wildGoose

I am having the worst constipation. I have not pooped in five days. I am taking colace just once a day. I am going to up it to twice day. I don't know what to think.

I got some! It works. I actually like the taste, and it works! Thanks so much!

my surgeon suggests Flintstone for children! Seriously! No need to get overly fancy. People get rich selling us junk food, and they get rich helping us heal.

Brenda: I was on a complete liquid diet for five weeks before surgery. I had either Premier Protein Shakes (vanilla) or whey powder mixed with skim milk three or four times a day for five weeks! Seriously, I thought I might go mad from this. But I kept my eye on the prize. After a day or two, I totally stopped being hungry. I dutifully drank the Protein drinks. I found they tasted better with cinnamon and nutmeg in them. It is doable. It will give you a jump on your weight loss. I lost a lot of weight very fast. Good luck.!

My PA told me about one woman who had a reversal of her RNY. When you have the reversal, you do gain all the lost weight back pretty quickly and then some. Please remember that if you do this, and then change your mind, you will be hard pressed to have another procedure. One of the greatest joys in this two 9 weeks of my RNY is that I no longer have MORBID obesity. Now I am "just" obese. To me just not having "morbid" in my diagnosis is worth everything. I urge you to wait. Also, speak with your surgeon and a psychologist if possible. Please let us know what happens.

Jenna: I wound up having an RNY because I am on Medicare, and in California, Medicare will pay only for the Lap/Band or the RNY. Before that, I thought I would want the Sleeve because it would be easier. In the end only you can decide. I did to want the Lap/Band. I am now so glad that I had the RNY. It is, perhaps, the hardest adjustment. But I am losing a lot of weight. Your surgeon should have an opinion this. You weigh 260 and are 5 ft 3. There are a lot of questions when figuring out your qualification. Do you have any co-morbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure? Along with your BMI, all of those issues are factored in to the plan. If a doctor has referred you, you can probably qualify.

i found a recipe! It has no sugar! Chile-Lime PeanutsFrom EatingWell: November/December 2010 Average: Select ratingCancel ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome Cancel rating Poor Okay Good Great Awesome Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (78 votes) These spicy nuts were inspired by ones sold by street vendors across Mexico. If you can only find salted peanuts, omit the added salt. Add the maximum amount of cayenne pepper if you want an extra hit of spice. Recipe Add/Read Reviews (6) add to 'my eatingwell' print share Makes: 6 cups Active Time: 5 minutesTotal Time: 50 minutes NUTRITION PROFILELow carbohydrate | Low saturated fat | Low cholesterol | Heart healthy | Gluten free | View Our Nutrition Guidelines » INGREDIENTS6 tablespoons lime juice 6 tablespoons chili powder 4 teaspoons Kosher salt 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 6 cups unsalted cocktail peanuts MORE HEALTHY RECIPE IDEAS PREPARATIONPosition racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 250°F. Whisk lime juice, chili powder, salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Add peanuts; toss to coat. Divide between 2 large rimmed baking sheets; spread in an even layer. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until dry, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container. TIPS & NOTES Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. NUTRITIONPer 2-tablespoon serving: 110 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 104 mg sodium; 141 mg potassium. Carbohydrate Servings: 0 Exchanges: 2 fat

Back Pain, etc: Hi All: I have not really had back pain, yet, but I have had knee and ankle pain. Mostly after walks. My PA says that this is because with rapid weight loss, which is basically what is happening to us, our ligaments need time to re-establish themselves with our bones. Since it is your back ... well, I don't know. But rest is perhaps the best way to go.

i want those limn chilli peanuts!!!

Surgery was 10-28-14. At first, it was so hard to swallow pills. My throat was swollen, it seems. Now that I'm 9 ½ weeks out, it is much easier. But I resent every single pill. At the same time, I try to stay grateful.

when i started, i was lucky if I could eat 300 calories a day. that level was seen as anorexic. my surgical team, mostly PA and NUT, wanted me to double that by eating more meals. i still can only eat ¼ cup at a time. it took a while, but now I can eat 5 or 6 times a day AND DRINK ALL MY Water. I had a stall, but I'm losing again. For me, the water is the key. Also, weigh and measure everything, at least until you know how much is what. Good luck. If you are doing what you are supposed to do, you will lose. Your body might be fighting you, but you will lose. Just please don't malnourish yourself.

10 pounds in 3 weeks ... i think that's great. please remember that the iv fluids you received in the hospital added weight to you. how many calories are you having a day? how much Protein? I'm two months out. I am learning patience and practicing gratitude. Im also learning to eat more slowly and to chew chew chew my food.

I was on puree the first 2 weeks. They moved me to chewing right away after that. My favorite pureed food was Progresso Black Bean soup, south western style. I added hot sauce and chicken. One of the things I really like about soup is that because there is so much liquid, you get to have more. A cup of soup is pretty easy, and I still can't have more than ¼ cup of solid foods. I also like Progresso Tuscan Style Veggie, with Navy Beans. Though lately, I've been making my own.

