Sadiebug

I was similar in that I have always been able to eat bigger portions, haven't feel much restriction and don't get sick or dumping from anything. So I've had to employ lots of different tools along the way... Not sure how far out you are - but in my earlier months I did work a lot with my nutritionist to adjust my meal plan to fit me. With their help, I increased my portions a little bit over what their normal "plan" says and added in some different foods earlier since I was tolerating everything. They also helped me to really listen to my body and the subtle 'full' signals that I was getting. I have tried all of the mindful eating techniques but honestly what works best for me is to have a little distraction. For example - I'll have a book near me and take one bite, push the food away and then read two pages. Then take another bite. I also used to set a timer when I eat - use the whole time and then once it's done I'm done (even if there is food left). That helped to train my brain to slow down. And of course using small dishes/plates and utensils - I still use small dessert forks for every meal.

My insurance will approve with a BMI over 40 with no other significant medical issues. BMI between 30-40 needs to also have a medical issue. My program did warn me ahead of time that if my BMI dropped below 40 during my pre-op phase I might have trouble getting approved - but there was no chance of that for me, my starting BMI was around 52.

I would say be patient The pre-op process can seem like it lasts forever - especially if your insurance has a lot of requirements. My timing from my very first consult to surgery date was nearly 10 months (my surgery required 6 months pre-op diet) and there were so many days where I just was ready to give up on the hope of surgery. Also, really start working on your "head" - I had RnY and went into it assuming I would get sick from all of the bad food which would be negative feedback to force me to eat good or healthy food. Fast forward to after surgery, I don't get sick from anything....so I had to take a massive step back and work through all of my mental food issues to be successful. I wish I had started that work ahead of surgery.

It does get better around 4-6 weeks. But, if you don't start seeing improvements talk to your surgeon or NUT to get advice. I personally had to tweak my vitamins a little bit before I felt 100%.

My doctor did not require any weight loss pre-surgery and they also did not have any pre-surgery liquid diets except for 24 hrs prior to surgery. So yeah, I had a lot of food funerals...and gained around 5 lbs. I had surgery and thankfully no complications but during my first two weeks or so post-op I was MISERABLE. Not only was I recovering from major surgery and all of the emotion that comes along with WLS, I was also detoxing from sugar, salt, carbs and caffeine So I totally understand where you are! But, maybe try and cut back on the bad stuff this last week while you can because even if you don't lose any weight it will make your recovery a little easier.

Drink, drink, drink! But also talk to your doctor or nutritionist about checking your labs. I've had some strange problems that ended up being because of a vitamin deficiency...even though I was taking all of the vitamins they recommended I still wasn't high enough in a few places.

Yes! I remember about 3 weeks out from surgery I sent an urgent message to one of my friends who had had RnY a few years before me to ask her if it was normal or if I should call my doctor It settled down for me after a few months.

I was absolutely a total failure up to the day of surgery! My surgeon/insurance did not require a specific amount of weight loss - only that I didn't gain. Plus, I didn't have any sort of pre-op liquid diet (just 1 day prior). I was honestly a hot mess of "last suppers" leading up to surgery. Consequently, I had horrendous withdrawal symptoms from sugar, carbs and caffeine during my first couple of weeks after surgery on top of recovering from major surgery and trying to figure out my new digestive system. I wouldn't wish that misery on anyone So the more you can do now the better and easier your recovery will be. Just take it one day at a time. Good luck!

I changed my probiotic so I'm taking a much stronger one now and I drink a half bottle of kombucha most days (recommendations from my dietitian). Also, by chance, I discovered that increasing the fat in my diet helped - in fact that probably helped more than both of the other things combined. I still have trouble but things are getting better.

For my RnY recovery - I was back to work after 3 weeks (I could have come back sooner if I really wanted to) and released to exercise at 4 weeks. Before 4 weeks the only exercise I was supposed to do was walking but I did use the exercise bike a couple of times just for a change of pace. I felt fine exercising after 4 weeks except for ab work....that was probably more like 6-8 weeks. Just listen to your body (and your doctor obviously!)

I told most people I was having a lobotomy but a few times I got bored with that and said I was getting a boob job. Once people figured out that I was not going to provide any detailed information they backed off.

I'm starting to incorporate running into my routines - well, more like slow jogging at this point! I have been doing spinning for several months now and I swim periodically but I want to mix it up a little bit. Plus, I have a very lofty goal of maybe training for a triathlon some day. I have had slight knee problems in the past (prior to weight loss) so I want to get fitted for proper running shoes at some point but I'm nervous about going into the running store as a total beginner. I have read/heard that they watch you run to check your gait and recommend shoes - but how does that work when I honestly can barely run a minute right now? Do you just wait until you can run more before getting fitted? Or can they recommend something without having to watch you run? Sorry if this is a completely silly question! I'm pretty intimidated by the whole running scene right now and am having trouble getting started.

