Creekimp13

Also...this is gonna sound old fashioned....but if she's a creative kid....send her some puppets. You guys can do an online puppet show together, make believe play is still something 10 year old people enjoy....which is why they are so much fun:)

Get her lined up with an app where you can video chat while playing a game together, like checkers or something simple. You could read her your favorite kid's books. You could try fun novelty items together instead of food...puzzles, little toys, new art supplies. And heck...there are lots of fun snacks that aren't that bad for you. You could send her bariatric snacks to try with you...get an honest opinion!

My surgeon's group wanted us to reach 1200 calories a day as soon as we could. I did this at around 3-4 weeks out...eating 6 little 200 calorie "meals" a day. We were told to stay at 1200 during all of loss phase. I know this is VERY different advice than what many clinics give their clients. Some want people to stay below 1000 calories for a very long time to "take advantage of the window of loss". My doctors are part of a study addressing how extended periods of very low calorie diets may be corelated with rebound weight gain due to negative metabolic shift. They believe that for the best LONG TERM outcomes....eating calories closer to maintenance for healthy weight sooner...is better. I eat 1600 calories a day now, and have maintained the last two years with no weight gain. There will always be individual experiences and exceptions to every rule.

Measure out one ounce of water/tea/sugar free jello/broth....into a little one ounce medicine cup. Drink this in ten tiny sips...over 15 minutes. Do this EVERY 15 minutes. Make your entire day about focusing on this one task. Four little cups per hour. If you do this, and you are awake for 16 hours (16x4 ounces)....you will drink 64 ounces in a day. It takes a LOT of effort. Essentially, it's all you do the first week. Just wait until the next sip...all freaking day. But it will keep you out of the hospital for dehydration, and you'll feel pretty good.

Nerves are normal. Big emotions are normal. Get prepared as much as you can, and expect to work hard and have challenges. You will need to employ patience. It won't be easy. Most important advice freshly post-op. Sip. Sip. Sip. Use the stupid little cups, make the chart on paper, and put all of your attention and focus the next week....into drinking as much as you're supposed to. Drink one teenie little one ounce cup in ten teenie little sips. Do this every 15 minutes, all day, as long as you are awake. 4 ounces an hour...if you are awake 16 hours = 64 ounces. But you have to pay attention and do it. Every. Single. Hour. Your job the next week is to watch the clock and drink. Sip, sip, sip. That's how you stay out of the hospital for dehydration. Best wishes and congrats!

You're eating less than 500 very low carb calories a day. That, in itself, will cause a little weight loss in 6 days. But the bulk of what you've lost is likely water. Because of your low carbs, you are stripping your liver of all the glucose stored there...so it shrinks. (Which is really nice, because there is a little more room for the surgeon to work with the liver reduced) As the glucose in the liver is used, a lot of water is expelled, too. This "instant significant weight loss" when we mostly eliminate carbs from our diets....is why people are so delighted when they go on a Keto diet and instantly lose weight and inches around their waists. But they're not losing fat....they're just losing their emergency glucose and the water it's stored in, and just shrinking their livers. Your loss is normal and I wouldn't worry about it. Keep following your team's instructions.

Could therapy help? Have you given it a try? Can't hurt...

Bariatric Surgery patients represent a surprisingly increasing number of patients in inpatient treatment for anorexia according to John's Hopkins. Yes, anorexia and other eating disorders are a serious risk for our population. Yes, treatment....including eating more.... will be a help even if you gain a little weight to find a managable maintenance level of calories. Passing out is incredibly dangerous and can kill you or others if you drive. It's also incredibly unsafe on stairs, around heavy equipment, and in the company of unsafe people. Being that low on nutrition is hard on your body, particularly your heart. You can do permenant damage in short order. Take your condition seriously. Your very demanding job and thinner body are of no use to you if you imperil your safety, health, and eventually your life. (it's tough on relationships, too) Wishing you the very best.

Congrats! ❤️

I ate 1200 calories a day at 3 weeks. I still have terrific restriction. I was chew my leg off starving....until I hit 1200 calories.

Pure Protein Chocolate Delux bars. Love them. 180 calories, 21g of Protein. Also...hard boiled eggs. Carrots and hummus. String cheese. Almonds. Chia pudding.

I'm 3.5 years post op. Super glad I did it:) Wish I'd done it years ago. I wish I'd known the true statistics of what percentage of people have outcomes they are happy with. I'm extremely happy, but I know several people who are struggling and revising and in my opinion have not gotten the help they need to address the core issues....the disordered eating that drives obesity. This surgery will fix your guts temporarity so it's difficult to overeat. It doesn't fix your head. Eventually, you will be able to eat pretty freely again and can easily self sabotage if you don't fix your eating issues. I do think I'll be able to stay at a healthy weight for the long term. Last year, my yearly exam was a phone exam due to Covid. This year I went in and was weighed for the first time in two years...and was within one pound of what I weighed two years ago. I'm stupid proud of that. If I gain five pounds, I see the bariatric therapist ASAP. I talk about all the events leading up to the gain and try to figure out what triggered it and how to avoid the behaviors, and replace them with different coping mechanisms. I always feel better, and in short order, am back down 5 pounds. See the therapist. It works and can be just as important as the surgery. If you qualify for the surgery, I would absolutely recommend it. Best wishes!

