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Yeah! Good for you and I know you can lose those last few pounds! You are going to be a Rick star at this!

That fluctuation is completely normal. There will be times when you get closer to your goal when you will go weeks without losing anything. As long as you are hitting your Protein goal which should be a minimum of 1 gram for every inch you are tall. You are getting 64 oz. of Water and you are feeling satisfied you are doing very very well. I have never focused on caloric intake and have been told not to even worry about it. The only time I changed was when I hit a 3 week long stall. I was literally getting between 450 calories and 600. I was told to add some additional calories via protein. As soon as I did that I started losing again. I am now almost nine months post op, I average between 75 and 85 grams of protein which is my primary focus. I do know that my daily caloric intake is between 900 and 1100 daily. The only reason I know this is because I use fitness pal to track. Just like you I eat when I am hungry or its time and yes, every once in a while I will eat something like a few spoons of ice cream or something. I don't make a habit out of it but I also don't deprive myself of anything. Enjoy this honeymoon period because it gets harder as time goes by.

I just started drinking from a straw only because my neck is in a collar and I am not supposed to bend it. I have not noticed any difference in bloating or extra gas in my tummy. I believe it was in the beginning they did not want me to use one.

Definately make an appointment asap. Sorry this is happening and hopefully it is nothing too serious. Good luck!

This is a great topic. I am 8.5 months post op. In the beginning I was lucky if I could get 1/4 cup in. As the swelling in my tummy went down i noticed I could eat more depending on what I was eating. For example, if I eat Soup, yogurt or soft foods I can eat 3/4 to 1 cup at this point. If I eat meat like chicken, fish, beef, pork I can eat maybe a half a cup. My nut actually cleared a lot of this up for me as well. She mentioned and continues to tell me this. You have to think about the amount of food you are ingesting after it is chewed up because that is actually how it enters your tummy. the volume of food you eat post chewing is actually more than if you just measured it. which if you think about this it makes sense. I no longer measure my food. I know what my stomach can tolerate and I have learned over time to eat slowly (no more than 30 minutes) and pay attention to whether or not I am satiated. If you do that, all the measuring stuff which I did religiously in the beginning won't be necessary. I never take longer than 30 minutes because your pouch begins to empty at that point. If you continue to eat past that point you could in fact be over eating. This was one of the rules my Bariatric team drilled into my head and I follow religiously. You could literally eat all day and eat around the new tool you have. I also steer clear of any fluids 30 minutes before and after eating so I don't flush my food before my body has a chance to absorb the nutrients.

There are so many many posts out there on this topic. Please make sure you do your research and spend time with your doctor discussing your personal health history. I planned to go with the sleeve and had my heart set on it. When I met with my surgeon we discussed the fact that I suffered from reflux/Gerd. He recommended that I go with RNY instead. I was devastated and actually got a second opinion from my gastroenterologist who told me the same thing. They both asked me why I was afraid of bypass since it is the gold standard in WLS. I shared my big concern which was malabsorption and of course all the old horrible stories that were out there. I learned very quickly as I researched the heck out of this topic that if you follow the plan, get your labs drawn like you do regardless of which surgery you have, take your Vitamins which you also have to do regardless of which surgery you have, malabsorption will actually help you. I also started reading about how many lap bands and sleeves have to be converted to bypass because of reflux. I wanted to go through this surgery only once. Even if you don't suffer from reflux now, both the band and sleeve can actually cause this issue where the bypass cures it. Only you and your doctor can decide what is right for you, I am only suggesting that you continue to do research like you have clearly already begun. It will be worth it to you in the end. Good luck on whatever choice you make. Please feel free to reach out. P.S. Not everyone struggles with dumping syndrome either. If you do the bypass hoping that will control behaviors as some people do you may be disappointed. I would research that as well.

@@glitter eyes What a great accomplishment. Happy Surgiversary! You have done absolutely outstanding. Thanks for sharing such a positive inspiring post with your Bariatric pal family. We are all proud of your accomplishments! And by the way, that sitting cross legged thing really is a big deal! It makes me feel like a young kid again!

@@ejones8979 After you begin soft foods it does start to come off a little slower than that first month post op. I lose on average 2.5 lbs per week and I am told that is excellent. There are some weeks where I don't lose anything at all but some where I will lose 5 lbs. And unfortunately there will be stalls along the way. It is very rewarding to know though that you can lose weight pretty darn consistently if you follow the plan. I am down 111lbs in just 8.5 months and consistently losing. I never thought that would be possible. Don't let those darn slow weeks or days bring you down, just stick to the plan and your new tool will help you get there! Good luck!

I was on Bipap as well. To get clearance I I needed was a copy of my last sleep study and a printout of your last download. I was immediately cleared. You should ask them what this entails.

