JanetteH

Kim - so sorry about your "dumping". I haven't experienced that (yet!!) but I did have a new negative experience. Everything was going along really well - no problems with any food I tried etc. Then out of nowhere I had a terrible day on Wednesday (just like Claire has described before). I felt nauseous and "full" all day, could't eat anything - although luckily water was fine. So glad for this website and knowing that other people had experienced the same thing. No need to worry that something was wrong. Of course I was fine the next day. I have absolutely no idea what caused it - hadn't eaten anything new or unusual. Oh well - we live and learn. Claire - glad you got home safely. Did you cope with the long plane rides OK? Tammy - 6 miles is crazy! I walk 1.2 miles and it takes me around 40 minutes (hilly, through woods on rough paths but my dog loves it) I think the average person walks around 2 - 2.5 miles per hour. He really expects you to walk for 3 hours a day???

Hi moonlite I live near Rochester (we have the same surgeon) and I would love to get together for support! Janette

Do any of you feel like you always have to defend what you are doing and feel like people are just watching your every move to see what you put in your mouth....This is the part i hate the most about others knowing I had RNY. Hi BethAnn, Congratulations on reaching your surgeon's goal! Who cares how long it took you - you persevered and you did it!! I'm only 3 months out so I haven't reached even the halfway point yet. Yes I have "friends" who watch everything I eat. One in particular (who is only 105 pounds and probably anorexic) asks me what I'm eating every time we go out - even if it's just for coffee!! (a skinny latte). It's starting to drive me nuts and I regret telling her. But then I felt that people were watching what I ate before - because I was so fat. I just have to roll with the punches and enjoy my weight loss.

Don't compare your idea of pureed food before surgery to what your experience will be after surgery. After 2 weeks of liquids & protein shakes, soft scrambled egg and watery mashed potatoes never tasted so good!!

My list of pureed foods says in large letters "Absolutely No Baby Food" - don't know what the problem with it is. I have a mini food processor which makes things a lot easier - worth the $25 investment? (I used it all the time before for chopping garlic, ginger etc). A few things that don't need processing or are easy to mash with a fork - tuna, cottage cheese, egg salad, ricotta, cooked soft white fish (e.g. catfish or tilapia), apple sauce and banana. Janette

Nick, I forgot to answer your other questions. Getting enough Protein (I was told 60-80g per day) and drinking plenty Water (6-8 cups in addition to tea, coffee etc) are very important for health but I don't know about they're effect on weight loss. I track my eating on MyFitnessPal - it knows the nutritional info for most foods so it makes things easy and I'm eating around 800 calories/day. I don't count calories though - I just eat what my doc said and I'm consistently losing around 4lbs a week. The amount I was told is no more than a cup of food at each meal - I do 3 oz of protein plus some fruit, veggies or occasionally a carb. Good luck. Janette

Hi Nick, I suggest buying "Eating well after weight loss surgery" - tasty recipes and tells you exactly how much to eat at each stage and for every procedure. Esskay, I will definitely try your recipe! Here's a couple I like: Easy Turkey Skillet Non-stick cooking spray 1 lb lean ground turkey 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon each basil, oregano, red pepper and garlic powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 3 tomatoes, chopped 2 medium zucchini, sliced & halved 1. Brown turkey and onion in non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook until turkey is cooked through and onion is soft (about 10 minutes) 2. Add tomato paste and seasoning. Simmer another 10 minutes. 3. Add tomatoes and simmer another 5 minutes. 4. Add zucchini and cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot. Serves 4 (about 1 cup per serving) Calories 181; Carbs 13g; Fiber 4g ; Protein 21g ; Fat 6g chicken Breasts with cheese and Spinach 2 ounces goat cheese or reduced fat cream cheese, cut into pieces 1 garlic clove, minced 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves Salt and black pepper 1 bunch baby spinach (3 ounces), washed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil ¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 1. Combine cheese and garlic in small cup. Trim excess fat from chicken; season with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast to form a deep pocket. Stuff each pocket with an equal amount of cheese mixture and spinach. Press edges of chicken together to seal. 2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken, 4 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium; add broth to pan. Cover and simmer, about 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately, discarding any remaining broth. Makes 4 full-size servings Per serving: 209 calories 31 g protein 1 g carbohydrate (WLS patients should only eat ¼ - ½ a breast – about 3oz) Baked Ricotta with Marinara 8 oz of ricotta cheese ½ cup grated Parmesan 1 large egg, beaten 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning Salt & pepper to taste ½ cup marinara sauce ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly.

