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Hi everyone. Just saw the Bariatric program nurse and we were troubleshooting what happened. She feels that even light mayo is too much fat to tolerate at the purée stage for some. She recommended using fat free plain yogurt instead. We discussed how not having good coping mechanisms for stress led me to seek out pleasure from food and take in more then was appropriate. I’ve had stress with my mother, my daughter and my dog this past week and my normal way to deal is to devour something rich and put myself in a food coma. Because I tried to use my old method with my teeny stomach pouch I caused a bolus of food to get stuck. In some ways I wonder if I did this so I could get everyone to get off my back this week. Not consciously but maybe a self sabotage so everyone would have to fend for themselves. I see it now but I didn’t see it then. I’ve got to stay self-aware while eating. This was too traumatic of an experience to repeat.

Of the mainstream procedures, the sleeve will be the most benign of them when it comes to supplement needs and the amount of trouble one can get into by ignoring them and the labs. Supplementing with the sleeve is largely an individual thing - there is much more influence by individual variations and dietary habits than there is from the surgery. I've never heard of B1 being a particular problem, but given that the primary dietary source is from the grain complex, and many people are into low carb dieting (Atkins, Keto, etc.) that minimizes that food group, it isn't surprising that such deficiencies would be showing up - not from the procedure, but from the chosen diet. My wife is chronically low in Potassium, but that is just her, not her WLS (as DS in her case.) That is managed by checking levels periodically and adjusting supplements as needed - just as if she had never had WLS. I have heard it hypothesized that there might be some iron absorption issue with the sleeve owing to the somewhat more rapid transit times of food through the stomach, but I haven't seen any validation of that concern. The malabsorbing (RNY, DS) procedures specifically do malabsorb minerals such as iron to varying degrees as much of the mineral absorption happens in the duodenum which is bypassed entirely (in the RNY) or partially (in the DS) so iron levels can certainly be more of a challenge with those patients. I had a bleed a few years ago that sapped my iron/ferritan levels, but was able to restore them to normal in a few months by doubling my oral iron supplement; most with an RNY or DS would need iron infusions to recover from those levels. I tend to lose a bit of D normally so have been supplementing that since before my VSG and continue to do so at moderate levels (2-5k IU) both from that perspective, and also our surgeon prefers to see us in the higher end of the normal range on the blood levels; some in the malabsorbing camp will use 50k IU supplements to keep things in line (particularly the DS folks who specifically malabsorb fat soluble vitamins such as D) I know quite a few long time DS people (10-20+ years) and have seen very little problem as long as labs are regularly taken (annually usually) and responded to; however ignore those at your peril as weird things can happen if you don't. And that's with the DS, which is the fussiest of the procedures in that regard. With a sleeve, you are much more likely to get into trouble by something that you bring to the table - whether that be intrinsic or behavioral - but that is good reason to keep up with periodic lab checks just the same (my labs are a lot simpler than those of a typical DS or RNY person, as there is less that is needed to be monitored with the VSG.)

I am a new member, I am working on getting the Loop, I currently have the Sleeve, I have to go through the process not in such length .3 appts. With dietician, 3 apps with trainer, 1 Seminar, then set up appt for Loop. My dr. Suggested this as Sleeve wasn't working real well. I`m trying real hard to follow program . LOW carb, More Protein. Any views on the Loop, I don't know alot about the feelings on this...Thank You in Advance

Everyone loses as different rates...stick to plan and we all pretty much end up at the same place in the end (barring any complications) P.S. I lost 11 lbs in my liquid pre-op diet (which was for 2 weeks). I ended up losing more than 1/2 my total body weight.

I’m so glad to hear that you are doing well! Don’t be ashamed. Our bodies sometimes feel better than we thought and we thought we can speed up the process. We all just have to respect the process and know that along with the doctors, nutritionists and ourselves we will succeed! 🤗

oddly, for some people, that's their new "full" signal! (my full signal is just that I start feeling uncomfortable, for lack of a better word - but for others, it's things like a runny nose or sneeze. I know it's weird, but....)

800 calories can actually be alot of food if you choose the right ones. 4oz of grilled chicken sprayed with avocado oil & seasonings is a measly 110 calories, and will likely be more than you can even take in in the early months. 3 cups of a mixed green salad with cucumber and carrots and a sugar free vinaigrette is less than 50 calories 1 cup of pasta carbonara (made w/ two strips of bacon and 1 large egg) on shiratake noodles is 162 calories and is crazy filling. Going low-cal and not feeling starved is def. possible, ESPECIALLY in the first few months. Good Luck! P.S. I did less than 800 cals a day until I reached goal (and even much much less in the first 3 months) P.P.S. I figured it was just something I had to do get to where I wanted to be. I am almost 2 yrs post op now and have been maintaining my weight for over a year at much, much more calories.

Thank you everyone so, so much. You have all made me feel so much better. Honestly, your kind words brought tears to my eyes and now I'm smiling again. 😁 We only have 19 employees & that's including our finance manager and janitor. There isn't even a HR department to go too! My director is a very kind soul but she hates confrontation. I'd have to go to our library board & that would cause a HUGE stink so I'm just going to power through the next 2 1/2 weeks and enjoy the month I don't have to see their faces! They will certainly see a different co-worker when I return. I will do as y'all suggested & not let their attitudes effect me in the slightest. Thank you for the heads up about relationships changing too. I have read about that & I've talked that over with my husband. We are going to do our best to recognize issues before they turn in to full-fledged problems. Knowing y'all are here to support me means more than I can say.

I'm scheduled for Sleeve surgery Aug. 17th with Dr. Graf. I knew 3 people that had their surgeries done by him so that is why I chose him. I had my Covid test today so as long as the results come back negative I'm good to go Monday!

I buy a lot of turkey bacon but my kids eat more of it than I do. Since my VSG I’ve notice plant protein sits a lot better I’ve added pictures of 2 of my favorites. The Lightlife sausage is a great ground beef replacement. I still eat a lot of chicken and shrimp that I cook in the air fryer because it’s not as dry that way. I also buy A LOT of zucchini and tomatoes and mushrooms.