Bufflehead

An extra long charger cord for your phone or other device. Don't overpack -- this is a day or two in the hospital when you'll be groggily recovering from major surgery -- and the hospital is used to providing things that patients need -- not a two week cruise or spa stay

Weigh your portions before you eat them. Get a good kitchen scale if you don't have one.

Ask him what to expect when you wake up -- drain, catheter, etc.? What will he do to lessen the chance of blood clots post op? What will he be looking for post-op to let him know you are recovering appropriately? Example -- my surgeon told me he would release me from the hospital a half-day early if I met all my protein and fluid goals right away.

I use Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi's. I took 2 per day for the first six months after surgery, then scaled back to one per day. They are the cheapest I have found, as well as the lowest calorie and lowest carb I have found. They taste fine, very mild. My labs have always been great.

It depends on the terms of your insurance policy. There isn't one set rule, it varies from carrier to carrier and even within carriers they offer different policies. The insurance coordinator at your surgeon's office should be able to answer questions about your specific policy -- people here really can't do that, unfortunately. Good luck!

I foresee you eating a lot of chicken. With maybe some turkey for variety You may also find that your tastes change after surgery, so be open to that. I absolutely loathed eggs pre-surgery, for my entire life. Just the smell of them made me feel like I was on the verge of throwing up. But since surgery, I absolutely love them and eat them almost every day.

I liked the Syntrax Nectar flavors -- my favorites were fuzzy navel, lemon iced tea, and roadside lemonade. If you are just on clears for a week, I might get a couple sample packs to get you through the week and then see if you want to continue with whatever you like best or switch to something else. You can find different Syntrax Nectar variety packs just by Googling Syntrax Nectar variety pack or Syntrax Nectar sample pack.

I think you are doing a great thing. You have a medical problem and are taking the most effective known medical steps to fight back. In my mind, thinking you should be able to put obesity into remission "on your own" is comparable to saying someone with cancer shouldn't need to have chemotherapy and surgery, they should be able to heal themselves by eating organic food and praying a lot. There are a lot of people who are too scared, too proud, or too ignorant to have surgery for obesity even though they desperately need it. You are not one of those people. You are brave, educated, smart, and not too proud to make excellent choices with your health. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise -- including yourself!

@@VSGAnn2014 I remember reading results from the National Weight Control Registry years ago (they track people who have maintained a significant weight loss for over 5 years, I believe) and they found these behaviors highly correlated with successful weight loss maintenance: regular exercise - closer to an hour per day than something minor like walking for 30 minutes 3 times per week weighing yourself at least once per week watching much less tv than the average person not giving yourself permission to take "diet holidays" -- I'll eat whatever I want on Sundays, or on vacation, etc., and be "good" the rest of the time.

I take one high potency chewable daily. Earlier on I took two. I also take vitamin D, B12 (2x/week), folic acid, and iron, all of which I took before surgery.

It's better than normal, most people lose zero pounds the third week after surgery (seriously, search "three week stall" or "third week stall" and you will see). For most people, weight loss will pick up again after about a two week stall. However, also for most people, they don't see the kind of rapid 4-6 lbs per week after the first month. I would say that 2 - 3 lbs per week is much more in the normal range after the first month. And, as you say, there really is no normal. Focus on following your program as best you can and don't place so much focus on exactly how much you lose within a given time. It will only stress you out and make you miserable (because it never feels fast enough) when you should be experiencing an incredibly happy time in your life.

I was allowed to mix some sugar free pudding (1 T.) into a protein shake, or to make sugar free pudding if I mixed in an equal amount of protein powder as pudding mix, but not to just eat it on its own.

I was allowed fruits on soft foods as long as they were soft enough to be cut easily with a fork, and they fit into my daily carb limits. So the reality was I rarely ate fruits other than blending a small amount of berries into my protein shake or occasionally eating a few ripe strawberries. Fruit was just too high carb for my menu.

