deerjay

Go back to eating your Protein first. If you do that, there is no room to drink or eat too much of anything else.
The July 4th weekend was full of wonderful food and I found myself putting too much on my plate. I then slipped on the eat protein first rule and ate too much of the side dishes before finishing my protein. So the new rule for me at party like events will be to get the protein first and eat it, then go back for the side dishes.

What illnesses have I developed in the last year, since starting down this path as I stand here 99.5 pounds lighter than I was in April 2016?
1 - I've developed an expensive illness called chronic shopping for clothing. I hated doing it before and do it all the time! And I buy really nice stuff and it fits beautifully!
2 - I have a case of acute fencing expenses - I started fencing (en garde) 5 hours a week and now spend hundreds a month on club fees, lessons, training, equipment and planning travel for tournaments.
3 - I have vacation adventuritis - on this last vacation I went zip lining, hiking, river tubing, horseback riding and sailing.
My knee arthritis and asthma are both greatly improved. I have more energy. I'm just slightly taller than you but went from squeezing into size 22 pants to now wearing an 8 or 10 and leaning more toward 8s every day. This was the best decision I've every made. (Other than marrying my wonderful husband and having my two great daughters!)

I had this pain. i thought something was really wrong. I was told it was normal. It finally eased up about 3 weeks out. I'm a teacher too. Try wearing really high wasted tight pants. Compression is the only thing that helped me.

I was miserable with this pain. If your surgeon allows it, ibuprofen liquigels on a schedule really helped me...even more than pain meds. My pain magically disappeared around 3.5 weeks out.

I am 18 days out, and I too have this pain. I called my doctor, and they say this is totally normal. Like the poster above mentioned, this is the incision where the stomach was removed. Also some surgeons (like mine) stick the muscle to the abdominal wall from the inside just under the incision. This is what causes the pain. I've been out of pain meds for 10 days, and a few of those were the worst pain I've had since surgery. I've found that 2 things really help me: 1) wearing tight workout pants to compress the area and 2) Advil liquigels (if ok with your doctor). Especially the compression thing...I tried a binder, but the tight pants just work better for me. It's the only way that I can sit up without excruciating pain. I will say that it has been getting a tiny bit better over the last couple days. My doctor said to expect it to last 4-6 weeks. On a more positive note, everything else is going fantastically. [emoji16]

Sleeved 7/12. At my two week weigh in I was down 16 (lost 3 of the lbs the week before surgery). Am not weighing more than once a week. I hit a stall last week, I think. Will find out for certain on Aug 12 when I weigh again
My plan is 2 weeks full liquids, 1 week mushies, then "anything you can cut with a fork" and as of this week, introducing new foods to see what I tolerate. I am wanting to eat carrots and raw bell peppers but worry my stomach won't like that. Otherwise I am between 60-85 grams of Protein and less than 25 carbs/day. Most days I'm between 600-750 calories. I was cleared for exercise at two weeks and have been alternating swimming and trying to jog . I am using the c25k app which my surgeon's office provided and I'm making progress. I am weight training but nothing more than 30 pounds.
I was off work for a week and a day before I chose to go back. I'm a teacher so thus far I've been attending or presenting workshops. I hope when the students return I can stay focused on hydration! My energy is great and I feel really good. It's been really easy to walk away from unhealthy foods, probably because I feel so much better about myself.
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That's great! I'm down 18 pounds since surgery. I have to push myself really hard working out & all but it's coming off. I'm believe I'm at a stall as well. Hopefully this weeks weigh-in will be better.
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I have lost 40 pounds. 24 of that was pre-op and 16 post op. It seems like I should be losing faster considering what I am eating. I just keep telling myself that it didn't come on overnight, it isn't coming off overnight either. I am seeing the difference in clothes. I am down from a tight 24 or 26 to 20/22. I will take the inches over scales! I just wish I could pick where it comes off. :-)
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I was sleeved on the 14th! Mostly everything is going well for me. I'm drinking 60-80 ounces of Fluid daily and getting about 80-100 g Protein. I've also been eating 3 Tbsp of very soft Proteins (egg, cottage cheese, chili, tuna salad, mashed Beans, etc.) 3 times a day since Tuesday.
I had my first follow up today and got my staples out, and all seems well.
I haven't had a bowel movement yet but also not feeling constipated...yet. My pain in my left side is still crippling when I am in a sitting position. I do feel hungry sometimes, which is puzzling since my NUT said this would definitely not happen.
I am 33 years old. HW: 267 SW: 252 CW: 246

