James Marusek

Yes it is good. Also when you are further out, you can fortify the soup with extra Protein such as chicken, seafood to help meet some of your protein requirements.

It will get a little better over time. It is common to lose hunger after surgery. It makes losing weight almost automatic. I found that mixing food groups together added flavor back into foods. Also eating foods with a liquid component made it easier to eat, less painful. As a result I began to use home made high Protein chili and Soups. I still rely on them today. Here is a link with some recipes. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

I was in the hospital for 2 days after surgery. Generally individuals that lose significant weight are able to exercise better without getting winded. I found that in my case I had significantly more stamina after surgery. Some people describe it as more energy but I perceive it as stamina. Last summer I was involved in a building project. I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel and 50,000 pounds of concrete landscaping blocks by hand. I took my time and all went well. I found that I had recovered my stamina that I had when I was in my 30's. I am 66 years old. That fact that you are getting winded might be due to a heart condition. Generally prior to surgery, you will undergo pre-op testing. This will identify any underlying existing medical condition. Generally these are rectified prior to surgery. One individual in our support group underwent pre-op tests and had his surgery date set. A couple days prior to surgery, his doctor called and indicated (as a result of the pre-op testing) he needed to get to the hospital immediately for surgery. He underwent a heart operation. A few months later after he recovered from the heart operation, he underwent gastric bypass surgery.

Most individuals go to Goodwill or thrift shops for clothing after surgery because their body is shrinking very quickly. I like to shop and can generally buy clothes for about 70 percent off retail on sale. So I took the approach of buying a few new clothes as I lost weight. I would generally buy an article of clothing that would barely fit. A week later it would fit like a glove. It was a great motivator. I went from a size 46 in pants down to a size 33 and from a size 3X in shirts down to a size small. Clothing was one of the fun parts of weight loss surgery. When I finally bottomed out, I replaced my entire wardrobe with some of the latest fashions.

In general for patients with GERD or serious acid reflux, they recommend RNY gastric bypass. I had RNY gastric bypass 21 months ago. I did it to resolve a number of health issues. The least of these problems was a few serious bouts of acid reflux. Most of my health issues were cleared up by the surgery including problems with acid reflux. These changes occurred within days after the surgery. RNY is different than dieting. After surgery, I completely lost my appetite. It was not hard losing weight when hunger is not constantly gnawing at your bones.

A recent study found that women who had lost weight via bariatric surgery did not seem to suffer undue negative effects during pregnancy — and nor did their infants. Refer to: http://acsh.org/2015/02/bariatric-surgery-associated-improved-pregnancy-outcomes/

In order to qualify for the surgery, I had to undergo a 6 month medically supervised weight loss diet and exercise program. Since I had to give up all carbonated beverages and caffeine, I decided to go cold turkey on my diet coke habit at the beginning. I was up to a 6 coke a day habit. I immediately went through a week of withdrawal syndrome with severe headaches. But I made it to the other side. On that change alone I lost 20 pounds pre-op.

I had RNY surgery so the rules may be a little different than those for a sleeve. According to my handbook. Full liquids are foods that have a semi-solid or pudding-like consistency. So yes, blending in a banana into a Protein shake would be considered full liquid.

My shoe size remained the same. Some people experience a reduction in width as well as with length in shoe size. I suspect the reduction is related to the amount of weight lost after surgery. So if you are planning to lose a couple hundred pounds or more, you may want to return the shoes.

After surgery, the primary drivers are meeting your Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary. Your body is converting the stored fat in your body into energy. Thus you lose weight. I had RNY surgery and was restricted to 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of food per meal at the six week mark. So I thought it strange that you were consuming a cup per meal. But there are a variety of surgeries such as Sleeve and the meal limit requirements will differ. There are many different types of Protein shakes out there. To me they all taste bad. I experimented until I found one that I could tolerate. In my case it was Muscle Milk Light. I used a blender (Ninja single serving size) to blend the powder to the proper consistency. I blended in a banana to mask the taste.

After surgery your taste buds change. I found that I no longer liked to drink Water. I transitioned over to using Crystal Light to give the water some flavor. One of the individuals in our Bariatric Support Group was a sports trainer. He recommended using Gatorade G2 which is a low calorie drink. It restores electrolytes.

Good luck on your surgery. I am 21 months post-op on RNY surgery. After surgery I found that hunger was not constantly gnawing at my bones and as a result the weight seemed to drop right off.

