Bufflehead

Tylenol, rest, and fluids.

when you start eating solid foods

I think people can be successful with either surgery, but your surgeon is right that bypass patients have a statistically higher likelihood of success. I also think that you should try to make your decision based on medical and scientific factors rather than emotional ones such as "having your intestines cut and re-routed is icky and scary" or "I don't want my stomach to burn up in a medical waste incinerator!" or whatever other emotional factors might be at play. This is a medical decision you are making, so consult with your surgeon about things like: --statistical likelihood of success and how important it is to you personally to reach and maintain a certain weight; --whether you have GERD that might be exacerbated by the sleeve (or fixed with a hiatal hernia repair); --are you diabetic or pre-diabetic? If so, gastric bypass has better stats for resolving it --do you need to retain the ability to take NSAIDS or other meds that might be contraindicated with gastric bypass? --do you have intestinal problems such as Crohns or ulcerative colitis that might make bypass surgery difficult? etc etc. Good luck!

I've done a fair amount of research and based on that I don't take calcium supplements. Essentially, there is no to little evidence that calcium supplements prevent fractured bones, and there is more evidence that calcium supplements cause cardiovascular problems. Even if there was more evidence in favor of calcium supplementation, I'd rather have a broken bone than a stroke. But there really isn't much. The best thing you can to do to prevent osteoporosis is engage in weight-bearing and high impact exercise on a regular basis. But it seems like people are more interested in "having" to eat their caramel flavored or peanut butter chocolate calcium supplements than they are in going jogging or doing jumping jacks! I remain committed to my exercise, plus I do track my calcium intake on myfitnesspal and make sure to get 150% of the RDA of calcium from food every day. My decision was based on the research I did plus the fact that I am at very low risk for osteoporosis as I have never smoked, been pregnant, or nursed a child. Also, lifelong obesity leads to denser bones and lower bone fractures later in life so that's one health benefit I have on my side!

I second @@WLSResources/ClothingExch 's rec for the Beck Diet Solution. That book helped me tremendously! Ignore what she says about exactly what to eat or when as it doesn't work for wls people (example, she says to drink a lot while eating) but follow her exercises and do all the tasks no matter how cheesy or ridiculous they seem. It works!

The carbs and sugary food are what is making you hungry. It also doesn't engage your restriction, so you can eat a lot of them. No one like to hear this, but you have to stop eating them, all of them, immediately. Take three days and eat nothing but lean, unprocessed meat (no sausage, bacon, deli meat, salami, jerky), eggs, green veggies, and healthy fats (olive oil and grass-fed butter. Eat as much as you want, whenever you want, but eat only those things. This will help you kick the cravings for carbs and sugar. You also won't ever feel true hunger as you get to eat as much as you want, whenever you want. So, you will learn to distinguish true hunger from head hunger/cravings. Also, even eating as much as you want, you won't gain weight and will likely lose. After those three days, keep eating that way for two days but get (or revive) a myfitnesspal.com account and start tracking your intake. After those next two days, add in modest amounts of dairy, fruit, nuts, and beans/legumes. Set a calorie goal for yourself -- I would think you will lose weight at 1500 calories -- and stick to it. Avoid grains, starchy veggies (potatoes, peas, corn, sweet potatoes, lima beans), sweets, liquid calories, and alcohol. Stick to your calorie goal. You absolutely can do this, I promise. 25 lbs may seem like a lot but it really isn't that much to take back off. I have done it before and I know you can too. Good luck!

For most people the sleeve does stretch/relax some and you do get some return of hunger. There is no exact date for it though, and it's not like everything completely vanishes! I can eat what I consider "small normal" meals -- 3 ounces of dense protein and a couple ounces of veggies. That's twice as much as I could eat at, say 6 months out (I am 3+ years out now). I do get a lot hungrier than I did at 6 months, but again, nothing like pre-op, where I often felt out of control with respect to food. It really does matter a lot that you adopt good habits and commit to them to life. A year out, most people can eat large quantities of slider foods such as chips and cookies. And the more you eat, the more you want, and the hungrier you get. So yes, it does get to the point where it takes work. Real work! But continued healthy eating is possible, where before the operation it was not possible (on a long term basis) for me. Good luck!

*kisses Adblock Plus in gratitude for not having to see whatever it is y'all are talking about*

Chewable protein exists, look for it in bags labeled "beef jerky" or sticks of "turkey jerky" and similar

No, I chose not to self-sabotage during pre-op. Or post op for that matter! IMO cheating is a fine word for card games, but I think of "cheating" as doing something illicit that gives you an advantage . . . there is nothing seriously advantageous about choosing to disregard the pre-op instructions from your medical team.

8 lbs in a week is insanely fast. Please don't expect that you will keep losing that quickly. Also, be aware that most people hit a significant stall at about 3 weeks post op, so don't let that upset you if it happens. It is completely normal. I am not sure where you are seeing people lose faster than you, but I can assure you that they are not anywhere close to normal and they may even be lying, or reporting weight lost based on their starting weight at a two week pre op diet or something like that. The bitter taste in your mouth may be due to ketosis. There isn't much you can do about it but it does go away eventually, when you are able to eat a broader range of food. As to cravings, honestly your healthiest option right now is to learn to deal with cravings by *not* eating anything. Giving in to cravings is what got us all to the point where we needed surgery. This is the time to learn to distract yourself, engage in self-talk about how cravings are unpleasant but do not need to be caved to, etc. You really want to come out of this post-surgery period working on a different relationship with food, where you are not controlled by cravings or hunger. Good luck!

