Berry78

High protein and low carb AND low fat is extraordinarily unsustainable (ever heard of rabbit starvation?). It's what the preop diet had to be to get that liver down. Postop, as long as we meet our protein goals and calorie goals, the rest is up to us and our plan. Keto, balanced low carb, vegan-ish.. all of them can work, so we have some freedom to pick and choose.

The point of the surgery is to reset our "weight set points" the body helps us drop weight until that new set point is reached. We help the process by keeping our calories low (now possible since we aren't horribly hungry). Then, when we reach our new weight, it will be much easier to maintain than if we had just dieted off the pounds without surgery. BUT, gains are still possible like they have always been. (I wasnt born 300lbs).

I think I know exactly what happened. Binge/purging for 15 years is a LONG time. Long enough for purging to become an automatic response to the feeling of fullness. 6 weeks isn't far out at all, so a couple ounces of firm salmon absolutely would have made you feel full. You felt full, and that ingrained habit just...happened.. you didn't have to think about it any more than I have to think about stopping my car at a red light. Now that you are aware this CAN happen, you will need to practice mindful eating to prevent it from continuing to happen.

See if you are allowed to take probiotics. When I have issues, I take large doses of probiotics, and it usually helps. You'll have to ask your doc how much you can take.

Gallbladder issues can happen, and although you are only a week postop, keep it as a possibilty in the back of your mind. And keep an eye on your temperature.

What she said. Our bodies do what they do, and no input from us can really change it. Now if you asked what can you do after the first 6 months.. then there IS something.. keep to the program with diet and exercise. You have some head work to do if you demand rapid weight loss as a prerequisite to you "staying the course". Surgery only does 20% of the work. 80% comes from you. After surgery, if you hope to keep off your losses, you have to watch what you eat forever. It is physically easier than preop, but you still have to do it.

That reaction doesn't sound normal. It actually sounds a bit like dumping. Try to go back to the beginning and only drink water or warm herbal tea. If those don't agree, try plain milk. Try each thing carefully, and if you find something that works, then just drink that to give your system a rest. Protein shakes and artificial sweeteners can be rough, so avoid them at first.

Yeah, the only things I haven't tolerated the taste of are protein shakes and cake and ice cream, and noodles. So.. no big loss. No dumping or vomiting, just taste preference. I think lots of people would starve without the shakes, but it just forced me to eat real food asap. My 11 year old son caught a trout today. Ate that sucker up! (Ok, half a small one, but still...) Liked it better than preop. Do you know rainbow trout are related to salmon, and those in the wild have pink flesh?

I'm concerned to hear you get dizzy with exercise. Have you mentioned this to your health care team? Dizziness can be a sign of blood pressure problems, blood sugar problems, dehydration, etc. One thing that happens to many of us is our electrolytes get out of whack. Potassium, sodium, magnesium, etc. Low sodium v8 is a fabulous source of potassium. Coconut water is good too (if you can't tolerate tomatoes). Here is an article talking about electrolytes: https://draxe.com/electrolyte-imbalance/

Thanks for the tip I picked up the scale for $20 from a kitchen supply outlet store. It is worth the couple extra bucks.. does grams too!

So my day: Breakfast: 4oz cottage cheese and 4oz fruit Lunch: 1 egg and 4oz pinto beans Snack: 1oz nuts or seeds Dinner: 4oz meat or fish and 4oz spinach 1 cup milk and 2 cups coconut water I spread things out since I can't eat more than 4oz at a time.

That chicken info sounds good. When you leave the skin off it cuts the fat down at least by half. Ok, so nutritional goals are tough, since everyone does things a bit differently. A lot of it ends up being oersonal opinion. Your protein goal is the same as mine. Carbs.. it depends on whether you want to be in ketosis. If you don't know what that means, google ketogenic diet. Personally I don't want to go keto, so I keep my carbs above 50 (usually 60-70). Anything over 100 isn't as good for weight loss. Fat.. mine is moderately high. I eat 2 servings of full fat dairy and a serving of nuts, and whatever fat that comes in the meat. A teaspoon of olive oil on spinach, and a bit of butter to cook my egg. Altogether I'm getting 1200-1300 calories a day.

[Hugs] Hopefully your swelling will go down soon. At least you are still in the hospital, so you are being taken care of.

I can't do protein bars myself, so hopefully someone else can make some suggestions. As for the salt in the chicken, you do need some salt in your diet, and unless you buy raw chicken that is specifically unsalted, all of it has salt added. We frequently have trouble getting enough electrolytes, sodium included, so it's something to pay attention to. Ideally you'll want to get 1500mg to 2000mg of sodium a day. Although I admit I dont know how to tell how much sodium is in the chicken... is it labeled?

So cute! I love my little dishes!

Sure! Love their chicken! Just don't eat the skin if you want to minimize fat.

I've been taking powdered vitamins since right before surgery. "Women's ultra mega active" from GNC. I've just finished them today, so got some pills to try from my chiropractor. (Douglas Laboratories Energy/sports formula).

Contact your doctor today, and they will probably send you to the ER for fluids and anti-nausea meds. If you can't get ahold of them, just go ahead and go to the ER.

Everyone has different experiences post op, but here are some key points: 1. Yes, there can be mood changes. Running on a caloric deficit toys with our emotional stability. 2. It can take surprisingly long to regain strength and energy. It took me 3 months before I felt normal. Your partner may recouperate sooner, but it's good to be prepared. 3. The surgery might not fix the diabetes. The sleeve can help some people, but the bypass has better long term effectiveness. This is something to discuss with his surgeon. 4. I'm not really sure what you mean by "motivated" right after surgery. The first two months postop are all about relearning how to eat and drink and healing. The doctor will prescribe a diet, and it needs to be followed to the letter. After those first couple months, then motivation will factor in with keeping up a healthy diet and exercise routine. Your job is to be a sympathetic ear, and a voice of reason. You should say, "no, we don't need those doughnuts, how about this nice chili?" And whatever you do, don't be the one bringing in the doughnuts!

Yes, your acid meds are VERY important. Usually we are on them for the first 6 months. Zantac is an H2 blocker, which is fine, but if you need more acid control, a PPI is stronger. Start taking your zantac every day, and if you still feel that gnawing hunger, then talk to your doc about switching to a ppi.

Surgery should always be the last resort. By all means, TRY to do it without surgery. But if it doesn't work out, surgery will always be there. Most of us have had many, many failed diet attempts in the past. So by the time we are considering surgery, we know that simply dieting doesn't work for us. But for those without that sort of history, they SHOULD try a diet first.

There is a reason the average weight loss for the first month is 15-20lbs, when after the first 2 weeks we've lost 14. That 3rd week stall keeps the monthly total low.

I have trouble linking videos on here, but if you go to youtube and search for Dr. Matthew Weiner. He is a bariatric surgeon that explains why surgery can work long term when diets usually don't. The video is called "Should I have weight loss surgery?" He has a lot of good ones other than that too.

I want everyone to work on getting their calories up to 700. That's your homework assignment!

Thanks for the early morning belly laugh!