JamieLogical

did you have to do the pureed diet for 3 weeks? Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App My pureed stage was from Day 18-27 post-op. I did continue to eat some of the recipes from my puree stage well into my soft food stage, though.

It's very normal to be nervous about the surgery and what life will be like post-op. I think all of us go through a mix of nervousness and excitement. As for some good puree ideas, this site has some good recipes (especially the baked ricotta!): http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

If the restaurant has chili, order a cup instead of a bowl. That's always a safe bet. Otherwise, the appetizer's menu is usually a good place to look for small portions and no sides.

Have you tried putting flavoring in your water like Mio or CrystalLite? I would definitely recommend against juice, since it is so high in sugar and you should avoid drinking your calories.

Good luck!

For me, weight LOSS surgery was really weight MAINTENANCE surgery. I have lost weight many many times in the past. But I always gained it back. The weight LOSS part is actually only a tiny fraction of your WLS journey. You will only be losing weight for a year or two. After that you will have to maintain for the entire rest of your life. WLS is a tool to help you do that. PS: The weight lost in the pre-op diet is mostly Water weight. As your body is depleted of glycogen stores, the water that was bonded to the glycogen is flushed from your system. But that is a finite amount of water. After that water is flushed out, burning actual fat is MUCH slower.

I'm now 37. The "before" pictures I posted were all taken between August and November of 2009, so I would have been 30 in those. My "after" pictures range from September 2015 (when I hit goal) to April 2016 (when I ran my first half marathon). So I would have been 36 and 37 in those.

US law requires a passport, passport card, enhanced license, or nexus card. Whether or not they ENFORCE that is up to the individual border agent. So it is risky to rely on a normal license or birth certificate. Mexican law requires a passport or passport card. They will not accept an enhanced license or nexus card. But they do seem to be MUCH more lax about enforcement than US agents, so that is less likely to be an issue.

The pain isn't too crazy, but the bruising and swelling are terrible. It will be a good month or two before you see your true results, because everywhere then fat is removed will fill up with fluids from the swelling.

My goal weight was 165, which is actually 10 pounds "overweight" by the BMI charts. The lowest I got was 153, but that was definitely too thin for me. 165 is my happy space. To the OP, here are some pics for you. My highest weight was 270, my weight in the "after" photos was around goal of 165. I am 5'6" tall.

Sounds like you are doing great! Congrats on all your success thus far!

At 5'9", 119 would be underweight. You definitely don't want to go that low! A normal BMI range for 5'9" is 125 to 168.

I had liposuction at the same time as my tummy tuck and breast augmentation. Do you have a specific question about it?

You ate TWO eggs and aren't dead? Oh, maybe you mean to halves, since they were deviled eggs... Anyway, I am over 2 years out and one egg with some cheese and one sausage link is my limit.

So 100 grams of protein isn't too much for three years out right? Cuz I eat A LOT of protein Naeema W. 100 grams is a pretty standard protein goal. I would aim for even more if you are doing strength training. It's definitely not TOO much. I would say you aren't risking getting "too much" protein until you are up to like 200 grams a day.

@ I only had trouble getting my Water in for the first two weeks or so. I had terrible esophageal spasms every time I swallowed, so it was very painful to take even the teeniest tiniest sip. My strategy for dealing with that was to march in place while sipping. It helped a lot. And I stuck to my nutritionist's plan for me to aim for 1 oz. every 15 minutes. I would sip, sip, sip constantly, not try to do the whole 1 oz. at a time! After a couple of weeks, the spasms went away and it was MUCH easier for me to get my water in. As for hitting my Protein goal, here is how I did it in my soft foods stage: Breakfast: Protein shake (20 grams) Morning Snack: String cheese (8 grams) Lunch: leftovers from dinner (15-20 grams) Afternoon Snack: Greek yogurt (12 grams) Dinner: usually a recipe like Shelly's baked ricotta, tuna salad, or some sort of pulled chicken in sauce from the slow cooker (15-20 grams) Evening Snack: Protein Shake (20 grams)

