Danpaul

Kristen it's not uncommon for people who are post op a few days to have so much angst. Follow your doctor and nutritionist protocols. Everyone loses weight at a different pace. The main thing is to stick to the program and despite what is preached about super fast weigh loss, it does happen but it's not the norm. The majority of people lose a a decent amount of weight, experience a stall, after time the body adjusts and then you experience constipation, and the body adjusts and you lose more weight. . Your best result is patience and sticking to the plan. I have family members who can eat a lot more than they thought they should. It comes down to what you eventually eat. Eating a ton of salad is much better than eating a ton processed food. Still eating a ton but with much different results. Stay the course and dont be discouraged, your body is going through a process and needs to sort things out.

Best to speak to your medical team. Mine told me to take a multi vitamin and calcium citrate (chloride does not get absorbed into the body).

I've never heard of such a draconian measure. I drink coffee and it hasn't affected my weight. Of course its an 8oz cup with monk fruit sweetener and some cream not a high calorie specialty drink from a coffee shop. Also don't try to eat around your restriction. Since my 2017 surgery I still have a very good restriction. ( I thank the gastric sleeve god every day) Prior to surgery I lived to eat. After surgery I needed to learn to eat to live. It was very very difficult but I realized I'm not getting a second chance. Insurance will not pay for a redo and to be honest, what would I accomplish with a redo if I didn't learn to eat to live. Food was my drug of choice as it is with many others on this site. We need to realize we don't have to love food but just like it a little bit to stay healthy.

Since my surgery in 2017 I've lost my weight loss powers. I'm a mere mortal when it comes to weight loss. That being said I do the following: 1- Weekly weigh in and log it in 2- Stop eating at 7PM and start again at 7AM (I usually go to 9AM) 3- Eat the same thing every day. For me, Breakfast greek yogurt and hard boiled egg, cup of coffee Lunch, tuna fish, sardines or salmon from a can (no additives such as mayo) dinner broiled or baked seafood with a salad. I will also eat a costco protein bar if I need it. 4-Excercise, for me 3x at gym nothing too strenous just 30-45 on treadmill 5 degree incline with a brisk 3.5 mile speed walk Very Very difficult to stay within 5-10 pounds of goal weight then try to get back down. Vigilance and sorry to say obsession are my keys. It's a struggle every day.

Stalls and Constipation are the two things we all will get. Plenty of good advice given here. Try any and see if it works for you. As for me, at the outset it was stool softners and the costco version of benefiber.

Had the sleeve at 60. HAD type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, gerd, sleep apnea and mostly everything else associated with obesity. Since my WLS they have all been a thing of the past. It takes work to maintain the good health that the surgery gives you.

Two ppl I know who had WLS waited about a year to drink alcohol. I myself, never drank. Sad to say the beers and cocktails kept piling on over the course of the following year and before you know it one gained 22lbs the other 20lbs. That's only after one year of going back to alcohol. Like many they thought they could enjoy an occasional brewski. Sadly not the case. I have found through my group sessions this happens quite often.

I go to support groups and meet many people with many different situations. It seems that there are some people who are hungry after surgery. The difference between pre surgery hunger and post surgery hunger is that you will feel fuller faster. Here is what I've learned from my groups for those who are always hungry. Take a portion size to eat. Weigh out an ounce of food. This helps control how much you eat. Eat in slow deliberate bites. Extend the the time that you eat as long as possible. They all say your brain needs to catch up to your stomach so that you can feel the fullness. Most important, don't eat around your restriction. If you eat and 1/2 an ounce of food fills you up stop and then wait 30 minutes and "drown" yourself in water to fill up your stomach. Hope this helps.

Unfortunately, it's a bad idea to cruise right after WLS. Although most people have the best intentions one of the main pleasures of a cruise is the food. Imagine a junkie getting out of rehab and then surrounding himself with drugs. We are no different only thing is food, that's our drug of choice. No matter how you might plan the call of the food is a strong addiction to overcome. I know, because I struggle everyday to fight it.

One thing that helped with my stalls is to discontinue sugar free powders such as crystal light. Drink straight water and plenty of it. It seemed to have pulled me out of multiple stalls.

Post surgery when I did go out to eat ( rarely) I told my companion to order two meals for themselves. I'm only going to be able to pick on one of them and I don't want to waste food taking it home. Has worked very well for me and my dining companions.

