JamieLogical

I had trouble in the first week or two with the immediately gurgling/gas sensation and some esophageal constriction after every single sip I took. I can still get that now if I drink too much too fast, but I get it much more with food now than I do with liquid.

Someone asked for the links, so Jessi provided them and now you are tearing her apart for just doing what she was asked?

I'm only a few weeks out, so I can't answer the long term question, but I can say as someone who had a lot of "head hunger" before my surgery, right now I am hardly ever hungry. I eat on a schedule and I eat what I need to eat to meat my nutritional goals for the day (protein mostly, but also making sure I get enough calories). I was a binge eater before and I am pretty reconciled to the fact that I will never be able to binge again. I think it would be easier to eat around your sleeve if you are more of a grazer... eating a lot of foods throughout the day. I never did that. I was prone to HUGE meals or eating an entire pizza in one sitting, not much of a snacker.

The View is a show where women sit around and just chat. Of course those chats are going to be full of personal opinions and viewers of the show know that. I don't think many viewers will take Rosie's opinion as gospel and go forth in the world spreading that gospel to others. Anyone who is truly interested in weight loss surgery will do research themselves and ultimately speak to their doctors and surgeons and make their decision based on THAT information, not a 60-second conversation on a talk show. So I see no reason to get all up in arms about what Rosie said. It's a chat show, not a news program.

I found this quote: "The daily dose of calcium intake from diet and as citrated supplement for bariatric patients is 1,200 mg – 2,000 mg of elemental calcium, as recommended by American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, The Obesity Society, and The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists." I know it's very important to take calcium citrate not calcium carbonate after weight loss surgery. I had to switch, as I had been taking Tums for calcium prior to surgery. It also wasn't until I started researching WLS that I learned that calcium and Iron should be taken at least 2 hours apart. I had always taken my Tums and Multivitamin (contained iron) at the same time every morning. So I'm glad I learned that tip prior to surgery, even if it is kind of a pain to keep track of now, since i have to take a multivitamin 3 times a day and calcium 2 times a day!

Another great source of protein from food is tuna salad. I 'm 24 days post-op and still struggle a little with getting it down, so I've only had it a couple of times so far, but a 2 oz. serving has 16+ grams of protein, so it's a great way to get protein in for lunch or something. I just have to eat it SUPER slowly, so I can't really do it as a lunch on weekdays, because my lunch break isn't long enough.

I'm in the pureed (some soft foods) phase now and I am still having to do two shakes a day to supplement my Protein. I JUST posted an average day of food on another thread to show how I can usually get 80-85 grams of protein per day: Here's a link to my post in that thread: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/320244-protein-protein-protein/#entry3611585

I haven't been having any trouble getting about 85 grams of Protein in a day since I moved to pureed foods. My typical day looks like this: Breakfast: EAS AdvantEDGE protein shake 110 calories, 17 grams of protein Lunch: scrambled egg w/ 1/2 oz. of reduced fat cheese 154 calories, 11 grams of protein Early Afternoon Snack: lowfat string cheese 70 calories, 8 grams of protein Late Afternoon Snack: 3 oz. 1% cottage cheese 68 calories, 12 grams of protein Dinner: Shelley's Ricotta Bake - 1/6th of total recipe (recipe on this page) 141 calories, 11 grams of protein Evening Snack: EAS AdvantEDGE protein shake + 14 grams of Now Sports unflavored whey protein 165 calories, 30 grams of protein Obviously there's some variation in there, though I always get the two Protein shakes in (one with extra protein powder). I hope that helps!

Swelling in the abdomen is normal. I'm a little over 3 weeks post-op and still have some swelling in my abs. I had a tummy tuck three years ago and even though I regained 80 pounds afterward (thus my decision to have VSG), my stomach staid very flat and firm. Since my VSG three weeks ago, it's definitely way "squishier" than it was pre-op. So definitely still some tissue swelling there. As for the dark urine, it's likely due to dehydration. In the early days post-op, it is very hard to get in enough Water and since your body is healing, it requires even more water than usual, so dehydration is common. I'm 24 days post-op now and I still have dark urine when I first go to the bathroom in the morning, after not having drunk anything all night. I'm getting right at the 64 oz. mark for fluids each day now. As for the soreness in your limbs while sleeping, I did not experience that and I am not sure what could be causing it. You may want to contact your surgeon or PCP about that one!

