Berry78

This is a great article! It would also follow that they could wipe out obese people's microflora and replace with that of normal weight people.... maybe.

Each of us has his/her own journey. This surgery is a BIG DEAL. There are risks and dangers. If someone feels less than 100% ready to take it on, then he/she shouldn't do it. We see enough leaks and other complications pop up on this board often enough to keep the dangers in mind. Imagine feeling pressured to do a surgery, and then you end up with a complication. Then you're sick AND feeling like it's someone else's fault (for pressuring you). We each need to understand and accept the risks for ourselves in order to be at peace through the difficult parts of the journey. This also applies to the postop lows that we all seem to go through. The moments of "what the heck did I do to myself??" Which would be so much worse if it were, "What the heck did those horrible people sign me up for?? They LIED to me! They said it would be so much better, and now look what mess I'm in!" The most important part of this journey is our taking personal responsibility for our health. Diet and lifestyle have to change.. forever. Huge commitment. Up there with having a child. MORE of a commitment than marriage.

Put a call in to your doc to see if they're concerned...

7 months and 11 days.. 100lbs down!!! This also happens to be the lowest weight I reached during my last big diet in 2008. I have 2 kids that are trick-or-treating tonight. This time last year I vomited after walking up the hill next to my house (the exertion was just too much). I'm still pitifully out of shape, so we'll see if I fare any better

Only a rack of ribs stands between me and that baby horse...

As long as you aren't a teacher on a field trip. Now THAT would be a bad day!

Hopefully they are just giving you space in which to recover. But, if it doesn't turn out to be the case, I feel certain you'll make some new friends with whom your new lifestyle will better mesh. You may find exercise buds, or friends at a bariatric support group. Maybe you'll take up a new hobby.. No matter what, this is your time to work on YOU.

Oh wow! Congrats! Can you share your diet/exercise plan with us? Obviously running.. how did you work up to it?

It's possible.. could just be a texture or taste thing too. I have some issues with cheese, which is similar to avacado.. heavy and all..

The first few months are like walking into a different world. Part if that world is GOALS. 64+oz fluids and 60g or more protein are your first goals. This is part of the transformation that we must undergo postop. Food used to be for fun, habit, an emotional net, socialization, etc. Now it must be used as building blocks for the body. It can be enjoyable, but that isn't the POINT. In order to survive, there are a zillion chemical and physical processes that happen within the body. Every one of those processes requires energy and materials to perform. Our fat can supply the energy, but some of the materials are not stored in the body, that is where food and protein shakes come in. Our goals right after surgery are minimal. Fluids, then protein, then vitamins, then it's the texture progression and experimenting with flavors and textures. No one expects goals to be met 100% of the time. The idea is we TRY to meet them. If you are eating to meet goals, then your eating is coming from the correct place. It is in no way comparable to snacking from boredom (or any other reason). If a typical person has the flu, and doesn't feel like eating, that's fine. They keep up with their fluids and a week later they start eating again. No big deal. Bariatric patients are going for 6 months or a year with a very small stomach and frequently not much appetite. If we go too long without meeting our goals, we get dehydrated and weak, and if it continues, things go downhill from there. Our epiphany is to truly understand what food is for, and our duty is to remember it, forever. Food, goals, food, goals, food, goals.

We need some fats in our diets. Approx: 2oz nuts or seeds have 30g fat 2 tablespoons olive oil 30g fat 1.5oz cheese 14g 1 egg 5g fat 1 teaspoon oil 5g Meat -varies 1 tablespoon butter 11g Hummus has fat. Just toss a bit of olive oil in the pan with cooked veggies, or a little butter on cooked carrots, salad dressing on raw veggies Avacado and nuts and cheese can be used here or there.

"If you're not hungry, don't eat" ?? No... it doesn't work that way. One of the effects of surgery is to take away appetite. When we don't eat, we don't want to.. and because we don't want to, then we don't.. and when we don't, we don't want to... It's a vicious cycle. Without nourishment, you can't heal. Now.. you can drink your nourishment, no one said it must be solid. But it does need to be consumed.

