AZhiker

if you were further along, I would suggest lots of veggie bits like celery and green peppers cut into small pieces that you have to chew for a long time.

So far have gone from 42DD to 38B. Definitely droopier, but I sure don't have the pulling on my shoulders and back anymore.

Whoa, girl!!!! This is the time to practice coping skills - not indulgence! Indulgence is what got us where we were before surgery. We gotta leave it behind and embrace a new way of thinking, living , and eating. You have been given some good suggestions to practice now.

Hormone fluctuations also affect water retention. So you have water stored in muscles, your gut, and in fatty tissue, all affected my so many variables. I totally agree that progress can be measured by inches and exercise goals, besides the scale.

It's going to take good 6-8 weeks for all those injured tissues to heal, for swelling to go down, and for normal functioning to start. The little external incisions are nothing compared to what went on inside with the muscle, stomach, and intestines (for RNY.) Progress comes in little steps - sometimes 2 steps forward, 1 step back. You have to be patient with the process. I felt I "turned a corner" at each monthly milestone. The biggest one was a 4 months when it seemed like I could increase volume a bit more. This is where I think starting an exercise program really helps in the early weeks. It gives you goals, achievement, and a sense of control. You have no control over how your body decides to heal, how much you can eat one day and not the next, when the pain will hit, etc. It can make one feel helpless, vulnerable, and and even hopeless. Exercise gives you a powerful tool the YOU control! Start with walking. Get a step tracker. I never realized how motivating that little friend can be til I got one. Do wall pushups. Those are two easy ways to start and it's easy to see progress.

Kind of like child birth. You hardly remember the the pain once you start experiencing the reward of a new life!

I think a lot has to do with fluid and glucose levels in the muscles. As you deplete glycogen from the liver, the glycogen from the muscle tissue goes next, along with water. Then the fat starts breaking down as the final energy reserve. As we eat a bit differently each week, our glycogen levels will also fluctuate. Say you eat more carbs (starches and fruit) one week. You are going to replenish the glycogen in the muscles and the water will go with it. The next week you eat a bit differently - maybe a bit more on the keto side, and the water is going to leave. I always have slower loss with more initial exercise as well, but this is not fat gain - it is fluid and maybe even a little extra muscle mass that weighs more than fat. So stick to the plan and stay away from sugar. It all levels out. For the longest time, my pattern was 5 pounds one week and 3 pounds the next. Now it is slowing down, but that was my predictable pattern for about 2 months.

That's about right. I'm 4 1/2 months out and can still only eat 2-3 of solid protein foods. Greek yoghurt with protein powder mixed in is my go-to slider. I can handle the meat if it is in soup, so I do that regularly as well. I mix protein powder into the soup, also. Calf liver is the easiest actual meat for me - it is soft and goes down easily, as well as providing a lot of iron. I buy it in very thin, 4 oz frozen slices from Spouts. I cut it in half so I have a 2 oz piece. I let it drain on paper towels after thawing. Then coat it very thinly with seasoned gluten free flour. Then into a hot skillet with some olive oil and onions.

None of the providers on my insurance list (BCBS) did bariatric psych evals, so I had to pay $200 for the one recommended by my surgeon. Just had to bite the bullet and get it done.

I switched to decaf before surgery and then lost my taste for it completely after surgery. I used to drink about 4 cups a day. I guess I am afraid of the acid and any irritation it might cause. I had a Barretts polyp removed prior to surgery - a pre cancerous growth related to acid reflux, so I try to avoid anything that will increase acid.

Have you been on iron up to this point? Are you taking your multi with iron? It looks like you are definitely on the low end of normal, but as you are a year out and able to start eating more meat and maybe adding something like a little liver once in a while, you will probably be OK with your current regimen. If it was me, I would keep taking my multi with iron and start adding more red meat/liver. Personally, I would not want to deal with constipation or GI irritation from iron tabs. Another thing to think about is getting an "iron fish." Google it. It is a little iron fish that you drop into your soup pot and adds elemental iron. Kind of like cooking in cast iron. Elemental iron is not well absorbed - not nearly as well as the iron in animal protein, but it sure can't hurt and might boost you up a bit.

Never, so far. I am avoiding anything with sugar. I made two birthday cakes this week. I feel so good after turning down the cake and ice cream. The short term sweet taste is not worth the risk of dumping - not when I hear how awful it is from everyone else's experiences.

Because of acid reflux, bypass was the best option for me. Reflux is now gone. The sleeve can cause increased reflux, so that might be the deciding factor for you. With bypass, the stomach is still inside, but detached from it's ability to send hunger signals. The ghrenlin hormone is inactivated, so you do not have the hunger signals - at least for the first year average, but this can vary from individual to individual. From what I understand, dumping is mostly triggered by sugar or high carb content. It made me commit to never eating sugar again - aversion therapy, I guess. This can actually be a good thing for your overall, lifetime eating pattern. Just the fear of dumping is strong motivation for me to avoid any desserts or sweetened beverages. I have never experienced dumping and hope I never do.

