alc1071

I flew last month and wanted to bring a Greek yogurt with me for breakfast (early 6 am flight). Good thing I asked the TSA agent before I went through the security checkpoint because yogurt is considered a liquid and the Greek yogurt is higher than the oz allowed for carry-on. If you are bringing yogurt with you put it in a insulated lunch bag and in your checked luggage! I was able to bring the mozzarella cheese stick and quest bars in my carry on with me no problem. I also brought small individual packets of peanuts for my snack so I didn't get tempted by the airline snacks. The RTD protein shakes (Atkins) also had to go in my checked luggage.

When I moved from full liquids to soft foods I was eating mozzarella string cheese sticks or shredded mozzarella cheese, Greek yogurts, scrambled eggs, ricotta cheese baked with cheese. I also made some pea soup (if you happen to like that, I know not everyone is a fan of it) and I made chilli. I was able to tolerate those things early on. Hang in there, soon this phase will be a distant memory and you'll be moving right along on your WLS journey. Good luck!

Early on post surgery, I mixed the powdered protein with crystal light to make sure I was meeting both my protein and fluid intake goals. There are many brands out there but I really like the Unjury Straberry Sorbet mixed with crystal light lemonade. I also used their Chicken Soup protein. I found that getting in more protein not only helped my energy levels but my surgeon said it would help heal after surgery. Good luck!

Could be a stricture. I would call your doctor's office and see if you can reach an on call doctor covering the weekend. They should be able to advise you if it can wait until Monday or not. But you definitely don't want to get dehydrated. Hope you feel better!

My nose starts to run when I am getting full. I thought this was strange and asked my dr's office about it at one of my post op appointments and was told that it's a common sign of fullness.

I agree with everything Chelly stated above, your body needs the nutrition and you need to focus on getting your protein and water. Follow your plan that your surgeon recommends. You may want to try tracking your foods to help you stay on track. I use My Fitness Pal and find it really helpful to stay on course. In the beginning I was getting around 500-600 calories a day. Now a year out I'm getting 1,200 - 1,300 calories a day. Good luck, you got this!!

I started biking last spring after my surgery. My old bike was a 20 year old mountain bike and I replaced it with a Trek hybrid that I absolutely love! My husband bought one too and rides with me on the bike trails. You may find that some of the local bike shops have organized biking groups/clubs that ride weekly if you are looking to find other people in your area that like to ride too. Good luck with your bike search!

Also, early on I would set the timer on my phone to go off every 10-15 minutes to remind me to take a sip. Eventually it will become routine and you'll be able to take bigger sips but it helped me to keep sipping with the timer reminding me in the beginning.

Have you tried mixing protein powders with your fluids to meet both requirements at one time? I was using Unjury protein powder and mixing it with crystal light (strawberry protein with lemonade, or chicken soup flavor with warm water). That really helped me meet both the fluid and protein gtargets early on. There are many brands out there, just find one you like.

I actually didn't have any staples. My surgeon uses steri-strips that just kind of fall off after a couple weeks once the incisions have healed.

Yes, completely normal! I stalled around week 3-4 as well. Your body is just adjusting to the changes you've put it through and rebelling. Don't let it discourage you, the weight will come off. Just keep following your dr's plan and you'll be losing again in no time! And sorry to say, this is probably the first of several stalls you will go through on this journey. But don't worry, you got this!!

At that stage I was using the Unjury Chicken Soup protein powder to get my protein in. You could also use the unflavored and add it to your clear liquids to get your protein. I remember my surgeon telling me that it was more important to get my liquids in immediately after surgery than my protein to avoid getting dehydrated. By mixing the protein powders into my liquids I was getting both of them at the same time.

I am type 2 diabetic and my surgeon recommended the bypass over the other options. In addition I had bad acid reflux which the other surgeries could cause it to get worse. What is your surgeon recommending for you?

Sunshine, like you my employer excluded bariatric surgery from their benefits. It didn't matter that I was over 40 BMI with Diabetes, on insulin and a number of other medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. I met all those typical requirements with comorbidities but my surgeon said it it's an exclusion in my plan it won't be covered. I even tried to appeal it but it didn't matter, it wasn't a covered benefit period. I was so discouraged . . . I stewed over it for almost a year and finally just "bit the bullet" and went forward with the surgery as a self pay. The cost as self pay was $25k. My surgeon didn't offer financing or anything but I did end up borrowing on my home equity to pay for it. Also you may be able to deduct a good portion of it from our taxes (I think you can claim the amount of medical expenses that are over 10% of your adjusted gross income but you'd want to check into that with a tax professional). I would still go to your consult, tell them you think it's an exclusion and ask them about self pay options/costs. Although I hated the fact that I had to pay for it myself, I am so happy that I was able to get the surgery and am very happy with where I am one year post op. Good luck!

Good luck to all of you for a speedy recovery! I was in the same place you are a year ago and I remember feeling excited, anxious and a bundle of nerves all at the same time. You will be amazed how much your life is going to change for the better!

Wow, you look amazing! What an inspiration to us all. Congratulations on the new, healthier, you!!

I was instructed not to lift anything over 10 lbs for the first month.

If you like it, pea soup with ham (run through a blender/food processor). I also made chilli at that stage too.

I'm almost a year post op and still have a protein shake a day to keep the protein levels up. I was also told the shakes could be counted toward meeting the fluid intake as well. Now that you're moving onto more foods, have you checked out My Fitnesss Pal? It's great for tracking all your food, calories, fluids and even exercise to see where you stand each day. Good luck!

Good luck Yvette! Lots of support from everyone here on this site so don't hesitate to ask questions, get advice or just vent if you need to.

I went with the bypass surgery because I am Type 2 Diabetic and also had really bad acid reflux. Based on those conditions my surgeon recommended the bypass over other options because it works so well at "fixing" the diabetes and other surgeries could worsen my acid reflux. Almost a year out and I'm very happy with my choice.

The pre-op liquid diet is tough, I struggled with it too. You're almost there, you got this! Try to keep busy between now and then so you don't have time to think about not eating. After the surgery your new tool will help you with that. Good luck next week!

I think everyone goes through one of these "what the hell have I done?" moments right after surgery. You're still just a couple weeks post op so it will take a little time for you and your new pouch to get in synch and adjust to your new post-op lifestyle. I remember being super sensitive to food smells at about your stage and the head hunger was really bad. Things should start getting better/easier a little each day!

Tkauhi, just think of the pre-op diet as your final hurdle to get where you want to go. The first couple days are the hardest but after the 3rd or 4th day it got easier for me. Try to keep yourself busy so you don't have time to think about what your not eating. You got this! Good luck!

Yes agree with ajustice, it definitely comes with the territory. I used to always run warm and now I'm always cold! My husband jokes that it's because I "lost my padding"! For Christmas he bought me an electric blanket with dual controls - my side is on high every night, his side isn 't even plugged in! LOL