lizonaplane

This is what the study was looking at: if you kept calories the same, did you lose more weight with intermittent fasting. To that, the answer was a resounding NO. However, as you have pointed out, if eating only during certain hours makes you eat fewer calories overall, then you will have better results than if you eat more calories overall. I found that I was even colder with intermittent fasting (I only fasted on certain days). Of course, this was presurgery. I have noticed that I tend to eat a later breakfast or no breakfast other than very milky iced coffee, with an early lunch around 11:30. I used to stop eating by around 6, but now I need to eat a substantial snack before bed or I'll puke from my multivitamin. Of course, I am usually in bed by 9 or ten, although with all the time zone changes, who knows what time my body thinks it is?

Someone on another WLS group said she puts one in her bra, but I'm thinking that might not work for your hubby!

Unfortunately, I am pretty sensitive to wool in particular. Oh well!

Thanks! I ordered some of these and they just came in. Haven't tried them yet since I've been working from home.

I'm glad to hear it gets better. It used to be that if I did some exercise for ten minutes, I would be warm for hours... now I'm only warm for about 20 minutes! I know I need to do more weight training, but I get lost trying... I did meet with a trainer, but she wasn't very friendly.

Thanks! I'm about at a M right now, so that should be fine. I bought some base layers and haven't found them that helpful, but maybe that brand is better?

I 100% agree with what @Queen ApisM said! You have lost a tremendous amount of weight in a short period of time. You will not lose 40lbs in a month unless you are the size of the people on My 600 Pound Life, which you are NOT. Everyone's journey is different. I had lost 50 lbs before surgery, so my weight loss after surgery wasn't that fast, and at 8 months out, I'm still losing (I have lost only 4 lbs this month, but that's still better than I would have done without surgery). I felt like my surgery center abandoned me too. I just kept pushing, and they did get back to me, and I was able to meet with the nutritionist, therapist, and an obesity medicine specialist.

The pre-op diet is the hardest part. After surgery, it's hard to even get the "food" down, but by the time you get to purees, you'll love that refried beans or Greek yogurt or ricotta bake! They will taste like "real food." Every plan is different, but by the time I was one month out I was eating most things except carbs and salad. Food didn't taste good then, and it was hard to eat, not gonna lie! However, by four months out, I was able to eat and enjoy real food easily, although I was still limiting carbs and lettuce was really hard. I'm now 8 months out and unfortunately, I've started back with more carbs than is ideal, but I am still doing well. You WILL eat real food again, but hopefully healthier food and smaller portions!

Make sure to write down a list of questions to ask. It's so easy to forget things you want to discuss when you get there - often the surgeon/team is rushed and you want to be sure you have the information you need!

I know someone through a WLS support group who developed reactive hypoglycemia after surgery. I think the best bet is to check in with your doctor. Good luck!

I'm not doubling up on any vitamins - all I take is one bariatric multivitamin every day. I know iron can be an issue, but pre-surgery I used to take the same amount of iron by itself because I wanted to be able to donate platelets (I have stopped donating due to lack of time). Our surgery center said no patches and no gummies. I will talk to them about going off the multivitamins.

Surgeons vary so much! I couldn't survive on 900 calories a day at 8 months out. I eat about 1200-1500 calories a day, and about 80-120 g of carbs, 70-90g protein, and 45-55g fat. Fluid I don't track but my pee is very light in color. I'm still losing weight well. I've discussed with the nutritionist from the surgery center and they are very happy with my progress and what I'm eating.

Stalls can last about a month sometimes - the closer you get to a "normal" weight, the longer the stalls get. Many people think that they will lose 40 lbs in the first month like the people on My 600 Lb Life. Well, unless you start out weighing 600 lbs, you won't lose 40 lbs in a month. The amount of weight you will lose in a given amount of time varies a lot, based on age, BMI, gender, how much weight you lost before surgery, etc. I started out with a BMI of 40ish at surgery, but I had already lost 50 lbs. Since my surgery, I've lost about 4-12 lbs every month.

You've lost 28 lbs in 7 weeks!!! That's FOUR POUNDS A WEEK! That's huge. You only lose super quickly at the very beginning because of water weight. After that its slows down, and you will have some stalls; that's normal and unavoidable. You did not really gain weight - your weight can go up a pound or two due to water weight, constipation, salty food, etc. The latest research on intermittent fasting is that it doesn't work, so you might read up on that - a brand new, well done study just came out. Hang in there... try to have realistic expectations!

Hello! Thank you all for allowing me in the group🥰 I just had a consultation and I barely qualify for the sleeve but I do! Yay! I'm 5'6 194 lbs. A few questions: I heard going out of the country is cheaper - anyone go out of the country for the surgery? Like, Mexico. I'm in Florida. How did it turn it? I was not comfortable going out of the country, but my insurance covered it, so that was even cheaper than going to Mexico. I know many people who have been happy with their results in Mexico, but I know one person who felt that she needed more care than she got, plus I know that some people go there when they are not approved in the US, and they may not be as careful about turning people down in Mexico. What's the pros and cons I should be aware of? Pros: you will most likely lose a good amount of weight. You MAY see improvement in certain health conditions. You will be able to fit in smaller clothes. You MAY be able to me more active. If you lose weight, people will be nicer to you (sick, but true!) Cons: This is major surgery, and while the chance of a bad outcome is VERY SMALL, there is still some risk. Losing weight will not make you a completely different person - most of your problems will be the same, but you won't be able to use food to cope with them anymore. You will need to take a multi-vitamin every day for the rest of your life, and if you're like me, the multi-vitamin may make you throw up. You may lose some of your hair for a few months I've heard so many horror stories ie people throwing up, not being able to ever eat "normal" again, higher risk for cancer, etc etc etc. I've been doing research but id love to hear yalls thoughts since i know you're live ppl I can actually communicate with😊 I threw up once because the food was too dry (3 weeks after surgery). About once every two weeks I throw up from my multi-vitamin. I've tried three different brands, but it sucks. The only way you could be at a higher risk for cancer I can think of is if you have really bad GERD after sleeve, develop Barrett's esophagus, and this becomes cancer. However, if you get really bad GERD after sleeve, you could have a revision to bypass. Many forms of cancer have higher rates in people who are obese, so it's likely your risk of cancer will go down if you have surgery and lose weight. I eat more "normally" now than before surgery. Before surgery my portions were WAY TOO BIG and I was eating unhealthy food too often. Now I eat a more normal sized portion and less junk food. The only things I can't really eat easily are lettuce and rice, and those are getting easier. Thanks a bunch!

