February 2024 Surgery Buddies?

[LisaCaryl 96]

37 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

My surgeon told me at my 6 week appointment that I needed to start doing more exercise. This week, I'm happy to say I've gotten out my little walking pad treadmill twice in the evenings and have been walking while watching TV. I've gone from a daily average of about 3k steps to more than 5k this week, and I'll be working toward 10k steps each day for the coming month. I can hardly wait as the weather improves to allow for more outside walking. I'm really hoping the additional activity will give the scale an added nudge in the right direction. Once I can hit 10k most days, I will start looking at ways to add resistance bands to build muscle, but if I'm honest, I have been almost completely sedentary for several years and need to pace myself for it to be sustainable.

Today, I am less than 4 lbs away from the lowest weight I've recorded on my app in the past 7 years (which was 203.8 after doing the nutrition program at my old weight loss center). 203 lbs is the next milestone I have my eye on, followed by making it to 199 lbs, and then hitting 185 lbs to officially no longer be obese. I chose my weight goal of 155 lbs somewhat arbitrarily, though it's the lower end of the estimates I saw for how much I could lose on various calculators. But when it feels impossibly far away, it helps to have some smaller goals to focus on.

Oh, and it's almost time to swap out my winter clothing for spring stuff, which means I will have a lot of items to take to the donation bin. Many of my long-sleeve tops are swimming on me and several pairs of jeans are hopelessly baggy. Purging my closet will be an awesome feeling!

You are doing great!! Congrats. Question... what is "little walking pad treadmill"?

[Noelle74 53]

39 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

My surgeon told me at my 6 week appointment that I needed to start doing more exercise. This week, I'm happy to say I've gotten out my little walking pad treadmill twice in the evenings and have been walking while watching TV. I've gone from a daily average of about 3k steps to more than 5k this week, and I'll be working toward 10k steps each day for the coming month. I can hardly wait as the weather improves to allow for more outside walking. I'm really hoping the additional activity will give the scale an added nudge in the right direction. Once I can hit 10k most days, I will start looking at ways to add resistance bands to build muscle, but if I'm honest, I have been almost completely sedentary for several years and need to pace myself for it to be sustainable.

Today, I am less than 4 lbs away from the lowest weight I've recorded on my app in the past 7 years (which was 203.8 after doing the nutrition program at my old weight loss center). 203 lbs is the next milestone I have my eye on, followed by making it to 199 lbs, and then hitting 185 lbs to officially no longer be obese. I chose my weight goal of 155 lbs somewhat arbitrarily, though it's the lower end of the estimates I saw for how much I could lose on various calculators. But when it feels impossibly far away, it helps to have some smaller goals to focus on.

Oh, and it's almost time to swap out my winter clothing for spring stuff, which means I will have a lot of items to take to the donation bin. Many of my long-sleeve tops are swimming on me and several pairs of jeans are hopelessly baggy. Purging my closet will be an awesome feeling!

Awesome job on the treadmill! I bought one right after surgery but have not done great at using it. I need to try harder or just start one day at a time. I used to use the treadmill at the gym years ago with a friend so I know it’s doable! I was thinking about getting a sewing machine and taking the side seams in on my clothes when I lose enough weight so that maybe I don’t need to get rid of everything and buy all new clothes. Not sure how well this will work though. Of course I won’t have to buy ALL new clothes because I saved a lot of clothes waiting to go back to my normal size lol. This is funny because I have been overweight for at least ten years…I really should’ve given up my smaller clothes years ago.

[RonHall908 131]

After the Vitamin infused IV yesterday I do feel better. However, the health professional administering the IV said I was dehydrated. Which seems weird, at that point in the day I already had 64 ounces of Water along with 12 oz Gatorade zero. Typically I get 72 -80 ounces by the end of the day. Fluids haven't been an issue for me. I'm sending a message to my doctor to see if there could be an issue absorbing fluids. I've never heard of that, but it seems weird im drinking so much water and still deemed dehydrated. Could be a reason for the slow weight loss maybe.

[Noelle74 53]

51 minutes ago, RonHall908 said:

After the Vitamin infused IV yesterday I do feel better. However, the health professional administering the IV said I was dehydrated. Which seems weird, at that point in the day I already had 64 ounces of Water along with 12 oz Gatorade zero. Typically I get 72 -80 ounces by the end of the day. Fluids haven't been an issue for me. I'm sending a message to my doctor to see if there could be an issue absorbing fluids. I've never heard of that, but it seems weird im drinking so much Water and still deemed dehydrated. Could be a reason for the slow weight loss maybe.

