James Marusek

I hate Protein shakes too. I think it was misnamed to make one believe they were going to drink a milk shake. I used Muscle Milk Light - vanilla Creme. I considered it to be the best for my taste. I would mix it using a Ninja Blender - single serve. Normally I would blend in a banana to make it more palatable. So here is the secret: as your meal volume goes up, if you concentrate on eating high protein meals, you can derive most of your protein requirement from meals. As time went on I transitioned from three protein shakes a day, down to two, down to one, down to zero. Currently at 18 months post-op, I derive around 65 grams of protein from my meals alone. I still supplement my protein but I use either a glass of hot cocoa (no sugar added) in the winter or a berry smoothie during the rest of the year. After a few months post-op you will be able to also use Protein Bars. My favorite is QuestBar - Coconut Cashew. They come in handy when you are on the go and away from a blender.

After my RNY surgery, I refused all pain meds. There was very little pain associated with the surgery and all was well. Walking will help with the recovery process. I walked religiously pre-op in preparation for the surgery and for several months after the surgery. Every one is different but if it was me, I would get off the pain medicine. You will probably encounter many different types of problems that you must work through post-op. For example, right after surgery, I became lactose intolerant. Right after I drank a glass of milk, I was in the bathroom with diarrhea. I hated the injections to counter blood clots. I couldn't swallow the large Calcium pills. It took me 6 months to reach my happy state, when all the problems seemed to melt away. Then everything was fine. Just work through the problems one at a time and things will get better.

I was on two types of medicine to control my type 2 diabetes for several years before my surgery. Although my A1C was still high and getting higher, my personal care physician recommended that I start taking insulin. But I refused. I was in the hospital for 2 days after my gastric bypass RNY surgery. When I left the hospital, I was off all my blood sugar meds and haven't taken any since. I periodically check my blood sugar and the numbers remain good. I am 18 months post-op from my surgery. Because you are currently taking 5 shots per day now, the surgery might not send you into complete remission but I believe your dosage will be dramatically reduced. I believe the reason why this diabetes remission occurs is primarily due to the post-op diet.

You taste buds may change after surgery, therefore be cautious about what food you might want to stock up on. Make sure you get your daily walking exercise in - it will help you in the recovery process.

I underwent my 1 1/2 year appointment with the nutritionist and doctor. One of the points I brought up was the story that I heard that the stomach begins to heal at 1 1/2 years and absorbs more calories. It turns out that is a "myth". The main reason for the weight gain (in the maintenance phase) is that individuals begin to graze and when they graze they expand their stomach and then take on more weight. They also said that after RNY surgery, the part of the stomach that absorbs sugars and fats has been cut away. Therefore if one eats too much sugars or fats, the intestines don't know what to do with this and pass it through the system (diarrhea). But as time goes on, the intestines begin to adapt and absorb sugars and fats. I am 18 months post-op and my pouch is still tight. I can tell because when I eat solid foods like steaks or chicken, at some point before I consume a cup, my stomach begins to warn me not to eat anymore. I attribute this tight pouch to my meal plan. From almost the beginning, I focused on consuming high Protein home-made Soups and chili. It is a softer food that because the ingredients were mixed had more flavor. Also it was easy to take the required amount using measuring cups and easy to heat using a microwave oven. Also the food went down smoother and didn't generate that painful experience when you eat too much. At the moment, I am about 10 pounds below my goal weight. I stay away from processed sugar. I rely on natural sugars found in fruits and milk, in synthetic sugar such as Splenda and other natural sugars such as Stevia. In the beginning if I grazed I concentrated on grazing on Proteins. But now I mainly graze on fats. Fats have the ability to take away hunger. I stay away from grazing on carbs. I do graze. But I also monitor my weight daily. I laid out what I was eating and my meal plan with the nutritionist. Their take was just keep doing what I am doing.

It is only dark color nail polish that is restricted during surgery. Light color is fine.

There are some pre-op requirements for surgery. You cannot wear dark color fingernail polish into surgery. You cannot wear contact lenses into surgery. But I have not heard of anyone trying to prevent you from dying your hair.