My surgeon wants his patients to work up to 10,000 steps a day, but it is not a requirement - but a way to boost the process and start building a healthy life style. I also have chronic foot pain, knee pain, hip pain. It really worried me that I would not be able to use NSAIDS after surgery. (I was on Aleve twice a day.) I already had 1 knee replacement which was still hurting and my other knee was becoming really painful. Now for the good news. I still have some foot pain because of a bunion that needs some attention. But all knee and hip pain is gone! I have not taken an NSAID at all and not even Tylenol. Weight loss does wonders for the joints! The other thing is that although I cut out wheat (gluten) several years ago, I did not cut out sugar until before surgery. I think this is also a huge factor. Sugar (and wheat) are highly inflammatory. I found that my joints will hurt the next day if I have any sugar at all. (My brother found the same to be true.) I can exercise all I like now - long hikes of 4-5 hours are fine, whereas before I couldn't walk 20 minutes. Weight loss really does make a huge difference. You will find that as the weight comes off, you will have a lot more energy and will be able to be more active. Taking sugar out of the equation can also be a big factor. Gluten also makes my joints swell and hurt, which I discovered years ago and am gluten free ever since. So don't lose hope. A "New You" is right around the corner.

FMLA (family medical leave act) is a federal law. You can get up to 12 weeks off in a year for medical leave and have the security that your job cannot be given away to someone else. You have to have been employed at the company for a year to qualify. I don't know if some businesses are exempt, but it is definitely worth checking out. Do you have an HR department? If not, call FMLA and get some info. Your doctor signs the paper stating that you are required to be off work from date to date, due to medical necessity. There is no requirement to say what the condition actually is. It can be a mental health issue, as well. I never told my employer what my issue was. I agree that it is no one's business except your own. Good luck.

Thank you! I’ll definitely be investing in a new pillow for Support now. The volunteers at my hospital make these firm pillows for post surgery patients - to encourage coughing and deep breathing. You might ask if your hospital has some, as well.

You can also add kale, beet greens, and any other dark leafies. When I had my winter garden in (My surgery was in Feb so winter garden was going strong), I added arugula, broccoli leaves, turnip greens, mustard and collard greens, chard, and anything else I could pick and throw in. I felt sooooo good once I started getting some real phyto-nutrients from the greens. Not being able to eat veggies for those first weeks was awful!

just an idea, but you might try some exercise goals. Get a step tracker and start working up to 10,000 steps a day - gradually. Exercise releases happy mood endorphins, gives you a sense of accomplishment, empowerment, and control, builds lean muscle, and revs up the metabolism. It helps you sleep better, gives you time alone to think (if you walk), and helps with motivation in general. I found it to be extremely beneficial in my early weeks. Add some wall pushups. Each week you can up the steps, pushups, add some light weights, flights of stairs, etc. Exercise is a wonderful antidote for depression. It doesn't have to be a lot - just something. Then even if the scale doesn't change, you know you are still making progress toward goals and good health. Just something to consider.

I love my green smoothies - milk (cow or soy to get the protein), a scoop of protein powder, a handful of spinich (you can use the frozen spinich as well as fresh), some berries (strawberry/blueberry - the blackberry seeds bothered me at first), 1/4 banana, 2 Tb plain Greek yoghurt. I also add a couple tablespoons of prickly pear juice (very high in anti oxidents, low in calories, adds sweetness. I harvest and freeze myself, so it is a freeby.) This has about 200 calories and 30-40 gm protein, depending on the powder you use. It is a meal, and goes dowm so easily. It was a good way for me to get some leafy greens at first, as a salad was just too rough.

I wish I could tell you the amazing sense of "normal" I now have when I see that I am NOT the biggest person in the room and that I look average. I can wear medium size scrubs now - not tight 2XX. It is a real mind trip - I don't recognize my own body........but it FEELS GOOD! I don't judge anyone for their weight or how they look, but it just blows me away that I can walk through a store or go to a family gathering and I don't feel eyes following me. I look at old pictures and can't believe I looked so big - always trying to hide behind someone else in a family photo. I don't stand out - I just blend in and that feels great. It makes me realize how dysfunctional and paranoid my thinking was, and I am now discovering how to just "BE ME" and be Ok with that. A huge weight has been lifted in more ways than one! Go for it, girl friend!

I had a DVT after surgery, with no prior history. With your background, I am sure you will be on Lovenox or some other blood thinner after surgery. That is definitely a risk you must consider, but you already know that, so preventative measures can be taken. Immobility is horrible. Once you get some weight off and are feeling better, you will be moving more and more. That will help so much in preventing future DVT/PE issues, which I am sure you know are continual risks for you if you stay how you are.

You are still healing. Listen to your body. Some days you will be able to eat more than on other days. Some days solids will just not work and you will stick to your shakes. Some foods will work one day and not another. So strange, but like ms.sss said, if you feel good, have energy, losing inches, then do what works for you. I know at that point I absolutely could not have even considered 1000 cal/day. About 3 months out, I just started to feel a need for more calories. I was exercising a lot, and my body was saying that it needed more. At that point, I was able to tolerate more intake, but not before. What you don't want to do is to forcing food down, advancing too quickly (even if your prescribed plan says so), and getting into issues with food getting "stuck." That is painful and irritating to the healing tissues.

It wasn't ME talking about donuts! I was quietly doing my job and sipping a protein shake hidden behind my computer!

There's nothing like being trapped in a procedure room with a surgeon, anethesiologist and tech all talking about donuts!

And since surgery, do you notice how much people TALK about food !?!?!?!?! Where to get the best donuts or pizza, what to order for lunch, favorite eateries, food channels, cooking shows, etc, etc, etc. It never stops! Out society is obsessed with food!