JamieLogical

This is me, too. The 1000 mg of Tums is for calcium rather than heartburn, though. Tums are calcium carbonate and post-op we do better with calcium citrate. You should ask your nutritionist about switching to something like Citrical. Pre-op I was on Tums for calcium as well, but post-op I was told to switch for better absorption.

@@jusstice So glad you updated us and glad to hear you are sticking to the plan. Ultimately you should try getting your Protein from "real food" instead of supplementing with shakes, but I know how hard that can be. I still rely on Protein Bars and shakes more than I should, but that's mostly because my nutritionist wants me at 100 grams per day and that is just almost impossible for me to achieve through real food alone. Keep up your great work! Especially kicking the Dr. Pepper habit!

I'm the same. I don't track calories at all. I just put protein first, aim for my 100 grams a day (usually get at least 85) and drink my water. I can't imagine trying to maintain the level of exercise I do with less than 60 grams a day of protein. I'd be sleeping at my desk!

Protein is critical to your health and recovery. It's tough to get the minimum in during the liquid phases of the post-op diet, but once you are onto soft foods and purees, it should be manageable. You will continue to feel weak and tired if you aren't getting enough protein and you will also be much more likely to experience significant hair loss a few months down the road. What are you currently eating and what are the obstacles you are running into that are preventing you from getting enough in?

Glad you are feeling better! Sorry you had to make the trip to the ER though.

That's a first for me. My nutritionist wants me to aim for 100 grams of protein! I can't imagine getting less than 60! It seems like most nutritionists and surgeons push protein, protein, protein, so I'm very surprised to hear anyone saying less than 60 grams is okay beyond the first couple of weeks post-op. Obviously it's pretty hard to get above 60 in those early days.

But you're still talking about metabolism here. The reason strength training is better at fat-burning long term than cardio is that muscle increases metabolism. I've heard estimates that every extra pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories a day. Put on 10 pounds of muscle and you're burning 500 calories more per day than you were before. With cardio, you burn a lot of calories in the moment, but you don't increase your basal metabolic rate. With strength training, you burn fewer calories in the moment, but increase the amount of calories you burn throughout the day to sustain that muscle.

I had that. It was a constriction of my esophagus and it happened for the first couple of weeks post-op until the swelling went down.

Glad you are doing better!

@@Babbs Absolutely. A restricted calorie diet will reduce your metabolism. Also, having been obese for large periods of your life causes problems with metabolism. I have heard reference to studies in the past where it's been proven that people who have previously been obese have to restrict their calories more and do more activity to maintain their weight than people who have never been obese. It's one of the reasons keeping active and doing a lot of exercise as you lose is so important. It can help keep your metabolism at a higher level than if you did it with diet alone.

It's unfortunate that your mom isn't being more supportive. Fortunately, my parents were incredibly supportive, my husband was less understanding (though he was supportive). And you're right that it *should* be up to you who to tell and when, but that's not how it usually works out. I knew the second I told my parents, then rest of my family would find out in short order. My mom is not the secret-keeping kind.

I know you must be desperate for some "real" food, but take it very slow and pre-measure your food when you move onto the next phase. This is when the restriction starts to become REAL. I remember the first time I ate a scrambled egg... it took me 45 minutes to eat about 3/4 of it (had to keep reheating it in the microwave) and I was literally lying on the floor in pain from the constriction in my esophagus. TAKE IT SLOW!

How much Protein are you getting? Does MFP show you a pie chart of where your calories are coming from between protein fat and carbs? If so, what are the average percentages? Are you getting in all of your Water? My best guess is that, if you just started going to the gym two months ago, your body is right now trying to adapt to the increased level of activity. Most people experience a slow down in weight loss when they take up exercise. Keep up your activity level and maybe try introducing more high protein Snacks to curb hunger. When I started exercising intensely around 4 months post-op, I had to add a morning snack to my regime (a reduced fat cheese stick), because I was getting hungry between Breakfast and lunch. I also added a little granola to my afternoon greek yogurt, so the little bit of extra carbs would help fuel my late afternoon workouts.

