AZhiker

Many of us had the same feelings. I cried all the way through pre-op, wondering if I should get off the stretcher and leave the hospital! This decision is huge and definitely takes courage, but for me, one the best I've ever made. I have a brand new body and I am loving it every single day, with all the things I can do now. OK, so you have to commit to a new, healthy lifestyle! For sure! No shortcuts there. You have to reframe your thinking so that you see the new changes as part of your new, healthy life - not as deprivation.Yes, you have to give up the crap - but you get so much more in return. I started making these changes long before surgery, but have solidified them since surgery. I think a great motivator is starting to get the weight off and once you can start enjoying new things (like smaller clothing sizes, activities that you couldn't do before, etc.) it becomes easier and easier to embrace the healthy changes, because the payoff is so great. For me, those changes are: no wheat (I have been gluten free for years already), but now do not eat refined grains - only whole cooked grains. No sugar and no soda of any kind. No juice. These were biggies, but I feel SOOOOOO much better without sugar. It's not even a temptation anymore. No coffee or alcohol because I don't want to risk any irritation (I already have Barrett's esophagus with a pre-cancerous polyp removed, and as a GI nurse, I've seen the really ugly side of WLS patients who start drinking again.) No processed foods, period. If it comes in a box, it's not for me. Lots more veggies, low carbs, higher protein. Intermittant fasting is a very powerful weight loss and maintenance tool to use later on in the journey, Lots of exercise. For me this started out by getting 10,000 steps a day. (My step tracker never leaves my wrist and is my best little buddy.) Gradually, I've added a lot of other exercise components, and they get more fun and more motivating as I see strength and muscle definition increasing. This is a journey. You start out with baby steps and commit to follow the plan. Do not cheat. Don't let your mind even go there. Some people look for ways to flirt with forbidden foods or ways to game the system. This is a recipe for failure. Your determination to be successful is the greatest predictor of ultimate success in this venture. Develop some mantras to get you through the temptations.: "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" "IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT!" "I CAN'T HAVE THAT NOW, BUT I WILL HAVE IT LATER, DOWN THE ROAD." You can do this. Learn from the mistakes of others and be motivated to avoid their pit falls. The fact that your mom lost weight successfully is a good predictor of success for you. You just have to make sure you take your vitamins and keep on top of the nutrition.

Wearing WHITE pants and HORIZONTAL stripes! Hurray! Had to get a seat cushion for my car, as my spine and seat bones need more padding! Ha! MORE padding needed !!!!

So happy for you! I am going to do my first triathelon in October! I can't run the 5K portion, as my orthopedic surgeon advises against high impact on my artificial knee, but I can walk pretty fast. It is soooooo empowering to put this new body to the test! I agree that WLS is the best thing ever. Loving every minute of it!

Soups are so great early on (and later too.) I found that adding pea protein to the soup gives it a great flavor as well as increasing the protein. I use a whey protein in smoothies and yoghurt, but the pea protein is much better in more savory dishes like soup.

I take a short cut with the weighing/measuring by making up snacks that I calculate only once. I freeze the portions and I can use them as snacks or as part of a meal. These include salmon patties, turkey or sirloin meatballs, mini quiche cups, mini cheese cakes, pumpkin custard, black bean burgerballs, mini corn tortilla with beans and cheese. Each snack has 70 - 110 calories and 3-10 gm protein. I also use the same recipes for my standby berry green smoothies and power yoghurt cups, so there is no calculation there. When you find something you really like and will cook again, put it on a recipe card, with the macro breakdown and save all the work next time around.

I weigh and measure so I know how many actual calories and grams of protein I am getting. I am not 100% with this every day, But I plan out the day's meals the night before. Then I have concrete targets and a plan, which reduces the risk of haphazard snacking or eating whatever happens to be around. Many days, the plan changes mid stream, but at least I still have a pretty good idea of what is going in. I still have to use protein powder in smoothies and soup, and sometimes a cup of bedtime milk, to be sure to get enough protein in. If left to my own estimations on volume alone, I would be lacking in protein, for sure.

I was eating about 500 calories a day at 3 weeks. Volumes included 1/4 c yoghurt, 1/4 c. cottage cheese, 1/2 protein shake. Looks like my slider was refried beans thinned down in broth (miso or bone).

Please give us more information. What is your exercise routine? How about a couple days of meal diary? Are you writing down everything you put in your mouth, keeping up with protein and vitamins? Water intake?

