MaybeMeow

First of all... it's your absolute right to keep it a secret if you wish. So don't feel pressured on any side. I had 65 pounds to lose and told my 10 year old that I was having hernia surgery (which was true). I just left the bypass part out. Only my husband and my best friend (who stayed with my daughter overnight know I had WLS. No other family. Not my parents of siblings or other friends. But your kiddos are older. I imagine it would be very hard to keep it a secret from them. Your eating significantly changes. And the recovery is no joke. And I'm not sure why you would keep it from teenagers who can understand the concept and honor your privacy. .. unless you don't trust them. Regardless... your body, your choice. Period. Best of luck!!

As far as Bypass goes my surgeon and I spoke at length about how much bowel he would bypass. He did a short or 100cm bypass on me when most do 150-200cm I'm told. I preferred this as I'd come in for a sleeve with 65 pounds to lose and he convinced me with my history of GERD the Bypass would be better. I was concerned about malabsorption and dumping and he said he found the shorter bypasses had far less dumping and said the bloodwork of his patients was usually better with the shorter bypass as well. He did say the weight loss was sometimes slower with the shorter bypass. And mine definitely is with a 37 pound loss at 4.5 months post op. But I'm ok with it.

So... not stomach size but bowel bypass... yes!

@Groovymommy... You're doing GREAT! I'm so impressed with your high losses.

How many grams of Protein and Water would you say you honestly get a day? The faintness and dizzy spells are a concern. Maybe now that the pepcid is helping your stomach you'll be able to eat and drink more. Crossing my fingers for you. And congrats on the new underwear! I look forward to that.

I'm moving along. At my slow pace. My hair has started falling out. That's new and unwelcomed since I already thinned out when the early menopause hit. But I suppose it was expected. I'll also expect it to stop around month 8 like many say it will. And try and be clever with my hair styles until then. At least we're all mostly stuck at home right now.

I'm 4.5 months post and I've lost 37 since surgery and 42 since the pre-op diet. I'm between 180-181 and Just past my halfway goal to 150. On average I eat about 1000 cals a day with 65-70 protein and about the same in carbs. I get 48 ounces of water a day. No more no less. It seems to be sustaining me. I don'T have dizzy spells or weakness. But I struggle to poop and have a LOT of headaches/migraines. I've started taking motrin now and again always with a prilosec. And started a steroid for a few days sue to several mirgaines in a row. A little worried about how they will affect my stomach but so far so good minus the constant Constipation.

Not a great deal else to share. No new clothes yet but I'd gained weight fairly quickly the last year so I was still wearing a couple different sizes regularly. Clothes are definitely looser and people are starting to comment on my losses now and the which is nice. I'm eager to hit 179 as that's what I weighed on a vacation we took 4 years ago where I enjoy the pictures I'm in. So it feels like a weight I can start acknowledging that I'm looking better despite having that common resistance to actually SEEING my progress in the mirror.

The weather has turned cold here in the midwest so the daily long walks are over for a while. It's onto the treadmill which I don't love. But netflix makes it easier.

Whatcha guys eating? I still rarely get fruits and veggies in. Maybe one serving a day. Hope my Vitamin covers the rest. But I'm always hitting my protein goal so I'm feeling pretty accomplished. This is a typical day... I have my 23 gram smoothie in the morning which is greek yogurt, banana almond milk and PB2. Just had 2 oz of strip steak for lunch at 17 grams pro and two bites of my daughter's apple. The snack I just finished is coffee with chocolate fairlife milk and 1/4 cottage cheese for 13 grams pro. So I'm at 53 grams. dinner will probably Chinese stirfry. I'll have 2 oz chicken and a few snowpeas. For another 12 grams protein. Then I'll have a treat... like a square of dark chocolate or a few bites of my husband's dessert. That's a typical day. Plus 48oz water and at least 30 minutes cardio/power walking.

Hope everyone else is seeing success. Feel free to share their typical day.

ONWARD!

Hi. I'm 800-1000 a day. And I keep my Protein and my carbs matched at around 65 grams a day. I walk 3-5 miles a day. My losses are slow but steady. Hope this helps!