That is a tough question to answer. Have you gotten a second opinion? I had my gallbladder out many years before my bypass. But it was clear that I had so many gallstones at the time they had to do an open procedure. I would consider a second opinion

Are you getting enough Fluid? That in itself will cause your symptoms. You might call your doc and let him know, they can prescribe something for nausea which will help. Don't let yourself get dehydrated.

Definately not. I actually started losing while on the pre op diet. It got worse around month 3 and even worse at month 6. I am 8 months post op and still losing. The important thing is to get your Protein, Iron and realize that your hair grows back, you won't lose it in Patches, it will just thin out a lot. If you take Biotin it will help with regrowth but it will not stop your hair from falling out. Also a shorter haircut really does help hide it because as your new hair grows in which is fast while on biotin, it will catch up faster if you have a shorter hairstyle. My surgical team told me it will slow down and stop when your body gets to goal.

I know right! I always felt humiliated when I would have to ask. I traveled for work and was usually sitting with a co-worker. Ugh! Every time I fly I secretly smile when I clip that belt and have another 10 inches or so left! Way to go! There will be many more cool things that happen. Saturday I had to go to the er for something unrelated and since losing all this weight my tailbone hurts so bad that if I sit on something without a lot of padding, it is very painful. Well I was in there for several hours on one of their gurneys and finally sat on the bed like a child "Indian Stlye". I was sitting like that for about 30 minutes and my husband looked at me and said look how you are sitting. I smiled like a Cheshire Cat and said, yes I know I have not been able to sit like this for 30 years! But my tailbone felt better! I was proud of me! Good luck on your journey!

@@caligul Too funny. I am literally having lunch, took my first bite of cottage cheese while reading your post. I am 8.5 months post op and still rumbling! It just comes with the territory I think. My grouch pouch loves to tell me when she is happily eating or drinking. She also yells at me when I eat too much by being very very quiet. I can usually tell if I am full because of her lack of noise. You will get used to it but others do hear it. My hubby thinks it is actually funny.

This is a fantastic topic and one that will come with many opinions. I have psoriatic arthritis, osteo arthritis, and degenerative disc disease in my spine. I have had 5 major back surgeries my first in 2001. After that first lumbar spinal fusion it left me with severe nerve pain down my right leg that never went away. I was having epidural injections, trigger point injections and was on Neurontin, lyrica, Celebrex and a small dose of methadone daily for pain for nearly 10 years. I had a neurostimulator implanted to help with the nerve pain in an attempt to get off all these drugs. By the way, I worked full time an averaged 60 hours a week while all of this was going on. I felt like crap every single day and being on all these drugs was not even helping me control the pain. I decided I was done and went to my pain specialist for help to make sure I did this right. By this time I was no longer on lyrica, Neurontin or Celebrex because my neurostimulator was helping with done of the nerve pain, I was still on methadone and Flexiril. I felt like the pain meds just caused me a different kind of pain and wondered what it would be like to be off all this stuff. I started by first stopping the muscle relaxer. It honestly made no difference. Then I was taking 1 5mg tablet of methadone in the morning and one at night. We started by reducing my nighttime dose in half. I did that for two weeks, the we reduced the daytime dose by half and I stayed that way for a month. I felt better and there was no increase in pain. I then stopped taking the nighttime dose and only took that 2.5 min the am. I stayed like that for a month then stopped all together. I did go through withdrawal but it was much milder than if I would have just done this on my own. My withdrawals primarily consisted of achy bones throughout my body. We read that some of these narcotics stay deep within your tissues and actually can cause more pain then they help. It took another month before I started feeling good. Yes, I still had arthritis pain and I took Tylenol and used ice and meditation but it works. I have since had Bariatric surgery and was off the pain meds within 5 days post op. 2 weeks ago I had a 3 level cervical spinal fusion and up until my surgery was not taking anything. I a have now weaned myself almost completely off those pain meds and taken them only when I absolutely cannot tolerate the pain. Oh and by the way, all of these pain meds and drugs resulted in stage 3 kidney disease for me which is why I finally made the decision to get RNY. I will get off this pain med by the end of this week. I prefer to use ice, deep breathing and getting my body moving. This is my personal belief that comes from years of chronic pain. Pain meds ultimately cause more pain than they relieve. There is an appropriate time and place for them when they are absolutely beneficial (usually post surgery and short term only). They are not a good solution for long term pain. There are other avenues that can provide good quality relief. This is just my two cents. I would recommend leveraging your pain specialist to help you build a good plan to get off if that is what you decide to do. Whatever you do, don't just stop taking them cold turkey it will make you very ill. The best of luck to you! Please feel free to reach out with questions.