With two minor exceptions, I can eat anything I want. I.E., it will not make me throw up, feel queasy, break out in hives, etc. The truth is that unless I stick to a high protein, low carb way of eating FOREVER I will gain back the weight that I lost. "Just choose to eat smaller quantities" or "eat what you want in moderation" is not a concept that works for me. Why it doesn't work is irrelevant and I try not to worry about it -- I just have to deal with the fact that it doesn't work (for me) period, full stop, end of sentence.

No solids for me until 8 weeks post op, and then they had to be soft enough to cut easily with a fork. Not released to "full" solids etc. until six months post op.

@@careya123 Nashuanutrition and vitalady both sell sample sizes of many different brands of protein powder.

If you are expecting to never have stalls despite doing everything right, yes, you are expecting too much. Keep following your program and stay off the scale for the next few weeks. Your body is doing tremendous work for you, having gone through a major trauma and speeding through some very rapid weight loss. It needs a little bit to catch up with the program. Keep going and the scale will start dropping again, but you absolutely can't let stalls freak you out like this. If you can't handle this occasionally, stay off the scale for longer or use a program like Trendweight to see the big picture. Good luck!

Have you tried liquid iron, such as Wellesse liquid iron? I found that very easy on my stomach. Right now I am taking Perfect Iron (1 pill 3x per day) and it doesn't bother me at all. http://www.amazon.com/WELLESSE-Liquid-Mineral-Supplement-Natural/dp/B006LTCAU2 http://www.amazon.com/Sundown-Perfect-Iron-Tablets-Pack/dp/B001G7QYQK

Look, it isn't ideal, but if you are going to make a mis-step, you mis-stepped in the best way possible. The point of the pre-op diet is to eat high protein and low carb, and what you just ate is exactly that. Do not go throw up, that is disordered eating behavior and that is what you are trying to get away from! Resolve to be more mindful about your eating, go forward and give it your best effort today. You will be fine and you have not messed up your surgery, I promise you.

As per my surgeon, yes, it can be stretched, though not to the size of a normal stomach. It would take a lot of significant overeating to really stretch it in a meaningful way. Over time your stomach will naturally relax and you will be able to eat more though. Keep in mind that if you want medical testing just out of curiousity, that will likely come out of your own pocket rather than insurance. If you have a few to several thousand dollars to spend on that kind of curiousity, can I hit you up for some help with my roof repairs instead ??? Also, this is purely a language thing, but you don't have a pouch, that's what gastric bypass people have.

My advice -- stay away from protein bars, they are high carb and tend to trigger cravings for a lot of people. Instead, bring packets of flavored tuna and salmon, all kinds of jerky, and cans of sardines, oysters, etc.

Disclaimer: I know people who swear by Quest (and other protein bars) and have had great success with them. But let me tell you a little story about my mother, who is 76 years old and has struggled all her life to maintain a normal, healthy weight -- but struggled in the opposite way we do. She tends to slide towards being underweight and has to work really hard not be unhealhily skinny. She discussed it with her doctor, and he recommended that she eat a protein bar every day in order to prevent weight loss. If she ever goes under a certain weight limit, she is ordered to eat two protein bars a day. She follows her doctor's orders -- uses some Quest bars and some other brands -- and they stop weight loss in its tracks for her, and help her pack on the pounds when she eats two per day. I stay far away from protein bars unless I am traveling and desperate.

I just started watching London Spy on BBC America and absolutely love it. I'm anxiously waiting for the new season of The Americans, too. If you can get your hands on it, the Danish drama Borgen is amazing. Also have really loved recently: Humans, Top of the Lake, Bloodline, Orphan Black, Shameless. I read a lot, and I'm a librarian, so I do love giving and getting book recommendations. For history lovers, here are some of my favorites: The Complete Maus We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families Devil in the Grove The Warmth of Other Suns Hellhound On His Trail The Family: Three Journeys Into the Heart of the Twentieth Century Between Silk & Cyanide The Demon in the Freezer Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary The Worst Hard Time The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

second the recommendation for adblock plus. I never see any advertisements, big data companies can't track me as easily, and my computer is not susceptible to malvertising.

My dietitian would have horsewhipped me if I ate that during weight loss phase. Or, probably, after.