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May 16th surgery. 3 weeks post op. Yesterday where the biggest incision is the adhesive they put over the area is coming off and it’s bleeding a bit. I called the doctor and they say it’s normal. But it’s creepy to me. I covered it with gauze sponge like advised and put my binder back on. I haven’t checked it today yet.

Great job. That's incredible. You averaged 7.5 lbs. a week. Even 7.5 lbs. in a month is great to me. Continued success!

My plan said don’t drink coffee for the first month. I had some 2 weeks post-op. No problems.

So i’ve been bugging Mr to grill me up a steak all week cuz i was terribly missing some good quality, well cooked MEAT since vacay (where the food was borderline terrible!) Tonight, Mr. came through and prepared THREE of these babies!! Its hard to tell in the pic, but this Porterhouse is GIGANTIC. It was almost 2 inches thick raw, and weighed 2.35 lbs cooked. 😳. Did i mention he made THREE of these?!?! Overkill is an understatement cuz I ate like 1 measly oz of it. Along with some roasted asparagus and portobello mushrooms. Cleaned my bowl: 345 calories, which included an espresso martini i drank beforehand (not shown). Totally hit the spot! Mr is gonna be rewarded for his efforts later (once my food is digested 😂😂😂😂)

I just hit my third week stall and I’m kinda meh about it. Thanks to this thread, i am taking the zen approach that it will happen (stalls) and i just need to channel my energy into something else (walking, getting outside to work on my garden, playing with my dog) instead of obsessing. I used to obsess all the time when i did weight watchers and the stupid scale wouldn’t move. I’m just grateful i was able to have the surgery and take a new approach to life. Plus the warmth and sunshine has come to Connecticut and I’m enjoying it!

So, coffee is my weakness. They told me to cut it out during my pre op which was a week and I did. I am 4 days post op today and I had my first cup. Just make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids. They told me the reason they tell you to cut out caffeine is because it's a diuretic causing you to urinate more and you need to keep all your fluids Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

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’m juuuuust about 3 weeks out and as a die hard New Englander, i drink iced coffee year round. I haven’t had any caffeine in over a month. I cut it out during the pre op diet. When did everyone start adding coffee back in? I’m a milk only person with my iced coffee so no, I’m not missing the sugar, just my delicious iced coffee on warm sunny days.

Hello. Yes I had hernia surgery 2 weeks ago and having Bariatric surgery in 2 weeks

i have never seen that show but yea i was hoping for a little bit faster lol. but of course i am just 6 weeks post op. even my surgeon says hitting the goal weight takes time. up to a year or so

So i started the pre op diet on April 4th. Surgery April 18th. So far these are my stats 6 weeks post op. Always do my measurements on the 4th of the month. Not bad. Wish it was a little quicker but not bad for 6 weeks post op.

@loli_lotus oh my lovely I feel your pain. [emoji3059] I have also battled with depression and my weight for many years and I also had all the doubts and questions that you have. I first considered the surgery 3 years ago, all the doubts and questions made me change my mind and I decided to try dieting again ( because I thought I could do better this time). Fast forward 3 years and no matter how hard I worked at dieting, I struggled to lose weight. I finally had surgery this March! I still had doubts, questions and family trying to dissuade me but I finally realised that I couldn't do it myself I needed a help. I didn't want to spend anymore time sad and obese with no confidence or self esteem. I'll be honest, it hasn't been easy, I've had to deal with emotions that I previously ignored by eating. I now have counselling to help me deal with this. I reacted extremely well to surgery and for 8 weeks the smell of meat repulsed me, this happens when your hormones change after surgery, it doesn't happen to everyone though. I now struggle to eat a great deal and have to eat little and often. Food was my best friend and now I don't enjoy eating. I find it a struggle to eat more than a few mouthfuls, but I keep reminding myself that it won't be like this forever and I need to take advantage of this. I also remind myself that I chose to have the surgery and how much more confident I am already! I have lost 36lb in 10 weeks, dropped two dress sizes and now feel OK looking at myself in the mirror. Everyone reacts to surgery in they're own unique way and it is a personal decision that only you can make. It isn't a quick fix and it is a difficult journey, but you are already putting in the hard work of working on your mental health. For me, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I now look forward to going out and doing things I previously would avoid and I'm continuing with my counselling sessions to make sure that I don't return to emotional eating in the long run. I hope this has helped you, I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you, sending you a huge hug x Sent from my SM-G980F using BariatricPal mobile app

I hit a wall with shakes this week. My doc team suggested unflavored protein powder in Gatorade zero. Ugh! No. It was wretched. I found this idea in a bariatric cookbook. Nonfat milk mixed with some nonfat milk powder. It wasn’t gross! I tried a bit then made some more.