Interested to see what the dr says on this. I was glad my primary care didn’t do blood work yesterday because I know I hadn’t drank my water like I should. It’s hard for me to do on the road and my drs are 4hrs one way so I’m always slacking when I drive there. Messes all my bloodwork up. 🤦‍♀️ I’m hoping Vitamin wise I’m doing ok because I use the Patches so there is no issue with nausea or vomiting. They were on the approved list of Vitamins from my surgeon and I’m loving them. I’m glad your vitamin infusion helped you feel better. Low energy is awful to deal with. It’s so challenging when you want to be up and moving to get your weight loss moving faster but have no energy to do it. I’ve injured my foot somehow and am supposed to be off of it as much as possible and icing it. I also had to go on a steroid pack for the inflammation since we’re allowed no nsaids. I swear my body is working against me at every turn.

[RonHall908 131]

24 minutes ago, Noelle74 said:

Interested to see what the dr says on this. I was glad my primary care didn’t do blood work yesterday because I know I hadn’t drank my Water like I should. It’s hard for me to do on the road and my drs are 4hrs one way so I’m always slacking when I drive there. Messes all my bloodwork up. 🤦‍♀️ I’m hoping Vitamin wise I’m doing ok because I use the Patches so there is no issue with nausea or vomiting. They were on the approved list of Vitamins from my surgeon and I’m loving them. I’m glad your Vitamin infusion helped you feel better. Low energy is awful to deal with. It’s so challenging when you want to be up and moving to get your weight loss moving faster but have no energy to do it. I’ve injured my foot somehow and am supposed to be off of it as much as possible and icing it. I also had to go on a steroid pack for the inflammation since we’re allowed no nsaids. I swear my body is working against me at every turn.

I feel your pain with an injury. Tore my meniscus ligament in my knee. They wouldn't let me have surgery on it until I am 40 bmi. I'm there now, but I'm buying some time to be certain I have no issues since my gastric bypass. The surgeon suggested I wait at least three months post bariatric surgery. Trying to walk more is a problem, I can get a mile.or so in walking before the pain is too much. I'm looking forward to get it taken care of.

I was wondering how well the vitamin patches work. I'm not having issues with taking Vitamins orally. But there's so much berry flavored vitamins you can have before the tastes is meh.

Edited April 12, 2024 by RonHall908

[NickelChip 1,358]

9 hours ago, LisaCaryl said:

You are doing great!! Congrats. Question... what is "little walking pad treadmill"?

It's a slim profile treadmill that can be stored under a bed, or in my case I put it under my sofa. They run under $200 on Amazon. They're not as robust or sturdy as a full scale one, but you can use it when you need it and hide it when you don't, plus you can use it on a low speed at a standing desk. It takes a little getting used to because it's not as wide as a regular treadmill, but it's great if you lack space.

[Noelle74 53]

1 hour ago, RonHall908 said:

I feel your pain with an injury. Tore my meniscus ligament in my knee. They wouldn't let me have surgery on it until I am 40 bmi. I'm there now, but I'm buying some time to be certain I have no issues since my gastric bypass. The surgeon suggested I wait at least three months post bariatric surgery. Trying to walk more is a problem, I can get a mile.or so in walking before the pain is too much. I'm looking forward to get it taken care of.

I was wondering how well the vitamin patches work. I'm not having issues with taking Vitamins orally. But there's so much berry flavored Vitamins you can have before the tastes is meh.

I haven’t had any blood work since surgery to say they’re working but all my bloodwork was off a couple months beforehand and I started them about a month and a half before surgery. My pre surgery bloodwork didn’t show any deficiencies in any vitamins or minerals then. I figured if the surgeon had them on her list of approved Multivitamins then they must work but occasionally I do wonder how lol. My appt is next week on the 25th so I will let you know. Im

one of those people that struggles with my levels on a good day so during this post op diet I’m sure I’ve been challenged.
Amazing job on the weight loss and walking despite the knee pain. I often stay down because of pain or exhaustion and I need to get up and moving. I hope your knee surgery is in the near future!

[RonHall908 131]

3 minutes ago, Noelle74 said:

I haven’t had any blood work since surgery to say they’re working but all my bloodwork was off a couple months beforehand and I started them about a month and a half before surgery. My pre surgery bloodwork didn’t show any deficiencies in any Vitamins or minerals then. I figured if the surgeon had them on her list of approved Multivitamins then they must work but occasionally I do wonder how lol. My appt is next week on the 25th so I will let you know. Im

one of those people that struggles with my levels on a good day so during this post op diet I’m sure I’ve been challenged.
Amazing job on the weight loss and walking despite the knee pain. I often stay down because of pain or exhaustion and I need to get up and moving. I hope your knee surgery is in the near future!

