James Marusek

Your taste buds will change right after surgery. What might taste good now might taste horrible after surgery. So be prepared to experiment after the operation with different choices for Protein shakes. It is important to use an electric blender such as a Ninja Blender (Individual Size) or a Bullet Blender to mix the powder into the liquid. Trying to blend using a hand shaker doesn't mix the powders well enough. Not all protein powders are alike. You may become lactose intolerant right after surgery and this might last for a couple months. Some protein powders are lactose free. Also avoid any powders with higher levels of sugar. In my opinion, Protein Shakes are a misnomer. They taste horrible and should never be compared to the taste of a milk shake. But getting in the protein is a prerequisite to the surgery. So the important thing is finding something that you can tolerate. There are a variety of choices out there. Some are powder some are premixed, some are super concentrated. Find something that you can tolerate. Some on this board have suggested getting a variety of samples to begin with rather than buying a large canister of powder that you might not use. This is a good approach.

I am 17 months post-op. I have had rice a few times since surgery without any problem.

The 52 grams of sugar per day seems a bit high. There is a difference in sugar types. Is the sugar you are taking natural sugars such as those found in fruits or is it sugar such as refined sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup?

I bottomed out after seven months. I maintained that weight for a year. Then I contracted a 7-day stomach flu. I found it hard to eat. Lost a pound a day for a week. Then about a month later, I lost my taste for food for a few days. So between these two events, I lost a total of 10 pounds. I decided to maintain this new level and have done so for around 2 months. When you are at bottom, there is another concern. It is that your body no longer has the protective reserve of fat to rely on should you suddenly get sick and lose weight.

Try and get your daily walking exercise in prior to surgery, it will help with the recovery process. If you haven't cut out caffeine and carbonated beverages from your diet, do so now. I had been on a 6 diet coke per day habit for many years. When I went off it cold turkey about 6 months before the operation, I suffered from severe withdrawal symptoms - severe headaches and muscle pain. It took a week to get over it. This is common for many people. So it is better to get this over with long before surgery than on the day of surgery. No use compounding the recovery process. Also by the way, I lost 20 pounds pre-surgery on this change alone.

Try and get your daily walking exercise in, it will help with the recovery process. If you haven't cut out caffeine and carbonated beverages from your diet, do so now. I had been on a 6 diet coke per day habit for many years. When I went off it cold turkey about 6 months before the operation, I suffered from severe withdrawal symptoms - severe headaches and muscle pain. It took a week to get over it. This is common for many people. So it is better to get this over with long before surgery than on the day of surgery. No use compounding the recovery process. Also by the way, I lost 20 pounds pre-surgery on this change alone.

Make sure you get your daily walking in. It will help the recovery process go quickly and smoother. I cut out all caffeine and carbonated beverages 6 months before surgery. I was on a 6 Diet Coke per day habit. I went through a week of severe withdrawal pain - very severe headaches. So if you haven't done this yet, do it now. It is better to get this withdrawal over with now than compound it with the effects of surgery. After surgery, I lost my hunger. Many people experience this. It is not hard to lose weight when hunger is not constantly and continually gnawing at your bones. Your taste buds will change after surgery. Expect this. Get a pill crusher and a pill splitter. Its a good idea to get a good blender such as a Ninja blender with a single serving size or a Bullet Blender. It will come in handy when you mix the Protein shakes.

What type of surgery did you have and what type of problems are you encountering?

One of the reasons why people suffer hair loss is that they do not adhere to the Protein requirements. So make sure that you take the protein supplements each day.

There may be 3 phases to RNY weight loss. In the first phase, you are consuming very few calories right after surgery (around 700) and the weight melts away very quickly. In my case, I lost 80 pounds after surgery in 7 months. The second phase is a Maintenance phase. It might be described as a Honeymoon phase. If one consumes within a caloric band, weight is maintained. For me this band is around (800-1500 calories per day). This is a happy state. I tend to go with the upper end of this caloric band. It gives me a lot of choices and freedom. But I am told there is a third phase. I will call this phase The Long Haul. This occurs around a year and a half, when the stomach heals and absorbs more calories. The stomach goes from 70% to 100% absorption. Since I am not quite at the year and a half mark, I haven't experienced this phase. If that is the case then I will need to reduce my caloric intake to adjust and that might be difficult. It's like a hidden trap and perhaps it is the reason why some people fail. There are some individuals that maintain a tight control during the Honeymoon phase on the lower side of the caloric band, and they should be fine. We will see how it affects me when I reach this phase.

I am 17 months post-op RNY and haven't noticed anything yet. My surgeon will perform regular check-ups with me for many years to come and I will have regular bloodwork done to monitor my status. The bloodwork is pretty extensive, not your normal routine. At around the year mark, they picked up that fact that I was low on Iron and directed that I take an iron supplement in addition to the iron in the Flintstone chewables. I suspect that I was not adequately separating the time between Calcium and iron. I had started using milk as my Protein supplement and neglected to factor in the calcium in milk. Anyways, I moved all my iron supplements to bedtime in addition to taking the iron supplement and that seemed to do the trick. I have spoken to people who are many years out and I have not heard of conditions you describe. I suspect that several individuals have not been following the prescribed program and that can cause complications. But that is a guess.

