karen_marie
-
Content Count
136 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by karen_marie
-
I did choose what I call an initial goal weight based on the weight charts. I chose 160 for this initial goal, since that's still in the overweight category. Once I'm close to that or there, I'll decide on if I want to keep losing weight or start maintenance. I'm also taking into consideration that my body composition may be different (more muscle than fat), so I may be small already but weight more than 'normal' because of the muscle mass, not fat. But at least it gives me a bit of an anchor to swim to. And yeah, I LOL'd when I saw that 114lbs at the bottom end of 'normal.' I probably haven't weighed that little since grade school Height Weight Normal Overweight Obese 5' 5" 114 to 149 lbs. 150 to 179 lbs. 180 to 234 lbs.
-
Just beginning my journey to gastric bypass
karen_marie replied to Crystal*'s topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Glad to hear you found a center of excellence! And to share a quote from my surgeon, who is not only my bariatric surgeon but the President of the Illinois state chapter of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: Knee surgery is actually more risky than laparoscopic WLS nowadays. Crazy isn't it?! Depending on how long ago the friend had the surgery, her age, underlying health conditions..... the list goes on and on as to why everyone reacts differently to the surgery. -
I'll add my love for my Instant Pot. It's been great in making large batches of soft chicken that I can shred up, and has allowed me to make good meals for my hubby with leftovers to spare. I can't wait to make more recipes in it now that I'm able to add more foods to my diet Mine also came with a little wire insert for cooking/steaming fish and veggies, which I will DEFINITELY be making use of!
-
Anyone else use stuffed animal for post-surgery tummy support?
karen_marie posted a topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I've been meaning to share since I got home from my 10/27/17 surgery and just keep forgetting - until now! My hospital is AWESOME - they give you a 'Bari-Bear' for stomach support after surgery! They gave him to me while I was getting prepped for surgery, and he's the cutest thing! He's not a normal teddy bear though. He is very firm, and has more of a flat body shape than rounded. He's perfect to hold against your tummy when coughing, moving, walking, etc after surgery. I don't really need Barry (that's his name haha) very much now that I'm about 3wks out from surgery, but I do still keep him in bed for a little extra support when I sleep on my side. Did anyone else get something similar from the hospital, or did you bring your own?? -
Anyone else use stuffed animal for post-surgery tummy support?
karen_marie replied to karen_marie's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
OMG that moose is sooo cute! Kinda want one now haha I found a link to buy the bear or moose for anyone who's interested: http://teddy-tech.com/product/bari-buddy/ -
Today is my 3wks from surgery date. I weigh once a week - week to week any variance in normal fluctuations will work themselves out in the grand scheme of things. So far, I've lost 18 lbs since surgery! 10/27 surgery day: 279.4 11/3 1 week out: 269.8 (-9.6) 11/10 2 weeks out: 266.8 (-3.0) 11/17 3 weeks out: 261.4 (-5.4) From my highest of 300, I'm down 38.6 lbs total. I couldn't be happier with my progress so far. I'm prepared for the inevitable stall, and I know to just keep doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and it'll work itself out. No regrets on deciding to embark on this journey
-
Paperwork submitted
karen_marie replied to HERnewlife's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Be mindful that it's also the end of the year, so insurance providers are being inundated with paperwork for procedures before people's deductibles reset on Jan 1st. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL, and my doc says they normally will turn around and give approval to shut and close cases like mine within a week. However, it took a little over a month to get my approval back. The contact at BCBS IL told my doc's office that because of it being 4th quarter, it was just taking longer to get through all of the paperwork. Hopefully that's not the case for you, but if it takes longer, don't stress about it! My doc still scheduled me for surgery because they knew they'd get the approval at some point beforehand. -
Did you take a "Before" photo?
karen_marie replied to Wanda A's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm thinking I'll do a progress pic on each month anniversary. Any more than that and I don't know if I'll be able to really see the difference, which may be a tad discouraging (even though it shouldn't be haha). -
Pics I took the morning of surgery. Looking forward to doing a before/after comparison down the road!
-
-
From the album: Before Surgery Photos
-
From the album: Before Surgery Photos
-
From the album: Before Surgery Photos
-
Did you take a "Before" photo?
karen_marie replied to Wanda A's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
That’s an AMAZING gift from your family! -
Non refrigerated snacks
karen_marie replied to mel1214's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm a HUGE Disney World fanatic/traveler, and I've been thinking about this, even though I won't be going again until next year haha. Few ideas off the top of my head: Natural peanut butter (can grab a banana as a snack at the parks to have with it). See about finding a good healthy option in those individual serving containers, or pre-pack servings into small tupperwares. You can also get powdered peanut butter - get a skim milk and add some to it, shake it up, and voila - a semi-protein shake Tuna packets (just grab a fork/spoon from quick serve restaurants) Unsweetened oatmeal packets (be creative with how you want to add flavor - I'm a fan of sugar free maple syrup). You can get a cup of hot water around the park to 'cook' it a bit. Not ideal, but it's an option. Bring stevia packets or the like for an easy way to sweeten it up. Or add banana or other fruit from a snack credit. Protein powder packets. Not ideal but may be your best option to have a handful on you just in case. Bring a shaker bottle with you to the parks if you bring these, just to make sure they mix up well. -
Did you take a "Before" photo?