Mine was loud at the beginning, but now it's only loud occasionally. But, my mom and cousin also have very loud stomachs and they didn't have surgery, so it doesn't seem that weird to me.

I would have been fine to sit in a theatre at two weeks out, but some people do have diarrhea, so be aware of that. Constipation is much more common. Make sure you bring a bottle of water so you don't get dehydrated. Maybe allow yourself extra time for getting to the train and getting from the train to the theatre in case walking makes you tired, or your incisions are sore. It sounds wonderful!

Having bariatric surgery is not "the easy way out"... it's really the only proven treatment for obesity. One surgeon told me that if you have more than 100 lbs to lose, the odd of losing it and keeping it off are 1 in 2000! I had lost 50, 80, 100 lbs various times and always gained it back. Yes, I might gain my weight back this time, but the odds are much better since I had surgery. You can try to lose that 85 lbs but even if you do, you will almost certainly gain it back, and based on your history, you will end up heavier than ever. However, in order to keep the weight off after surgery, you will have to make permanent changes to your eating habits. For example, I'm 8 months out and I can eat anything I want... which means it's up to me to choose the best options. Right now, I'm limited in how much I can eat as long as I eat protein rich foods, but if I'm eating cookies, I can eat too much too easily. I had sleeve, not bypass, but the outcome/recovery is basically the same. You just have to be more careful with vitamins after bypass. I don't feel that I'm "missing" 90% of my stomach, but eating definitely feels different, and that can be frustrating sometimes. However, I am happy I did the surgery.

If you're only eating 950 calories but you're lifting weights and doing treadmill, it's likely you need to eat more. Or, make sure the food you are eating during the day is high quality and likely to keep you full - protein, fiber, and fat. As long as you're in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight, though the rate varies and there are always stalls, no matter how few calories you eat... and if you eat too few calories, you may slow down your weight loss. The other thing to consider is drinking things like coffee/tea that have caffeine which can reduce hunger. Or milk, which can help you feel full. Raw non-starchy veggies could be a good option when you just want to munch on something.

Stalls can last up to a month. The closer you are to a "normal" weight, the longer they last, but they can last a month or more even at the beginning. Some people have more stalls than normal. This is a true head game - it's very frustrating. Sometimes eating different foods for a few days, or drinking more or exercising more, can help break a stall, but sometimes.... you just have to be patient!

A woman in another group I'm in has a similar issue. She said her surgeon told her that she had made her sleeve purposely large, but we don't know why. She is also having a hard time. I often feel like I COULD fit more in, but I have to ask myself "do I NEED more?" That is what people who have never been obese do. They stop before they are over-full, even if they COULD fit more in. Being in discomfort is not the goal! Not being HUNGRY is the goal. Also, try adding a bit of fat to your meal, like cheese sauce or something. I find that keeps me full longer.

I think people have given you good ideas. You will need to bring protein shakes or something, but there is likely going to be some sort of soft/mushy food you can eat. Talk to your nutritionist about what are some things likely to be on the menu you can eat. If there are beans, for example, or soft cheese. I am not too sure what sorts of foods are common at German work functions LOL! I've heard some other Europeans on here talk about pate, so maybe that's something that would be there.

1200 calories is not a lot, but it depends on 1200 calories OF WHAT FOOD. Are you eating protein and veggies, or are you eating cakes, sweets, and chips? You will not feel restriction if you are eating sugary or salty snacks because they dissolve into nothing, but if you eat lean protein, you will likely feel restriction. For example, I went out to sushi last night, but didn't eat the rice, so I essentially just ate raw fish - pure protein. I was stuffed! But then after I got back to my hotel I found a rice krispy treat and was able to eat half of it with no issues... oh well. I also have been hungry since day one! I was put on metformin and topamax (topirimate) by my medical team, and it definitely helps the hunger. So does tea and coffee, and drinking enough in general. Also, two weeks of not losing weight is totally normal. As far as exercise... gentle walking likely won't make you hungry (except if you're "expecting" it to). It is good for your mood and while it is unlikely to help you lose weight (you can't out-exercise a bad diet!), it is excellent for health and it is good for keeping weight off long term. Good luck!

I travel for work and was told not to fly for four weeks. I started flying (cross-country) on week five, with no issues. Get up to move around on the flight to prevent any chance of blood clots, but you should be fine (check with your surgery center of course - we're not doctors!). I didn't notice feeling any better, more energy, etc after surgery. I walk faster, but I still get tired feet if I stand on concrete all day, and I feel tired at the end of my day just as much as before surgery. I can walk more hours and I feel restless if I don't exercise.

I would say around 700-800 calories and about 60+ g of protein.