mandems mom

I had my surgery last April and learned I was pregnant 5 months later. We've now found out that it's twins and one of each gender so I would definitely say that diet had nothing to do with mine!

Hi NtvTxn, I appreciate the pep talk. I do realize that it's a marathon, it just seems that the vast majority of people lose tons of weight right off the bat and I'm totally going at a snail's pace. My calorie intake is nowhere near Hip's, but I'd estimate it's between 500-700 per day and it was around 300 for the first 2 weeks so I thought for sure that my body would drop a ton of weight during that time. I lost about 5 pounds pre-op but was only able to do the pre-op for 4 days before I had surgery due to a quick schedule change. Even from June-November, you lost an average of 13-14 pounds per month...that's more than twice as much as my 6 pounds. I'm psyching myself up so that I don't get discouraged. At this point, a loss is a loss is a loss and as long as that keeps happening and there's no gain in sight, I can deal with it taking a year to reach my goal (70 pounds lost).

Hip, fresh fruit still has natural sugar and high carb content which is why most docs will tell you to consider it a treat...almost like a dessert. It will spike your blood sugar so be careful with it!

I don't have seem to have a problem with eating large quantities because I do get a sick feeling in my stomach if I over do it, but I'm just not losing. I'm almost at 1 month out and have only lost 6 pounds. As long as I keep losing, I'll be fine with that, but, like you, I was hoping to lose 20-30 pounds in the first month or 2 and that's just not going to happen. I'm also a band revision like you and had a lower starting weight, so maybe our metabolisms were screwed up from our time with the band.

My doc said to avoid red meat for 6 months following surgery because our new tummies don't take to it well, so I'm planning to follow that advice. If I do happen to have red meat, it will likely be ground beef and not steak which is tougher; especially since I like mine well which my hubby calls shoe leather!!

If you want to go to the next phase of your diet, it would be at your own risk. I'm pretty sure no one on here will advocate doing so since the doctors have their own rhyme/reason for their plan. That being said, I don't understand why these doctors have such vastly different instructions. I've seen some people say that they only had to be on liquids for 1 or 2 nights and then could switch to mushies and solids soon after. For me, I had to be on clears for 7 days, then full liquids (add cottage cheese, cream soups) for the next 7. I'm now on soft foods for 2 weeks and then I'm on my own. I also was super, super tired when I was on the clear liquids and I did skip ahead to the soft foods 1 day early and had no problems. Good luck and hang in there!

VERY normal...in the early stage, the focus is more on hydration than anything else. As your swelling goes down, you will tolerate things easier. Good luck and congrats!

I'm about 2 1/2 weeks out and ate egg salad (1 hard boiled egg w/ mayo) on a piece of bread and didn't start to feel uncomfortable until I took the last bite. I keep feeling like I have a larger stomach too because I haven't had a problem with anything yet and have only lost 4 pounds since surgery.

VERY Smart! Wish I would have done that; I might not be as discouraged as I am now. lol Your losses have been amazing...keep doing what you're doing and you'll reach your goal in no time!!

Lots of people on here have been nauseous following this surgery and some even vomited in the hospital, but everyone is different. I was nauseous, but only mildly, and the anti-nausea drugs they gave me through my IV worked wonderfully so I never vomited.

Ditto with justdance...I'm just under 3 weeks out, and I'm a side or stomach sleeper but can only sleep on my right side or back right now. I accidentally moved onto my stomach the other night and woke up in pain. For me, the left side is not only where the largest incision is, but also where they put the drain and where my port (from lap band) used to be.

At what point post-surgery are we considered "safe" from leaks and other surgery-related complications? Also, is it possible to eat so much or eat the wrong thing and cause the staples to rip open? I'm not even 3 weeks out and was really stupid tonight and ate a piece of bread with egg salad on it. Even though I chewed it until it was basically nothing, I know it was the dumbest thing ever. Internally, my body feels off...almost like it's trying to stretch to make room. I'm not in real pain, but definitely uncomfortable although nothing is trying to come back up. Could I have done any damage to my sleeve??