Do you mean to make protein shakes? I use vanilla unsweetened cashew milk -- I like the taste better than almond milk or water, and regular dairy milk and soy milk are too high calorie for me (cashew milk is 25 calories/cup). Another good option if you need more protein is Fair Life or Carb Master milk -- lower calorie and higher protein than regular dairy milk.

Three months isn't a stall, it's maintenance. Unless there is something very weird going on, you need to cut down on your calories and up your exercise. If you haven't already, figure out precisely how many calories you are taking in each day and lower that by at least 200. If you are very confident that you know precisely how many calories you are taking in (you are weighing your portions, tracking everything on MFP, not having "cheat" days or "treat" meals or taking little tastes and bites here and there) and your calories are below 1200 per day, you may want to check in with your medical team and/or get your resting metabolic rate tested. Good luck!

Unjury, Syntrax Nectar, Syntrax Matrix, and Chike were my favorites. Bariatric Advantage I found absolutely revolting, along with Bariatric Fusion and a bunch of other brands too.

"continuous medical monitoring . . . nutritional supplements . . . tablespoons of bland food" He makes it sound like you are going to spend your life being trailed by a rolling IV bag, a team of medical professionals with clipboards, and someone to feed you eyedroppers full of Ensure and liquid vitamins on a schedule. Trust me, that is not my life and it won't be yours either. Good luck with your surgery, and your dad! Promise yourself that you will work extra hard just to prove him wrong

Remember that you'll still be at risk for developing blood clots, so if you are driving or flying or sitting for more than an hour or two at a time, you'll need to stop for extended walking breaks every hour or so. Also, you will likely be exhausted and working very hard to get in your fluids and protein, and basically no use to anyone other than yourself. Not saying don't go, just take a realistic look at what it probably will be like and figure out if that sounds more appealing to you than staying home or rescheduling the trip. Another issue is that you will still be at risk for developing a leak, so when you plan your trip, research where the hospitals are nearby that have bariatric surgery units so that you know where to go for the best treatment in case that very tiny possibility becomes a reality. Better safe than sorry and all that. You should be fine to stay home alone if that is what you decide IMO. Potentially even easier than trying to deal with family members who may still see you as a caretaker figure no matter how much you tell them that you'll be out of commission for a bit. Good luck in your decision, I can see that being a tough call!

I'm not sure what you mean about feeling your metal sleeve -- there is nothing metal about the sleeve except a tiny line of titanium stitches where your stomach was cut. As far as your weight goes, gaining weight early on usually means you are bloated/retaining fluids, constipated, or having hormonal issues (common after surgery) causing weird water and metabolism issues. It's really unlikely you are eating enough to gain weight unless you are sitting around eating milkshakes and peanut butter without stopping. Unless that is the case, it's very very likely one of the other issues. Sorry to be gross but this early constipation is often the culprit. If you are worried about a leak, definitely get in touch with your surgical team and describe your symptoms. That is a serious issue that you want professional medical guidance on rather than random speculation from internet strangers like me. Good luck to you!

That's called the slimies or the foamies. It happens when you either eat too much, too fast, or the wrong kind of food. If you try toast again, eat a much smaller piece and eat it much slower.

Are Bugles and pretzels on your list of approved foods? Other crunchy things you can turn into mush: cookies, french fries, Ritz crackers, potato chips, Hershey bars . . . but this isn't the way most of us eat post-sleeve, and for good reason. This is the time to be adopting healthy habits and learning a new way of thinking about food, not plotting ways to get high-carb crap into your body.

Don't waste your money on creams IMO. If you want to lessen scars, use silicone scar sheets such as ScarAway.

I didn't need any help after surgery, other than some assistance with lifting bags of kitty litter -- which looks like it will not be an issue for you. Frankly it would have irritated me to have someone hovering around me and trying to be "helpful." I'm a pretty firm believer that taking care of yourself after this surgery is generally better than having someone wait on you -- getting up and moving around is good for you IMO.

I was told I could reintroduce alcohol in moderation after I had reached my weight loss goal and maintained for a few months.

It's likely because your vagus nerve was irritated by the surgery. It runs along the top of the stomach and it is what controls all sorts of involuntary actions in the upper body like hiccups, burps, runny nose, etc. As you move on to solid foods you may notice that when you eat too much you get a weird reaction such as a runny nose. This means so much food is crammed into your stomach that the vagus nerve is being pressed on and irritated, It's a good cue to eat less next time. In the meantime, those post-op hiccups usually do eventually go away as the nerve recovers from surgery. Good luck!

As far as I know there are no contraindications for any antibiotics with sleeve gastrectomy. They were not on the list of "problem" meds I was given with my pre-surgery boot camp. I haven't actually taken any since surgery though so I can't give any personal experience.

First, I would stop using words like bad and good with respect to both yourself and food. It isn't helpful. Next, cut out high carb foods immediately and completely. The more you eat of them, the hungrier you will get. One of the reasons you are constantly hungry is that you are eating things like grapes (and probably even higher carb foods). Take three days and let yourself eat as much as you want -- but only lean, unprocessed meats and green vegetables. Throw away the high calorie foods like nuts and cheese. They are not helping you. Yes, they can be healthy parts of your diet, but not while you are getting back on track and trying to lose weight. Focusing on foods like lean meats and green veggies will help you re-focus on your restriction, make you less hungry, and re-establish the difference between true hunger and head hunger. Finally, you may have to get okay with the idea of being hungry and just waiting until your next scheduled meal. Being hungry doesn't mean you have to eat. It isn't any fun to be hungry but you aren't in danger of starving to death. If you are truly incapable of dealing with hunger in any way except eating, again, restrict yourself to lean meat and green veggies. When you get hungry, eat some green vegetables. If you don't want green vegetables or some chopped cold chicken breast, you aren't hungry, you are just experiencing cravings.