vikingbeast

Here's the thing. Surgeons RARELY have good bedside manner. They're skilled technicians. But they tend to have pretty bad people skills. But ultimately YOUR comfort is your choice—so if you feel nervous, switch surgeons!

It's also possible that the OP hasn't had any support from their surgical/bariatric team. That is certainly the case for me, which is why I keep turning up on this board like a bad penny. They could be just venting their frustration, albeit in an emotional way that invites emotional responses.

No, it's not the blood thinners. It's your amount of stomach acid that hasn't reduced yet. It goes away with time.

I was back in the gym doing cardio only (and things involving nothing heavier than a 15-lb. training bar) at 2 weeks post op. At 6 weeks post-op I was allowed to resume all normal activities.

The first two weeks are truly the hardest. After that it's much easier. And honestly, you'll be so shocked at the scale moving steadily downward that you'll be re-inspired.

You may be one of the unlucky ones whose hunger doesn't go away with surgery.

And I will say that your surgeon's idea that you must stay on 800 cal a day to lose weight flies in the face of scienc. Stand back, I'm going to use MATH!

If you were maintaining your (heavy) weight by eating, say, 3500 calories a day, then that's your maintenance for that weight. So now, if you are eating 800 calories, you are in a deficit of 2700 calories a day, which means you'd lose three quarters of a pound per day on average. If you're eating 1200 calories, you're in a deficit of 2300 calories a day, which means you'd lose two thirds of a pound per day on average.

Yes, different macros (protein, carbs, fat, alcohol) do work differently in your body, but ultimately your body is bound, like everyone's, to the calories in-calories out equation.

I suspect what happened to you is twofold:

1. You're in a lengthy stall (search up "three-week stall", it happens to almost all of us, it's incredibly frustrating, it's not always at 3 weeks, and it can last a month for some people). It's because your body has depleted its glycogen and is probably somewhat dehydrated (it's hard to drink enough right after surgery), and your Fluid balance is adjusting itself.

2. You're frustrated and not tracking what you eat. Unfortunately, this is something that has to be done. You can't fix your diet if you don't know what your diet is. And that means, at least for me, pre-prepping meals and weighing things out. I just pop a tray in the microwave a few times a day and have it all specced out. I use MyMacros+ for tracking. One of the big culprits is cooking oil/fat. How many people measure the oil they put in a pan to cook their, say, chicken breast? Nobody except bariatric patients—everyone else just sploops some oil in a pan until it looks right. I actually have a bar jigger on the counter so I can measure in 1/2 ounces and full ounces.

Track your food. Literally track your food. If you find you're not losing weight on 800 cal a day, spend a week eating 1000 cal a day to see if it'll shock your system. I am at about 1400-1500 cal a day a little short of three months post-op, because I work physical work and am very active (gym, running, hiking, etc.) and need the calories to be able to function. But I still track each and every day.

The surgery isn't bullshit. If it were possible to just severely restrict calories without it, nobody would get the surgery. But there are thousands of people here, myself included, who found success with the surgery that wouldn't have been possible without it.

1 minute ago, LadyH said:

Looking at your stats, you've lost 100# in 2.5 months?

No. 100 from my heaviest. 79 from my first consultation. 70 from pre op diet. And 61 since surgery 2.5 months ago.

1 hour ago, catwoman7 said:

your surgeon would have said something if they were worried about your iron-binding level. Usually if something is just a little above or below the normal range, they don't really get too excited about it.

how is your ferritin level?

if that's normal, your tiredness is probably just normal. I think I was more tired than usual for the first 3-4 months.

Ferritin is 70 on a reference range of 38-380.

My surgeon, bless his heart, refuses to pull labs until a year out. My PCP pulled these for me at my request.

It just seemed sudden. I was super high-energy and then... fwump.

I'm 2.5 months out from VSG.

Per my NUT's guidance, I'm eating 1000-1400 cal a day, and balanced between Protein, carbs, and fat. (About 120P/120C/55F per day.)

I find that by 7:30 or 8:00 p.m., I am just done for the day. No energy to do anything. No laundry folding, no cleaning, no nothing, I just need to sit down and rest, and I'm usually in bed by 10:00 p.m. (also unusual).

I had my bloods done by my PCP, at my request. Everything is fine, except my iron-binding capacity is just south of the low end of the reference range (but my Iron itself is fine). No issues with B12, Calcium, or D.

I'm very active, but not any more active than I was four weeks ago.

Any ideas what's going on here?

3 hours ago, SleeverSk said:

The one thing I miss the most is my morning cup of tea or coffee 😭😭 and having a cuppa and cake with a friend. The old come round for a cuppa doesnt happen anymore. The reason being I cant stand the way the warm liquid feels going down. It feels really weird to me and i dont like it but geez i miss having a hot cuppa.

