mistybell

Thank you for this post! It found me when I needed to hear it most.

I've had everything on that list since my surgery in March except for homemade yogurt. That's only because I've never made my own yogurt, I've had plenty of the store-bought stuff. My surgeon's plan has been quite flexible and nothing is truly off-limits for me now that I've advanced through all of the stages of the post-surgery diet. If those foods are personally trigger foods for you, avoiding them is a good idea if that is what will help you be successful. However, if you have been brought to tears by eating something that could have otherwise been incorporated into a healthy eating plan it would be a good idea to seek a professional to discuss your food anxiety. Getting a boost from a therapist is another tool that would likely increase your ability to be successful. Good luck to you!

Hello! Congratulations on your progress so far! I'm a woman who is about half a foot shorter than you are, so my numbers may not be overly helpful but you asked for them so here they are. My surgeon's recommendation is 50-70 g Protein with no specific carbohydrate or calorie limit. My 'goals' in My Fitness Pal are set at 1,000 calories, 35% protein (88g), 35% carbohydrate (88g) and 30% fat (33g). I'm usually pretty happy as long as I hit about 800-1100 calories and at least 70g protein. I don't worry too much about the carbs and fat as long as they stay pretty balanced. I hope this helps you find what works for you!

Probably my strangest order so far was (Panera) half a Roasted Turkey and Avocado BLT with no bread, no mayo, no lettuce, no tomato and no side. Just the Turkey, Bacon and Avocado on a plate, please. I did order a (Taco Bell) steak soft taco fresco style with no lettuce, but I was too chicken to order it without the tortilla.

My program considers 1/2 c of skim milk one serving of dairy and my aim is to have 2 servings of food per meal. So, my program would consider 1c of milk or 1/2 c milk and 1T peanut butter examples of meals. So, 1/4 c of skim milk wouldn't quite be considered a meal in my program. Hope this helps!

Ultimately you will have to make the decision that is best for you, but I can share with you what helped me make my decision. I have diabetes, high blood pressure and borderline high cholesterol. I decided that I'd gladly trade my Metformin, Lisinopril and Lipitor for Multivitamins, Calcium and B12. I had lost significant amounts of weight before having the surgery, but it required a tremendous amount of focus and effort. Any time I lost focus the weight would come flying back. I decided that I was unable to keep up the amount of effort that I needed to lose weight and maintain that weight loss. Now that I have had the surgery (not quite two months ago) I am convinced that I made the right decision and the surgery has given me the assistance that I needed to get to a healthy weight and maintain it. There is still some effort and focus required, but not the miserable amount that was needed previously. Good luck to you!

I do like the Premier Protein bars, but I only eat half at a time. I'm supposed to be eating 5-6 small meals a day, so I try to hit around 150 calories and 10-15 grams of protein per meal. Half of a 30g protein bar fits my plan nicely. I also like the convenience of being able to keep one in my purse if I'm going to be away from home at meal time.

Although it is not an everyday meal, I was able to successfully incorporate a Lean Cuisine meal into my plan. I looked for meals that had about 300 calories and at least 20 grams of Protein. I then split the Lean Cuisine into two meals, each with 10 grams of protein. The volume came out to about 1/2 cup of food for each meal, which is the right size for me.

I have what may be a silly question, but when do you take Vitamins (or other medicines) that are in pill form? I've been released to swallow the pills without crushing, but I can't figure out when to take them. Most of the vitamins say that they are to be taken with food, but I would need Water to swallow them. Since I'm not supposed to drink and eat at the same time, I'm stumped. Which rule is better to bend? The 'must be taken with food' rule? What has worked for you? Thank you, Misty

Thanks! I figured I was making things harder than they needed to be. I appreciate the help.

I met with my nutritionist to advance to soft foods yesterday and she did clarify a few things about cereal and milk. She said that although it is on the list, it is not preferred because it does break the drinking while eating rule. She said I could try it if I wanted, but I may find that I get hungry sooner because it didn't stay in my stomach very long. If I find I get hungry, I should stay away from the cereal and milk. I hope this helps!

