Sadiebug

I would recommend only weighing once a week (or even less frequent). Your weight can fluctuate a lot day to day due to water, poo, food you eat, clothing you're wearing, hormones and a lot of other random stuff. Heck - my weight can easily be 3lbs higher morning vs. evening and the week of my period it's always around 4 lbs higher. It is next to impossible to actually gain 6 lbs of fat in 3 days. You would have had to eat almost 21,000 excess calories (1lb = 3500 calories). I would suggest picking one consistent day/time/location and clothes and do that same thing every week. Even with that I sometimes have weeks where I'm a little bit up but it always comes right back off a week or so later. Best of luck to you!

yep - good to get it checked out and I would ask your NUT about getting bloodwork done too. I've had to tweak the vitamins I'm taking periodically. I added in an Iron supplement and Vitamin A and both have helped my energy levels a lot. Also when I was around 6 months out my NUT had to force me to add in more carbs. I was so terrified of carbs and my meals were literally just a protein for the full amount. Once I adjusted that so I had a better balance of protein/healthy carbs/fat I was much better.

one of my favorite drinks - and a far cry from what my favorite drinks used to be....

Measurements...I kick myself all the time because I completely forgot to do them. If you don't have a fitbit or some other step tracker maybe look into one of those as a way to monitor and increase your step count little by little. And get tons of water bottles - all different shapes and sizes. I swear, I went through water bottles like they were going out of style. I used them to mix up my protein shakes, crystal light, hot tea etc. And I just didn't have the energy to be washing water bottles all day long so having like 5-6 on hand helped a lot. Also grab a few books to read or find a few shows on Netflix or Hulu to keep on for noise. I found that network TV had tons of food commercials that made my head hunger rage during the first few weeks.

I held off on any color while my hair was falling out...I was just so nervous that it would make it worse. My hairdresser kept saying that it wouldn't impact the hair loss at all but I was still worried. Now that the hair loss has settled down I'm going to go in and get my normal highlights done because my color (or lack of!) is driving me nuts.

I'm a little over a year out and much like others have said my relationship with food has completely changed. I'm no longer controlled by food - but I certainly can still enjoy things and have no problems enjoying dinner out or a night out with friends/family. Obviously my serving sizes are a lot smaller so I take a lot of food home or share plates with others. The big difference is that now I actually enjoy the people and places instead of being completely focused on the food or drink involved. We travel several times a year and go on cruises at least once a year so I was really worried about that pre-surgery because those were always my times to let go and 'cheat'. But, I haven't had any problems so far and in fact I notice that I enjoy our vacations so much more because I'm healthier and lighter and can do more but also I'm just more focused on the activities vs. it all revolving around food. It is so hard to explain how things change...I know before surgery I would have never believed this is possible. I was 100% controlled by food and my life revolved around it. Now I just feel like a normal person. I eat to fuel my body. Sometimes I eat because I want to taste something different/special but in those situations it is literally just a taste and I move on with my life.

It probably depends on your program.... I had to do bloodwork (standard panel plus they checked all of my vitamin levels), a test for h pylori, upper GI, abdominal ultrasound, and a lung capacity test. I also had a relatively recent endoscopy and sleep study on file - I would have had to add those to my pre-op list if I hadn't had them. I wasn't a smoker but others in my program who were mentioned getting tested for nicotine and I talked to a few people who had previous cardiac problems who had to do more extensive testing for that. Basically my program was looking for a few things - 1. get a clear picture of my digestive system so there weren't any surprises; 2. get a 'baseline' for bloodwork; 3. make sure I was healthy enough to have surgery

I absolutely felt foggy/detached and just out of it for about 3-4 weeks after surgery. I think it was a combination of anesthesia hangover, calorie deficit (and detox), and a bit of an emotional letdown. Not that I was disappointed by anything - but the months leading up to surgery were such an emotional roller coaster of trying to meet insurance requirements, then stressing about getting approvals, getting everything scheduled, preparing for surgery and then the emotional high of the day of surgery. Once all of that was over I felt a huge emotional crash. It could absolutely be hormones also but for me that came several weeks later and was much more obvious pure hormone event (crying at the drop of a hat, irritable, etc). If you don't start feeling better in a week or so I would for sure talk to your PCP about it. Oh, and if you are on any prescriptions like anti-depressants/anti-anxiety you might need those doses adjusted.

