mylighthouse

You look fantastic, congratulations!

I was allowed to have regular coffee 3 months post sleeve. Before that, it was not allowed. I love the flavor of coffee, so I drank decaf before I hit 3 months out, then I got back to my caffeinated coffee in different flavors. I love my flavored coffee. Wish I could find flavored decaf here where I live. The reason I say that is because I am totally addicted to coffee. I am fully aware that I drink too much of it. Also, I am having acid reflux/esophagal erosion issues....coffee is not good for that. Like Creekimp said, nutritionists/doctors are all different in what they allow. Your poll is currently 50/50, which is not at all surprising.

Cottage cheese, refried beans with melted cheese on top, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed (pureed) carrots, yogurt (watch sugar and carb content). I was allowed to have pureed tuna or chicken, I mixed it with a little mayo, or you can mix it with plain greek yogurt and season it up. Hummus is good, especially if you make it homemade. @orionburn great suggestion of the ricotta bake and eggface's site. I did the ricotta bake too, and yes, it was delicious! Also, during the pureed stage, I mixed in a little Isopure or Unjury brands of unflavored protein powder to get my protein. You can mix it into refried beans, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.

I am 15 months post sleeve. I have been having trouble with eating anything besides some soups, yogurt, protein shakes, things like that. Dealing with nausea off and on during day, some vomiting. I have actually had nausea since the surgery. Had an endoscopy when I was in the hospital a few weeks ago, they found erosions. I have been taking Protonix since surgery. Watch yourself with the vomiting, be sure to amp up your fluid intake. Dehydration led to my hospitilization. You don't want that. Powerade Zero is good....that and plenty of water! I have a follow up in March, might have to get in sooner... worried that a revision to bypass might be in my future. Be sure and let your doc know everything that is going on and the severity of your situation. I hope you find an answer and that you feel better soon.

Yes. I'm bipolar and took my regular night-time meds for mania and depression the night before surgery. Was allowed to have my anti-anxiety med (klonopin) the morning of surgery. I did fine, and I have had plenty of panic attacks in my lifetime. No problems at all going into surgery. Like you, I lost some good weight on my own just prior to surgery....I also kept going back and forth in my mind as to whether or not to proceed with surgery. But what kept bringing me back to going through with the surgery was that I had A LOT to lose, I needed to get the weight off quickly so I could have a hernia repair...AND I just knew that I wouldn't be able to keep the weight off or lose enough if I continued to try on my own. Crazy now to remember that all the way up to the night before surgery I thought about backing out. Boy, am I glad I didn't! I had a horrible recovery from a surgery the year before my sleeve surgery. I was very sick and spent 2 whole months in the hospital. Believe me, sleeve surgery was a breeze...recovery was pretty easy...chances are it will be for you as well. I wish you the best.

I agree with @alexmcintyre. Eating small, frequent, protein-packed meals is excellent. Protein helps fill you. Also, limit your carbs throughout the day. Some carbs tend to not satisfy your hunger and some carbs can also lead to wanting more carbs. If you have break-through hunger in-between your meals, then it is good to keep healthy snacks on hand: proteins such as cheese, some yogurts, etc... or even might want to keep some fresh cut veggies on hand, such as red peppers, cucumbers, carrots, snap peas. Yum! As for the eating, and then the food coming back up, that could be acid reflux. I am dealing with it right now at 15 months out. If it continues to bother you, do mention it to your doctor.

I use Isopure unflavored protein powder. Love it. You can mix it in many things: yogurt, cottage cheese, soup, powerade zero, decaf iced or hot tea, decaf or reg coffee, refried beans, mashed sweet potatoes, oatmeal Congrats on the weight loss.

I'm with @GotProlactinomaon this one, I don't worry if waiters/waitresses ask whether or not I liked the food, doesn't bother me at all. Of the few times that I've actually gone out to eat since surgery 15 months ago, I order what I wish and take leftovers home. I imagine if I worked and went on the road and had to eat out a lot that things would get a lot trickier as far as eating out goes. I would probably just go for smaller, simple entees with a side, like a piece of fish, chicken breast, that sort of thing.... or maybe a thing of soup. Bound to be some amount of wasted food, however.... unless you're going out at dinner and have access to a mini fridge in your hotel, take it with you to heat up for lunch the next day in a microwave.

Thought I would hit up the pureed stages section on bariatricpal. I am 15 months post sleeve, but having a lot of trouble eating. Liquids and pureed are the only things I can get down. Love broccoli cheese soup, actually haven't had it in years. Totally bummed that my stinkin' blender just bit the dust, however, I am very pleased that you shared this recipe! Love the idea of incorporating whole psyllium husk into this. I usually just drink my 2 T of it mixed in water. Thank you for sharing!

