learn2cook

Hooray, you lost a quarter of a cheerleader! Who are you comparing yourself to again? You are doing the work and results are showing.

There are three wealthy towns nearby that have a Savers, Salvation Army, and Goodwill plus a well off consignment store. Everything in our house gets thrifted except intimate items. I found tops the easiest to find. Pants need to be a name brand that I know fits me or my son well. When I lived in the Rockies, I would wait for a Denver or Phoenix trip to thrift in the cities.

I find that I graze on Saturdays. So, to keep my weight in check, I prepped all the Snacks so I would make healthy choices and know every lick, bite,and sip. It took the pressure off the day and made me feel more normal? I also take a break from logging food that day.

I was tired of being happy to find clothes and hairstyles that were “ adequate.” So I went down the rabbit hole of Kibbe typing, finding my “essence,” and getting my colors done. By the time my hair got disastrous I had a plan with a new hair dresser to get a shorter style that flattered me. Yes, I do miss my long silver tresses, but my overall look is so much more feminine and professional. Weekend warrior style is just as easy. You can turn this into a wonderful adventure into living your best life both internally and externally. (Sorry, I’m a special need’s teacher and mom so I’m paid for positive thinking.) There’s a million YouTube videos waiting for anyone of any potential to discover!

Great weight loss results! I had only the bypass but continue to talk with others at my practice who have had both. There are some with lots of pain, and a slightly longer recovery, and some with less. Like anything, adjust to your needs, it’s not a comparison. Remember the whole surgery and recovery is very very temporary. I wish you the best.

Constipation and general digestive disruptions are very common with weight loss surgery. Many of us go out of our way to eat green leafy vegetables and/or take Fiber supplements daily to keep things regular. If you do a search for constipation you will find many many threads with helpful tips.

I had bypass and I dump on sugars mostly. I agree with the above posters. I have an early warning system of seeing halos and then spots before my eyes. I find it helpful to get Protein quickly to cut the sugar reaction. It happens 15-45 minutes after eating the offensive food. I’ve also had a delayed sugar reactive episode from eating a cup of ramen. It was 2 hours later and felt like dumping. Basically, your body will tell you what you need and what to avoid.

I had those same struggles. Of course each person is different, so I’m glad your team is checking it out! Mine was because I’d had GERD with Barrett’s esophagus and a hiatal hernia. That poor old esophagus had a lot of healing to do from all the repair work. It just took longer to heal. Some things like boiled eggs and communion wafers still get stuck at 18 months out. 

My tests and biopsies come back ok, my doc said that it’s common for that to happen in women of my age (less saliva) with that amount of previous damage. We keep a regular eye on the esophagus, but it’s okay and normal. I hope your tests come out normal too!

I had bypass and my surgeon oked alcohol for occasions, which was all I do anyway. One or two beers on a hot 4th of July was fine. I ate a handful of nuts in the middle so I wouldn’t dump. Beer is straight carb with little nutrients so when I’m actively loosing it’s not a good choice. No problems with the carbonation, and there are active fermentation Probiotics if you get a good microbrew. I kept up with my Water intake all day too, so no dehydration issues. Just stop if you feel icky, that’s pretty much true of most things.
I would try it at home first in case you have a problem with dumping from sugar or the different way your body will react to alcohol or carbonation. I’d hate to be at the beach with a super stool softener!

It looks like you are 4 days post op. You should be on liquids at this stage. Please call your doctor’s office. Healing is slow and you need to take care of yourself. There is a process of adding kinds of food textures every two or three weeks. You should have booklets and pamphlets on this, or watch the WLS videos on YouTube to get an idea for meals and sipping Water constantly.

So sorry to hear it , but stick with it. Your surgeon wouldn’t have done all this work with you if you didn’t need it, (or he/she didn’t think they would be paid for it). My surgeon had to have a phone conference with the insurance doctor, then it got approved. Keep up your good habits because the surgery will act as a sort of lock on your pre-surgery weight loss (not scientifically proven but I chose to believe it.)

On 01/27/2023 at 19:52, Smanky said:

Genuine question for those who can't stand "surgery is a tool". What alternative description would you suggest?

WLS is like gears on a bicycle. The process of weight loss is climbing a mountain with a regular bike, the Andes, Alps, or Rockies kind of mountain. A regular bike/body could get up there with a lot of walking and conditioning, consistency. WLS is the new fangled gears on the bike that lets you stay on the ride better. The bike still zig zags, traverses and takes switchbacks to reach the top. It still takes a heap of work. WLS is a body like a mountain bike, tackling a mountain, instead of a beach bike trying to climb a mountain. Now how to make that seat comfortable?

I was going to say I don’t care for morbid, but “morbidly luscious” had me rolling.

I just overheard my Gen Z kid call his friend a “tool.” Neither of them (kids) sound very nice right now.