Keep trying different brands and types of protein. What works today may not work tomorrow....and what didn't work yesterday may end up being ok in a couple of weeks. Maybe try protein that is not a whey based? I'm not too familiar with the options but maybe something soy based or other might be easier to tolerate? Also try different textures or temperatures. I had a lot of trouble with anything cold for a very long time so I had to do room temp or hotter. Try mixing the protein powder really thick like pudding or try freezing it into popcicles. It is a lot of trial and error right at first unfortunately until you hit on something that works. And don't be too hard on yourself - it sounds like you are doing awesome! I know I was nowhere close to my protein goals at 1 week out. It was probably 3-4 weeks before I was consistently hitting them. Good luck!!!

I lost my physical hunger for about 3 months after my bypass and that was it. My head hunger was gone for about...48 hours after surgery and then it was back with a vengeance. I do find that both are easier to control now though. Before surgery I literally HAD to have food...all day, every day. After surgery it is so much easier to distract myself and get past the head hunger or if it's real hunger I can just have a small amount of something healthy and then move on.

Oh wow. That has to be really tough. I know a lot of programs say gum is a no-no but mine is fairly flexible on it in certain situations like to prevent snacking when other options haven't worked so could you try that? If you aren't comfortable with gum then try sugar free mints or drinking peppermint tea. I know if I eat/drink something minty a lot of things taste gross. Could you brush your teeth/use mouthwash during a break...or during every break ? That also tends to keep me away from food for awhile.

As others have said - check with your program. It could be intentional to help keep your blood sugar from crashing and keep you out of ketosis during a short period pre-op and/or post-op. I know my program advocates for small amounts of 100% apple or grape juice for those reasons (yes, my program tries to keep us out of ketosis which is different from others). If you are only taking in clear liquids the amount of sugar you are getting from a moderate amount of apple or grape juice is not going to cause significant weight gain. Moderation is the key though - I wouldn't drink gallons of apple or grape juice all day long.

When I first woke up in recovery I was having a hard time getting a deep breath - I assume it was because of the stomach pain and just general 'coming out of anesthesia' stuff but it scared the heck out of me. Next thing I remember was being in my room and having to pee so very badly. I didn't want a bed pan so I hauled myself up and to the bathroom (lots of help from the nurse). I was actually glad I did that because it helped me to start moving around right away. Other than that my hospital stay was a haze of walking the halls, sleeping and trying to force down the required amounts of liquid.

I'm not sure it has gone away for me at all. But, it started to become easier to deal with around 6 months out. At first I dealt with it through fear of getting sick and willpower because I was losing weight quickly and didn't want to stall. Now it's easier to deal with because I have lost so much weight and gotten so much of my life back and I don't want to give that up for one piece of cake/cookie/chips or whatever (plus I'm still working to get to my goal...)

I take generic Nexium (esomeprazole) - the prescription strength which is enteric coated. I was taking it twice a day pre-surgery and now am down to once a day because of my weight loss and change in diet. I haven't had any issues with it since my RnY. I also eat tons of GERD "unfriendly" foods (spicy and acidic) now days and I for sure notice a difference if I skip my nexium so it is doing something even if I'm not absorbing as much as I used to.

Those forms were so crazy! Mine was like 12 pages long. There is no right or wrong answer - but the answers might help them guide you with which surgery is best for you and will certainly help YOU after surgery to stay successful. For example, I am a binge eater and I tended to binge on carbs/sweets. So my surgeon felt that the RnY would be a better option for me. And, post surgery, even though I have the tools to help avoid the binge eating and sweets I am still very mindful of those behaviors. My bariatric program can also use that information to provide me with therapy and support for my specific situation.

