Queen ApisM

I slept in a bed from day one, and I don't recall using pillows to elevate. I did arrange some hugging pillows since I sleep on my side but that was about it.

I have to agree with @catwoman7. You should not obsess over every daily weight. This is a long process, and if you stress every day, you will do more harm than good. You are doing great.

I have no idea what your stats are (start weight, etc) and that is pretty important to this discussion. To answer your question, I lost 11 lbs in the two week pre op diet, and then 15 lbs in the first month post surgery. I lost most of that the first week after surgery, but I did not have the water retention issue most people have in the first few weeks post surgery. My meds helped prevent that. Your loss sounds good and in fact probably on the higher end but hard to say without more information. We all know that human bodies don't work linearly, but even so mathematically it is unlikely people will lose 3+ lbs a week every week. I gave a rough example below of why that is. The estimated baseline daily calories needed for a 380 lb woman, roughly where I started, is 2400 calories if I don't do any movement. Let's say early post surgery I am eating 700 calories/day. That gives me a daily deficit of 1700, which amounts to 11,900 calories a week. A pound of weight loss needs around 3500 calories of deficit (through food and exercise) so even in the best case scenario, an 11,900 deficit results in a 3.4 lb loss. As you get lighter, MBR reduces. So, now I am about 278 lbs. My estimated basal MBR is roughly 1900, but now I am eating around 1400-1500 calories a day, per my program. Let's assume it is 1400 to make my math easy, then my total calorie deficit all week is 3500, which should equal one pound. That's a huge difference from where I started. Disclaimers: This example is just that - an example - and I would not take it for gospel or base any decisions on it. It's just meant to show that folks shouldn't think they are going to lose 5 lbs a week. Like I said, my estimates above use an estimated MBR that does not take into account exercise so it may be off, but it's just meant as an example. I also don't think weight loss is as easy as "calories in, calories out" as we all know metabolism is affected by many other factors, some of which we probably do not understand yet. I don't want the example above to in any way encourage people to start cutting back even more calories - that's not healthy long term and it can have devastating effects on your metabolism and health long term; that's why so many programs now push getting your calories up quickly. I'll also add that once you start adding in serious exercise, you do need to increase your calories or it can have the opposite effect of what you are aiming for - you can't expend 5000 cals a day and only eat 500 calories and expect healthy outcomes.

A couple of NSVs that have me happy in the past few weeks. First, I haven't taken metformin since surgery, and my A1C is 5.3. Woo hoo! I'd been concerned but seeing that number made me really happy. Secondly, I had my cardiologist check in today, and my echocardiogram is looking a little better! We'll see where we are in a year, but he is really happy with my progress. We may even need to drop my blood pressure medication again. The third one happened today at the pool. I managed to get out of the pool using one of the ladders instead of the steps. That was an exciting and unexpected win!

I think this is a good idea - best case, no concerns. Worst case, they catch something and you can deal with it sooner rather than later.

My drop was not that dramatic, but immediately after surgery my resting heart rate dropped to about 57-59 beats per minute, and it hasn't gone back up (it used to be closer to 70). I freaked out a bit but my cardiologist was unconcerned. Given you are within a healthy BMI again, are active, and also still on some lisinopril, you are probably fine. How are you feeling? If you feel good, no lightheadedness or anything like that, that's a good sign. If the doctor you are consulting with isn't a cardiologist, then I might see what they think about it.

Thanks for this. I was in the ER for a few hours and they administered Benadryl, steroids, etc. I'm back to normal from the reaction, I just think my poor sleeve went through some drama. I'll try to take it easy and eat light items. If it persists even with rest I'll check in with the surgery center.

Not sure it's the best title, but I couldn't think of how else to phrase it. On Sunday, I had an allergic reaction to a bee sting (I'm a beekeeper) and as I learned, vomiting can be part of the allergic reaction. There was nothing in my stomach, but that didn't seem to stop my stomach from trying to expel itself from my body. It went on for quite a while before it stopped. Now, I find that my stomach is extra sensitive. I can't eat as much as normal and it just doesn't seem happy with anything I put in it. It's nothing extreme, I just can tell nothing is sitting well. I'm not surprised after what it went through on Sunday, but I was wondering if anyone else has had this kind of post-vomiting sensitivity, and how long it may have taken for it to ease up? I can eat and drink, so I am not terribly worried. I have not vomited post surgery, so this is new territory for me and am trying to get a sense of what to expect.

I was working out before surgery. For the first 2 months post surgery, I just walked. I did not have the energy to work out more significant until I was eating more calories (and my program did not encourage it until we were able to eat 800-1000 cals/day consistently. I didn't start back with my trainer until 7 or 8 weeks out from surgery, and then we adjusted my weights down since I hadn't been lifting in a while. We were also really careful with the ab work for the first few weeks back since again, I hadn't been doing anything for a while and I'd had surgery!

I used to burp occasionally in the beginning, but not excessively. Re: smell, are you sure it is the burps, or is it keto breath (or a combo of the two)? I was seriously stinky for the first couple of months. It got better as my diet normalized.

