NickelChip

If you're basing your bypass opinions on 20 years ago, it's come a long way! I chose bypass and have been very happy with the choice. Having said that, I am an avid listener of Dr. Weiner's Pound of Cure podcast and videos, and I found these videos so valuable when making my choice. Ultimately, I went with bypass for the more durable weight loss and avoiding GERD. But there are good reasons to make either choice, and these kind of walk you through some of that.

At 2 months, I could hit 700-900 fairly easily most days. Here is an example of what I was having. Ignore the goals as this app syncs with FitBit and insists on updating all your goals based on your exercise. Those are not the ones I set!

I keep a mental tally of protein each day but I haven't been writing it down. However, I have an appointment with my dietician on the 23rd so I think I will write everything down for at least a week before so I can bring it in with me to discuss. I always wear my Fitbit, so I have data for exercise and sleep, but obviously having the nutrition info is important. And it would help with accountability and resisting temptation, too. I haven't tried the cottage cheese flatbread but I've seen the videos and am intrigued!

Ugh. Getting back on track after vacation is harder than I thought it would be. I have no desire to cook and I'm craving snacks and sweets like crazy because I know they're in the house. I had done a thorough job of getting all the snacks and candy out of the cupboards leading up to surgery, but with the kids home all day for the summer, I've bought some things for them, and we also brought home stuff from our trip. Resisting the temptation when it's just in the next room while I'm working is HARD, especially because having a snack was often the way I would deal with avoiding a project for work that I didn't want to do (I work from home). Add on top of that the beginning of hunger returning and an increase in how much I can comfortably eat in one sitting and it's a battle. Plus the weather has been miserably hot so if I don't get out to walk first thing in the morning, it's not happening. Needless to say, my weight has bounced up a pound this week. So frustrated!

In my case, I was referred by my primary care doctor to the weight management center that is affiliated with the hospital and everything else was done through them. But I know it can be different depending where you are. In my case, my surgeon, dietician, and behavioral therapist were all in one office and I went to the hospital to have my labs drawn and my barium swallow and EKG. I did not have to do a sleep test or endoscopy based on whatever criteria they use for that. My insurance required a certain number of visits with the dietician and surgeon, but I'm not sure now what the requirement was because I had been going to the center for a long time on medically supervised weight loss before switching to surgical, so I had long since met those requirements.

So glad it went well! And an apology, too? Wow!

Do you like dresses? I adore dresses for warm weather. I suggest getting some loose, flowing types and a few light cardigans or those scarf-life draping kimono/shawl thingies for if you go inside somewhere that is cooler or want to cover your arms. I would probably take measurements to match up to your size on online size charts and try ordering or shopping in mid-August. You might get some things on end-of-season clearance. Actually, one of my favorite tricks is to find one dress I like and buy it in 3 or 4 neutral colors, and then top it with different accessories that I can use at any dress size. Three different kimonos will make a single dress look like you have three.

My go-to marinara brand is Bove's, which is made in Vermont and only contains plum tomatoes, olive oil, fresh onions, fresh garlic, salt, and fresh spices. It's delicious, but is pricey and can be harder to find if you aren't in New England. But the one I will get if I'm not able to find Bove's (or if I'm feeling like a cheaper option) is Ragu Kettle Cooked tomato basil, which you can get at Walmart and Target for under $3 a jar. It's about as close to homemade as you will find from a bigger brand and the ingredients look like things you keep in the kitchen. The turkey meatballs are fresh but precooked from Shady Brook Farms and can be found in a lot of grocery stores. The ingredient list is kind of terrible, though. They are tasty and heat up in 2 minutes, but once I actually looked at all the crap in them (I tossed them in the cart without checking), I will probably opt for a frozen version in the future if I don't want to make homemade. Speaking of frozen, they make frozen zucchini spirals, and I think you can get butternut squash and beet spirals, too. When made with fresh (not frozen) ingredients, I just toss it all in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Dinner done!

As others have said, I felt absolutely no hunger after surgery. I got a little tired of the same flavors every day and kind of missed chewing, but I wasn't hungry. I even had to go back on liquids for a few more weeks because of some vomiting issues and it was fine. For resting, the first couple days home I rested a lot. I would bring a big tumbler of water and a premade protein shake into the living room and just sit and watch TV and nap when I needed. That passed quickly and the pain was mostly gone within a few days. You will be amazed how quickly you are feeling back to normal. You've got this!

Tonight I decided I'm making myself zucchini "spaghetti" with marinara (I buy a brand with no added sugar) and precooked turkey meatballs from the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes and everything is pre-made so the prep and cooking time is minimal. A little sprinkle of parmesan on top and it'll be good to go!

If you don't want to stay off the scale for a week, which I'll admit I can't do either, just remind yourself each day that the number does not define you and that it isn't the end of your weight loss journey. Plateaus and small upward movements are common and normal throughout the process. It's temporary. You're still eating too little for it not to be. You're only 6 months in, so you have at least another 6 months ahead of you to lose those last few pounds. It will probably get harder, but it will happen! And you've done an amazing job in such a short period of time.