I think you need to have a blood test to check your protein levels, vitamins, minerals, sugar, etc. Then you’ll know what your missing in your diet & your surgeon & dietician will be able to best advise you. And as @The Greater Fool said camp out at your surgeon & doctor’s & demand attention until you get answers & a way forward. I agree completely with @catwoman7’s advice around your caloric needs. We’re not all the same & there are too many factors that influence what you need as an individual. The blood test will help inform what your macros goals need to be - whether you need more, less or are consuming enough. I really appreciated the 3 monthly blood tests (& appointments) my surgeon & his colleague requested the last three years (just moved to 6months now). We picked up things like how removing my gall reduced my protein absorption, my vitamin D levels drop a little in winter, I didn’t need to continue to take multivitamins after I reached maintenance (except D in winter). I also agree with the advice to cut out any high fat or high sugar foods out of your diet & see if the dumping improves. Hypoglycaemic episodes gives me similar symptoms to what you’re experiencing though. (I usually eat a couple of berries as the little burst of sugar ease it very quickly.) Maybe your reactive hypoglycaemia needs to be explored further with your doctor too. All the best.

I’m not sure. Each surgeon may have their own requirements I just had my surgery a week ago on the 27th

I was told to lose 10lbs but I didn’t lose it until my pre-op liquid diet. I actually lost 15lbs in two weeks

yup, they are strict. I had grown to like the Atkins shake - all the same stuff, yadda, yadda, yadda - but only premier or BP pre-op. Fortunately, i found that I love (this week) Premier Peanut Butter/Chocolate.

I had the revision from sleeve to RNY last August due to severe gerd. Have lost all my excess weight and I can finally sleep restfully all night long. No severe gerd. I can't say whether you will screw up again but I assure you, with the RNY, it'll be much harder to slide back into bad habits. I'm in my 10th month and it's been a lovely journey for me so far. I am still elated that I can get full on 2 eggs. Unfortunately, complications can happen with all surgeries. I had a complication with the lap band and the VSG. No fault of my own. RNY is no longer a permanent surgery, but it is a risky procedure to reverse it. The sleeve is considered permanent. As for vitamins, I had a complete bloodwork 2 weeks ago and I was not deficient in any vitamins, minerals or protein. Cholesterol, triglycerides, sugar, all perfect. I only take a vitamin patch by patchaid. It may not work for others but it sure works for me. I hope this helps.

I agree with you 100%. I did the research and coffee also has health benefits, provided you don’t exceed 450 mg. My dietician doesn’t allow caffeine EVER, as in never! I say bullshit to that rule and plan on drinking coffee when I get to the 3rd month. I’m currently on week 7 and drinking decaf coffee occasionally.

Changing macros is always interesting and usually pays off. Some say cut the carbs, others say up them. For example, I upped my carbs to over 100g and dropped another 5 lbs. I have been below my weight loss goal but was stalled for a few weeks. I have been working up to consume the 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, as per my surgeon's diet plan. It's similar to the Longevity diet based on a 30 year recent study.

I also had severe GERD, which some insurance companies consider a comorbidity. I think that BCBS was just being mean and looking for an excuse because my starting weight was on the lower end (223 pounds). I am doing okay on week 7 after surgery. Every day is a struggle to eat the right things and stay away from crackers. I discovered that I can very easily eat Skinny Pop popcorn, Goldfish crackers and Cheez-Its. Now I’m addicted and trying really hard to resist them. They are now banned from the house!