My weight loss leveled off at 7 months and I entered a maintenance mode. I was told by my nutritionist that the prime reason why individuals regain some of their weight after surgery is grazing. So generally I advise that if you need to snack avoid Snacks high in carbs.

When I encountered a stall, I searched for answers. I added up my calories. I included the calories from the 3 Protein shakes per day I was consuming. The protein shakes added quite a bit of calories. At the time, I was beginning to derive a bit more protein from my meals. I cut back to 2 protein shakes per day and I began to lose again. There are different kinds of protein shakes and some contain more calories than others. The protein intake goal is a combination of the protein derived from meals combined with the protein derived from supplements (protein shakes, protein bars). At my current state (1 cup per meal) I am deriving around 60 grams of protein from my meals alone. I am off protein supplements. I derive a little additional protein from either a cup of hot (no sugar added) cocoa or a blueberry smoothie. I am in maintenance mode and my current goal is to maintain my weight loss and at the same time be happy. So in this state I am trading off a few extra calories for enjoyment.

I use "no sugar added" cocoa by Nestle Nesquick (powder form). A hot cup of cocoa taste good in the winter and it also helps to meet the Fluid and Protein requirements.

I am 20 months post op from RNY surgery. My weight loss leveled off at the end of 7 months. My body decided when the weight loss would end. I suspect that if I had more weight to lose, the weight loss phase would last a little longer. From wheat I can see, those that elect to have a sleeve operation lose the weight slower but level off later.

I had severe acid reflux before my RNY surgery, but none since. After the surgery, I completely lost my hunger. It was not hard to drop the weight when hunger is not constantly gnawing at your bones. So this weight loss process was very different than a diet. I am currently 21 months post op and my weight is fairly level. I am told that by the nutritionist, that the main reason why people after the operation gain weight is because they go back to grazing. So if you can limit your grazing or control what you graze on (limit carbs) you will probably do fine.

Its rough after surgery. It is a complicated regiment of food volume, food types, complications, liquid volumes, Vitamin spacing, exercise, etc. It took me 6 months to reach my happy state.

It is common to hit a stall during the weight loss process. I did about half way through. At the time I looked at my caloric intake including the calories in the Protein shakes and reduced my intake there. And I was back in my weight loss mode. But in your case, your caloric intake is much smaller than mine at the time. In figuring your caloric intake are you counting your protein supplements in the figure? The type of weight loss surgery also has a lot to do with your weight loss. I had RNY and my weight fell like a lead brick. But those with sleeve tend to lose more gradually over a longer period of time. Also even though your weight loss may be in a stall, you might see the weight loss in a different light. It may show up in reduced clothing sizes. You body is still in a mending mode, so hang in there and good luck.

Smooth Move tea is available at Krogers (and probably other grocery stores).

Severe constipation is a common problem after surgery. Make sure you are getting enough fluids each day because the lack of fluids can lead to constipation. For me I found that eating an apple each night before bedtime solved the problem. But you have to eat the skin of the apple otherwise it doesn't work. There is an herbal tea called "Smooth Move" that can help. Others say warm prune juice helps. Others say eating prunes does the trick. For some strange reason eating a few sugar free gummie bears does the trick. But be careful with this one because it generates a strong reaction.

I think your body will find its own new normal. When I entered the maintenance phase, I was very stable to within 2 or 3 pounds for over 6 months. I then suddenly dropped below my goal weight by 10 pounds. But this happened when I developed a stomach flu and decided to try and maintain this additional weight loss.

They cleared me pretty quick after surgery to begin almost any form of exercise. I walked up and down my driveway which is a steep hill. So my exercise was like hill walking. It uses two different sets of muscles. As you said I found it boring. But is was easy as stepping out my front door. I found that if I had my ipad and headsets, I could easy walk with the music. It made it a little fun. But fast forward a year and I began doing manual work instead of exercise. I had a building project last summer. I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel and 50,000 pound of concrete blocks by hand. I just took my time and all went well. I thought is was good since I am 66 years old.

I am 21 months post-op from RNY gastric bypass surgery. My weight loss leveled off after the 7th month after surgery. I was very stable in my weight for over 6 months after that. Then a stomach flu hit and I completely lost any appetite for food. I lost a pound a day. With 2 bouts of stomach flu, I lost a total of 10 pounds. I decided to try and maintain this additional weight loss since then. But it does bring up an interesting point. When you get sick, a person can lose weight quickly. And therefore it is important to keep a little fat on your body in reserve as a buffer. I feel that some people are so obsessed with their bottom weight number that they lose sight of the fact that they may become sick which might threaten their health.

Congratulations.