lizonaplane

I read an article recently from a nutrition journal (one designed for nutritionists) that said that there's not much evidence for separating food and drink long term. However, I find it uncomfortable to drink after eating. I'm getting used to it, but before surgery I would usually drink several big glasses of water or diet soda with my meals

I drink fizzy drinks. My surgery center said new research indicated that there was no issue, so they allow it a month after surgery, if it feels okay.

I also don't tend to eat in the morning, or until about 11. I have iced coffee with a lot of milk and that seem to be enough most days. I wouldn't want to swim on a full stomach. I know that thing about getting a cramp and drowning is BS, but I don't think it would be comfortable. I swim as soon as I get up in the morning normally, except on vacation, but then I'm eating more anyway.

I didn't have to do that, but I did lose 50 lbs before surgery just through counting calories and eating 1500 calories a day. I think your surgeon may want you to lose weight to be safer for surgery if you are above a certain BMI (I can't tell from your profile). Your plan will be hard, but it will all be over in a few months, and about a month after surgery you will start to eat "real" food, although food may not taste good for a while. Good luck!

I also get nauseous from the multivitamins. It's very common. Make sure you have a good amount of food in your stomach, and I find if I take it right before bed then lie down, it's better... I don't throw up TOO often ? I just started trying ProCare Health without iron, and it MIGHT be better, but I still need the iron, so not sure what to do about that. (also, I couldn't tolerate the chewables - they were so gross! so I started with the capsules two weeks after surgery. They're big pills, but I don't have any issues swallowing pills)

I hate lemon. I like the milk, and I don't care what other people think. But I like his coffee cup, even though it would be way too small for the amount of coffee and tea I drink.

I really would go back to the surgery center and ask them if there is anything else you're allowed to try given your allergies. Four months is a long time to be eating the same foods at every meal.

Are you allowed to eat nuts and nut butters? Edamame? You could make vegetarian chili with lots of beans for protein/fiber. Tofu curry.

Bodies are weird. And exercise doesn't really cause you to lose weight. It's good for maintaining weight long term and it's essential for health, but 90% of weight loss is food choices. I would continue to track your eating and see how that goes but if you feel stuck, reach out to your medical team. It's such a struggle!

I would talk to your surgery center and explain to them that their list doesn't give you many options. We didn't have to wait on chicken, pork, or beef, so maybe they will be more flexible? I don't understand why they would let you have ground turkey but not ground chicken or beef. You could also try turkey deli meat, or different preparations of ground turkey. I make turkey chili, ground turkey stroganoff, turkey taco meat, etc. And even though I wasn't able to eat more than a bite or two of veggies, I was glad to have them. They can just be reheated for your next meal. Good luck!

I will go twice a day if I'm traveling for work and work is paying. I get a large iced coffee, large hot tea, and a cheese box. That's breakfast and lunch

I'm 9 months out and I haven't felt like I've had more energy than before surgery until this week. I feel restless if I don't get enough exercise, and I want to work out twice a day. I'm trying to be careful and vary the exercise from day to day so I don't get injured, and I still have a tendency to inertia, but it's definitely a huge change. I notice since I'm losing weight my Apple Watch tells me I'm burning fewer calories for the same amount of exercise ? I know that's to be expected, but it's getting harder and harder to get to 500 calories burned in a day. Do you get hungry from exercise? I only find I am hungrier after swimming.

Just looked up the London Fog... 180 calories and 29 g of sugar for a medium!!! Holy cow! I guess it's not as bad as some of the drinks which are basically milkshakes lol

I bought a sugar free chai concentrate and it was WAYYYY too sweet. It was undrinkable, and I normally put 7 Splendas in my coffee, so I like things sweet. I might have to try this one. I might also try the sugar free vanilla syrup in my Earl Grey sometime. I'm trying to only buy Starbucks when work is paying or when I've been away and don't have any coffee. It's not as much the cost as the plastic waste, since I don't always remember to bring my reusable cup.

