shewolf143

I am also 4 months post-op. Sometimes I can eat alot, other times I can't. Not sure why. I'm not losing as fast as I had hoped but at least I'm losing. Newgrandmother-do you exercise & if so, how much?

I just got back from a 7 day cruise. I am upset with myself that I did not exercise at all. I did take the stairs quite a bit & one of the excursions was somewhat physical with climbing stairs & walking alot. I ate some stuff I shouldn't have & I gained 1.5 lbs. That is the gain after taking a water pill as I didn't drink 64 oz water per day. I didn't eat THAT much bad stuff but apparently I gain weight very easily. My goal was to lose 1 lb. I had my surgery Sept. 12th. I guess I wasn't totally prepared to deal with the temptations onboard the cruise. I feel like a failure.

Thank you for your kind words. I feel better about it now. I was really angry with myself but you are right, it should come off fairly easily. I have been back on track since I got home Sunday. CBT-there is no way I ate 3500 calories or more in a day. I know that for a fact as I can only eat about a cup of food. The worse thing I ate was 1/2 of a small piece of tirimisu at dinner one night. I was very proud of myself as far as my food choices went & really thought with taking the stairs instead of the elevator & the physical aspect of the ziplining excursion, that I would be ok. I'm not going to worry about it anymore. What is done is done. I just wish the mandatory overtime at work would stop as it is interfering with my exercising. Looking forward to hopefully making goald weight by the end of 2013!!! Good luck & Happy New Year to you all!

Does anyone know if we can use net carbs or do we have to just go b y carbs?

I was worried also as I was able to get my water & protein in from the 1st day after surgery but I never got hungry at all. I have lost about 36 lbs & did quite well over Thanksgiving. It will happen for you-do NOT give up.

I had my surgery Sept 12 but haven't lost any hair & I hope I don't. Have you contacted the Dr or your NUT?

ShannonK-I hope it starts back up. I have been working alot of OT for about 6 weeks now & my NUT thinks it could be that. My body feels stressed so it is producing cortisol & slowing the weight loss down. I sit at a computer all day, which doesn't help. I also have been constipated & she said that can add to it as well.

joyful noise-Thanks for addressing my post. I agree with what you said to a certain degree. From what I am seeing on this site, most people lose quite a bit the first 3 months. I just feel something isn't right that I haven't lost past the 1st month. I have an appt with my NUT Thurs-she wants to look over my food journal. I do think I am losing inches. I need to take my measurements.

Yes, the gas takes up too much room in the stomach.

Congrats that is awesome! I just got on the scale & I am pretty upset....I have only lost a couple of lbs since I weighed in on Oct 12th, which was 1 month post-op. At that point, I had lost 28.4 lbs. I don't understand why I have only lost a couple of lbs in 3 weeks? Any ideas? I have not cheated once! I am getting my water in & my protein. I don't understand & I am very disheartened.

Are the fiber gummies good if you aren't having a daily BM? I go 4 days before I have one. What is the name of them? Weirdly, before the surgery, I had a huge sweet tooth & I was a binge eater. I am 6 weeks post op & have not had a single desire for anything sweet. I am also NEVER hungry! It is like a switch got turned off. Has anyone else experienced this?

That happened to me when tying my shoes. It hurt for almost 2 weeks & then went away. I am doing Zumba now with no pain at all. I am 7 weeks post-op

I am only 5 weeks postop but I just don't enjoy eating anymore. Nothing appeals to me....I eat cuz I have to. I guess that is the way it should be. My NUT says to say under 40g carbs to continue losing. She isn't recommending increasing it at all right now.

you can have any type of protein. I also can't do whey so I do vegetable protein.

Cherry-be careful-if you eat too little-your body will go into starvation mode & not lose as much.

There is a video by Kay Bailey online where she talks about the 5 day pouch test. 2 days of liquids, 1 day soft, 1 day firm, 1 day regular foods. It re-sets your metabolsim. You can probably find it online somewhere. It is an 8 min video.

Fat Free refried beans mixed with 1/8 of a cup of shredded parmesan cheese is really good. Lentil soup pureed in a blender is also good. Finely chopped egg salad mixed with light mayo & the same with canned chicken-make chicken salad. Those things got me through!!! Good luck!

Bryan-remember, to be successful, you can't go back to eating the way you did pre-surgery so having a spoonful of peanut butter every now then-is NOT a good idea. Ok, so you have the surgery & you think, well a spoonful of this won't hurt me or a spoonful of that won't hurt & before you know it, it isn't a spoonful anymore & you are back to 400+ lbs! I have seen friends do this & it is a shame. I am almost 5 weeks post-op & I finally feel for the 1st time in my life that I have control over food, not the other way around. I will NOT go back to my old eating habits. The reason for the pre-op is to shrink your liver so that they can get to your stomach. If they don't have enough room, they will have to do the surgery open, which means alot longer healing time. Stay away from the nicotine gum too! Best of luck Bryan!!!

ArtSong-my NUT said it takes 20-30 min for your stomach to signal your brain that it is full. I know it is difficult as I have a thing about my food being hot, not lukewarm or cold when I eat it but I have had to adjust. I take a bite, chew slowly & then put down my fork for a few minutes. Soon enough, it will be habit!!!

Raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are high in protein, low in carbs-1/4 c is 9 protein, 4 carbs. I didn't realize we should be getting around 800 calories-I think I need to start counting that too. I started on regular foods Fri & went out to dinner twice-once to Apllebees & once to Carrabas. It didn't bother me at all what everyone else was eating. I shared a meal & had about 3 oz of steak with 4 little shrimp at Applebees & 1.5 oz steak marsala & 1.5 oz chicken bryan at Carrabas & I was quite content. It tasted really good & I was satisifed with the amount. I am also a fast eater & I look at my watch so I know to take 20-30 min. It is hard but it does make a difference. If you are near a Trader Joes or Wholefoods-they have organic chicken sausages that are AWESOME!!!!! What is MFP?

Soup-a-woman-I am 4 weeks 2 days post-op & I have no problem eating beans, in fact, I haven't had a problem with any food yet. I am on regular foods now & had steak & shrimp last night & it went down just fine. I was having a problem with turkey burgers & bison burgers feeling like they were "stuck" going down but realized I wasn't chewing my food well enough. Now that I am, I have no issues. I have had Wendy's chili & I eat refried beans alot too (fat free). Obviously, it is an individual thing as to what one can eat.

What is the carb count for it?

jodyjo10-My NUT said you should be eating protein first, then veggies & if you have any room, fruit. Bad carbs are a no-no (crackers, popcorn chips anything like that) Those type of carbs will hinder the weight loss. I am almost 4 weeks postop & I barely can eat a 2.5 oz chicken thigh, or a turkey burger, let alone have any room for veggies but I know that time will come. I get fruit in cuz I use it to mix with my vegetable protein to mask the taste. I stay under 40 g carbs (from the fruit & what is in the veg protein) & about 70 g protein. My stomach makes noises but it is usually right after I eat as it is digesting. I don't know why I don't get hungry but I don't. I wouldn't eat if I didn't have to.