I haven't tried cereal because I'm still in the purée stage. However, the literature from my surgeon does allow cereal with milk at the next stage. It recommends 1/2c unsweetened cereal such as Cheerios, Cornflakes or Rice Krispies with 1/4 c skim milk. I should also add that the plan that I was given does not limit carbs as much as some other plans. I was given guidelines to incorporate 1-2 (1/4 cup) servings each of carbs, fruits and vegetables per day and 4 small servings each of meats and dairy.

Hopefully they get you out and you stay out for the scope. I imagine waking up during that procedure would be a bit uncomfortable to say the least.

I have not had that test yet. It sounds like it could be a bit uncomfortable. I'm not sure what tests I'll need quite yet, but I'm sure it will be on my list of things to do soon. Good luck when you have the test, is it scheduled yet?

That is awesome! I'm glad you're getting moved along quickly! My process is going smoothly. I had a two-part evaluation for the Living Well Program and I'm finished with that. I start my first weekly class on 11/24 and I'll have classes until 05/04/2015. They scheduled me for a 4 week "Life After Bariatric Surgery" class in April 2015, so once I'm done with my last Living Well class my file will be ready to submit to insurance. I have my evaluation at the Bariatric Clinic on 12/03, so it's right around the corner.

Hello @@TheSpoonieLife! I hope your visit at the clinic went well!

I'm at the very beginning of my process that requires a six month physician supervised weight management program with weekly meetings. I chose to be open with my boss because I'm lucky enough to have a very understanding manager who is willing to work with me. One of the advantages to having been open is that I was able to schedule the weekly weight management program meetings over an extended lunch on Mondays and not have to attend the evening meeting which is much more convenient for me and my family.

When I called to sign up for Living Well, they did say when I called that they usually wait until after the evaluation at the Bariatric Clinic to schedule Living Well, to see if it is recommended by the clinic. But they went ahead and scheduled me because it's required by my insurance. I'm glad they did, since my appointment at the clinic isn't until December, I probably wouldn't have gotten started with Living Well until January. I'm really hoping to have the surgery this summer while my daughter is out of school so I won't have to worry about getting her up and ready for school while I'm recovering. I think I found the BLAST handout you are talking about and you're right it does say one meeting a month for six months. I don't know anything for sure, but I wonder if there are different levels of classes depending on insurance requirements and patient need. The "Steps to Bariatric Surgery" on the OSUMC website says to attend weight management programs and lists BLAST, Life After Surgery, Living Well or Healthy Living. I wonder if you can take Life After Surgery, which may not take 6 months, instead of BLAST. I can't find anything that says how long the Life After Surgery program is. This, of course is all guessing, you'll know a lot more than me in a couple of weeks. Maybe we need to go to another information session while waiting on our appointments so we don't explode from too many questions.

Since your insurance doesn't require it, you won't have to worry about it. The six month diet is not a requirement for the OSU program, just my insurance. There are some education classes related to the surgery that you're required to take, but that's it. No diet needed.

Yes, we have been on the same track - My Physician Referral was Sept. 15th (looking into surgery was his idea) I went to the Information Session Sept. 25th Psychological Evaluation Oct 20th Bonus evaluations/orientation for the Living Well 6 month Diet program Nov 12th & 19th Clinic Evaluation December 3rd Ah, asking for the cancellation list is a good idea. I called today to schedule my appointment and My eval is Dec. 3rd. I'm going to have a monster list of questions to ask by then! However, since I have the six month diet requirement I suppose is no hurry, its going to be at least six months!

Hello TheSpoonieLife! I'm going through OSUWMC too, but I'm in about the same stage as you in the process, so I can't help with all of your questions. I had the psychological evaluation on 10/20 and haven't scheduled my nutritionist/medical evaluations yet. As far as the requirement for monitored dieting before surgery, I think that depends on your insurance. I have OSU insurance and I am required a 6 month supervised diet program before surgery. However, it is required by the insurance, not the Bariatric Program itself. Sorry I don't have many answers, but I wanted to at least say Hi!