Little Green

The nutritional label of anything carbohydrate such as bread, Cereal, oatmeal you name it.. may come with 200% Iron, Calcium and all the Vitamins in the world + 15 years more of life and it’s still a no for me! a few grams of this or that which may be excellent for our health is simply not worth it if it comes with 18 carbs or 15. Ideally I like to stay under 20 because that’s my magic number to remain in ketosis (I use test strips).


Yo-Yo Girl from New York City

Home now! I can definitely see why I wanted to recover at Mom's. It's so difficult to stop myself from taking care of my husband and stuff around the house just by second nature or unconsciously. Unfortunately despite not helping with unloading the car, I did enough running around - including unthinkingly bending over to vacuum with our little handheld vac - that my belly started protesting again. Not quite as loudly or painfully as a few days ago, so I'm still happy about my progress, but enough for me to know I need to sit down for a bit and keep taking it easy. So my husband (I guess I'll call him Mr. Green for ease of readability in the future) is unpacking as best he can and loading up the fridge with my shakes and Protein waters. Love him
It's so good to be home! Thanks to the holiday, Mr. Green and I have the next two full days to be together in the quiet - no one working from home, no cats running around. Just the two of us. So happy!
Sorry for the endless posts. I'll just keep shouting into the void here, it's nice to journal and maybe it will help someone some day.

What's a carb to you? In the context of "avoiding carbs" or "low-carb" as a bariatric patient?
Fries, pizza, ice cream, Cookies, etc. - of course (although most of those foods are actually 50%+ fat so it seems weird to call them carbs). bread? White bread seems obvious, but what about whole wheat? What about the gross, "healthy" kind with all the seeds and grains? Pasta? Again, refined white pasta seems clear enough, but how about the kinda gritty "meh" whole grain version? Potatoes? Beans? oatmeal, rice, quinoa, corn... all whole grains, so which ones do you avoid? Thanks for any discussion you can provide! I'm just curious about how real life post-op folks make their decisions about what's acceptable to eat when it comes to carbs.

fries are a carb.
Cookies are carbs and worse sugar.
pizza dough is a carb - the meats are Protein and fat and the veggies have carbs - scrap everything off the dough throw in a scrambled egg you got a great Breakfast
pasta is highly refined and a carb - who grain while a better version is still a carb even if less refined.
potatoes are a starch and thats a carb.
oatmeal is a carb
Beans are carbs with higher amount of Fiber which makes them a better choice than all of the others on your list.

Im a newbie so i read and log everything. So a carb is a carb, fat is a fat, etc. I dont eat many processed or packaged foods so i have to rely heavily on MFP for accountabililty. I mostly stay away from breads rice Pasta etc because i had my fill pre surg and a little after. My carbs also tend to come from fruits legumes and vegetables. I am not in maintainance so im going easy...

I keep it fairly simple. Anything "white" like bread, rice, Pasta, potatoes etc I tend to stay away from. I'm 4+ years out and in maintenance, so I will eat whole grain breads, crackers, and rice occasionally. I get most of my daily carbs from dairy, fruits and veggies these days.

What's a carb to you? In the context of "avoiding carbs" or "low-carb" as a bariatric patient?
Fries, pizza, ice cream, Cookies, etc. - of course (although most of those foods are actually 50%+ fat so it seems weird to call them carbs). bread? White bread seems obvious, but what about whole wheat? What about the gross, "healthy" kind with all the seeds and grains? Pasta? Again, refined white pasta seems clear enough, but how about the kinda gritty "meh" whole grain version? Potatoes? Beans? oatmeal, rice, quinoa, corn... all whole grains, so which ones do you avoid? Thanks for any discussion you can provide! I'm just curious about how real life post-op folks make their decisions about what's acceptable to eat when it comes to carbs.

Not to derail the thread, but this was my experience and I was so excited when the surgeon's assistant said everyone had been talking about my smooth, shiny pink liver. I brought it up later with my surgeon and she was like, "Yeah, you must just be genetically not susceptible to fatty liver. Some people aren't." Uhhhh..... Girl............ can you not at least give me the credit for it???? I suffered through 21 days of the liquid diet! I only lost 15 lbs (10 pounds the first week - I started at 358 so expected to lose way more) and I was so worried and on edge about my liver those last two weeks that I wasn't really losing weight. Don't tell me it's just genetics!!! Rude!!!