You could have a stricture, erosions, gastritis, hiatal hernia, or some other structural issue. Any good gastroenterologist would be able to scope you to figure out what is happening down there. Please get seen right away. The cavities indicate a lot of acid washing around. If it's wreaking your teeth, it is also ripping up your esophagus.

You are gorgeous!!!!!

I went to the bike store to try out some frames and bike models. The good looking bike dude told me to get up on a bike to test out the frame size, while he held the front of the bike. I was a little hesitant and he said, "Don't worry. You won't fall. You're little - I've held a lot bigger people than you!" WHAT???? I'M LITTLE?????? WOO HOO!!!! MADE MY DAY!!!

I saw my PCP today for the first time since surgery. I wore my "big girl" size 24 jeans to show how much I have lost and she was so amazed at "how good I look" and was very supportive. She told me that a lot of WLS patients come in with about a 50 pound loss and just sort of get stuck there, so she was very happy that I was at goal so quickly, but also that she could tell I had been working out and had good muscle tone and muscle volume to my arms and legs. She was happy to see all my lab values to be good - no anemia, protein deficiency or vitamin deficiencies. She really liked my HDL of 70 and that I was exercising consistently. She was a little concerned that I can still only eat about 800 calories tops in a day - 1,000 if I really push it and am uncomfortable. She doesn't want me to get below 140. She was also a little concerned about IF with my lower end caloric intake. I told her I feel so much better doing IF and that I have tons of energy. She was impressed about my clean eating food regime and that I really focus on making every bite nutritious and healthy. So the bottom line was that she was fine with me continuing on with my current plan, adding cooked whole grains to boost the calories as needed. I did not tell her that I plan to add a 24 hour fast day each week, or that I may add a 72 hour fast once a month or every other month just to keep things clean metabolically. PS: I am going to do my first triathelon in October! And will ride in the El Tour de Tucson bike race in November (riding a tandem for 60 miles with my sis-in-law.) I ordered my new bicycle today and it should arrive on Tuesday! Yippee!!! Now I've been reading about IF and athletic events. I can't imagine ever eating breakfast again, but perhaps I will need to eat something on event days. However, I'm afraid it would upset my bowels to spring a meal on them so early. So maybe I will just train while doing IF and see how it goes. Has anyone else done some heavy, long exercise while IF-ing? To eat or not to eat - that is the question.

Doesn't matter if anything bad happened to anyone else. What matters is if it happens to YOU. Why even take the risk? Hernia surgery is going to be a big deal and keep you out of exercise a lot longer than just waiting a few extra weeks. You gotta look at the big picture of the rest of your life- not just now. It's like someone asking if they can cheat with sugar or alcohol or pizza and that it's OK if others do it without consequence. Just be patient and do something else like walking, stretching, yoga, or non weighted isometrics.

And how much did all that brown gold weigh?????? That's what we really want to know!!!

I am 6 + months out and just being able to eat salad if it is chewed very well. BUT..... what I did early on was to take greens and put them in the blender with some water. I strained out the green juice and added it to everything - my smoothies, water bottle, soups, etc. I think it helped me stop craving the veggies that I couldn't have until week 8.

I got my 6 month labs and my slightly elevated cholesterol and LDL were still the same! But my HDL was up to 70 and triglycerides down from 140 to just 35!!!! I read that a lot of rapid weight loss can result in elevated cholesterol but that it should settle down once the body settles down.

Use this as a learning experience and a wake up call. You have to go into each new situation with a plan. You just can't "wing it" and hope for the best. Always carry a protein shake with you as a back up. Determine ahead of time that you are not eating anything that is not on the plan. Period. This has gotten me through a lot of parties and social situations without falling off the wagon. This is a time to reflect about what you could have done differently and what you will do differently next time. You CAN turn this into a positive.

I told NO ONE except my husband, brother, and my kids. My parents, friends and co-workers do not know I had surgery. When asked, I have two responses: 1) "Over 90% of people who lose weight gain it all back. Please ask me in a year and if I am successful in this process, I will share with you then." 2) "I am working very hard to lose and maintain permanent weight loss. You are welcome to do what I am doing: NO wheat, no sugar, no alcohol, no soda, no juice, no caffeine (by this time I have already lost them), no processed food, no refined grains, no artificial sweeteners/colors/flavors, low carb, high protein, lots of veggies, intermittent fasting, and a 1-2 hours of exercise a day." I would consider a heart-to-heart with an obese person who seems to be at rock bottom and willing to do whatever it takes. BUT... interestingly, no morbidly obese people have asked - only overweight people who need to lose 20 or 30 pounds. Surgery is not for them, but healthy lifestyle is what they need to focus on, so that is what I share. Some have appeared genuinely interested, but a couple of days later I see them eating cupcakes and junk, so it seems there are more curiosity seekers than those who are really ready to make changes.

