Djmohr

For me it is all about hearty Soups or stoups as I like to call them. (Stoup = a cross between a Soup and a stew). Prior to surgery I lived for beef or chicken dumpling soup. I loved all pastas and dumplings. It's just the way I was raised. I changed my beef dumpling soup to a rich beef barley stoup. I use all the same vegetables but I add a half cup of barley to the pot. Barley is an awesome whole grain that actually has some Protein in it. It makes this stoup gloriously filling and my pouch absolutely loves it! I have made many soup recipes removing the Pasta or dumpling and swapping for some type of veggie or whole grain. Now, one of my favorite childhood foods that I love is called potato dumplings. It is another thick soup but obviously all carbs. It is made with bacon, onion and potatoes. I have yet to figure out if I could swap this one out somehow and I know that if I made this I would be in big trouble so I don't. This food item could be blamed for why I got into trouble in the first place. LOL!

@@Babbs, Damn! You mean I could have been eating ding dongs! Clearly I missed that opportunity because if I even indulge a little bit, my weight either stalls out or I gain. I love this point because it really is so valid. You can pretty much eat whatever you want in those 6 months and especially if you are exercising as well. Remember you are not really in charge at that point and the more you stick to the plan you will get the best results in a shorter period of time. I had to stay away from the ho hos and wine because of my inability to exercise the last 6 months. (2 spine surgeries) I still have not had a drink but my son (a whiskey expert), has picked out a fabulous whiskey for me to try for the first time. A sipping whiskey no less. Great point @@Babbs!

Just remember slow and steady wins the race. I know that sounds cliche but it really is the truth. I happen to be a daily weigher. I had to learn early on that the scale is simply 1 barometer in how you are doing. I focus more on how I feel and how my clothing fits. The weight on the scale is simply there to keep me focused. This is funny but there are days when I know that scale is not going to move or might even move slightly in the wrong direction. I simply tell myself not to expect anything or to expect bad news. Then when I lose I am surprised. You literally have to be ok with what the scale says. Also during long stalls (my longest was 28 days), after the first week or two of a stall I will try not to get on it if for some reason that stall starts to get to me. I learned early on there is really nothing you can do to change the stall, your body simply needs time to adjust. I will bet that you have lost some this last week, but if not next week is another week. I am literally 8lbs from my goal of 165 and this method has worked for me. I am also 16 months post op and down 137lbs. I lost quite a bit early on but them slowed to a crawl at about 8 months post op. I am still losing between 5 to 8 lbs per month and am thankful. If I had all my loose skin removed I would be very close to the bottom of the BMI chart for my height. You will do great! Good luck!

I definately had an eat like crap day today. I stayed within my calorie limit, am down a little on Protein because I had too many carbs and white carbs. The day started out great but we made in unplanned dinner at a pizza restaurant. Because they were well known for their thin crispy crust pizza I did indulge. Which means I had two very small pieces and a couple of breaded mushrooms. Of course, it was fantastic and it doesn't make me sick per se but I don't feel as good as when I stick to protein and veggies. I was really sassy because this pizza had crispy pepperoni on it so I was nibbling on that just to push some extra protein. At least that is what I told myself. We rarely do this sort of thing but had gone to my granddaughters basketball game. So everyone went after the game. So I know, that I will likely stall after a day like that which is fine. I won't gain because I didn't eat enough for that to happen.

Mostly bloated with a little sore in there. Honestly once I got rid of the gas by walking and staying hydrated I had no problem. In hospital 2 nights and came home with liquid Vicodin. That stuff burned my stomach so I avoided taking it as well as liquid Tylenol. I just toughed it out for a day or two because the pain meds don't cover the gas pain anyway.

Hooray! Congratulations!

Have you called your surgeon? They can give you something for the nausea and can check into why you are vomiting so much. That is not normal. Being dehydrated itself can cause nausea headache and vomiting. You need some help with this and should not be feeling so poorly 3 weeks out.

Honestly I have not had any problem absorbing pain meds. I had cervical fusion and another back surgery in June and November. I could literally take Tylenol 3 with my cervical fusion and it was very strong for me. I have since built up a tolerance given I have had 2 major surgeries and blew my shoulder out. Having that repaired on 2/12. I have been taking daily pain meds since November so I know I am building a tolerance. I am on heavy duty pain meds now but I have had no issue with malabsorbtion. Maybe you just need something stronger.

In addition to what James mentioned dehydration can really cause severe headaches. Also pain meds believe it or not.

