DLCoggin

Welcome to the forum and thanks so much for sharing your experience. It is rare to have someone that is several years post-op contribute and the ones that do seem to move on quickly. I hope you'll stick around and share your long term experience with us who are really just beginning the journey. Thanks again!

Great story! Love it!!

My understanding is that it unfortunately can be different for everyone. General guidelines suggest avoiding foods with high sugar or fat content to avoid dumping. Beyond that, you really have to experiment. If you're not sure, try taking a bite of the new food and then waiting five minutes. If you don't experience any discomfort, chances are good that you won't have a problem with that food.

A while back I put together a list of high protein foods. A number of folks requested a copy of the file. Thanks to Dallas, it's been posted on the net and you can see it at... https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AquBbFV701VcdGZFc2p2Q29QTXIxc0tVU1lxMklBOHc I'm assuming that you're on regular food at 13 weeks out. It's difficult to get all of your protein without some kind of supplement but hopefully you'll find some things here that will help! You also might try getting some unflavored Protein powder. First thing in the morning, put a scoop of the powder in a small bowl. Depending on the powder, one scoop is 20g or more of protein. When you eat or drink something, put a pinch of the protein powder in. You can add it to almost anything and if it's just a pinch, you shouldn't notice the taste too much. By the end of the day you've eaten an additional 20g of protein, a pinch at a time. Trying anything you can think of until you're getting all of your protein in every day is well worth the effort. Unlike fat or starches, you body cannot store protein and the nine "essential" amino acids must be obtained from food - the body cannot manufacture them. That means they need to be replenished every day. It's quite important for faster healing, increased energy, reducing hair loss, preserving lean muscle tissue and protection from bacterial and viral infections. You're gonna love the new you!!

You might want to ask your doctor about doing a bone density test. If there's a problem, they can treat it. If not, the test will be worth the peace of mind!!

You're gonna love the new you!!

I'm definitely one of the "would do it again in a heartbeat" folks! Although there may be exceptions, I think it is wise to plan to be on vitamins for life. Exactly what vitamins and supplements will vary by individual and obviously depends in part on your diet. Malnutrition is definitely a consideration along with osteoperosis. Blood tests are usually conducted at 3 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos, and one year following surgery. After that, they are conducted every six months or annually depending on your doctor. Those tests are conducted specifically to monitor nutrient levels (among other things). B-12, vitamin D, calcium and protein are especially important. I'm not sure anyone can put a generalized age limit on when or even if increased supplements might be required. So much depends on the individual, overall health, diet and a dozen other factors. And the same reasoning would apply to cost as well.

I'm not so sure there is a "one size fits all" answer to your question. I'm 37 weeks out, have experienced very little in the way of dumping, and can eat pretty much anything I want to eat. My mom never had RNY but she's 89, weights 110 lbs, eats like a horse, and enjoys at least one T-bone steak a week. The surgery reduces the "amout" of food you can eat but there are not many long term restrictions on "what" you can eat. Some seniors have restrictions on their diet for a multitude of reasons, medical and otherwise, but RNY would have relatively little to do with it (in the absence of some kind of surgery related complications which are rare).

My surgeon seems to be the exception but she requires all of her patients to get a minimum of 100g of protein a day. No complaints here - it worked!

Kaylee, check out my post "Managing Hunger" at http://www.rnytalk.com/topic/1493-managing-hunger/page__hl__%2Bmanaging+%2Bhunger__fromsearch__1 Hope you find some ideas that will help!!

Absolutely. The new pouch is only about 3 oz and there will be some swelling for several weeks which slows the movement from the pouch to the small intestine. Important as the liquids are, you probably want to keep in mind that Protein is right up there as well. Might be a good idea to mix and match as well as you can without ignoring either one. Protein is important for cell regeneration, protection from bacterial and viral infections, reducing hair loss, energy (in the absence of limited carbs), and preservation of lean muscle mass. And unlike fats or starches, you body cannot store protein so it needs to be replenished every day. Hang in there - it will get easier before you know it!

Read the ingredient list and if it contains "collagen" (or any derivative of that like collagenic), it's pretty much worthless. The high protein low volume is extremely attractive to us RNY types but...the digestibility of protein types is ranked by the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) which has been adopted by the FDA, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The PDCAAS uses a scoring system of 0 to a maximum of 1 according to the digestibility of different types of protein by the body. whey protein has a score of 1.0, milk protein 0.94, and soy protein 0.97. Collagen or Gelatin protein has a score of 0.08. Collagen is also an "incomplete" protein meaning that it is missing one or more of the nine essential amino acids (essential because they cannot be manufactured by the body). Any incomplete protein could result in your developing protein deficiency and is not recommended for weight loss surgery patients. So collagen has an extremely low digestibility score, and it's an incomplete protein. Not good.

