It's thought us December peeps needed a post op thread! Anyone here?

I have a HUGE concern that I hope my fellow December 2013 surgery buddies can help me with.... I had my surgery 12/19/13 and since then I have only lost 25 lbs ! I put my beginning weight as the weight I was when I began the program in June 2013, I lost around 60 lbs in those six months before surgery and now since my bypass I am going NOWHERE !! The losses come in spurts where I stay the same for about 2 weeks then drop 5 lbs then stay the same and drop again !!! This is maddening ! I feel I HAVE to be doing something wrong. My Nuts. said we should have 75g of Protein a day and at least 800 cal. I am ALWAYS around 80g of protein a day and about 900-1000 cal. (She said keep it between 800-1200). I walk about 3xs a week. (I was sedimentary) and am increasing my exercise to include Water aerobics and swimming. Why am I not dropping the weight ??? Is it because I lost before the surgery??? I feel like I am doomed for failure, I have ALOT to lose and can't be petering-out already ! HELP !!!!

Hello. I hope this will help you feel a bit more "normal" and in not so much despair? I am your same age (basically) and I live in WA state. I had my surgery two days before you, on the 17th of December. I am a RYGB patient. I started was 293 at home when I left for surgery....I returned home 48 hours later, UP 14 pounds (fluid and meds). So, I arrived home at 307. I did a three week liquid diet, then a three weeks soft foods, then a full food diet, which I am still on. On Tuesday coming up (the 11th, I will be 8 weeks post op). I weighed 269.1 when I woke up, peed, stood on scale nude, as I do every morning. I have been as low as 266 in the past few weeks, but I have been swinging back and forth for weeks in the high 260's. I am totally upset, irritated, frustrated and wanna scream. I too, DON'T GET IT. I am eating NO MORE than 800 calories. I am keeping my meals at 1/3 cup in total portion/volume. I aiming for 80 protein daily, hit it most days. I am NOW as of a few days ago really watching the carbs that I take in (Bbq sauce, stuff like that)...and I realized I have been eating TOO MANY carbs, right along with getting in ALL of my protein and yet staying below the 800 cals a day. I have only been some occasional walking and work out videos for the first 7 weeks post surgery. I am doing more of that in the past few days. I bought a Fit Bit-One device on Friday and that is helping me get my head in the game. I feel like I am a slow loser. I think going backwards two pounds is awful. I know this Bypass is ONLY a tool. However, I really thought that I would get more bang for the buck if you will. I don't get it. Regarding calories, back in week 4-5, I hit a 13 day stall...NO LOSS....I called the office talked to my dietician..went went over my food journal (I journal EVERYTHING)...she said that I was taking in too many calories, even though I was hitting the protein quantity....I was...I was eating almost 1200 daily, just as you've said! I lowered it down to the 800 max and bang...i lost a few pounds, daily....and got out of the 270's and entered the 260's...but now, here I sit....stalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllled. I get in all my water, I take all of my bariatric Vitamins and supplements as needed. I am working on getting better sleep (I am learning how SLEEP and quality SLEEP makes a huge difference in our weight loss). This info may make you madder, but my hope is that you will see you are NOT ALONE. I was glad to see your posting and I could not believe how EXACT we are on our situation. If you want to talk off of this tool, I can be reached at karijoa@aol.com. My name is Kari Jo

I am PARANOID! I never heard the rumor that drinking a diet soda or anu carbonated drinks can stretch out your pouch. I do enjoy two carbonated drinks a day before I heard that. Now I have been s basket case. I guess basically because I am at a stall. I'm not moving. I know that I had the illness and that set me back with a lot of fluid build up but I am about to pull my hair out. I sit in the bathtub and cry thinking did I do all of this for nothing. Did I sabotage myself over a carbonated drink. If I quit drinking them will my pouch shrink back up like our stomachs use to do when we would diet on our own. Is there any sort of weird test I can do at home to see what I have done. I am desperate. HELP!

Im sorry you guys are having a hard time and not trying to interupt.....but i had to share this find. Omg so good. They taste like sun chips....13g carbs, 1g sugar and 8g protien

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I had rny on 12/17, I'm 75 lbs down since the pre op liquid diet. I have more to lose than you guys though. I heard the more you have to lose the faster it comes off.

I eat between 500-800 calories a day, probably 60-70g of protien though. I have trouble getting more in. I avaoid carbs and sugar like the plague.

Stacey I worry about you with the carbonation...I have a friend who's husband wouldnt give up beer and he has ulcers and internal bleeding a few times a year...it is not good for you anymore. Although I did swish some diet coke in my mouth the other day for the taste and the soda "burn" but I didnt swallow, I spit it out.

Dont forget you cant compare yourselves to anyone else. We all lose differently. And stop weighing yourself everyday, it is counter productive...I now have my husband hide my scale. Im only allowed to use it once a week. Don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat, so working out you might not lose lbs but gain muscle. You guys can do it, just hang in there!!!

But in all seriousness. Have I stretched my pouch by drinking carbonated drinks? ?? I am so paranoid. I have waited and longed to have this surgery for 10 years. Now I have had it done and I don't want to do ANYTHING to have messed it up that stupid.

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Ok ignore the teapot stance...I was pulling my cardigan tight....I think I'm starting to see my waist again!! 75 lbs down!! Oh and jeans I bought years ago that never fit...I just took the tags off!! Woot woot!

FINALLY ad err 3 weeks of not losing, the scale moved down 5 pounds... FINALLY!

