James Marusek

Hi Liz What type of surgery did you have? Since this thread was posted under gastric bypass, was it a Roux-en-Y? Was it done laparoscopically. You mentioned pain. Was this pain associated with eating? Where was the pain located? Jim

It looks like you are making good progress after the surgery. Eventually you will hit the bottom of your weight loss. When that happens you will shift from a weight loss mode to a maintenance mode. In maintenance mode you can allow yourself some extra calories. I reached my bottom weight at 7 months post-op at 160 pounds. I am now in maintenance mode. I weigh myself each morning and maintain my weight between 160.0 and 162.0. I don't look at a few extra calories as bad unless it puts me outside my range. Some things will trip me outside my range, like sweet corn on the cob. So it is a bit of experimentation that teaches me to refrain from some foods.

Most of the artificial sweetners are O.K. They have just gotten bad P.R. from groups that are hell bent on destroying the reputation of man-made products. Today there is also the choice of many natural artificial sweeteners such as Stevia.

I used a lactose free Protein Drink (muscle milk light) and did not add milk to it, only Water. I added a half a banana and blend it with the Protein powder and water. I won't say that everyone develops lactose intolerance after surgery, but I did. The meal plan is separate from the Protein Drinks. You can add stuff like bananas to your protein drink, so long as you turn it into a liquid, and not have it counted against your meal plan.

I am 1 year post-op on RNY gastric bypass. After surgery, I had a problem with diarrhea. One of the natural cures for my body that inhibits diarrhea is bananas. It took me a little while to figure out that I became lactose intolerant after surgery. So I cut out all milk products and the problem went away. Several months later my lactose intolerance went away and I was able to consume milk products without a problem. A few months later, I encountered very, very severe problems with constipation. In the end I stumbled onto a natural cure which is apples but it is important to also consume the skin of the apple. Eventually things will get better. It took me 6 months to reach my happy state and I have been in a happy state ever since.

Sugar is my kryptonite. After surgery I stay away from the stuff. I check food labels on ingredients. If sugar or high fructose corn syrup shows up as one of the main ingredient, I avoid that product. Generally I substitute Splenda and Stevia as an alternatives to sugar.

I never set a goal and I did lose a significant amount of weight.

After surgery, my face began looking very old. I am 65 years old so I should look old but after surgery I began to look like I was 100. My face was covered with fine crinkles. My wife suggested I use bio-oil. It's a small bottle of PurCllin oil that is applied directly to the skin. I buy mine at CVS but I don't know if every CVS sells them. When I started using this product, my wrinkles went away dramatically. In the last several months, I have made one other change which my wife suggested. I wash my face with [Nubian] African Black Soap, found in many health food stores. It is made from and african black soap base and shea butter. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it controls wrinkles, but it does have a visible effect on my skin. It makes it soft like a baby's bottom. So I think it is adding moisturizers to my skin. So each morning, I wash my face with African Black Soap and then apply Bio-Oil. It takes about 4 minutes during my morning routine and then I am good to go for the rest of the day.

After surgery, my face began looking very old. I am 65 years old so I should look old but after surgery I began to look like I was 100. My face was covered with fine crinkles. My wife suggested I use bio-oil. It's a small bottle of PurCllin oil that is applied directly to the skin. I buy mine at CVS but I don't know if every CVS sells them. When I started using this product, my wrinkles went away dramatically. In the last several months, I have made one other change which my wife suggested. I wash my face with [Nubian] African Black Soap, found in many health food stores. It is made from and african black soap base and shea butter. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it controls wrinkles, but it does have a visible effect on my skin. It makes it soft like a baby's bottom. So I think it is adding moisturizers to my skin. So each morning, I wash my face with African Black Soap and then apply Bio-Oil. It takes about 4 minutes during my morning routine and then I am good to go for the rest of the day.

candesjarlais Congratulations. Good luck on your surgery. I will pray for you. Let us know how you are doing when you get to the other side and back home again.

angelface811 It sounds like you are moving right along. It took forever for my incision points to heal completely. I had red marks for almost 6 months.

Way to go!!

Congratulations on your bariatric birthday.