WishMESmaller... you're doing GREAT! So impressed with your workouts.

banana ALMOND MILK is my savior. I love it so much. Far less carbs than bananas which I love in smoothies and have missed terribly.

I mix 1/2 cup with chocolate PB2 and a single serving Fage Greek Yogurt along with a couple drops of chocolate stevia. This is my 23 gram Protein Shake I drink every morning. 180 calories 13 carb 23 Protein.

The other things I eat at least a few times a week and always need in the house:

1% cottage cheese with a teaspoon of REAL Ranch dressing and a small finely chopped Tomato.

Crack An Egg with the ham or bacon added only.

Peel and eat shrimp with cocktail sauce from Whole Foods.

Old Wisconsin Turkey bites

Rotisserie chicken.

Riced cauliflower

Fresh Apples or right now Pears (perfect this time of year but a lot of sugar so just a slice or two at a time)

93% lean cooked Ground beef and crunchy taco shells with a good fresh pico.

Brie

pretzels

This is pretty much my diet at 4 months post op.

Just throwing this out (pun intended) as it was something I really grappled with. I waste food now. And I was raised not to so it's been hard. But the bottom line is I've had to come to terms with it and let it be "no big deal". My work is the kind that often provides "Meals" as part of it's meetings etc. Which is lovely. No complaining here. But I have found that nearly every single time I end up throwing away more than half the meal. And quickly so people don't notice. I've tried to "save" it in a doggy bag for the next day and/or bring it home for the family. But the truth is... day-old Protein doesn't go down as well. Often too dry. And neither my hubs or the kiddo are eager for my leftovers.

So I've found myself hiding the food under a napkin until it is removed for me or I can sneak to a trash can. I used to feel this weight of guilt with the waste. Of course I order the smallest option offered. I did attempt in the beginning out of necessity eating my cottage cheese and tomatoes out of a tupperware during these meetings. It felt like a SPOTLIGHT ON MY DIET. But I did it until I could eat most foods. But now... I order like everyone else. And toss.

So, I guess my whole point of this post is to say... the moment I decided I wasn't going to beat myself up for the wasted food was the moment I felt a cloud pass that had been hanging over me for a while. It's a part of my journey. And if it's a part of yours too I'd like to encourage you to give yourself permission to not stress about it. As the months pass I find it happens less and less. That's a good thing. But I'm no longer worried about it. People don't talk about this much so I wanted to share. ONWARD!

Pleased for you! You've been an inspiration to many of us. Enjoy this new lease on life! Best of luck with the PS.

On 9/29/2020 at 5:33 PM, JKSharPei said:

MaybeMeow, how did your preop go? Your starting weight and height are what mine were. I've lost some weight since starting the WLS process (nowhere close to my IBW) because I've been compliant with diet and exercise. I'm worried that surgery will be denied if my BMI goes down too low. I'm stuck in a holding pattern waiting on the surgical coordinator to give me a surgery date then to submit pre-authorization to my insurance company. The last I heard, surgeries now are being scheduled for November. I can be patient and don't mind the delay so much as the not knowing whether the surgery will be approved or not. I know I need surgery; aside from the weight itself, I've developed several obesity-related comorbidities and have a really awful family history on both sides (cardiovascular, diabetes, morbid obesity, etc.).

If you don't mind my asking, did you lose any weight before surgery? Did you have to deal with insurance approval problems, or was it a pretty easy process?

I did not have any comorbidities and my BMI was in the lower range so I did not apply for insurance coverage as my surgeon said he was certain I would not be approved. I paid out of pocket. I will cross my fingers for you that you are approved.

My nut said 800-1000 for months 3-6 to lessen risk of Hair loss, mal nutrition and metabolism distress. That seemed like a lot for a couple weeks. Now I get it no problem. When I hear those lower numbers I wonder if I should be eating less as my WL is slow (about 1.5 pounds a week) but my hunger is increasing since I started walking 4-5 miles a day so I worry I wouldn't be able to feel ok on 400-600. I suppose I'll continue to follow my nut's advise. Something I'm looking forward to is at 6 months my carb number can match my Protein number. I really crave pretzels, fruit and rice so that will be nice.

