JamieLogical

Most likely due to insurance concerns. I know my insurance (didn't actually use it) only covers WLS for people with a BMI over 40 or 35 with comorbidities.

Once I was allowed strained cream soups, I bought pretty much every single one my grocery store carried. My favorites were Campbell's Cream of Shrimp (requires you to add milk) and Progresso Chicken Cheese Enchilada. Just used a strainer to separate out all the chunky bits and the liquid part by itself still had plenty of flavor.

I had a blood test at the end of December and everything was right where it was supposed to be, but that was before I started trying to work out again.

The gurgling and burping from drinking settled down for me a few weeks out. I still get some rumbling from eating, depending on what I eat. I'm 5 months post-op now.

We risk our lives every day, so I just try to make sure all of my loved ones know how much they are loved all of the time. I always make sure that "I love you" are the last words I say to any of my family members on the phone or in person when we are parting so I can be confident that my last words to that person were "I love you". I can't tell you how much peace it has brought me knowing those were my last words to my grandparents, my sister-in-law, and my niece before I lost them.

I don't track calories, but I would say at best, I'm getting 1000 a day. Of the things I know the calorie count for off the top of my head, they total about 500-600. Lunches and dinners are the only things that vary from day to day for me and I doubt the few ounces of meat I have for those two meals totals up to more than 400 calories a day. Probably more like 300. I want to avoid a situation where I'm basically anorexic (Hypergymnasia), burning nearly as many calories from exercise as I consume and therefor not taking in enough calories to sustain my basic bodily functions. I know that back when I was doing C25k as part of losing weight on my own, I could easily burn 600 or so calories (according to my heart-rate monitor and BodyBugg). But back then I was eating probably 1400 calories a day minimum. I worry that if I try to work out that hard with so many fewer calories to sustain me, that I will wreck my metabolism and potentially damage my health. I want to exercise to be healthy, not do more harm than good!

I felt the same in the first few weeks. I just ate on a timer basically. I wasn't ever hungry and eating was a chore. It gets MUCH easier, I promise! Hang in there!

My surgeon had me on a PPI (omeprazole) immediately post-op for two full months. If you are experiencing acid problems, you should definitely contact your surgeon for a prescription.

I didn't choose RNY for the following reasons: rerouting intestines meant more joints where there could be leaks the bypassed portion of my stomach might develop ulcers or other issues down the road and would not be easily accessible with an endoscopy or for treatment potential malabsorption of vital vitamins and minerals inability to eat certain foods ever again (like sugar) dumping syndrome cost (I was self pay and RNY is more expensive than sleeve) lower starting BMI (my BMI on my surgery date was under 40)

You look fantastic! How much have you lost? I assume your ticker isn't updates, since there is NO WAY you are 256 in that new pic.

You should definitely complain to your doctor. It's unprofessional for her to behave that way toward a patient.

This seems especially true for me. I see others posting about counting carbs or limiting carbs and I just don't get it. In order for me to get the 100 grams of Protein per day that my nutritionist requires, I simply don't have ROOM for many carbs, be they "good" carbs or "bad" carbs or "simple" carbs or "complex" carbs. At best, I am eating 1000 calories a day right now. If I get exactly 100 grams of protein, that means 400 calories from protein. That leaves only 600 calories from a combination of fat and carbs. And keeping in mind that fat has 9 calories per gram (unlike protein and carbs, which have 4) and the fact that a decent amount of my protein comes from meat, which has fat, that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for carbs. The only carbs I get right now come from my primary protein sources. Mostly from my Protein Bars (QuestBars), but also things like Beans in my chili, sauce on my meat, or occasionally breading on my meat. I don't have room to eat carbs separately as like a "side dish" along with my meat. When I can only eat about 8 bites of meat at a time, how the heck am I supposed to have room for vegetables or anything else to go along with that?

I did that today. One bite too many of the shrimp I was having for dinner and I had to lie down and wait a good 45 minutes for the discomfort to go away. I am getting better at it (5 months out), but I still overestimate how much I can eat sometimes and I regret it!