*after

hi everyone...i have just read what you all are worried about. I am from Canada Alberta. From what I have read I was wondering what you all drink for fluids. My Doctor warned me that most people will gain weight from this surgery from what they drink. With the carbination part what I was told it wasnt that it would stretch it would just make you gain weight and can maybe damage the staple at early healing and could also cause pain. I was also told to keep the sugar under 7 gr per item. I had my operation nov 28th of 2013 and i loose at least two lbs a week with no excersize but what i do at work. The doctor also said we need to make sure we have our Water to keep loosing the weight. Caffine will make you dehydrated to avoid this also. I know some have gone to drinking glurcerna for a few weeks to get back on track. Hope these help you all a bit.

Hello everyone! I'm two pounds away to hit my 50lbs mark! But I've been going through a nauseous stage just thinking about food makes me sick. That's 1 problem the second problem is that I'm having a lot of back pain I work 12-14 he shifts and constantly on my feet my stomach has to be the blame cuz it just hangs. I've been taking the Hydrocodone that I was given for pain after the surgery but do I keep taking that or is there another medication I can take. Plain Tylenol doesn't do nothing. Before I would take Motrin for my horrible menstrual cramps but can't take that anymore. ?

Yes. That post has helped me alot. I didn't really hear anything about stretching the pouch but the same as what you heard in the beginning. That it could cause pain and you would need to be careful of your stitches or staples. I had to have stitches due to some of my other health reasons. My body would attack the staples. But I was getting so many mixed messages about stretching my pouch that I was going crazy. I usually have two diet sodas a day just to keep me going. Other than that I usually drink ice water, zico coconut water, ice tea, hot tea, and on occasion coffee. I do keep the sugars down. I have settled into a very comfy food and I know that I have to break my habit. I usually have a protein drink of some sort for breakfast and for lunch a bowl of soup. Not very much protein in the soup that I am eating but I have started putting the unflavored protein powder in the soup. I just got some labs back and I have some low values with my vitamin d, calcium, and protein. So I am going to have to be daring again and get out there and try more protein rich foods and enjoying my salads again. It's hard when you get down sick to just go back to the comfy foods that you know work for you but aren't all that great for you. Thanks so much for any input anyone has. I really appreciate it. I have just felt alone and lost here lately. Thanks to all!

Hello everyone! I'm two pounds away to hit my 50lbs mark! But I've been going through a nauseous stage just thinking about food makes me sick. That's 1 problem the second problem is that I'm having a lot of back pain I work 12-14 he shifts and constantly on my feet my stomach has to be the blame cuz it just hangs. I've been taking the Hydrocodone that I was given for pain after the surgery but do I keep taking that or is there another medication I can take. Plain Tylenol doesn't do nothing. Before I would take Motrin for my horrible menstrual cramps but can't take that anymore. ?

Have you tried an abdominal binder or a spanx suit. I was wearing one of those after my hysterectomy and I really felt like it helped with the lower back pain from the hang. They really have some cool spanx stuff out there now that could probably help. Your hours sound like you are in the medical field. I have the same delima. Hope that helps.

If anyone would like to contact me privately for any kick my butt in gear conversations my email is fireballstacey@yahoo.com

Have you tried an abdominal binder or a spanx suit. I was wearing one of those after my hysterectomy and I really felt like it helped with the lower back pain from the hang. They really have some cool spanx stuff out there now that could probably help. Your hours sound like you are in the medical field. I have the same delima. Hope that helps.

Yes thank you. I wear one everyday its the only way I can survive but lately it's getting worse. I can't sit it the car for a long period of time because it's pain that is very uncomfortable. I was planning on calling my doctor cuz before Motrin would help with all my body pain due to carrying the weight. Of course the hydrocodone I only take at night when I need it but during the day I don't want to take it cuz I'm a RT and I don't feel comfortable with taking that.

Yes thank you. I wear one everyday its the only way I can survive but lately it's getting worse. I can't sit it the car for a long period of time because it's pain that is very uncomfortable. I was planning on calling my doctor cuz before Motrin would help with all my body pain due to carrying the weight. Of course the hydrocodone I only take at night when I need it but during the day I don't want to take it cuz I'm a RT and I don't feel comfortable with taking that.

Well I know that in the mornings I would lie on my bed and cinch up that abdominal binder as tight as I could get it. Then I would shimmy on that spanx suit. It's like a cross between a 1940's bathing suit and a corset. Lol. It's funny because the first day I wore all that garb I could barely talk to my patients. And this story gets worse. One day picking up on a pt I tweaked my back so they sent me down to get checked out. They wound up issuing me a back brace to wear. And they would stop and check on me from time to time to make sure I was wearing it. So sometimes in the mornings it would take me an extra 45 minutes just to put on all my garb but it sure helped. Maybe try adding a good back brace and see if it helps you. Also read up on your institution's policy and procedure manual regarding pain meds. I know that mine said that the employee could take a low dose if proven to his/her supervisor that it would not interfere with their judgment when it came down to pt care. So I got my doc to write me the lowest dose straight up pain pill with no Tylenol or anything else added to it so I could take the Tylenol as I needed and the lowest dose pain pill was 5mg. Sometimes I would break it in half and just take 2.5mg and it just made it tolerable for me to get through the day. It just helped with the pain it wasn't so strong that it made me all googly. Just some of my things that I have tried. Hope it helps. Also working in the medical field our shoes don't really look dirty and get nasty looking but you should be getting a new pair of shoes every 3 months for proper support. We wear our shoes out from the inside out. They still look really nice but basically they are flat tires after about 3 months.