lizonaplane

I've been pretty successful recently. I go to grocery stores and buy fruit and FF greek yogurt for breakfast, and often hummus, chicken and veggies for lunch. I'm getting so sick of hummus tho! I am still going out to dinners because it just depresses me to eat the same meat and hummus and veggies for too many meals. I try to order things that are high protein and low carb, but I often order Pho or some other noodle soup and eat just the meat, veggies, and broth I am certainly comfortable with speaking up, but most of the time I can just eat what I want of what I get - like skipping the rice or potatoes. I can eat most things, but I am still having a hard time with lettuce, so if I get like a chicken ceaser salad at the airport I'll just eat the chicken and dip it in the dressing.

So, my job requires VERY frequent travel, 3-6 days a week, most weeks, airplanes, hotels, restaurants, etc. I didn't travel for the first 5 weeks after surgery and I lost very well. Now I've been back on the road for two weeks and my weight has not moved this last week at all, in fact I went up 0.2 lbs. The week before I lost 1.4 lbs. Those two weeks I ate at a number of restaurants and even though I wasn't eating much, what I ate wasn't very healthy (high fat, still pretty low carb, moderate protein). I am worried that my job (which I absolutely love) will make it impossible for me to lose weight because I'm eating a lot at restaurants. I am on the road again now and I went to the grocery store and bought some things that don't have to be cooked/heated (I have a mini fridge but no microwave). I am trying not to make excuses, but it's hard to eat the same few things all the time. Did anyone else have to eat out a lot and still lose weight? Any suggestions?

I think weight loss slowing down is inevitable. But also, it sounds like there are some hormonal issues at play. Did you meet with an gyn to discuss the crampy/bloated feeling? Also, metformin can reduce your appetite, so if you are taking less of it, you may be more hungry... and you say you CAN eat more, but are you hungry for more? Finally, you might do at least a few "spot checks" of your protein and water intake, to see if you're on track. Just do a tracker for a day or so for a few weeks.

I had pain on my right side for weeks, but yours could be something else. Glad you are checking with your doctor. Let us know!

Yeah, I should have specified I only take the generics. Brand names are such a rip-off!

You're right - there are healthy ways to eat vegan, but I was thinking about how much protein you need after surgery, and how certain textures are difficult right away! Also, how much I rely on the whey protein and dairy. I've tried the vegan shakes and I don't like them; they seem gritty to me (also why I only use pre-made shakes, not powder to mix). But I shouldn't be so flip! My apologies to the vegan community!

I was not allowed caffeine for the first month, but there's always herbal like mint or chamomile.

I don't match your demographics (I'm 5'3", 41, starting weight 280, no PCOS, and I can't imagine having a goal for my bra size LOL), but I can try to give you some general information from what I've seen on here. The amount of hair people lose varies a lot, but no lotion or potion or supplement you take is going to fix it. It will start and stop on it's own UNLESS you don't get your protein and multivitamin in on a daily basis, and then the hair loss will be worse. People will swear by biotin, but there is no evidence, and increasing your biotin can cause weird liver function test results. You are young, so you have that on your side as far as loose skin. But again, it varies a lot. Like hair loss, there is NOTHING other than plastic surgery you can do to fix loose skin. No lotions or potions or supplements will help, nor will exercises. Focus on getting healthy, wait a few years after surgery to decide if you NEED plastic surgery. One thing to do in the meantime: if you have rashes or infections from your lose skin as you lose weight, document this with pictures and have your doctor document this in your chart because there is a possibility that your skin surgery could be covered by insurance if there is a documented medical need. I'm 8 weeks out from surgery, and my stomach has gone down, but it is still larger than I'd like. However, this again will vary. I carry a lot of weight in my stomach; some people carry more weight in their thighs and butt or in their chest. I will say that for many of the people whose pictures I have seen, you can notice it in the face before anywhere else. Good luck on this journey!

8 weeks out and I am mentally stable so far. Not sure I'm thrilled about having done the surgery, since it's now really unpleasant to eat and I'm hungry all the time. But the weight loss is very good - down 25lbs since surgery. I had sleeve, none of my meds are extended release, but I take a lot of meds because I have bipolar and anxiety. The only med I've changed is that I'm stopping the topamax which I took for migraines because I haven't had any migraines since surgery. I would highly recommend working with a psychopharmacologist if you take a lot of psych meds and are thinking about WLS. There's a lot to consider.

Nice job, and cute costume!

Have you tried things like Crystal Light or the Walmart brand or the Starburst brand? These really helped me after surgery because I started to really hate the taste of plain water. I've started not to like them and I'm preferring hot tea now. Also, I find that I'm better at getting my water in when I have the bottle RIGHT IN MY HAND when I'm watching tv or scrolling my phone or whatever. Or when I'm working, I have it next to my hand on the desk. When I'm cooking, I take it into the kitchen. Good luck!

I have had these. The best relief was to make sure I didn't get constipated - since I take meds that cause constipation, I take miralax almost every day. Hope it gets better!

I liked refried beans a lot. I ate them with cheese and/or ff greek yogurt. You could try the vegan versions of these, or just eat the refried beans by themselves. Also, tofu would be okay, because it's soft and is high in protein. Maybe hot and sour soup just eating the broth and the tofu, not the woody vegetables? Or tom yum soup with tofu? Or a tofu scramble? Hummus is something I've eat a lot of, although I've eaten it with meat or egg, but you could try it with tofurkey or something similar. It must be really hard to find things to eat that are high in protein that are vegan! Good luck!