OK - got to tell you all about my non-weight success stories: - had to move the seat in my car forward 2 notches so I could reach the pedal - one of my maxi dresses keeps tripping me; it's dropped another couple of inches because I'm not "filling it out" as much! - I carry most of my weight in the middle (big tummy). When I sit in my recliner my stomach provides a very convenient shelf for my laptop or plate. Now I’ve lost over 50 lbs, the shelf is disappearing and today my computer slid onto the floor!! I’ll have to buy one of those lap desks or something : ) Keep losing everyone! Janette

Hi Melissa I live near Rochester. Had my surgery Feb 24 - looking for friends too. Janette

I'm near Rochester. Had my surgery Feb 24 2014 so I'm just 3 months out. Anyone want to friend/mentor me? Janette

Hi Sylvielicious I believe from listening to other people here that we should expect to lose a lot of weight in the first 6 months and then slow down. I've heard them talk about the 6 month "honeymoon" when we're not that hungry. Sounds like the hunger feeling comes back after that. I'm trying to stick to 1 cup of food at each meal so I don't stretch my pouch out too much. Some people start to eat so much of the wrong foods after a year that they actually gain weight back ! Janette

They tell me they're 'praying for me' or 'don't lose any more weight' or 'are you okay?' or 'you look haggard - are you sick?' or the outright 'do you have cancer?'. Hi Terry Congratulations on the new you - that's fantastic! I can imagine how annoying those comments are but I have to tell you about when I was on the other side of things. An older male friend of mine visited after a year and didn't tell me he'd had surgery - he'd lost over 100lbs and compared to his usual plump round cheeks, he looked almost gaunt - then he told me why. What a relief to find he'd had WLS - the other explanation that jumped to mind was that he had cancer. Recently another work acquaintance had the surgery and when I went to a meeting I literally didn't recognize him across the room. It wasn't until he walked up to me and said hello that I realized who it was! Now in both cases I kept my mouth shut - always a good policy - until it was appropriate to say "you look great - you've lost a lot of weight". So I'm prepared for the comments - just put a positive spin on it and think that these people care about you.

I'm just at around 3 months now and I've lost 54 lbs - all post-op. Be aware that those numbers vary from person to person and please don't set your goals too high - that's just asking for a disappointment. Some people have lost more than me and I also stalled for 10 days although I was still eating correctly - but I'm so happy - I've lost an average of 4 lbs a week since surgery and I never did that before in my life! Good luck.

Congratulations Jodie! I was allowed scrambled egg, tuna, chicken, soft fish, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and refried Beans for Protein, plus mashed potato or sweet potato ( no fat), mashed butternut squash, The only other vegetables had to be canned - peas or carrots pureed. Fruit was applesauce, mashed banana, mashed canned fruit. Believe me scrambled egg and thin mashed potatoes never tasted so good! Good luck.

Yes - on my plan it was - but no raw vegetables or bread to eat it with - again, check your own docs diet plan - it might be available online like mine.

Claire - I just noticed that you've lost over 100 pounds already - that's fantastic! No wonder you're in danger of having a "wardrobe malfunction" in your swim suits! Our pool is open now so I swim nearly every day - like you, I love it. Just got back into a "new" old suit that was too tight for me - making progress! Dreamingbig - you're in very upstate "Upstate NY" - beautiful area - we get up to the Thousand Islands occasionally. Deanna - sorry about your bald patch. But you raise a good question for me - is hair loss inevitable or is it just a common side effect? When does it grow back? We're all about the same stage - how many of you have/expect to lose some hair? I'm faithfully eating my Protein in the hopes it won't happen to me : ) Sully - Don't know the papaya trick - did you eat the fruit or a derivative? Congrats on the great weight loss! Sounds as if I'm losing more slowly than some of you but I'm happy - I never lost 4 pounds a week for 3 months in my life before : ) Take care everyone!

Hi again Latido I had my surgery done in Rochester, NY. Every doctor has their own post-op diet plan but to give you an idea, here are the diets for my bariatric center: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/highland/departments-centers/bariatrics/bariatric-diets.asp Please do exactly and everything your own doctor tells you. I used Protein shakes for at least 6 weeks - 10 days of nothing but liquids (soup and shakes) and then a month of using them as "snacks" to ensure I was getting enough protein. I like the MetRx chocolate (Trader Joe's) and the unjury vanilla (online & at Bariatric Center pharmacies). An unflavored one is very useful for adding to mashed potatoes, cream of chicken soup etc. Good luck!

