cajunredpanda

Congratulations!

My nutritionist approves. In fact, she encouraged it when I told her I began eating it once it was permitted on my plan because of the fiber content. I usually have the 100 calorie microwave bags but I can't even eat that much oftentimes (like tonight).

The one time I dumped was when I added half a ripe banana* to a protein shake. I violently shook within two minutes of a couple sips of the shake. I felt like violently going to the bathroom and vomiting, but did not do either. Had to lie down for about 30 minutes to recover. It was definitely a scary experience. If you dump, you will know it. *Ripe bananas always gave me trouble, so I was probably asking for dumping in this case. I've eaten unripe/slightly green bananas since and haven't dumped. Although it took about three months before I had the courage to try bananas again.

I'm two months out on Tuesday. Down a total of 64 pounds from highest weight, 44 since surgery. I think I may've figured out my constipation issue. Only problem is that I think the iron in my multivitamin is heavily contributing. Now, I'm still pooping up to every four days. Some days I do poop on day two, but it's not common.That being said, I've been taking Miralax every other day in addition to my two daily stool softeners and it's easier to go. When I didn't take my multivitamin for a week my stool was much softer and came out less painfully. Started retaking my multivitamin a couple days ago and it's already harder to pass. So I'm frustrated. If the iron is a main culprit, what am I going to do to supplement that? I still menstruate so I have to have iron.

My sense of smell is so out of whack. My mom was eating Cheerios the other day and I thought it smelled like dog food. I'm 60 pounds down from my highest (40 since surgery) and I'm already seeing loose skin on my arms and thighs. I'm dreading what they'll look like after more weight loss. Now, I'm grateful that I'm finally under 300 for the first time in years. It's just shocking that I'm already seeing that. I don't feel much different in my stomach or face despite my body measurements telling me otherwise; my clothes mostly fit the same.

I have a good bunch of Crystal Light and MIO flavors in my pantry, but haven't drank them much. I can get 64 ounces in easily, although I seem to be an outlier since I could drink that much very early on. Still, it's good to get as much as you can. I know you can do it.

Oof, I would kill for some popcorn right now. It's the main thing I miss besides Diet Coke. (I also dearly miss pizza, but ricotta bake helps fill that void.) My diet plan post op has me reintroducing regular food in stages, so popcorn is verboten along with nuts and seeds until six months out. My brother and I have AMC A List so we're at the movies all the time, but we rarely buy popcorn (as much as the smell tempts us). I can't wait until March when I can bring protein bars again; we're often at the movies around dinner time so I usually have to bring something. That something lately has been a shake or a cheese stick so I have something in my pouch versus waiting six plus hours between meals. I've been pretty good at not cheating so far. My nutritionist said that if I didn't have reflux then I could have some tomato despite technically not being allowed to for another month. It's been great getting to eat Wendy's chili and ricotta bake, though, let me tell ya. I don't eat the chili often but those two are some of the easiest things for me to eat along with tilapia.

I'm in Georgia, right outside of Atlanta. It took me a year from consult to surgery, but that was mostly psychological versus diet. It took about two weeks for me to hear from Medicaid after the paperwork was submitted. I got the approval the Friday before surgery (which was on a Wednesday).

I've been fine with water, but find that sometimes lukewarm or hot water (latter in the form of tea) goes down easier than ice water. Especially in the morning. If you can get your fluids in with Crystal Light, that's fine. Any way to get them in, because that's the most critical thing right now.

I'm below 300 now! Current weight is 297. I think the last time I was below 300 was 2013/2014, so late college. Still having trouble with bowel movements. I bought milk of magnesia today because my last two bowel movements were so large, hard, and stuck, that I ended up having to put on gloves and resort to manual extraction. I really hope this helps along with stool softeners.

I'm eating from my salad plates and 4-6 oz ramekins a lot. Used the salad plates a lot when I was on Weight Watchers so it wasn't a difficult transition. I used a food scale before but I'm more reliant on one than ever. I had been using disposable water bottles and refilling them to track my drinking (except for when I was drinking protein shakes from my shaker etc), but I'm switching back to glasses and reusable water bottles most of the time since I know I can reliably drink 64 ounces or more a day. Stainless steel water bottles are essential for me because I love cold water. I'm also a peppermint tea addict now.

