fourmonthspreop

Hey! I'm one month post op and cleared for soft foods. Yesterday I ate a one egg omelet for breakfast. Went down well and no sickness. Then for lunch my family was eating Chinese. I wanted to try some soft veggies so I ate prob about 4 oz of cooked zuchinnni and water chestnuts in a brown sauce. I again felt fine and didn't think of anything of it. Then fast forward 4 hours later I was trying to finish my protein shake before bed. I started having pain like right under my lungs, fast heart beat and nausea like crazy. I didn't puke but I didn't feel right. I went to bed and woke up normal again. Do you think that was related to dumping or something else?

Thanks! I tried tofu today and it went down well. I'm interested to see how products like gardein, tofurkey, morningstar and light life will sit in my stomach.

Hey! I'm gearing up for my soft food stage next week and thinking about protein sources. I get most of my protein through shakes right now in pureed stage but I also eat eggs and beans. I've been a vegetarian for 7 years now and don't plan on eating meat again. Has anyone tried these foods on soft? -Steamed tofu (not crispy or hard) -vegetarian deli meat slices -vegetarian ground beef, finely chopped up And can you think of anything else that might be okay on soft food?

Hey! I'm 23 days post op gastric bypass and feeling good. I can drink and eat without pain EXCEPT when it comes to water. It's a new thing, wasn't happening before but now when I drink even the tiniest sips of water about 20 seconds later I get cramping in my intestines almost like I need to go to the bathroom. Is this normal/has this happened to anyone?

I'm so ridiculous lol I felt so bad and anxious and then my dietician said in between 650-800 calories right now depending on how much I can eat in my current stage. I ran down with her what im eating and she said im doing really well and to keep on trekking. I am working on not moralizing food and calories and not letting either of them make me feel inferior or bad. It's good to know though I'm not doing anything abnormal and fairing well.

Is this stupid to focus on? I'm really working on not obsessing over my weight and calories and just trying to listen to myself but obviously it's good to have some idea. I'm 22 days post op and in pureed foods right now. I can eat about 650 calories a day with no feelings of fullness/restrictions. I can't remember what number my dietician gave me, I feel like it was 700 but I'm waiting for her to reply to my message. I'm feeling guilty for eating over 600 calories for some stupid reason. I know everyone's journey is different. Anyone else experience this anxiety? How many calories should I be eating in pureed food and protein drinks?

Anybody else anemic? I found out from blood work and waiting for doctor to tell me what to do next. I'm 22 days post op. Iron supplements? Blood transfusion?

Yum. I'm interested in jicama wraps. Do they taste vegetal? What are they like?

I've been dealing with really intense constipation since my surgery Feb 14th. I was first suggested Colace and that didn't do much for me. Next, my doc suggested Senna tea (also called "Smooth Move" in American grocery stores). That worked pretty well. I'm still having issues so my doctor also is having me drink prune juice, psyllium husk, and milk of magnesia which is pushing things along better. My doctor has also recommended to me glycerine suppositories but tbh that didn't work for me. So those are some bariatric-friendly options. One of them or multiple hopefully will work for you. I haven't heard of castor oil being suggested because it might be difficult for the stomach/nausea or cause intestinal discomfort. But at the end of the day, just ask your team and see what they recommend for you! Best of luck with it. I know firsthand how awful post-op constipation is.

Tried on American eagle XL top today and it FIT. I was an XXL or 3x if they had it online before there. I know their clothes are roomier but this def makes me happy.

I went to a restaurant today with my family. They ordered a delicious pizza and this was my take from it lol I'm 19 days post op. In pureed and can have some well cooked vegetables. A little red pepper, smoked cauliflower, and a little piece of feta cheese. Delicious, got a little bit of the taste in my mouth and perfectly happy!

Yas!!! More vegetarian friendly recipes. Love it!

XD lol Use a straw at your own comfort and pace. I use them sometimes. Just be cognizant of how much air you're sucking in (i.e. if the drink is low). I've done it probably 5 times now since my surgery Feb 14th and it doesn't bother me at all. I get gassier eating popsicles lol

Hey there! I'm about 19 days post op and my doc ordered blood work because I've been really weak and dizzy when. My blood count (except for white blood) is low indicating anemia or an internal bleed. Wondering if anyone had Low blood count post op, what you did and does it get better? Thanks

I had a weak voice and like "thick" sounding vocal cords for 5ish days post op. I teach vocal private lessons and sing...and my voice is still kind of "scarred" in my higher register 16 days post op. Doing vocal exercises when you feel your voice is mostly back to normal really helps a lot.

Another thing, my program since I did self pay all post op appointments are free for up to 90 days.

I live in Tampa Florida. My insurance doesn't cover anything obesity related so I had to pay out of pocket. Luckily I was able to save and scrimp for it. I paid for all my pre op appointments, bloodwork, endoscopy, surgeon fee, anesthesia fee and hospital fee. It ended up costing $25,000 total. A large portion was the hospital fee for $17,000. They offered payment plans and medical credit too so there are a lot of options if you don't want to pay up front. I realize it was a sh*t ton of money but it's my life and happiness on the line so I saw it as worth it. I have no doubt there are cheaper self pay options available in and out of the country fyi I just went with this program because it was highly rated in many different aspects in my state. Best of luck!

