obesity. I have lost 80% of my excess weight at this point and I'd like to lose another 20 pounds, but I'm putting a tremendous amount of muscle on where there was fat. Do take some time to speak with someone for your insurance company - they can lay out all the requirements for you. Best of luck.

Dear Lord - I love those Torani flavors and they ship fast. I use them for so many things. I make an iced coffee frappucino some mornings with cold brew coffee, sugar free chocolate and caramel syrups, a scoop of protein powder and ice. There you have it - 26 grams of protein and about 110 calories. I use them in my shakes, in coffee drinks, everything. Think about coconut milk - I prefer the taste to that of almond or soy and it's 45 calories in a cup. I drink my coffee black for the most part. Good luck finding a combo that works right for your tastebuds!

I was where you were this time last year. Keep you head in the game. I had some scheduling issues and either had to have my surgery by the middle of July or then not until end of August. I was doing good with losing - had lost 30 ish pounds between April and August, ultimately. But I was afraid. I was nervous. I was anxious about insurance approvals. About all the changes. About what I didn't know. And we were going on vacation, to boot. Here's what I can tell you. I started this journey at the end of April 2016 weighing 271.5 on a 5'3" frame with a BMI of 48.1. I was 246.9 on day of surgery. Today - less than one year after surgery, I am down 99.5 pounds off my highest weight of April 2016. My BMI is 30.5 and in another few pounds will swing from borderline obese to overweight. I'm thinner than when I got married 20 years ago. I weigh less than both of my teen daughters. I fence 5 hours a week, do TRX and have a personal trainer. I went from size 24 pants which barely fit to having size 10 pants be a little big - I'm starting to buy 8s. Keep your head in the game. Start making lists of what you want to do and how you want to reward your NSVs - so far, I've been zip lining. stand up paddleboarding, taken up a new sport, run a 5k, and bought some really expensive clothes at shops where the clerks before wouldn't even recognize that I was in the store. Start a physical activity program - even if its just walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. Find a gym nearby that you like. See a therapist about your food issues Develop other methods of coping that don't involve food Remember - your sleeve is only a tool. It's not the answer. You have to keep your head in the game. But you can do it. You've got this.

11 months out staying at 1,000 calories a day. Some days (heavy workout) I'll push another 200 calories via a protein bar. B - Protein shake with 1 scoop powder, 1.25c coconut milk and 3/4 c fruit. (Today was mango.) Sometimes I switch up Fairlife Skim for the coconut milk. Today was 25 g protein - add 13 g if I have Fairlife Morning snack - today was seedles grapes about a cup Lunch - 3.5 ounces left over rib eye steak from last night 26 g protein Afternoon snack - Oikos Triple Zero yogurt (15 grams) Dinner - 3-5 ounces of whatever protein I cook for the family most nights ballpark 20 G. -- So that's about 86 grams of protein a day. Plus salad or green veggie. Last night was steak, zucchini fritters and mushrooms. Tonight's dinner (like most Mondays and Wednesdays) will be a protein bar as I have fencing for 2 hours from 7-9 and I don't like to eat before I fence, but by the time I come home, I need to eat something but a meal is not appealing. (Fencing for 2 hours for me is about 1200 calories burned so I burn everything I eat today and wind up with net 0 calories consumed.)

You could just be at your first stall. It will pass. I drink water, water with fruit in in to add some flavor (some lemon, cukes and basil, strawberry, etc.) VitaminWater Zero, Crystal Light, Powerade Zero, Bai, iced tea, iced coffee, regular tea, regular coffee, all of which my plan OKs. Work the plan and be patient. You are only about a month out - and you are making amazing progress. Put one foot in front of the other - change up your workout routine - that might help, too.