There are different types of WLS. I had a RNY where they cut my stomach in two parts and rerouted it. As a result the part of my intestines that normally converts food into Vitamins has been bypassed. As a result, I need to take a Vitamin regime for the rest of my life. Failure to follow this regiment can result in very bad consequences. On the plus side, I have been taking vitamins almost all my life and a few more will not kill me. One of the great benefits of the surgery is that I no longer take prescription medicine to control my high blood pressure and diabetes. As part of the preparation for the surgery I attended a one-day workshop just prior to the operation. This workshop goes into minute detail about the requirements. So I think I have been fairly well informed of the risks and requirements. One of your questions is a little strange, but I will try and answer it the best I can. As a person ages, they reach a point where there bodies mimic some of the same effects as seen in RNY surgery (actually the other way around). This happens when they get in their 80's. They can eat and eat and lose weight. Their body does not manufacture vitamins as when they were younger and they can become malnourished. Generally their doctors recommend these individual supplement their meals with vitamins.

The major finding is that future research should focus on the long-term (10+ years) outcomes of bariatric surgery especially focusing on responses related to diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and psychological and psychosocial issues after surgery. http://acsh.org/2014/10/bariatric-surgery-diabetes-focus-future-research/

I never tried GENEPRO so I cannot answer your question. I found Protein shakes to be almost unpalatable. But there are many choices available and one needs to experiment until one finds one that can be tolerated. I used Muscle Milk Light. The protein powders cannot be mixed by hand but a blender such as a Ninja or Bullet Blender should be used. I found that by blending in a banana, it made the Protein shake more palatable. There are also premixed Protein drinks available and some are tasty. There is another type of product called Protein Ice. It has 42 grams of protein in a 20 ounce bottle. It comes in a number of flavors. I tried it and found that it tasted horrible, but my wife tried it and thought it tasted O.K. Another choice is milk. During the winter months, I drink a cup of hot cocoa (no sugar added).

After surgery, I didn't drink a lot of Water. I used Crystal Light. As the months rolled by, I transitioned to other liquids. During the winter months, I drank a cup or two of hot cocoa (Nesquik No Sugar Added), decaf coffee, and wonderful English teas. I discovered that Harney & Sons make a wide variety of teas such as Royal Wedding Tea that are full of flavor.

Daily walking prior to surgery and after definitely helped me in the recovery process after surgery.

The daily level of Protein intake should be the same. The protein level is a combination of the protein obtained in meals combined with the protein taken as supplements (Protein shakes, protein bars). I am 17 months post-op from RNY and I consume 60 grams of protein from my meals. I am off protein shakes.

Congratulations. It can take a few days for your body to adjust and reach your Protein and Fluid requirements.

Part of the surgery evaluation performed by the doctor will be to determine if you are a good candidate for the surgery. As a result, most have candidates undergo a psychological evaluation. I would think being bulimic and then correcting that behavior would be a plus on that evaluation. I don't know how the insurance company will react.

I had a RNY operation 16 months ago. Before surgery, I had diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, frequent urination and several bouts of major heartburn. Now that is gone. Most of it disappeared days after surgery and hasn't returned. I lost 20 pounds pre-op and 90 post-op. I am now at 150 pounds. The most surprising thing was that I found it very enjoyable replacing my wardrobe. I am an excellent bargain shopper. I bought the latest styles and the best brands and I look good in them. I went from a size 3X in shirts down to a size small. I went down from a size 46 in pants to a size 33. If you undergo bariatric surgery, there are many changes ahead and many of them are very good.

Congratulations. Its nice to hear everything is going well.

After surgery, you are living off your stored fat. And the amount of food you are consuming is miniscule. Your body needs Protein, so at the beginning, protein shakes are an easy way to achieve this requirement. As time progresses, your food allowance increases and you can obtain more of your protein from your meals. I am 16 months post-op and I am consuming around 60 grams of protein from my meals alone. I have completely transitioned off the protein shakes. Several months after surgery, you can also transition into using Protein Bars. They are great when you are away from home and your blender. Your protein allotment is completely separate from your meal allotment. It took me several months to understand this. This gave me more freedom in making the protein shakes more palatable. For example, I blend a banana into my Protein shake and the banana doesn't count against my meal allotment. There should be some time separation between your meals and your protein shakes. The route for solids is different than the route for liquids in your body and they want to ensure the solids are not processed as liquids. Immediately after surgery, it is important to focus on the Vitamin, liquid and protein requirements. Those are the drivers. After surgery, I completely lost my appetite. It was easy to lose weight when hunger is not constantly gnawing at your bones.

Congratulations on the amount of weight that you lost. Enjoy life.

I am 16 months post-op and I don't feel the intensity of hunger as I did before the surgery. It was one of the great things about the operation.

First off, everyone is different. The weight loss will be somewhat dependent on the type of surgery. I had a RNY. I am male, 5' 6". I was 260 pound but I lost 20 pounds pre-op. After the operation at 8 weeks out, I lost another 40 pounds.