Bufflehead

If you can have a dill pickle, they are crunchy and salty and low-cal.

--stir it in to Greek yogurt --stir it in to cottage cheese --stir it in to a Laughing Cow strawberry cream cheese wedge --if you eat hot cereal, add it to that --sprinkle it on fruit like apples or bananas There are more detailed recipes here: http://www.bellplantation.com/recipes

I think it's important not to get caught up in comparing yourself to other people. We all have different bodies, different metabolisms, different challenges. Control the part you can control, by following your medical team's guidance with respect to diet and exercise, and let go of the stuff you can't control. I don't mean this to sound flip or uncaring but I really do believe that comparisons are counter productive. I won't even open a thread that sounds like it is inviting comparisons and measuring yourself against anyone else's progress. Good luck to you!

If you are having trouble pooping, that could easily account for your "weight gain." Poop weighs more than you might think. Or it could be water weight or some weird bodily fluctuation or your scale malfunctioning. If you are following your surgeon's plan, consider it just a meaningless fluctuation unless it keeps going on this trajectory for three weeks or so.

I haven't seen any justification for additional calcium supplementation for VSG patients. I track my calcium intake on MFP and only take supplements if I otherwise won't get at least 150% of my RDA from my diet, and I only take just enough to get me over 150%. There are scary studies out there about dangers of long-term calcium supplements so I am very judicious with that. There are studies out there that show sleeve patients have a risk of becoming B12 deficient. https://www1.bariatr.../blog?id=117261 http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC3667372/ The theory is that intrinsic factor is needed to absorb B12 properly. Intrinsic factor is secreted by stomach cells. By removing the vast majority of the stomach, production of intrinsic factor may be inhibited/decreased, so B12 is not absorbed as efficiently. B12 is important for all sorts of body and cell functions, including iron absorption. B12 level screenings should be included in all blood work labs for sleeve patients, at least per my surgeon.

I've struggled with low iron since before surgery. Here are the tips my doctor gave me: --try a liquid iron supplement such as Wellesse Iron -- it is more bioavailable than pills. --if you are taking an iron supplement in pill form, take it with a little bit of orange juice. Also, don't take your iron supplement within an hour before or after a calcium supplement or a dairy food. --make sure you are taking sublingual B12 every day. Your body needs the B12 to absorb and process the iron. Sleevers especially tend to be B12 deficient. Good luck to you!

I get mine from Trader Joe's, either the regular fat-free or black bean fat-free. I also like Amy's Organics low in sodium refried beans.

I've had the exact same experience . . . I weigh myself every two weeks, and I've done off and on exercising in two week trials. The two week spans where I don't exercise, I consistently lose twice as much as the two week spans where I do exercise. And I'm eating the exact same way all the time -- I log every thing that goes in my mouth on mfp and I have a very clear picture of how I am doing, nutrition-wise. Right now I am exercising for cardiovascular health and for strength, not for weight loss. But if I continue to have very slow loss while exercising, I may cut back or stop (temporarily, not for the rest of my life).

Some insurance will cover a panniculectomy, which is not the same as a tummy tuck but will get rid of a big flap of hanging skin on your abdomen. The result is generally not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as a tummy tuck. But insurance coverage varies a lot, including whether they will cover it and what the requirements are. Best to check directly with your own insurance. I have not heard of insurance covering a proper tummy tuck, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist out there somewhere!

deleted because I re-read and think I sounded presumptuous . . . carry on, nothing to see here!

honestly I think you were super-cute pre-surgery but you are looking fantastic now! Great work!

Yep, I can eat pretty much anywhere although I prefer eating at home where I control my own ingredients and cooking methods. If I am eating out, I look for grilled or sauteed seafood or chicken without a lot of rich/fatty sauce. I'm not cleared for red meat other than hamburger or sliced deli meat so that's usually off the table. I always end up taking way more than half home as leftovers. If the dish usually comes with rice, potatoes, pasta, etc. I just ask that it be brought without that.