Generally a Protein drink is a Fluid and so it qualifies for both the protein and the fluid daily requirements. It is not really your meal but if you are at the beginning of the program, you meal allocation is so small you might be skipping meals. You do not have to have a 30 minute delay between Protein drinks and Water, but when you start meals you will need that delay.

I am 18 months post op from RNY surgery. The first year I took my B12 shots once per month, but then I switched over to sublingual B12 once per day. During my visit with the nutritionist last week, she asked me what type of sublingual B12 I was taking. Apparently there are two types. The correct type is called methylcobalamin and it turns out that was the type I had been taking. So is this commonly understood? What type are you taking?

Begin walking exercise now, it will help the recovery process go smoothly. After the operation, you will be asked to not take caffeine or carbonated beverages. I had a 6 diet Coke a day habit before surgery. I went cold turkey 6 months before surgery and had major withdrawal syndrome with severe headaches that lasted over a week. This withdrawal syndrome is common with people. It is better to go cold turkey now and suffer for a week than add this complication right after surgery.

I underwent RNY surgery 18 months ago. Prior to surgery I was diabetic, had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, a problem with profuse sweating and a problem with frequent urination. All these problems went into remission within 2 weeks after surgery. I personally would not take diet pills.

I am 18 months post-op from RNY surgery. I lost my weight in the first 7 months and then entered the maintenance phase. I was diabetic prior to surgery and it has gone into remission right after surgery. Because of the diabetes, I exclude sugar from my diet. I get my sweet tooth satisfied with natural sugars found in fruits and milk, and with Splenda and Stevia. Generally weight gain in the maintenance stage is associated with grazing which causes the pouch to get bigger. Weight gain follows. Grazing on carbohydrates does not satisfy hunger. It is good to graze on Protein. In my case, I have included fats back into my diet because they satisfy hunger. If you must graze on sweets, I would recommend using Adkin's treats. They contain some fats that will satisfy and should not elevate your blood sugar levels.

Generally people gain back some of the weight after they bottom out. If you are at 14 months, I suspect that you have worked through the loss stage and have entered the maintenance stage. Individuals tend to gain weight back because they graze. This allows their pouch to grow and thus there is weight gain. Focusing on carbohydrates does not tend to fill one up and promotes grazing. So I suspect grazing on popcorn could be a problem. Consuming sugar can also be a problem but in your case, you have limited that from your diet. Grazing on Protein is good. In my case, I have included fats back in my diet. I am 18 months post-op from RNY. Fats take away hunger and I use fats to control my urge to graze. For example I drink one cup of coffee each day and I top it with home made whip cream. I also use real milk, butter, meat that is not lean. I also use Adkin's treats. I was diabetic prior to surgery and pay a lot of attention to reducing my sugar (processed sugar) to next to nothing. But generally I can satisfy my sweet tooth with Splenda and Stevia. Exercise is important. If you are not up and about doing normal daily activities, it is important to try and get back on some sort of exercise regime. Walking is good.

Generally, blood sugar readings will vary throughout the day. I take mine first thing in the morning before I eat anything. These are called fasting readings. After surgery, I stopped taking my readings daily and only took them periodically. Two months after surgery, reading was 91. Seven months after surgery, reading was 83. The next day it was 74. Eleven months after surgery it was 77. Two weeks later it was 93. At 12 months it was 79. The readings I took between 12 months and 16 months after surgery were 81, 84, 103, 76, 84, and 74. It may be too soon to determine if you need to go back on meds. I would say keep monitoring daily and let the doctor make the final determination. If you eat or drink anything before you take your readings they can elevate your readings significantly. That is why they are called fasting readings. I believe stress and sickness can elevate your readings. Also make sure that you stay away from processed sugars. Artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners (such as Stevia) are O.K., so are natural sugars found in fruits and milk but stay away from processed sugars and products that use corn syrup.