It's easy to forget that "weight" and "fat" are not the same thing. You can burn fat and go up in weight, and it's normal for daily weight to fluctuate by several pounds. You've been really lucky so far that the scale has gone down consistently, but you're getting to the 6-month mark and that's when the surgery's fat burning effect starts to slow (not stop, but slow). In the past, you were burning enough fat quickly so that even if you went up in weight from water or the food in your digestive track, you wouldn't see it on the scale. Now, though, you might only lose a small amount of fat in a week, so you could see the scale become a little more erratic. It's totally normal and you aren't gaining fat. It's also very common to hit a stall around 6 months post op as your body recalibrates. You'll probably see slower weight loss once it breaks, but you'll still see the scale go down for many more months. And if I just base it on my own experience, you will experience this type of thing the closer you get to a number that feels important to you because the universe is like that. The moment I dropped below 200 lbs, which was such a psychological milestone for me, my weight bounced back up and it took another 10 days to get back into the 190s again. My third month post-op, I stalled and only lost a total of 3.8 pounds. The following month was my best month so far for weight loss. So don't read too much into a little wobble on the scale if your habits have been reasonable. If it takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound, unless you can identify some really bad choices that would have led to a 14,000 calorie surplus this past week, it's not anything you're doing. Just keep following your plan and ignore the scale.

Thank you for posting this! This is very timely for me because I've just gotten back from vacation and am struggling. The kids are off school and underfoot. The house is a mess with things to be washed and put away from vacation. My routine is off and I'm not getting enough sleep. The fridge was empty when I got home and I lacked the energy to meal plan, so I now have a fridge of random food I picked up and hope I can turn into meals. We came home with way too many snack foods and sweets and now that they're in the house, the temptation is at an all-time high and my motivation to follow the rules and do what I know I need to do is feeling very low.

I use a straw and have had no problems. My program said not to use one because it might cause me to swallow too much air and result in discomfort. This has not been my experience, and frankly, I found it a little silly because if anything, drinking with a straw causes me to swallow much less air than drinking from a bottle or cup because I tend to gulp from an open container. I think most people know which way of drinking works best for themselves, and it's very individual. If you swallow more air with a straw, avoid it. If you don't, you will likely be able to use one post surgery without any issues.

@LisaCaryl Oh no, that acid reflux experience sounds terrible. When I was deciding between surgeries, the reflux issue was one of the things that swayed me toward gastric bypass. It's such a terrible feeling. I hope you can get it under control quickly.

@BlueParis The music festival looks like a wonderful time! And I'm so glad to hear you're in a good place with how you feel about yourself. It makes such a difference, doesn't it? For me, it was a year ago today that I went to my appointment with my weight management doctor and was advised to consider having surgery. I had just finished a 2-week roadtrip, driving around 7,000km from Boston to Denver and back for a writing conference, with some great stops along the way. And by "just finished" I mean I had pulled into my driveway at about 10am that morning, having been delayed at the Canadian border (because the maps app on the iPhone didn't know the little border crossing it was sending me to closed at 4pm and I had to drive a couple more hours to find an open crossing!) and having to stay an extra night in Vermont because it was getting too late to make it home safely. After two weeks of restaurant meals and junk food snacks, I weighed in at my highest ever. A year later, I've lost 65 lb and am just 1.4 lbs away from no longer being classified as obese. I still have a ways to go, but it feels good to have gotten this far. Recently, I've had more trouble with vomiting, so I'm sticking with liquids for 24 hours to see if I can let my stomach rest. It seems I never know what will set me off. I have an appointment with my nutritionist coming up soon and will talk to her about it. I'm also struggling post-vacation with some sugar and carb cravings, along with having zero desire to do any cooking now that summer weather has arrived.

A small amount of cooked vegetables, chewed thoroughly and eaten once by accident will not cause a leak. Some programs even allow cooked vegetables in the soft foods stage.

Yes, I have an Instapot and am just starting to give it some use. I've made delicious bean soups, and I have a recipe for chicken I'm wanting to try. I just try to follow recipes that are specifically for Instapot and they always come out perfectly. The meat really is tender, and soups are so good.

My favorite no-cook meals are salads. I like to start with a salad of baby spinach, matchstick carrots, fresh edamame, chickpeas, beets, feta or goat cheese, a sprinkling of sliced almonds, and top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It pairs well with chopped chicken breast (buy rotisserie to avoid having to cook it), smoked salmon, or thawed pre-cooked shrimp. Regarding the honey in your recipe, I would start by cutting the amount in half and see if you like the flavor of the glaze like that. Depending how you feel about artificial sweeteners, you might also try one of the no-sugar keto "honey" substitutes that are out there.