I had general anesthetic three times in 8 months. They warned me that I would start losing my hair. I started taking Biotin and Vitamins (at the recommendation of my surgeon, I take Flintstones for Kids!) right away. I am two months out (Oct 28) and my hair is falling out, but very slowly. If you are pre-opband worried about this, you might want to start now.

I used to have a very hard time with swallowing pills. Over time, I think the swelling in my throat subsided, and now it is very easy for me. I swallow the colace capsule. I have learned that Water makes a huge difference.

I have 5. The main one was really bad, but it is better now. Of course I had a hysterectomy in May and gall bladder surgery a few years go. Also hernia surgery. I am very white, and most of the scars still show. I look like I was machine gunned! In time, the scars will vanish. I don't worry about them too much. The whiter you are, the longer it takes.

Quest Bars have 20 grams Protein.

LEARNING ABOUT WATER: Since my surgery I have had a hard time with taking liquids. I used to be a diet coke addict, and I stopped that when I went on my five-week liquid diet before the surgery. Even on the liquid diet, my taste buds really changed. There are some waters that I cannot stand. I can pretty much do a blind tasting of waters and be able to tell the Dasani from the Arrowhead from the Crystal Geyser. I cannot stand Dasani. Arrowhead is okay, and I like Crystal Geyser the best. Immediately after surgery, my throat was swollen, and it was very hard for me to swallow pills. As a result, i drank a lot of Water getting them all down one at a time. Once it was not so difficult to swallow the pills, I drank less water. It was at this point that I had to deal with constipation and my weight loss stalled. In hind site it makes sense to me. A few days ago, I faced the fact that I was not drinking enough water. After a couple of days of drinking two liters of water a day - four - ½ liter bottles. my constipation ended and I lost weight. Each day, I now take out four half-liter bottles and make sure I drink them by the end of the day. It is hard to drink that much water. Especially when I consider that I am supposed to wait 30 minutes between water and food. But I am putting more energy into the water. That is my resolution for the new year. I wish everyone here a happy new year and thank you for your participation and assistance in this amazing journey. I have no regrets.

NUT BUTTERS: I read in the BIG BOOK of Gastric Bypass that nut butters - with a piece of whole wheat bread of one sort or another make a perfect Protein. I buy almond butter at the health food store where they grind it in a machine with nothing added. A tablespoon of nut butter with no additives is 95 calories. I have that on half a piece of whole wheat toast a couple of times a week. It is a meal I really look forward to. You can also just eat it from a spoon. The section on protein in the book is really excellent.

the scale really doesn't matter as long as you keep using the same one. i am really neurotic about my weight. when i go to the doctor, I always wear the same clothes, etc. I have my appointments at the same time and don't eat before I go. It is all pretty silly. As long as i follow my meal plan and drink my Water, I know I am on the right road.

Quest BARS: I love them. I eat a half at a time, but usually have 1 whole bar a day. I have been ordering them direct from Quest. I like white chocolate/raspberry, cookie dough, coconut/cashew. Peanut Butter is good. This month I'm getting brownie and a new box of white chocolate. They are great for on the go. I keep in my purse.

I've been stalled, too. Coupled with constipation ... well - not the best. My PCP asked me to increase my calories, I was only getting about 400, now I'm up to 600. I think my body is settling down. At this point I weigh less than I have in 10 years. As long as I eating so little, I know I'm on the right path. I don't even know how much I used to eat.

I have been eating spicy since my blended diet. I use hot sauce and other spices all the time. There's been no resistance from surgical team.

I had to wait a really long time to make it to the OR. There was my cancer, hysterectomy, colonoscopy that I had to wait months for. I Then I went on a "working/teaching vacation" to cape cod. I call it the "vacation of the last supper." I was gone for 5 weeks and I gained about 20 lbs. They put me on a rapid weight loss diet immediately. I lived on Protein shakes for a month. In that month, I lost 25 lbs. Almost a year to the date of my attending the community talk, I had the surgery. Please remember that if you gain weight, you will need to lose it later on. One of the great things about waiting so long was that I really got to consider every single possibility. I know how hard it is to "diet." But just put your head down and do it. I do not have one regret about having the surgery. I read in the New York Times that only half of the people who start the process make it to the OR. You can make a choice to be one of those people. Hang in there.

@@amylynns I love the explanation of the sandwich. I am still at the point where if it does not fit in my ¼-cup measure, it is too much food. While I am grateful that, so far, my new stomach has not stretched, I wish it would! A couple of days ago I had some steak and a piece of broccoli. I mean one piece of the flowerette! it all fit into my measuring cup. It was one of the most enjoyable meals I have had since my surgery, Oct. 28. So, the next night, which was yesterday, I had the same thing. Only I gave myself the extra bite. That was bad bad bad. Then came the foamies. I had to wait an hour before I could take even the smallest sip of Water. It was exactly the same thing, except for the one extra bite, and it slayed me. I learn very slowly. The food that feels the best are the softer foods. I still like yogurt and Protein drinks. The closest I have come to a sandwich is to have a half piece of whole wheat toast with 1 tbsp of almond butter on it. That works really well for me, but I don't have bread but once a week. Other times, I just eat the almond butter with a spoon. I also love beans. Colace and flaxseed oil capsules seem to have cured my constipation. At least for now. Have great holidays, everyone.