Metabolism, metabolism, metabolism. A deficit of 3500 calories causes you to lose a pound and a surplus of 3500 calories causes you to gain a pound. The thing that makes some people gain/lose at different rates is their basal metabolic rate. There are all sorts of calculators and estimators to determine your metabolism, but unless you have a true metabolic study done, there is no way you can know exactly how many calories you are burning from day to day, and therefor it is impossible for you to determine how much of a deficit or surplus you have. "3500 calories = 1 pound" is NOT BS. Having no way to know how many calories you are truly burning each day is what causes the confusion.

Amen to that! I'm 7.5 months out and even though I feel normal and healthy again and I've fended off my food addiction for the most part, it still takes work every day. I work out 5-6 days a week. I have to be mindful of the types of food I eat and how much so I know I'm getting my Protein in. So between the extreme suffering in the early days and the prolonged, lifelong effort down the road, there is really nothing "easy" about it!

@@shirleyjohn001 Vitamins are definitely pricey, but $175 per month seems high. I probably spend more like $100 per month. It probably depends on the brands. If your nutritionist is pushing a specific brand, some of those bariatric brands are pricey. The only bariatric branded Vitamin I'm still taking is my Vitaleph Bariatric Multivitamin, which costs me $100 for a 4 month supply. Everything else I take, I buy at the grocery store or off Amazon. And I take a lot more than a lot of people do. My nutritionist requires multivitamin, calcium +D3, probiotic, and liquid B12. I take a lot of others on top of those. Also, for at least the first couple of months post op, you will need to be on a PPI (like Prilosec) to reduce acid production. You may have to be on that for life (like me) or you may be able to wean off of it after the first couple of months. I don't really know what you mean by "normal functions" the day after surgery. You will spend at least one night in a hospital/clinic. And most doctors recommend two weeks off of work, though many people do manage to go back after one week if they have a desk job.

Nope. You'll be fine. The main issue with eating and drinking at the same time isn't the risk of stretching your pouch, it's that it makes it easier to eat more, because it allows food to pass through your sleeve more easily, more like a puree. Drinking too soon AFTER eating is a more likely culprit to overfill your sleeve. Still probably wouldn't stretch it though, just make you feel overfull and sick.

You will. It just takes time. A few months from now this will be a distant memory.

@@ZoeyBear Did you have a pre-op diet? If not, the headaches might be caused by your entering ketosis due to a lack of carbs. Most of us go through that during the pre-op diet stage.

I just watched the first episode on HBO the normal way. Think I'll hold out for the next three to air as well. I'm pretty anti-piracy. As a web developer, I respect intellectual property rights.

Huge congrats! Sounds like you did awesome! How did you feel at the end? In my past 5K races, nothing could beat that feeling of crossing the finish line!

@@JamieLogical I think I'd welcome this problem.. I've seen your photo updates and think your shape is cute. Very feminine. Although until you walk a mile ya know :-D Well, I've had plastics, so I've "cheated". My boobs are 100% fake.... I was flat as a board before that.

It WILL get better. You will feel better and better each day. For me I really turned a corner when I was allowed soft foods and then another when I was allowed solid foods. I really felt normal the majority of the time by 2 months and now at 7.5 months, I feel normal ALL of the time. Hang in there.

I have a different problem. I'm getting so thin in the upper half of my body that I can now see my ribs above my breasts, but my hips/legs are still HUGE. I'm *squeezing* into size 14 jeans.

The pre-op diet is for your own safety. If you watch videos of WLS, you will see hat the liver needs to be propped up out of the way during the op, because it sits on top of your stomach. If your liver is thick and fatty, it is much harder to manage and keep out of the way, increasing the risk of accidental damage to it during the surgery. Why take he unnecessary risk of cheating on the pre-op diet and not shrinking your liver as much as possible?