Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

September surgery buddies!!



Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Band2SleeveGurl77 said:

Congratulations on all your progress, that’s amazing!! I am officially 4 weeks out and can’t complain bc I’ve had very few issues. I also have one incision that is healing slow so that made me feel better to read that. My energy has improved this week and I’ve been doing IV Vitamins to help. The one thing that has been disappointing is how slowly I’m losing - i was expecting to be down at least 20+ by now. I haven’t had much energy to workout or exercise so that could be it - if anyone has any feedback I’d love to hear. This group has been amazing so hopefully we keep it up!

You are a pretty low weight so your journey may be a bit slower. In some ways the slower journey is better because you may not have as much skin.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Band2SleeveGurl77 said:

I think it’s the silly things we put in our heads - thank you for sharing that it makes me feel much better

I hear you!

I always put it in the perspective of what things were like for me pre-surgery. At that point, if I saw a 5-8 pound drop in a month I would have been ecstatic!

Edited by SpartanMaker

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Slwhurst said:

I am 5 weeks post op and have been stalled for the past couple weeks. I guess I can’t really complain about that though cause I did drop 30 pounds in the first few weeks. Things got so much better for me as far as nausea when I decided to go against the plan of puréed food and just skip to soft food. My body tolerated that a whole lot more. Is it why I am stalled? Maybe… but in the long run I had to do what was best for my body. I was not getting the nutrients I needed to even survive. Hopefully I am on the back end of the stall and about to start dropping again. I have been super busy at work and at home. I did have an upset by losing a baby(puppy) but she was my baby! Life goes on though and we persevere! Y’all all keep up the good work! No one has left that I know of I think we have all just been busy in our own ways! And for those that wonder about the earlier dirty and sick posts that situation seems to be better since I moved to soft foods as well!!🤣

I am five weeks, in a stall and lost 30 as well :) We got this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, nymisc said:

You are a pretty low weight so your journey may be a bit slower. In some ways the slower journey is better because you may not have as much skin.

I’m pretty short so I’ll probably have lots of skin but that’s another problem for another day lol. Hope you are doing good and thank you for responding- it’s so nice to share this journey

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On 10/20/2022 at 15:49, Band2SleeveGurl77 said:






I’m pretty short so I’ll probably have lots of skin but that’s another problem for another day lol. Hope you are doing good and thank you for responding- it’s so nice to share this journey


Girl I am 5’4 and started at 238. I feel that is an extremely high weight for my height. But apparently it might not be. How tall and where did you start and where are you now? I am at 208 currently.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Today is the first day I really stepped off the program. My kid handed me a piece of pizza and I ate all the toppings but not the bread:(. If I eat dinner later it will put me at 925 calories for the day. My doctor said at this point I should be at 600-800 no matter how much I exercise unless I am running marathons. Idk how much I buy into that… I’m not doing anything amazing but managed 25 minutes on the elliptical today. I think my main issue at this point is I really have been able to eat pretty much anything.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

I had been thinking the same. Mostly I'm just doing my thing, trying to figure out how to live with all the changes I'm experiencing.

My challenges lately:

  • I'm still not regular, with my guts bouncing between one extreme and another. I'd really like to find the right balance, but haven't found it quite yet.
  • I'm struggling with Water more now that I have to not drink 30 mins before and after a meal. If I take ~30 minutes to eat, than means I'm not drinking for and hour and a half per meal, or roughly 4.5 hours out of the day with 3 meals a day. Add in a snack to hit my Protein goals (which I often have to do), and we're at 6 hours sans liquids. Some days I do okay, but I find once I get behind, it's almost impossible to catch back up.
  • I'm still struggling to slow down my eating and chew better. I knew this would be a problem for me and it is. Thankfully it's not been too big an issue as my pouch seems to be surviving me not doing this quite as well as I'm supposed to.
  • I'm trying to understand what both being hungry and being satisfied feels like with limited success. About all I can tell at this point is no pain and some pain.
  • Some foods seem "different" than before. Because I'm never really actually hungry, I sometimes either don't eat at all, or don't eat very much, just because I don't like what I'm eating.
  • I have the alternate issue sometimes as well. When I actually find I enjoy something, I find I can eat more than i thought and more than my team says I should be able to. (See previous bullets about trying to understand fullness). I'm not concerned, but on occasion I have found myself pushing the limits of this capability and paying the price afterward.

Enough for now. What about everyone else? What's working or not for you right now?

Waiting to drink has made things difficult but with my latest dietitian meeting he said I didn't really have to wait as long, like 10 before and 20 after. That will help me out a ton. wonder if you talk to your team if they would relax the rules a little. I to am still trying to understand my new stomach. I really can't tell satisfied yet, its empty and then its full lol. I am going through a phase where nothing seems to taste good. Even the stuff I know should taste good, its like food has lost its flavor and is bland. Hopefully that goes away soon. chicken it seems hates me. I was able to eat 2 oz one night and was perfectly fine. The next night I weighed out 2 oz and I ate about half and for the 1st time since the surgery I was in a lot of pain and I felt like I was going to throw up. I actually wanted to throw up to end the pain lol. It lasted about 1.5 hours and I'm afraid to eat chicken again. Still learning I guess.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I’m finally feeling “normal”?? I started a stall at 3 weeks and this week (my 5th week) it FINALLY broke. Thanks to helpful advice here especially the post from @SpartanMaker describing the why’s of stalls. It was Water retention...and how do I know this? Because it started at 3 weeks and also this week the volume of pee vs consumption just went to a whole new level! I should have realized something was way off with that because I was drinking the recommended amounts but not peeing nearly as much as I would prior to surgery. I also upped my Protein just because 40g wasn’t cutting it so I’m really really trying for 60 now. Also, started a Miralax every couple of days and Benefiber daily program....big help there also. All of these things have made a huge difference and I feel so much better.