I like them well enough. It's a different texture, but still a tasty product. I haven't had them since surgery. I'll have to try some when I get home in a week.

I don't think it's surprising since you're still healing. I was told that if I experienced violent or repeated vomiting I should call my surgery center. You might touch base with them. I was also told that if I threw up I should go back to the previous stage to rest my stomach for 24 hours. I think they were only really concerned about extreme vomiting, but it can't hurt to touch base with them. Good luck!

I would agree with this. I have gone out to eat with friends and had meals with my family, and I don't wish I was eating more. If anything, when I see how much my brother is eating, it makes my heart break because it's not healthy. Also, since it takes me a long time to eat my 2oz, I'm spending as much time enjoying my meal as they are.

I was able to take pretty big mouthfuls by a few weeks out. But, I don't think it's so much the size of the mouthful as how much you bring the cup/mug/bottle/etc to your lips. I find when I'm at home I'm great about getting my fluids in because I keep it right next to me and pick it up every few minutes. When I'm at the mall or whatever, it's much harder because I hate carrying things (I don't even carry a purse). I have found since surgery that plain water just isn't as appealing anymore (I used to love it) and neither is diet soda. I use the Starburst and Great Value brand sugar free drink flavoring packets (like Crystal Light, but I don't like that brand) and instead of adding to 16oz of water I add it to 24 oz of water. I also drink a ton of hot tea. These things help me drink more.

This is true hunger. My bariatric therapist said about 20% of her patients have no loss of hunger after surgery. It feels exactly like if I had gone all day without eating prior to surgery, but I have it all the time, even right after a meal. I don't have specific cravings for food, although my mom served my favorite cake last night (there were guests besides me there) and I definitely wanted some, but decided the risk of starting back on eating cake wasn't worth what I remembered the cake tasting like. I had a ff greek yogurt instead. It was a little sad, but I'm glad I made that choice. Of course, I've lost 25 lb in the 8 weeks since surgery and I'm down 75 since I started preparing for surgery in February, so I'm trying to focus on the positive. It's just that I too thought everyone looses their hunger and starts craving healthy foods. It's just not true (although MOST people do lose their hunger for about 6 months).

I don't drink (never liked the taste) but I've definitely been enjoying food a lot since surgery. I eat a lot less (I am less than 2 months out, so I eat about 2 oz of meat/protein at a time), so that is definitely hard, but I still enjoy the food. Is this process easy. NO WAY! You have to change your relationship with food or it won't work. You can still enjoy food, but if you eat the same crap food you ate that made you obese, you will lose weight then gain it right back, or you will not lose much to begin with. This has been the hardest part for me. I am resisting changing WHAT I eat, because I enjoy rich, sweet, restaurant foods. I don't want to eat simply seasoned, fresh, healthy foods. But I want this process to work, so I'm doing my best. I travel every week for work so some days I buy food from the grocery store and eat roast beef, hummus, prechopped veggies, ff greek yogurt, protein shakes, etc in my hotel room, and yes, it's a bit sad. Sometimes I do go out to restaurants and order something, enjoy my few oz of protein and a tiny bit of veggies, but I feel like it's not healthy enough... If you think you can live your old life eating five course restaurant meals after surgery, sure, you can do that after a few years, but you will gain your weight back. Just like any other weight loss scheme, you have to eat less. Right now, I physically can't eat much at one time, but if I were to graze or eat junk food, my weight loss would slow. And I was counting on not being hungry and I'm starving all the time. And I was counting on my tastes to change so I wouldn't like unhealthy food. Nope! This is hard. Think carefully. I don't regret doing it, but it's the hardest thing I've ever done, and I lost 100 lbs through diet and exercise. This is way harder in many ways.

I have never had the foamies. I threw up very dry chicken once, but that's it.

I have always loved watermelon, and I've been eating it a lot, because it's easy to get pre-cut watermelon at the stores when I travel. It's hard to eat it slowly enough because it sort of disintegrates, but I still enjoy it. I have been eating pork tenderloin the last few days at my parents' house. It's dry (even though it's not overcooked at all, still pink and juicy) but I've been putting hummus or baba ganouj on it and it's so high in protein that it's helpful. I don't particularly enjoy chewing it to mush, but it's no different than other foods. Have you tried deli roast beef? I'm 8 weeks out and I have no issues with beef. I enjoy deli roast beef and beef short rib and flank steak cooked in Pho or Ramen (I just don't eat the noodles).

I lost a total of 2 lbs on my pre-op diet. I have had good weight loss since surgery. It looks like you already lost weight prior to your pre-op diet, which means you didn't have the "water weight" that a lot of people lose during the pre-op diet. Don't Panic!

I was hoping that my tastes would change after surgery, but they really did not, with the exception of french fries/fried potatoes (tried two different types out of curiosity and they just tasted mealy and gross). I enjoy the protein shakes and artificially sweetened yogurt. I haven't had any real sweets yet, so I guess I'm hoping to break up with those. I'm at my parents' house right now and there are some other guests so my mom bought my favorite cake from the fancy French bakery and I didn't try it. I am afraid that I will like it and I won't stop eating sweets. Also, I had a bit of fear of dumping, even though I had the sleeve. I ate a light and fit greek yogurt watching them eat the cake... it was a little sad.

So happy for you!

Update: I've started getting a bit nauseous from the ProCare Health but I think I just need to take them with food. Apparently vitamins absorb better with food anyway. Our surgery center said no gummies. I was supposed to take the chewable vitamins for a month after surgery but I couldn't stand them so I switched to the capsules after two weeks and I had no issues (until I started getting nauseous a few days ago).