Hello, I'm sorry to hear about your problems, no fun I know. I am having trouble with nausea, vomiting, pain (like a rock sitting in chest), loss of appetite. I'm 15 months post sleeve. Was in hospital for fews days due to dehydration, etc and they did an endoscopy. No stricture but they did say esophigitis, several erosions and GERD. Still unable to get any dense foods down , follow up with surgeon and gastro next week. You might have something similar going on. Your endoscopy will determine that. If they find any of those things, then they may want to go up on your ppi dosage. Also, GERD symptoms can sometimes be relieved by eliminating or limiting certain foods/drinks. Request an anti-nausea med such as Zofran/ondansetron, it should help out...you don't want to get dehydrated. I hope they get ya better soon.

Thank you! I am glad that I didn't waste my money on a demi bra.

@jess9395Thank you, I went to the link and will need to take the time to do measurements, etc. I appreciate the good info. My band doesn't ride up and the middle part in front does stay nicely. My trouble is the sag of the boobs....I am an older lady, weight loss at 145+lbs now. Thought maybe lift of some kind might be helpful, or a brand that lifts well. I don't go to Victoria's Secret or other shops for that matter, limited to home stay right now due to health issues, so I am still ordering my clothes, browsing for a good bra. Just need something that feels comfortable and looks good under clothing when I go out to appointments.

@ChaosUnlimited Yeah, I can identify with you as far as not really knowing what size cup to go with. I used to be a little too big for a DD, but now I am wearing a C. The thing is, as I mentioned in a former post on this thread, I am very saggy....loose skin, not firm. I have to pick up "all of the boob", loose skin and all and stuff it into the cup. I am getting a little poof at the top of the cup, it's not like my boobs are too big and being sqeezed into a C cup. Don't think a B would be big enough. Any thoughts, anyone? Should I try something with a little padding or lift in the bottom of the cup? They make something like that, right? Victoria's Secret? No? Other brands? I am currently wearing underwire Playtex, which WAS the most comfortable bra and very supportive, but my boob shape has really changed in the last few months---no more perkiness, just sag

What a difference! Congratulations, keep it up!

Way to go, you've done a super job, keep up the good work!

Hi Chel, Sorry to hear about the allergic reaction to the glue, I hope you are feeling better. I know you already found out about the weight gain being attributed to surgery. I am 15 months post gastric sleeve and I had my gallbladder out about 7 weeks ago. I was pretty surprised that my weight went up almost 9 lbs two weeks after gallbladder removal. After I kinda freaked out about it, I calmed down and thought to myself that the surgery was probably the culprit, and it was...you know, fluid retention etc. Hope you have a speedy recovery!

In my opinion, this post comes really close to picking on other members here.... see the "Please Read" post made by Alex Brecher listed at the top of the rants and raves category. Guess you didn't think much about that.

If you like to cook your meals, then you might want to check out the website: theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com She has lots of bariatric friendly recipes. She is a former WLS patient. I tried the ricotta bake, pretty much a no carb, high protein meal, it was delicious and quick and easy to make. I think I will try making the BBQ Beef Bites this week, virtually no carbs, packed with protein and easy to make. Snacks: I do almonds, yogurt, cottage cheese with cut up cucumbers, Salted caramel/chocolate Atkins bar (high fiber, very low carb, hardly any sugar, some protein)--very yummy for a snack or treat. Cut up veggies, I like to keep these in the fridge to snack on: baby carrots, red pepper strips, cucumbers. If you want something crunchy and protein packed, but no carb, make some homemade cheese crisps. Just do a search for them, they are so easy. You can eat them plain, or dip them in hummus (yum), or a homemade plain yogurt based spinach dip.

Hi Monica, My high weight was 334 lbs. The day of surgery I weighed 312. I'm 5'7". Now I weigh 190 lbs. I also have sleep apnea and I use a CPAP machine nightly. Try not to worry, you should do fine. Prayers for you.

@NervouslyExcited I am 15 months post sleeve. In the beginning, from about months 1 through 9, I kept my carbs at around 25-35 grams a day. I did really well with that, I went from 334 lbs (pre op diet) to 220 lbs. Then I stopped losing weight for a month or so, and increased my carbs to 45-65 grams a day. For me, that worked to get another 20 lbs off, bringing me to 195 lbs, but my weight kept bouncing around from 195-200.....the "bouncing" has been going on for almost 3 months now. I was very sick and landed in the hospital last week. I lost almost 10 pounds in a week, but only because I couldn't eat. Now I am at 189 lbs. Trying to decide what to do with my carb count for the day. Perhaps I need to lower the carbs back down to less than 40 grams a day? I am starting to wonder if I am at my final resting place with the weight loss. If I am, it won't be the end of the world, but I really would like to reach my surgeon's goal for me (175 lbs). Some really good advice from @GotProlactinoma on what kinds of carbs to eat and what kind to avoid.