I'm sad that you can't have pork. It's the meat that agrees with me best - pork tenderloin (not overcooked) is the best for my tummy post surgery. Fish hasn't been well tolerated as I would have expected. My suggestions: Greek yogurt (or other high protein yogurt) and bone broth. Those were crucial for me when I was in that stage of recovery.

Yesterday I went to a small conference. First off, I fit into some non-stretchy pants that looked amazing. My whole ensemble was from clothes I hadn't worn in a good dozen years, if not more. Even better, some of my former colleagues (from before surgery) were there. Only one knows about my surgery. The reactions were so encouraging! The last 7 lbs/2 months have been frustrating weight wise and every once in a while I get the whole "can anyone even tell" reaction, because it's hard to see the changes when you are looking at yourself every day, but yesterday was a huge reinforcement that it is noticeable to people who have known me well.

I agree with what @LookingForward22 said regarding finding the right program. I also switched programs and even though it really extended my timeline, I am so happy I did. I would also say: research all options (bypass, sleeve) but don't get railroaded or let others convince you of which one is right for you. I always preferred the sleeve, but tried to convince myself that a bypass was better. I was doing all the mental gymnastics for it - it would be faster weight loss (not necessarily true), more weight lost (also not necessarily true) - when in my heart I was not comfortable with re-routing my insides so much and I wanted to still have a pyloric valve. It was so liberating when a surgeon reminded me it is simply a tool and will be as successful as you make it. He wasn't trying to tell me what to do, just to make sure my decision fit my needs and comfort level. That was so important. I personally have no preference for others, just make certain you are an informed recipient of the surgery you get and are 100% on board with the decision and the inherent risks for both (as there are differing risks for each type). Sleeve brings risks of GERD (and is contraindicated for anyone with GERD already) but bypass has other risks. Neither set of risks makes one inherently better or worse - you just need to be aware and ready to accept those risks. And don't get surgery until you are mentally ready for it. That's just good advice across the board. You need to be in the right mindset to make it work. Good luck!

This is where the "surgery as a tool" mindset comes into play. At some point, you will feel restriction, even if you don't now, but it's important not to rely on it too much to do the work. Personally, I have been working on eating to the point that I have had enough, but do not trigger the restrictive feeling. For me, restriction is quite unpleasant, so instead, I'm trying to focus on the hints my body is giving me that I am getting close without getting to the "oh crap I ate too much feeling." It is hard, and it sometimes is literally a forkful of food that can send you right over the edge and into discomfort. I've gotten good at spitting food out, if I need to do so. For foods that don't trigger restriction (or don't seem to) I am careful about only allowing myself a serving or partial serving. One of my favorite snacks is hummus and pretzel sticks. Don't ask me why, I hated pretzels before surgery, but it satisfies a need for a crunchy texture, and it is better than Cheetos. 🙂 But, I could easily overindulge so I start with some cheese sticks, since it is protein and I know will fill me. Then, I portion out exactly how many sticks I can have. And then I make myself stop at that maximum or below. I do similar with other "forgiving" foods. If chicken isn't affecting your restriction, you'll have to focus on portion control to get the same result. But, I also suspect that as you heal, your restriction levels will change, even with foods that previously didn't affect it much.

I had some work things come up early on, when I definitely was not eating regular stuff. In one case, a work lunch was organized at a place that literally had nothing I could eat. That was an extreme situation, to be sure, but I found an appetizer that would probably work, in case I couldn't gracefully bow out. No one knew of my surgery, just that I had a surgery, and I explained to my boss that I had food restrictions as I recover. He was cool with that and I was excused from the event. My colleagues all asked why I wasn't joining, and the same answer worked well. I didn't have to over explain and everyone was cool with it. Since I have been on regular foods, it really has not been a problem even in some situations I thought people would notice. Most people are not paying attention to how much you eat. Just put stuff on the plate, and if you don't want it or are full, just stop eating. My first event once on real food again was an Indian wedding. The amounts I had on my plate matched what many of the thinner woman at the table were eating. I've become very good leaving food on the plate and not feeling guilty about it. I also had to cook for Thanksgiving which was about 3 months from surgery and it was totally fine. I was surprised at how much I didn't care that I couldn't eat much. I had tastes of my favorites, like stuffing, and even had pumpkin pie. It all worked out nicely AND I lost weight for once over that holiday! My greatest challenge was just recently, at Orthodox Easter. I have a huge Greek family that eats crazy amount of food. I was convinced someone would notice - nope! I put enough on my plate that I could taste everything I wanted to taste, and no one noticed how much I did or did not eat. I do think smaller gatherings like intimate holidays with people who know you will be tougher. I'd just put more food on my plate, move it around, and not eat it. It seems wasteful, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I

I didn't feel that way the first month (needed so many naps) but after that? Holy cow! I have so much energy. I feel like the energizer bunny.

Any chance you are on blood pressure meds? If so, it could be the meds need to be cut back. If you aren't, then I definitely have nothing useful to add and you should disregard this comment.