Thanks monique! Definitely want to give it a try!

It's coming Bernie - promise!

Thank you! Hershey's is definitely on my shopping list!!

Good day gentlemen! Don't know how I missed it but just discovered The Man Room today. So here are the vitals: 38 weeks post-op on Thursday 5' 9", weight is down 115 pounds and stabilized at 170 (surgeon's orders to start increasing calorie intake - first time in my life a doctor told me to eat more) Hypertension - off all meds and bp is actually running just a smidgen low but nothing to worry about Type 2 diabetes - gone Back and knee pain - gone Walking just under 3 miles, minimum of four times a week 34" waist, large in a polo shirt, 16 1/2" neck - loving every delicious second of it Most amazing journey of my life. The girls outnumber us here by about 10,000 to 1. Doing everything I can to get the word out to men and women alike - there is a way. It's not easy. But it is easier - and that makes all the difference in the world.

No doubt about it, the first few weeks post-op are challenging. But they pass quickly and it's gets easier - much easier - before you know it. Everyone is different so keep trying different things. Protein is important on so many levels - it's used to replace and heal tissue, reduces loss of lean muscle, used for energy when you're on a low carb diet, reduces hair loss, helps protect you from bacterial and viral infections, every cell in your body contains protein. Remove the water from your body and 75% of what is left is - protein. So... Try drinking 3 oz at a time or Taking one oz every 15 mins (or 5 mins, or 10 mins, or 20 mins) Taking one sip every "X" mins One oz one time, one and a half the next, two the next, etc. at whatever interval allows you to keep it down The bottom line is experiment and stay committed. It's important and you'll be glad you did. You're gonna love the new you!!

Hey monique! 1/2 "what" of instant coffee - Oz, tsp, tbsp, scoop? Ditto for skim milk. Sounds tasty. Thanks!!

Surgeons and hospitals often have support groups and they are powerful. They usually have gastric bypass patients in all stages from pre-op to years post-op and everything in between. Great place to make friends since you have a lot in common right from the git-go. Most of these folks are open books and you can ask them anything that you can imagine and usually get an open, honest answer. Friends and other family members are usually supportive as well. And this forum - O M G! So many knowledgeable folks who are anxious to share their experiences and help anyone who needs it. You're on a life changing journey and the absence of one person's support cannot defeat your commitment. You're gonna love the new you!!

I'm assuming they are liquid vitamins and that's why you're worried about taking them right after you eat? Unless they are several ounces I wouldn't think there's anything to worry about.

As long as you're far enough out for solid foods, turkey bacon is great. I love it!

If I'm not mistaken, chocolate usually has some caffeine. I'd check the label and if it has caffeine, probably would be a good idea to hold off on using the syrup for a while. Always best to check with your doctor when there's any doubt.

Hi bernie! I drink the shakes straight - alternating between frosty chocolate, Cookies and cream, and chocolate mint. But I've been experimenting with the powder (cuts the cost about 50%). Still a work in progress. I've tried mixing the powder with skim milk (not bad), almond milk (better), half milk/half Water (so-so), and I've tried it with Capella double dark chocolate drops (little better but still not great). The taste of the powder is very close to the shakes so keep in mind that I didn't hate any of these - just trying to find the perfect recipe, LOL. I love jldeville's idea of the surgar free Hershey's - gotta try that next!

I've been drinking Pure Protein almost exclusively for months. Taste is very subjective but for my money Pure Protein and Myoplex are the best on the market. I prefer Pure Protein because they have 35g of protein and 160 calories. Myoplex are just a hair better as far as taste goes but they have 300 calories so I opted for the lower cals. When you have the opportunity, try their chocolate Deluxe bars. 200 calories and 20g of protein and they are excellent. I have tried some of the other flavors and they're not bad but the chocolate - OMG. The bars also come in larger sizes including 32g and one that has a whopping 78g of protein. Target has the best prices that I have found anywhere on the bars.

You're three weeks out and have lost 19 lbs. That's an average of more than six pounds a week!! Congratulations! Well done!! Celebrate your success - you're doing great!! Don't change a thing. Just keep doing what you're doing. Comparing your weight loss to others that you may read about can be a mistake and very misleading. There isn't one person on this forum that doesn't understand exactly how you feel but...unrealistic expectations can be devastating. Stay focused on following the protocol (as close to the letter as you possibly can including the protein), stay active, and stay away from the scales for a week at least, two would be even better. You're gonna love the new you!!!