DLCoggin

Everyone heals at a different rate but within a week or two you'll be right back in the saddle. You're gonna love the new you!!

Talk to the professionals that are on your surgery team. That's what they are there for. I don't think there is one person on this forum who is not willing to give you all of the support that we can. But the vast majority of us are not doctors, psychologists, physician assistants and nutritionists. We are not medical professionals with years of education and many more years of experience helping folks just like us - and just like you. You undeniably will not be the first person to ask for their help and you undeniably will not be the last. You are on a journey of lifestyle change. This may well be your first and possibly biggest challenge - find the courage to ask your team for help. You'll be glad you did.

" Riis and his colleagues have completed studies at Panda Express, a chain Asian fast food restaurant, showing that customers will often accept an offer to reduce the size of a calorie-filled side dish (such as rice) to cut more than 200 calories out of their meal (some also received a small discount on the meal for doing so). The offer was much more successful than menu calorie labeling at getting customers to eat lower-calorie lunches." Very interesting article on the psychological side of over eating. We are slowly starting to see an increase in the amount of research done in what may be a promising and overlooked part of the equation. Have you switched to using smaller sized plates? Have you ever requested a "down sized" meal? Which idea makes more sense to you - menu calorie labeling or smaller portions? Full Article

"And as Susan Woolford of the University of Michigan pointed out, as she showed a video of a dance flash mob, we know that cell phone messages “can get them to come out and dance, but can you get them to change their weight-related behavior?” How big a role does technology play in your weight loss journey? Do you see that role increasing? Decreasing? Why? Full Article

Definitely sounds like lactose intolerance from what I've read. There are protein shakes that are made from whey isolate (as opposed to whey concentrate). The isolate is very, very highly filtered which results in a product that is 90% - 96% pure protein. The filtration also removes most (not all) of the lactose and seems to be well tolerated even by folks who are lactose intolerant. Another alternative would be shakes which use soy protein as opposed to whey. Soy is an excellent source of protein and often used by vegetarians or folks who are lactose intolerant. Just Google it to find lots of options. Stay determined until you find a protein supplement that works for you. You'll be glad you did!!

Very interesting comment and one that I would not have thought of. I'm not lactose intolerant and don't know very much about it. Does lactose intolerance result in vomiting? Come to think of it, is vomiting the reason that you were wondering about dumping from protein shakes? I wish I could help but as you can tell, I'm pretty ignorant of lactose intolerance.

I have had one (two on rare occasions) Pure Protein shake every single day for close to a year and have never experienced dumping from the shakes. Each shake has 1g of sugar, 3g of carbs, 1.5g of fat (0.5g saturated), and 160 calories. I have experienced dumping from soft serve ice cream (duh!), white rice (duh again!) and one time from eating some red grapes (surprising but I've had them a number of times since with no problem). That said, I'm not sure that it really proves anything. About half of all gastric bypass patients never experiece dumping at all. Of the remaining half, about 2/3 have "early" dumping which usually occurs 15 to 30 minutes following eating and sometimes results in vomiting. The other 1/3 experience "late" dumping which usually occurs 1 to 3 hours after eating, is strongly linked with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and usually does not result in vomiting. I would expect that you will have several folks post that they have experienced dumping from Protein Shakes - pretty sure I've seen it a number of times on the forum.

Here's the deal. Sometimes in our determination to lose weight as fast as humanly possible, we get a little over zealous and reduce our calorie intake to unhealthy, unrealistic, and unsustainable levels. The body reads that as a "famine state" and start taking steps to conserve fuel (aka excess weight). Your metabolism drops, hunger levels drop or disappear entirely, and weight loss slows or stops. Based on what I've read on the forum, it seems that doctors and their staff often fail to help folks really understand the importance of Protein. When it comes to energy, carbs are king. But when it comes to losing weight, low carb diets are the order of the day. In the absence of sufficient carbs, your body will use protein instead. If you're not getting sufficient protein, your metabolism drops along with your energy level and again, weight loss slows or stops. food logs help you monitor calories, protein, fats, carbs, and frequency of exercise along with the calories burned - just to name a few. They also allow you to review averages of all of the above over any specified period of time - in my opinion, averages are much more important than your intake/exercise for any one day. They also almost magically increase your awareness of what you are eating. I'm sure it sounds silly but there have been times when I refused to eat something I was sorely tempted to eat because I didn't want to log it! Lol. And they allow you to know where you're at in relation to your calorie goal at any point during the day. That makes it so much easier to say "I'm a little high on the calories for the day so I'll have this instead of that" or "I'm well below my calorie goal for the day so I can indulge a little with ...." So armed with all of this information, you hit a stall. You check your log and decide that your calorie intake may be too low and your body is reading it as famine. So you increase your calorie intake by a reasonable amount for a couple of weeks and see if that jump starts your weight loss. Or you check your log and decide that your protein intake may be too low. So you increase your protein to 100g a day for a few days and then monitor to see if that jump starts your metabolism and gets your weight loss back on track. Ditto for Water or Fluid intake. In short, food logs give you sooooo much CONTROL and so much power and make it so much EASIER to meet The Prime Directive - lifestyle changes. Logs take virtually all of the guesswork out of the equation. And they make you accountable - to you. Yes - logging everything you eat can be tedious. But it gets easier, much easier, the more you do it. The reason is because almost all apps have the ability to store your "favorites" - things that you eat fairly often. So instead of searching the database for those foods, you simply go to your favorites, select the food (can even be an entire meal in one entry), and you're done. Finally, research has shown again and again and again that people who log their food intake lose more weight, lose it faster, and are more successful at maintaining their weight - than those who don't. Highly recommended!! Have a great weekend!!

