skyguy

Congrats! Please let us know how you enjoy the event!
Try not to get caught up in the excitement at the start and run at a faster pace than you've been training! My PR for 5k is still the first 5k of the Chicago marathon... burned through a ton of energy and had a great time with the crowd, but it made for a very long marathon lol.

Thank you so so much for this great info!!
It's funny, because of my weight I'd never considered myself a 'runner', but 9 years ago I met (and married) an ironman athlete and have since done three full marathons and six halfs. Walking, mostly. Then in the pre-op butterflies my biggest fear surprised me: "what if I can't do races anymore!" I guess I am a runner. lol
I'm looking forward to the day I can actually run from start to finish!
You're right about carbs stopping weight loss - I though marathon training was going to be my salvation but throughout 2011 I trained religiously for my first full marathon (Chicago) and didn't lose an ounce lol.
Thank you again for your detailed guidance - much appreciated!

Hey everyone!
I do a half marathon every April, walking most of it. I've just had a RNYGB and although my surgeon has given me the green light to do the half marathon (six weeks post surgery) I'm concerned about fueling options as I suspect sugary fuels are likely to cause dumping...
Does anyone have any experience with endurance events post-surgery or good portable food suggestions given the constraints of our procedures?

If you like chocolate pudding, you can make a Protein pudding with three scoops of chocolate Protein Powder in 250ml (1 cup) of 1% milk. Blend with a hand mixer or whisk. Makes 5 pouch sized (3oz) servings each with 18g of protein.

Thanks folks! My surgery went well, no issues with my liver. I’m just sticking to my liquids now. I have no desire to eat anything and I’m focusing on getting my Water in.

Hi, Frou Frou and everyone else. Thanks so much for your messages of encouragement during a rather dark week for me (which is why I haven't responded for a few days).
I had a mini-surgery to correct the leak on Wednesday at 10:00 in the evening! (A nurse came into my room at about 2:00 and told me I had to stop eating and drinking immediately--and she got very cranky when I finished the bowl of Jello in I had in front of me.) It was not performed by my surgeon, but I didn't care at that point. It wasn't full anesthesia but what they called "twilight sedation." No idea what that means, but it is apparently much easier on the body and recovery is very quick. I think the entire thing took about 30 minutes via a hole in my side.
I got to come home this morning feeling amazingly good--little pain, no nausea, no dumping. The only thing is that I can't seem to stay awake for more than 90 minutes at a time before I need a nap. I'm also managing only about half of the daily Water and Protein quota, and I can't believe how full I feel all the time! I've actually drunk water to the point of pain several times, but I'm learning when to stop. I'm sure it will improve with time, but right now I can't imagine eating actual food. I'm basically at the starting block, where I would have been last Tuesday if I had been discharged from the hospital the day after surgery as planned.
Thanks again for your support during the week--it really made a difference.

It really depends on the program how restrictive your pre-surgery diet is. In my program, the surgeon explained that it's primary purpose was to shrink the liver to make access to the surgery site easier. They have to lift the liver to work underneath it and a fatty liver is more fragile and susceptible to damage during the lifting. You are helping to ensure the least possible risk of complications during surgery by following your pre-surgery diet to the letter.
The pre-surgery diet is essentially a Keto diet made simple through the use of very low carb shakes (in my case, Optifast 900). As your body goes into ketosis, it burns fat stores for energy. Physiologically, you body burns fat from the liver first as it's easiest to access. Ketosis is an on or off thing, and when switched off, takes a day or two to get started again. If you provide your body with any other carb source (simple or complex), ketosis gets switched off.
The salad wouldn't make any difference, unless there was cheese or fruit or dressing on it. The chilli however, while usually a great healthy choice, contains lots of complex carbs from the Beans and would have stopped ketosis. On a keto diet, you can not have any legumes for this reason.
Not to be a stick in the mud, but every single instruction you will receive on how or what to eat has a reason behind it that will contribute to the best possible outcomes from your procedure. It sounds harsh, but each time you cheat, your outcomes get a teeny bit worse.
Good luck with your procedure - you're going to do great!

Those are good tips. I am going to put some of them to use for a Goruck.com event.
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I followed my team's directions. I was allowed to do as much cardio as I could tolerate after surgery but not to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds until after my post-op appointment two weeks post surgery. My surgery was on Tuesday. I was home Wednesday and on Saturday I spent half an hour pedaling very slowly on an elliptical recumbent bike at my gym. I walked as much as I could. I made sure I stayed hydrated and stopped when I was tired.
Once I was cleared for weights after 2 weeks, I went back to working with my trainer who I had been working with before weight loss. I was doing stuff with dumbbells almost immediately, again listening to my body.
I'm now almost 3 years out, deadlift 235 and squat 225. I can clean 85 pounds and I'm a 5'3" 57 year old woman. Follow you're docs instructions and listen to your body.

Random thing on my FB feed this morning relating to my earlier post... just though I’d share!

Hang in there. Best to discover this right away while still in hospital. They’ll have you back on track in no time. You’re in our thoughts.

