JamieLogical

@@Justoperated I ended up drinking 7 cups of Water just while I was at work yesterday! A BIG improvement over the 2 cups I'd be getting in while at work before. I am super excited. I think that, counting coffee, I managed to get in something like 13 cups of Fluid yesterday! How awesome is that?

A lot of the fat in peanut butter is considered "healthy fat" the way the fat in avocados is. So the fat content itself shouldn't throw you off. However, the calorie content is high, since healthy fats have just as many calories as unhealthy fats. So if you are overly concerned about calorie counting, you might want to steer clear.

General nutrition advice doesn't really apply post-WLS. While carbs can be a large part of a healthy diet when you are eating 2000+ calories a day, there isn't as much room for them in an 800 calorie a day diet. WLS patients are supposed to get as much or more Protein than healthy people while eating maybe 1/3 as much food. That means a much larger percentage of your total daily caloric intake needs to come from protein. Most of the "healthy" calorie ratios I'd seen pre-surgery were something like 50% from carbs, 25% from fat and 25% from protein. Post-op, it needs to be more like 40-50% from protein, 25-30% from carbs, and 25-30% from fat. A gram of protein has 4 calories. If I'm only eating 800 calories a day, that means half of my calories have to come from protein in order for me to achieve my nutritionist's requirement of 100 grams per day. That means I simply don't have enough room for many carbs. As I've said in previous posts in this thread, I am not at all anti-carb and I do not intentionally avoid carbs, I simply don't eat many carbs because I now live by the motto of "protein first" and that means carbs have taken a back seat.

@@LadyVSG Awesome you are doing so well losing weight pre-op and you aren't even on the liquid diet yet! I lost 24 pounds total pre-op. Something like 13 pounds in the 5 weeks before my liquid diet and 11 pounds in the 2 weeks of the liquid diet. As long as you are in that 5-10% range, Lucia will be really happy.

@@AvaFern I completely agree that plastics are the "bee's knees"! I don't know why people are so averse to them. I don't think I'd ever have plastics on my face (I'm not a vain person, I don't even wear makeup!), but I think they are great for feeling comfortable and confident in your own body. Having clothes fit well and just having a pleasing shape.... I can't explain it, but it's awesome. I had some complications after my tummy tuck that had me virtually bedridden for months, it was expensive, I have scars, I gained and lost weight multiple times post-op, and I STILL consider it one of the best things I ever did for myself. I am still 100% thrilled I had it done. I'm even looking at having to have my breast implants removed and replaced, because the left one is malpositioned (a situation that is being exacerbated by my current post-sleeve weight loss) and I am STILL psyched about my breast implants too! When my plastic surgeon said I'd need to have my implants out for 6 weeks in order to allow things to contract and heal up before getting new ones put in, all I could think about was "how am I going to live for 6 weeks without my boobs!?!?" It wasn't even the money, or the surgery, or the recovery that worried me... it was those 6 weeks without my implants in!

Oh hon, I'm sorry you are struggling so much. I know you are getting tired of hearing it, but it really does get better. I had my share of pity parties for myself over not being able to eat the things I love, barely being able to eat anything at alll, not getting to enjoy a large meal out with my husband... I have even been sad and frustrated that I can't comfort myself with food when I'm sad and frustrated! But I'm 5 months PO now and it's just so much better. I wish I could describe it to you in a way that could penetrate your 17-day post-op brain, but I can't. And when I was in your shoes, there is nothing anyone could have said to me to convince me that I'd ever feel normal again either. Just hang in there and take care of yourself. Don't push yourself too far too fast. Meatloaf (I assume made with beef?) and veggies is a lot to expect your stomach to handle at 17 days post-op when you've only been cleared for mushies. Don't push it. I know you want to and the temptation is there because you just want to feel "normal" again, if even only for a minute, but you really need to take it slow.

I was allowed to swallow actual pills starting 7 days post-op, so I've just been on real vitamins since then. I take Vitaleph Bariatric Vitamins.

GERD can be a real issue for sleeve patients. If your pre-op reflux is caused by a hernia and you have that repaired at the time of your surgery, then you can potentially see an improvement in your GERD. But if your acid issues have some other cause, you will be likely to continue experiencing them post-op. In fact, some people who never have acid issues pre-op experience them post-op with the sleeve.

At least now you know what the problem is and they are taking steps to correct it. I know it's tough now and you have some rough days ahead, but hang in there! A few months from now this will be a distant memory!

Not all Protein bars are created equal, so don't assume you will run into the same problem with other brands. As for getting enough protein post-op, I am 5 months out and still rely on 2 protein bars a day, but that's because my nutritionist wants me at 100 grams per day, whereas it seems like most people on here only aim for about 65 grams. Pre and post-op I drank protein shakes, but made the transition to protein bars a few months post-op. They are more convenient for me as a "grab-and'-go" sort of option. The rest of my protein comes from dairy and meat. I have a cheese stick as a morning snack and greek yogurt as an afternoon snack. For lunch and dinner, I always have some sort of meat. It's usually just the protein from whatever my husband makes for dinner. So if he makes shrimp and Pasta, I eat the shrimp. If he makes chicken and rice, I eat the chicken. If he makes pork enchiladas, I eat the pork. If he makes meatloaf and mashed potatoes, I eat the meatloaf. You get the picture. At 5 months post-op I can usually do between 2 and 4 ounces of meat per meal, depending on the type of meat and how it's served.