I'm a reverse clothes horse. Prior to surgery I bought a lot of clothes because my weight fluctuated so much ( not downward either) After surgery I realized how many clothes I had and when I finally went from a XL to med I only bough a few items for the different seasons. I have been wearing the same clothes since 2018, since they still fit me well.

I had surgery in 2017 . In the summer of 2022 I gained 10 pounds which I have not been able to lose despite going to the gym and watching what I eat. It concerns me to no end. In 1996 I lost a great amount of weight only to have it creep up on me. By 2000 I gained everything back and then some. I tell everyone to not make excuses for weight creep. Fight it because it will over take you very very fast. It happened to me once and I'm fighting it each and every day. I know the consequences of not fighting it.

I still cant drink carbonated drinks. I get a pain if I drink seltzer or carbonated water. Plain old H2O is good enough for me.

Whether it's snacking or grazing we must be prepared. First try to avoid what I was told is slider foods. These are high carb foods such as popcorn, chips, crackers, cakes, etc. You can eat a ton of them but never feel full and they do not have any nutritional value. Instead prepare and weigh out snacks like nuts, protein bars, veggies. I was instructed to eat the food slowly. When I eat nuts I take one at a time nibble it and extend the time I have to enjoy the snack. I was instructed not to take a handful and gulp them down. Same with other foods. Eat slowly, nibble at it and make the eating process last. So far it's a strategy that has worked for me.

It's the dreaded stall we all experience, it will pass. Whatever you do never think that you're not eating enough. You're body has changed and when you're full you're full don't eat around your restriction. After six years I still have a good restriction and I am very thankful for it. I've had friends and family members who have eaten around their restriction and have lost it. If it's protein you want try protein shakes but do not think solid foods are your answer at this stage. You'll only begin setting yourself up for failure.

I stayed the night. The reason was there is a test that they do the day after surgery to make sure the staples holding the cut stomach are holding and not leaking. I drank this awful liquid and had an xray taken. When they see that the staples are holding I was discharged. Same for others I know who had the surgery.

At work I said me and four other ppl in my building put $1000 into a pool and the person who lost the most weight won the 5K. I of course said I came in a distant second. At home I told ppl that we had the "contest" at work. The only ppl who know about my surgery are close family members. To this day ppl ask about that "contest"

Had the sleeve done at the age of 60. lost 85lbs and six years later gained eight back and despite my best efforts I cannot shed them. I tell everyone that I lost my weight loss super powers and now I am a mere mortal when it comes to taking weight off. One word of advice that I give to anyone getting WLS. It is not permanent the weight will come come back if you dont work to keep it off.

It's a common stall that along with constipation most of us have experienced. When I experienced mine someone told me to stop putting Crystal Light into my water. I did and by coincidence or design my stall stopped. After your stall you'll lose weight and you might stall again. It's all part of the wonderful process of WLS.

Planning, Planning and more Planning. First off, thank you for your service. When you make your trip you will need to keep the mind set that you will have enough to eat. Do not worry about eating you have a restriction from surgery. You will not want to eat too much. Get it out of your head that you will be starving. Many here have said that you should bring along protein shakes, great idea. At the time of your travels you should be (unless your Dr has a different plan) on soft foods. Baby foods are a good travel option for you as well. Make sure that you have plenty of water. That will be the key, it will hydrate you and also give you a feeling of fullness. Herbal tea, if you can get it on the road is another great option. As for truck stop food or fast food, STAY AWAY!!! After weight Loss Surgery (WLS) you should stay away from processed foods. Processed foods will only accelerate you gaining weight over time. You will not feel much hunger but in your mind you will THINK that you you will need to eat. It's our conditioning over the years to make us think that way. WLS has given you a powerful new tool a restriction. Don't eat around it, don't over feed it and most of all don't ignore it. It is your best friend. It will let you nourish yourself but not allow you to take in unnecessary amounts of food. You will be surprised as to how easy it will be to take care of your hunger as it will dissipate quite fast with little nourishment. I hate to use this phrase but I'll make an exception here, You've Got It. Just Plan, Plan Plan.