On 9/18/2020 at 8:28 AM, Repeatingthoughts said:

hey everyone..hope you are well!

Hi Repeating! Popping in today hello to all my Bypassers. How's everyone hangin'? I don't have a lot that's new to share. I'm in a bit of a stall having teetered with the points of the same pound for about 10 days now. 186.6 one day 186.2 the next. Back and forth. As long as I don't see the full number above I try and not give it much thought. I ate at my first restaurant in 6 months a couple weeks ago. Patio seating of course. But it was the first time I was eating outside of my home since surgery and it was scary for sure. I ordered pork-shank wings and a yogurt parfait. Ate two wings and 2 bites of the parfait. The meat was delicious but 2 of them was about 3 oz and I rarely eat that much in one sitting. Towards the end of the meal with extended family (who do not know I had surgery) I was sweating and breathing deeply and praying I would not be sick. Luckily the weather was lovely and I needed to pick up some masks from a store down the street so we strolled to it after paying the bill and I was able to walk ahead with my daughter, chew a papaya enzyme and breath and burp. I made it to our car about 25 minutes later feeling much better. And by the time we got home I was fine. This "feeling" happens often actually where I've eating Protein too quickly and I feel nauseous and as if the food won't go down. But it always passes without incident. This time was the worst but I managed and I now feel much braver about eating out. I do get very hungry. Which is why I eat too quickly. I'm having about 4 very small "meals" a day, a daily coffee with fairlife and sometimes a small treat at night like 10 m&ms. And I'm ravenous for each one. I wish I was like the others who aren't hungry. Proteins are harder to digest but there really isn't anything I can't eat. And I've tried everything except rice, real bread and Pasta. When I eat a sweet my stomach bubbles a lot. But then settles. My hot flashes continue even with the new Vitamin with Black Cohosh. I figure it's just a forever thing since I've been dealing with them for a couple years now. But they are worse since surgery. The steady routine Covid provides allows me a great deal of consistency over my food schedule. So this is the time to be successful. IIt will only get harder when "real life" returns like work and travel and more outings. I've added push ups to my daily walking work out. I get in about 5 miles in a day. Nothing spectacular cardio-wise but it's steady movement. Feeling pretty good. 31.5 pounds down. Hoping for 1.5 more before Oct 9th which will be my 4 month post date and my "halfway to goal mark". That's about it. I'd love to hear how everyone else is doing in their day-to-day. Onward Bypassers!

11 hours ago, Repeatingthoughts said:

Hey everyone! Happy Labor Day. Hope you are all well. Just checking in. I’m heading into my week 7. So far so good. Glad I can finally begin to do some intense workouts. Still feel some pain on my left side so I will take it somewhat easy. Lol. I feel so good and loving all the NSV. So far I’ve lost 37lbs since the day of surgery.

37 pounds is AMAZING!! Keep doin what you're doin. What kind of workouts are you up to?

On 9/4/2020 at 9:25 AM, 613cnn said:

@Groovymommy you’re doing so great! Very happy for you and your success

I continue to be on the slow end of things. I’m 11 weeks out today and just shy of 30lbs down. I went on vacation for a couple weeks and ate more than I should; and things I shouldn’t. I ate 1/2 a salad yesterday which was very surprising to me. Apparently my dr is known for making small pouches and yet I can eat about 3-4 ounces of things. More if the food is at all wet - like if it has sauces or salsa, dressing or anything like that. My dietician was not surprised by this. She said that the bad foods - anything fried, puffed, chips, super crunchy things, all of that condenses down pretty efficiently when you chew it so it slides. And you can eat a lot of it. Which is not good. I’m sharing because this was a nuance I didn’t realize before. The irony is that the Snacks are easy to eat, and the healthy foods - like grilled chicken, are not. In short - headspace is very important. I need to work on that.