Is iced coffee not a thing in Oz? I know iced tea is strictly a US/Can thing, but not sure about iced coffee. Or cold brew?

Buying clothes ALL THE FREAKING TIME. I'm a new convert to Goodwill and Ross Dress For Less shopping because otherwise I'll blow my income on clothing.

I'm cold ALL THE FREAKING TIME.

And it hurts to sit on my bony @$$ now.

It's normal and it does go away.

I just had blood tests done while on B12, Biotin, Calcium, D3+K2, folate, and a bariatric multivitamin with Iron.

2.5 months post-op, my B12 and folate are on the high end of normal (so am expecting to be told to drop those). My calcium is okay, my D3 is okay, and my iron is fine but my iron binding capacity is low.

On 11/25/2021 at 6:12 PM, Arabesque said:

Wouldn’t be an issue to start early. You could always start out slowly - swap out one meal for a couple of days, then a second meal, then the third meal. Might even make transition to just the shakes easier & the withdrawal (from sugar, caffeine, etc.) side effects less harsh to cope with.

Good luck with your surgery.

This is what I did. I actually didn't have a prescribed pre-op diet other than clear fluids for 24h before surgery, but I put myself on one and this is exactly what I did. Three weeks: 1 week replace a meal with a shake, 1 week replace two meals with shakes, 1 week full liquid.

Happy Thanksgiving. I ate about 2 ounces of turkey and dollops of sides (a spoon of green bean hotdish, a couple spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, a tiny spoonful of stuffing, etc.) and had a small piece of pie. I also had some Martinelli's (that's sparkling non-alcoholic apple juice, for those not in the US) and that really did not sit well... I felt drunk, honestly.

I bloated like a mofo and it took all day yesterday to feel better.

It's totally normal to be scared (and I've been under anesthesia dozens of times in my life), but know that you will come through this fine and the first few days after surgery are truly the hardest part and they're totally doable.

Incidentally, the ASMBS (check for bias, obviously) says the 30-day mortality rate for VSG is 0.08 percent.

I get sick of stuff after 2-3 days and can't eat it multiple meals in a row, so I meal prep two meals (plus breakfasts) twice a week, enough for 3 days each.

Are you pre- or post-op? Post-op, many people confuse "hungry" with "thirsty" or even with "mild acid reflux". My hunger signals post-op are totally different to how they were pre-op.

food shouldn't make you feel guilty. Have a celebratory meal. Eat the Thanksgiving dinner with the pie. But maybe only have one plate, not too. One piece of pie, not two plus sweets. Have one luxurious meal, not an entire day of blowing up your diet.

And then the next day, go back to eating like you would the other days of the year. Don't take home leftovers. Don't volunteer to "take the pie to work". And then don't overindulge again until the next holiday (Hanukkah, Christmas, whatever you celebrate).

I found I really liked the Protein2O before surgery (but not after) and now I really like the Isopure, either in powder form or in the pre-bottled form. I get mine at the Vitamin Shoppe.

Also, get creative with where you put Protein powder. I made protein Jell-O during my liquid phase. Easy to eat and tasty, and get your protein in.

I swore by OWYN ("Only What You Need") vanilla before surgery, and post-op I can't stand them and basically only drink Fairlife Core Power which is essentially chocolate (or vanilla) milk with Protein in it. Find the one you like now but don't assume you're going to love it after surgery, so don't stock up.

I haven't broken up with coffee, but I take it very differently now. I used to have the giant latte with like two cups of milk in it... now I just have an espresso with 5g of brown sugar, Cuban style.

On 11/25/2021 at 6:19 PM, Bill Potts said:

Thanks Vikingbeast, I will look it over. I have already paid for premium mfp, though.

Yah, I had too, and decided to look at MFP+ as a sunk cost. MM+ is better.

On 11/25/2021 at 8:02 AM, TheRealPennyD said:

Awesome! Thanks for the response. How are you doing with your macros/cals and exercise & weight loss. Some people say it causes stalls but everyone is different.

I have a new nutritionist who jacked my intake way up because I was exhausted all the time. Currently on 120C 55F 120P for a total of 1455 cal daily. (There are ranges, this is the upper limit of the ranges.) I'm currently in a little mini stall but it's likely because I ate too much salty stuff over the holiday and am retaining Water like a freaking camel. I was down a little bit today and feel less bloated.

Could be dehydration, could be blood pressure, could be both (and dehydration can cause low BP).

I was taken off one of my BP meds the day after surgery and the other one I went off about 4 weeks later—and my BP without any meds is never above 125/80 now. So it could be that.

I wouldn't worry about it. I eat more than that at a sitting 2.5 months out and I've lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks.