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Ok, so the grocery shopping this week- $76.20 after sales, coupons, and rebates. Half the strawberries are gone already and the raspberries got made into jam. We’ve had pasta salad and rice bowls for dinners and they’ve had danishes, cereal, and crescent rolls for breakfasts. And about 2lbs of carrots from a previous week, a random bunch of celery in the fridge and a huge chunk of ginger got prepped for smoothies later this week and is in the freezer. My total would’ve been $13.40 less if I hadn’t taken a child with me- they asked for the kimchi and banana pepper rings. And pointed out the caramel apples.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner today. Breakfast- wheat toast with laughing cow cheese, strawberries and a protein coffee. Lunch- a mini raspberry danish. I actually made 2 dozen last night. Baked a dozen and the other dozen are in a freezer bag ready to bake when I have surgery in a couple weeks. There’s leftover jam in the fridge for toast/french toast later this week. (That’s what I get for using all 36oz fresh raspberries I’ve bought the past week!) Dinner- I picked up some vegan chicken on clearance so we had that in rice bowls. I ended up eating about 3/4c fluffed rice, a total of 1 cup cucumbers, about 1/2 cup carrots, and little less than 1/2 cup of the stir fried “chicken” with onions, epis, and garlic in it and 1/2tbsp of sesame seeds. I didn’t eat the seaweed and the grandbaby ate what I didn’t. Also had a protein fiber bar as a snack. Might have another protein shake before bed but honestly, I’m not hungry.

🤔Does anyone have any advice for tomorrow's brachioplasty surgery... Down time? Function of your arms, hands, etc. the first week? Comfortable sleep position? Not sure what to expect? Many thanks! Sophie

I couldn’t see anything on your mirror but your mentioning it reminded me. I did a very similar pic in my mirror to show a friend some shorts to ask if she thought they were too short and I couldn’t figure it out because the shorts and my top were black and looked like they had lint on them (a lot of lint). I kept looking down and there was nothing but when I looked into the mirror I would see it again. Well I finally figured out that it was my mirror that hadn’t been cleaned since the day before my surgery because I was a model patient and didn’t do anything like that requiring bending for. 6 whole weeks. I was like OMG that’s my mirror!! Now i’m not Suzy sparkle by any means but it’s never been so bad I thought I was covered in lint. 😆

Yea. She can prep some things for you. At first you will be on all liquids and once you get to puree you will be eating tiny portions. By the time you get to regular food you will have dropped a significant amount of weight and may be surprised at how much better you feel. I have a tremendous amount of energy now. I haven’t exercised in 20 years but now I’m walking daily, doing yoga twice a week and just tried a cardio/strength class today that I think I’m going to keep doing as well. I started at a lower BMI than you so you may not be doing rigorous exercise right away but you will be able to do more than you can now for sure and each day you will be able to do a little more and more. You can always supplement with protein shakes anytime too. Sometimes if I’m on the run I will have a shake for lunch even though I’m back to regular foods and I have one mixed with coffee every morning (that’s pretty good by the way if you like iced coffee I make mine with decaf). Perhaps you and your wife can cook together once you’re physically able and while you’re learning. I did that with my husband for a while before he got too busy with work and it was actually kinda fun. Anyways, I’m really excited for you on this journey. This surgery is life changing. It takes a great deal of work and commitment but it’s well worth it.

yeah I'm glad my program at least lets us have lean mean and no fatty meat, I'm also doing the no sugar Jello which is actually ok lol, but after surgery comes the 2-week full liquid diet i heard bone broth is actually good but have yet to try it

Yes. 5-6 Protein shakes and clear liquids. Sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles and low sodium broth(which is disgusting). That is it! I think it is ridiculous. I am trying my best, but it is not easy. I would love to have just a bite of anything!! They said I could have 1 bite of protein, but I know I won't be able to stop at 1 bite. Especially after not eating food for a week now.