Also, if you think you are feeling hungry, it could be that 1. You are actually dehydrated 2. It is not actual hunger but head hunger ( you will have to learn how to deal with this by distracting yourself) 3. For sleeve patients it could be reflux but for bypass patients refer to 1 or 2 as bypass cures the reflux issue.

With bypass the feeling of actual hunger does come back. They did cut the part of your stomach where the hunger hormones are but that will repair itself down the road. For me, it came back right around the end of my 4th month. That is why it is important in the beginning to measure your food and have a schedule of what you are going to eat and when. In the beginning it is even difficult to tell if you are full. Many people will begin to hiccup or will have a deep sigh. That is a warning that you need to stop now. For a bypass patient one more bite could send you to the commode to vomit. After the first time or two, you will figure out what full is supposed to feel like. You should never feel stuffed, that is not good to do to yourself and it is unnecessary. This is all about learning how to eat again. Your hunger will likely come back but even then it is not that gnawing hunger you used to have and a tiny little portion will find you full again in just a few bites. Remember skippin meals is not good for your metabolism. You need to eat 3 meals a day from the plan your surgeon gave you which should include a good high Protein well balanced nutritional plan. This is what will train your body and correct your metabolism. For now, focus on 48 to 64 oz. of fluids (non caloric) 1 gram of protein for every inch you are tall minimum Vitamins per your surgeons plan Then food also based on your surgeons plan It will get easier every day, I promise!

It is normal to struggle with liquids for the first couple of weeks. I am guessing you have a blockage that needs to be addressed which should help you. Have they talked about using a balloon to open up your pouch for you? That will really help you get enough nourishment in although it does sound like you are able to eat and drink some. At your stage I was on puréed foods only and could maybe get 1/8th to 1/4th of a cup of finely puréed food in. Honestly the most critical thing for you to focus on right now is your liquids. I struggled terribly in the beginning. I had to literally hold the cup in my hand and constantly sip sip sip all day long for those first 8 weeks. It takes about 8 weeks before the swelling goes down enough to take bigger sips. You might try that approach or setting an actual timer to go off every 5 minutes. When it goes off, you sip.

Park Nicollet's Bariatric center of excellence in St. Louis Park is where I went through this process. They are phenomenal! They have a well rounded program and their after care program is excellent! Also their pre op program and the amount of information you receive once you start the process is excellent as well. You can go on line and take their course but I would also recommend going to an in person orientation given by the nursing team. I especially love that several of the nurses in that dept. have had Bariatric surgery themselves and have been very successful, Dorothy is my favorite and will bend over backwards to help you with questions. Also, they have a special wing in Methodist hospital that is set up just for Bariatric surgeries. You actually get a private room that is more like a suite. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking to go through this process. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to reach out!

LOL! This whole thread is hysterically funny. Why do people have to be so rude? I love when people want the answer to a question but really don't want to hear feedback that they don't agree with. Everyone go have a glass of wine. LOL!

@@j16 I am not sure how old you are but I am 52. I was a yo yo dieter. I lost hundreds of pounds over the years only to gain them back and then some. It was easy peasy to lose the weight so I did not even concern myself. I did notice over time that it did become harder to lose and I always gained more than I lost. I am one of those people that looks at food and I gain weight. My husband and sons could not understand it because I did not eat a lot. I was never ever a member of the clean plate club. I did not always eat the right foods but I did not eat a lot. Finally in the last 5 years prior to my surgery I was unable to lose anything anymore! In fact my weight just kept piling on. I had so many comorbitities that I became sick. When I saw a nephrologist because I had been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease he told me that my metabolism was so screwed up from years of yo yo dieting. He then told me I was young enough to consider weight loss surgery. Getting to the point where you cannot lose weight without surgical intervention is pretty bad. It sounds like you still have the ability to lose. Don't wait too long. Gastric bypass was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I really wish I had done it years ago before I caused all this permanent damage to my joints and kidneys. Don't be afraid, just decide to change your life. I am down 138lbs in 15 months. I am 7lbs from goal and I have a normal BMI. I am no longer overweight. I also no longer have severe Gerd, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, anemia and my stage 3 kidney disease is in remission. Don't be afraid! Run fast but make sure you really are ready. The surgery is a tool that really does help you lose and maintain your loss but it is up to you to eat the right things and increase your activity. Good luck to you!

