GummyTummy

Congrats on no pain. KEEP WALKING to rebuild your core strength and you might take some gas x strips just in case. Keep us posted.

Pop your surgeon's name up here so we can help you do a little bit of quick research. Hopefully you have already done a great deal of your own, but it would be helpful to know who we are talking about and if this is a repeat issue for his office. That being said, many things such as hormone crazed office politics, a clerical error, a technical error, and general laziness could have contributed to you not being listed on the surgical roster for your doctor. None of which are necessarily his fault. A lot of those surgeons depend on their PA to help setup the schedule and you may have slipped through the cracks because you are self pay and they aren't used to dealing directly with a patient for financing. Paperwork may have been filed incorrectly etc. Do not give up if your surgeon has a good track record. I know you are fearful and everything in you ( I call mine the beast) wants to hold on to your nasty eating habits and doesn't want them taken away or changed by this surgery. Let the new you, the strong you that decided to make this life changing choice put these people in their place, get yourself in early in the surgical rotation that day, or even delay it for a week at most. Keep us posted.

Jess, It sounds like your doctor has you on a preop diet that includes food. I am not a registered nutritionist by a long shot but I would suggest moving over to a diet that includes at least two Protein shakes a day. One shake for Breakfast would be easy, and one for dinner if you have the bad habit of eating too much too late in the day. The whole point of them being Nazi's about your weight preop is that they want to shrink your liver for surgery so that it is safer for you and easier for the doctor. Additionally, I would ask for copies of your blood work and do a bit of research on your own to see if your TSH levels are off. Those are the delightful thyroid stimulating hormones that tell the docs if your brain is being lazy about telling your thyroid to work or if it is overactive. Check your own Vitamin levels, sometimes our bodies crave what they are deficient in. Completely cut out all sugared beverages. Lastly, even if they didn't approve you which I am sure they will if you have suffered lifelong weight issues, you should not give up on having this surgery. I'd pick pennies off the street to pay for it if I had to and I am not even one month post op. During my preop diet I actually lied to myself daily and pretended I had already had the procedure and that I wouldn't risk damaging my new tummy if I derailed on the liquid diet. Mine was full blown liquids only so it took all of my bad decision making chances away. This may be what you need. We are here for you, don't give up. If you aren't walking 30 minutes a day, do it. There's a little secret about the first 8lbs of weight loss and a reason why we gain it back. The body stores 2lbs of glycogen in our muscles / liver to use as energy. In order to keep that readily available in our muscles our body uses 6lbs of Water to stabilize / liquefy the glycogen. When we first lose weight, we shed that weight rapidly through urination / sweat etc. However, a week to three later, your body needs to rebuild those stores and when it does you regain all 8lbs you lost. You have to push your body for more if you want more to come out of it. Also, stay away from the salt. It will make you retain water which also skews the scale.

Snowkitten, The advice you are getting is pretty spot on. My only suggestions are these - make sure you have a family member / friend / or nurse actually help you out of bed each time you get up for the first day or two. You and I pretty much will have been identical in weight and to avoid tearing any mending muscle / sutures / or staples, I needed some help actually getting to my feet. I walked alone and the first several times it was with the aid of the IV pole. About every two or three hours was ideal for walking. Also, assuming you don't have to get a cath, you will be walking to the potty to pee about this often so just ask your body to go a bit further and walk around the floor you are on. Stop when you are out of breath. One final thing, I actually had a major issue with my nurse forcing me to walk prior to me being given any pain meds. DEMAND pain meds if you are in pain. Walk when you are ready but know that it helps get rid of the gas bubble and prevents blood clots way better than those snazzy little compression socks they will put on your calves. As a female, buy a pair of loose fitting giant pajama pants from Roaman's. I actually ordered one either 4 or 5 x, they fit like a parachute but you know as ladies we don't want the world seeing are backside or up the front each time we swing our leg to get out of bed. Those hospital gowns aren't really made for large people even when they are made for large people. Your swollen tummy will appreciate loose fitting clothing. Best wishes

The body does not and cannot heal without Protein. As far as the juice is concerned, maybe you have some underlying diabetic issue that he wants you to have sugared juices for but every single sleeve band and bypass diet I have seen steers you away from the empty calories of juice. Water and protein should be your best friend. Do you have a costco or sam's near you? Premier Protein shakes are relatively inexpensive and pack high Vitamins and protein while not having that chalky chunky taste of most shakes. Good luck with this. and toast? Maybe he wants you back for a revision or something - bread stretches out your pouch. It is part of the reason we keep weight on. Seek another opinion asap or call your primary care doctor.