I'm surprised you are eating any BITES of food one week out. Are you already beyond full liquids? In any case, the answer is yet. You will definitely be able to eat more than 4 bites of food. I'm 5 months out and can probably eat about 20 small bites of food. Sometimes I eat more than that and regret it, though.

In what period of time? And even if you don't make it to a "healthy BMI", I am sure the weight you will lose will drastically improve your health. What are your odds of getting to a healthy BMI on your own and staying there?

I only count protein. My nutritionist wants me aiming for 100 grams of protein a day, which usually means pretty low carbs by default, since I can only eat so much food!

I'm 5 months post-op and eating is no longer uncomfortable for me unless I eat too much. I can eat anything without issue now, but if I eat too much, it is VERY uncomfortable. I'm getting better and better at correctly judging the amount I'll be able to eat before I eat it so I don't get to that point.

There's a calculator here that will help you estimate how much you might lose with WLS: https://www.realize.com/do-i-qualify/potential-results/comparison

I'm 35, and like you, I thought it sounded a bit extreme. There were two things that really convinced me it was the right choice. First, I have dieted my entire adult life (and even some of my childhood). I have lost weight MANY times. If losing weight was an Olympic sport, I could probably be a medalist. What I SUCK at is maintaining weight loss. For me, every time I'd dieted, exercised, and lost weight, I've had this mentality that I was "done" once I reached my goal weight. I can never be "done" with my sleeve. It's there forever. When I get to my goal weight this time, it will be almost physically impossible for me to regain the weight the way I have in the past. Yes, it's possible to eat around your sleeve by grazing or eating slider foods, but that's now how I regained weight in the past, so I don't think it will be the case in the future. I've always been a binge eater and with the sleeve, it's just not possible for me to binge. Grazing has never been my thing, so I don't anticipate that being a problem, unless I really have some psychological self-sabotage thing going on that I wasn't aware of. If that starts to happen, I will definitely get some counseling! The other thing that convinced me this was the right surgery was the fact that while VSG is fairly new as a stand-alone WLS, gastrectomies have been happening for decades. It has been the first part of the duodenal switch procedure for a long time and patients have had successful outcomes from that surgery for years. Also, gastrectomies have been used as treatment for stomach cancer, excessive ulcers, etc. for decades and those patients have gone on to lead healthy and successful lives. So clearly, while it seems extreme, it can be safe and healthy to have a large portion of your stomach removed. This has to be your personal decision, but I think most people here would sympathize with your hesitation. We have all faced the same fears and reservations you are facing now and still made the choice to have VSG.

Good luck! Welcome to your new life!

I obviously discussed it with my husband first. I was incredibly nervous about telling my parents, but they were AMAZINGLY supportive, as was my sister. I only told two of my coworkers. They were my two closest friends at work, with whom I often had lunch. So, if I wanted to continue going out with them post-op, I was going to have to let them know why I was eating so strangely. One of them was very supportive, the other thought I was making a mistake, but didn't nag me about it or anything and he's been accepting, if not supportive. I also eventually told my parents-in-law prior to the surgery and they spread the word to my husband's siblings, nieces, and nephews. I really didn't encounter much negativity at all. If people had negative opinions about it, they kept them to themselves. It turns out that it's not been an issue that I haven't told others at work. I've been losing the weight so slowly, that I don't think many people are noticing. And I've lost/regained weight so many times in the past, that I think people are just too nice to pry for fear that it's a sensitive topic with me.

Welcome to your new life! These next few days might be rough, but it will be worth it!

Hopefully it is only temporary. Definitely talk to your surgeon. Maybe he/she can provide you with a prescription strength omeprazole. I was on 40mg for the first two months post-op then cut down to the otc level of 20mg after that. I'm sorry you are going through this.

Tums are calcium carbonate. It's recommended that bariatric patients take calcium citrate. I had taken tums for calcium for years prior to my sleeve, but my surgeon had me switch to citrical post-op.

Don't say "never" this soon after your surgery. It looks like you were sleeved in January, which means you are not for out. Things are still changing for you and what doesn't work one week might be just fine the next.