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I think those particular chews are calcium carbonate. They taste fine, at least the ones I had which were caramel. The problem for me is that I had kidney stones so I have to try and stay away from calcium carbonate. I buy calcium citrate which is more expensive.

@Fred in Pa wow that’s crazy. I’m glad you made it thru. I have a Dexcom on. But I guess my glucose was dropping to rapidly it couldn’t catch up. It was off by 10 high or low every time they checked it. I’m going to ask for mints or maybe glucose candy just in case it drops again. I will make sure I ask my doctor. Thanks

I can more or less tolerate anything now, but there are a surprising number of things I don't want anymore. I lived on fast food pre-op. Now, I have zero interest in burgers, fries, and such. I might have the occasional pastry item, but it is very easy for me to go to a bakery and not get anything or see a plate of cookies and not grab one. Unheard of pre-op! On the flip side, I never was really keen on ice cream pre-op. Now, I love it. It's one of the few sweets that goes down easily.

I started losing my hair at 2 months post-op and it stopped after my dietician recommended that I drink an ounce or 2 of keifer per day which was at 4 months post-op. I did it for a month because she didn't tell me how long I needed to until the next month when I went back for my visit and I was only supposed to do it for a week. However, it seemed to reset my gut microbes and helped with a the constant nausea I was having. I feel as though I can relate to what you've been going through. I've been losing slowly myself and they have me tracking all of my foods so that I am noticing how many carbs I am eating. My program suggests limiting carbs to 30 grams per day. I find this extremely difficult especially after the surgery because I get really tired after eating a higher protein meal. I do meal prep. I take a cup of chicken and marinate it in different marinades, cook it and I freeze it in small containers so that I have snacks or ready cooked protein for meals. I keep cottage cheese, boiled eggs, and string cheese or cubed cheese handy in the fridge. I have tried to change all my high carb foods like potato chips, ice cream, and milk to the high protein versions. I get the quest high protein chips, fairlife milk, and if I want any ice cream I get the yasso greek yogurt frozen bars. My biggest problem is the vending machine at work. Cheez-its are my kryptonite and I'm just really lucky that the past 3 weeks they haven't restocked the machine with Cheez-its 🤣. I have a hard time with drinking the no sugar drinks like diet coke or coke zero. Too many of any diet drink and my stomach is upset. Also, I'm having a hard time with drinking plain water because I don't like the taste. When I saw the dietician this month she suggested that I get an infuser water bottle and it's helping. She told me that I needed to make sure that I was drinking enough water, reaching my protein goals, and try to keep my carbs as close to 30 as I can. She also suggested that I start doing some cardio every day 15-30 minutes. I have lost a total of 60 pounds including 15 before the surgery. I still want to lose another 30-40 pounds and I'm 7months post-op. I've only been losing about 5 lbs each month since about 2 months post-op. I'm hoping to see more weight loss with the changes that I keep implementing. I was very discouraged when I started noticing everything that I was doing but my doctor and dietician were so supportive. They were very encouraging and told me that the surgery is my tool but that I would have to make some long-term lifestyle changes and the fact that I'm noticing what I'm doing and trying to make corrections that I was still on the right path. I'm sure that you will also reach your goals and the hair loss will stop eventually. Once the hair loss stops you'll have a bunch of baby hairs growing in 😁.

Convenience is also a thing to consider. For example, Jello makes ready-made sugar free Jello cups and sugar free chocolate pudding cups. I always have these on hand for my chocolate craving that pops up every now and then. I also always keep Sarrgento low fat mozzarella string cheese and lower fat Babybels on hand. I always have Chobani zero sugar Greek yogurt on hand as well. I know you said it makes you gag right now and I went through something similar because i honestly dislike Greek yogurt but I have learned to eat it. I buy multiple flavors to keep it "fresh". I can finally eat fresh fruit and vegetables so I buy a bag of frozen blueberries to add to my yogurt cup. That really helps the yogurt go down smoothly. I also still drink a Premier protein Chocolate Peanut butter ready-made shake every day. That is the only one I can get down without difficulty although the cookies and creme does taste just like Oreos! Maybe try a different brand/flavor of protein shake. I'm 3.5 months post sleeve and just met with my nutritionist. They love protein shakes for us and told me to continue to drink them. I have not had bread, pasta or rice since my surgery 3.5 months ago. That was something I prepared myself for prior to surgery. I will make enough dinner to have it as a leftover for lunch at work the next day. There are so many lower fat/ no sugar options. Use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. Add salsa to it and you have Spanish rice! Use zoodles or spaghetti squash for pasta substitute. Use a lettuce leaf instead of bread for burgers. Use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Dip veggies in hummus or ranch dip made with greek yogurt for more protein. I think if you make changes as everyone has suggested you will be successful on your journey. Don't get discouraged because you've already realized you need to change how you eat. That is already a win for you! Good luck, I know you will be ok! We are always here for support!

This is the right answer @Mammaptp

Weight loss is SO individual. Keep with your program, and you will lose weight. Between my preop diet and 2 months post op (10 weeks total), I've lost 48lbs. And i stall a lot. You got this!

Establish little habits so you drink when ever you do something specific. I keep water by my bed so every time I get up to pee I drink (before & after). At work, read an email then sip. I sip every time I get in or out of the car & at every red light. You can do this with public transport too. Watching tv or a movie sip every scene change or ad break. Sip after every page or two you read. Keep liquids by your side always. Yes, setting a timer can help too but as you’re new out try every 3-5 minutes as you are only sipping. It does get easier and you will be able to do more than just sip.

The truth of the matter is not everyone reaches the goal weight they have chosen. And not everyone maintains that weight if they do attain it. Remember the average weight loss at three years post surgery (bypass or sleeve) is about 65% of the weight you had to lose to put you in a healthy weight range. Genetics, your body’s set point, lifestyle choices & preferences, age, gender, health & medications, etc. & yes a little complacency. But there’s nothing wrong with any of this. Any weight loss is a win. You may find a conversation with your surgeon, doctor & dietician helpful.

it's hard to say. I would lose weight on 1500 calories (albeit slowly), but some people would gain. I've been in maintenance for several years (and have been hanging out on bariatric boards for about eight years). I know people who can maintain on 2000 calories, and others who can only eat 1200. You can always experiment with different calorie ranges and see at what point you lose, at what point you maintain, and at what point you start gaining. That's really the only way to do it other than the RMR test that someone above mentioned. at any rate, 1500 calories isn't that much. Some people do gain on that, but then, you're pretty tall so I'm guessing you'd either maintain or lose on that much. also, the closer you get to a normal BMI, the slower weight loss becomes. That's just a fact. 1200 calories is super low, unless you're short or have an incredibly low metabolism. Most people can't really sustain that forever. Personally, I'd give up the ghost on that one. As I said, even 1500 is pretty low for most people....sustainable, but low. I wouldn't worry about it unless you're gaining on that. for the record, I can maintain on 1500-1700 calories. If I'm doing some heavy exercise, I can go up to 1800 or so - maybe even higher.