I tried the Fairlife milk based on comments on here. I also like the OWYN vegetarian shakes. I tried the shakes warm and it was much easier to get down. I also like low sodium chicken Bone Broth. College has 10grams of Protein per cup if you can find it.

Your amazing smile says it all!

My mother had male pattern baldness, you could see her pink scalp through her dark hair all over. Then she got leukemia and went through chemotherapy. You know what she did? She said, “let’s go shopping!” And we went on this crazy wig shopping extravaganza and had an absolute ball, and peed our pants laughing. Day to day afterwards, no one knew what color hair or style or length she would where. I still say I want to be like her when I grow up. Best tip, measure your head for a proper fit, and have a hairdresser trim it to look good on you (like a tailor for clothing). Bring a friend for laughs, or search online Zia Zia Gabor wigs, Wendy Williams…

My team said to stay away from the gummies and Patches. The patches were discouraged due to malabsorption and the gummies too, and they had extra sugar. I suggest you check with your team. My dietitian suggested Centrum with Iron or prenatal Vitamins. The nurse pointed out that Flintstones with iron have the same vitamins at less cost. I put the Flintstones under my tongue and don’t even taste them. Same thing for the B vitamins

I had bypass and I dump mostly on sugars. I don’t feel well on fats but I’m not sure I qualify for dumping, it just makes my stomach hurt for an hour or two. I can eat fruit, but I usually do it with some Protein just to not be “caught.” I’m probably like most people and don’t want to accidentally throw up or get diarrhea or get very lightheaded around my coworkers or my students, much less when I’m driving. It’s probably my neurosis but I like to have some control over hot flashes and seeing spots. I find I can link fruits to a meal with protein. I plan it or prep it. Yes I cook with oils like the Mediterranean style suggests. I can eat a handful of nuts or hard cheese, I’m just limiting them now as I’m still in the loosing phase.

Oh, I used to LOVE Peanut Butter and Nutella before surgery. I have found them too sticky and sugary now. My tastebuds did change!

My hunger came back around month 5. I have given up sugar for January 2023, because I was surprised by how much I was eating, looking at you Benefiber tablets. At the end of the month I have found my hunger is greatly reduced. Oh, and I followed Dr.s suggestion to fill up on 2 cups of steamed veggies which fit my tummy nicely and keeps the Fiber up ;-)

I’m soooo glad for you that all those polyps and symptoms were negative for cancer! You’re so lucky to have such an efficient early warning system.

Like Catwoman I had GERD before surgery, so my options was to have bypass. It corrected the vast majority of GERD symptoms. I would opt for the surgery again if I were to do it all again. Nothing beats being able to sing again! The actual surgery isn’t scary, you literally sleep through it. Recovery time is similar to the sleeve, portion sizes and eating healthy is the same too. I’ve found medication work arounds by getting injections, sublingual supplements, heat pads, or inhalers. You’ll figure it out one day at a time. I’m just so happy for your body warning you ahead of time! Good news!

Woot woot!

I could be you, you’re not alone. I got help through my clinic and Psychologytoday.com because loosing weight and lifestyle changes is a major head game. If we could do it all by ourselves we would have. Therapy has helped me tremendously. You are worth it!

Hi, not an expert. I did have bypass and am post menopausal, and have significant osteoarthritis. The pain is managed by continuous movement and the weight loss itself. I get steroid shots in the worst offenders, my knees. I would speak to your rheumatologist about pain management with shots as my mother and grandmother did. Vitamins are easy to keep up with if you just keep it a daily habit. The weight loss is slow (that could just be me) but my ability to move and keep moving has been so worth it! Rheumatoid arthritis is no joke and I had a friend loose sight in one eye because it traveled to her iris. Extra weight is one of many forms of inflation in the body. Working to control it has helped my severe asthma too.

I kept weighing the odds and quality of life. My grandmother lost the weight and lived independently until 89. My mother didn’t change her lifestyle and died at 67 unable to do the things she enjoyed for the last seven years of her life. My decision was more clear cut. Only you know your delicate balance of pain tolerance and enjoyment of life, and how bad the arthritis can be. You probably have relatives that had RA. How did they get through life?

What a surprise! At least you’re maybe feeling justified for saying you feel wrong. You are believed!

My surgeon is pushing it too! I don’t know if it’s a result of new research, or research they want to publish, or they want their stats on weight loss to look better. I’m still loosing very slowly and am happy with that (18 months out). So, I’m researching the side affects, and searching my odds. The minute you go off the meds the weight comes back. What’s your end game? It might be the right medication for you. Do you have a stable income and insurance that would support the medication for the rest of your life? Are you diabetic or COPD or something that loosing more weight would help you control? There’s a lot to consider. It’s a personal health decision each person would need to make for themselves.