You are so right. I was reading into so much about how happy people are that I guess I almost forgot that it's normal to hurt this much. I had a hiatal hernia fixed as well. So swallowing is a challenge. I'm so used to chugging my liquid, and now I have to stop myself because big gulps hurt. So now I'm sipping slowly. It's challenging to do since I'm so used to drinking fast.
This would be so much easier with a straw, but I'm not allowed to use one because it sends gas into the stomach.
Does broth have Protein? I can't drink Protein shakes until next week.
Thanks for believing in us!
Bone Broth is high in protein.
I also had a difficult time at first taking small sips (as I've always been a guzzler). I'm happy to report to you that I'm now 3 weeks out and can drink quite a bit of liquid in a short period of time. Not quite like before but close!

You are so right. I was reading into so much about how happy people are that I guess I almost forgot that it's normal to hurt this much. I had a hiatal hernia fixed as well. So swallowing is a challenge. I'm so used to chugging my liquid, and now I have to stop myself because big gulps hurt. So now I'm sipping slowly. It's challenging to do since I'm so used to drinking fast.
This would be so much easier with a straw, but I'm not allowed to use one because it sends gas into the stomach.
Does broth have Protein? I can't drink Protein shakes until next week.
Thanks for believing in us!
Bone Broth is high in protein.
I also had a difficult time at first taking small sips (as I've always been a guzzler). I'm happy to report to you that I'm now 3 weeks out and can drink quite a bit of liquid in a short period of time. Not quite like before but close!

My surgery was the day after yours. I too had trouble taking my Vitamins. I tried taking them before meals, after meals, in between meals, and every time I got extremely nauseated and even vomited once. Thankfully, I think I figured it out a few days ago. I eat about 1/3 of my meal, take Vitamin, eat another 1/3, take rest of Vitamins, finish meal. This has been working wonders! By the way, my vitamins are chewable, so I'm not drinking during meals.
I left my house for vacation 4 days ago. This is the first time I haven't been weighing myself daily. I'm nervous about weighing in when I get home. I don't want to hit the dreaded 3 week stall!
I hope these tips are helping and your stall ends soon!

I didn't follow the pre-op liquid diet that my surgeon makes everyone do for two full weeks. Not at all. I couldnt do it. I woke up everyday saying that I was going to stick to my surgeons plan, and everyday I ended up binging like crazy. I'd be good all day, and then after work I'd run to burger king and order a double whopper with cheese, large chocolate shake and onion rings, ten piece chicken nugget, and large coke. One day I went to the Chinese place and ordered TWO full meals and ate them both within an hour. I also consumed an 8piece bucket of fried chicken alone, followed by a pint of Ben and Jerry's. It was my worst two weeks, and was when I realized I needed the surgery more than ever. I was out of control. I somehow managed to stick to Clear Liquids the very last day before my surgery, and the surgeon didn't mention anything about my liver being too large and I have had a very successful surgery and weight loss (at least, I believe so).
Phew, feels good to get that off of my chest after all this time

Being scared is normal......and I suggest not torturing yourself by reading all the horror stories.....yes there are risks but the risks that come along with remaining obese are much worse!!
Now I'll give you a positive story....My surgery was 5/16/16, that was on a Monday, the following Monday I was back at work. I never took any pain medication once I was released from the hospital. The first 4 or 5 days it was difficult to drink enough but everyday got better....you just have to keep sipping.....I feel completely normal now the only difference is I eat a lot less.......and I'm a lot smaller!!
This surgery is the BEST thing I've ever done for myself!!! I am already half way to my goal! I've lost 56 pounds and have 56 more to go....Pictures say more than words...
This is my before photo at 252 pounds

And this one was taken today at 196 pounds

I have a sleeve, and I was told only Advil liquigels because they dissolve quickly and move out of your stomach.