A strange thought crossed my mind last night. It is way out in left field, so if it misses the mark, then disregard. Most people that undergo bariatric surgery are extremely overweight, physically out-of-shape, and plagued by a variety of health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes. In some ways, we are at death's door and bariatric surgery offers the last best shot for continued survival. But there is I believe another category of individuals that appear to use bariatric surgery. These are semi-professional athletes. And I think they undergo surgery to get at the top of their game. For example read both page 1 & 2 of the following thread. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/306632-lifting-weights/?hl=weight%20lifting If you fall within this category, then perhaps you are focused on the wrong metric. Instead of "weight loss" perhaps the metric should be "measured increased performance".

Revisions seems to be a common problem with lap bands. One of the reasons why I choose to go with a gastric bypass RNY was the low revision rate. One time is enough for me. I wish you all the success in the world with your bypass.

Good luck on your surgery. I will pray for you and the success of your operation.

Generally, when a problem is flagged by the psych evaluator, it results in the individual being referred to a psychiatrist for further evaluation. Since you already have a therapist, it seems like their opinion should carry significant weight. Since weight gain has a psychological component, the purpose for including a psychological evaluation is to determine if you will benefit from the surgery or if psychological problems would deprive you of its benefits.

I had a RNY gastric bypass. According to my meal plan, the following foods are identified for up to 4 weeks after surgery. These are called full liquids and their definition is semi-solid or pudding like consistency. The foods are: Strained baby cereals, cream of wheat, cream of rice, malt-o-meal, oatmeal, grits, cocoa wheat, farina, instant mashed potatoes, strained cream Soups, unsweetened applesauce, baby food fruits/vegetables, sugar free pudding, yogurt (non-fruit variety), low fat cottage cheese, low fat cheese, various Beans but not baked beans. Sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jello and broth is allowed as a snack between meals.

My wife.

I take Citracal Maximum. These are horse pills. Originally I thought I was suppose to take 3 a day but it turns out that the dosage (630 mg of calcium) is based on taking 2 tablets. So my nutritionist informed me of my mistake and as a result I take 6 a day. In the beginning I had to crush these down to powder and mix them in a drink to swallow them. It was awful tasting. But by the 3rd month, I was able to swallow them whole and then it stopped being a problem. I am now a year post-op and have cut myself down to 4 tablets a day. This is because I drink plenty of milk for my Protein requirement and my body appears to be absorbing some of the calcium from the milk. This is what my blood tests have shown.

I am not an expert on Water retention issues. Here are a couple links to prior discussion on this website on the topic: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/308634-arggh-a-little-girly-topic-herewhy-is-the-scale-going-backwards/?hl=%2Bwater+%2Bretention#entry3483845 http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/306499-girl-timeaunt-flow-and-stalls/?hl=%2Bwater+%2Bretention#entry3461236 One of their recommendations is to reduce the frequency of stepping on the scale. They recommend monthly. This may do you some good since it seems like you might be stressing over your weight loss and this stress in itself can affect your weight loss numbers. You are doing excellent exercise and as a result you may be producing dense muscles to replace your fat cells. This can also affect your readings. But its a good thing. I would side with your doctor and recommend you continue to take in around 100 grams of Protein each day. With your level of exercise, you need the protein. 40 grams of protein will just not cut it.

The post-op diet can be pretty challenging. Over time it will get better. As you transition from liquids to puree to solids and as you increase the meal volume and the list of acceptable foods, things should improve. I reached my happy state at 6 months.

A few more questions. You said you had a gastric bypass. Was it a Roex-en-Y or a sleeve or an Omega loop. I know next to nothing about an Omega Loop other than it is popular in Australia and their meal plan and Vitamin requirements are really, really strange. Your profile shows you as a female. Is this a mistake? I only mention this because of Water retention issues that are sometimes experienced by females. Do you have any co-morbidity problems that cause you to take prescription medicine that might interfere with weight loss? Did you experience any bad side effects from the surgery?

Wow! 10,000 steps daily. That would be equivalent to 5 miles. Around 40 years ago, I decided to do daily exercise to try and lose some weight. I began walking each day after work and built myself up to 10 miles per day. But instead of losing weight, I actually began gaining weight. I didn't realize it at the time but this was good weight. I was building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. I was replacing some of my fat cells with muscle cells and as a result was gaining weight. With this level of exercise, I would be cautious about reducing your Protein intake down to 40 grams daily. Earlier you mentioned that your partner had bariatric surgery 4 years ago and watches you like a hawk. What does your partner think about the stall?

It is quite common to have stalls during the weight loss process. I encountered one at the half way mark.