Let us know how it goes!

I had my surgery in Tijuana also, with Arial Ortiz at Obesity Control Center. I had a whole sheet that was provided to me of email address and phone number to call for various types of questions and whatnot. One of them was an email and phone number for questions about prescriptions and medications and when I sent an email to that address, I received a reply from one of the clinics doctors, but not my surgeon. I ended up meeting him while I was there... he's the one who did my EKG and my barium swallow test. He was my favorite person at the clinic.

Studying shouldn't be an issue and neither should taking your exam. As for the opera and the party, it really is hard to guess. Three days post-op I was running a mile through the Chicago airport to catch a plane (DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS). I would think you'd be fine sitting through the Opera, as that's not very physically taxing. And with the party, maybe just plan to make an appearance, but not stay long if you aren't feeling up to it? The main issue I faced in the early weeks when it came to DOING anything was fatigue. I just got tired very easily and quickly. When I returned to work 15 days post-op, it was rough just trying to make it through an 8 hour work day sitting at a desk. Not because I was sick or uncomfortable, just because I got really tired. If you rest well during the day before your Opera and party, you might be able to string together a few good hours of high energy, but be prepared to sleep a lot the following weekend! Now, if you are having issues with vomiting or anything post-op (I didn't), then it might be a lot more challenging to go out and about for any length of time.

Definitely sounds like you aren't getting enough food. Water is great for keeping you from getting dehydrated, but it won't stave off the exhaustion from starvation. It's rough if you are still experiencing vomiting 8 weeks out. Is it triggered by anything specific?

I agree. You reach a point of new normal, definitely not the same normal you had pre-op. But most of the time you just live your life. Only when I am in certain situations, usually involving food, do I feel abnormal anymore. I feel healthy and I have enough energy to do my job and live my life. I rarely feel sick or uncomfortable. It's a vast improvement over the early days post-op!

Now the fun really begins!

@@Eclectick I think the best thing would be to find something that tastes good to you to the point where you would WANT to drink it, even if you aren't really thirsty, and of course keep a bottle beside you at all times. Just pick the bottle up and take a sip every few minutes. Eventually I'd think it would become a habit. My husband is like you. He barely drinks anything ever. He hasn't had this surgery (he's a normal weight), but the entire time I've known him, he has just never been thirsty. He drinks maybe one cup of Water (mostly with dinner) the entire evening when we're home from work? He'll occasionally drink hot chocolate or chai, but he treats it as more of a "snack" than a drink, if that makes any sense? When we're out and about or on a long car trip, he will go hours and hours and hours without drinking anything. I guess some people just don't require as much Fluid as others?

You should be able to contact your surgeons office and ask about when/if you should stop taking your current medications and when you will be able to resume them post op. My surgeon's office even had a specific email address for sending your prescription and medication questions to.

Congrats! I bet you feel amazing! And I agree with the above poster, pics or it didn't happen!

There are too fairly popular doctor's by the name "Ortiz", so can you be more specific? Dr. Ariel Ortiz with the Obesity Control Center was my surgeon, but there is also a popular doctor by the name of Elias Ortiz.

I was allowed caffeine at 30 days post-op and even though I counted down the days, I was good and didn't have any before then. I've been greats at most of the rules: Protein first No grazing Getting 8 cups of Water a day Getting between 80 and 100 grams of protein a day No soda No straws Taking all my Vitamins (I take a LOT) No drinking for 20 minutes after eating The ones I've been a little lax on: I eat fast I eat in front of the TV or computer I didn't exercise for a good three months, but I'm back on track there I've taken Ibuprofen a couple of times, it's in the Exedrin that's the only thing that helps my headaches I drank some beer once while at an office party

My nutritionist allowed me caffeine at 30 days post-op. I literally counted down the days, I was so desperate to have it again! She said to only have it with milk/cream and to only start with one cup a day at most.

@@MichiganChic My list is pretty identical to yours.

No one has asked. I have gained and lost weight so many times since I've been working at my job that I think everyone is just used to my constant fluctuations. By the time they realize I'm not re-gaining this time around, they will probably be too ashamed to ask, having not commented or complimented me as I was losing. As for eating around coworkers, I still participate in office parties and whatnot, I just only eat high Protein options and not very much. If anyone asked, I would just tell them I'm doing high-protein/low-carb and leave it at that.

That is rough. I don't know what I would have done trying to celebrate anything in my first few weeks post-op. Just try to envision how amazing your 28th birthday will be and focus on that image!