Jaelzion

I rarely cook these days. I cooked a lot when my Dad was living with me, but now that it's just me, it seems like a lot of effort to cook for just one person. Plus, since surgery, I rarely sit down and eat a full meal. I eat mini-meals throughout the day. I'll buy a rotisserie chicken or baked chicken breast from the grocery store a couple of slices at some point in the morning and a couple more at some point in the evening. I'll eat a fried or boiled egg. I'll eat a yogurt. I like to munch on baby carrots. I start the day with a low-carb latte. Now that I am in maintenance, I eat fruit. I'll eat a cheese stick (or two). So the post-op diet can be done without a lot of cooking if you wish.

I will say it's easier post-surgery because my appetite is about 65% of what it was before surgery. Right after surgery, I had no appetite at all, and it returned slowly. But never to the same level as before. And post-op I rarely have a strong craving for anything. Everyone doesn't have that experience, but that's how it's been for me, so far.

Like you, I had not been a normal weight since childhood, so my new body is still somewhat surreal to me. I've lost all my excess weight, but some degree of regain is pretty common. You only have to review the forum to see that. And a lot of us know that person who had weight loss surgery, lost an incredible amount of weight and gained almost all of it back. I'm about 2 and 1/2 years out from surgery, and I've only been in maintenance for about eight months of that. So I'm not an expert on maintenance by any means. But I'm trying to keep myself accountable as best I can. For me, that means that I track my food, I weigh regularly, if I see my weight creep up 5 pounds, I immediately cut back and try to get it back down. I have an occasional treat (like cake or pie or something) but normally I stick to my maintenance plan.

I don't plan to regain, but I know it can happen. I don't know what I will weigh in 5 years (shoot, I don't know if I'll be ALIVE in 5 years, LOL). But while I'm here I will keep fighting the good fight! It would have been a losing fight without the surgery but I feel like I have a shot at keeping the weight off now.

Hang in there. Don't think how you feel now is going to be your long-term experience. The first couple of weeks were rough for me too, but it gets better quickly. Hugs! 🤗

On 8/17/2021 at 2:57 PM, Laurie C. said:

Did anyone else lose their cravings? I'm in shock that I now struggle to figure out what I want to eat now!

Yes, I was lucky enough to experience this. My cravings are less frequent and less intense. I can say no to them now. Or to be more precise, I say "Not today". Because nothing is off-limits forever, some things are just rare treats.

2 hours ago, EsojLabina said:

@Jaelzion I have a friend who takes that for his AF to avoid clots and reduce the chance of stroke. How did surgery affect you medication? Can you share? If not I totally understand. And definitely is something I am asking my doctor about prior surgery ty for the advise

Sure! Xarelto has to be taken with a substantial meal to be bioavailable (usable by the body). After surgery, I wasn't able to eat much in one sitting, so the Xarelto wasn't effective for me, and 7 months after my WLS, I landed in the hospital with a blood clot. The sad thing is, my hematologist knew this was a potential problem and tried to switch me to Eliquis but insurance refused to cover it. So instead they ended up paying for my hospital stay AND I'm now on Lovenox (injections) which is MUCH more expensive than the Eliquis would have been. So it didn't make dollars or sense!

I take Prozac and Wellbutrin and my surgery did not affect my meds at all. I was also taking Xarelto and it DID affect that - I ended up getting a blood clot! So check with your doc on whether or not you can expect any changes after surgery.

1 hour ago, Dame21 said:

An update - I increased my Protein to 75 gram per day. I started seeing some scale movement from 281 to 266.2. I ate a little fruit and stopped losing. Should I avoid all fruit? Do I need more Protein?

Sent from my moto g play (2021) using BariatricPal mobile app

Some of us are more carb-sensitive than others. The sugar in fruit is natural, but it's still sugar. When I was in the weight-loss phase, I would add a few berries to my yogurt sometimes and that was it because I would stall if I ate much more than that.

I also found Protein Bars slowed my weight loss way down. I don't know why, but when I cut them out, it picked back up again. Try going super basic for a while (unprocessed meat, veggies, fats) and see if you begin losing. Then you can add things to try to identify if there is something specific that is causing you to stall. That was how I realized protein bars were the culprit (even though I counted those calories and factored them into my total).

