sillykitty

Interesting Article about WLS and Relationships http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-bariatric-surgery-relationship-status-20180327-story.html "A large Swedish study has found that obese people who had a spouse or live-in partner and then underwent weight loss surgery were 28% more likely to become separated or divorced compared with those in a comparison group who didn't have surgery." "The authors of the new study acknowledged that while weight loss surgery "may affect the dynamics of the relationship," assigning blame for breakups would be a more difficult task. Their research did not capture which partner ended the relationship, or why." "Divorces and separations were higher among patients who judged the quality of their family relationships to be poorer at the time of surgery. And they were more common among patients who were younger, had been divorced before, or who had been married or living with a partner for shorter period." "But not all ended relationships should be seen as evidence of an "adverse event" of bariatric surgery, the authors cautioned. The increased self-confidence and self-esteem that comes with taking the decision to have surgery, and with the substantial weight loss that results, may have empowered some patients "to leave an unhealthy relationship," they wrote.? "Patients who were single before surgery, however, were roughly twice as likely to begin a new relationship afterward as were obese patients who just got weight-loss advice" "After four years, 21% of the single men and women who got surgery had entered into marriage or a new romantic relationship. For the obese members of the comparison group who got diet-and-exercise advice only, 11% had done so after four years. At 10 years out, 35% in the surgery group had married or kindled a new romance, compared to 19% of those in the comparison group"

I just watched this (S1 E4 btw), and I don't think this disproves the scare tactic point. So this woman was extreme, binge-ing on sugar and carbs up to surgery, which is different than cheating on a preop diet. But the surgeon still completed the surgery, said it "has gone ok, just took much longer than usual". He also said this was the first time he has even considered not completing the surgery, out of 600. This tells me that once the procedure has begun, the surgeon is highly motivated to go through with it. I'm not saying that not following your pre op diet (if you have one) is a good idea, or that having an enlarged liver doesn't have risks. I'm saying that the likelihood of your surgeon starting, and then pulling out of the procedure is slim.

I'm sorry, I agree with @aNYCdb that this sounds like a scare tactic. First, many surgeons have successful outcomes with little to no preop diet, including my surgeon (and my surgery was at a COE). Second, of all the stories on here, have we ever had a surgeon sewed me back up story? Third, if a surgeon was that concerned about the size of the liver, then why would they wait until they have gotten in there. They would rely on blood test or ultrasound. Getting someone into the OR, opening them up and not doing surgery would cost the surgeon money.

I was. My Dr. was grudgingly ok with it, understanding my work and travel schedule. I'm not saying it's for everyone, but I was absolutely fine with it.

The general rule is you should be able to smoosh the meat with a fork, like juicy chicken. At 3 weeks I started traveling for work. The first week was hosted meetings with family style meals. I ate so many kinds of protein, steak, multiple types of fish (raw & cooked), shellfish, chicken, pork tenderloin, pork ribs, turkey, duck. Everything did, and still does go down just fine!

I take both the Trader Joe's Chewable @aNYCdb mentions and Centrum Chewables. The TJ ones are more complete, but they upset my stomach more. If my stomach isn't feeling 100%, that's when I do the Centrum Chewables.

There is a lot of "one size fits all" advice here. I'm going to add my experience, not that it will be yours, but as a counterpoint to some of the other posts on here I'm 6 weeks post op, down 30 lbs - easiest weight I have ever lost I have zero physical hunger, none at all I do have cravings/head hunger. If I eliminate triggers, commercials, smells, cooking shows etc., then I go back to not being hungry Without hunger, it is easier to make good choices, skip over the mashed potatoes at the buffet and go for the chicken My stomach capacity at this point is 1 oz of solid food, so even if I give into cravings, I can't do too much damage When I have food I'm craving, it doesn't taste as good as I remembered I have had alcohol & carbs, I've become neither an alcoholic nor a carb craving hunger monster I had no preop diet, and if I had, I would have been terrible at it My surgeon has done 1000's of surgeries, without preop diets to shrink the liver I maybe alone in this, but I also had no pre op anxiety, The only point I felt nervous was once I got into the OR I plan to get plastics as soon as I get to goal weight (or as soon as I can spare the recovery time!), I'm going to do this because, I'm vain, but also to keep myself motivated to keep the weight off Hope this helps dispels some of the doom and gloom, and I wish you the best!

So strange, I'm Anthem BCBS, and had no 6 month requirement.