That’s probably not a bad thing to have a bit of a break in between your first and second session. It feels pretty incredible when you’re done, doesn’t it? I started with walking and then I added yoga twice a week and today was my first cardio/ strength class. I thought I was in trouble when the teacher says so are you guys warmed up yet and I was already tired. Thankfully we didn’t do too much more cardio before we changed to the strength stuff. My legs are tired but I’m not limping or anything. It’s great when you find a workout that pushes you some but not so bad that you hurt yourself. I never thought I would ever enjoy exercise like I do now. I just feel so incredible when I am done. I love it.

I did the small meals throughout the day too. Mine is every three hours but I have alarms set to remind me or I would never remember because I don’t feel hungry either. Speaking of jerky. Chomps brand makes a turkey jerky that is pepperoni flavored that’s really good. That and cheese sticks are super convenient for on the go. Ooh and the yogurt drinks if you can find one that relatively clean. I did find one but it’s pricey so I started making my own. It’s really easy just Greek yogurt, milk and fruit in a blender. i use a container of non fat plain greek yogurt, 1/4 cup berries and 1/2 cup of almond milk. I just drink it out of the nutra bullet cup if I’m home but I also wash and reuse the containers from the ones I purchased to take on the go. They are $4 each in the store for the ones without added garbage and I always have fruit and almond milk on hand that usually goes to the waste anyways so I just have to buy the yogurt which is a lot cheaper than 4 bucks each.

First time posting here! Surgery date is 10/22. I'm currently doing my 2 week liquid diet and struggling. I miss eating good tasting food. I'm not a sweets person and these sweet protein shakes are tough to drink. And I can only handle so much broth. Highest Weight: 395 Starting Weight: 261 Goal Weight: 180 I'm terrified I will be the person that doesn't lose any weight. I haven't told too many people about having surgery for this reason. I know my love for food is what got me to this point in the first place, but what I would give to have a plate of delicious nachos right now!

There is another thread about this called reactive hypoglycemia which apparently is not all that uncommon post weight loss surgery. Actually may be why my teams standard is to have us eat every three hours. I’ve never gone longer than that so I wouldn’t know if I had it. Maybe I should try it while I’m at home instead of it happening when I’m out having fun on vacation or something. Definitely try eating more often a little something. It’s also possible that it’s diabetes related so personally, I would go ahead and schedule an appointment with my family doctor and then just cancel it if eating more often helps. That’s just me because my doctor is kind of hard to get into.

It *could* be hypoglycemia. To prevent that, you're supposed to eat something about every three hours. Preferably a protein if it's WLS-related. Even a thing of yogurt is fine.

Got my new app on 24th! Yay another week only

Do you mean SADI? Or is SASI another newer surgery? I had a sleeve revision to SADI and they warned me that diarrhea would be an issue for the first three or so months. For me I haven’t had this issue. Some days my stool is loose but it’s only once a day. I have been eating extremely clean though so perhaps that’s part of it. I would keep a log of what you’re eating and when it is happening and get with your team. You may have developed an allergy to something. That’s not at all uncommon.

the kind of reactive hypoglycemia that some people get after bariatric surgery isn't necessarily related to diabetes. It can happen to non-diabetics, too (I'm not diabetic). I've also seen it referred to as "late dumping", because it tends to happen a couple of hours after you eat (as opposed to soon after, as is the case with regular dumping). I mentioned in my response above that my physician couldn't find anything wrong with me when she did the workup, but she told me to let her know the next time I had that experience. The next time was a couple of weeks later. I'd been at a retirement party and had a whole piece of cake (instead of a couple of forkfuls, like I used to have back in those days). A couple of hours later, there it was again - dizziness, etc. She said it was likely reactive hypoglycemia (AKA post-prandial hypoglycemia), and it may not have shown up at the workup because my glucose might have been normal the day I went in for that. Anyway, yes - it's not uncommon after WLS, . It often appears when you're a year or so out (although sometimes sooner...or later). They say to eat protein - or a something paired with a protein - every three hours or so to prevent it (I know it's orange juice or something similar for regular hypoglycemia - but she specifically said protein with this type - may be something to specific to the WLS-caused version)

I didn’t do the bath or swim yet. I believe it was 6 weeks they said the outside was fully healed (double check on that though because there are different types of closure techniques that may heal slower). My team cleared us for anything but weights at 6 weeks but I noticed that some of the stuff that focuses on the core area in Yoga pulled so I just didn’t do that for a couple weeks (I needed the rest in between anyways 🤣). Tried again this morning in fact and it didn’t pull. I will be 10 weeks out tomorrow. I didn’t realize that I was that far out actually. Probably would’ve tried last week. Anyways, just with anything new, start slow and if you feel it in your tummy, stop!! That’s what I did.