Other than that - my labs are stellar. Everything is normal or in the “very healthy range”. I’m walking 4 miles a day 5-6 days a week. Getting in Water and Protein. My cholesterol dropped from 270 to 160. I’d like to be further down on the scale, but I know my food choices have hindered that. I have to refocus every day and work very hard to address emotional and recreation eating.

Next up - strength training

hope everyone else is doing well and staying safe!

@613cnn I could've written your post above. Except I'm 12.5 weeks out and 29 pounds down. Everything else is the same... walking 4-5 miles a day (tho I'm 7 days a week) . Carbs go down easy and I eat too many but try and keep them at least the same as my Protein most days. Gotta commit to strength training.

@Groovymommy... My hot flashes are miserable. My doc husband just recommended a Vitamin with Black Cohash and I started it last week. Nothing so far. But I'll stick with it since you say It works for you. Also my hubs is a big believer in the shoulder steroid shots. (and knees). Go for it. By the way I've now had two ibuprofins. Took them during a Migraine with a prilosec and lots of Water. No stomach problems. Don't plan to make it a habit but after 3 months of no Nsaids it sure worked. Envious of your lack of hunger. No such luck here. I'm getting about 1000 calories a day. Hence the slower weight loss. On the plus side no Hair loss yet and my labs are great.

I forgot to mention, I'm having some success in the constipation-battle with taking a senna every other evening. I wouldn't say it makes going easy but keeps me from getting backed up and colace was starting to make me a little nauseous. You might give it a try

Anyway, good to hear from you both. Here's hoping we hit our halfway goals soon! I've got 4 more pounds to halfway! Hope it happens by 4 months post as I've read 4 months is often where most hit their halfway. Onward Bypassers!

Hi Gang! So good to read your recent posts and catch up. I've been away for a couple weeks navigating life and wanted to pop back in and read and update.

Boy can I relate to ALL the recent posts. Like others my hunger is back. Not terrible but since it was gone for about 7 weeks I certainly notice it's return. It causes me to eat too fast and then I too experience that ROCK ON THE CHEST feeling. I find I have to go walk in my backyard and gently twist at the waist to find relief after nearly every meal. The twisting and holding briefly at the waist while walking seems to help move the food or gas along a bit. You might try it if you're struggling like I am. Hope it helps!

Like @Groovymommy I'm not exercising enough. I do walk for 30 minutes every evening. But it's easy and time for me to dial it up with some weights and harder cardio.

Really inspiring to hear about your weight losses! I'm progressing at my slower rate and pep-talking myself into believing it's right for me. I'm 9.5 weeks post op and have lost 25.5 pounds. Hoping to say 26 pounds gone by this Tuesday at 10 weeks post. I will say my greatest joy is my daily 1 cup of Fairlife 2% chocolate milk mixed with cold brew coffee and a little whipped cream. There's no doubt it increases my hunger and the Constipation but I've decided it's worth it. YUM!

Also started taking Senna. Two pills right before bed and it helps keep me regular with no side effects at all. The colace was starting to make me nauseous and so I was very happy to discover the senna. Give it a try if you're struggling. Very gentle.

I'm getting between 60-70 Protein a day. Hit 48 oz of Water daily despite by best efforts at more. And get about 800 calories a day. I know my daily carbs are a little high. My nut recommended under 40. I try and keep them at 60. And never higher than my protein. But I just can't give up that Fairlife and coffee with whip.

As far as deep analysis... I've been doing some too. I sure do relate to the discoveries that come from not loving much food anymore. The desire for it is like a drug. The lack of satisfaction from it is like a little nagging whisper in my ear. I do see how other addictions can become an issue. Carbs taste good and go down well but I can only eat very little or I feel sick. And everything else is harder to digest. I think acknowledging those feelings of dissatisfaction is helping me manage them. I still see my eating like "rewards". I get those protein grams and drink that water so I can have my carb treats. I'm afraid I'm just wired that way. But really admire those who find joy in healthier things.

Let me state here to make it official that I plan to kick UP the exercise starting now! My first WL goal is 60 pounds and at 25 i'm nearly halfway. Time to dial it up.