I didn't sleep much last night; the recliner gives me a massive back- and headache after a couple hours. I showered this morning for the first time and tried napping in the bed on my side; it took a little while but I got comfortable and slept about 3.5 hours straight, definitely the longest stretch since surgery! So I'll try sleeping there tonight.
After drinking Miralax (in four ounces of Decaf coffee... heaven) this morning, I had a small, soft bowel movement this afternoon and my stomach is feeling quite upset and rumbly; I think I'm going to stick with the Smooth Move tea for now and only use the laxatives if I get to the 5 or 6 day range in between BMs. No need to force things along at this point.
Right now I'm trying the clear Premier Protein Water in tropical punch flavor; it's extremely sweet (artificially) and I'm not sure whether I like it or not. This is just a sample bottle but I was going to order more if I liked it. Not sure about that now, but we'll see.
Overall my pain is okay. I'm feeling more uncomfortable and stiff than I am actual pain today. I'm pretty happy with my new stomach so far and its acceptance of iced drinks, room temperature drinks, warm drinks, Protein Shakes, tea, etc. I might try some sugar free Jello and see how that does.

Well, I made it! I'm still fairly loopy so I'm going to keep this short.
I had a good surgery with no complications, but struggled to wake up afterward so I had to remain on breathing support for another hour or two once I was in recovery. Originally (once in my room) I was using a PCA pump with Dilaudid which helped for my pain but put me to sleep almost immediately so the 2nd day we switched to liquid oxycodone so that I could stay awake a bit more to walk and move around.
I spent 2 nights in the hospital; I was afraid I'd have to spend a third because it took me a long time to get walking, but I improved pretty rapidly on the morning of the second post-op day so I went home yesterday around 5pm.
My pain in the belly region is pretty intense; there's one spot in particular that feels like it's ripping or tearing when I move a certain way. Overall it's better than before, though. I didn't have any gas pain until last night and thankfully it's all in the belly area, so I can just get rid of it the normal way LOL, no issues with gas pain in my chest or neck or shoulders like some have.
Water and Protein Shakes are staying down fine, I've had a few burps here and there but nothing has come back up or caused pain. We stayed ahead of nausea with the patch and IV zofran so I haven't felt like I needed to throw up at all. I have the dissolvable nausea pills at home now for when/if I need them.
Okay I think that's all the thinking and typing I can handle for now. Thank you all so much for your support. You mean the world to me!

Well I just took the half bottle dose of magnesium citrate for bowel prep for tomorrow... we'll see shortly whether or not I'm full of sh*t!
I had a massage and a float session today, both were very relaxing. I'm feeling pretty good, overall, not as anxious as I'd imagined. Plan to relax some more with a bath before bed, and hopefully I can sleep tonight! We'll be leaving for the hospital around 6:45am, I believe I am the second case of the day.
I'm *almost* allowing myself to believe surgery is going to happen! I won't really believe it until I'm in the OR but... almost!

That you all! I did some more searching and I did find the meals page, I am definitely going to start meal prepping with my kids they will love to help with making dinner!

We definitely are super close it is so nice to find someone that is on the same path!

I didn't lose a lot during my pre-op diet, but my liver was small which was the goal. Try not to worry too much about the scale. You will do just fine.

HW: 256
SW: 238(4/25/18)
CW: 224
GW: 165

Down 150 since the journey started and 90 since surgery on 11/6/17. Getting ready to go to my 6 month follow up and feeling good. Currently 270 and I’m trying to figure out where to maintain at I’m 6’1 and have big boned. I know the doctors are saying 180-205 but I have not been 205 since I was 14 35 years ago I might look anorexic. I went to the gym and they did one of those test to tell how much muscle you have and it said I’m at 200 pounds of muscle. Any one have any advice on a good weight to stop, currently went from 6x shirts and 54’ pants to 2x and 42’.