Refried beans, lowfat cheese, salsa.....I ate them all at 3.5 weeks. I did not eat tortillas in weight loss phase.

Water. Has the temperature changed? The amount of water you carry can change with the temperature.

The more weight you lose before surgery, the better. I think most people do a food funeral or two...a big goodbye to something they love....but it's actually pretty silly. I've eaten pretty much everything I've ever eaten, just much smaller amounts and a lot of it I don't like as much anymore. Have a food funeral or two...but don't go crazy. Stick to your diet as much as possible. I never did bed rest. LOL. Not even the day of surgery. Day I had my surgery, I walked over a mile in the halls of the bariatric wing. I pretty much got back to life. Lay in a supply of your favorite protien drinks, sugar free jello, bone broth, tea, Mio...stuff you can have right after surgery.

Oh Lordy! I hope the OP found a bariatric treatment team that understands vegetarian diets. My team had an entirely vegetarian plan option and guess what some of the first foods were? Beans. Brown Rice. Oats. Potatoes. Hummus. Why? because they have a terrific metabolic index...are loaded with plant based protien...and have FIBER. (they're also much better tolerated right after surgery than meat by many folks) I'm not a vegetarian, but I like the Mayo Clinic Diet and the Mediterrainian diet....so my pre and post surgical diets were sort of a hybrid that included a lot of vegetarian influence. (I still eat meat, but I also eat a lot of beans, oats, nuts, seeds, etc) Thankfully, I had a team that did their homework on different ways up the mountain and didn't suggest keto was the only way or that carbs were the devil. Whew! So thankful for that! Cause the diet that many of ya'll describe is not something that I could have survived. I remember posting some of my sample menus...from my freaking dietician....a few weeks out and getting slammed by people here for the things (and amounts...1200 calories by end of first month) I was eating. A month out of surgery, I remember existing on refried beans with lowfat cheese and salsa....black beans with salsa and canned chicken....split pea soup....tofu chili with white beans....tofu chop suey over a small amount of brown rice....steal cut oats with dried cherries. Fruit. My clinic was absolutely fine with fruit as tolerated, but they wanted whole fruit, not just the juice. I ate a lot of baked oats with blueberries, strawberries, pecans and low calorie maple syrup. I ate 100 calorie whole grain english muffins with peanut butter. I ate boiled potatos with lowfat cheese or nonfat yogurt. ****, I poured caramel Premier Protien shake on my oatmeal and liked slurping it warm. But you know what I didn't eat? Sugar. White flour. Processed foods. Prepackaged sweet carbs. Stuff that spikes your insulin. I also didn't add animal fat like butter. Most of the stuff I ate was pretty low fat with the exception of tiny amounts of olive or grape seed or sesame oil. All of my carbs in weight loss phase were full of fiber and not processed. I ate a little fruit everyday. I added a lot of herbs, made sauces replacing sugar with splenda, I put every kind of vegetable and fruit in my kitchen in the smoothies I drank....and a glob of nonfat greek yogurt or tofu or chia seeds for protein. My clinic was activingly fighting the notion that super restricted calories and keto in the first months after surgery were necessary. They did things very differently than I hear routinely described here. I know we're all gonna have a different experience and I know for MOST of you guys....a super restricted calorie diet in the early days and keto, keto, keto, carbs are the devil....is what you were taught is the only way. And I know for most of ya'll...it's what worked and what you believe like a religion. I'm here to tell ya... There are other paths up this mountain. I'm working on being tolerant of everyone's preferred path. Anyway you get it done....you deserve serious kudos and I'm proud of you all. But I've gotta say.... it can be easy to feel defensive when post after post after post here...is so negative about what worked terrific for me and others like me. A few of us have lost weight successfully and maintained really well...on a diet that includes a buttload of (unrefined) carbs and a pretty high calorie allowance started early in the process. What's more...as a group, it appears we're having really good luck not regaining. That's no small thing. Keep an open mind about your carb eating brothers and sisters. We do ok with this whole process, too;) As always...to each their own. Peace and best wishes to all.

Protien drinks can be dairy heavy...and some people get a little acid from too much dairy. Likely your nerves are doing a number on your digestion. Take a minute and breathe. You got this. You've been working and preparing for a long time. You look young and healthy. Surgery should go great! Do some things to take your mind off obsessing about it. Watch some funny shows, read a book, do an activity that you enjoy that occupies your brain. You're gonna be fine. Best wishes!