After your Premier Protein, wait an hour or two and you should be fine to eat normally. 24 hours is basically skipping two meals (or just one if you already do something like 16/8 IF) during the day. It's not hard on your system, you should not experience any loss of strength, and you should be able to exercise fully without any problems. Just keep well hydrated. Your body has enough electrolyte reserves that you really shouldn't need any extra salt or anything else.

I lost at least half my hair during months 4 and 5. Loss has stopped, but regrowth has not started yet. Fortunately, I had a pretty thick head of hair to start with. I am happy there is no more dark wad in the shower drain, and I know the regrowth will happen when it happens. Still take my biotin to assist any doubtful follicles.

I did it - 72 hour water fast. I kept up my exercises, including strength training. Drank 90 ml every day and hiked 2 hours every day. Got 8 hours of sleep each night. Day 1: Felt great. No hunger, no weakness. Day 2: 2nd day was pretty hard - like all the books say, but I did my exercises and felt better. I drove into town and did some shopping to keep my mind off it. I had two hunger rushes - at noon and 4 pm, but they passed in less than an hour. By evening I was feeling a little light headed and ate some salt that evening since I was peeing like a race horse. Day 3: I woke up very light headed and dizzy, but not feeling actually sick or anything. I drank 4 cups and then did my exercises. Weights were hard, but I did a light routine. Drank some more and felt better and went on a hike. Still a bit light headed through the day, which I could tell when I stopped several times on the way back home. But I didn't feel faint or foggy while I was driving, so I hung in there until the 72 hour mark at 5 pm. One twinge of hunger at 3 pm, but it passed quickly. Then I drank a protein shake, and ate a light meal an hour later, and all is back to normal. Surprisingly, I only lost 2 pounds during those 3 days of 0 calories and lots of exercise! My GI tract is empty, so I really hope not to gain back as I start eating. Overall, it was a good experience and one maybe I will do monthly. I think the first time is the hardest. I did show me that hunger is a passing sensation. I think a 24 hour fast weekly would not be hard at all now. Just go from supper to supper. If one is already doing IF by skipping breakfast, it is only a matter of skipping lunch as well. Very do-able, and another tool for the maintenance tool box.

Am going up to our mountain cabin today for 3 days of R&R by myself. I am going to try a 3 day fast - for detoxification, knock off any zombie cells, rest my pouch, and focus on some personal and spiritual goals. I've got herbal teas and my big water bottle. (And some protein shakes and bone broth if I need to break earlier.) So I'll let you know how it goes. I can't find any information that says total fasting is dangerous/damaging to the pouch or anastomosis. I am still going to take my pantoprazole, although I can't find any info on that, either, as far as not eating afterwards. I'll just have to listen and feel what is happening and take it one day at a time. I had a horrible night last night. I got off work late and was really hungry. I had to go to WalMart, so picked up a roasted chicken and a peach. Well, I ate too much of the chicken and about 1/2 the peach. I chewed well and took my time, but about 45 minutes later, oh it was terrible. The worst ever. Nausea, foamies, slimies, pain - I thought I had done myself in. I vomited twice (and I do not vomit easily) and had about 6 hours of agony. I feel fine this morning, but dehydrated and weak because I couldn't get all my fluids in. So the next 3 days of fasting will be all about keeping hydrated and giving my "Tiny Tum" a break. (It worked pretty hard yesterday.) This whole experience begs the question of why in the world did I think I could eat so much? I still haven't learned how to stop way before feeling full. This is something I will explore this weekend.

I understand the sugar aspect of the apples, bananas, and citrus (also acid), but I always eat fruit in moderation with protein or at the end of a meal and have never had problems. Apple slices with nuts/cheese/peanut butter, berries in yoghurt, 1/4 banana in a protein smoothie, orange sections/peach/mango in yoghurt ...... all have been fine. I do not eat sugar or artificial sweeteners in any form. A little fruit is such a treat, but again - always protected by protein.

This is the first chapter in a whole new adventure and a new life for you! There are going to be lots of challenges at different stages along the way. No one promised this would be easy. You have to try to reframe the negative experiences into looking forward to the positive benefits. These early stages really will pass and you will hardly remember them several months from now. Meanwhile, follow the plan so you can heal well and without complications.

I actually had a hiatal hernia repair during my RNY procedure, so it was an easy out for me! HH works. It is a good reason for the restriction and food intolerance during the healing process.