Are you staying hydrated? Dehydration can also slow things down. And then the slow loss could just be natural to your body and metabolism. After a lifetime of dieting, my body is really good at adjusting its caloric needs if I start restricting calories. But it can't do it forever. Stay with it, on 800 calories, you have to start losing sooner or later.

I agree that this is unlikely to be a major problem. I initially got down to a weight that looked and felt "too thin" to me. I added a few more carbs to my diet and that took care of itself quickly, LOL. Finding your maintenance level of calories is really just trial and error. Keep adding a bit more until your weight loss stops (besides normal fluctuations), but you also don't gain (besides normal fluctuations) and that's it!

The two-week liquid diet is really hard for some of us. I broke down on day four and ate a yogurt when I was doing my pre-op liquid diet. If you stay on track from here on out, I'm sure you'll be fine despite the prawns.

I've had to do a two-week liquid diet once since having my sleeve surgery and it was easier this time (naturally, since I am post-gastric sleeve). Another thing that helped is that I was very generous with myself this time, in both amount, variety, and timing of my intake of allowed liquids. I basically made no attempt to limit the amount I consumed, I just focused on not eating anything that wasn't on plan. So whenever I was hungry, I'd have something, whether it was Water, Crystal Lite, tea, coffee, or a Protein Shake (my pre-op diet wasn't milk only). Even if I had just had something, if I felt hungry again a few minutes later, I had something else. I also added things like broth and clear sugar-free Jello (which I found out is allowed). By day 5, I was consuming a lot less because my appetite naturally declined.

Your pre-op diet sounds stricter than mine was, if it only allows milk. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to get through it. You just have to grit your teeth and push through. Hang in there, it will be worth it!

12 hours ago, Renee Z said:

Just wondering what y'alls experience has been like with weight loss after gastric sleeve surgery. My surgeon said to expect a 50% weight loss of excess weight. My excess weight started at about 120lbs, which means i can only expect to lose 60 lbs of I trust what my surgeon said. That's disappointing. I'm curious as to what some of you have lost, that have had surgery 6 months ago or longer?

It's good to know the statistics, but it's also important to realize there's nothing forcing you to be average. I had a medical contraindication for the bypass, so I was forced to have the sleeve instead. I was super disappointed and I feared I wouldn't lose much of my excess weight. But in reality, I lost ALL my excess weight and got down to a normal BMI. I think it took longer than is typical for a bypass patient, but I continued losing over the course of two years until I was done! I'm not promising you will get that result, just saying, don't take the average as an absolute indicator of your likely outcome. A lot of factors go into your final result, some under your control (like motivation, adherence to your program, etc.) and some not (like genetics, metabolism, etc.)

17 hours ago, Numbheart said:

Many Americans continue to experience mental health difficulties as the pandemic enters the second year. Reports say that about a fifth of U.S. adults (21%) are experiencing high levels of psychological distress, including nearly three-in-ten (28%) among those who say the outbreak has changed their lives in “a major way.” Not surprisingly, psychological distress is higher among those who express concern about becoming ill with COVID-19 or believe that the disease is a major threat to their personal health.

Have you in any way feel that the virus is a major threat to your health? What have you done to overcome this feeling? Were you already vaccinated?

I'm at very high risk of serious illness from COVID-19 due to pre-existing health conditions. In particular, I have a blood clotting disorder that is likely to be seriously exacerbated by COVID-19. My hematologist put it: "We can barely keep you from clotting now, throw COVID-19 in the mix and you would definitely get blood clots."

I'm fully vaccinated, I'm still keeping my distance when I can and I wear an actual N95 mask when I can't socially distance. So I'm doing what I can to be careful and beyond that, it's out of my control. My stress level has gone down quite a bit since getting vaccinated, but I'm aware that the delta variant is a potential threat. Ultimately, I'm trying to exercise good judgement and trusting God with the result!