What is a London Fog? I usually get Earl Grey tea with 2% milk and Splenda, but it's always more bitter than when I get Earl Grey tea other places (I have to get the Blonde roast at Starbucks because their regular blend is super bitter too!). I love caffeine, so I don't mind that everything is caffeinated. I also am fortunate to be able to drink dairy milk, but it's good to know that the fake milks have sugar in them.

Yes, they do. I scheduled one for next week. I just looked at my last results from Feb 2022, and I've only lost about 20 lbs since then so it might not be too different. I am feeling a bit too obsessed with my weight/stats at this point, but oh well...

Thanks @catwoman7. I have had two DEXA scans, but I hadn't thought of that as a way to check the fat in my stomach. I'll schedule another soon.

How long ago did you have surgery? If it's in the last month or so, what you're feeling is completely normal; many people have "buyer's remorse" after surgery. I sure did! I couldn't eat anything without pain and nothing tasted good for three months or so. By about 4 months out, I started to enjoy eating again. I can eat pretty much anything now at nine months out, though smaller portions. Which is exactly what I wanted. I could eat beef stew with rice (although, I'm not a fan of rice!). I just have to be careful not to eat junk food, which I can eat too much of too easily. This is a very hard process and I recommend you meet with a bariatric therapist. My family and I really enjoy going out to eat and trying new foods when we travel. We still do that, I just don't finish everything now. You will still be able to enjoy your husband's cooking. I think I appreciate food more now because I'm actually savoring it, not just inhaling it. I think it will get better for you.

I have tried three different brands of multivitamins. No matter how I take it, I throw up some days. I bought some iron-free pills, but I will need to take iron, so I don't know what the point is if I take them separately vs together. I took iron with no issues prior to surgery. I just try to eat a big dinner late, or have a decent sized snack with fat before I take the pill, then go right to bed.

I was told I didn't have to take calcium if I got enough from my diet. I'm pretty close, some days I get more than I need. But I don't take the supplements usually because they aren't absorbed well. We weren't told to take fiber supplements. If I get constipated I drink coffee, take miralax, and use a suppository, in that order if it doesn't get better.

I'm sorry you're facing this. It is true that you likely will not lose as much with each successive surgery. If you don't have a complication from the sleeve (like GERD), your insurance will not likely approve another surgery. Most insurance only covers one bariatric surgery per person, lifetime. Other options you have include meeting with a nutritionist and bariatric therapist to work with the sleeve you already have, or paying out of pocket for the bypass . Good luck!

Columbia runs notoriously small compared to other brands. I wear a M in LL Bean and most other brands and a L in Columbia. And I've always been one size bigger in Columbia than other brands, whatever size. I love their fleeces tho!

How do you tell whether the pudginess you have left is loose skin or if it's still mostly/all belly fat? I am wearing a size 10/medium depending on the brand. I have a 32.5 in waist, and I'm at a BMI of 29. My weight loss has slowed down tremendously this month (today is exactly 9 months out). I thought it was all belly fat, but it's starting to feel a lot "squishier" and "looser" in the skin in my abdomen. I really don't plan to have plastics (although the FUPA is redonkulous!) but I am trying to gage how much more of my belly fat I can expect to lose.

I eat desserts out (part of a dessert, mostly on vacations) but I don't bake at this stage (9 months out). I used to bake as a reaction to stress, which means that if I were stress baking, I'd likely be stress eating, too. I live alone but during the pandemic used to bake loads of bread and sweets for my town. I gained 20 lbs just from the amount that I didn't give away! Granted, this was before surgery, but I know that I can eat sweets too easily even now, and I don't want to have that stuff around even while I'm getting it ready to give away. It's okay not to bake. There are plenty of ways to show your family your love that don't involve food, and this will set them up for better habits anyway.

I have digestive issues if I eat onions (unless they've been cooked for HOURS) so I feel your pain! It's also hard to explain that you can eat the onions cooked INTO the chili but NOT the raw onions/scallions on top. It must be some enzyme that breaks down with heat, but it's definitely different. I also am allergic to mango skin, but not the mango. So, I just have to hope the mango is peeled well. If not, I get an itchy mouth. I don't like green peppers, but I LOVE roasted red peppers.