I had 1.5 oz sliced london broil, a babybel mini white cheddar round, and 2 prunes.

I haven't had a worst day/week since surgery, but I did have about an hour early on (maybe about 10 days out) when I was so tired of obsessing about counting carbs, calories, and protein that I just wanted to give up and cry out of frustration and sadness. I just thought, I don't want to do this for the next three days, let alone the rest of my life! At that point I was feeling very sorry for myself. But I got over that pretty quickly. What did I think would change that hasn't? Not much. Of course I was hoping to never, ever be hungry again and that didn't happen. I wasn't hungry for about the first 10 weeks but then hunger and cravings started creeping back. However, it's a different level of intensity with the hunger and cravings. Now I can acknowledge them, dismiss them, and keep going with my healthy eating. What do I wish I had discussed with my surgeon? The only thing I can think of is the pneumatic booties I had to wear in the hospital to prevent blood clots. Sounds like a minor thing but they were the MOST annoying thing about the hospital stay and I wish I had been more psychologically prepared for them. Overall, basically minor stuff I think

Is there any way you can work with your surgeon and bump your date up?

My favorite powders are unjury chocolate Splendor, lots of the Syntrax Matrix flavors, and Chike Protein coffee and banana Magic. Have to be careful with the Chike as it is a little bit spendy in terms of calories and carbs for my plan. The Syntrax Matrix flavors are great -- I like almost all of them. They have a Mint Cookie flavor and a Peanut Butter Cookie flavor that I really love! Again, those two are a bit higher in calories and carbs than their usual flavors so I don't have them that often. Definitely get samples before you commit to buying a big tub. If you go to the protein powders & drinks forum here there is a pinned thread with TONS of recipes. I can't use some of them because again, they are too high calorie and high carb for me, but there's lots of good stuff in there. I do try to doctor them up to keep them interesting. Yesterday I made an iced peppermint mocha protein shake: 1 cup Hood Calorie Countdown nonfat dairy beverage 1 scoop Unjury Chocolate Splendor 1.5 tsp instant espresso granules 1 pump Torani sugarfree peppermint syrup 2 T. fat free Reddi Whip 140 calories, 8 carbs, 27 gr protein, 0 gr fat and really delicious! Here's another new favorite of mine, orange pumpkin cheesecake protein shake: 1 cup Hood Calorie Countdown nonfat dairy 1 scoop Syntrax Matrix Orange Cream Protein Powder 1 T. sugar free cheesecake pudding mix 1/8 t. pumpkin pie spice 1 pump Torani sugarfree pumpkin pie syrup I drank a lot of RTD Protein shakes right after surgery but I can't handle them anymore. They all taste fake and weird to me. I prefer to make my own.

I went to visit my neighbor just now and she insisted I take a piece of candy with me. I tried to refuse but . . . anyway, I stuck it in my pocket, brought it home with me, and threw it straight in the trash. It didn't make me sad or upset at all - before surgery I would have had to throw candy in the trash and then pour soap on top of it to make sure I didn't fish it out of the trash later. And I would have been super sad to throw candy in the trash and not be able to eat it.

I had three weeks of full liquids, three weeks of purees, and then stay on soft foods until six months after surgery. My surgeon's usual plan is four weeks of liquids and four weeks of purees before soft foods, but he bumped me up a phase a week early each time because I was doing fine with no problems.

I had three weeks of full liquids, three weeks of purees, and then stay on soft foods until six months after surgery. My surgeon's usual plan is four weeks of liquids and four weeks of purees before soft foods, but he bumped me up a phase a week early each time because I was doing fine with no problems.

Oh, bed ridden! Sorry, I should have figured that out. Naw, I wasn't bed ridden, not even in the hospital. I refused to get in the hospital bed except to sleep at night. I even napped sitting up in the glider chair in my room. Being at home taking care of myself was fine. I wasn't going to be cleared to drive for the first week so I made sure I had everything I needed on hand. I had a lifting restriction of 10 lbs, and I knew I wasn't going to be up for really heavy housework like mopping or vacuuming, so I got my housekeeper to come for an extra visit to take care of that, change the kitty litter, etc. I napped a lot for the first two weeks and took it easy but I didn't have issues with mobility or taking care of my basic needs.