SHRINK THAT LIVER! =) you can do it. Don't cheat on liquid preop diets even though you will want to. Break any caffeine addictions you have right now so you aren't miserable... even more so after surgery.

Hi all. There are actually a couple of reasons - some of which have already been stated. If your tummy gets full on liquids, it will not be full of protein and that means you get hungry way sooner. Additionally, it flushes food through your stomach faster which doesn't allow for the brain belly connection to occur that says, " I ate this and now my stomach is full " because when your tummy is full of fluids or very liquid-esque things, it acts like a funnel instead of an actual stomach. Additionally, our stomachs are now much weaker in the way of crushing power and stomach acids / gastric juices - diluting what little acid we do have disrupts digestion. Hope this helps

It sounds like the quantities of sugar you are consuming fall under that sweet 16 guideline. Most nutritionists say that anything over 16mgs of sugar per serving starts to push people into dumping territory. Just be mindful and treat yourself on occasion only .

Very normal, keep hydrated! Liquid in liquid out.

Way to go Kim. Look good - feel good =)

Hi Jjin, A couple things that might work - get a baby spoon or utensil to use while at home. Forces you to take smaller bites, also, eat on a schedule even and especially if you aren't hungry ( unless you physically feel full ) You are more likely to eat fast if your brain is telling your body, hey I am hungry this person hasn't fueled me in a while. Make sure you are eating your Proteins first and YES, your article reading sounds like a great plan!

Nellie, get yourself one of those little 1oz medicine cups like the size that comes with nyquil and literally sip sip on those. The burning is not normal but if you are taking too large of swallows it can feel like you swallowed a rock. Also, forgo lady like tenancies and BURP ALL THE TIME. You have to walk to get that gas out, and you need to be able to drink at least 50 oz of Water a day or you are going back to the hospital with dehydration. You need fluids to heal. Good luck and keep us posted. ( most surgeons say you have to have 64 oz of water but 50 will at least keep you out of the hospital )

Hi Pirate, For us super fatties, we lose faster than people with lower BMI, so a lot of people in the 300+ lb range will lose about a lb every day or two whereas someone in the 250 range will lose slightly less. It really depends a lot on your metabolism, caloric intake, and how much you are able to devote yourself to walking / working out. A lot of people experience a huge initial loss of about 10 lbs after returning from the hospital and voiding themselves of the fluids they were filled up on / the glycogen that was stored inside muscles. Best luck. Any weight loss is awesome!

Hi guys. I know different surgeons have different plans but being on soft foods at two weeks seems WAY TOO SOON. My doctor David Kim has a torture plan that goes like this: Clear Liquids 1-5 days post op Full liquids (6-20) days post op ( this means shakes, strained fat free Soups, skim milk, diluted juices) soooo 2 weeks here Puree stage (21-35) days post op ( everything you eat has to be very wet, mashed, mulched, and even then you need to chew it. They say applesauce consistency so things like refried Beans etc Soft stage (36 -50 ) days post op - things like mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, very wet scrambled eggs etc. Each stage is a two week marathon of a different texture of food. Your stomach is not ready at 7 days to start processing things like crackers. Smack your doctor. He's performed over 6000 surgeries, he actually developed and trademarked the inverted staple line procedure for sleeve, and he hasn't had any leaks in any patients in the last 3000 since he went to the inverted line and this diet plan.

Ang, I have actually weighed myself every single day since I came home from surgery a little less than two weeks ago. It's like an addiction. <3 I am going to try and limit myself to twice a week just in case I hit a stall point and need to rev the engines.