Okay. I wouldn't say that I have an iron stomach (my brother basically eats like a goat; he's eaten obviously expired food just because and never so much as turned green) but my pouch is tolerating nearly everything I throw at it well. Some things sat heavier like spiraled ham or tuna, but I never threw up until last night. I can eat a single scrambled egg. Maybe that egg bite was too dry? There are a lot variables to eliminate. I was advised to start taking stool softeners pre op by my surgeon. I think they help. I just need a little more assistance. The magnesium citrate worked within 30 minutes. I feel like I'll need to go back to the toilet soon, but it was much easier pushing that crap out in 15 minutes versus an hour plus. Currently sipping decaf tea to hydrate and soothe my stomach. I was never much of a coffee fan, unfortunately.

Well, I had my first food "rejection." I ate an egg bite I baked in the oven for dinner. Within a minute after eating I was puking in the sink. I felt so sick afterward that I went to bed early. I was able to eat an egg bite earlier that day so I don't know if it was because it was cold, I ate too fast, or what. I usually make my egg bites in the Instant Pot but I derped and poured water into the contraption when the cooking pot wasn't in it. Gotta test it out in a few days after letting it dry. The oven egg bites were firmer than the IP ones. I'll have to experiment. (Though I'm holding off for now.) I saw my nurse practitioner yesterday. She advised me that bowel movements every two days is normal since we're eating far less, but if it's going on for four days or more I need a laxative or enema. I'm currently drinking magnesium citrate to clean me out completely (her instructions). After that, every couple days I should drink smooth tea or milk of magnesia on top of my daily stool softeners and liquid intake. If I don't poop for longer than a few days again, then it's enema time. I need to get both of those. We won't use Benefiber for the time being. Let's see how it works. If nothing works after a period of time, including probiotics, then I'm going to be prescribed something. I had IBS-D before surgery so I was very rarely constipated. I haven't been this constipated since I went to a Girl Scout camp and didn't poop for days because I was scared of the outhouses lol It's just awful, isn't it? Many of them tend to be the size of my fist or a soda can. My routine is a little like yours. I tend to drink a shake for breakfast, half a tilapia fillet or deli roll ups plus 1 oz veg for lunch, and turkey meatballs (w/ or w/o 1 oz veg) for dinner. I may have a cheese stick, peanut butter, or unsweetened applesauce for a snack. (I'm supposed to get up to 5-6 small meals/snacks a day.) Are you incorporating fruits or veggies at all into your diet? Or were you advised to? My dietitian wants us to eat soft fruits and vegetables with our meals starting with puree stage. They're good carbs. It is good that your measurements are going down. It shows that the process is still working. Two or three pounds is also very good weight loss. (I'm averaging three and four pounds a week at the moment). You appear closer to your goal so it will slow down as it gets there as well. Congratulations! I just got cleared to reintroduce strength training yesterday. Don't wanna lose muscle if I can help it.

It is a very new phenomenon where I don't clean my plate every time. Not gonna lie, while it can be annoying if I don't get as much protein as I like, I kinda like it. I've had half a salad plate left the last few times I can eat. I made shrimp (and green beans) the other day and it was great that I could have two meals with my portion to make my purchase "stretch." Not gonna lie, it felt a little more "normal" being able to eat out. I don't try to make it a habit (I already feel like I'm going it too much after doing it three times in a month). It's still nice to be able to order eggs a la carte, for instance. I can't wait until I'm cleared for protein bars and beef jerky in March. I have protein powder packed in my purse but it feels so awkward mixing and drinking one while everyone else eats "regular" food. I'm also scared of cheese sticks being room temperature for some reason. When I do "pack" them I eat them immediately. Do you mean January 28? December 28 has come and gone. Rough either way. I was over broth by day seven. The first time I cried after surgery wasn't over incision pain but because I couldn't bring myself to drink broth anymore. I still drink shakes and introduced peppermint tea back into my diet. But I'm not drinking broth unless I absolutely have to (or if I make something with it). Your weight loss is fantastic!

I'm very sensitive to laundry and perfume smells. Always have. I don't have asthma but I once had trouble breathing after someone spritzed floral spray on herself in class. Walking by or in the detergent section can trigger a migraine. I have to use unscented detergent (and deodorant) because I break out from the scented and I lose sleep because it's all I can smell when I wash my sheets or nightclothes. When my sister was home for the holidays she used scented detergent and dryer sheets and ran multiple loads of laundry. The smell was horrific and I ended up in bed a lot from massive headaches. I used to use Ibuprofen for those. Obviously can't go that route now!