RuthFour

Welcome Dangeroussumme!

Good Luck Praire Princess! Keep us posted. I'm assuming this is for gastric bypass?

Hi Gingebinge, To prepare for surgery I was told to cut out all caffeine, pop or carbonated drinks of all kinds. Try to eat 6 smaller, healthier meals as opposed to three large. Cut out cream and sugars or Desserts. Sugar will make you ill after surgery. Our stomachs are very different without the protection needed so caffeine and carbonated drinks are also a no-no including any nsaids of course. You may already know all of this but this was the preparation I did. The Optifast will prepare you as well when you have to do this three weeks prior to surgery. Hope this helps, Ruth

It's been over a year now since my bypass. I too had buyer's remorse for a moment but am happy now that I did it. I would never recommend this surgery lightly. It is risky and it's not a cure all. I was getting older (I'm now 62) and have been battling weight for 20 to 30 years. Diabetes was just around the corner for me. I couldn't breathe or walk up stairs easily. My sleep was disturbed. All in all, not a good sign. I feel fantastic but have to vigilant as the behaviours are still there. I still want to overeat and eat the wrong things. There is no where to go should I screw this up so I weigh myself everyday to keep honest with myself. I eat off of smaller plates and am very mindful of eating too much sugar. Shouldn't eat it at all but being the addict I am, I do regress. So, this is a tool not an ultimate fix, albeit a wonderful tool. I have so much more energy and life is richer. Good luck @@bigmoe99 and congratulations @@mizzzzzzT (whoa, that's a lot of z's, lol) Ruth

Welcome trackerchik and krispye, Congratulations, my name is Ruth and it's been almost 1 year and a half since I had my roux n y. I've been very fortunate, no dumping, although the first six weeks were the biggest trial. But then I'm not as young as I used to be .... lol. Hope to hear more of your journey...

I'm coming up to a year post-op and I'm up one, down one and maintain for a week to two weeks and then down one. What's scary is I see my food intake creeping up at times. The old habits are still with me and that keeps me vigilant but afraid of what could happen. Does anyone else feel any of this. Eating out is difficult because I still have a tendency to overeat. I have been really lucky (or not so lucky) depending on how you look at it. No dumping just feel sick when I overeat. I sweat and feel a bit faint so I have to be really careful. Sugar does make me feel ill when taking in too much. So I can only tolerate wee bits (thank god). I guess I should be thankful that it keeps me mindful. I have to remember that this surgery was only a tool and I could gain it back. So, anyone out there relate? Ruth

Hi Elisabeth, Congratulations on your surgery. I hope it went well. It was a slow process for me in that it took about 6 weeks for me to finally feel that I was in a groove and it got easier. Initially I felt that I was eating all day and it was a struggle to get my Protein and liquids in. It's been almost 6 months and I still have one protein a day, sometimes two depending. I've been very fortunate with no dumping and can eat most everything. The downside of course, is that I must remember that this is just a tool and if I'm not careful, I can revert and put on weight or not take it off. But I've been very content with the results. I have so much more mobility and while slow it's still coming off. At first, your foods will be trial and error. Too much sugar makes me ill and too much fat as well. So I try to eat relatively lean and sugar free. Good luck and hope to hear about your progress. Ruth

cherg24, you're right, emotions do run high but I didn't know what normal was. I cried like a baby the morning of my surgery. Lots of conflicting feelings. No regrets and as long as I'm careful, progress continues. Good luck, although Opti can be challenging the first couple of days (wanted to chew on something so bad) but the Jello made it bearable. Good luck and keep us posted, Ruth

#timeforme2015, I remember feeling that way (eating all day) never thought I'd have time for anything else. It's a process alright. It took me about six weeks before I felt like I'd established a routine or rhythm. Hang in there, Ruth

@@Calgirl26 I lost weight fairly quickly...I'm down over 50 lbs and my surgery was in October. I noticed though that you had gastric sleeve which differs from bypass. Not sure how much weight loss differs. It levels off after awhile and weight loss slows as your body aclimates. Everyone is different as well. So as long as you're doing what they've asked and you're getting all your fluids and Protein in, I wouldn't worry. R

In talking about Water and Protein, I noticed that some of us have the bypass and others the sleeve...those are very different surgeries and therefore our experiences will also be quite different. R

Glad to hear it Ivanova8....maybe you'll find out that doing all that you are doing is just fine. Ruth

Water at times bubbles up on me as well. Try taking smaller sips and chew your food very well and slowly. I drink everything with a straw, it helps with air bubbles. I had problems getting it all in in the beginning as well and still have to work at it. I have to learn how to have some drink (water or protein) by my side most of the day and just sip, sip, sip, slowly. It is work, certainly at first, but does get better. I know that if I don't get my water and Protein, I feel nauseous and quite ill. Some people who don't get enough water, have nausea so bad they vomit. I've been close but not quite. Good luck

High sugar and high fat are usually the culprits, but everyone is different. What might agree with you may not agree with me or someone else. So yes, it is trial and error. Having said that Water and Protein intake are crucial to our health, so if you are having problems with this I would speak to your dietitian about it. Good luck, Ruth