@@butterfly23 Yes I would be thankful nothing rude was said vs. nothing at all. My nlaws always say the wrong thing. I have a sister n law who was heavy as a child then as a young adult began with drugs and alcohol. She lost all of her weight and even more than she should. I have know her for 30 years now and never knew her as heavy. Yes, she is still heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol and barely eats anything. She has now become a type 1 diabetic because she basically damaged her pancreas. She is 5'7" and if she weighs 100lbs I would be shocked. Anyway, about 6 months after my surgery which she knew I had, she saw me and informed me that I was loosing way too much weight and I looked sickly thin. I still weighed over 200lbs at the time. I knew she was scared I might become thinner than her and that was her real motive. I have not seen her since August, I have lost quite a bit of weight since then and am 7lbs from goal. I don't look forward to the next time I see her because I am certain rudeness will come shooting out of her mouth. My mother n law would usually make comments about both my weight and my husbands and she was obese herself. It's just strange how people think it is ok to say whatever they want. Be glad......and congratulations on your progress!

What kind of fitness tracker are you using? To really burn 3000 calories in a day you would literally have to do several hours of hard core cardio and even then 3000 is a lot. Are you sure your fitness tracker is working?

I have learned a lot about this over the last 2 years. I chose to limit who I told until after my surgery. I had a 9 month process before surgery was scheduled. Once I knew my surgery was going to happen, I shared it with more people. What I learned most is my real friends did not "grill" me, they supported me. Those that "grilled" me or shared horror stories with me ended up no longer wanting to hang out. They slowly stopped coming around or made excuses for why they did not want to get together. These were mostly people I had worked with for many years.

My goodness, you made a beautiful bride! Congratulations!

I am glad to hear you are doing something about this now. I am often asked if I regret having gastric bypass. I always respond that the only thing I regret is waiting way too long. I am 52 and I have severe osteo arthritis of my spine as well as other joints. I have had a total of 6 back surgeries as of November and I am looking at another. Multiple fusions. I also have severe bone on bone arthritis of my shoulder and will have surgery on 2/12 to repair it. Don't wait one more second than you have to. People do not realize the permanent damage to their bodies. You are still very young but it is definitely time to do something now. Good luck and if you need anything or have questions, feel free to reach out.

Looking great already! Congratulations!

@@Tressa Teel Congratulations! I am a bypass patient and it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. It is normal to feel that fear at this stage. Not everyone gets dumping but if you do you will learn what to do and what not to do very quickly. Don't worry so much about it. Yes, in the beginning you will drink an ounce or two at a time and you will be full. When you get to purée and soft food stages, one or two bites and you are full. Down the road, that will increase to 1/4 cup and even later 1/2 cup. I am 16 months post op and depending on what I am eating I eat between 3/4 cup and 1 cup of food and I am full. I am down 137lbs, 8lbs from my ideal weight. I dropped from a size 3x to a large. I dropped from a 26jeans to a 12 and soon to be 10. I no longer have type 2 diabetes, severe Gerd, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and my stage 3 kidney disease is in remission. I wish you the very best of luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

@@asantiago I promise everyday things will get better! I feel fantastic and am so glad I had this surgery. Because I am so much further along I do get real hunger but it doesn't take much to be full. I really can eat pretty much anything but that doesn't mean I do. There are only a few things that make me sick. 1. Eggs - I still cannot eat eggs without getting sick, I think this is an aversion 2. If I do eat bread, which is rare it must be toasted or it feels like it clogs up my stomach and then I cannot get enough protein. Protein and good fats keep you full longer, bread and other carbs will make you hungry again and will also generate cravings. 3. Anything overly sweet. Again this is a taste aversion for me and I am truly happy about this because I used to be a sugarholic. That doesn't mean I don't indulge in a little dark chocolate or cheesecake that is not overly sweet every once in a while. I do mean once in awhile. 4. If I overeat, I will get sick. Early on I would hiccup or sigh and that was my signal that I was full. Now, I still eat slowly and I listen to my body. You basically learn what full feels like all over again. You should never feel stuffed. My pouch does not allow me to overeat, I will get sick. 5. Lastly if I eat too fast or don't chew, it actually causes pain in my chest like something is stuck. When that happens, I am done eating so I really am careful All of this stuff comes with experience. You learn to take your time and you learn your new pouch. Remember I am 16 months post op and moving into maintenance. The best thing you can do for yourself is follow the food plan exactly which will make you feel better sooner.

@@asantiago Yes and honestly that doesn't go away. I am 16 months post op and just drank a protein shake. My tummy is rumbling away. You get used to hearing it.....LOL! So does your family!

You look fantastic! Congratulations!