Berry78

You may not need extra calories, but you do need extra nutrition. Complex carbs like sweet potatoes and beans are my favorite. Grains can be iffy.. your homemade bread sounds delicious, particularly if it contains 100% whole grains that you grind yourself... but if it sets up cravings, then it isn't the best choice for you. You'll just have to experiment. Maybe keep it to one slice of bread a day and do other things for the rest. Bread freezes pretty well too. Slice it, then put into individual ziplock baggies. Freeze, then toast. Corn has no real nutrition, avoid. Oats are pretty good, and don't forget about all the lesser known pseudograins like amaranth.

Your weight should be stable for 9 months or a year before getting plastics. Those that get it sooner have mobility issues or something like that. Whether your weight stabilizes at 160 or 125 doesn't matter.. just has to be stable. Since its already been stable, you can say "forget 125, I'll be satisfied here" and make your appointment.. or you can keep trying to go lower. Personally, I believe in the set point theory, and I believe trying to go lower will be fighting your set point, and you will find it difficult to lose, and then even more difficult to maintain. But, if you get to goal, then have lipo and skin removal, that surgery might help actually lower your set point, making the losses easier to maintain. This is a good question for your surgeon, since they know more about these things..

I would recommend a night or two in the hotel near the hospital. You'll feel much better 3-4 days post-op for the trip, and if you did have trouble, you are still close to the hospital and help. In fact, you may feel well enough to just go home at that point.

I started at 305lbs, lost 13lbs the 2nd month, 8 lbs the 3rd month.

The heart disease wasn't diet-related, but the high blood pressure could have been.

I recommend taking a few hours to sit down and really formulate a meal plan. Once that is done, then food no longer takes up much of your time. Your meals need to be as nutritious as possible because the baby is taking your nutrients. Eat 4 times a day, 2-3oz protein, 2-3oz complex carb, plenty of veggies. Make sure you put some fat on your veggies to absorb the vitamins. Nuts, seeds, avacados are good sources of fats too. Limit fruit to 1-2 servings a day. No white sugar, white flour, or fried food.

No, Dr. Atkins died of a fall. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Atkins_(nutritionist)

I did an enema every other day for the first couple weeks to keep things moving. My GI doc was impressed, since most people just let that stuff go. When I could start taking fiber, things started being more normal. I like enemas because I can schedule the 30 minutes in the bathroom instead of not knowing when it will happen.

Anyone familiar with Dr. McDougall? He believes in a starch-based diet. For example, the Okinawans of Japan used to subsist on 69% sweet potatoes, colorful veggies, rice, tofu, and fish about once a week. (Pork once a month). 6% of calories from fat, 10% from protein. Almost no fruit or sugar. What is interesting is after 1960, their diet changed, and they aren't living as long.

I first tried nuts at 8 weeks postop. Cashews are very soft and don't have skins. Chewed them up very well, one at a time, no problem. I now eat all kinds, but limit it to 1oz a day (I weigh them out into little containers to grab and go). I weigh out peanut butter the same way, and love peanut butter on celery with a few raisins on top.

This isn't normal, but it may not even have much to do with your stomach surgery. Could be gallbladder problems. Either go to your regular doctor or the emergency room. You need some tests to figure out what is going on.

I probably was only "allowed" skim milk too. Hmm.. oops, there is only 2% in the fridge.. sue me! Fat and carb control was absolutely necessary preop to get that liver to shrink. Postop, we do what we have to do to heal and be able to function. Sure, my fats were high, and my carbs were insane (like 100g from milk sugar).. but you know what? I healed like a champ, my emotional state was good, and once I got to the regular diet, I put my macros where they belonged. Of course you should listen to your team, and if you are diabetic, my diet may not work well for you. But I encourage "big picture" thinking so we can all feel like we are participating in our own journeys.

I remember stepping on the scale when I was 8 and it read 105lbs. (average is 58lbs.) I thought wouldn't it be great if it could stay there until I was a teenager. When I was 14, it read 178lbs. 17 years old, 215lbs. My 20s saw my weight bounce between 145lbs and 305lbs. My 30's saw it hold steady between 280 and 305. At 38 years old I had high blood pressure and prediabetes. Enough was enough. Surgery time!

Congrats! Here's to a quick recovery!

It happens.. if you have less than 80lbs to lose and are under 40, you'll likely be ok. Otherwise, you'll probably want to start saving for a nip or tuck in a few years. I'm only halfway to goal (have lost 74lbs), and I can tell there will be significant skin.

Warm (not too hot) herbal tea went down nicely those first days. Temperature does make a difference.

Are you permitted regular milk? (Skim, 2%, whatever?) The shakiness is likely blood sugar issues, and milk has sugar, protein, and fluid. If you can tolerate it, it's a good thing to try. I couldn't do protein shakes, so lived off milk and dairy for the first month. Do take your temperature to make sure nothing is brewing, especially if broth is bothering you too. Electrolytes can get out of whack, so try some coconut water. Walking is good, but it only needs to be around the house to keep circulation going if you are getting weak. You don't need to be burning calories you aren't consuming. And if you are really start feeling bad, talk to your doc or go to the ER.

We talk about you getting a new baby stomach.. the preop diet is the labor before the surgical delivery. It sucks, but we all go through it (for varying lengths of time), and then it's over, and the real work begins!

I agree about things being "too". For the most part I just cook everything for myself so I control the flavor. I avoid sweets, but at a birthday I'll have a couple bites of cake or ice cream. Don't really enjoy it, so it makes it easier to not have those cravings. Since I'm not eating processed food, I actually need to make sure I get enough salt. My tastebuds are accomodating this need so salted nuts are actually good. (Lunchmeat still tastes like garbage though..too salty!) I'm really enjoying my ability to taste food more fully... so good food is really good. But bad food is BAD. How the heck do people eat that stuff??? Lol!

Ok, me thinks peeps tend to overthink the soup thing. For those that are healing, obviously follow your post op phases. No chunks on purees and the like. For those on a regular diet, measure your soup, count the calories, and enjoy! If you get hungry before the next meal.. either suck it up, or decide soup isn't worth it. All this talk of straining solids.. come on! Food should be nourishing and enjoyable, not turning us all into wild-eyed cokeheads... Frothing at the mouth.. "BUT THERE ARE CHUNKS IN MY SOUP!"

This is a good one for your surgeon. The two pans that I'm familiar with were large, and they took the belly buttons off. But by doing so the result was smoother.

As for how long.. plan on at least 18 months to 2 years.

Sure, it's possible. But, at 5'8, you'll be at a normal BMI at about 165lbs.. which is only 160lbs For me, I have 3 goals. 1 is to lose about 80% of my excess weight (me at 180lbs), and if I get there, then my stretch goal is 155lb (normal BMI). A non-scale goal is size 10-12. Considering I started at 305lbs, 5'7, size 24.. I'm happy with any of it. When formulating your goals, there are more things that are important beyond what the scale says, so be sure to have some non-scale goals too.

Peeps.. how much weight do y'all think you'll lose? 15-20lbs is typical. 25-30lb losses are usually in big guys or patients with complications.

It can go different ways. For some, the dietary control and weight loss fuels positivity. For others, the hormonal fluctuations, head hunger, and possible pain/complications "win", and the depression is worse than ever... at least for a while. I do think this postop depression tends to be limited to the 2-3 months following surgery, and it gets better as the patient heals. It is very important to have a med that you can take.. I mean small enough.. liquid, crushable, or tiny pills. Regular pills hurt for the first month or so.