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Made the decision, so many questions......



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Like everyone here I have struggled with my weight my entire life. It didn't help that growing up my family fat shamed me. I became a closet eater early on, and brought that into adulthood with me. I have been on every diet out there, and as all of you here they worked for a while. I am now the heaviest I have ever been, even when I was pregnant. I am beating myself up every single day. In addition to the self esteem issues, the health issues of being overweight are a concern. I am so tired of the anxiety that I feel every time I go to the Doctor and I know I have to get on the scale. From January to March of 2020 I lost 15 pounds, I felt amazing, I was on a roll. Then Covid-19 happened, and all of a sudden I am working from home. My entire routine has changed and I am still having a difficult time finding the "right" routine. Needless to say I have gained back the 15 pounds that I lost and more. That was the moment I decided to explore bypass surgery. I made an appointment and did my research before my first appointment. I decided on gastric sleeve because I feel that is the best option for me. I have my nutritionist consult on 7 August. At the Doctor appointment, the nurse told me to start drinking 1 Protein Shake a day for Breakfast, which is not an issue since I've been drinking Protein Shakes forever. My confusion comes in for the rest of the day. My surgery is 6 months out. Do I begin the Pre-Surgery diet now? 350-400 calories per meal, 150 calorie snack etc? Or should I wait until my consult with the nutritionist? Also, the nurse told me I cannot gain any weight between now and my surgery.

Any advice you can provide is appreciated. 😁

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I would probably wait until you've seen the nutritionist. I'm guessing at your weight, 1200-1300 calories a day is probably what they're going to recommend (so what you mentioned is probably on target), but who knows. They had me eating a lot more than that, but then, I was well over 300 lbs when I started, so that makes a difference. At that time I'd lose weight even on 2000 kcal/day (which is about what they had me eating)

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@catwoman7 thank you. It's a bit overwhelming. So much information. But I'm excited.

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Yes wait until you get the first weigh in and stuff before you worry about weight loss... I personally changed my diet from 2 months before surgery just for my own piece of mind and it worked out for me even the surgeon said I got a headstart on my weight loss and I've done really well lost all my excess weight...

I personally just woke up one day and started on shakes and was only on like 500cal Max for a few months...

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@New&Improved Thank you. I'm just trying to sort everything out. Get all my appointments in order etc.

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I've been through it all and out the other side now in maintenance

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I started a diet right after I saw my nutritionist, and she told me to just start with the one shake and then 4-6 weeks before my surgery to go to two shakes a day before the 2 week liquid diet. I did all of that and ended up losing 20 pounds before I began my liquid diet. I am currently on the liquid diet, even though it is so hard, the transition from two to three shakes was not that hard, I do struggle at dinner time, but I know it's all worth it in the end. Good luck!

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When I started the process for WLS I was 385 pounds. I made the choice to start dieting before I even saw the nutritionist. I had a six month program like yourself, but wasn't able to get in to see the nutritionist until the third month. At that point I was already on my own diet and the nutritionist approved of my choice. The first month I cut down my portion sizes and stopped eating seconds. The second month I cut out soda. The third month I cut out rice. The fourth month I cut out Pasta. The fifth month I cut out bread. The six month I cut out Beans, potatoes, etc. But I ended up having to wait an extra two months as they were overbooked and I just kept up my diet for the two months until my two week pre-op diet. I lost 64 pounds before my surgery and was 321 on my surgery date. And I've lost an additional 85 pounds since my surgery six months ago.

In the end, it's your life and you get to decide how you want to approach your surgery. I wish you the best of luck!

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I lost over 60 pounds before my surgery by intermittent fasting and tracking everything I eat in MyFitnessPal. I didn't really get any guidance from my program except recommending MyFitnessPal. I was on a "medically supervised" weight loss effort with my PCP for my insurance requirements, but she didn't really give me any specific guidance, either.

If you're not already tracking everything you eat, I would start there. MyFitnessPal makes it really easy because they have a huge database of food, so you just have to search for the food and you don't have to enter nutrition information manually. If you eat something with a barcode, you can just scan the barcode and it will find the food for you. It will calculate a calorie limit based on your current weight and weight loss goals. You have a pretty low starting weight, so you probably won't lose that much before surgery, but this should at least help you not to gain.

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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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