Hi latido! I spent a month restricted to food stamps - and it's not easy so I feel for you. Unfortunately the inexpensive staples like Pasta and rice are not allowed for quite a long time. I'd get chicken broth - other than that you can drink Water with maybe some Crystal Light to flavor it . I feel you must get Protein powder - the tubs of whey Protein Powder seem expensive but they make a lot of shakes - In NY a 16oz tub costs about $25 but makes 22 drinks - much cheaper and better than Slimfast etc. The other thing I drank a lot of when on "full liquids" was Cream of Chicken Soup (Campbells reduced fat). You'll also go through a lot of milk (skim or 1%). I was allowed sugar-free blended yoghurt and pudding (the boxes are only 50c and make 4 servings) The next step is pureed food - scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, tuna, chicken, canned refried Beans etc. for protein plus small amounts of mashed potatoes, oatmeal, apple sauce, canned fruit. I really can't imagine getting through the first month without protein powder and milk so that's going to have to be a priority. Would somebody help you with that? Good luck - when is your surgery scheduled?

Hi ladykatie - I felt the same way for the first few weeks - don't worry, it gets better. I had to pace myself - they had me up and walking the day after surgery in the hospital and set a goal of 15-20 minutes every day when I went home. I started out just "strolling" but got up to "leisurely walking" in about 10 days. After 2 weeks, I increased my walking by 2 minutes a day until I was up to 40 minutes and now I feel much stronger. Take my dog for a walk in the park almost every day - I'd say I'm moving t a "moderate" pace now. Also swimming, cutting the grass, doing housework again (yuch!) At first your calorie intake is so low that you don't have much energy - hang in there.

Hi everyone - I'm so excited - the scale actually moved this week - I've been "stuck" for a while. 13 weeks out and 54 pounds down - I'll take that! FYI - I love this group - all so positive and encouraging - just read another thread where everyone is complaining about people who want to eat KFC, smoke, drink vodka (on the liquid phase) etc. Very funny but not very supportive. Keep up the good work! Claire, enjoy your last few days in Hawaii!

Good luck Ginger Snaps! I had my surgery in February and feel great already - first few weeks are difficult but soooo worth it. You've done a good job of getting yourself informed by your peers before the surgery so you know what to expect. I wish you all the best.

I had a some pain behind one of my incisions (RNY) - the surgeon said he felt a haematoma - a blood clot near my "pouch" - nothing to worry about - my body would reabsorb it. Went away after about 2 weeks. If in doubt, call your doctor.

Hi Tamalyn - congratulations on your weight loss! You've lost a lot very quickly, but I don't know that anyone would suggest it's too much - if in doubt ask your nutritionist or doctor. And I can't believe you're back at work already - good for you! I lost 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks and am now pretty steadily losing about 4 pounds a week. I'm very happy with that - some people lose faster and some slower. I have had no problems, so I'm getting my Protein and Water in easily and I'm grateful for that. The people who have problems eating naturally tend to lose a little faster. Just enjoy the journey to the new healthy body you're developing.

Hi Claire Sorry - I forgot you didn't like shakes! I don't mind them - I occasionally still have MetRx chocolate (sometimes with a banana & ice whizzed into it) for a healthy snack or breakfast. Another trick I found was to put a scoop of unflavored protein into mashed potatoes, cream of chicken soup etc. I even have a recipe for sugar-free high protein oatmeal cookies and pumpkin or sweet potato pie that incorporate protein powder! Luckily for me I'm not having a problem with most proteins - eggs, cottage cheese, soft tender chicken (dry or tough chicken makes me throw up), white soft fish and even ground beef and lamb are all good. I can't deal with steaks, pork chops, "firm" fish like swordfish or mahi-mahi etc yet, but I'm lucky that there's enough variety I can handle - I'm managing 60-80 g of protein a day as advised by my dietician (although it seems their advice varies!). Good luck to those who are struggling. Are you still in Hawaii, Claire? Thanks for the tip about sashimi - I'll bet it's fantastic over there. I had to go out twice for lunch recently and managed to persuade one group to go to a Japanese/Vietnamese restaurant so I could have my raw fish. Why does raw fish go down so much easier than cooked? : )

Thanks Ubermench! Like you, I share everything here and get a lot of useful advice and support from BP members. A few of my friends are supportive - their attitude is that I'm doing what I need to do to get healthy. The others don't need to know. So glad I found this website! Sparklingeauty, good for you! We all deal with the comments the best we can. Sounds like you've found your confidence.