I'm two weeks post and eating 3 meals a day (2-3 oz). I eat cottage cheese, scrambled egg, tuna salad, roasted chicken thigh, grilled pork chop, P3s, mixed nuts, Beans. Basically any Protein rich food as instructed by my dietician. I still drink at least 80 g. of protein supplements too. Food has been going great! I'm finding my "full signals", which are pressure in my chest and cold sweats .

Along the same lines as the Gelatin recommendation, I've been hearing great things about Vital Proteins collagen Peptides. I've heard it works wonders for joint pain.

If you don't eat animal Protein, then substitute the Protein of your choice. If you are vegan or vegetarian you are should already be used to this.

I'm having my surgery tomorrow 7/14 at 9am!
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Thanks everyone . Tonight I went to our county fair. I could hardly handle the heat and wore jeans because of my leg size. As we left 3 hours later I told my husband that I never ever want to feel bad another summer . I'm getting that referral and going to go for this surgery. People will judge me no matter what . I might as well just do it now! Maybe I'll have better 40s because my 30s were spent obese! I love this forum and this app has helped me in one day more than any info out there! I'm gonna do this!!
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Hi.
I've been lurking for months, but this is my first post. I've come to an abrupt end of my pre-surgical rigamarole, and am just waiting for the bariatric clinic to call me in order to schedule an appointment with my surgeon for the final consultation before scheduling surgery - I wasn't expecting it to be so soon, as I only started the process on April 11th. My insurance - Excellus BCBS - requires a 6 month stretch of supervised weight loss only if they don't feel that your previous attempts at weight loss were serious enough. I guess 25+ years of constant struggle was adequate, because after my 2nd nutritionist follow-up (a group seminar and 2 follow-ups scheduled a month apart are my clinic's required minimum) I was handed my post-surgical diet info and was told to expect a call within a week. Yikes!
Anyway. My name is Amanda, I'll be 38 in a month (sigh) and am 5'7" and currently about 282 (and an increasingly snug size 22.) I'm married and I have a 5 year old daughter and I live in Rochester, NY. I'm an MFA grad student and work (incongruously to the MFA) in inpatient pharmacy compounding services at the big hospital in town. I have been fat since I was about 6 years old. When I was a teenager, I was about 170-180 and thought I was the fattest thing on two legs. I look back at pictures of myself and my heart breaks for all that self-hatred, sadness, and lost time - not only because I realize now that I wasn't fat at all (you wanna see fat, 16 year old Amanda?? I'll show you FAT!! flubflabflub) but also because I realize how much it never mattered to my friends and family. This is stuff I still struggle with, though. I started gaining rapidly around 18, and have more or less hit peak mass. I was abut 245 when I met my husband 11 years ago, 270ish after having my daughter 5 years ago, and was 291 when I was weighed at the beginning of the bariatric surgery process. I've attributed my weight gain over the last decade to the insidious "domestic spread" - both husband and I have gotten fatter in that time. But that doesn't explain away all the years before that.
I have a progressive, hereditary autoimmune connective tissue disease that is treated sort of like cancer - I get infusions at the cancer center every month through a port in my chest and take a low dose of oral chemo at home every week. Women with autoimmune diseases sometimes see a worsening in disease progression after pregnancy, and this was certainly my experience. I've been having to treat my disease aggressively over the past 5 years, and I've recently reached a really stupid cyclical point where the more I weigh, the less effective my treatments are, the more immobile and depressed I become, the more weight I gain, the less effective my treatments are, and so on. This decline in my health and quality of life is what pushed me to reserve a spot in a bariatric seminar in April.
As the reality of surgery looms on the horizon, I've begun to worry about some stuff. Somehow I managed to avoid that certain heartbreak that is endemic to fat kids - I was never bullied for my weight (I was popular in my high school, even as a weird kid with green hair and combat boots,) I have never been (obviously, anyways) discriminated against because of my weight, I've always been lucky in love and never had a problem with finding romantic companionship, and so on. The only person that has ever had a problem with my fatness is me. It's been the thing that I've blamed for every disappointment or unhappiness in my life, even though, intellectually, I know that's total nonsense. I worry about what will occupy my thoughts once the fat is gone. What will it be like to thoughtlessly sit in a chair without anxious thoughts of weight limits and chair-smashing public humiliation? What will it be like to not have to obsessively strategize my wardrobe for maximum chub-concealment? What will it be like to simply take up less space? I feel as though I have never not been fat, and I have no idea what to expect.
So, Hi!