I am on day 13 of 100% liquid Diet. My surgery is this coming Monday 6/6. This is what I been living on for the past 3 weeks (started earlier as a trial) Drinks: 64oz daily of any of the items below Water, sugar free noncarbonated beverage such as Crystal Light, Sugar free fitness beverage such as 0 calorie Propel Fitness Water or G2, Bullion or Broth, Decaffeinated coffee or tea, "Flat" decaffeinated diet soft drinks such as flattened diet ginger ale, Diet Jell-O or Gelatin 20, Tomato or V-8 Juice (NOT splash or Fusion unless DIET), Sugar- Free Popsicle (less than 20 calories each; limit 2-3 per day) Meal Options: 3-5 a day Shakes (Premier, Optifast, Carnation Instant Breakfast etc.) It also gives you guidelines to make your own between 150-250 Calories/serving, 12g of protein per serving minimum, 10-15 grams of sugar per serving Snack: 2-3 per day Yogurt: Nonfat, light, Nonfat or 1% milk, Tomato or Low Fat Cream Soup, Sugar Free Pudding, Greek Yogurt Fat Free I hope this gives you an idea. As per nurse if is not on the list I am not allow to eat it 😐 but it is almost over 😄

I been taking the collagen mix on my shakes for 3 weeks now. I will be adding Biotin to it, any recommendations?

Hi all, I like sharing the story, because I remember having just as many questions when I had this (lapband) done back when my youngest child was 2 (so 8 years ago) I had been at a regular weight (5'5 or so and 130 lbs) - was good for me....until I got preg with my first - and SOMEHOW gained 70 with him (when I was 26) and despite diets, Weight Watchers, boot camps, south beach, no carb, walking, gym memberships - I only lost 30 of it. THEN, 6 years later (at the age of 32, I purposely got pregnant again, gained only 30 this time around, But remember - I was still carrying around the 40 pounds from my first baby(cakes). Anyway, in desperation, I did it. And I felt embarrassed that I had to go that route. But with my new metabolism and having two pregnancies - and after all the regular stuff, gym, walking, boot camp etc. -- it would not leave me and I didn't feel healthy. So, I did get the lapband, and it was a pain in the ass, there were required seminars and prescreening and pretests, liver checks, etc. etc. (but btw, eating healthier, exercise *walking was a huge help*) So, when my daughter was 2-3ish (back then it took forever to get certified, especially if you were too close to the BMI weight, which I was right on the cusp of not being qualified. Back then, it was like you had to gain weight before you qualified for it. When all was said and done, (again about 10 years ago now) I did land at a net weight loss of 70 pounds (from 240ish to 140/150) - but once I stopped having it filled, I did gain about 20. However, it doesn't matter, i'm back to close to pre-pregnancy weight and feel more in control about losing that in a healthy way. I know it's not easy when it's more than 50 pounds to lose. But, I do feel better! I don't really care now the nubmer that I weigh, as long as I feel good and more healthy. I quit getting it filled after after three times- it was very restrictive , even the doctor could see that. So, LONG story short, I was at where I wanted to be and had it completely unfilled, then removed about a month ago - I have not gained any weight!!! That is people's fear, but nope, I am happy to report, I actually lost 7 pounds since it was removed. And I feel much better with it OUT. I, obviously, am not against people who want or need it, but just keep an eye on it. My doctor said (not quoting him direct but in a nutshell he said ----> "10 year shelf life, if that - the statistics are still coming in" - just be careful. One POSITIVE experience from it: because I was restricted from eating for so long (whether band was filled or unfilled), I learned quickly to eat reasonable portions, not binge eat like I did when I was pregnant or whenever (everyone situation is different of to why they over ate)....and with the confidence that came with losing the weight - it did encourage me to PERMANENTLY eat different, healthier, and overall be more conscious of our eating habits and choices. And for those of you with kids, I don't need to repeat that! we want our kids to lead by example. I wish you all the best - I guess I'm leaning any advice for people with hesitations or wondering about self-experiences , and here to say - if you have the band, control the mind set and make it a permanent mindset and keep an eye on it!!! Because eventually you will not need it nor be able to have it. The removal surgery very me sucked badly, it was all wrapped around my intestines. (my doctor quit even doing them 7-8 years ago because of the complications they are seeing now that they have been reported more). But I guess, after everything else I tried and in combination with the rest of effort, it was worth it. if you get into that new "groove" - you won't need it the rest of your life. The important part, I think, is to sustain how your appetite and mind reconfigures itself afterwards. If you have any questions at all - feel free to message me! P.S. - I am not condoning lap band nor against it. I am only sharing my personal experience - just because I know that people need it for whatever reason they choose (health/self-confidence/feel better/not be so hot in the summer/can't lose/new metabolism sucks/never lost that baby weight, , etc., 👨‍⚕️