Yesterday, I had to go get a medical test and was filling out the forms. When I got to the weight part, I wrote "385" and was going to move on to the next section, before my brain synapses fired and I realized I wrote the wrong number and needed to change that 3 to a 2! I've written that 3 in front of my weight for so long, it just became a habit... one I need to break because the 300s were 15 lbs ago. It was very satisfying to scribble out the 3 and make it a 2. 🙂

I had an endoscopy and don't remember any gassiness or bloating. My throat was a little sore afterwards (understandable) but beyond that nothing. And I was half awake during most of it...!

Desk job, working from home. I took 2 weeks fully off, and another week with half days. I think week four I warned people I may be adjusting my schedule if I was exhausted and needed a mid day break. My company is mainly based in South Africa (I am in the US) so that worked pretty well. Pain wasn't the issue for me, I never had to take pain meds at home. Rather, I was exhausted. I needed afternoon naps daily for almost a month after surgery. Also, I really spent that time focusing on my eating and drinking schedule since I really had to force myself to stay on top of it. I also was focusing on getting in movement via short walks, etc. Once I did start back, I had to start coming up with solutions to when I needed to eat relative to meetings and that sort of thing. I could see that being challenging in some work environments. If I had been commuting, there is no way I could have done it. I would have been rung out after the morning commute alone! My company was very understanding - I kept them in the loop from the beginning that my plans might change depending on how I felt and they were great. I was very lucky in that regard, esp since I had only worked there for 3.5 months before I had surgery. I think the openness (not about what my surgery was, just about the fact that some recoveries are easier than others and it is not predictable) was helpful.

A good trainer should listen when you tell them important details, like that you just had abdominal surgery. You need to be able to tell them if something hurts or you are not in condition to move forward with an exercise. It's a fine line because they are there to push you past your comfort level, but there has to be good communication and trust.

It could be the not hitting protein goals. Also, the 3rd week stall is real. It could be that as well - it doesn't always happen at the 3rd week. But, my guess is it's not hitting the protein goals. One idea: bone broth. That stuff is amazing. I found it more palatable than protein shakes sometimes (still made myself drink the shakes, but post surgery, the pre-packaged shakes were not my favorite). It has more protein than regular broth - I think about 9 g per cup. There are lots of brands you can try, some are even sold single serve if you want to give them a try. A few come in flavors, you just need to check that the flavored ones aren't high in things you don't want. Also, I found the protein powder much better than prepackaged after surgery. I really like Unjury Vanilla and Chocolate Splendor flavors. Mixed it with unsweetened soy milk - so good! I found regular skim milk too sweet for the shakes.

Agree with others - if you are impatient to do more, focus on walking. I was working out with a trainer 2x a week even at my heaviest/right before surgery and used to do a lot of ab work (you'd never know looking at me, haha), heavy weights, all sorts of things most people wouldn't think I could do. But, I stopped all of that for a good 2 months after surgery. I did NOT want to pull anything or set myself back long term, so I was very careful. Even when I started back, we began with much lower weights and the ab work was very light for a while to ease back into it. Also, I would caution that if you weren't doing more intensive exercise before surgery (I'm not sure if you were or not), that once you are cleared for taking on more, you ease into it. It is very easy to over train especially when we are in our post surgery high. 🙂 I'd recommend a few sessions with a trainer if that's in your budget. It really is helpful because they will be mindful of balancing your muscle groups, form, and also challenge you (safely) in ways you may not challenge yourself. Also, as we lose weight, the way we move changes which can cause different kinds of strain on the body you may be surprised by, as it adjusts. I'm now 100 lbs down, and I am on an exercise high, having started adding in a lot more cardio on non-training days. I discovered the joy of streaming exercise video services!! But, I still have to mindful of what feels good for me at this weight, because even if I feel spry and want to hop around like a bunny rabbit, I'm still too heavy to be doing high impact work. That means modifying exercised to be low impact (lo-jacks vs jumping jacks, that kind of thing). 🙂

Oh, that definitely makes it harder. 😞 I had to force myself to eat for a long time because I just didn't care about food. You may need to do a little trial and error to figure out what works for you. Maybe try counting the 3 hours from what you finish eating for a week, and then try the other way, and see if one works better for you than the other? Just to mix it up. It helped on my program that we could drink up until eating (no 30 min wait), and then did a 30 min wait afterwards. It helped free up more time in the day for getting it all in!

Now, probably more like every three hours from when I started the last meal. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, and mostly because if I don't do this, I can't get to my 1400-1500 calorie daily goal. But, it also doesn't take me 30 min to eat 2 oz of food anymore, so that makes a big difference with regard to the math. In the beginning, it took me 30 min to eat one scrambled egg! That's not the case anymore. For example, I eat breakfast around 6:30, and then have a small snack at 9:30-10 AM, lunch between 12 and 1, another snack at around 3 or 3:30, dinner between 5 and 6, and then another snack around 8:30-9:15. I wouldn't sweat about whether you are eating 3 hours from start time or end time. I'd base it on a) what your body is telling you, and b) what you need to do to reach your goals. Early on, I was never hungry, so I had to just do what I needed to do to get in my protein.