lisafrommassachusetts

I figure that I was thankful when no one commented when I was *gaining* weight, so I’m going to be perfectly happy for no one to comment on my losses as well!

Waiting for my surgery this coming Monday....thank you for the inspiration tonight. You look amazing, strong and happy.

Best of luck!

Good luck tomorrow! If it helps, I had very little pain; I had opiates in the recovery room, but then Tylenol and Motrin via IV; Went home the next day on just Tylenol; by 4th post op day not even Tylenol. A little stiff, but if you try to get up and move a bit every hour even that is nothing.

Crying grateful tears. Thank you.

I had my VSG on 2/14. I remember being in pain when I first woke up but then they adjusted my meds and I was fine in like 5 minutes. Seriously. The rest of the time at the hospital and the first few days I just felt stiff but it didn’t really hurt. I think the best I could describe it is the way you may feel the day after you do some crunches. I took pain meds the first 3 days I was home just to help sleep because my doctor told me that I should take them preventatively. I think that helped a lot.
I would also suggest trying to drink as much liquids as possible for the rest of the day until your cutoff time, especially with some salt like the gateroade or broth. The more hydrated your body is today, the easier your recovery will be tomorrow.

Hang in there you are soooo close! We are rooting for you 👍🏼

Had 2 (veryyyyyy smalll) BM today. Gonna buy some brown flax seed tomorrow per my NUT and see how it works.

Follow your plan, Protein first, Water and then the rest will follow. My nut also told me to not worry about calories, as long as you get your protein and water in you will be fine! Don't worry about what anyone else is doing or not doing. You've got this!

You are fine. Honestly, at this stage you shouldn't worry so much about Calories. Drink your Water, eat your Protein, and if you have a little room and can tolerate, get a few veggies in. Control your quantity and quality of your food. Eat small meals/snacks every 2 1/2 - 3 hours or so (or whatever your doctor/nutritionist advises). Take your time eating (something I still struggle with nearly 6 months out). Don't snack between meals.

You are exactly correct Stay hydrated and Stay Protein. I ran about a average of 800 calories a day but everyone is a little different.
The key above is the statement LEARN to control your eating in terms of quality and quantity! It gets alot easier as you plow thru the journey

Thank you. As you can see from my eating yesterday, I have boring down! Lol. I agree that this is a great time to learn to have a different relationship with food.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful answer. I overthink things sometimes!

Just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to reply and give me advice/personal perspectives on everything means the world not being alone in this. I decided to just focus on hydration like recommended, not coming even close to the Protein rate but will keep working up to it. I was also able to use the bathroom the night I made my previous post and again since then so that is working well again. Right now my biggest thing is just wanting something that has flavor and taste. Officially at my one week mark and going. Hopefully these next two weeks wont feel too long.

Much love everyone,

Michael

you are fine. I just checked and I was eating 500-600 at that point. Starting at six weeks out, I was at 600-800 and stayed in that range for several months. (I didn't consistently go over 1000 until I was almost a year out, so your dietitian's range seems a bit high). 300 seems really low, though - except for maybe the first few days after surgery.
that said, I didn't worry about calories that early out. It took effort to get all my Protein in - so no way was I taking in too many calories. I don't think I seriously started counting calories until I was a few months out.

I had surgery 2 weeks ago. Before I even considered the surgery, my PCP mentioned it to me. I then began a 6 month journey preparing for the surgery. I was very lucky, because the hospital I went through (Brigham & Women's in Boston) has an excellent process. I had 2 meetings with the nutritionists in a group, and 3 one on ones. I had an hour long interview with a psychologist who specializes in bariatric surgery. I met with my surgeon 3 times. B & W has a whole lot of on-line resources.
I also did my own research. I read all the medical information on the success rate of sleeve v. bypass, side effects, etc.
I did a lot of research on what my eating would look like after the surgery. I encourage you to, also. While the amount of food and calories you eat during the phase when you are losing the weight very rapidly is an extremely low number, once you transition to maintenance you will eat more calories, which will also take into account your activity level. You will work closely with a nutritionist to find the right way to eat in maintenance. It is not "medically approved disordered eating", in fact it is the way healthy weight people eat naturally.