1. I took off 3 weeks. I had planned on 5 but I went back early because I was ready to be back in my routine. I have a very flexible desk job so my first week back I did work shorter days and I worked from home a few days here and there for several weeks. I felt totally fine physically but mentally I was exhausted for about 5-6 weeks. My job is also one where I'm in meetings for most of my day and so figuring out how to get in water, vitamins, and protein did take some work. 2. I told my boss I was having surgery. I told my HR department that I was having major abdominal surgery - and that's how my surgeon fills out the medical leave/FMLA paperwork. 3. I told my co-workers that I was having major surgery. If anyone tried to pry further I told them crazy stories like a lobotomy, boob job, or having my parasitic twin removed. I only had one person really pushing to know and I finally just said it was private and walked away. I will say that after surgery when I started to have noticeable weight loss I did end up telling more people. I just play it by ear and if it's a situation and person I feel comfortable telling then I do. But, I frequently just say I've lost weight through 'diet and exercise' which is true - I just have an extra tool to help me on the diet side of things.

I started at a size 24/26 - I'm 5'10" and the majority of my weight is in my lower half. I'd say I was at a size 20 around....6-7 months out? It really depends on the style of the dress though and how you lose. I lost a lot in my upper body first so it felt like it took forever for my pants size to finally start dropping. Good luck to you! You'll be in the dress before you know it

For the first several months I would read a book while eating to force myself to slow down. I would take a bite, read 2-3 pages, take another bite, read 2-3 pages. That helped me stretch it out. But, yeah, I still ate the really soft foods quickly (yogurt, soup, etc) It's pretty hard to "chew" yogurt for 20 seconds My full feeling was really hard for me to recognize for awhile. It is just a little bit of heaviness in my belly (just below my sternum) and then if I keep going a little past that I will typically burp or my nose starts running a little bit and those clues are my big red stop signs. If I continue on I will hit the painfully full stage and really regret the last few bites.

Now that I've lost a good deal of weight I have the inevitable skin folds that come along with it... My main issue right now is with my lower tummy/overhang. It's really not that bad and doesn't cause issues normally but lately I have been having some problems with irritation and rashes. I've mainly been just keeping it super clean and dry all the time and using gold bond powder when it seems to be getting extra irritated. Is there something else people have had success with that I should be trying? It's not looking like skin surgery is in the cards any time soon so I need to come up with something to cope for now.

Nothing. I love the flexibility that gives me but I have to admit there are a lot of days that I wish this wasn't the case.

The reason you can have more now is because the extreme swelling from surgery is starting to go down. Plus, as Creekimp said everything you are eating (liquids, yogurt, etc) is just sliding right through your pouch. Taking an hour to eat yogurt is a long time. My surgeon recommends that we eat our meals in 30 minutes (and at 2 weeks out we were on 4oz of pureed). I think you're fine - but if you do have concerns you can always call your surgeons office to discuss them.

I have a desk job and originally was approved to be off 6 weeks. I was fairly bored after 2 weeks and ready to get back into a 'normal' routine so I went back early after around 3 weeks. I was very tired mentally the first week or so and ended up working shorter than normal days. I physically felt fine but the mental drain from surgery on top of the new routine of trying to get in water, vitamins, and food was a lot. I think it's different for everyone and I was very thankful to have a flexible job where I could come back partial days or head home early on days when I was extra tired. Sounds like you do have an option to go back for a day and then have more time off so that might work out well.

When I was still doing pureed I would make a chicken bake - canned chicken all mushed up, then mix in some ranch dressing, franks hot sauce and cheese. Bake it in muffin tins. That totally hit the spot when I was craving something savory/spicy (like wings )

I had RnY - but I do wish I had considered the sleeve more seriously. I honestly would have still gone with the RnY because of pre-existing issues with GERD though. I had a very high starting weight and a terrible sweet tooth/binge eating. So, I didn't even consider the sleeve - I figured I had to have the restriction AND the "get sick if you eat sugar" to be successful. Well, that backfired because it turns out only a percentage of RnY patients experience dumping syndrome and I'm not one of them (didn't know this until after surgery). So I can still eat practically anything and not get sick. Had I known before surgery that I would be the one that doesn't get sick from sugar I would have probably weighed my options more closely.