If you really do plan to weigh every morning after surgery, don't be surprised if you see that it doesn't change or even goes up. Your body goes through a lot of adjustments and takes on a lot of Fluid during that time which really wreaks havoc on the numbers.

If they're still draining, then yes you should clean them and replace the bandages. If there's no drainage and they're dry and clotted, then you can just clean them and keep them uncovered. I was able to shower in the hospital 2 days after I had surgery in TJ so I'm not sure why you would only be able to sponge bathe right now. You should have been given aftercare instructions from your coordinator at the very least.

Yeah, I have to steer clear of the scale or I would become obsessed. I'm going to let the mirror and my clothes do the talking for the first couple months. THEN I'll deal with the numbers!

Congrats!!! #1 thing is to make sure your OB is aware of your surgery. They may put you in a higher risk category to ensure that your blood levels are good and monitor your weight more closely than a normal pregnancy. I had the band with my most recent pregnancy and while you do need to increase your calorie intake, it needs to be as much good food as possible. So back to the basics: meats, veggies, whole grains, dairy, etc and take a really good multi-vitamin or prenatal vitamin. Your doc may also want you to supplement with additional Iron and Vitamin D since the babes tend to deplete those rapidly. This will be an exciting time for you. Don't stress about any weight gain you may or may not have; just concentrate on being healthy and your baby will reap the benefits!

I was sleeved April 17 and have no problems with milk, but everyone is different. Does EVERYTHING make you nauseous or are you able to drink plain water? Juice can also help to keep you hydrated and if too sweet you can dilute it with water. This early out, I've learned that hydration is much more important than protein so just keep experimenting with what you can keep down so that you don't land yourself in the hospital. Good luck!

I'm just over 2 weeks out and I wouldn't say that I'm sleepy, but I'm definitely low energy. Lots of people on here recommend taking B12 supplements to help with energy; I just have a hard time getting myself to take pills so I haven't tried it yet.

I'm just over 2 weeks out and on my soft diet for the next 2 weeks. I think you may need to moisten the chicken that you're eating (think broth, gravy, etc) on top of pureeing it or chewing the heck out of it. I've been eating chicken breast smothered in gravy for the last 2 days and have no problem getting it down. The first day I puree'd it to baby food consistency, but now I'm just chewing it to basically nothing and then swallowing. I have yet to throw up anything and after doing that for years with the band, I'm doing everything I can to avoid an episode.

Congratulations! Your ongoing success story is truly an inspiration!!

Whatever you're doing is obviously working in spite of your traveling. If you can get your doctor to give you props, that really says something. Keep up the great work!!!

Sounds like an insecurity thing...before you all hid behind the same shadows and probably got the same kind of attention or lack thereof. Now that your body is changing, people are noticing you and commenting and when your friends are standing right there, I'm absolutely sure it makes them feel very self conscious. After all, they're not losing weight right? It's definitely something they need to work through and get over if your friendship is worth it to them. You're not doing anything wrong. Your success has simply changed the dynamic of the relationship because you no longer have the weight struggle in common. Keep being you and extending the olive branch and the rest is up to them!

Clear liquids week 1, full liquids week 2, soft diet weeks 3 & 4, then normal foods as tolerated for weeks 5+

Definitely fluids! They pump you full of them for surgery to keep you hydrated and keep your electrolytes up. As counterproductive as it sounds, just keep drinking and in no time you'll flush all of that out of you!

The amount of protein that you get per tablet is only 1 gram....so if you look at the serving size for the bariatric chewable, you need to take 6 just to get the 6 grams that they're referencing in the nutrition panel. I, personally, don't do shakes either, but I would never be able to take tons of pills everyday just to get protein either. I'd rather just deal with the extra carbs and have a glass of milk. I also didn't worry about my protein intake while on the liquid portion of the post-op diet and just made sure I kept myself really well hydrated.