Oh, bed ridden! Sorry, I should have figured that out. Naw, I wasn't bed ridden, not even in the hospital. I refused to get in the hospital bed except to sleep at night. I even napped sitting up in the glider chair in my room. Being at home taking care of myself was fine. I wasn't going to be cleared to drive for the first week so I made sure I had everything I needed on hand. I had a lifting restriction of 10 lbs, and I knew I wasn't going to be up for really heavy housework like mopping or vacuuming, so I got my housekeeper to come for an extra visit to take care of that, change the kitty litter, etc. I napped a lot for the first two weeks and took it easy but I didn't have issues with mobility or taking care of my basic needs.

Everyone's answers to these questions will be a little different, we are individuals and our path after surgery is individual . . . but here are mine. Was controlling my emotions and eating hard the first three weeks? No, for the most part I wasn't overly emotional. I had to work hard to get my protein and liquids in (I was on full liquids for three weeks after surgery) but other than that it wasn't hard. I certainly wasn't interested in eating, craving food, etc. An ounce of fluid every fifteen minutes? My schedule wasn't that rigid. I had to get 64 ounces in every 24 hours, and it was a lot of sipping at first, but as long a I paced myself throughout the day, I didn't have to set a timer or anything. Protein: while you are on liquids and purees, you'll be having protein shakes. I would suggest getting a boatload of samples of different kinds of protein and then start testing them AFTER surgery. What you liked before, you may well not like after. Don't buy big tubs until you know what you like. My favorite brands are Unjury and Syntrax Matrix. Being "need ridden"? Not sure what you mean . . . I came home from the hospital and took care of myself, never felt particularly needy. Vitamins: I take Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable multi-vitamin (double dose), plus an iron supplement, B-12, vitamin D, and 1 calcium citrate petite. When I was on liquids, I took liquid vitamins from Wellesse. How long should you wait to have sex? It upsets the nurses if you do it in the hospital. Other than that, have sex when you feel ready! Constipation: I have had no constipation, I poop every day, sometimes twice. (there's no such thing as TMI on this forum, right?). Ibuprofen: I'm allowed Ibuprofen as long as it isn't a long term thing with high dosage, but I haven't taken any. I'm still working my way through the Tylenol I bought prior to surgery -- that is important, not to take Ibuprofen in the weeks leading up to surgery. I threw all the NSAIDS in my house out and replaced them with Tylenol because I was scared I would forget and mess up. Good luck to you!

One thing to consider if you tell people you are having your gall bladder out: many people who have WLS will need to have their gall bladders taken out after, because the rapid weight loss causes gallstones. So there is a chance you could tell people you are having your gall bladder taken out and then need to come up with another story when you really do need to have your gall bladder taken out in the next six months or so. I have seen other people use these surgery "substitutes" --I'm having a large hiatal hernia repaired (then you can say your doctor put you on a medically supervised diet to make sure you don't get another, as obese people tend to have a high rate of hernias) --I have terrible stomach ulcers and I'm having the portion of my stomach with the ulcers removed as nothing else has healed them (this is basically saying you are having a partial gastrectomy but just giving a different reason for it, it will also explain your weight loss after). http://health.yahoo....t/gastrectomy/2 If you really want to stop people and their prying questions dead in their tracks: --I'm having anal fissures repaired (or hemorrhoid removal surgery) - and then you can explain later that your doctor put you on a medically supervised diet after to lose weight, as these conditions are often tied to morbid obesity.

I was in the hospital for two days - had a friend drive me home and then I was on my own for a week. I had no issues whatsoever although I did have my housekeeper come an extra time to do some cleaning, laundry, etc. that I didn't feel up to.

It all depends on your surgeon's plan . . . mine calls for eating between 30 & 60 grams of carbs per day, but I know some plans want fewer carbs and some allow more.