Bufflehead

@@TWW200 I did not find protein shakes filling before surgery. It was better for me to eat chicken breast and green veggies than drink a protein shake -- I found the lean meat and green veggies more filling and lower calorie than a protein shake. So, it was much easier for me to stick with "regular" foods than to substitute with liquids. YMMV.

Many women suffer from anemia despite eating iron rich foods. One thing to keep in mind with iron supplements is that your sleeve may mean slow release or timed release meds/pills don't get absorbed as well, so you may need just the regular, non-slow release version of iron supplements. I find I tolerate my iron supplements just fine. If I am absolutely religious about taking my Feosol and an extra dose of Wellesse liquid iron, I can usually keep myself in the low end range of normal.

I took two weeks for a similar type of job. I probably should have taken three. I was too exhausted to make it through an entire day for the first couple days back, had to leave and go home to sleep in the middle of the afternoon. After a couple days of that plus a long weekend, I went back to work and was fine to get through the whole day.

Are you allowed black coffee? It's an excellent source of liquid (the people who tell you it dehydrates are misinformed) plus it helps with constipation. Broth is another good option, no sweeteners there. Low sodium V-8 (not too much, it still has carbs) Fair Life or Carb Master milk (plain, not vanilla or chocolate)

I'm not a medical professional but I don't think the surgery itself could affect how much you bruise. Were you on blood thinners for a long time post-op? If so, that might be the culprit. Check in with your PCP or surgeon if you are concerned.

Hi Sharifah, I had to diet too before surgery. It was hard! What worked for me was eating low carb and tracking my intake on myfitnesspal. It was kind of a pain, but once I got used to it, it was just like any other habit. So, I got a myfitnesspal account and set my daily calorie limit at 1500. I cut out all high carb foods: no sweets, nothing made with flour or any other grain, and no high carb veggies such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, or corn. I stopped drinking anything with calories in it. Other than that, I let myself eat what I wanted as long as I stayed in range for my calories. I tried to eat a lot of protein because that kept me filled up more than other foods did. I also tried to incorporate exercise into my daily routine, but I did not record it on myfitnesspal because doing that makes you think you can eat more calories than you actually can. I allowed myself one meal (not an entire day!) each week where I could eat whatever I wanted. Sweets, potatoes, all the butter in the world, anything. But I still had to record it in myfitnesspal. I did let myself go over my calories on that day. This worked for me once I got the routine down and I started losing weight quickly and without suffering much. Good luck!

Raw fish is great, has never given me a problem either pre op or post op, but stay away from the rice.

If it were me I would gain the 7 lbs.

I went back after two weeks but probably should have taken three. When I went back to work I was too exhausted to make it through the entire day the first few days and went home each day in the middle of the afternoon. After two days of that plus a long weekend I returned to work and did much better.

I think they are both great surgeries. Of the people I know who have had bypass or sleeve, there are successes in both groups but more of the bypass people have been successful long term. Of course, this is hardly scientific, just the people I know. And you definitely have to be committed to working hard and making good choices for the rest of your life -- with either surgery. I think it's important to go with the option you and your surgeon agree makes the most medical sense, and not be swayed by things like "having my intestines re-routed makes me feel ooky" or "I just don't like the idea of removing part of a perfectly functioning organ" -- I understand feeling both of those ways, but IMO it's best to make a medical decision based on medical factors rather than emotions. Good luck!

I had a max of 800 calories per day for the first six months.

I don't know about pain tolerance and age. I will say that I think what most people struggle with when they return to work is not so much pain, as it is (1) exhaustion and (2) being able to meet fluid and protein goals while having to focus on work as well. Good luck!

Stalling for a couple of weeks starting at three weeks post-op is completely normal. You can use the search function on this site to look for "three week stall" or even just Google "three week stall vsg" or "week three stall weight loss surgery" or anything like that and see that you are far from alone! Just keep following your program and stay off the scale for a while if it will stress you out. Good luck!