I am 6/ almost 7 weeks out from sleeve surgery so I have started upping my working out some; mostly intervals of walking and jogging. I know I still need to be mindful of what I’m doing and not go too crazy with running or weights. Other than feeling low energy during a workout or a little light headed after, I haven’t had any issues. So my question is: if any of you have had issues with working out, what did you feel in your body and what exercises were you doing that caused it? I want to make sure I’m not pushing too hard. Also, I’m jonesing to take a bath. When did you guys feel comfortable taking a bath or going swimming with your incisions?

Thank you very much! Congratulations to you as well for your successful journey. It's amazing to finally be free of the fat and, more importantly for me, the addiction to food and the total control/power I have over food now. It's seriously my lifelong dream at 55 so staying motivated was baked in.. Thank you again. I am sure I didn't elaborate or explain my reasons enough but actually I am concerned about slowing down the weight loss. I still eat very small portions and am worried it would be hard to sustain on just protein, without carbs. I like my body running more ketogenic than carbed up with the ups and downs of carbs. Without adding fat, and with our malabsorption aspect of the surgery, I am wondering if its possible or not so much..If I am being honest, at 240lbs, I started eating dirtier with carbs to try and stabilize at 240 until I got my knee surgeries, but then just dropped another 20+ within a month and a half or so. My steps and activity increased, small by normal people standards, but a lot for where I have been, after I got another Cortisone shot to the knees. This just illustrates my concern once I reach goal weight and I am rucking, hiking, and lifting. Those three things will be lifelong for longevity and mobility going forward. Obviously everyone is different as far genetically and such, but I have been extremely low calorie, plenty of short fasts up to three days, and have plateaued at certain points during my weight loss, and after doing a refeed with carbs and basically whatever I want to eat, I recharged my metabolism for another huge run of weight loss. The refeed was usually only a couple days to a few days but less than a week. Now with this approach remember I am lifting weights. I mean hard as I can weight lifting 4 days a week. It sucks! Low energy lifting is not fun but the recomp.. I really believe the built-in calorie burn from lean muscle mass is the most efficient way to permanently stay in shape. Male or female doesn't matter. IMHO if your metabolism is slow and you are struggling with the last few pounds, I mean the literally like 5-10 pounds from goal BF, man or woman, start lifting weights. The body recomp will floor you. And that weight or really I think just your body composition after significant weight loss without adding lean muscle mass leaves you looking(Sometimes) like a no muscle bag of skin. Flat. It's not fun but the results.. Anyways thank you for the reply and just to make clear if any of the vets care to weigh in, the WLS gave me the tool, the only tool I will ever need again to lose weight. It's so powerful for me that I need to think about slowing down my weight loss combined with, if possible, being low carb and more ketogenic as a lifestyle choice I prefer. I just don't know if low carb is sustainable without the fat calories. that specifically is what I am looking for. Does anyone prefer low carb/ketogenic after surgery and is it possible? I already realize that fats can be problematic, is anyone doing carnivore after DS Sadi. Not my preference but the only option it seems for low carb without the keto fat plan. Thanks in advance for any tips.