On 8/5/2021 at 9:53 PM, goalz said:

I’m in Northern Ca. Who did you use in Sacramento?

Dr. Davis of Kaufman and Davis.

20 hours ago, KateTheGreat1 said:

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and my doctor says there is nothing she can do to help me other than using Voltaren Gel and compression gloves…She says I just need to learn to live with it. I wake each morning with my hand crippled and unable to bend my fingers as they are stuck bent and hurts like hell. Is anyone taking medications for RA? If so, what and if you have had any major issues with medications?

I have RA as well. I am not allowed to take NSAIDS because I am on anticoagulants, so even before sleeve surgery that was not an option. I take one Norco daily to help manage the joint pain and flare-ups. One a day is enough to keep me reasonably functional, if not completely pain-free. I haven't had any major issues with meds and I am careful not to take more than one per day. I used to take Plaquenil, but I started to have eye problems (which it's known for causing) so I had to stop. My rheumatologist would rather not risk giving me disease-modifying drugs like Humira due to extra risk factors from unrelated conditions. So Norco it is, for now. Is it your primary doctor or a rheumatologist saying you just have to "live with it"? In either case, I'd be looking for a new doctor due to that uncaring attitude.

Not being able to eat much at one sitting is normal. But waiting until 5-6 pm to have your first food of the day does not strike me as normal. Before surgery, it's possible to go all day without eating and still end up taking in a good amount of calories because we could just stuff ourselves at dinner. You can't do that now. Your stomach holds the same few ounces, regardless of how long it's been since you last ate. So why not have something in the AM with your Vitamin, something during the day, something around dinner time, and maybe a last snack in the evening? Are you going without food during the day as a weight-loss strategy (like intermittent fasting)? Or just not making time to eat?

It's normal to have questions and second thoughts. It's a big decision a life-altering experience. It's good to get first hand testimonials, but remember that we're all different, so someone else's experience may be different from yours.

Here are my answers to your questions:

1) How long will we struggle to drink Water? I've read that even after healing completely it may take 15 minutes to drink even half a teacup of Water without vommiting, is this true?

I struggled with drinking for the first two weeks. In week 3 the swelling subsided, the pain eased up and I was able to sip without difficulty. And from there it just got easier. Two and a half years out, I can now chug about two swallows of water, LOL.

2) I've seen that some people say they will almost always vomit after eating or drinking? Is it really that common?

I did not have this experience. I only really threw up once - the first and only time I overate. It happened because I didn't recognize what "full" felt like with my new tummy. After that, I knew when to stop.

3) I am on quite a few meds which my cardio says I need to start the day after the surgery. Will I be able to swallow the meds?

Swallowing meds is hard at first. In the early days I crushed those that could be crushed and managed to get down the two that couldn't. It gets easier as the swelling goes down.

4) Will we feel tired and impaired due to the limited food and water we can take? I'm on my pre-op liquid diet now and I just feel so weak and hungry, is this the constant feeling to expect after surgery?

No, it's totally different after surgery. The surgery leaves you with a much smaller stomach and it also affects the hormones that case hunger. Many of us have very little appetite in the early months and then appetite usually returns gradually. There's no guarantee that you'll NEVER be hungry, but constant hunger and weakness is uncommon, IMO.

5) I was made to understand from the doc that dumping isn't common for the gastric sleeve, yet I've read quite a number of accounts that say otherwise. Is this something common as well?

I've never experienced it - I've heard it's possible but much less common than for bypass patients.

6) I currently do not have GERD, but is this something I should expect to occur after the surgery? I've read some people can't even lie down without getting acid reflux.

I didn't have GERD before surgery and I still don't. The sleeve can make GERD worse for people who have it, so they are usually recommended to have the bypass instead. And it does happen that people who didn't have GERD develop it after getting the sleeve, but a lot of people (like me) don't.

I hope that helps. Don't be afraid to ask your surgeon these questions as well. You should be able to go into this with all your questions addressed (although actual outcomes aren't guaranteed). Best wishes!

I take one Norco a day (10/325) for chronic pain and I continued after my sleeve surgery. I take Senna when I get constipated. You and your doctor will have to figure out what's best for you, since we're all different. Best wishes!

