Flab-U-Less Forever

Well tomorrow is my big day. I am surprisingly not nervous...yet. I am super glad to be done with the pre op diet that's for sure! Will keep you posted as to how it went and my recovery.

1 hour ago, catwoman7 said:

these are the guidelines of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. They give the requirements for all the common surgeries (including RNY and VSG) - might have to scroll down a ways to see it. As long as your Vitamins "fit" these requirements, you should be fine

ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf

Thanks for the link...I saved it so I had it for future reference!

You could take more but it still doesn't have zinc, manganese, magnesium, selenium, copper, and the Vitamin A comes from a different source. It doesn't matter to me because a chew is fine with me. All programs are different...I believe I've seen some where taking a Gummy is fine. It all gets so confusing when you see so much variation between programs. It would be nice to see what the bare minimum is and what is just the surgeon's or nutritionist's preferences.

I was also told not to take gummy vitamins. They do not provide the proper amount of Vitamins and minerals recommended by my program. Below is what is recommended by my program and also a label from a Gummy supplement (which, if you do a comparison, do not meet the criteria).

Thank you for this post...I will be travelling when I am at week 5 so on my program that is the beginning of "regular" food if I can tolerate it. The Protein oatmeal is something I will need to get my hands on and bring with me since I will be in the Caribbean and not sure what they will have readily available for me to buy. I guess I could take RTD Protein Shakes with me as well if I check my bag or just take Protein Powder and still be able to use a carry on only.

I wish supplements were under the purview of the FDA then we would know whether or not to spend the money on them

29 minutes ago, Kelly Sweetheart said:

The dietician in one of the videos I'm required to watch called it a food funeral. He said the first few days are the worst. I start my diet on 3/10, I think I'll be able to do it. Part of my pattern yo-yo diet was to "shrink my stomach" and stop carb cravings by fasting for at least 24 hours. This was just my psych belief. I've never researched it. But I always began a diet this way. LOL

I think that is the video I saw if from! Are you getting it done in Vegas @ Blossom? I am not but found the video through my research. He was right that by day 5 I felt less hungry. I did have a low grade headache for about 4 days and felt slightly nauseous around 3 pm. Hoping today I don't feel nauseous...no headache as of yet. My problem yesterday was my husband having a few glasses of wine in the evening on day 5 and I wanted one but couldn't. I went to bed early 😂 The weekends are going to be hard until I adjust but they always are even if I am just trying to diet.

28 minutes ago, LilaNicole20 said:

Tomorrow I start my 2 week diet and I was having some major anxiety and urges to eat junk in a last ditch effort to qualm my cravings? I'm not sure what to call it. I hadn't been craving the stuff before I got to the weekend - I felt like I just wanted to binge on everything and anything delicious. Anyone else experience something similar?

I started my pre op diet last Wednesday...it's going pretty good so far. Yesterday was hard though. I think I have heard of the food binge prior to starting as a "food funeral". I definitely attended that funeral LOL!

Thanks @SummerTimeGirl and @Arabesque...I will continue my collagen supplements knowing they may not be doing anything. They are cheap so they won't hurt and with fingers crossed they might help with skin conditioning. I won't invest in anything expensive.

Currently I am taking collagen to help my skin prior to surgery. Has anyone tried any soft chew collagen supplements after surgery? If so, which ones do you recommend or ones you think are horrible? TIA

The process you are going through seem EXCESSIVE to say the least. My psych consult took 30 minutes and he just asked me questions regarding if I knew what I was getting into and that I understood it was a tool and not a magic cure. No one has ever asked about my current exercise routine or lack there of. Are all of your other pre op tests/procedures completed and satisfactory? If so, can you go to a different surgeon who won't put you through the ridiculous scrutiny you are going through? Most times the pre op tests/procedures can just get transferred to another surgeon. It's worth looking into.

37 minutes ago, dms75 said:

Short term, Miralax. Careful with laxatives, including teas with Senna leaves, some create dependency if used a long time.

Long term, double the Water intake and add Fiber supplements. Eat plenty of raw cabbage, peas, snap peas, tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, apples with peel, etc.

I had to up my Water intake to a gallon a day to fix my constipation issue. I take 5 of these gummies daily.
https://www.costco.com/Vitafusion-Fiber-Well-Sugar-Free,-220-Gummies.product.11516194.html

No choking hazards with these gummies.

I was doing research on this the other day and found that Magnesium (Magnesium Oxide specifically) is helpful for Constipation and does not create dependency. I found several reputable websites that spoke about it. Here is a sample. Be cautioned if you already take any form of Magnesium or if you have kidney disease. From other articles I read, its not a very good form of Magnesium to take if you need to increase your Magnesium levels since it is poorly absorbed. This poor absorption leads to the laxative effect.

just found this with a google search...if it's just to check for sleep apnea (which you say you did with the cardiologist) and get a pulmonary function test (PFT) maybe you could get a PFT through your PCP or ask your PCP how to get one quicker. The PFT is a simple test where you blow through a large straw like thing which is attached to a computer and it measures your lung capacity. My son just had it done to rule out asthma.