The fasting coach will probably not be a good stand alone tool. I've gained some weight and struggle to take it off. I'm fours years out. One of my tools is to fast. I fast 12 hours a day. I'm trying for the 36hrs 2x a week but that's a tall order. The point is, you will need to combine tools and not just depend on one. The surgery option is a good one combined (later on ) with the fasting option. As you've stated before you have achieved great success only to digress back to your starting weight. Weight Loss Surgery(WLS) is a great tool to "jump start" your weight loss but it is no means a stand alone tool. After 8-12 months we begin to revert back to , as I say being mere mortals again. No longer are we able to lose weight while sleeping or just by being alive. Our weight loss superpowers are gone. It now, takes a mindful and consistent maintenance program. This is where fasting, exercise, being conscience of what we eat and how we really changed our lifestyle during the first 8- 12 months. WLS is a great tool but it is not the golden bullet to lifelong weight lose and health stability. I'd say, go with the WLS, get that big jump start, start a mindful maintenance program consisting of many tools. Good luck to you and I wish you the best of health.

I'm four years into my surgery this month and here are the things that I've learned. At the beginning most will feel mixed emotions. Euphoric due to rapid weight loss, concern due to stalls and minor setbacks and trepidation due to looking at how others are doing and you feeling you're not doing enough. The one feeling we all have will be a renewed confidence in ourselves due to the fastest weight reduction you might have ever experienced. We attain our goal weight. We then transition into making wise food and lifestyle choices. No longer are we to eat the things that made us obese and unhealthy such as the three C's, Cookies, Cake and Candy. We will get more exercise. Maybe we park further from the building, maybe we join a gym, maybe we walk, run or work out. We are feeling great and we love our new selves. Next we work on maintaining the weight loss and our healthy lifestyle. One thing happens, we decide since we lost so much weight it couldn't hurt to visit our friends the three C's. If only for a short while and only in small amounts. Hey, why park so far? It's really cold/hot, I'll park closer. You're still feeling confident even if you gained only 10lbs of the 100 you lost. Hey, you're still down 90lbs. No problem, I can lose the 10lbs. I've lost far more than that after surgery. Then we realize, we are no longer weight loss super beings. We are just mere mortals who now have to work hard to lose the weight. Our bodies after time (usually after the one year mark) will not give us that rapid weight loss we once depended on. Here is when your determination and or lack of it will affect you for the rest of your life. We will all get back on a diet or healthier eating plan to lose the weight we gained. The majority will not succeed because it is not as easy it was when we first had surgery. Some will become complacent and throw up their hands and surrender. The weight will come back and the thoughts of a revision will come to our heads. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not allow for a do over. For a few they will overcome and work on shedding those pounds. They will succeed due to a variety of reasons such as a good support group, using the honeymoon period wisely and really making better lifestyle choices or simply losing one pound at a time instead of trying to lose all of it at one time. Since my surgery four years ago I had five friends and family members undergo the surgery. We ALL gained back some of the weight. Some were able to lose it and regain their healthy lifestyle. Some never were able to lose the weight and went back into the habit of eating for gratification. This is what I did. I originally got down on myself. How did I after three years let myself gain 10 lbs. I vowed to get it off. My 1st week I lost 1/2 a pound. I was devastated, how could this be? The next week I gained a pound. Why? I needed help!! My regular group meetings were cancelled due to covid so I lost valuable support there. I decided to call my family and friends who had the surgery. I spent hours talking to everyone, I told them about my struggles and they told me about theirs. We all came away with a few good ideas of what to do. First don't look to lose the WHOLE amount in one shot. It won't happen and it will derail you from succeeding. Set a goal of 1-2lbs per week. Don't worry that some friends or family might be losing more. We aren't in competition with them. Look at the little things. One friend said she stopped putting Crystal light or Mio in her water. She only drank plain ice water. It seemed to help her jump start her weight loss. Another friend said he started taking the stairs instead of the elevator. He climbs seven flights at least once a day. Another told me her husband who did not have the surgery brought snacks home and that she would eat them. She purged her home of the unhealthy snacks as she did right after her surgery. I started to implement these and other ideas and I have lost 5lbs in five weeks. I'm at the half way point to getting back to my goal weight. We are not super humans we need help and we need encouragement in order to succeed. There are a few on here who have done a tremendous job on their own and they are to be commended and emulated. For me, I need and I will take all the help I can get. Everyday is a struggle to be healthy. I told my surgeon that all this is happening after only four years, how do people succeed at maintaining the weight loss? He said sadly, the majority won't.

Congratulations.

I went to a therapist for two years post WLS. Mixed results and she specializes in emotional and eating disorders. My advice, stay away from on line and get the benefit of in person therapy. Unfortunately, she retired and I cannot find a suitable replacement.