Chicken and steak are tough for 2.5 weeks out (unless blended smooth with broth). Double check your plan on that one. I was eating lots of cottage cheese and yogurt, eggs (cooked very softly), and mashed/moistened beans. Split pea or lentil soup. Oh, and soft white fish.. blended or not.

Most vitamins and minerals we seem to absorb pretty well. The notable exceptions are calcium (we need citrate), and B-12. Iron- sometimes.. that one is usually worse in the bypass. In general, I shoot for at least 100% of everything, and add calcium and B-12. Anything else I let my doc tell me I'm low. Keep in mind potassium and magnesium aren't included in multivitamins, so I analyze my diet to make sure I get enough. People that don't take a good vitamin every day can be low on loads of things. Copper, zinc, manganese, selenium ... etc. etc. I'm always learning new things, so reserve the right to have missed something...

Ohhhh.. ok I got you now! My stomach was probably ginormous too Overeating on a regular basis probably can make the stomach more pliable/hold more. The fundus is the stretchy part, so, much like overused elastic, maybe it can stretch out. I happen to have a hyper-mobility issue.. (double-jointed). I've wondered whether that made my stomach more stretchy than average too.

My interpretation of Waler's concern is the same as my own (earlier). We hear "fasting", and we think "not eating". If you aren't eating, you won't get your nutrients. But, Apple explained that it was still eating the same amount, just concentrated within a specific timeframe. I can't have a problem with that, since meeting daily goals is my mantra. 8 hours is enough time for peeps to get 4 good meals in, which will work for those 6+ months postop. Any reduced consumption days need to wait until 18+ months postop.

Always eat fat with your veggies to absorb the vitamins. It doesn't take up any room.

It could have been left too large from the last surgery. It happens. I don't know if your eating could have stretched it out. (Topic of hot debate). Good luck!

My go-to pasta is made from beans.. I usually get the black bean one, but will try the others. Honestly, unless my daughter is eating, it's too much bother to boil the noodles. I just throw the pasta sauce on some canned beans instead! Lol! Haven't tried any pseudo-pizza yet. Thanks for the ideas!

During the losing phase, that sounds perfect (don't let your fat drop below 35g though).

Insulin (for non-diabetics) isn't a monster. It's our building-hormone. It's what helps us lay down new muscle and make repairs. A high level of protein does activate some insulin, but the whole, natural carb foods contain nutrients that aren't present in the high protein foods. And, excessive high protein can put a strain on the kidneys.. so it's the whole package. Fat doesn't activate insulin, so over a certain amount, isn't going to affect repairs.

Oh, I just reread.. and that's not your daily totals. Shew!

Hey Missy, your nut wants you at 1500 calories! You go get 2oz of nuts and eat them right now! (Unless you are allergic ). 60g fat/day, no less. That's an order!

Mery's blood levels for protein are low. Until she can get those levels up, she needs to keep eating her protein. I had just come across a study that mentioned the increased need for protein in the absence of enough carbs... thus my thinking to increase carbs to take the pressure off the protein. Keto works for some people, but I'm not under the impression she wants to go that way.

Fat gives calories, but once your essential fatty acids are accounted for, you don't need more. (Same with protein.. 4 meals of 30g each is about all you can digest for the amino acids..the rest is just calories). Carbs are where you get your vitamins, minerals, fiber. And you can't get too much of those. Fluff... Meryline is basically at goal and can handle an increased carb load (she needs to get her nutrition up). I wouldn't give myself or someone else the same advice necessarily. When I run into a goal meal I can't fit all in at once, I eat what I can, then return to finish it an hour later. Mery.. you can do that with your oatmeal. Increasing fat in the short term is fine.. just have a plan on working towards getting those carbs up. The more carbs you have (within reason), the more efficiently your body can use your protein. At the moment you may be using protein for energy instead of repair.