Walking helped the most! I took four walks up and down my hallway on the day of surgery. On the second day, they gave me a chewable gas tablet that helped a lot too. I got some of these for home, and they work wonders. Cheap too! I just got them from Walmart for like 88¢.
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I posted this on another thread but it seems very relevant here too.
I had surgery on the 14th. I too struggled with my liquids at first. I have found a few things that help. 1) every time I get a drink in my mouth, I make sure to breathe all of the air out of my nose before I swallow. 2) I just can't drink the Protein Shakes (premier protein) at this point. I get a few sips in and feel like I have a giant air bubble in the way. So I've been using Unjury unflavored Protein in crystal light and broth as well as ProtiDiet hot cocoa. For some reason, these are going down much easier than the thick shakes. 3) for some reason plain Water hurts more than anything. I add a few flavored drops and it goes down so much easier. This is fine for now because I'm getting in about 60 oz a day, but I sure miss my water!
As far as pain, I find that taking frequent walks and chewable gas tablets help with the gas bubbles. My incision sites (especially on the left) are incredibly sore. My pain medication makes it manageable, but the moment it wears off, I can barely move. I hope this gets better in a few days before the pain meds run out!
I hope this is helpful to someone. I was really worried about all the pain with swallowing, but I'm glad to read on here that it seems to be par for the course.
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I posted this on another thread but it seems very relevant here too.
I had surgery on the 14th. I too struggled with my liquids at first. I have found a few things that help. 1) every time I get a drink in my mouth, I make sure to breathe all of the air out of my nose before I swallow. 2) I just can't drink the Protein Shakes (premier protein) at this point. I get a few sips in and feel like I have a giant air bubble in the way. So I've been using Unjury unflavored Protein in crystal light and broth as well as ProtiDiet hot cocoa. For some reason, these are going down much easier than the thick shakes. 3) for some reason plain Water hurts more than anything. I add a few flavored drops and it goes down so much easier. This is fine for now because I'm getting in about 60 oz a day, but I sure miss my water!
As far as pain, I find that taking frequent walks and chewable gas tablets help with the gas bubbles. My incision sites (especially on the left) are incredibly sore. My pain medication makes it manageable, but the moment it wears off, I can barely move. I hope this gets better in a few days before the pain meds run out!
I hope this is helpful to someone. I was really worried about all the pain with swallowing, but I'm glad to read on here that it seems to be par for the course.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I posted this on another thread but it seems very relevant here too.
I had surgery on the 14th. I too struggled with my liquids at first. I have found a few things that help. 1) every time I get a drink in my mouth, I make sure to breathe all of the air out of my nose before I swallow. 2) I just can't drink the Protein Shakes (premier protein) at this point. I get a few sips in and feel like I have a giant air bubble in the way. So I've been using Unjury unflavored Protein in crystal light and broth as well as ProtiDiet hot cocoa. For some reason, these are going down much easier than the thick shakes. 3) for some reason plain Water hurts more than anything. I add a few flavored drops and it goes down so much easier. This is fine for now because I'm getting in about 60 oz a day, but I sure miss my water!
As far as pain, I find that taking frequent walks and chewable gas tablets help with the gas bubbles. My incision sites (especially on the left) are incredibly sore. My pain medication makes it manageable, but the moment it wears off, I can barely move. I hope this gets better in a few days before the pain meds run out!
I hope this is helpful to someone. I was really worried about all the pain with swallowing, but I'm glad to read on here that it seems to be par for the course.
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