As @jess9395 stated, there is no blood test that will determine if you are getting adequate protein. Hemogram - blood count CMP - Comprohensive Metaolic panel glucose level, electrolyte and fluid balance, kidney function, and liver function Vitamin D, B1, Ferratin, Pth, Folate -vitamin/mineral As far as Genepro, IMO, if this was legit they wouldn't be stating such clear falsehoods. You can't get 30 g of protein in a 15 g mass. Protein has 4 calories per gram, so why are the calories on Genepro so much lower? Finally the process they tout where they break protein molecules into smaller sizes and among other thing they remove some of the hydrogen ions, how is this even protein anymore, it is so highly manipulated?

I did not have an endoscopy, but my neighbor who had the same surgeon, and who had surgery just two months prior to me did have an endoscopy. So it not on varies between surgeon, but also between patients.

I got my IUD the week before my surgery. I had some very light spotting for two weeks after, and then nothing since. Everyone is different, but I love mine so far.

Sounds like you're doing great!

I travel for work and my first trip was 3 weeks post op. I brought foods with me, but didn't end up using them at all. I brought instant mashed potatoes (w protein powder to add), shelf stable hummus & oatmeal in a cup. The only thing I used that I brought were protein drinks and bars, to get my protein in. That week all the meals were family style or buffet. I ate everything except raw and/or fibrous veggies. I focused on proteins. But at family style dining, you don't know what's coming next, so I ate some less healthy dishes than I would have if I had known what was coming in later courses. People will notice, no getting around that. Buffets are the easiest. Fill your plate up with a slightly smaller than normal amount, move food around, no looks or comments. Family style is hard because it becomes obvious you keep passing the plate on, and you don't finish the items you take. Plated is hard as well because portions are so large, you can't really make a dent, or push food around effectively. The larger the group, the more conversation and less people notice. One on one or even a dinner with 4 or so, definitely gets noticed. I've just told people my stomach has been bothering me lately, and I haven't had much of an appetite. That seemed to stop any questions.

Exactly this for me. I was at first afraid because I could drink easily. Now I'm on solid foods, I have exactly a 1 oz capacity. Everyone is different, and for me it absolutely controls my physical hunger. I literally have no physical hunger sensations. Head hunger is a different thing though. I feel hungry looking at a menu, seeing a commercial, smelling food etc.. But without those triggers, no hunger. I am fortunate that I have no kids and live alone, so I can eliminate most of these. It would certainly be harder if people were eating around me. My first two weeks I couldn't distinguish between head hunger and physical hunger. As time went on I realized, I'm not hungry for just anything, I'm only hungry for pizza, which I just saw a commercial for. Or a burger sounds good, oh, my neighbor is BBQing, that's why. Additionally even when I am in a situation like at a restaurant, the lack of physical hunger makes it easier to make good choices (soup vs mac & cheese), And when there are no good choices or good choices are impractical (only chicken dish is a 1/2 chicken for example), then it is good to know that there is only so much damage I can do when my stomach capacity is 1 oz.

Here are just a few things I've made or have been craving Chicken tortilla soup w plenty of chicken (I like it spicy!) Refried beans with taco seasoned ground turkey Greek chicken (lemony marinade) w hummus as dip (homemade preferably store bought is high in cals) Chicken salad (water chestnuts are my secret ingredient )on cheese crackers (cheese cracker is @FluffyChix recipe here )

On liquids it won't matter, go for it. Once you start pureed though, start following the no liquids for 30 minutes rule.

I haven't lost any hair yet, but I have been and will continue to color my hair (I have significant grey). I stay away from any bleach though, it makes my hair brittle and frizzy pre weightloss, and I'm sure it would be worse if I was already losing hair.

Is greek yogurt allowed yet? Also, have you tried bone broth?

I was able to about one week out. I wedged a big pillow under/next to my stomach, it took the pressure off of my incisions it seemed.

I'm down almost 30 lbs and could not figure out from where, shirts and pants fit the same. Then I was in a hotel the other night with a big mirror and great lighting .... I've lost it all in my thighs! They are all sad, lumpy, and droopy now. I'd really like to start losing in my darn stomach!

I get that everyone has different experiences and opinions about being in sales and drinking. But I can assure you at my company, and I'm sure others, going dry would have a negative career impact. Again, I wouldn't lose my job, or take a cut in pay, but it would still have consequences.

I'm also bucking the trend. One thing in the past that always led to failure when "dieting" was feeling hungry and deprived. I'm not a big late night snacker, but if I do want something to munch on, I will have it. But I just make sure it is something healthy, like veggies, or low cal, like sf jello.

I think that hosting will make it easier to distract from the tiny amount of food you're able to eat. As far as activities, giant Jenga is a hit with my family.

Can you redirect your snacking to healthier things? Baby carrots, cucumbers, steamed veggies, jerky, nuts, sf jello?

Refried beans, hummus (check calories or make your own), Laughing Cow Cheese, pureed homemade soups like lentil or white bean.