vikingbeast

I'm 45, 6 feet tall, and started out at 396 my heaviest (was 366 at the start of the pre-op diet). I am very, very active. Outdoor work, sports, CrossFit. I did track my food and, like you, was on way more than 3,000 calories a day. Now, two months post-op, I am 94 pounds down from my heavy and 64 from the start of the pre-op diet. I eat more than most people—I take in between 1000 and 1400 calories a day, including up to 120 g of carbohydrates, which is unusual for bariatric patients. I am still in the fast-lose "honeymoon" period and am losing 3-5 pounds a week after the initial massive weight dump. And yet... I'm satisfied. Thriving, even. The only thing is the restricted amount means my strength isn't what it was—probably lost about 30% off my PR lifts. I don't really care, because now I can run, and jump, and my palms can touch the floor, and I'm off my meds. I do feel hunger when I haven't eaten in too long, but it's not the gnawing "feed me or I will make your life miserable" HANGRY feeling I would have had before. It's more like... "things are not right, please to be feeding me now." Here are a couple of typical days for me, all approved by my nutritionist: Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Oatmeal with protein powder, a bit of maple syrup, blueberries, and raspberries Meal 3: Koussa (summer squash stuffed with ground meat and rice, braised in tomato sauce) Meal 4: Tuna salad on one of those little dense squares of European-style flat rye bread Meal 5: Collagen peptide protein and an apple ---- Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Scrambled egg with a bit of cheese, spinach, and hot sauce Meal 3: Ground turkey with sugar-free Korean BBQ sauce, green beans, a bit of rice Meal 4: Skyr (Icelandic nonfat yoghurt) with raspberries Meal 5: Lentils with ham The biggest thing I had to teach myself was that it's okay to leave food on the plate, EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE TINY BITE. Because the line between "I am full" and "debilitating nausea and acid reflux" is sometimes just that one single bite.

I was actually a food writer for about a decade... you don't write about food without eating in restaurants all the time, which is part of how I ended up two french fries short of 400 lbs. I had the same concerns. But here's the thing—I don't actually miss it. As corny and BS as this sounds, a taste is enough. My mother-in-law made a pie. I had two small bites. It was enough. I catered pizza to my daughter's school; I had a few bites. And if I do overindulge on something, the restriction kicks in right away, and reminds me why we don't overindulge on everything. I do find myself suggesting more active things ("let's go have a bonfire at the beach", "let's go hike through the nature preserve", etc.) rather than just defaulting to a meal with people. And if I do go to a celebratory meal, I just... don't eat much.

My surgeon cleared me to run at 2 weeks ("as long as you're not a fool about it"), to bike and jump rope at 4 weeks, and cleared me completely at 6 weeks. I now run 2-3 times a week and do CrossFit 3-4 times a week, though one of the runs is always an "active recovery" run where I make sure my heart rate stays around 140 bpm (or, if you don't have a monitor, you should be able to hold a conversation without being out of breath).

I don't sweat nearly as much anymore but I also live in a desert, so it's rarely humid here. Now even after a 5k I just... glisten.

Pay close attention to what @Arabesque said about eating slowly. I joke that my “full” signal arrives via slow boat from Gibraltar. Trust me, you will figure out what “full” feels like, and if you go past it, you’ll absolutely know. I get acid reflux if I eat too much, and sometimes spit up. I get a tight feeling in my chest and if I really overdid it, I get dizzy and nauseated. It’s not good. So I eat slowly, a bite every minute or so (used to be every 3-5).

Reflux happens to many people after the sleeve. I get it if I eat too quickly or if I wait too long between times eating. Call your surgeon. There are stronger medications you can take. Some people do have a revision to gastric bypass to resolve it but usually only after medication can’t resolve it.

This happened to me too and it was blood pressure. Buy an Omron blood pressure monitor at a drugstore or large grocery store and take your blood pressure twice in a row on the same arm. (The machine isn’t accurate the first time, per my family doctor.) I discovered my BP was about 105/65 and my doctor cut my dose of blood pressure medication (and subsequently took me off it altogether).

Two months post-op, my goals are 90-120 grams of protein, 80-120 grams of carbohydrates, and 45-55 grams of fat per day, for a total of 1085-1455 calories per day. I tend to miss on the fat but otherwise have no issues meeting those targets. I should mention that these are high because I am physically active multiple hours a day.

Don’t freak out. You don’t feel the restriction right away even on soft foods. The important thing for me is I have to eat slowly; the new “full” signal apparently arrives in my brain via slow boat from Gibraltar. And honestly, even if you were eating only 2000 calories in the Before Times, a 1000 calorie a day deficit is 3.5 pounds a week loss. Chances are you were eating more than that. So a day of 1000 calories isn’t going to kill your weight loss. I am two months out and eating 1000-1400 a day and losing weight hand over fist—3-5 pounds a week. (The amount was set by my NUT, who calculated in my very active lifestyle.) I had a barium swallow last week and my stomach is fine, I still feel restriction. Courage, you will be fine.