Generally I do hill walking for exercise. I walk up and down my driveway which is a steep hill. But I avoid this exercise when there is ice on the ground. A slip and fall can do a lot of damage especially as you get older. During the winter clearing off the driveway from snow is an excellent form of exercise. My driveway is long about 1000 feet.

A few months after surgery, the skin on my face became very wrinkled with fine thin cracks. I looked like I was 100 years old. My wife suggested I use a product called Bio-Oil available at CVS Pharmacy. I used it and the wrinkles went away. I have been using it for a year now and well pleased with it.

Same here! But after a few weeks of monitoring my blood pressure after the operation, it dropped to the point that I took myself off all my high blood pressure meds.

Yesterday while I was waiting to see my Bariatric Surgeon and my nutritionist, I noticed a woman who was dozing off. Normally I would not pay much attention to this. But prior to my surgery, my wife commented that I would be with the grandkids and doze off. It was a valid observation. If nothing of interest was happening, I would close my eyes and hibernate. I wouldn't really be sleeping but just in a glide mode. I thought to myself, she must be either waiting for the surgery or someone who just had it.

I never had a goal to reduce my clothing size. It almost came as a surprise as the sizes started dropping off. I actually found it to be a great motivator during the weight loss process. I would go to a store and buy clothing that was so small that I could barely fit into it and a week later it fit like a glove. 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. Yesterday I went to store and found a pair of size 32 jeans that fit so I bought it.

Hiccups and sneezing means that you are in the warning stage before dumping. "Dumping syndrome occurs when the undigested contents of your stomach move too rapidly into your small bowel. Common symptoms include abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhea."

I am 18 months post-op from RNY. Generally I never get to the third stage. Once is enough. Once you feel the second stage, you know when to stop eating.

I put my experiences with my weight loss surgery in a short article. It can be found in the following link. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I am 18 months post-op from RNY surgery. I lost 20 pounds pre-op and 90 pounds post-op and I now weigh 150 pounds. I had several medical issues (high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, profuse sweating, frequent urination). All these conditions went into remission within days after surgery. My insurance required that I undergo a 6 month medically monitored weight loss and exercise program in order to qualify for the surgery. Before I began this program I went cold turkey on diet cokes. I was drinking around 6 diet cokes a day and the program required that I give up caffeine and carbonated beverages. As a result of this restriction alone, I lost 20 pounds. Qualifying for this process can be a long road with several pitfalls along the way. But in my opinion well worth the effort.

Generally the feeling that I experience when eating is as follows: First - I start eating and the food is enjoyable. Second - I reach a point where the food begins to taste horrible. It destroys the pleasure of the meal that I am eating. My body begins to react strangely. I might begin to sneeze, or my eyes Water or my nose drips. Third - If I try to eat anymore, I slide into dumping syndrome where I run to the bathroom and vomit or have dry heaves, etc. So I would say that the feeling of being full is in reality the point where my body says "Don't eat another morsel or I will punish you." And it says it loud and clear. Also coming into play here is appetite. The beast of hunger that was always constantly gnawing at my bones before surgery is gone. And in a way it has set me free.

I am not quite seventy. I am only 66 years old. I am 18 months post op from RNY surgery. I feel fine. The first 6 months were rough but for the past year I have been in my happy state. One problem I experienced that I didn't expect was a severe problem with constipation. It got so bad that I had to resolve it by inserting a glycerin suppository up my rear every 3 days. I finally stumbled on a cure that worked for me. I had to eat an apple each night just before bed. But the secret is one must eat the skin of the apple. That has resolved my problem. My mom (who never had surgery) also suffers from severe constipation. I tried to get her to use my cure. But she was unable to follow this approach because she has false teeth. So I invented a cure for her. We take an apple and using a blender make an apple sauce (with blended apple skin). One needs to add a little apple juice to the apples to make the blender work well. Anyways this type of apple sauce works like a charm. One of the common saying about the effects of surgery is that it gives one more energy. I have not found this to be the case. I do not feel like getting up and running a mile each morning. But I did observe that my stamina (for manual labor) had returned. I can perform physical labor like I did when I was 35.