Who is requiring the pulmonary consult...insurance or surgeon? If its the surgeon, maybe he/she can waive the requirement. I was wondering why the pulmonologist consult...do you have asthma? If its insurance, then there would be no waiver. Can you see a different pulmonologist? Not sure where you live but calling around to see if you could get in earlier with a different one could be an option.

I didn't have any pulmonary tests done per se but had a sleep apnea at home sleep test done via a neurologist. I did have to get a cardiac clearance as I am over 50.

3 hours ago, LaoDaBeirut said:

Cook it in an instant pot/slow cooker with it's own juices. You can add some vegetable or meat broth and then whatever flavorings you like. You'll end up with really soft meat that's easy to get down.

I would be wary of getting used to adding lots of sauces as a lot can be pretty high in calories or sugar.

Good point...no need to start creating NEW bad habits. I will keep that in mind and will try to either find low calorie/sugar versions of things or make my own.

Thank you Arabesque…great advice!

Magnesium Citrate will certainly get things moving. It's what I take the day before a colonoscopy. It available OTC where you would find Miralax, tums, etc...Its a liquid that tastes like very strong slightly salty lemonade (if you get the lemon flavored one). I don't think I would drink the whole 10 oz bottle though. Maybe just a quarter to start. Make sure you drink more Water because it causes your body to release excess water to your colon.

2 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I ate hummus on EVERYTHING for a few months after surgery. It's great on deli meat and hard boiled eggs. Also baba ganouj is great. And laughing cow cheese triangles.

I like me some laughing cow...I forgot about those things!

26 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I use fat free greek yogurt on anything that I would normally use sour cream on, and very many things. So, I make taco meat, chili, and ground turkey stroganoff and mix all with FF Greek yogurt. It makes it easier to swallow (and ground meat is easier that like chicken breasts or pork loin) and it increases the Protein content.

You can also use Tomato sauce; just look for one that doesn't have added sugar or make your own.

Not a huge fan of plain greek yogurt but Tomato sauce sounds like a good idea (hopefully I will be able to tolerate it after surgery). I make my own and it only has 1.5 teaspoons of sugar to 84 oz of crushed tomatoes so I would call that low in sugar. Thanks!

37 minutes ago, Sleeve_Me_Alone said:

Cooking meat in a crockpot is a great way to get moist, soft meats without too much "junk" added. chicken breast, pot roast, pork roast, all cook down and shred very well. Things like gravy or broth based sauces can help, but I avoided anything super spicy (salsa, hot sauce, spicy BBQ Sauce, etc.) for a while. I would also use rotisserie chicken and mix it with hummus, enchilada sauce, and even Boursin cheese to "thin" it out and give it some moisture.

Hummus is a good option. I know I will be afraid of anything spicy since it gives me heartburn now. I had to google boursin cheese. It looks a lot like the Alouette I buy. That's a great idea since Alouette has a low fat garlic cheese I like as a spread on crackers/bagels. Thinning it would work well with meat!

3 hours ago, Splenda said:

There are a few ways to accomplish this:
1. Eat some type of stewed meat, where it naturally has taken on moisture.
2. Find some low sugar or sugar free sauces (i.e. use a little bit of Keto bbq sauce)
3. A little bit of gravy, all things considered, should be ok. Don't douse your food in gravy, but use just enough to add moisture.
4. If the meat is a good fit for it (like chicken), some avocado mash makes a nice sauce.

Really, just find something that adds moisture, so you aren't relying totally on your own saliva to help it breakdown and become mush in your mouth.

gotcha... so braised/stewed meats I can do and I just tried the no sugar added Sweet Baby Rays and I like it better than the original because I do not like "sweet" on my meat. Just a little gravy will be hard but I will do it. Nice tip about avocado...I would never had thought of that. Thanks!

3 hours ago, liveaboard15 said:

Like cooking? I dont like cooking but my parents they always add like broths to meat, Cream of chicken, Tomato sauce ect...

I do like to cook...it just seems most stuff I would add is high fat

I agree with the hernia repair. My immediate family knows (husband and kids) and a few select others. I told work that I was having digestive issues and needed a hernia repair...which I do so not a lie just an omission. I work from home and have for several years so I won't need to explain rapid weight loss. To everyone else I know, I just changed my eating habits and started exercising. Which will be true as well 😉

On 2/14/2022 at 9:26 AM, lizonaplane said:

I have not treated myself with anything in particular, because I never held back from doing what I wanted before. I actually did a month of buying nothing but food in January, and that was great. I realized I had enough clothes from the last time I had lost weight plus some things I had bought in the last few months, so I didn't buy clothes. Unfortunately, this month I've gone back to buying things, although the only clothes I bought were swimsuits (my old one was way too big and I'm going on two trips where I will need them) and some things from a thrift store.

I already travel whenever I want; even when I was at my heaviest and needed a seatbelt extender I still traveled for work and pleasure.

I haven't figured out what would be a good "treat". I would like it to be something that doesn't end up in a landfill, something more like services. I like getting massages, but I never seem to plan far enough in advance. I'm actually getting one this week when I go to LA for work, because I have a friend there who is a massage therapist.

Actually, I just reached a milestone of 100 lbs lost, so I'd like to figure out some way to Celebrate that...

Maybe when you go to LA you could find a zipline to do to Celebrate you 100 lb loss.