Orchids&Dragons

I went back one week after the sleeve, 10 days after bypass.

I enjoyed cauliflower soup (pureed with a stick blender), also from the store: Roasted Red Pepper soup, carrot and ginger soup. I didn't worry about any macros at this point. It was most important to get your stomach to start progressing through different types of foods. Soups count toward your liquid totals for the day. Personally, I found any soup with blended meat in it to have a disgusting texture, but a lot of people don't seem to mind it. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cauliflower-soup/

Severe reflux. I wish I'd waited longer to do the conversion, though. I thought it was easier to lose weight with the sleeve. I had far more restriction with the sleeve than I have now and that scares the living hell out of me. I LOVED my restriction. We joked that I had less of a "banana" and more of an "anorexic string bean" for a tummy, but it worked great for keeping me on the straight and narrow. But I chose to do the surgery as soon as possible since we've already maxed out the deductible & co-pays for the year, plus my surgeon was planning to leave the practice 2 days after my surgery.

I'm in! Haven't tried wigs yet. Hair loss has finally slowed down, but what's left looks so dry & brittle! Ugh! I was 9 months out from sleeve on 11/26, or 4 weeks out from RnY, however you want to count it.

Lots of doctors recommend not weighing for the first month because your weight can be so volatile and disheartening in the beginning. You'll be OK, just try to relax.

I don't even have luck with a blender. They always clump for me.

It can take many months. Seafood is, by far, the easiest to go down. Usually rotisserie chicken is very tender. Things like slow-cooked pork still have very long, tough fibers that are hard to chew down enough. Some meats will go down easier if you have some sort of low-cal condiment to eat them with to add some moisture (ketchup, gravy). At 6 weeks, ground meats are pretty normal. You're doing well!

You can go the "Rocky" method, adding raw eggs to your shakes until you can order some powders off the internet.

Applesauce (unsweetened) for me.

Bathroom issues are plentiful in the beginning. Both diarrhea and constipation. Funny they didn't mention that on the brochure, huh? Taking a fiber supplement like Benefiber or a stool softener is a good idea for a while. Sadly, cravings don't go away or even become less strong. We call that "head hunger". Some people don't even lose their "real" hunger, although most do get relief from that, at least during the honeymoon period. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the two. If you're truly hungry, then a healthy meal/snack will sound good to you (think tuna or egg), but if you're wanting something specifically sweet, or salty, or crunchy, etc., that's head hunger and you need to try to distract yourself or try a less-bad-for-you substitute. You might try the vitamins on a full stomach. A lot of people have issues on an empty stomach. Hope this helps!

It depends on what program you follow. My dr. doesn't have you track carbs at all. But my focus is supposed to be on lean protein and non-starchy veggies. A few stray carbs sliding in here-and-there haven't seemed to cause me grief.

I was 58 when I was sleeved at the end of February. I may be losing slower than some others, but I'm down 110# in 9 months, so no b!tching from me! Welcome to the community!

I bought them from their website. They're stored in my wine rack since I don't drink anymore ?

Are you picking up the scale and moving it every time you weigh? That can make the calibration on some scales wonky.

Ah, but you can think outside the box! You could have chosen an elephant penis + a Chihuahua + a Guinea pig!

Fluffy, I think you need a hobby!

I take pics monthly, weight/measurements weekly. Sometimes you can't see much in the pics, but they're still good for documenting your journey.

You can count milk toward your fluid goals, too. I like Chai tea with Stevia and milk. I have always loved Lipton Diet Green Tea with Citrus. I also count that toward my fluid goals even though it has a little bit of caffeine. At one month post-op, your liquid options should be pretty infinite, so long as they are calorie-free and aren't carbonated.

I'm up to a 2-month-old horse and a human head!

I prefer Protein20 protein water from Sam's. Not quite as sweet. Also, the other ones can be mixed with sugar-free lemonade to lessen the sweetness. Don't get too concerned about your protein right now, hydration is the most important. It takes a lot of people a few weeks to get all their protein

Congrats on your amazing success and thank you for sharing your inspirational story and words of wisdom!

Is that an endangered sea turtle in the bottom drawer? I'm ashamed of you! ?

OK, speaking only for myself, ds are ugly - coyote ugly. I'll take a pic of just about any other body part (love a great @ss) but no ds, please!

Omgosh, Matt! You look amazing! I'd never guess you'd been overweight! Congratulations!

Hey, Fluff! Found a Christmas present Mr F can get you: