butterfyeffect

I'll be 12 weeks out tomorrow, and started running about two weeks ago. I didn't notice any extra fatigue or anything when I started. I've been weight-lifting since my surgeon cleared me to at four weeks... I also eat about 600-800 calories a day. I've always exercised though, maybe since I was already in okay shape before surgery has something to do with why it doesn't wear me out. I'll be interested to hear others chime in!

Went to a public beach yesterday wearing a two piece bathing suit!! (not planned ahead BTW or I probably would have changed) but didn't feel awkward at all!

I totally "cheated" on my pre-op diet, but with healthy, low carb things, like soy nuts, cheese cubes, etc. I was thrilled to hear from my hubby after surgery that my surgeon told him my liver was tiny which is the whole point of the diet, to shrink your liver!! So I guess what I'm saying is that if you're craving something to chew (which I was) just make it something low carb and high Protein, and you'll probably be okay!

I have avoided restaurants since my surgery, for the most part. But I do sometimes find myself commenting on how much, and how quickly my hubby eats. He will finish a massive plate of food way faster than it takes me to eat the half cup I serve myself. And then, like most of us, I remember that I was doing the same thing a few short months ago... I think it's how we Americans are raised, always in a hurry, always rushing, even though most of the time there is nothing to rush to. Even before surgery I was always asking my husband where he was rushing off to after a meal. We'd be sitting in a restaurant, I'd be finishing my drink, and he would be rattling his keys, ready to leave. Now I can't rush, so he has to wait for me!

Donate them!! Know that you will never go back to that size, and own it!

I chose to keep the surgery a secret at work, because I didn't want to go through the hassle of having to get cleared by the employee health folks to come back to work (RN)... that said, I will gladly share the information about my surgery with anyone who wants to know how i've lost all the weight, but so far, although I've lost almost 50 pounds, only one person has been brave enough to say anything, which is fine by me! As far as friends and family know, I live far enough away from most of them that it hasn't been an issue, but if anyone asks, I'm willing to share!

I've heard people who took as little as one week, but that was mostly for people with desk jobs. I took four weeks off because of the lifting restriction (I'm a nurse) but I felt fine after two weeks, and probably could have worked, but didn't want to risk it.

I know how you feel... the other night as I was eating some broccoli and chicken with Protein cheese sauce over it, I realized that I was only eating it for the fuel, not because of the taste. That was a big revelation for me; I'm now "eating to live" rather than "living to eat". And that's how it should be!

I agree with what most of the others said... don't buy a lot of stuff for your post-op period. I have cans of unjury Protein powder sitting around that I didn't use, because after surgery I didn't like it as much. Bought three cans of refried Beans, only ate one. And I just threw away all of the sugar free popsicles that I bought, I was able to drink just fine after surgery, so never needed them. As far as stuff I brought to the hospital, the only things I would recommend that they didn't provide would be a heating pad (I got one of the old-fashioned hot Water bottles so I wouldn't have to plug it in), and an abdominal binder, which really helped when I was up walking around. Oh, and obviously whatever personal toiletries you prefer... keeping in mind that they probably won't let you take a shower. I brought moist towelettes that I used to wash my face and hands while in bed.

I took four weeks off as well, just because of the physical demands of my job (ER nurse). I felt good enough to go back after 2 weeks, but had the lifting restriction.

I paid 10,500 in South Florida as well (same surgeon as @cutiecake) Everything went incredibly smoothly, the hospital stay two days. No hoops to jump through, no psych eval, no NUT appointments to keep... I am very happy with my decision.

@QualTech I think it totally varies based on your surgeon what you're allowed at each stage. Mine allowed crackers and crisply toasted bread after week three... actually Ritz crackers with cheese, or a little tuna salad on top of them were one of the only things I could tolerate for a week or two there.

I went through a phase at about two weeks PO where I threw up almost everything other than liquids no matter how slowly and carefully I ate. I just worked through it, ate a lot of Soups and broths, and drank my Protein shakes. Finally at about 10 weeks out I can confidently eat just about anything as long as I go slow and chew thoroughly.

I don't have to look nice for work... no one cares if their nurse's scrubs are really baggy (which mine are getting). But I will pass this info on to my sister who is thinking about gastric bypass. Thank you!

That was on my surgeon's plan, but I drank regular Protein shakes, because of the sugar content. If the point is to shrink your liver, all of that sugar can't help!

I was only allowed very overcooked veggies until just recently. So I suppose if you cooked it to death it may be okay. Like to the point where you could mash it with a fork.

I vote Vitamins. If I take my vitamins on too empty a stomach, they cause a reaction that sounds just like what you're having. A few crackers settles it down right away.

I too, told my mom, and I guess because I never specified that it was a secret, she felt the need to mention it on Facebook! I had a private conversation with her about it, and she took the comment down, but the really funny thing is that when she had Gastric bypass a few years ago, it was a huge secret, and to this day she won't let us mention it to people who have probably at this point guessed what she did. But when the tables were turned, she had no problems telling the world about mine!