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight.
Weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as Protein Shakes.
It is common for individuals after surgery to be unable to meet their protein and fluid requirements during the first couple weeks. This is because their body is in a major heal mode. Just keep working towards those daily goals.
I assume you were given the protein, vitamin and fluid requirements. If not see your surgeon and nutritionist.

I agree with Creek. Increase your calories to see if it makes a difference. I also eat around 1000-1200 per day and I have been steadily loosing, even my longest stall is 2 weeks. It's helpful for your typical diet to be at that range, because you can always lower it if you slow down or stall. I'd much rather be eating 1200 calories a day with great energy and stamina, then eating 700 and feeling like a slug.

Eat more. 400-600 calories per day is probably signaling your body to take hormonal measures to prevent starvation.
http://www.coachcalorie.com/not-eating-enough-calories-to-lose-weight/
My program encourages us to eat 1000-1200 calories per day as soon as possible after surgery to avoid these setbacks. Also, because when we get the metabolic reset from surgery...we want to reset to a livable calorie level...not a starvation level. (I've eaten 1000-1200 calories per day since week three and will stay at this calorie level until maintenance)
I understand your fears of failure, but it's a good idea to think of the whole marathon...supporting and building your long term forever diet and your long term metabolism.....not just trying to sprint to your goal at any cost. Patience and consistency are your friends!
Best wishes and good luck!

People have a lot of weird misconceptions about how fast they'll lose weight and how much weight they'll lose after weight loss surgery.
Would be nice if the seminars did a better job of presenting this information factually up front. Mine did, but it seems like a lot of folks feel mislead when they're a few months out.
Statistically, most people will lose on one side or the other of about 60% of their excess weight in 18 months. This is the average result. Most people will maintain a 55% of excess weight weight loss three years after surgery...which beats the hell out of the results of conventional dieting.
Some people will hit goal and lose 100% of their excess weight....which is awesome! Some people will never reach a 50% loss of excess weight and end up feeling defeated.
Obviously, if you work hard, follow your diet, follow a good exercise program and have good support...your odds of reaching goal go up. The biggest part is compliance, for sure.
But there's also a biological component. Diabetics have a tougher time. Metabolic syndrome folks have a tougher time. Older folks have a tougher time. PCOD folks have a tougher time. Mental health issues can make things harder. Certain necessary medications can make things harder. People with limited mobility have a tougher time.
Youth helps. Good general health helps. A good support system helps.
No two people have the same experience with this wild ride.

I talk to my mom and my husband and took some pain meds and I'm feeling much better. I am going home without the cats on Saturday, and then my husband will drive me back up next Friday for the 2-week appointment and we'll stay a night or two then my parents will help us move the cats back in.
I'm going to text my therapist tomorrow for an appointment next week (yay for calling an Uber to take me there & back) and I might see if I can get my antidepressant in a liquid formulation.
With this plan in place I'm going to focus on the positives, keep my eyes on the prize, and focus on my health and recovery. I'm getting stronger every day, I have no issues with vomiting, nausea, or difficulty getting liquids down, I have a great support team, the pain meds help me feel better, I'm sleeping well, lots to be thankful for.

I think I'm going to go home on Saturday. I'm so depressed and lonely that I think it's causing my pain and energy to be worse than it reasonably should be at a week post-op. I want to be able to get a hug from my husband when I'm feeling sad, and he'd be more than happy to drive me around even if it's just to go nowhere. I could also take buses in our city - there's no buses in the very rural area where my parents live
On a related note, crying post-op is quite painful, from the belly-bouncing during to the nose-blowing afterward. Ouch.

I'm not feeling well. I think I way, way overdid it yesterday and I still didn't meet my Fluid or Protein requirements. Today I feel dizzy, weak, and in pain. I am going to get up and walk, obviously, but that is going to be secondary to meeting my requirements and resting.