I have it too. Random episodes but I also experienced it before surgery. Friends used to laugh and say it was an excuse not to do any strenuous type exercise (which was when I mostly had episodes) until they witnessed me experiencing it. Freaked them out. Yes, keep little snacks on hand. Eat to a routine. (I started to do this early after surgery because of the lack of hunger and any interest in eating. I knew I had to eat to get in the nutrients my body needed. I still do 5 years out.) Have an electrolyte drink on hand if you know your day will be busy and you may miss meals. (I added a hydralyte tablet to a bottle of water when I knew I would be out or at work.) And I plan ahead in situations I know may cause an episode. For example, sometimes I pop out before breakfast to grab a few groceries. To ward off an attack I’ll have a few blueberries before I leave. My last attack was 4 weeks ago at hospital. The hospital doesn’t provide the sandwiches or cheese & crackers after you have surgery any more. That night I had an episode. It had been 24hrs since I’d eaten and when I spoke to a nurse, she informed me o had to order my own meals through an app or ring an order through. Sorry but still rather out of it from the anaesthetic, sleepy and having a hypoglycemia episode does not make downloading an app and creating passwords, etc. easy. Plus the phone & menu was out of my reach because of the IV and being plugged into those pulsing leg wrap things. Due to my woozy befuddled brain, I totally forgot I had packed a few protein bars which would have got me through. And yes, I had identified I had hypoglycemia on my admitting records.

Hello everyone. My name is Tom and I have been a lurker for years. I had my surgery 11-22-22 at 471lbs. I weigh 214, for the moment, as I continue to lose. What a powerful tool this has proven to be! I am so blessed and thankful I couldn't possibly articulate it. With that being said, I feel I could help anyone that needs it just based on my own research for years into nutrition, fasting, and the many diet plans out there. I would be happy to give my own anecdotal experiences as well through losing the 255 lbs so far. But the point of this post is for me to lean on some of the vets of duodenal switch. I am approaching maintenance phase in around 35-40 more lbs. Does anyone do low carb in maintenance? If so what does that look like? Am I right to assume for us keto is out correct? The fat would be an issue or maybe someone has tried it? My concern when asking about low carb, for me specifically, I have protected my pouch size. I can still barely eat a few ounces of meat or whatever. I could, and may consider, actively stretching it a little when I get to maintenance, but as of right now I am not sure I could sustain on just meat once I am down to maintenance. I have Bilateral knee surgeries coming starting in Jan. I have lost all this weight in the recliner due to health issues. I am lifting, once I hit 300lbs weight, hard 4 days a week. But 0 steps for the most part. That's important because my exercise will skyrocket once I am healed from the surgeries and I will need more calories eventually. Carbs and fat are obviously the most calorie dense so.. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

Well you should be able to if you don’t mind cooking. I have been trying all sorts of new recipes. Trying new veggies and fruits every week, different fish and turkey meals. New ways to use chicken Ways to reduce the calories from meals I liked before. It’s easier to do while your hunger is gone so the thought is that you will have found some healthy things you do actually enjoy and have better habits if the hunger returns. It does for many people but to varying intensity. I won’t lie I would still like to have pizza and pasta, but since surgery the healthy stuff is far more enjoyable to the point that I am able to resist temptation a little easier and I have found quite a few dinners that I actually look forward to.

@pinkneymm@aol.com Another AOL account? Great, have you had it for a long time? I’ve always had mine. Anyway I’m on my 2nd week of pre op diet and having a hard time with it because I don’t know why?? I’ve lost a lb a day so far and my esophageal hernia started really acting up and it hurts to swallow anything. But other than that it’s great to already be losing weight. I can even fit into some clothes that I couldn’t before. My surgery is 10/21…really looking forward to it! Yours is not too far away! Yay!!! Best to you!

No, quite the opposite. I had my gall bladder removed about 6 weeks before my pre-op diet and my bowels had not returned to normal. Btw, my surgeon did a hernia repair when he did my sleeve. I’ll be thinking of you on the 21st!

@Kimberly740 My surgery isn’t for another week 10/21 on 2nd week of pre op diet. Not doing the perfect following of it though. Did you have problems with having a BM during the 2nd week of pre op diet? Swallowing is hard because of my hernia. Just started a couple of days ago with this difficulty. How are doing now other than wanting something more substantial?

Hi everyone! New on Bariatric Pal. I had GBRNY September 4th, 2024. Almost six weeks in and lost 18.8 pounds. Slow & steady…