karen_marie replied to Wanda A's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Good on you @Wanda A for deciding to do the pics! I actually took 2 sets of pics: one set with t-shirt and shorts on, one set with bra and undies on. That way, I can share the clothed 'before' set with whoever I want, but I'll still have the undies 'before' set so I can truly see how much my body has changed. Not sure I'd every be comfortable sharing those with everyone LOL! The 2wk pre-op liquid is not fun, but try different recipes for smoothies so you don't get bored. It made those 2wks much easier for me -
So I'm almost done with the blended/pureed part of my diet progression back to solids. Thankfully, I really haven't needed to blend much of anything. As long as I stick to the foods I'm allowed to have during this 2wk phase, and chew to it's basically pureed before I swallow, I've had no issues. MUCH more palatable than actually blending everything up lol. Looking forward to the soft foods starting this weekend! I'll still be chewing to a pulp before swallowing (basically forever on that), but at least I can start to introduce more foods into my diet again. REALLY looking forward to some fish, been soooo long!
-
What to eat after surgery
karen_marie replied to vanessamarcella's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
This is the chart my nutritionist gives gastric bypass patients. If your docs gave you a different timeline, follow that one! This is more for info's sake, but it may help give you some ideas. Diet Progression Chart.docx -
If you haven't had a bowel movement in three weeks post-op, follow-up with your surgeon's office. They usually want to make sure you're not having any issues with that, so keep them in the loop on what you're trying and what you're eating. Mine asked me directly at my 1wk post-op if I've been passing gas and having bowel movements. Are you using any bariatric-specific protein powder (like Bariatric Advantage)? I was told not to use that for the initial post-op, since the make up of the fiber content can cause constipation. Have you tried prune baby food?
-
Puree Ideas, Please!
karen_marie replied to GlowingGal's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'd be careful of adding sugar to things - just don't be heavy handed about it! I'm not allowed to add sugar to stuff yet, and can only have low sugar or no sugar foods. I'm too scared to even attempt having added real sugar to something lol I've done buffalo chicken salad (canned chicken, frank's red hot sauce, blue cheese, light ranch dressing), egg salad (ratio of 1:1 whole egg and egg white, light mayo), plain oatmeal with protein powder and sugar free maple syrup added, Oikos Triple Zero greek yogurt, BBQ chicken (canned or soft cooked and mashed up chicken breast, sugar free BBQ sauce), low fat (or fat free) cottage cheese. I tend to make a batch and then portion out into smaller containers. That way I'm not making a tiny serving constantly! -
GB surgery was 10/27, and today was my first day back at work. I was one of the lucky ones with no complications or bad pain after surgery, so that amount of time off was just right. I do work sitting at a desk in front of a computer all day though, so 9 work days/13 total days was enough for me. Glad to be back amongst the living haha I was running out of Netflix to watch.
-
Had my surgery on Friday 10/27 afternoon. I was doing so well in recovery that they released me after only one night in the hospital
I've been super fortunate so far, only needing one pain pill in the hospital, and right now just taking liquid ibuprofen. I've been burping since the hospital, but today was my first day at home with protein shakes and finally started passing gas - yay! lol Most of my discomfort is from soreness from the surgery and gas pressure. No issues getting my protein shakes in and keeping them down. All of my docs were super happy with my recovery, and my surgeon said the procedure went perfectly. Here's to the start of my new life!
-
Sorry to hear that you're having a hard time with the shakes @Sosewsue61
have you tried different shakes? I had bought the chocolate and banana Premier Protein shakes from Costco, and some 4oz plastic cups with lids (like you'd get a side of guacamole in at a restaurant). Then I just pour out a 4oz serving 6x a day. Once I get cleared to blended/pureed, I think I'll be down to 4-5 meals a day. It can get boring, but having the pre-mixed shakes have been a huge time saver. I'm just focusing on getting enough water in between my shake portions now.
-
Sosewsue61 reacted to this
-
So, you're 6+ days into a new life.
Congrats on the calm post-op period.
-
karen_marie reacted to this
-
- Show next comments 6 more
-
-
Yeah my program and hospital are a pretty well oiled machine haha. I've got a copy of this chart on my fridge
-
Echoing what @Berry78 said, I learned A LOT by reading tons of the forum discussions here. Also gave me ideas on additional questions to ask my surgeon. For an example of something, here's my 'prescribed' plan back to solid foods after surgery tomorrow. Every doctor will be different, so take this as just an example! Some docs allow more soft/solid foods sooner than mine does. Definitely get all of your specific pre-op info from your doctor and nutritionist (NUT) and follow those. Good luck on your journey! Diet Progression Chart.docx
-
Can I get by without blending foods ?
karen_marie replied to Mhy12784's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Sure thing! That's the stage I'm most worried about too, so I'll definitely be taking my own advice lol I'm thinking I'll also try some recipes I've found on various bariatric sites for the pureed/blended stage. I"ll attach a file with the ones I've found so far (also include some protein pudding recipes that I want to try) Blended_Pureed Recipes.pdf
