Judyr

I am in my 11th month post op and I am ready to go low carb. If you look closely at what our Drs told us to eat post op, it is low carb. I have been slipping in the candy department and from past experience, on low carb, I lost that craving. I am happy where I am now, but don't like the fact that I have let that slip back in.

You will see that all Drs are a little different. Think they base everything on the individual patient. Rely on your Drs instructions and ask questions and call office. It is all part of post op care.

I would check in with surgeon. I was on 3 weeks of liquids, 3 wks puréed food, and then 3 wks of soft food. I really didn't have much of an appetite at first. Stretching your pouch is a fear I still have, but if I over eat, I get so sick.

I am in an online support group and the people who have had problems are the ones that don't get in the prescribed protein, water, and vitamins. They also jump the gun on what they are eating. I had 3 wks of liquids, 3 wks puréed foods, 3 wks soft foods. It was quite a while before I could have salads. Still not eating pasta and very little bread. Those who cheat are only hurting themselves. You have to make a commitment to follow all your doctors rules. My surgery was 11/19/13, so I am almost at my one year mark. I have had two blood tests and have more scheduled for the next month. My side effect has been low cholesterol. My back has had a hard time readjusting to my weight loss, but in time that should rectify itself. This was the best thing I have ever done for my health. I only wish I had done it sooner. I have stage 3 kidney disease from my medications, which is not unexpected at my age and has gotten better. Follow your Drs guidelines, don't rush adding back in foods, and lose weight before surgery as it really does help you.

I totally agree with James. I am almost a year out. I took vitamins before WLS and now continue. But I no longer take 8 medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol , migraines, arthritis and reflux. My blood work has never been this good. My kidneys have improved, they cannot be cured, but tests show improvement. This has been a wonderful experience. My daughter had the surgery over 6 years ago, she is 45. She sometimes forgets to take her iron, but gets regular blood check ups. With a good primary car physician, who knows you, they will keep on top of your needs.

Bread and rice are still pretty much a no no for me. Can eat crackers, so food sometimes is served on a cracker to get the "sandwich" feel. I am now able to eat sm tortillas. Sweet tooth is coming back unfortunately. When I get full, I start burping and if I don't stop eating, I get sick.

I had bypass surgery and hiatal hernia repair back in November. It was a complete success. Had reflux for over 25 years and on meds. I am completely free of reflux now. No medications of any kind. Once in a great while I might take a Tums, but nothing at all compared to my life before surgery.

I'm 5'7" and 70 years old. When I started my weight was 229. Surgery (RNY) was 11/19/13. 10 months later I now weigh 160.5. My goal was 150 also. My surgeon thinks that is reasonable. My Dr thinks I should be at 160 by 2015. I find that at 10 months, I am not quite as motivated as I was in the beginning. I also injured my back 2 weeks after my operation and because of my age, I am now experiencing quite a bit of back problems. This has led me to do very little exercise. Exercise is so important and helps so much in your weight loss. Keep your goal in mind, track your food, take your vitamins and get your fluids and protein in every day. I am going to make a harder push before my one year anniversary, because after that you don't lose that much more. Your body sort of tells you where it wants to be. I am extremely happy at 160. Even my drivers license says 180 and I always lied on that. IT HAS not been updated in over 20+ years I bet.

I had a large hiatal hernia and my Dr repaired it at the time of my bypass surgery. This surgery helped me get off 8 medications and I am forever thankful for the opportunity. No more diabetes, reflux, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and less arthritis. Also off migraine medicine. Bypass is a wonderful surgery.

Thanks, guess I was just having an off day. Need those reminders every once in a while.

The little that I ate was well cooked. Some people have talked about coconut, having problems with it. My fingerlings were cooked in coconut oil, so I am wondering if that could have been it? Don't really know. Ate more of those than anything else, but still did not overeat that much.