Exactly what James said! Try not to weigh yourself too frequently right at first. Your body is going through a huge adjustment and still trying to recover from major surgery - this is such a huge shock to the system. I know it's hard to stay away from the scale - I personally get on every single morning And I was so used to seeing the scale go down a few pounds and then right back up a few days later pre-surgery. It was hard to accept that it will drop after surgery but you just have to trust that it will.

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice and encouragement! My Christmas list now includes good running shoes There is actually a running store about a mile away from my house so I will pop in there soon and see what they have to say!

They probably are too expensive to "just try" - but I will say that I had a lot of trouble with sugar alcohols prior to surgery but after surgery I haven't had a single issue. I take the Celebrate chews now without issue. Would your pharmacy let you return them if they are opened? If so it might be worth trying a couple to see if you can tolerate them. Or, there is a calcium citrate powder (UpCal I think?) that you could try. I used that first and it was ok but doesn't really dissolve all that well and I didn't like the chalky taste so that's why I switched.

That is so cute! My hospital didn't do anything like that - I just used a plain old pillow. But the bear is so much more fun

I use Crystal Light, Mio or flavored waters like vitamin water zero, poweraid zero etc. I also drink hot tea, decaf coffee and sugar free hot chocolate (as a treat). Right after surgery I used broth and sugar free popsicles to help with my liquid requirement. Now that I am farther out I can tolerate water - I still don't love it but I can get it down when I need to.

The kitchen toys I currently love are my smaller crockpot, my spiralizer and a couple of really good knives. I had a larger crockpot that I used before surgery but after I realized that for the quantities of food that I now eat it was just too big so I downsized. The spiralizer is good for making various sorts of veggie noodles. And the good knives are probably obvious But I spend a lot more time in the kitchen now chopping and preparing foods so having good knives for that makes it so much easier and enjoyable. I'm intrigued by the insta-pots but haven't gotten one yet.

Maybe Isopure (the zero carb or low carb varieties)? It does list sucralose as an ingredient but I don't find them overly sweet so there likely isn't much. Also, I HATED splenda before surgery and it made me very sick. But, after surgery I have found that I can tolerate it with no problems and don't mind the taste in some things. So after surgery you might try some things again that you didn't like before and it might open up more options.

Hang in there and know you are not alone! I had a rough time emotionally around the 2-4 month timeframe - because I was feeling all of the crappy parts of surgery but hadn't lost enough weight yet to feel all of the great benefits. I think that changed for me around 5-6 months out because I was finally over the hump, I had figured out the eating thing and I had a lot of energy. Try and get out for a short walk (as much as your back allows). It is super cold right now in my neck of the woods but I still try and get outside whenever I can because the fresh air and sunshine make a big difference. It will get better eventually

My surgeon wrote me off for 4 weeks but I only took 3. I was so bored by the end of 3 weeks and I needed to be back in my normal routine.

I use the Celebrate chews for calcium and Flintstones or Centrum Complete for my multi depending on which is on sale.

I didn't take a 'before' picture - but I had a few vacation pictures from right before my surgery that worked. What I truly regret is that I completely forgot to take measurements before surgery. I started taking measurements around 3 months out so I can see a difference from there but I can only speculate on the inches I lost in those first few months....and I know it was a lot based on my clothes. I have found the measurements to be what I rely on even more than the pictures because my brain still has trouble comprehending differences even when I look at pictures side by side. But, the numbers don't lie. Plus I can take a tape measure and hold it out to the bigger number and it's a good visual for me to see just how much space I used to occupy.

I want to talk to my surgeon about this at my next appointment actually! I very rarely get the super full feeling that I've heard others talk about - and when I do it's because my portion size has gone very far beyond what is recommended. And there is literally nothing that makes me sick either. Don't get me wrong I'm very happy that I'm not constantly sick and that I have the flexibility to eat so much variety but I also always have a nagging feeling in the back of my head that something is wrong with me I am still losing weight (very slowly at this point) so I guess I'm doing something right. But, I was a binge eater before surgery so the fact that I don't have a really tight restriction makes me very nervous about my regain potential...

I'm 10 months out and I don't always measure meals anymore. I can typically eyeball a serving size. I do measure occasionally just so that my "eyeballs" aren't growing though. And, how much I can eat greatly depends on what I'm eating and the day. But, on average I'd say I'm good after about a cup. Oh, and I've noticed a big difference between "I'm full" and "that's all I can eat". Meaning I'm full/satisfied but I could certainly still eat more before the "that's it, my pouch is going to rebel if I eat one more bite" point. And some days that it is a big struggle to keep my brain focused on the full/satisfied side of the spectrum.