Thanks!

Congrats everyone! I'm 16 days post op from gastric bypass and I can finally fit into the target XXL again. I was plus sized 2x/3x for a while there. Looking forward to XL.

Hey. I'm about 16 days post op from gastric bypass so I have yet to know how this will turn out long term but to be honest, with this post op stomach, my hopes are high. Someone made a good point in the thread, with the surgery, you don't feel like your body is conspiring against you while trying to lose weight. The pre op diet was so hard because of my actual old anatomy and physiology. Now post op, I first off haven't felt real hunger since my surgery and when I do eat, I can actually hear myself and my body. It tells me when to stop or take a break. Obviously we have the ability to gain weight back but you have to also have faith and discipline, like everyone says it's just a tool. Mental health counseling has really helped me understand why I binged so much in the past. I don't think I'd be where am I today without my psychologist and psychiatrist. I had a lot of moments in my life where I thought I can just do it on my own, but every single time I was still binging when I was having off days. I lost about 70 lbs naturally in the past and then gained 100 lbs back because I never worked on the important part, listening to my body and finding healthy coping mechanisms. The rest of the time was spent miserably losing 10-15 lbs at a time on unstable crash routines. When I reached my highest weight and injured my knee, I knew I needed medical help. I saw a psychiatrist who was able to diagnose me and get me medicated then did 8 intensive months of counseling with a psychologist on my eating behaviors in order to prepare for surgery. I only lost 25 lbs before my pre op diet (that was a 8 month time span) and that didn't matter because the weight comes off post op. I'm now down 45 lbs total and have about 70lbs more to go until I'm in my ideal range. As long as you feel ready, you've followed your surgeon's orders, and you understand the commitment that this takes then do it. It's seriously an amazing tool and a privilege to be on the journey. I wish you luck with it and sending love to you and your husband on your journey.

Anyone who had their surgery earlier this month starting to eat again? Just had my first "pureed stage" food. I'm taking it slow texture-wise so I started with soup. I am so happy to be cooking again. I made a big meal prep of broccoli carrot cream soup with unflavored protein powder. I sweated down some garlic, onions, oregano, black pepper, and very small diced-up carrots. I then added vegetable stock, low sodium, and half a small pack of frozen chopped broccoli. I blended together fat-free half/half with 2 scoops of unflavored zero card protein powder (isopure 50 grams of protein total) then added it to the soup. I then transferred it all to my blender and made it very fine. It's not thick at all but the flavor is amazing after having nothing but sweet protein drinks for weeks. I had 1/2 a cup with a teaspoon of cheddar on top. I didn't feel full after but I'm so scared about dumping so I just stopped lol. My dietician says I still have to have protein drinks to compensate if I feel I'm not getting everything through food. I will say it's AMAZING to get the taste of real food in my mouth. I personally hate sweets and sweet drinks so the protein shakes really are starting to gross me out. I'm excited to try my other pureed recipes and continue the journey! Hope everyone is doing well.

You are not an idiot! Weight gain and loss is a part of life, surgeries or not. I think it's a great step you can even recognize your patterns and ask for help. It's tough but I know there's hope. The biggest thing I see is to always make sure you have mental health support and put just as much work into that as you do the surgery or weight loss journey. I wish you luck and hope insurance helps you out with it!

Haha my surgeon literally said "you'll be my date!" Jokingly of course. I'm doing a lot better. I don't even need Tylenol anymore because the pain is very slight. I do have to take nausea meds. I'm mainly having issues with gas, constipation which is making me queasy. I also get dizzy really easily, especially when transitioning from sitting to standing. But beyond all that liquids, popsicles, jello, all going down fine. I think im getting moved onto pureed food on Tuesday so I'm looking forward to that. I really miss cooking and having food be a normal part of my routine. I don't even want junk or to overeat, just looking for some normalcy and I hate the taste of protein shakes. How's your recovery going?

I chose to get surgery because I've been a chronic dieter, laser and gainer. My dream is to just maintain a healthy weight. I once lost 70 lbs which was most of my excess weight and then gained it back plus some. I tried to lose the weight for 2 years straight but would ultimately lose then gain again. I got so tired of it. I took charge of my mental health first and then started exploring weight loss surgery. I think it's a good option if you can swing it. My insurance didn't cover it even though my BMI was 45 at the time. But I have terrible insurance lol

I def understand. I don't know what resources you have available but mental health counseling is sooo helpful. I started my bariatric surgery journey because I finally got help with my mental health. I received a diagnosis and medication which greatly allowed me to utilize counseling to my advantage. I have been seeing a psychologist for about 8 months now and we work on putting distance between my coping mechanisms and food. It allowed me to really prepare myself for this part where we feel naked with our emotions, unable to hide it under eating. I think take it day by day too. That's important but if you ever are able to, having a counselor or psychologist to help walk you through the journey is good. If you don't have access to that, I also like following binge eating therapists on Instagram. They offer sound advice about emotions and eating. Check out the_binge_eating_therapist on insta. There's also an amazing free app called Brighter Bite. You can use it to log your feelings, actions, urges and it gives you really amazing advice and coping exercises in the moment... kind of like a little eating disorder journal with helpful exercises.