@@krissyvsg Most WLS patients experience hair loss between 3 and 6 months post-op. How much you lose and for how long is pretty unpredictable. There are *some* things you can do to help, but it's mostly out of your control. Make sure you get your Protein, Water, and Vitamins in from the start. That's what you CAN control. I have heard over VERY few cases where people's hair didn't eventually grow back. The VAST majority of people start to see regrowth immediately once the loss stops. For me I lost some hair between 3.5 and 5.5 months post-op. It was enough for me to notice, but no one else did. It started growing back immediately. I personally think the little "baby hairs" sticking up all over when it started regrowing were more noticeable than the thinning. I cut my hair shorter so it wasn't as obvious.

When it comes to faces, it does seem like a lot of us go through phases where we look a little sunken and sickly, but it does seem to even out eventually. Age seems to have a lot to do with it. For younger people, the skin and plumpness seem to bounce back eventually in maintenance. For older people, they can end up with some sagging skin in their neck and jowls. But I will say the same thing about this as I do to the people who fear hair loss and loose skin... no one ever died from it. People die every single day from obesity-related illnesses!

It definitely varies from person to person. Almost everyone experiences gas pain. They pump gas into your abdomen to make more room to maneuver the instruments. That gas gets "trapped" inside the patient and takes a while to work its way out. Which usually manifests as pain in the shoulder or back. Some people have nausea and even vomiting. I personally had esophageal spasms every time I swallowed for the first couple of weeks until the internal swelling went down. There's also sometimes soreness around the incision sites and sore ab muscles (like you did 100 sit-ups) in the early days. Oh, another thing I forgot to mention is that she will be really tired. Let her nap and rest as needed, but do encourage her to get up and walk around frequently. Just short little walks, nothing fast or long. Walking can help prevent blood clots and it also helps a lot with the gas pain.

@@Sleeved_Grace Glad to hear you are already feeling better! It truly does get a little better every single day. It feels like eternity when you are in the moment, but two weeks from now you will look back and not believe how much progress you've made in your recovery in such a short period of time.

I always love when I see posts from friends and family just wanting to support their sleevers. Good for you! In the early days post-op, expect for your friend to be in some serious discomfort, if not outright pain. And expect some grumpiness and mood swings. Try to be supportive, but not put any pressure on her to recover too quickly. Definitely do NOT eat any real foods around her. And don't bring her any foods that she isn't allowed for her current food stage. If you can, ask her to give you a copy of her post-op nutrition plan so you can familiarize yourself with what foods she will be allowed to eat when.

I would definitely track carefully for a bit just to try to get a good handle on where all your macros are. Make sure you are getting at least 100 grams of protein a day. I think 1600 calories a day is reasonable if you are trying to actively lose weight, even with the Tae Bo. I was running a lot in my weight loss phase and keeping my calories around 1400-1500. Now that I am in maintenance I do about 1900 on non-cardio days and 2200-2400 on cardio days.

I was never given calorie targets by my nutritionist, but I pushed pretty hard to get up over 800 calories a day so I could start doing more intense exercises than just "brisk walking" I would say I was probably around 800 a day at 5 weeks and pushed up to 1100 pretty soon after that, once I was cleared for running and strength training. I spent the majority of my weight loss phase around 1400-1500 calories.

@@blizair09 I wasn't cleared for more intense activity until 8 weeks post-op either, but I know some people are cleared sooner. I also know that some people start sooner whether cleared or not, because they are in some insane race to lose the weight super quickly. The OP did mention exercise, which made me think she might be doing more than just walking.

I did everything "right" through my post-op food stages. I followed my post-op nutrition plan like it was my Bible. I did my 60 total minutes of "brisk walking" per day. I got my Water and Protein in. Hit 100 grams of protein daily before I was even back on solid foods. As soon as I was cleared for more intense exercise, I started Couch to 5k and strength training. I met my goal weight right at my one year mark and have been maintaining for almost 16 months. I definitely don't do everything "right" anymore, but I do it well enough to maintain! Once you are in maintenance, it's about making good choices like 80-90% of the time.