I know exactly what you mean by the stretchy clothing. I think the past couple years before my surgery, I was able to fool myself by only buying the stretchiest clothing. I stopped wearing jeans and bought lots of leggings, loose tunics, and flowing kimono-style wraps to wear over. They always fit, even if I went up 10 lbs. It was such a nice day when my jeans fit again, but it also drove it home to me how I had been kidding myself about not changing size in all that time.

Back from vacation last night and had a great time. We spent 2 days at the waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge, then drove to Hershey, Pennsylvania to visit the amusement park, followed by a trip through Lancaster County (where many Amish people live). I did what I could to meet protein goals and make healthy choices at restaurants, but I also allowed myself some sweets and tried not to stress about it too much. Weighed myself this morning and was down one pound since last week. Overall feeling good and looking forward to getting back to a more normal schedule, although I have a bit of a break from work until next week. A few random travel tips: Always make sure you are getting your food prepared the way you want it when you order. I saw a photo of a salad with grilled chicken on the menu, but I didn't realize it could also come fried until that was what the server brought me. She didn't ask which I wanted (she was new), and I just assumed it was grilled. A simple, "That's with grilled chicken, right?" would have saved me having to try to peel away all of the fried breading. If you must order fast food when on the road, a small cup of chili from Wendy's has 16g protein and 240 calories. I believe it's 22g carb (6g of which is fiber). They also have some nice salads. For a long car trip, bring a gallon-size thermal jug of ice water and keep it in the back to refill your smaller water bottle. Individual packs of edamame, beef jerky, and nuts made great portable snacks to get in some extra protein, and Quest protein chips are delicious! I also found protein pretzels in a gas station convenience store and they were good, although not as high in protein as Quest (which they also sold there).

I'm an American but I order Yorkshire Tea Decaf from Amazon because it is the absolute best! I'm normally a Yorkshire Gold girl, but I have followed the no caffeine rule since my pre-op diet. But I'm dragging in the mornings and going to switch back to regular tea as soon as my last box of decaf is done. I have no issues with hydration at this point, but being tired in the mornings makes me crave sugar, so I think caffeine is the lesser of two evils.

@BlueParis Frustrating as it is, I think it takes most people about a year to reach their lowest weight. Those lucky few who drop the weight really fast are unusual. I know it's hard! But you're a healthy weight and looking great, so it's worth being proud of how much you've accomplished, especially with such a difficult travel schedule. At least your stall has broken! As for scars, mine are similarly dark purple. This is not a surprise to me as I get very dark scars, even from spider bites. Those pajama pictures reminded me that I had to get rid of an old favorite pair of pajamas as they were much too large. I look forward to buying a cozy new pair when the cold weather rolls around! I honestly don't know how anyone stays on track while traveling, especially on vacation. It is so hard when eating at restaurants non-stop, not to mention being surrounded by snack foods and temptations like ice cream and candy, which are much too easy to eat. I dread what my weight will be at the end of the week when I get home from my family trip. This will be the most days in a row I've missed weighing myself since surgery. But now that I've had a day of indulging in some treats, and realizing that eating junk isn't as appealing as I remember and kind of makes me feel blah, I'm hoping I'll be better about limiting myself to the healthiest options I can find.

The issues I have with foods aren't so much about quantity as texture or bite size and/or speed of eating. I'm 4 months post-op and have averaged one vomiting incident a week, usually from a new culprit each time. Often, the same food will be something I've been fine with in the past and will have again in the future without problems. Reheating is a big issue as it dries out food, but so is swallowing too much at one time, even when well-chewed. A normal portion size for me right now might be 4 oz meat or fish and a small serving of vegetables, or a small hamburger without the bun. Today I ordered a bowl of short rib chili at a restaurant and ate about half of it, plus a bite of the cornbread. From what I hear, yes, the restriction will be less over time. But don't expect that for the first year or two.

If you've lost weight and gained it back multiple times, you might want to ask yourself if there was something truly, miraculously different THIS time that is going to stop you from repeating that pattern. Because if you have not had a completely life changing experience that has totally altered your approach to weight loss and nutrition forever, there's no reason to think the weight loss this time is going to prove any more permanent than it was before. But only you know the answer to that. Change is scary, and surgery is a big change. The chances of a serious complication are very tiny, but the chances for things that annoy you after surgery are close to 100%. I still find that I get an upset stomach about once a week for reasons unknown, and it can be a real nuisance. And I still have to take protein shake supplements sometimes and I hate how they taste. On the other hand, the power of the metabolic changes for losing weight and improving comorbidities is unmatched. All I can say personally is that I worked with my hospital nutrition and medical program for 7 long years only to never reach anywhere close to my goal and eventually gain every single pound back. I have now reached a weight after only 4 months post-op that I haven't seen in 25 years, no matter how many times I tried. And the surgery gives me a much better chance of keeping it off. So I'm glad I did it. Whatever you decide, just make sure you are being realistic with yourself about the possible risks and rewards of either choice.