Hi,

Its been two months since I've done my sleeve surgery. I have been taking my Protein drinks and the Vitamins on a regular basis, until lately I have come to a point where I no longer like to take my Protein Drink and forgetting to take my vitamins daily.

I have heard from the dietician that by not taking the meds, chances are that you can loose your hair, loose tooth and other weird side complications can arise.

I also don't feel short of energy, though I am not taking my meds regularly and neither I am able to take in 64ounces of Water. I can barely take 40 ounces of water. Will this by any chance affect the weight loss journey, coz at this point (2months post op), I am only loosing 2lbs per week. Would I loose more, if I did take in more water?

Has anybody gone through this? and if you don't mind, please share your experiences.

Does death count as a "bad experience"?

"Will this by any chance affect the weight loss journey?"

Yes, it will.

It is critical for healing, weight loss, and for your health that you get in all of your Protein and fluids every day, take your Vitamins and supplements as directed, and exercise.

If you do not do all of the above, not losing weight and having your teeth and hair fall out will be the least of your worries.

@@Inner Surfer Girl all that and lose skin. Your skin is your largest organ, give it what it wants and needs.

IMHO - the medical staff you paid to do the surgery (and explain the nutrition requirements) was part of the process for a reason - its a no-brainer.

to quote @Babbs - "just saying"

By not following what you were advised...you will have that horrid beat look that you see people that have had this surgery and do not follow the directive given.

You are taking supplements and Protein because there is no way to sustain yourself without it...you might feel ok now but you are in for a world of disappointment down the road.

You cant take the hair and tooth loss back...if you are ok with dentures and wigs rock on

Edited October 21, 201510 yr by Christine99

You cant take the hair and tooth loss back...if you are ok with dentures and wigs rock on

If it were JUST hair and tooth loss, that would be one thing. But not getting sufficient Protein and hydration can lead to much more serious illness and even death. The reason the OP might feel "fine" for a while without sufficient protein is that her body can live for a while by just eating up her muscle. Once her muscle is depleted and she no longer has any source of protein, she will weaken. Her immune system will fail and she could ultimately die. Protein is not optional for human survival.

You cant take the hair and tooth loss back...if you are ok with dentures and wigs rock on

If it were JUST hair and tooth loss, that would be one thing. But not getting sufficient Protein and hydration can lead to much more serious illness and even death. The reason the OP might feel "fine" for a while without sufficient protein is that her body can live for a while by just eating up her muscle. Once her muscle is depleted and she no longer has any source of protein, she will weaken. Her immune system will fail and she could ultimately die. Protein is not optional for human survival.

my response was meant to be sarcastic

Thiamine deficiency can be serious. Google it.

It's not something to fool around with, and a very small payment you make to yourself each day in exchange for a healthy post surgery life.

Shirley -- and I say this with love -- you're blowing it. If you don't like your current Protein sources, find new ones. Force yourself to drink more Water. You don't have to be perfect, but you do need to make more of an effort. You can do bettter, so do better. Please.

Edited October 21, 201510 yr by SleevePerry

Does death count as a "bad experience"?

Well said.

Thiamine deficiency can be serious. Google it.

I read a paper from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery that detailed all the supplements we need to take and the section on thiamine deficiency scared me the most. To the OP, thiamine is one of the B Vitamins that you would usually get from food but this early out, you are not consuming enough and a wide enough variety of foods to meet all the Vitamin needs we have.

Thiamine deficiency can develop in a very short amount of time - two weeks or less depending on how much your body has stored. A deficiency can led to irreversible neurological damage. Furthermore, in the developed world, doctors are not used to seeing conditions resulting from this deficiency and so very often, they misdiagnose it prolonging the amount of time for damage to occur.

Please, please make a serious and concentrated effort now and for the next year to get all your Protein, liquids and vitamins in. Losing weight is great but it is not the only important thing right now. Nourishing you body so that it can heal AND also lose weight is very important.

Pardon me, but are you kidding? Yes. Not keeping up with Protein, Water, medications, and Vitamins will absolutely have adverse affects on you. Regardless of weight loss surgery, Vitamin deficiencies and dehydration are very serious complications. If you want to spend your time getting months of infusions to stay alive, and if you want to have that sick, gaunt look to you in order to reach goal, then by all means keep doing it this way.

If you don't like your protein, do what SleevePerry said and find new ones. Don't like your vitamins? Find new ones. Can't remember them? Set alarms. Having a hard time with plain water? Try flavor enhancers. You have to do these things in order to be successful, otherwise you've wasted your time etc with surgery.

Good luck, hopefully you're able to figure these important aspects out so that you dont have any long term problems or complications down the road.

I haven't been drinking a Protein shake daily either because I have no found one that I can tolerate. I just ordered the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury so that I could try that. Someone else recommended shakeology. I also got gummy Vitamins and those are much easier to take and tolerate. I would say that though that not getting enough protein can definitely cause major issues down the road so you may want to figure out ways to get your protein in... and it's taking in fluids that count. If you're not able to do Water try G2 by gatorade.

@@shirleyjohn001 I disagree somewhat with most of the previous posters. Protein shakes are not necessary in order to get in your protein. It is possible to eat the required about of protein (the requirements vary depending on your surgeon). I focus on eating protein rich foods and only occasionally supplement with a Protein shake.

With the Vitamins and Water - I think it's a mixed bag. Yes, we really should be taking vitamins. I notice that when I forget, I feel tired and "off" more frequently. I am trying the Vitamin Patches. I don't have my blood tests until mid November so I'll find out then how well they're doing. With the sleeve, there are not the same malabsorption issues as with RNY. So it is possible that if you are eating a well balanced nutritious diet, you could get everything you need. And vitamins are not an all or nothing thing. If you only take them 3x/week that is better than not taking any at all. Daily might be ideal, but they don't deplete that quickly in your body.

My water consumption varies daily. My goal is 64 oz, but I don't always make it. But then some days I surpass it. Weeks when I get in more water I lose more weight. There is a direct correlation there. But don't think death is imminent if you don't consistently get in 64. But you should try.

All the PPs have a point about not following directions. The surgery by itself is not the solution. You have to make these changes if you want long-term success.

Also, I know lots of people who take daily vitamins, extra b's and Biotin and their hair still falls out. I've heard nothing about loose teeth. Scare tactics.