Hi Violin, Don't worry, I had the same exact fears and through research found everyone saying - your restrictive tummy does not kick in until you go back to actually eating foods. Our stomach is basically a funnel for the fluids were are putting in it right now. As such, everything moves very rapidly through us that is not solid, Protein shakes included. Keep in mind you need to take your prescribed antacid because stomach acid mimics hunger, if you weren't prescribed one I suggest getting pepcid chewables. Good luck, I know we are both looking forward to that full feeling.

Hi Chan, I read a couple things about the back pain. First off, it could still be trapped gas that got into the muscles. Second, a lot of people depended on those extra pounds to sort of prop themselves up, as you lose weight you lose the padding around the middle and force all new muscles to compensate. Additionally, you could be avoiding use of your abs forcing your back muscles to work harder. If you have someone to massage you, make a deal with them for daily rubs. Make sure to stretch during the day. I would actually avoid the support pillows because you are going to wind up making those muscles weaker.

Hi there, I used pickles to curb the urge for bad behavior during my liquid preop. I will say this. Just keep reminding yourself that if you do not shrink your liver, your surgeon could do one of two things. He could start surgery and cancel it all together because of the risk of damaging your liver which you need to live, or he could opt to do a full blown open surgery which would mean a longer, more painful, and dangerous recovery for you. Preop is a very difficult time because you don't have the surgery to reinforce good behavior. I place your scale close to your refrigerator, drink a metric ton of fluids, and if you feel you want to cheat, have a veggie stick of some kind without dip. You HAVE to get the fat off of and out of that liver. You can do it. YOU ARE WORTH IT. YOU ARE THE DAUGHTER OF A KING

Hi Kim, I've read some people do a reset with two weeks of liquid diet and follow their postop nutrition plan. You also need to know that some of your weight is from excess skin. Maybe you are drinking some calories or could have possibly developed a thyroid issue? Have your blood checked, that was my preop weight loss issue. Sometimes it just acts up.

Just prior to surgery I bought myself the fitbit flex to help me along. I am looking for some friendly competitors or friends that want to encourage one another and keep one another on task. Mind you, I am just a week and a half post op so I won't be running any marathons for quite some time, but if anyone is interested you can shoot me a message and I will add you as a friend with your info. I am not interested in just broadcasting this across facebook at random. Thanks all.

James, It will all be worth it. I am actually self pay and to my surprise, I got to pay an additional 400.00 for medications upon discharge from the hospital for blood thinners, anti nausea, and pain meds. No one mentioned this extra cost but it is something we have to do for ourselves. I would look in to this insurance stuff and find the cheapest option if it is something your doctor really requires. Honestly, I have never heard of that before though. Also, awesome work on the liquid diet. I see your progress =) That part is actually one of the hardest. Believe it or not, after surg. you will want those nasty Protein drinks again when you are on Clear liquids for a few days. I hope they get your date resolved. Keep us posted.

Hi Sky, Don't feel so down. It is actually a sign that your body is breaking into your fat stores and burning it. We, as women, store a ton of hormones in our fat cells and when they start to break down our body gets massive doses of all that lovely storage. I am about 10 days out and had one of those days yesterday - I actually berated my fiance for not getting me Water when I asked for it ( apparently, him asking me which kind I wanted... propel / a frozen bottle from the fridge that I couldn't drink / or a bottle that wasn't in the fridge touched a fat nerve) It will get better.

Hi all, I found an interesting article when I was doing some research on Peanut Butter vs nut spreads and some info on PB2 came up. What I kept finding and that low fat peanut butters are not the way to go, but less of the real thing is. Something about how low fat spreads or things like PB2 remove the good fat that peanut butter offers ( like that of avocados, olive oil, and nuts in general). Any thoughts? http://smallbites.andybellatti.com/the-fallacy-of-better-peanut-butter/

My Nut. guide says it is okay to have it in very limited quantity at that stage because it is typically high fat, high sugar. Natural will be the best way to go. Just watch serving size vs fat / sugar / calories

If you are able to, ask your Doc about prenatal Vitamins. They are known to help hair and nail health and growth in non pregnant people.