I weigh all my food on a food scale. I weigh out the portion size I think I can eat, usually 2 oz. of anything semi-solid (cheese, refried Beans, etc.) and 4 oz. of anything that's mostly liquid. If I don't finish, then I just try to estimate what fraction of it I did eat (1/2, 3/4, etc.). I usually do eat all of it though, I just take as much time as I need to finish it. I took over 45 minutes to eat my first scrambled egg. I reheated it partway through.

I am exactly three weeks post-op as of today and I am supposed to start doing 60-90 minutes of brisk walking in addition to my normal daily steps. I am a little worried about starting more intense exercise while my calorie intake is still so low. I've been working hard the past few days to get more calories in and over the weekend I was able to get up over 700 calories, but it's a lot easier to do that when I am home all day and can snack more. On weekdays, I'm at work and it's much harder to get in any food between "meals". I'm still on pureed foods and some soft foods. Next week I can start ground meats and Beans. Anyone have any suggestions for getting my calories up into the 800 range so I can sustain daily exercise? Right now my week days look something like this: Breakfast: Protein shake Lunch: Soup or tuna salad (the tuna salad is still a bit hard for me to eat) Afterwork Snack: 2 oz. of low fat cottage cheese or a scrambled egg Dinner: Shelley's Ricotta Bake (Google the recipe! It's so good!) Late Snack: Protein Shake I feel like I could probably get up to 800 calories if I could squeeze in some Snacks while I'm at work.

On day 22 post-op (two days ago) I was supposed to start 60-90 minutes per day of "brisk walking". I did 60 minutes on Monday and it was tough just walking, which was pretty disappointing considering the level of cardio I was doing pre-op. But it is only 3 weeks post-op, so I obviously won't be running any races soon anyway. I am allowed to increase my cardio intensity gradually starting at 2 months post-op. Right now I can't imagine doing much more intense cardio without being able to increase my calorie intake. At best I can get in about 750 calories a day right now and that is with trying really hard to get my calories up.

I started on pureed foods last Thursday. So far I've done pretty well. A whole scrambled egg is a little too much still, but I do okay with as much of it as I can eat. I've also had cottage cheese and other soft cheeses, refried Beans, shredded chicken in sauce, and I've tried tuna salad twice now. The tuna salad has been the hardest because it's really dry and hard to eat without being able to wash it down with some Water. Next Monday I get to start on other soft foods like ground meats and beans. I am so hitting up Wendy's for some chili that day!

I had that feeling as well. And the headaches the first few days are rough as your body enters ketosis. It does get a little easier, but I did have to cut back on the amount of exercising I was doing. It just wasn't sustainable on so few calories.

I am sorry for all the difficulty you both experienced, but I guess the positive outcome is that he is cleared for surgery and will still get to have it very soon. Hopefully you won't have to wait long for a second surgery date. And hopefully everything goes smoothly for your husband next week!

You can do it! Just remember in your moments of weakness that this is only temporary but the long term rewards will be well worth it! That's something to remember post-op as well when you are sick or in pain or frustrated. Things will get easier and it will all be worth it!

I was just ranting about this yesterday. There is SO MUCH to keep track of and try to space out appropriately throughout the day. Early on it was mostly just the Water. An ounce every 15 minutes. Aim for 64 ounces a day. Wait a second! You want me awake 16 hours a day right after surgery!?!?!? Now that I'm actually eating foods it's so much more to manage. Need to eat 5-6 times a day. Can't drink before, during, or after eating. But still need those 64 ounces! Oh and don't forget to take pills 5 times a day now. A Multivitamin with every meal and Calcium between meals. Plus all your other medications and supplements. Plus the antacid I need to take every 24 hours for the first two months. I'm keeping track of this stuff like it's my job! Too bad I'm also supposed to be working full time and I was supposed to start cardio up again yesterday (which I did)!

My only "stall" so far was in week 2. I lost 7 pounds in week one and only 0.4 pounds in week two. Just finished week three and lost 3.8 pounds. Hopefully I'll keep losing and won't stall out again in week four!

Are you tracking your calorie intake? If so can you tell us how many calories you are eating as well as what your activity level is like?