Woot! Well done!

If you meet your protien goal, you will protect your heart. If you go to your appointments, do your tests, do your best to follow instructions, and take your vitamins as directed.... you will likely be a lot healthier than you've been in years. There is nothing more strongly linked with early death, cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes.....than significant obesity. Also...some doctors don't do a "starvation diet" (which I personally agree could be metabolically terrible and probably unwise). My doctor wanted us eating 1200 calories per day as soon as possible. I did at three weeks. (6 little 200 calorie meals) I think where most of the people who have issues run into problems...is when they don't follow up. They have an unexpected gain or feel unhappy with results and don't continue to get their labs checked or do their follow up appointments. Yes, a few problems can arise as a result of these surgeries....most are very treatable. Always weigh benefits vs risk. And also consider the risk involved in doing nothing.

Chili cheese dog. It used to be my holy grail of junk foods. A big ole grilled hot dog with chili, nacho cheese, mustard, ketchup and onions. I loved them. They were so dang good on a summer day with a mug of cold rootbeer. I've probably tried them six times...hoping for some magical new result, but it's always the same. They taste like salt and greasy fat. Super nasty. I remember how they tasted....and they don't taste ANYTHING like that to me anymore. I never make it past one bite. They just gross me out now....genuinely repulsive. It's kinda sad to me sometimes....to remember how amazing they used to taste....knowing I'll never find that again. LOL. The sane part of my brain says I'm better off....but the nostalgic part of me feels a little cheated that I can't have them for a treat ever again cause they gag me out now. LOL. I used to love the occasional steak....don't enjoy steak anymore. Have developed an intense love of crab and shrimp (used to hate them) so I guess sometimes it's a switch? I used to hate oatmeal and beans....couldn't live without them now. Have always enjoyed fruits and veggies, but I'm gaga nuts for them now. The flavors are more intense and delicious.

Not a guy, but figured I'd throw in my two cents. My doctor wanted us to reach 1200 calories per day as soon as we could (part of a study on post surgical diet and maintenance). I reached 1200 at around 3 weeks...6 little 200 calorie meals a day. Stayed at 1200 calories a day during loss phase. At maintenance, I hang out around 1400-1600 calories per day. At my yearly exam a couple weeks ago I was within one pound of what I weighed two years ago (didn't have a weigh in last year, just a video visit due to Covid). But yeah...typically closer to 1600 calories a day and maintaining really well. No gym or anything like that, but I walk at least 10K steps a day, garden, bike...pretty active person with heavier muscle mass.

I've eaten kettle chips and popcorn with no problems. Tolerance is gonna be individual. I do regularly eat air popped popcorn because my plan has a fiber requirement, but I largely avoid chips....too many calories, no nutritional value. But in life, there are times for treats in moderation. Make sure your food day is balanced and measure your chips out in a workable serving size...and put them away. Be careful not to fall into a trigger for disordered eating habits. (ie: mindlessly munching on the bag until it's gone) If they're a trigger and you have to fight temptation constantly, it probably isn't worth the stress of having them around. If so, make a deal with yourself to only eat them at special occasions...parties, out of the house, etc. Moderation is easier with witnesses. LOL:)

Eat more. Get a new scale. I know "eat more" sounds like crazy advice when you're stuck in a stall, but our bodies have an amazing set of defenses...thousands of years of evolution to survive bad harvests and hunting seasons. When we drastically cut calories and move a lot more than we used to....our biology interperates this as OMG, we're starving to death and must be moving more because we're desperately searching for hard to find food!...then your endocrine system goes....Must hit this body with every hormone and defense mechanism possible to STOP weight loss! (there are also a whole bunch of little hormonal changes that can bite you in the ass after a long period of severely restricted calories to "make up" for weight lost and encourage gain...which is why most people have some regain issues eventually) If it were me.....I'd add calories. Something with fiber. Black beans, potato, a smoothie with some spinach and low fat greek yogurt. All of these have protien, but they also boost your gut microbiota and stop the keto that your body might be interpereting as starvation. Crazy internet lady advice....take what you like and leave the rest. All of our bodies work a little different. Find what's best for you.

Best to ask your doc. No one here knows what's safe for your specific medical history. Hope you feel better!

4 months out, I had limited amounts of dessert items and still do....but they are foods I watch very carefully. The piece of cake I can eat on my birthday is a LOT smaller now...lol....but I still like to eat cake on special occasions. If you're looking for something healthy that might work...it's a great time of the year for strawberries mashed with splenda over angel food cake (you can even find sugar free angel food sometimes). A little sugar free cool whip, and that's not a bad treat. I'm also a big fan of chocolate Yasso Bars.