I did this for my health, but I am not dishonest enough to suggest I don't also look forward to being thinner. I am 61, married for over 35 years in November, and a well established professional woman in my community, so I am pretty comfortable in my own skin, but not feeling uncomfortable sitting in a booth or in an airplane seat, or just being able to shop in non-plus size sections are things I look forward to. I don't think, however, that I came to this decision based upon fat phobia. If you are asking if the medical community offers this surgery as a result of fat phobia the answer is "no". Most people on here have one or more co-morbidities, including diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I have avoided those, but I have pretty arthritic knees, and the extra weight keeps me from being able to walk any distance or enjoy the things I want to. You are undoubtedly aware of the health risks of morbid obesity, which are absolutely based in science. You don't see a lot of 300 pounds 80 year olds.
I want to echo everything @TheAngryMeow said, above, about this being a tool, on a journey. There are lots of support groups for bariatric surgery patients, and that may be a good place for you to start. This is the opposite of easy, it is quite difficult. I am hoping and I believe it will be worth it in the long run, as I want to enjoy my future grandchildren and get to travel with my husband as we approach and get into our retirement years.
I took a very different approach to telling people about this; I have been transparent and honest with mostly everyone, except for people who I only know professionally, I have merely told them I was taking a short medical leave. If they were rude or bold enough to ask, I told them. But everyone in my office knows, my friends and family, my neighbors, and many people who I consider friendly acquaintances. I decided I am treating a disease, obesity. I felt and feel uncomfortable at times about this, but only one person (my SIL) gave me much pushback. Most people seemed genuinely interested and wished me the best of luck; some people complimented me on taking this step to be healthy. The more often I tell people the less uncomfortable I feel. I did not want to have people think I was dying when they see me after a mysterious "medical leave". And, it has been my experience that lying, even through omission, has never been a healthy decision for me. But everyone should make their own decisions about their medical care, including how much to share with others, and what other should have information shared with them.
Good luck to you!

However, I don't think

I would ask your doctor's office about the Vitamins and the medications.
Re; what I brought; A robe, earplugs and ear phones, phone and charger, e-reader, couple of magazines, eye mask, change of clothes with comfy yoga pants and an oversized sweater. Also I brought my own face cream, body cream and dry Shampoo, of course toothbrush, hairbrush, etc. You can't take a shower for a few days, and the dry shampoo was nice to have. If you are staying in a hotel for a couple of days make sure you bring really comfortable stretchy pants, as the incision sites may be uncomfortable if anything is rubbing against them. Also, if you don't like certain kinds of Protein drinks you may want to bring your own, but for the first few days you really need to hydrate more than worry about protein (as I learned the hard way when I got dehydrated!)
I had surgery at 4:30 pm, got to my room around 7:30 pm and was up and walking the halls at 9:00 pm. The nurses really encourage you to get up and move to get the gas moving. I had blessedly little pain, so I did not take anything other than Tylenol and motrin after the recovery room. I'm sure if you are on heavier meds that may effect your mobility.
Best of luck! Let us know how you are doing!

Hello surgery twin!! Hope you are recovery well ❤️ Hydration is my biggest concern, I have timers set so I dont forget! lol
Thanks!!! Taking it day by day, 2 weeks will come in no time right? LOL. Gas pain sucks but I have tried my best to walk. The biggest thing for me is getting out of bed when I wake up, it's kind of painful. But I'm glad to be here. I don't have much of a support system, except my kid. So glad to have a place I can research and figure out where I should be in my progress

I can have refried Beans now, after 10 days out. I cannot have cheese until I am 20 days out.

I tried, but I find the taste unappealing. I don't like the taste of artificial sweeteners usually. Although I do like the sugar free popsicles. I've tried adding a splash of lemon juice, but it's a bit sour. I have a cup or 2 of herbal teas a day. I'm wondering if cucumber mint Water might be a good choice? I'm very open to ideas

The first couple of days were tough. The biggest mistake I've made so far is letting myself get dehydrated. Once I got rehydrated, things improved. I'm so sick of plain Water, though.

I'm so glad you are feeling better! I'm sure you will soon be able to tolerate other tastes. It's quite a slam to our systems, that's for sure!

Congratulations! It does get better. I am 2 weeks out and I really feel pretty good, although I still get tired rather unexpectedly! And as @niffer said, rest and hydrate. If you have gas pain, try to walk. Happy to see you on here, folks are really, really nice and it is great to hear about everyone's journey.

Amazon also has them. I don't know what I would do without them! Such a great break from all the sweet, sweet, sweet. I expect they will be coming to work with me as a snack, or once I'm back on real food for the base of Soups. If you do a recurring monthly order on Amazon you get a small price break.

Congratulations! It does get better. I am 2 weeks out and I really feel pretty good, although I still get tired rather unexpectedly! And as @niffer said, rest and hydrate. If you have gas pain, try to walk. Happy to see you on here, folks are really, really nice and it is great to hear about everyone's journey.

I’m feeling good! Each day gets better and better for which I am very thankful! Can’t wait to advance my diet! How about you?