My doctor told me about the Patches, but as I said I didn't have any issues with taking the vitamins orally. So I just stuck with them. I have my next appointment in May, I'll have more bloodwork at that time. Vitamin D was the only deficiency they worried about before surgery. So they put me on a weekly pill.

I'm no workout king, it's only moderate exercise. I just try to be consistent. I hope all goes ell for you too. I believe everyone here is going the right direction, and that's all you can hope for.

[LisaCaryl 96]

2 hours ago, NickelChip said:

It's a slim profile treadmill that can be stored under a bed, or in my case I put it under my sofa. They run under $200 on Amazon. They're not as robust or sturdy as a full scale one, but you can use it when you need it and hide it when you don't, plus you can use it on a low speed at a standing desk. It takes a little getting used to because it's not as wide as a regular treadmill, but it's great if you lack space.

Thank you!

[NickelChip 1,358]

Okay, my Feb buddies, so how much Protein are you able to get strictly from food each day? I find I can manage soft stuff like a smoothie or a yogurt, but when I try incorporate fish or meat, it's very limiting in terms of how much I can eat. I put my lunch on a dessert plate the size of a saucer and still could only eat half. Are you still supplementing a lot with Protein Shakes or adding powder to your foods? Or do you get most of it from food? And if so, what types?

[LisaCaryl 96]

7 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

Okay, my Feb buddies, so how much Protein are you able to get strictly from food each day? I find I can manage soft stuff like a smoothie or a yogurt, but when I try incorporate fish or meat, it's very limiting in terms of how much I can eat. I put my lunch on a dessert plate the size of a saucer and still could only eat half. Are you still supplementing a lot with Protein Shakes or adding powder to your foods? Or do you get most of it from food? And if so, what types?

I'm not doing great on Protein. I am lucky if I get over 40 grams a day. However, my nausea is subsiding quite a bit so I'm hopeful I'll be able to do better. I do supplement with powder. Last night I has some low fat clam chowder and put a scoop of GENEPRO Unflavored Protein in it. I don't love the texture that the powder turns some things, but it wasn't noticeable in the Soup. I was determined to hit 60 grams yesterday, so late at night, I had a Protein Bar, and that pushed me over.

Some fish seem to be quite high in protein (I don't eat chicken or meat, so I depend on fish). Mahi is pretty high. The thing is, I can only eat about 2 ounces max.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to tolerate the shakes again soon. The thought still turns my stomach.

I'll be following this closely as it is a struggle. I eat things with protein, but it's never enough.

[RonHall908 131]

5 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

Okay, my Feb buddies, so how much Protein are you able to get strictly from food each day? I find I can manage soft stuff like a smoothie or a yogurt, but when I try incorporate fish or meat, it's very limiting in terms of how much I can eat. I put my lunch on a dessert plate the size of a saucer and still could only eat half. Are you still supplementing a lot with Protein Shakes or adding powder to your foods? Or do you get most of it from food? And if so, what types?

I can get up to 60+ grams of Protein from food. Mainly from chicken, turkey and eggs. I still have one Protein Shake for Breakfast. My 1st snack I eat an egg wrap with a couple ounces of deli turkey and fat free cheese. My 2nd snack is 70 grams of Greek yogurt with protein powder and a couple tsp of PBfit2.

[BlueParis 118]

I’m not doing great on Protein 40g a day max I reckon … no shakes. Need to work on that once I get back home on Wednesday. The thought of a shake makes me want to vomit tho … and I couldn’t even manage one falafel at lunch … don’t really eat meat. Maybe I’ll try eggs. Tempted by cheese but that’s just a calorie bomb…

[BlueParis 118]

How's everyone getting along? I ate too fast yesterday at lunch then had a horrible afternoon and am exhausted today.

[NickelChip 1,358]

8 hours ago, BlueParis said:

How's everyone getting along? I ate too fast yesterday at lunch then had a horrible afternoon and am exhausted today.

Oh no! That was my day on Saturday. I went for Breakfast with a friend and ordered scrambled eggs. I ate 1 scrambled egg, half a sausage, and a bite of potato. I thought I was okay but we went for a walk after and I started to feel pain. It got worse until I had to duck behind a tree on the walking trail and let it all come up. So painful and miserable.

I've found I am doing okay with sliced deli turkey, though, so that gives me something to add to the repertoire. And I made a berry smoothie yesterday that was very nice. Eating is definitely a chore.

Are you home from Cairo? I have some travel coming up and know it will be a challenge to plan meals. Any tips would be great!