I didn't sleep much last night; the recliner gives me a massive back- and headache after a couple hours. I showered this morning for the first time and tried napping in the bed on my side; it took a little while but I got comfortable and slept about 3.5 hours straight, definitely the longest stretch since surgery! So I'll try sleeping there tonight.
After drinking Miralax (in four ounces of Decaf coffee... heaven) this morning, I had a small, soft bowel movement this afternoon and my stomach is feeling quite upset and rumbly; I think I'm going to stick with the Smooth Move tea for now and only use the laxatives if I get to the 5 or 6 day range in between BMs. No need to force things along at this point.
Right now I'm trying the clear Premier Protein Water in tropical punch flavor; it's extremely sweet (artificially) and I'm not sure whether I like it or not. This is just a sample bottle but I was going to order more if I liked it. Not sure about that now, but we'll see.
Overall my pain is okay. I'm feeling more uncomfortable and stiff than I am actual pain today. I'm pretty happy with my new stomach so far and its acceptance of iced drinks, room temperature drinks, warm drinks, Protein Shakes, tea, etc. I might try some sugar free Jello and see how that does.

Post-op day 3 was pretty good. My surgery pain is lessening and has been somewhat replaced by gas pain although I can get pretty good temporary relief from that by passing gas. That's hard to do sitting down but easy (and fun!) while walking. Not sure when to expect a bowel movement; I had some Smooth Move tea today and will likely start miralax tomorrow. (The liquid docusate they gave me in the hospital was so disgusting that I would rather an impacted colon than swallow it again.) New pain has come up in the form of stiffness and soreness in my back, neck, and butt, from limited mobility I'm sure. I walked less than 800 steps today and I'd like to hit 1000+ per day coming up here shortly as the pain continues to recede. I'm going to start stretching my pain meds farther apart; I think they do "help" but mostly in the sense that they put me to sleep; I'd like to be more awake and alert during the day.
I still have burps from time to time but no vomiting and very little nausea; the nausea I do have is coming from my vertigo, I think, which seems to be in a slight flare.
Today I had about 1.25 Premier Protein shakes, so didn't come near my 60g Protein goal, and probably 35-40oz of Water, well short of my 60oz goal. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get on a schedule for such things to see if I can accomplish more. It's not that I necessarily feel full and have to stop; I just don't have any interest in it and the naps/fatigue get in the way. Besides plain water I had a bit of the smooth move tea, two tiny sips of Decaf coffee, and maybe 2 oz of thinned-out Tomato Soup, which was delicious.
I keep dreaming about pureed foods, even though I'm not hungry physically or mentally. I think my first meal is going to be refried Beans with guacamole and some thin salsa. I also have some good plans for hummus, mmm hummus. Oatmeal with banana and Peanut Butter. And once I'm strong enough I plan to get the crockpots going with several different kinds of bean chilis that I can puree. For right now I'll just focus on walking & sipping!

Well, I made it! I'm still fairly loopy so I'm going to keep this short.
I had a good surgery with no complications, but struggled to wake up afterward so I had to remain on breathing support for another hour or two once I was in recovery. Originally (once in my room) I was using a PCA pump with Dilaudid which helped for my pain but put me to sleep almost immediately so the 2nd day we switched to liquid oxycodone so that I could stay awake a bit more to walk and move around.
I spent 2 nights in the hospital; I was afraid I'd have to spend a third because it took me a long time to get walking, but I improved pretty rapidly on the morning of the second post-op day so I went home yesterday around 5pm.
My pain in the belly region is pretty intense; there's one spot in particular that feels like it's ripping or tearing when I move a certain way. Overall it's better than before, though. I didn't have any gas pain until last night and thankfully it's all in the belly area, so I can just get rid of it the normal way LOL, no issues with gas pain in my chest or neck or shoulders like some have.
Water and Protein Shakes are staying down fine, I've had a few burps here and there but nothing has come back up or caused pain. We stayed ahead of nausea with the patch and IV zofran so I haven't felt like I needed to throw up at all. I have the dissolvable nausea pills at home now for when/if I need them.
Okay I think that's all the thinking and typing I can handle for now. Thank you all so much for your support. You mean the world to me!

Compassion and balance... you are speaking my love language!!! Thank you for sharing.