@Oregondaisy yes, I can identify with you. I don't know your age, but for me, age DEFINITELY has something to do with losing the boobs and the sag syndrome. Plus, for me, after going from 334 lbs to 190 lbs, I am going to have saggy bits. I am 46. If I had to guess, most of these well-endowed busty ladies are probably under 40 years old. Anyway I went from a 48 DD to a 38 C, and I literally have to pick up the droopy boobs and put them in the cups by hand. My bras are trying their best, but my boobs are a droopy mess!! Maybe I need to go to a B cup, which is bonkers, because I don't think I've been that small since 6th grade. Even in 8th grade I totally filled out a C cup even though I only weighed 125. It's hell getting old! Good luck to all the busty babes, I think as you lose more weight, it will come off in the boobs as well.

I am sorry that I can't really give advice on this issue, but I want to say that I can definitely identify with you, although I am not quite as far out as you are. I am 15 months post sleeve. Other than the 9 pounds I lost last week (I was in hospital and couldn't keep down any food), I have stayed and bounced from 190-200 lbs for the last 4 months. My surgeon's goal weight for me is 175. Sitting at 190 as of today. Like you, I have current health conditoons that I am working on with my surgeon and gastro doctor. Because of multiple open abdominal surgeries, I deal with chronic pain, and even though I have lost over 140 lbs, I haven't been able to get to the point where I am able to exercise much. Also, like you, I am letting the carbs sneak in. The main culprits for me are yogurt and cream of mushroom soup. Not wanting to go on about my health issues, but I am very limited right now as to what I am able to consume without getting sick. Protein shakes I do fine, cream soups and broths with my Isopure unflavored protein powder. I am going way over 50 grams a day in carbs....this has really brought my weight loss to a screeching halt. @Twinmom07 I don't mean to take over your thread, I hope someone out there has some suggestions for both of us. I really want to get to my doctor's goal weight and I'm only 15 pounds away from it.

Oh boy, can I identify with this! I started at 334 lbs and am down to 190 lbs. Just like you, I have lost a lot in my upper body. Size 8-10 in tops, but size 14 in jeans/bottoms. At 46 years, I feel like I look 50-55 yrs. The turkey gobble neck really bothers me. I do the face/neck exercises as well as use a good anti-aging face/neck cream. That has helped only a little. Hubby is 3 years younger than me. He says I look beautiful, and that feels great, but all I see is my much-older-than-him face and neck! I am into trendy clothes, but nothing that makes a 46 year old look like an idiot "trying" to look young. The clothes make me feel better about myself. Don't get me wrong, I will take the older looking face and gobble gobble neck over wearing a size 5X and size 28 jeans anyday! I am VERY grateful for the weight loss. Just wanted to tell you that I feel ya! Thanks for bringing up the topic and I would also like to hear ideas of what can help my face/neck. For me, my budget will not allow for a facelift/neck lift. Would love to hear others experiences.

Yes, it could be acid reflux, GERD. Are you currently taking a ppi? If not, you might want to talk to your surgeon about getting on one...definitely let him/her know if the problem persists. I believe most doctors will put you on a ppi after surgery to help with this.

I think you're doing great, keep up the great work. More weight loss is coming. I want to answer your question about incorporating exercise. My personal experience is definitely not the norm. The day of surgery, I weighed 312 lbs. I had a lot of prior and existing health problems, including chronic pain. I was unable to exercise because of those problems. I literally stayed in bed for most of the first 13 months after my sleeve surgery. During that time, I lost over 100 pounds. I am currently very much on the mend, I turned a corner in January. For the first time since 2014, I am able to exercise, get lots of housework done, be very active, get out of the house and am getting on with my life. Yes, if I had been able to exercise sooner, the weight would have come of more quickly....a lot of people here will attest to that. Exercise is definitely good. But, sometimes, you just can't do it for either physical or mental reasons. It is also normal to go through mental changes, lack of energy, etc after surgery. You will get to the point when you are ready to incorporate exercise into your plan. When you're ready, start slowly and then work your way up. In the meantime, while you currently aren't exercising, as long as you follow the plan, the weight will come off.