If it's any comfort, I can eat that now (two months post-op) and just had a barium swallow and my sleeve is exactly fine. Don't freak out. Just weigh yourself once a week or so, and have an "oh sh*t" weight where if you get there you will go back to basics to get back down. So if your goal was 50 kg, maybe you say at 53 kg it's time to get serious (it being a lot easier to lose 3 kg than 10 kg).

It gets so much better from there. Don't give up on it yet. The first week is the hardest; the second week is the second hardest. In a couple of months you're going to be astounded at the positive changes in your life. Hang in there.

This is going to sound so weird... ...but I can tie my shoes in the centre now, by leaning over my leg and having one hand on each side of my leg. (You know, like normies tie shoes.) Also, I was picking up an order at the same time as a bunch of people and I overheard one of the employees say to the other, "This one is for that guy." So I turned and the other employee said, "This one?" and the first employee said, "No, the big guy."

You look fantastic!! How do you feel?

Nicely done! I catch myself looking in the mirror sometimes because I'm used to seeing "the blob" and I'm not a blob anymore.

One suggestion—ask your anesthesiologist to give you a TAP block (it's like an epidural for your abs). They give it to you at the end of surgery; you feel nothing (you're still under anesthesia). It lasts 12-24 hours and made it so I didn't even fill my prescription for Those Painkillers. I survived that entire surgery and recovery with 4-5 doses of Extra Strength Tylenol (acetaminophen/paracetamol).

Surgery itself was a doddle. The first few days were annoying, because I was trying to expel all the gas they pump into you. Just follow your surgeon's orders, walk as much as you possibly can even if it hurts, and know that the first 1-2 weeks are the "price of admission" to what will 100% change your life.

I did exactly this and now I have a wattle under my neck like a turkey. (Just kidding.) You'll be fine. I'm two months out and drink normally now.

Depends. Some people are very sensitive to acid or chile/spicy food after surgery. I know my chile tolerance went down—things are much spicier than they used to be. But I don't have any problem with tajín. I haven't tried chamoy yet, because the only thing I'd put chamoy on is mangoneadas or tostilocos, neither of which is anywhere near on my plan.

I had a very quick turnaround from CIGNA. Three days from submission to approval on the first attempt—but I had a BMI when I started of well above 50, and multiple co-morbidities. But here is the thing—CIGNA is both a traditional health insurance company, and also administers health plans for companies that self-pay their insurance. If you got CIGNA from an ACA exchange or if you work for a small or medium sized company, chances are you have the traditional health insurance. If you work for a large corporation, chances are they're just administering what your company has decided to pay for. You can tell which one you have by looking at the phone number on the back of your card. If it's different than 800-997-1654, or if it says "CIGNA's dedicated line for <company>", you are dealing with your employer, which is actually a bit easier. You can go to your company's benefits department and ask them to make an exception. If they are willing, they will overrule CIGNA's denial. Also, the CIGNA follow-up nurses are amazing. Got me connected to all manner of things I needed. She followed up for two months after surgery and then rang off.

@Edward12, do you remember what hotel you were put up at? Was it the Hotel Ticuán on 8th between Ave. Revolución and Ave. Constitución? Asking because others have asked about the hotel, I know Tijuana very well, and want to be able to reassure people (it's a VERY nice hotel).

You're gonna do great. The hardest part is over—seriously. You're not gonna believe the change in you! Welcome to the support group

I'm with @catwoman7 - Joe Schmo gets told I'm protein-first and calorie-restricted (believable, and these days my calorie count is 1000-1400 a day, which is strict but not "omg you're gonna starve"). But other obese people get the truth. And the one person who found out and then confronted me for lying got, "Given how you just reacted to the idea of the surgery, are you surprised I didn't want to tell you?"

Split peas and lentils and chickpeas, oh my... but only if you can tolerate the texture.

Have you started your iron supplement yet? I was completely lethargic because my iron levels were shot post-op. As soon as I started the iron supplement, I felt a million times better—within 2-3 days, even. The protein is vital—if you can't get the protein in, you will feel weak no matter what your iron level is, though. The weird churning pain happened to me and felt like hunger too—but it turned out to be mild GERD. I took some over-the-counter omeprazole (Prilosec) and it stopped in a couple of hours. I still take this sometimes if I have a mild GERD attack.

That's basically what I'm using now. But only the chocolate and vanilla. I absolutely hated the fruit flavors... to each their own!