Asmundson69

Coffee confusion abounds. Some surgeons say, "Sure." Others say, "Never!"
And the forums? As many opinions as there are people.
Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson sets us straight with science.


"Elizabeth, regular coffee after surgery or Decaf for life?
Let's keep this simple. If you can drink a cup of regular coffee every day without trouble, go for it.
This isn't my opinion folks and that's why it's so magically delicious.
There is a ground-swell movement among bariatric dietitians to fact-check some of the standard nutrition no-no's we've been sharing with clients.
If there's no science to back up the recommendation, we're not going to keep promoting it.
The latest worn-out bariatric rules without evidence? No straws, no gum, no soda.
Today I'm dispelling the no coffee/caffeine rule.
A recent review of the scientific literature reveals no evidence supporting the avoidance of caffeinated drinks to prevent dehydration or stomach lining damage.
“Here I come quad espresso over ice???” Whoa, Nelly.
Sane caffeine consumption after WLS means:
1. waiting six weeks post op or until you are fully healed from surgery
2. aiming to limit regular coffee to one cup per day
3. groping with the painful truth that a medium pumpkin spice latte with whip = 420 calories
Dietitians are working hard to create nutrition plans individually based on client’s unique needs and wants.
The next time you hear one of those bariatric no no’s, ask the provider if the current science is still robustly supporting that recommendation.
It might take them aback a bit but a good provider will thank you for your smart thoughtfulness and self-advocacy.

I'm 8 weeks post-op it gets a bit easier. I was pretty depressed my first week, I was thinking what the heck have I done. And I cried over everything. But it will pass and as you start feeling better everything will to. And yes my first bite of mashed potatoes tasted soooo good. Today I actually get to start with solids do happy. But I did find that I still went to the soft foods. Best of luck
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I'm 8 weeks post-op it gets a bit easier. I was pretty depressed my first week, I was thinking what the heck have I done. And I cried over everything. But it will pass and as you start feeling better everything will to. And yes my first bite of mashed potatoes tasted soooo good. Today I actually get to start with solids do happy. But I did find that I still went to the soft foods. Best of luck
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Best meatloaf I've ever made! All Protein, hardly any carbs. I backed off on the chili powder (yuk) and used BBQ flavored Pork rinds for the crumbs to give it a little extra flavor. I make mashed cauliflower to serve with it!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/44172/all-protein-meatloaf/

Okay- mine is definitely stolen from Trader Joes, but it is OH SO GOOD!!!
Using their ready to eat lentils, crumbled feta ( I often used crumbled goat cheese too!!!!), their bruschetta and chopped arugula, I mix it together by eye--- no measuring needed.
Depending on my "mood", I'll add more or less of the bruschetta or cheese, and sometimes I will use basil instead of arugula.
For a party everyone loves it, especially if served with pita or tortilla chips. But it is Bari-friendly without the carby chips- and I often make a meal out of it.
The other thing is I often warm up my portion instead of eating it cold or room temp. And you can make as large or as small a batch as you want!!!
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Congratulations
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I'm at 2 months and also have stalled for approximately 2 weeks. Everyone has told me that it's normal. So whT I finally had to do for myself is stop the weighing everyday because I am obsessive with that. But also just had to tell myself that as long as I'm doing everything right it will come. Also I noticed I'm losing inches rather than pounds. Good luck
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I'm at 2 months and also have stalled for approximately 2 weeks. Everyone has told me that it's normal. So whT I finally had to do for myself is stop the weighing everyday because I am obsessive with that. But also just had to tell myself that as long as I'm doing everything right it will come. Also I noticed I'm losing inches rather than pounds. Good luck
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So I had 3 bananas that were about to go bad so started looking ways up to use them - here's what I came up with.
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup Peanut Butter (i use natural, just peanuts and salt)
1 cup oats
2 scoops unflavored Protein
Mix and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. It comes out to 80 calories and 6g of Protein per cookie. I can only eat 1. Yum!