My doctor said no alcohol until six months out. Internal healing is considerably slower than external. So alcohol prior to you being completely healed is an invitation for an ulcer. Virtually all alcohols are also sugar and could result in dumping. And as we all know, alcohol is empty calories with virtually no nutritional value. You may also want to keep in mind that it will hit you harder and more quickly than before. Doctors often quote the ratio of three to one - one drink post-op is like three pre-op. If you do drink, very good idea to give the keys to someone else. There are some real nightmare DWI stories out there from RNY patients. I don't want to give you the wrong impression - I enjoy a glass of wine before dinner more nights than not. But I didn't touch it until six months out.

Are you maintaining a food log and if so, what is your average daily calorie intake? Ditto for Protein? About the only thing certain about stalls is that they will happen. There may be a couple of things that you can try depending on the numbers. The good news is that even if you do nothing, as you long as you keep following the protocol, stay active, and stay away from the scales for as long as you can stand it - the stall will eventually end! They always do!!

How far out are you?

Congratulations!! You're cooking now! Lol. Have a great weekend!

Wow - couldn't ask for a better trainer!!

Congratulations Kerri! You're gonna love the new you!!

Congratulations Paul!! Yeah, it really does work! Miracles even!! Have a terrific weekend!!!

Congratulations and welcome to the big losers club!!

I couldn't agree with you more Paul - on all counts!! Have a great weekend!

Yup - you really do stop being hungry, at all, for a period of time following surgery. After it's had a little time to heal following your surgery, it's your new pouch that will tell your brain when you're full. And when you get full, you'll definitely STAY full for a long time. It don't take a lot when your stomach is the size of an egg!! Lol. You're gonna love the new you!!

Wow! Talk about a life changing moment...

Ain't nothin more excitin than PROTEIN!! Well...almost nothin!! Lol!

If you have a shake or powder that you like and that is low in sugar, I'd stick with it but maybe try drinking only two or three ounces at a time. Wait an hour and if it stays down, then drink another two or three ounces. Or use the same idea with protein bars if that works better for you. That may eliminate the dumping. There are certainly high protein food options but at four weeks out, you may find it difficult to eat enough to meet your daily protein requirement. Another option is to put a scoop of unflavored protein powder in a small bowl and then add a pinch to whatever you eat during the day. You can add it to almost anything and with just a pinch you probably won't notice the taste. By the end of the day, you've added 20+ grams of protein to your diet. Protein is important for a lot of very good reasons. Stay determined and keep experimenting until you find what works best for you. You'll be glad you did!!

I LOVE a conservative doctor!! Sounds to me like you are in VERY good hands!!

I'm thinking your exceptional pre-op weight loss (GREAT job!!) followed by the surgery is a LOT of changes for your body. It just needs a little time to catch up with the new program. We all know how tough it is but be patient. Give your body a chance to find its own way in its own time. It absolutely will. Just keep doing exactly what you're doing and your metabolism will adjust to the "new program" and the weight will start falling off before you know it. I think in our desire to celebrate our success we often underestimate how profound the physiological changes that are taking place really are. You're gonna love the new you!!

Walking is a terrific way to get active and you probably started in the hospital within hours after your surgery. By all means take a walk in the neighborhood! Start slow and take it easy. At a week out you're likely still pretty tender. Remember it's a journey, not a marathon. Set a goal of walking at least four times a week and slowly increase the distance/time with each walk as you get stronger. Remember too that you can walk in the neighborhood, a local park, on a treadmill, the mall - almost anywhere and anytime. There is absolutely not the slightest doubt in my mind that walking increased my weight loss, reduced the time to lose it and once it becomes a habit, it's a lot of fun. I look forward to it!!

Have you discussed the vomiting with your doctor? Might be nothing but it could be a stricture and you're right about at the time when strictures sometimes become evident. I was fortunate not to have the problem but it is most certainly treatable. Most of the folks I've read or talked to said they improved dramatically following treatment. I'm sure you know that Water (or at least fluids of some kind) and Protein are important post-op factors. Dehydration can land you back in the hospital in a heartbeat and failure to get ALL of you daily protein can delay healing and increase lean muscle and hair loss. Might not be a bad idea to discuss both of those with your doctor as well. So glad to hear that you're at least feeling better. I really do think that you've done a great job so far. You've hit a little bump in the road but it will be behind you and nothing more than a distant memory before you know it!!