I got my surgery date today... November 29th... Gastric Bypass... Now to start planning, getting together everything I need and trying to not stress myself out until then....

DUMB QUESTION: Do y’all count your protein shakes as part of your daily fluids?

My nutritionist said to count them. I struggle to get 1tr in. So she has suggested to dilute my protein juices to count

DUMB QUESTION: Do y’all count your protein shakes as part of your daily fluids?

17 hours ago, Meisha said:

DUMB QUESTION: Do y’all count your Protein Shakes as part of your daily fluids?

Yes, my surgeon said those count toward both my protein and fluid/water goal. He said not to count any coffee, sugar/soft drinks, or anything else that could be a diuretic and dehydrate you.

On 12/2/2023 at 7:59 AM, BoilerBob said:

Welcome to December everyone. Things physically have been going great in terms of little to no pain and virtually no nausea. I have been having back pain I can’t really explain. Mentally it’s been more of a challenge. My wife and my PCP both asked me the other day what was wrong because I wasn’t acting like myself. People assume I don’t want to do social stuff that involves food and say they feel bad for eating around me. I was getting on myself for eating too much real food now that some options are available to me. Just feel a bit of a mess right now.

If the pain is in your lower back, it could be kidney pain from either too much calcium or protein intake. Check your macros from what you eat each day. If you're well in excess of 60g-80g of Protein, it could be putting stress on your kidneys, especially if you're on any fluid pills or kidney medicine. Double check with your PCP or surgeon to be sure. If its too much calcium, kidney stones may be a concern.

The mental part is definitely the one they do not prep us for. You're simultaneously healing from having your insides rearranged, cuts healing, plus having to break and relearn habits at the same time, all around holiday eating times. It's common to feel a little bummed for no reason because your body and mind are expecting you to follow through on your habits, so they misinterpret it as something being wrong. You had a lifetime to set those habits and expectations, so rewriting all of that in a month will cause your body to freak out.

I definitely recommend finding a therapist/counselor/coach to talk with, if nothing else just as someone to vent to so they can help you determine what is "wrong" when you can't find it yourself.

In addition to that, keep up with your vitamins and supplements. A lack of something like B vitamins will reduce your energy, lack of Vitamin C will make you more prone to colds and other bugs going around, and lack of Vitamin D can lead to more depressed or just unusual feelings of uneasiness. Like the Protein and Calcium, be sure to keep the balance of getting enough and not overdoing it.

Glad to hear you're doing well post-op, and hope things improve mentally as you find your new normal.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and support.

On 12/03/2023 at 20:27, Meisha said:

DUMB QUESTION: Do y’all count your Protein Shakes as part of your daily fluids?

No question is ever dumb! My doc also considers protein shakes as fluid in the post op early phases. After about 4-6 months, they do not count in overall fluid goals where I go.

On 12/03/2023 at 20:27, Meisha said:

DUMB QUESTION: Do y’all count your Protein Shakes as part of your daily fluids?

No question is ever dumb! My doc also considers protein shakes as fluid in the post op early phases. After about 4-6 months, they do not count in overall fluid goals where I go.

Hope everyone is still doing well. My recovery is still at a good pace and I got to add the joy of a root canal to that yesterday. Woo. Trying to start an exercise routine and have been infatuated with making egg drop soup.

I had my sleeve on nov 28 th. So far I have not lost any weight. I’m beginning to feel like I might have messed up.

10 minutes ago, gbrown said:

I had my sleeve on nov 28 th. So far I have not lost any weight. I’m beginning to feel like I might have messed up.

I pretty much had an immediate stall, but I think it was where I went hard on my pre-op diet. Eventually, the scale started moving again. Also, after the trauma of surgery, your body will panic until it realizes the change are ok. That can include inflammation and a lot of fluid retention, especially if you've received IVs in the days following surgery. During that time, you can still be burning fat, but the fluid retention offsets that on a scale, which makes it extremely frustrating!

It's typical to experience a big stall around the 3 week mark and again around the 3 month mark, each can last a 2-3 weeks each, so prepare for that. If you lost some weight during pre-op, you may be hitting that dreaded stall early. The weight loss will look more like stair steps than a straight downward line, with the occasionally brief increase in weight. So if that happens, don't be alarmed.

Just stick with the plan, track your calories and macros, and check in with your doctor if something feels off. Eventually, once your body realizes its safe to let go of that weight, and you're not in a starvation/survival situation, it will start to drop! Best of luck to you!

I'm 2 weeks post omega loop bypass today (from previous sleeve) and on purees, thank the heavens. Liquids was getting a bit old!!

It's been a while since I've done purees. What are your fave recipes to get through this stage?

1 hour ago, gbrown said:

I had my sleeve on nov 28 th. So far I have not lost any weight. I’m beginning to feel like I might have messed up.

Had mine on the 16th of November and literally just started going down yesterday.

you were pumped with different kinds of heavy meds & IV fluids in hospital, that takes a few weeks for your body to flush out.

Keep doing what you’re doing and it will come off

18 hours ago, gbrown said:

I had my sleeve on nov 28 th. So far I have not lost any weight. I’m beginning to feel like I might have messed up.

GBrown, Hang in there, honey. I had mine on the 28th as well. I had a 3 pound weight gain over the last 2 days. Hello 3-week stall. *sigh* It stinks, but it will pass. If you're following your doctor/dietician's plans, it'll happen. Also, my surgeon told me they pumped me up with about 10 pounds of fluid when I was in the hospital - they probably did that for you, too. Just breathe and trust that your body will do what its supposed to do.

MJ - I'm with you! I switch to purees on Wednesday. It can't get here soon enough! I'm so over all the sweet stuff! LOL!