It's like your food is totally encapsulated in it. At 9 months, I sometimes forget to slow down and chew thoroughly. Whatever I ate yesterday (chicken, fingerling potatoes, and some cauliflower/broccoli mixture) made me so sick. I really didn't eat a lot, but ended up throwing up 6+ times over the rest of the day. That was a birthday luncheon. As we get further out, I sometimes forget all the things I need to do, even feel like I slip back into old habits. So scary. My warning for overeating is I start to burp. Sometimes it happens and I have hardly eaten anything. Sometimes it amazes me that it doesn't start and I eat more than I thought I would. Day to day are so totally different sometimes.

Sounds like you are right on track. With excellent care you will continue to lose. I wish that my Dr was closer. I have not been able to go to the nutrition classes because it is a long way from my home and is at night with commuter traffic making it worse. Your Dr will make the best decision for you, but if you don't follow guidelines and rules, you can stretch your pouch. So ultimately it is up to you how you manage your weight loss. I would so ignore your co worker or tell her that you can compare notes when she loses her weight, but not now. LOl.

Will be checking with Dr about this when I see him in a couple of weeks. Seem to be experiencing more heartburn than I have had in months.

Not sure on Pepto Bismol. I take Acetaminophen now. If my back is acting up, I take 1/4 pill of Tramadol which was prescribed in hospital and Dr said I could continue. My whole system has changed. Before I would have taken a whole pill or more, but now 1/4 will do. So interesting. I take Tums every now and again, so I will need to check on that when I see Dr again in 2 weeks.

When I first had my surgery, that was exactly the way I felt. In checking with a bunch of other people who had surgery around the same time found out that they were in the same boat. Your body has gone through surgery and many changes. You will be tired for a while, but you will eventually get your strength back. Don't rush it.

I just planned on not going out for a while. This was important for my pouch to heal. My first outing, I made sure we went to a place where I could have clear broth. Ordered chicken noodle soup with no noodles. My friends were very understanding. Go to a movie, a park, walking, walking around a mall.

I had my surgery in Nov 2013. I had my first slice of birthday cake in July. I did o.k. I can't handle a lot of frosting, so sometimes that is set aside. You will learn what you can eat and what sweets are difficult. Start out with one bite and then wait to see if your pouch will accept. If you still feel ok, take another bite. I have passed on some cakes and eaten a small amount of another.

I got heavy because I ate a lot of the wrong foods. I am not going to go back to those bad habits. I have worked too hard before surgery and especially after surgery to not continue to eat properly.

I had surgery in Nov 2013. No pizza yet. Still not sure on bread. Have eaten some, but got too full and couldnt eat anything else. My daughter had surgery over 6 years ago and she has had pizza. Have had some people tell me they eat the topping only. Just not anxious to get back in old habits. Trying for new, healthy ones.

Seems like the less you have to lose, the slower it comes off. Take your measurements now. When I was in a stall, I was losing inches not pounds. For me, I don't get on the scale that much anymore. I go by the way clothes fit or don't fit. Much happier than worrying about that scale. You need to see your Dr. To make sure everything is o.k. He will know you have been working at it.

When first starting out I would only eat what I am comfortable with. Don't force yourself to eat more. Your weight loss will be more in the first few months and as you go along, you will be able to eat more calories and sometimes you wish you were eating less. I am 8 months post op and eating about 1000 cal and wish I could eat less. Don't rush it. Take the time to find out what your pouch likes and give it time to heal. You will run into stalls, but take your measurements now and you will find you are losing inches when you are not losing pounds.

Your new pouch really needs time to heal. I followed my diet exactly as my Dr recommended and I am so glad I did. A fear you may eventually have is stretching your pouch and not following the rules they established over the years could do more harm than good. It really is such a short period of time. I was on liquids for 3 weeks, puréed food for 3 weeks and then soft food for 3 weeks. It was along time before I could have salads and still have to watch hard to digest certain vegetables. If you have questions about your diet, talk to your Dr.