@@The Candidate said this so well! This is all about being ready to make some changes and holding yourself accountable while still living your life. If you are ready, you will be successful. I know this is easier said than done but try not to worry. Focus on one change at a time. Trust me life without caffeine and soda is good. Take it from someone who was addicted to both. I know this is weird but I actually crave water! It is the only thing I drink daily and I actually prefer it that way now. Every once in a while I will have a craving for a nice hot cup of tea and then I have it. I choose not to abstain from any foods. I follow a very balanced high Protein, lower carb diet and yes I snack. I have just learned to make very wise choices every day. Then on that special occasion I will have a bite or two of cake or ice cream. Guess what it doesn't even taste good so that is all I need to satisfy me. My nutritionist has taught me that you can eat pretty much anything you can tolerate as long as you focus on getting your protein in first. The trick with that is protein fills you up fast and keeps you full longer. She taught me two bites of protein to every 1 bite of good carbs like vegetables and fruit. Lots of Water and get moving and the plan will not fail! You will do well because you are already doing your research, don't ever stop. I swear I learn something new on this site every single day. Bariatric Pal is a family who is experiencing a lot of the same feelings, frustrations and experiences and we all learn from one another. I thank god every single day for the scientists, doctors, nurses and nutritionists that focus their efforts on helping those of us who suffer from the disease called obesity. They have literally saved my life! All my comorbitities are gone and I have never felt better about myself. Oh, and I am not afraid to shout it from the rooftops. If I can help even one person who is struggling with this disease go get help then it is worth telling people that I have done it. The best of luck to you! Keep us posted and certainly feel free to reach out with questions if you like!

My team has a specific requirement for each expert. I see both the nutritionist and my favorite Bariatric nurse who happened to have bypass herself. I of course saw my nut once per month during the pre op phase and then once each time the diet phase changed until I was cleared for normal food. So I saw her after week 1 post op where they changed me from Clear liquids to full liquids, then again a week later when I went from full liquids to puréed, the again when I went from puréed to soft foods. I stayed on soft foods for a month then saw her again when she cleared me for regular foods. Then it has moved to 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year. You do build a good repor with them. I love my nut, she has taught me a ton about how my new system works and it really helped me stay the course. I have lost 110lbs in 8 months and have 35 to go.

In my opinion it is less about pain and way more about getting used to your new way of life. Sounds easy right? Not! The first week you are mostly on Clear liquids sipping almost every moment you are awake to keep from getting dehydrated. The second week it is usually full liquids along with 64 oz. of clear liquids. Again, sipping constantly. It is almost impossible to drink/eat everything they want you too which can leave you feeling weak and dehydrated. You start to feel better in week 2 but you still get very tired easily. Week 3 you start to feel much better depending on your ability to stay hydrated and by week 4 most folks are starting soft foods which makes you feel better yet. It all depends on your ability to tolerate the new diet and stay as close to on track as possible. If you try to jump into things too soon it can actually set you back. I started feeling really good by week 4. Prior to that I had to nap during the day and literally hold a glass of some type of liquid in my hand sipping constantly.

I eat all fruit. These are good carbs and you need them to balance out your meals. My nut focuses heavily on balance not abstinence. You will be more successful in maintenance or so I am told.

That sounds delicious!

@@MissLiss, Good for you! I have the same problem with back aches while walking. As we lose weight everything drops lower putting pressure on our spines. Just make sure you ice after your walks. Good luck!

I track everything via myfitnesspal or I would not know this. My main focus is obviously Protein. My goal has been set for a minimum of 70 per day, 1 gram for every inch I am tall. I have found that if I stay around 1000 to 1200 calories per day and limit my good carbs to around 85 to 90 max, I lose on average about 2.75 pounds per week which is good for how far along in the process I am. I will say that I try to focus all of my carbs on good carbs like fruits and vegetables. Occasionally I will have a small amount of potatoes or a bite of rice and it doesn't bother me. If I have a day where my plate is not balanced well, I will stall out and it will take me a week or so to get back on track with weight loss. I am 35lbs from my goal and have lost 110 lbs.

I have had this and still get it depending on the time of day and temperature of the Water. I cannot drink icy cold water first thing in the am. I have to give my tummy time to wake up. For me either room temp or warm water first thing in the am. Then (and it took me a very long time to get here) I love my water icy cold later in the day assuming I am sipping. This is very recent and I am 8.5 months post op. If I gulp, I will still get that feeling like my tummy seizes up. I can actually drink room temperature water vs. sipping it and it never bothers me.

Yes you do burp and the first few days after surgery it can be painful. I find I burp more drinking through a straw which you are not supposed to do. (I just had neck surgery so I cannot tilt my head back and am forced to use a straw) Also if you gulp too much liquid too fast it can cause you to burn and for me even now that can be painful. Sip, sip, sip is the key. I don't burp from simply eating nor do I ever get indigestion, reflux or Gerd which used to be a huge problem for me. This is why I chose bypass.