I had my 6-week post op check today - all going well, surgeon is about as pleased as I am!

I thought some of you might be interested - seems his approach to eating now is more relaxed than for some of you guys in the US. His reckoning - I should work my way from 1/2 or so cup of food per meal, up to 1 cup or a bit under over next 6 weeks, strictly 3 meals a day forever. I need no longer worry about “protein first” in each meal - a good mixed balanced meal is more important now. If anything, eat well-chewed veggies first so I get in enough, then protein as it tends to not pass through as easily (my pouch is a “fobi pouch” with a silastic ring permanently set in the bottom. A “no-stretch” pouch.)

My surgeon has longitudinal data on 1700 patients post RNY. Makes for great comparisons and predictions! My weight is maybe 3 pounds ahead of his estimate for me at this point - but he is right on in his predictions of when my 5 pounds a week loss dropped to 4, 3, and now to 2 pounds a week. His estimate is this will be reasonably steady for 6-10 weeks, then a pound a week average until the 9 month post op point.

My current lack of interest in food, lack of hunger and food drive, is exactly as per most of his patients. His research - 1 year after RNY the average intake is 750 calories a day - which he says is fine, if the diet is balanced, and with a good vitamin supplement daily. Blood work tells us whether the food we are eating is hitting the right balance. He also isn’t as wedded to “you must have 70g of protein a day” - a reasonable amount, sure, but he said ‘your liver makes protein, and some days with less is really normal’.

So, in his relaxed guidelines, we are both pretty happy with my easy progress - AND best of all I am cleared to go scuba diving in 9 weeks! Hooray!

Congratulations on your surgery.

Wow what a great report and sounds like you've got a stellar doc!!! ((hugs)) Thanks for sharing that update and the particulars of your diet/diet outlook!

Wow@biddynz,i've been following your story ,on here. So glad things are so wonderful. At this point I'll probably be laparoscopic but if I did have to be open I'd hope,i would follow your healing path. Best of everything now and in the future.

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You know the best thing - for now, anyway, my taste has really shifted.

Dinner? 50g (2oz) rotisserie chicken meat with cherry tomatoes, a small bell pepper, lettuce, jalapeño peppers, some whipped feta with a tsp mayo. And it is heavenly! I have never been a salad girl, unless it is potato!

I do hope this lasts. I read that it might, but not an atom of me believed it - imagine a life where you get a kick out of healthy food, crave a salad - this is as far from old me as I can imagine. The old gastric band just didn’t have this effect...

Edited January 27, 20188 yr by Biddynz

Your salad looks so yummy, if I was in NZ we could share a bowl. Dark and overcast in Ohio, bet it's beautiful in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Yes indeed - although hot. Record breaking temperatures, all across the country. Not so good for the farmers, but even our Southern (coldest, snow-in-winter) cities and towns are pushing 80. The sea down there - usually about 55 this time of year - right now is pushing 70. Glorious... yet worrying.

But that said, recuperating in the sun is hard to fault!

I had my 6-week post op check today - all going well, surgeon is about as pleased as I am!
I thought some of you might be interested - seems his approach to eating now is more relaxed than for some of you guys in the US. His reckoning - I should work my way from 1/2 or so cup of food per meal, up to 1 cup or a bit under over next 6 weeks, strictly 3 meals a day forever. I need no longer worry about “protein first” in each meal - a good mixed balanced meal is more important now. If anything, eat well-chewed veggies first so I get in enough, then Protein as it tends to not pass through as easily (my pouch is a “fobi pouch” with a silastic ring permanently set in the bottom. A “no-stretch” pouch.)
My surgeon has longitudinal data on 1700 patients post RNY. Makes for great comparisons and predictions! My weight is maybe 3 pounds ahead of his estimate for me at this point - but he is right on in his predictions of when my 5 pounds a week loss dropped to 4, 3, and now to 2 pounds a week. His estimate is this will be reasonably steady for 6-10 weeks, then a pound a week average until the 9 month post op point.
My current lack of interest in food, lack of hunger and food drive, is exactly as per most of his patients. His research - 1 year after RNY the average intake is 750 calories a day - which he says is fine, if the diet is balanced, and with a good Vitamin supplement daily. Blood work tells us whether the food we are eating is hitting the right balance. He also isn’t as wedded to “you must have 70g of protein a day” - a reasonable amount, sure, but he said ‘your liver makes protein, and some days with less is really normal’.
So, in his relaxed guidelines, we are both pretty happy with my easy progress - AND best of all I am cleared to go scuba diving in 9 weeks! Hooray!

