Soon2bFit21

This happens to me too! I’ve always thought it was related to the metabolism slow down and low calorie intake. I live in a moderate temp state, but even when it hit the low 80s I didn’t feel the need to turn on the AC like I would in the past.

Biggest fear for sure was surgery not working. I’ve spent so many years going through diet after diet and exercising my butt off only to gain back more weight. I was used to the failure and felt this would be no different. Second is loose skin/sagging breasts. So far none of the above fears have happened, but I already have a plan in mind for plastics later on.

I had 6 plus months of prep before my surgery so I had a long time to ponder the what if’s! Honestly, it came down to the fact that I felt like I no longer had control of my ability to lose weight and I had to take this step, and it’s a very scary one at that. My biggest suggestions are to research your surgeon and facilities, and also prepare yourself as much as possible with the education aspects outside of what the Bariatric program gives you. In a nurse by trade so I know many of the medical components and complications of surgery in general, but I needed to research more on bariatrics. The risks with VSG are very low. If you have major health issues obviously the % will rise for complications. I am 100% happy that I went through with my surgery although I am only 6 weeks out and did not have any major complications.

I haven’t been able to find any info on this but I am curious where soft protein bars (Built bars in particular because of the macros) fit in a Bariatric diet? Would these be able to be added in for the soft foods phase, or are they considered an after on the “regular” diet? These have a soft consistency, no chunks, and 5G of sugar or less so I’d like to add them in. Just not sure where.

There are a few brands that use stevia as a sweetener or monk fruit, but you generally have to go to places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. You can also buy plain and add your own stevia or monk fruit. Protein powder wise, many of the dry powders use stevia now. The Ready to drink shakes are very heard to find without artificial sweeteners.

I had a very odd taste in my mouth after surgery that lasted for a few weeks. Things also tasted much different to me and generally unappealing. It took about a month before my taste buds have gone back to somewhat normal. Some of the meds you may be on can cause a metallic taste as well.

So just a little history: I am 42, , 5’11 and spent a good 10 years of life competing in women’s bodybuilding and also did trail running and half marathons before injuries, peri menopause, and a car accident caused me to gain a lot of weight over a few years. My surgeon is insisting that my goal weight be 150-155 lbs. I have not weighed this even when I was bodybuilding and completely shredded with a full 6 pack. He even tried to get me to switch from VSG to bypass because he felt it would help me lose more weight. I started out at 339 pre surgery and am down to 308 at 4 weeks post. There is no way that I feel I could ever weigh 150lbs as I would be skin and bones! Has anyone had a higher goal weight being taller or having more muscle mass than an average person? Did your muscle mass help or hinder your progress with weight loss? I have my long term goal weight in my head as 199lbs and I’m being told that I would still be obese at this and it isn’t a good goal for me to have.

There are so many myths and old wive’s tales with Bariatrics, I’ve never seen anything like it. The majority of successful weight loss patients eat artificial sweeteners. Unless you have a sensitivity to one (and there are plenty of other options), enjoy in moderation . Prior to my surgery, I spent years going back and forth between diets recommended to me by medical professionals or people in the fitness industry. I spent 3-6 months at a time not eating any artificial sweeteners because they’re “toxic” and cause “weight gain” according to my chiro, Dr at the time, and a trainer friend. I lost 5lbs on average in those times with high activity levels. Completely not worth it.

It’s your lower esophagus and stomach upset because it’s overfilled. Mine does the same thing or when I eat something it doesn’t like (eggs early on are notorious for this btw). It takes some time to learn the warning signs of being full, this is my first clue with the noises. I’ve seen some people say their nose will run, they’ll sneeze, or cough as a full signal. I joke my stomach is making whale noises 😂

Absolutely get a doctor’s note with specific instructions on what you need. Do not let any floor managers or supervisors try and bully you into anything different! . I had this happen before on a previous surgery when I used to work Emerg and it was a huge mistake.

I wore leggings directly out of the hospital with no issues. You’ll feel bloated so make sure you wear something that is a bit big on you normally.

I’ve had this happen before and also with a couple foods my stomach just won’t tolerate. It’s a miserable feeling but it definitely makes one think twice about doing it again! The biggest triggers for me are things that are too dry like plain canned chicken or even a tiny amount sushi rice that is cold.