Hi everyone. I had my bypass on Monday, March 4. Unfortunately, my outcome was not very good.
I had a lot of pain right after surgery and it kept getting worse. I Diid a blood Sample that showed either an infection or a leak. They then did a CAT scan and it turned out it was both.
They are installing a drain tomorrow that to drain al the pouch stuff that has leaked into the abdominal cavity. I will have another surgery soon to repair the leak. Hopefully this is just a minor Detour and i will make it eventually

💗 Congrats to everyone in Team February 2019💗

It really depends on the program how restrictive your pre-surgery diet is. In my program, the surgeon explained that it's primary purpose was to shrink the liver to make access to the surgery site easier. They have to lift the liver to work underneath it and a fatty liver is more fragile and susceptible to damage during the lifting. You are helping to ensure the least possible risk of complications during surgery by following your pre-surgery diet to the letter.
The pre-surgery diet is essentially a Keto diet made simple through the use of very low carb shakes (in my case, Optifast 900). As your body goes into ketosis, it burns fat stores for energy. Physiologically, you body burns fat from the liver first as it's easiest to access. Ketosis is an on or off thing, and when switched off, takes a day or two to get started again. If you provide your body with any other carb source (simple or complex), ketosis gets switched off.
The salad wouldn't make any difference, unless there was cheese or fruit or dressing on it. The chilli however, while usually a great healthy choice, contains lots of complex carbs from the Beans and would have stopped ketosis. On a keto diet, you can not have any legumes for this reason.
Not to be a stick in the mud, but every single instruction you will receive on how or what to eat has a reason behind it that will contribute to the best possible outcomes from your procedure. It sounds harsh, but each time you cheat, your outcomes get a teeny bit worse.
Good luck with your procedure - you're going to do great!

Congrats! Please let us know how you enjoy the event!
Try not to get caught up in the excitement at the start and run at a faster pace than you've been training! My PR for 5k is still the first 5k of the Chicago marathon... burned through a ton of energy and had a great time with the crowd, but it made for a very long marathon lol.

I am running my first half marathon in two weeks, and have been training for a little over two months now. Yesterday finished our last long run of 12 miles and took some Stinger chews (luckily for me, nothing I've tried yet turns my stomach). I also plan to have my pack on with Water and some liquid carbs, along with a Protein Bar. I plan to water down the gatorade with some water at the aid stations, or just might pack a bottle with me to save some time and energy. Hard to believe I've gone from 347 to 173...and a spectator at the finish line to participant. Best of luck to you on your journey!

I suck at keeping up with the forums, but I had to share...

I cried today. I made it into a size 20 pair of jeans!!!

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

Congrats on your surgery.
I had other bariatric runners help me out along the way. Keep us posted on your weight loss and running.

Skyguy - I am the cook in my household and I am not cooking. Yesterday my daughter said “we haven’t had a meal in like two weeks”! She’s 16 years old. My husband has cooked a few meals so that’s not necessarily the truth. My kids are just used to me whipping up lasagna and whatever other casserole I am inclined to make. I make (uh hum MADE) a lot of casserole’s and heavy southern food.
She was saying there’s nothing in the house to eat. I’m including a picture of the pantry and how there is “nothing to eat” (i’m including a picture of the pantry and how there is “nothing to eat “). I think this is actually going to be a good exercise for my family. Number one they can learn to fend for themselves. And number two they can start seeing the food in the pantry that’s right there in their face.. Maybe I am the meanest mom on earth but I am making myself a priority and right now I’m just not ready to submerge myself in a large pot of chicken and dumplings for their comfort. Your a better man than I am a woman for continuing your role as chef!

Omg this made me laugh so hard! KUDOS to you for sticking to your guns and doing the right thing. Don’t call yourself the meanest mom please.
Instead think of the WONDERFUL gift you’re going to give: a HEALTHY and HAPPY mom who will be there for all of the little and the big moments in life due to this wonderful journey.

My daughter is now 21, but I remember all too well those teenage years— we just can’t do enough for them to make them happy, can we?

I am suffering from a serious case of pantry envy!

Okay guys. Gotta hurry because I’ve got work soon, but I’m so freaking excited because I did a Pilates class this morning! I told the instructor before class what I had done and she was great with helping me modify a few exercises like planks to protect my healing core.

I feel soooooo energized and ready for the day!

Hi everyone,
I've just read through the February forum and your posts have been so inspirational - so a thousand thank-yous for reassurance when I needed it most! My surgery is scheduled for Feb 28th, so I may be the straggler of the group.
The date worked out well as Valentines day also became the 'last supper' 😄. Today is the third day of liver-shrinking Optifast and so far so good.
Best of luck to those heading into the OR in the morning!

Welcome, SkyGuy! There are at least a couple of other men here. 🙂 I was originally scheduled for February 25, and thought I would be the last one to have surgery. However, mine was postponed until March 4. I had my "last meal" before liquids last Sunday based on the Feb. 25 day, and I'm having it again tonight. (As some people here know, it was a big, juicy steak.)
I have also found this forum incredibly reassuring, particularly this particular thread with people having surgery in the same month. I hope we will continue to be a source of support and inspiration as we move share our success and setbacks over the coming months..

Hi everyone,
I've just read through the February forum and your posts have been so inspirational - so a thousand thank-yous for reassurance when I needed it most! My surgery is scheduled for Feb 28th, so I may be the straggler of the group.
The date worked out well as Valentines day also became the 'last supper' 😄. Today is the third day of liver-shrinking Optifast and so far so good.
Best of luck to those heading into the OR in the morning!