I have been lifting weights since I was cleared to by my doctor, but have really been slacking off on the cardio... have only done the rowing machine a couple of times, and zumba once. So my hubby and I re-started couch to 5k yesterday (I had gotten through week 2 before my pre-op diet started, then I just had no energy for it.) Let me tell you, running is much easier when you're 40 pounds lighter. I would almost call it fun! I'm actually pretty excited to do it again tomorrow.

Moscato does come in non-carbonated. It's one of my go-to wines, and no, it has never bothered my sleeve. Don't know about reds, as I'm not a big fan of red wine, really only drink it as Sangria.

My doctor said that diet soda is fine in moderation, as long as you don't mind the burping that comes with it. Since everything I eat or drink makes me burp now anyway, I have had a soda a few times since. But I have found that I don't crave it as much as I used to. My go-to drink is now iced tea mixed with Crystal Light lemonade. I drank a whole pitcher of it today.

Well, I just re-read my last few posts, and can't help but be proud of how far I've come. I will be 10 weeks out from surgery on Tuesday, and feel pretty much normal. But a new normal, where I'm not hungry all of the time, and when I am, I get full really quickly on a small amount of food. Sometimes I even almost forget that I had surgery. But then I look at the scale, which is down more than 40 pounds, and I realize that I never would have been able to do that if I hadn't had some help. Because my old normal was scary bad, and I never want to go back to it. My old normal was that I would wake up in the morning with a growling stomach. I would usually think about what I was going to eat before I had even gotten out of bed. Before I finished breakfast, I was already planning what I would have for lunch, and before lunch was over, I would already be thinking about dinner. And the last thing I would usually do before bed would be to eat a late-night snack. Like a half a package of Oreos kind of snack. My entire day literally revolved around food. Not healthy. My new normal is that I get up in the morning, and I'm usually thirsty. I'm getting the proper amount of fluids - at least 64 ounces per day, but I think compared with the amounts that I used to drink, it's still not that much. And it's summer in Florida... So, yeah, I'm usually pretty dry when I wake up. I still can't gulp down a glass of water like I used to. But I can guzzle it pretty well. So, I usually get up and drink a glass or two of water or Crystal Light before I even think about eating. And even then, it's usually because my husband says he's hungry that I actually go to the trouble of eating some food. And when I do eat, it's usually about a half-cup of something. I can get in more if it's something like soup. But in general I don't eat that much soup anymore, because I'm trying to be proactive about eating more solid-type foods. So far, I can stomach most things if I eat them slowly enough. That continues to be a challenge for me. I am usually mindful of what I'm doing, it's a challenge more often just because of the time required in order to eat at the proper pace... I'll be trying to eat dinner before leaving for work, for instance. Or on a half-hour lunch break at work. That's when I run into trouble. I'm better off just keeping my food at my work station, and taking a bite here or there. Most night nurses don't take breaks anyway, so no one really finds that to be weird. As far as what I eat, I do find that the softer textures still go best. Grilled chicken or fish can still be a problem. I do better if it's served with some kind of sauce. Better still if it's cooked in the sauce though. For instance, we're having chicken tikka masala that was done in the slow cooker for dinner tonight. Perfect food for my tiny tummy. I've just in the past week started experimenting with fresh vegetables a little. Just a bite or two of lettuce, tomato. So far so good. Also just this week I've eaten pasta twice, and had no issues with it. And last night, I ate my first piece of un-toasted bread. Just a small one, but it went quite well, I thought. None of the "stuck" feeling that I've heard others complain about. What still isn't working, and I am so very sad about it, is spicy foods. Just can't seem to tolerate them. I ate a few bites of Buffalo chicken at work the other night. I'd just been craving the Buffalo sauce. It stayed down, but I got the sliming sensation, and it burned in my chest for a long time. I have always loved spicy foods, so I'm really hoping that this reaction goes away at some point. Other than that, though I am incredibly happy with my new normal.

I'm at about 40 pounds as well... I haven't had to buy new clothes yet, but that's because I had tons of clothes in my closet that didn't fit, and now they do, so it's like i have a new wardrobe As far as people noticing, that happened to me at about 30 pounds, but only my husband, and one person at work has commented. I have been taking progress pictures, and I could see a difference at 20 pounds... and that's about when it clicked that this wouldn't be like other "diets" for me. This is real, and permanent.

My thoughts exactly. If the calories in/out formula worked, we all could have just lost weight with diet and exercise, but it doesn't, and that's why some of us have to resort to other means. I have eaten 1500 calories a day while working out for 45 minutes 5 days a week in the past and lost nothing, while my husband just needs to think about losing weight and does it. It has more to do with metabolic rates, body composition, etc. My advice is just to focus on getting your Protein and Fluid in, do what you can for exercise, and not think about the scale for a week or two. When you go back to it you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.