If you aren't, use a food journal, such as myfitnesspal, to make sure you are in a caloric deficit every day. Weigh or measure your portions carefully -- no guesstimating. If you exercise, do not count calories burned or eat back your exercise calories. Good luck!

I use myfitnesspal.

My tips -- and I mean this very sincerely -- don't weigh yourself so frequently and don't expect weight loss to be smooth and consistent. It won't be. You'll have major pauses and then big drops. Three days is barely a blip, especially so soon after surgery when your body is recovering from major surgery. It is going to do all sorts of crazy things. If it bothers you, only weigh every couple of weeks at most. That way the scale won't control your feeling of success as much. Good luck!

Google "three week stall gastric sleeve" or "three week stall vsg" or "three week stall weight loss surgery" and you will see you are not alone. Keep following your program, stay off the scale for a while, and don't give in to stress about it. The scale will start moving again eventually. And yes, constipation can contribute to "stalls" and even "gain" -- poop weighs a lot more than people think and it will show up on the scale!

There is no surgery that is going to stop you from eating a package of biscuits or a tub of ice cream. It will slow you down, but not by all that much. IMO you really need to work on getting rid of the mindset that the surgery will cure your poor choices in the long run -- counseling will help you there, surgery not so much. Good luck!

Never been a smoker myself but I've had two friends quit using Chantix.

Biotin is WORTHLESS. Two years I paid money for this nonsense. @ hey now I found biotin to be great if what you are looking to do is sprout new hair growth everywhere from your eyebrows down to your ankles. Hair on your head? Not so much. Nice bushy crops of hair on your chin, tummy, inner thighs? Biotin is for you!

The amount of food is normal. Are you getting in your 64+ ounces of liquid every day? If not, that might be the cause of the dry throat. If you are, you may want to check in with your surgeon or PCP to see if you have something else going on (thrush infection from surgery, etc.). Good luck!

I took two chewable Trader Joe's High Potency multi-vitamins each day at your stage. One in the morning, one at night. You do have to take calcium and iron separately if you want/need those minerals. My labs were always terrific. Plus, the Trader Joe's vitamins are cheaper, lower calorie, and lower carb than any specialty bariatric vitamin.

You can't take pre-made shakes in your carry on of course, but powder should work fine. Good luck!

I am so sorry about your insurance coverage. That sucks. Do you have any other access to possibly better coverage, such as through a spouse's employment? When you say it will take you years to save up, are you talking about the cost for self-pay here in the US? It is significantly cheaper in Mexico (the most common place for medical tourism). I know many, many people who have traveled to Mexico for their surgery and are pleased with the process and their results. You can find prices typically in the $4-5,000 range, and with a combination of aggressive saving, credit/loans it might be faster than you think? You might also want to inquire with your company's HR/benefits people and ask if there is any chance they will be picking up an insurance rider for bariatric surgery in the next enrollment period, and ask that they consider doing that. They don't have to, but if they know employees want it, they might consider it more seriously. In any event, best wishes going forward.

I've had to lose back some re-gain a couple of times. Here is what works for me: 1. For the first five days, eat nothing but lean meats (unprocessed -- no jerky, bacon, sausage, deli meat), green veggies, and healthy fats. Eat as much as I want and don't worry about calorie intake each day, but weigh all portions and track intake on MyFitnessPal. 2. After five days, expand to include dairy, tree nuts, protein powder, beans & legumes, and small quantities of fruit. No grains, no sweets, no starchy veggies, no liquid calories other than protein shakes. 3. Also after those first five days of meat and green veggies, set a daily calorie goal in MyFitnessPal of 500 calories under my maintenance calorie level. If you are not sure of your maintenance calorie level, a good starting point is your current weight (in pounds) x 10. Continue to weigh/measure my portions religiously. Eat protein first at every meal. 4. Do vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, five days per week, but do not eat back my exercise calories. I don't even try to calculate calories burned, I just care about doing vigorous exercise like running, HIIT, etc. Walking doesn't count! I think it is great that you are going to check back in with your bariatric team. I am sure they will help you a lot. Good luck!