I am interested in your stats if you are willing to share. Also the timeline that your doctor shared with you if you don’t mind.

50 minutes ago, lindsayAK said:

I am interested in your stats if you are willing to share. Also the timeline that your doctor shared with you if you don’t mind.

Happy to share.

I am 5’6” tall, mid fifties. My highest weight was about 260lbs when I got my gastric band 10 years ago. That worked well for 5 years - held happily at about 175lbs. But the port was faulty, leaked, got replaced, blocked, rolled over - never made it work again, weight up to 230 and hence decision to RNY bypass). That five years, like many before the band, was an endless annual gain/loose 20 pounds cycle. My weight chart in myfitnesspal looks like the outline of the Swiss alps!

I hit 199 this morning. One-derland, I have seen some call it!

His weight guess timeline given my weight/past weight: 4lbs a week for 6 weeks (done), 2lbs a week for the next 6-10 (right on track), and then about 1lb a week for the next 6 months, which will then level out as steady.

Edited January 27, 20188 yr by Biddynz

Congratulations on your success. Where in NZ are you? My daughter was a dancer in Christchurch and my son lives in Tauranga. I love NZ

I am in Auckland, the big city in the north. But the whole country is hot this summer!

Happy to share.
I am 5’6” tall, mid fifties. My highest weight was about 260lbs when I got my gastric band 10 years ago. That worked well for 5 years - held happily at about 175lbs. But the port was faulty, leaked, got replaced, blocked, rolled over - never made it work again, weight up to 230 and hence decision to RNY bypass). That five years, like many before the band, was an endless annual gain/loose 20 pounds cycle. My weight chart in myfitnesspal looks like the outline of the Swiss alps!
I hit 199 this morning. One-derland, I have seen some call it!
His weight guess timeline given my weight/past weight: 4lbs a week for 6 weeks (done), 2lbs a week for the next 6-10 (right on track), and then about 1lb a week for the next 6 months, which will then level out as steady.

Thank you for sharing and congrats! I hope to see one-deland one day! My highest weight was around 290. Lost a ton of weight by working out and eating healthy. Got down to 219 before I started gaining it back. Made it all the way back to 262 before I made the decision to have this surgery. Surgery was 1/17 and weighed 254. I’m now down to 241.4. Not bad for just over a week. My goal is 180 but I would be happy just to hit 199!!

I had my 6-week post op check today - all going well, surgeon is about as pleased as I am!
I thought some of you might be interested - seems his approach to eating now is more relaxed than for some of you guys in the US. His reckoning - I should work my way from 1/2 or so cup of food per meal, up to 1 cup or a bit under over next 6 weeks, strictly 3 meals a day forever. I need no longer worry about “protein first” in each meal - a good mixed balanced meal is more important now. If anything, eat well-chewed veggies first so I get in enough, then Protein as it tends to not pass through as easily (my pouch is a “fobi pouch” with a silastic ring permanently set in the bottom. A “no-stretch” pouch.)
My surgeon has longitudinal data on 1700 patients post RNY. Makes for great comparisons and predictions! My weight is maybe 3 pounds ahead of his estimate for me at this point - but he is right on in his predictions of when my 5 pounds a week loss dropped to 4, 3, and now to 2 pounds a week. His estimate is this will be reasonably steady for 6-10 weeks, then a pound a week average until the 9 month post op point.
My current lack of interest in food, lack of hunger and food drive, is exactly as per most of his patients. His research - 1 year after RNY the average intake is 750 calories a day - which he says is fine, if the diet is balanced, and with a good Vitamin supplement daily. Blood work tells us whether the food we are eating is hitting the right balance. He also isn’t as wedded to “you must have 70g of protein a day” - a reasonable amount, sure, but he said ‘your liver makes protein, and some days with less is really normal’.
So, in his relaxed guidelines, we are both pretty happy with my easy progress - AND best of all I am cleared to go scuba diving in 9 weeks! Hooray!

You're doing so good and I love your doctor's way of thinking. I actually made adjustments to my diet when I saw what you were eating right after surgery. I have been enjoying my vegetables ever since.

I'm happy you were able to get cleared for scuba diving. It is such an awesome feeling to do what you love.