I honestly don’t know how they’ve been able to get away with this for so long. The supplement industry is very cutthroat and most of the time inaccurate/false advertising is caught fairly quickly. Especially when they advertise this as a “medical grade” product.

For anyone using Genepro, their product is NOT what is advertised on the amount of protein. They had a large lawsuit filed against them by a well known and established supplement company that was thrown out due to discrepancies with who owns Genepro. It’s physically impossible to have that amount of protein in a scoop that size. There’s are tons of other options in flavorless protein that is much cheaper and accurate on the grams per serving.

So I am not sure what your Surgeon’s plan is for calorie counts is at your stage. I went through an 8 day stall and only when I increased my cals from the 500-600 mark to 700-800 did I start losing more weight again. Starvation mode is a real thing, and because you already lost quite a bit of weight on the pre op diet, your body is possibly stuck metabolically with the lower calories. Edit: with the amount of activity you’re doing, I’d say your cals are way too low. 

I take a RX sleep aid and melatonin, otherwise I’d be up all night as well. This has only been post surgery so I’m not sure what’s going on either. From my past experience when I’ve had a lot of calorie restriction, I noticed my sleep was very poor, so I just equated it to that after VSG.

I think there are a lot of “old wives tales” when it comes to Bariatric surgery and the recommendations. I’ve taken some sips through an a straw after surgery and it actually felt like I was swallowing less air than sipping through a cup! I also see the majority of successful bari patients I follow elsewhere using straws and they have all lost 100 plus lbs. I don’t use a straw 99% of the time just because my surgeon scared me enough to not warrant using it and I’m used to sipping now. Another thing I see being misinformed is pumping patients full of iron when they don’t need it. Not everyone is anemic and there is a much more complex cycle to iron levels than just taking oral meds with iron formulations. You can actually do more harm than good this. Research is a powerful thing, there are quite a few “firm” stances I’ve seen on programs that I’ve taken the time to look into and they seem to be something from 20 plus years ago that is not up to date medically.

My GP happily wrote me a letter of reference that documented my own personal weight loss attempts and struggles with my weight over the years (I’d never been under a medical weight loss program before going to the Bariatric surgeon). Has your weight been a concern that was brought up to your GP before or possibly Gyno? Most are pro Bariatric and can help with this letter of reference.

Thank you for the feedback everyone! I guess I was taken back a bit by my surgeon’s dead set idea that I’m going to be obese and have health issues for the rest of my life (I was relatively healthy even pre op at 330 plus) if I don’t get down to this unattainable goal weight. I do know better, but it’s nice to see that others feel the same. I do agree with you blackcatsandbaddecisions, some people just naturally have a bigger or different frame. I follow someone who is 5’5 and 200lbs on another site and she looks absolutely amazing. Just goes to show that BMI really doesn’t apply to everyone.

I had no restrictions on pills at all and they had me taking them within a couple hours after surgery. I wasn’t allowed to take more than 1 at once and had to wait 15 min in between. Within a week I was able to take multiples at once without issues. Before surgery I did not have any issues with pills and could take 4-5 at a time. So it may vary individually. Each surgeon has their own programs and rules to follow and I’ve seen many differences on here with meds.

I was overly paranoid about this as well since my Dr. didn’t do a liquid diet up until the day before surgery. Turns out, my liver was “tiny” in his words and I was paranoid about nothing. I wouldn’t worry about this and just follow your surgeon’s orders for pre op.

My surgery took 2 plus hours, but I had a hiatal hernia repair done as well and the surgeon said they had a lot of issues getting through my abdominal wall because it was so tough and over developed. I’ve watched this surgery from start to finish on medical tutorial videos, it was about 45 mins with that particular surgeon. There are a number of different things that can cause a surgery to take a longer or shorter time period than others such as bleeding, needing to move fat and the liver, anything else that may need a repair, etc. it is not a one size fits all procedure.

I do the Built bars as well at 1 month out. My stomach handles them very well and the size/macros are a perfect meal for me. They don’t cause a binge trigger or anything of the sort for me, but I can see how they might for some. I would definitely experiment. Just make sure you’re choosing the right bars- there are a lot out there that are just glorified candy.

I’m 1 month post as well and haven’t had any issues with spicer foods. I think it just depends on the person.

Love the protein chips! Nacho cheese is delicious and they’re easy to digest with plenty of protein.