I, too, am making an effort to get walks in every day. I’m working on weights twice a week but I need to get with my team on that. I was told no more than lifting 5 lb weights but that seems insanely ridiculous. Also, not sure when I can resume any ab work (not that I’m begging to do planks and sit-ups....)

I hear you all on the Fluid intake when we can only hold so much AND there are hours around meals when we can’t drink...it’s really hard. The mathematics that it takes to keep all the timing, portions, tracking and Vitamin regimens is something else! 😂😂 We all need a pat on the back for determination and perseverance - good job everyone!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Slwhurst said:

I am 5 weeks post op and have been stalled for the past couple weeks. I guess I can’t really complain about that though cause I did drop 30 pounds in the first few weeks. Things got so much better for me as far as nausea when I decided to go against the plan of puréed food and just skip to soft food. My body tolerated that a whole lot more. Is it why I am stalled? Maybe… but in the long run I had to do what was best for my body. I was not getting the nutrients I needed to even survive. Hopefully I am on the back end of the stall and about to start dropping again. I have been super busy at work and at home. I did have an upset by losing a baby(puppy) but she was my baby! Life goes on though and we persevere! Y’all all keep up the good work! No one has left that I know of I think we have all just been busy in our own ways! And for those that wonder about the earlier dirty and sick posts that situation seems to be better since I moved to soft foods as well!!🤣

Glad you are doing better with the food and your other issues. Super sorry to hear about your puppy though! I love all of my animals too.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Cassandra Maughan said:

Today is the first day I really stepped off the program. My kid handed me a piece of pizza and I ate all the toppings but not the bread:(. If I eat dinner later it will put me at 925 calories for the day. My doctor said at this point I should be at 600-800 no matter how much I exercise unless I am running marathons. Idk how much I buy into that… I’m not doing anything amazing but managed 25 minutes on the elliptical today. I think my main issue at this point is I really have been able to eat pretty much anything.

Don't beat yourself up for one bad day! Thats also not too bad of a day compared to where we were before the surgery. I know I've come close to 1000 a couple of times because I'm trying to find foods that I like that have a ton of Protein and sometimes those are also high calorie. I also can pretty much eat anything and have no nausea so its harder to keep on track when our tool is a little more lenient than others. Its a long journey, so don't stress too much about the bumps, we'll get there!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, JustAMomATX said:

We all need a pat on the back for determination and perseverance - good job everyone!

Hear, hear!

By the way, anyone that says this is the "easy way out" is, well, an idiot.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Hope4NewMe said:

It lasted about 1.5 hours and I'm afraid to eat chicken again. Still learning I guess.

Don't even talk to me about chicken! I was so grossed out by "chicken salad" during purees, I have not touched any chicken since.

On reflection, it wasn't just that I was grossed out, but it also "sat really heavy" in my stomach. It made me feel gross and felt like it took forever to digest.

Edited by SpartanMaker

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Cassandra Maughan said:

Today is the first day I really stepped off the program. My kid handed me a piece of pizza and I ate all the toppings but not the bread:(. If I eat dinner later it will put me at 925 calories for the day. My doctor said at this point I should be at 600-800 no matter how much I exercise unless I am running marathons. Idk how much I buy into that… I’m not doing anything amazing but managed 25 minutes on the elliptical today. I think my main issue at this point is I really have been able to eat pretty much anything.

Now if you'd eaten the whole slice I would have been a bit concerned (mostly about where you put it all), but just the toppings? Eh, no big deal. Especially if it didn't hurt you later. Don't make it a habit and I think everything will be fine.

I'm generally in the 600-800 range too, but have found some days it's more like 500 and some days more like 900. It all works out in the end. I think part of that is just our bodies telling us we need more food sometimes?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Hope4NewMe said:

Waiting to drink has made things difficult but with my latest dietitian meeting he said I didn't really have to wait as long, like 10 before and 20 after. That will help me out a ton. wonder if you talk to your team if they would relax the rules a little.

Thanks for this advice, I'll have to ask!

I also REALLY need to know if I can shorten the time between pills. It's such a chore for me because I'm talking about 30 pills a day right now. Having to wait 10 minutes in between makes this really hard.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Hope4NewMe said:

Don't beat yourself up for one bad day! Thats also not too bad of a day compared to where we were before the surgery. I know I've come close to 1000 a couple of times because I'm trying to find foods that I like that have a ton of Protein and sometimes those are also high calorie. I also can pretty much eat anything and have no nausea so its harder to keep on track when our tool is a little more lenient than others. Its a long journey, so don't stress too much about the bumps, we'll get there!

Thank you! You’re right, the old me would have thought this was a great day in terms of intake!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • 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.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×