So great to hear from you all. Keep popping in, Bypassers, let's help inspire one another! ONWARD!!

On 7/26/2020 at 7:09 PM, 613cnn said:

I’ve had a bizzare week. I’m not getting on the scale until this Friday but I suspect I haven’t lost much. I’ve been craving a ton of bad things and feel like I’m eating too much... and then apparently got a severe gout attack in my wrist / hand. I have never had gout, doesn’t run in my family, and never heard of this as an issue. But apparently it’s somewhat common? Has anyone else has this?

omg the pain was horrible. Event went to the ER and cried for an hour. A full hour. No injury to my hand, Uric acid was low, but since we can’t take anti-inflammatories I got a 3 day dose of steroids and was told to “just watch it”. So I got that going for me. Lol

@613cnn how is your wrist? I've read about the gout and bypass. SO WEIRD. Why is it more common with bypassers? Hope you have relief now. How's everything else going?

On 8/11/2020 at 6:18 AM, tarotcardreader said:

Meow here is an article on limb lengths https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00464-002-8933-4 i sAw you mentioned it earlier

Thank you!! This was fascinating. And contradicted what my surgeon said about the shorter bypass slowing the loss. I do find it interesting that the study didn't address the negative side effects of losing weight and whether those symptoms differed with the shorter vs longer bypass. Thanks again so much for sharing!! It makes me want to dig deeper.

Hi Gang. Popping in to boast for a moment. My Weight loss is still slow but as I mentioned before I had the short bypass (only 100cm bypassed) and expected it to a certain degree. I was told it meant less risk of dumping, Hair loss, gallbladder issues and lack of nutrition. So I felt it was the right thing for me. But I admit the slower loss has been hard at times. Anyway, I am 8 week post op tomorrow and I've lost a cool 23 pounds. So... ok. But here's the boast. My daily Multi-Vitamin was making me nauseous. So I haven't really been taking it. No Calcium either as my husband mentioned some people get kidney stones from oral calcium and I've had one and it was a nightmare. Thought I'd see what my lab results were and adjust accordingly. Well I got them back today and everything is PERFECT! In fact, my Vitamin D was low before surgery and is NOT low now. B12, Iron, all in normal range. Cholesterol is lower. All looking great. With no vitamins! So... I'm feeling pretty good about that. I don't recommend this to anyone. I'm going to search for a less heavy duty Multivitamin and hope it goes down better. But hoo-ray on not compromising my health with the lack of calories and absorption. Anyway... hope everyone else is hanging in there. I'm truckin along slowly but surely. As long as I'm not stalling I feel pretty good about the day-to-day. Hope everyone else is having a particularly good day. ONWARD BYPASSERS!!

Never mind.

29 minutes ago, Grannyliz said:

Hi everyone! I am grannyliz, a young granny of 8. My gastric bypass was on May 7th and boy has it been a life changer, Mentally and physically. So far I have lost roughly 60 lbs.
I didn't think I really needed a support group until now. I have been struggling with trying to get fluids in me and literally no appetite whatsoever. Like, I literally am NEVER hungry. Just getting 2-3 oz of greek yogurt in me is a struggle.
I have been reading through the posts on here and have taken several of the suggestions to heart, so a very big thank you to those who have been posting suggestions.
I pray those that are recovering from their surgery are doing well.

Welcome @Grannyliz! The more the merrier. 60 pounds since May 7th is SO fantastic! You say you aren't hungry. Are you getting Protein Shakes in? How are you doing with Water?

On 7/25/2020 at 11:01 AM, Repeatingthoughts said:

Hi everyone. I’m heading home woohoo. How is everyone feeling ?

@maybemeow definitely will be drinking my liquids today. Lol do now want to return to the hospital.

Woo Hoo, @Repeatingthoughts! Hoping home feels good. How ya doin on your liquids and Protein today?