I thank you all for the advice. Please know it's not that I'm wanting a miracle I know that's not the case. But Ijust wanted advice as to if this was normal. I work with 2 other ladies who have also had the surgery and know that everyone is different as well. But since this is new for me I just didn't know if it was the norm. And partly because I know the doctor expects to see some weight loss when I go back in two weeks. I have lost 14 pounds in 6 weeks so again wasn't sure if that was the norm. I appreciate Lloyd the comments

I had a moment in a clothing store that was so overwhelming. Thank GOD it was on a Friday- my mom's day off from work.
I was literally sitting in the dressing room sobbing. She drove 30 minutes to the store to "rescue" me...
I had moved from the plus sized side to "regular" sizes... And had even skipped over the larger 14-16's to 12's. It was HUGELY emotional. Life altering, shook to my core emotional.
At that moment I knew this was not only possible, but HAPPENING, and I haven't looked back....
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That is so awesome. Keep up the fantastic job.
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I thank you all for the advice. Please know it's not that I'm wanting a miracle I know that's not the case. But Ijust wanted advice as to if this was normal. I work with 2 other ladies who have also had the surgery and know that everyone is different as well. But since this is new for me I just didn't know if it was the norm. And partly because I know the doctor expects to see some weight loss when I go back in two weeks. I have lost 14 pounds in 6 weeks so again wasn't sure if that was the norm. I appreciate Lloyd the comments

my experience with stalls are this..I stall and stick the longest at weights I lived at the longest I can tell you now what weights I will stall at. it is where your body wants to stick..you just need to wait it out. I have also noticed that I don't drop clothes sizes unless I'm in a stall. How weird is that? Also the lower your BMI gets the slower you can expect to lose. I would personally kill to be in onderland and I will feel more comfortable to lose slowly when i'm there because I'll be able to wear nice clothes again, not have to shop plus sized anymore etc. There really should be no rush. I'd like to be goal for my 50th birthday, but if I don't hit it oh well. I will after.
Did you take before pictures? take a picture now and put it next your before picture. that should help give you perspective

My idea is to ratchet down your expectations about the speed of your weight loss. You are putting a lot of unnecessary stress on yourself and your wishes for how fast weight loss will proceed may not be entirely realistic. I lost a total of 40 lbs in the first three months (I started at a higher BMI than most btw) and I was pleased and my bariatric team told me I was doing fantastic. In my book you should be thrilled about your weight loss.
Occasionally stalls and pauses along the way are completely normal. Don't worry about them unless you think you are not following your program correctly to the tune of eating several hundred/thousand calories per day more than you should be, which I would guess you are not!

@@Asmundson69 Soft foods should include fish, tuna, etc. Try incorporating more of those in your diet - more Protein and should keep you full longer. Are you still taking a PPI (reduce stomach acid)? Get some unflavored Protein powder to add to other foods (spaghetti squash, soup). Take slow bites - if the pains don't go away - call your surgeon.

Well I am still pre-op, but I know my surgeons goal for everyone is 20g of Protein per meal. It is what keeps you feeling full. I am not sure how that will breakdown in the early phase yet but it sounds like the source of your hunger.

HW 341.5 (3/14/16)
SW 311.2 (10/19/16...surgery 10/21/16)
CW 299.2 (10/28)
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I tried it just shy of 6 weeks and I didn't get sick but wasn't comfortable either. I love salad and have great salad bar options at work but am sticking to the Soup side of it still. I don't think it will harm you, but I've seen it cause a lot of people discomfort early on. Wouldn't want you to have the miserable afternoon I did! I'm try again in 2 weeks, that's my standard wait time.

On my plan, you can bring salads back in at Week 7 post-op. Salads were a staple of my pre-op six-month diet, but I am on the fence about them when I get to the 7 week mark for the reasons @@BigViffer noted. In fact, now that I have more protein-enhanced choices (cottage cheese, string cheese, scrambled eggs, and, next week, fish), I am trying to focus more on having those several times in the day so I can be much less reliant on Protein powder.

At 7 weeks I don't think it would be a problem. If your surgeon has cleared you for fresh vegetables, I say give it a shot. The only issue is the fact that there is literally no nutritional value to lettuce. Kale is a much better choice, but it is a bit fibrous and requires a lot of chewing. I mean a lot.
lol, oh... one more thing. Don't go too far from the bathroom. Matter of fact, if you are going to try a salad for the first time, I would do it at home in case there is an "accident".

I took Mucinex Cold and congestion liquid. It really helped me. Tylenol Cold didn't work for me.

Tylenol Cold Liquid!

DayQuil or theraflu
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Very happy for you. It really is an amazing feeling. Wish you all the best on your journey!