Are you in Northern or Southern California? The quotes you are getting are not much lower than my surgeon in Sacramento.

I lost 15 pounds my first month. I don't know why your surgeon would be acting like 21 pounds in a month is disappointing. You're off to a good start!

32 minutes ago, Sapot said:

Thanks, have to keep open minded and try to change my habits, I posted to see if there were similar issues and recommendations. Will try to work with a therapist….thanks for your feedback…..Si

There are a lot of reasons why we eat, and satisfying physical hunger is only one of them. When you still feel the urge to eat after you are no longer hungry, ask yourself why? Your stomach can't hold anymore, so what is it you are looking for in more food? What's going on in your life? Are you looking for emotional comfort? Your tummy is full, so what part of you is it that wants more food?

I posted this a while back, when I was dealing with a craving. As others have said, therapy can help you dig into those questions. But until then, you can start by asking your "Why do I want more food? What is it going to do for me?" Sometimes you can identify the cause, as I did in the story below.

Quote

Not long ago, I really wanted a cookie and when I stopped to ask myself why, I realized that I had just come out of a meeting that did not go as well as I had hoped. I felt disappointed, embarrassed, upset. And I wanted a cookie. Once I realized what was at the root of my craving, I was able to redirect those feelings. I got a cup of coffee instead. It was warm and sweet and about 200 fewer calories than the cookie. And I took it and went and sat around the backside of the building where it was quiet and peaceful (being an introvert, that was comforting to me). I thought through what had happened and what to do next as I drank my coffee. And 30 minutes later I was good to go. Every situation is different, but I'm getting better at asking myself "What's going on? Why do you want that?"

Yes, it's very common.There's a lot of swelling and inflammation in there right after surgery. It's basically a full-time job to get enough Water one sip at a time, to stay hydrated. The good news is, the swelling will go down and the pain will lessen and then fade away. I know it hurts, but keep taking tiny sips. Dehydration is the last thing you need right now. Hang in there, it gets better!

21 hours ago, goalz said:

I’m not far from you, can you tell me what Dr you went with? You can pm me if you would like. Thanks!

Dr. Davis of Kaufman and Davis (Sacramento).

Mine wasn't a surprise. It was identified before surgery during the required endoscopy. My surgeon told me he was going to address it while doing my sleeve.

4 hours ago, Reddpanda said:

Does insurance cover any skin removal that’s medically necessary?

No, I'm self pay (courtesy of BitCoin 😉).

10 pounds a month is nothing to sneeze at. If you maintain that rate, you'll be at goal in no time!

I'm closing in my surgery date for my Tummy Tuck. I've had all the pre-op work-up and it appears I have a green light! I'm nervous, excited, scared, and happy all at the same time!

11 hours ago, Mama Des said:

Hi everyone. I’m getting nervous and excited and alone. Is anyone in Sf or Bay Area that can be of support? I’m a few days away from sergery and feel as if I’m in this alone. Family are all just eating away like nothing. Husband is clueless. Not taking the day off. And grown kids are having a cook out…I have no healthy friends and I am brand new to all of this. Are there any local support groups? Any advice? 3 days and counting and I’m so irritated. 😊still happy and blessed 😇 sorry I had to dump this out tks

I'm sorry you don't have the support you need. Do you have the kind of relationship with your husband where you can just say "Hey I'm feeling really nervous about this upcoming surgery and I need to know you're in this with me". If you want him with you (if he would be allowed, due to COVID he still might not be), can you just ask - "I'd feel better if you would come with me"? He might be clueless, as you said, but once made aware that he's not supporting you enough, maybe he would do better? Try not to hold it against the family that they are eating, nothing has changed from their perspective - it's business as usual. Things like parties and cookouts will happen all along the way both before and after your surgery. You'll learn to be comfortable with your eating plan and in all likelihood, it will be a LOT easier after surgery. Hang in there and lean on us. The forum is open 24/7 and there's almost always someone online. Best wishes!

Edit to add: I'm in the Bay Area too (North Bay these days, but I grew up in San Francisco).