I'm trying coffee for the first time. Sipping it right now with a splash of chocolate Fairlife Protein Shake. I was suppose to wait for 8 weeks but I'm caving at 7.5 weeks. The decision on whether to send my 11 year old to In-person school or keep her home for Virtual learning is weighing verY heavily and I just decided I needed a pick me up. I nearly dished myself up a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and then decided NO! Have the coffee instead. It's reallY hitting the spot.

Over 60 is my daily goal.

30 gram homemade smoothie (Fage Greek, PB2, GENEPRO, banana Almond Milk)

2 oz ground beef = 16 grams pro

2 oz peel and eat shrimp. = 15 pro

= 61.

Sometimes I add a Weight Watchers cheese stick for 6 more grams = 67 total.

This is a typical day. Sometimes it chicken instead of ground beef. The shrimp is sometimes scallops.

4 hours ago, Repeatingthoughts said:

Thank you @wishmesmaller!

I am in my room now. Watching the Yankees game ♥️ I love my baseball. Feeling good. I can feel the pain of my stomach being cut. However, I am handling it well. Hope you are all ok. I am not allowed to eat or drink anything today. They provided me with the mint “popsicles”. Works well for dry mouth.

YAY! Welcome to the other side! Hope you're home soon. The first week is the hardest. Just survive. Stay hydrated. That's your only goal the first couple days.

4 hours ago, Repeatingthoughts said:

Thank you @wishmesmaller!

I am in my room now. Watching the Yankees game ♥️ I love my baseball. Feeling good. I can feel the pain of my stomach being cut. However, I am handling it well. Hope you are all ok. I am not allowed to eat or drink anything today. They provided me with the mint “popsicles”. Works well for dry mouth.

YAY! Welcome to the other side! Hope you're home soon. The first week is the hardest. Just survive. Stay hydrated. That's your only goal the first couple days.

4 hours ago, Repeatingthoughts said:

Thank you @wishmesmaller!

I am in my room now. Watching the Yankees game ♥️ I love my baseball. Feeling good. I can feel the pain of my stomach being cut. However, I am handling it well. Hope you are all ok. I am not allowed to eat or drink anything today. They provided me with the mint “popsicles”. Works well for dry mouth.

YAY! Welcome to the other side! Hope you're home soon. The first week is the hardest. Just survive. Stay hydrated. That's your only goal the first couple days.

1 hour ago, Repeatingthoughts said:

Thats awesome @groovymommy! We can see the ticker, it works .

just FYI, you can only see it via webpage not on the APP.

I just received my surgery time. I have to report to the hospital tomorrow at 5:30 AM. Holy moly, I am first to have surgery. This journey took a year and now the time is here

AHHhhHhhHH! We'll be sending you ((GOOD VIBES)) tomorrow! Then you can join us on the next chapter! Walk, and sip and check in when you can!!!

5 hours ago, WishMeSmaller said:

Hi Meow and fellow bypassers! I have had three rounds of vomiting so far; twice with fish and once with soft, white watermelon seeds. I approach my Protein sources very cautiously now and have only had tuna, salmon, scallops, and two tiny bites of my husbands chicken breast. I have no desire for tuna again, as that was the first thing that made me sick. The scallops are lovely! I have only lost about 7 pounds since surgery, which is bumming me out, but I am just sticking with the program. I eat around 500-600 kcals per day and generally get 60 + grams of Protein, 64 oz Water. I am walking most days for 20-30 minutes and averaging around 7000 total steps daily. I probably need to up my kcals a bit, but it is hard without adding fat and/or more carbs. I get plenty of carbs from Beans and occasional whole grain bread or crackers plus incidentals in dairy. I feel good and went back to work on Monday (2 weeks off). My energy is great, but I am tired by 8 pm.

Thinking best thoughts for all my pre- and post-op buddies out there!

SO sorry about the vomiting. Does it bring you relief? I have to say I've wanted to vomit several times. But haven't. Wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. On another thread on this subject several were saying it's much easier to throw up now than it was before surgery. Not as miserable. I've wondered if I should... um... try harder during those times when I've been nauseated. End the misery? I bet it's nice to be back to work. Helps distract from the eating and calculating?