@@newbiesleever I would definitely try to stick to the plan and lose as much as possible pre-op. Every surgeon has their own pre-op guidelines and if you don't stick to them, you risk being turned away come surgery day. If your surgery is only two weeks away, you should be on the three shakes a day + leafy greens plan. Don't stray from that if you can avoid it. If you feel that you absolutely "NEED" to eat something else, make sure it is high protein/low carb. You can absolutely do birthday parties and social events without eating. You just have to be committed. And if you are willing to drop several thousand dollars on this surgery, I assume you are committed. You don't want to end up wasting airfare and hotel accommodations and time off work just so you can have a birthday dinner or two, do you? In other news, I realized I hadn't posted to this thread for a while, so I thought I'd give everyone an update. I was three weeks post-op as of yesterday and I was scheduled to start my 60-90 minutes per day of "brisk walking". I did 60 minutes and burned over 600 calories according to my heart rate monitor, so I still feel I need to try to step up my calorie intake if I am going to be doing cardio every day. I've managed in the mid 700s the past several days. I'd really like to get up over 800 consistently. My eating has been going pretty well. I started on purees last Thursday and I've been able to handle scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, other soft cheeses, refried beans, and shredded chicken okay. I've tried tuna salad twice and it is a little rough. I have a hard time getting more than an ounce of it down. I have to eat it VERY slowly. Water is still a challenge every day. The hardest part is time. With not being able to drink before, during, and after eating along with needing to eat every few hours, it just doesn't leave a ton of time for drinking water. I actually stayed up a half hour late last night to try to get my last few ounces in yesterday. Incisions are mostly healed up. Only my drain site is still a little red and raw looking. I still get occasional muscle pain in my abs. Gas is MUCH better than in the beginning, but still rears up if I eat too much or too fast. I've been managing all my vitamins and medications. It's crazy to be taking pills 5 times a day now, but I've been keeping track pretty well. I've lost 12 pounds post-op. I readjusted my ticker to have my starting weight as my surgery weight, because I think it's a little confusing/misleading to include my pre-op weight loss in my ticker. Hope everyone is well! Good luck to all of you folks with upcoming surgery dates!

Have you contacted your insurance company to ask about follow-up care if necessary. My insurance company said they WOULD cover any infection or complication down the road and my regular doctor agreed to do my post-op blood work. I had my surgery in Mexico and paid FAR less than you are looking at. I haven't had any issues and I received EXCELLENT care while I was in Mexico. Let me know if you want more information.

I was definitely a chugger as well. I drank 14-16 cups of water a day easily and I was always the one asking the waitress/waiter for 3-4 refills at a meal. I'm 3 weeks post-op now and it is definitely frustrating not being able to drink as much as I used to. It was VERY hard the first week and a half. Now that the swelling has gone down, it's a little easier, but I still struggle to get in 64 oz. a day. I have to take tiny sips and space them out. It does seem to be getting easier and easier as the days go by. It is very strange to not drink with food. Now that I'm doing some soft foods, I want to reach for that water constantly between bites and I have to restrain myself or just make sure there's no water in reach.

My pre-op diet was different from yours, but I found it to be incredibly miserable. I was allowed three Protein shakes per day and one green salad with calorie-free dressing. Plus unlimited sugar-free Jello and popsicles. It totaled out to about 450 calories a day which was terrible! I was expected to keep up with my cardio, keep going to work full time, and I still had 100% of my stomach at that point! Ugh! I had terrible headaches the first few days as my body went into ketosis. My breath was terrible. And I had NO energy. I ended up having to scale way back on my cardio intensity to still get any exercise in.

I'm only 3 weeks post op, but I was supposed to be able to start eating Tuna last Thursday. I've tried twice and it's been a chore both times. Even mixed with mayo, it's soooooo dry and since we can't drink while eating, it's tough to get down.

This is a great article on how to avoid loose skin. http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-get-rid-of-loose-skin-after-weight-loss/ However, I think with losing weight so quickly, no matter what we do, it's going to take our skin some time to catch up. I plan on using free weights at home for toning. I did that when I lost weight "the old fashioned way" in the past and it seemed to help. I also bought some of the recommended beef Gelatin, but I'm only three weeks post-op and my nutritionist says not to start it until 40 days post-op. I'm already taking Vitamin C and Fish Oil.