wcdaniels

I would be most interested in Quest Bars (and maybe chips) and Pure Protein shakes. These are really the only "bariatric specific" things I'm using right now. I also am not interested in any auto-ship features, although I'd be perfectly fine with reminders every month via email.

Bariatric Foodie is another great website for recipes, even if they're not tailored to singles. I never ate leftovers before surgery, and I eat them all the time now. I'm not sure why I changed my view on them, but I definitely have. Whatever was for dinner the night before is almost always lunch the next day. And if it's anything like chili, Soups, etc, I save individual portions in the freezer to just take out whenever I'm rushed for a meal.

According to my surgeon: How long was it before you could lift your children? - We were on 10lbs restrictions for 6 weeks How long did you need help taking care of the kids after your surgery? - I didn't really start to feel normal until 3-4 weeks. I was fine taking care of my 5 year old around then, but that's quite different from a 2 year old. I felt totally recovered at 6 weeks, so if you're counting on that, you should be good. How many nights did you stay in the hospital? - I was in there 3 nights. I had a swelling in my stoma that wouldn't allow Water to pass the first day after surgery. Most of his patients only stay 2 nights. Anything else I should know about post-op and kids? - It was really hard not picking up my daughter for 6 weeks. We were both so happy when I hit that 6 week mark!

Good for all of you who are having surgery young! Why subject yourself to all sorts of problems over the years before getting the help you need? I waited until I was 39, and I should've done it sooner. I hit 300 lbs by the time I was 20, eventually getting up to 380 lbs by 22. Being young just means that you'll have even more success with your surgery. Follow the instructions to the letter, stay strong, and you'll do great!

Chances are pretty good if you add fruit and grains, your weight loss will slow down. But as long as you're focusing on Protein first, and getting all of your protein in during meals, you should be okay. Also, as soon as you're cleared for full activity (if you're not already), make sure you are exercising. It has a huge impact on weight loss and reshaping your body.

I just met with my nutritionist about a week ago, and she told me that I might be too low. I'm getting 900-1000 calories a day, and she said I should be at around 1200. I've been losing okay, so I'm not too worried about it right now, but if I go into a stall, I'll need to bump it up some.

I'm not at goal yet, but I've been struggling with this lately. I've been getting a ton of complements, but it's hard to accept. I can actually shop at normal stores now, going from a 4x shirt to a 1x, and from a 48 waist down to 38. But these clothes I put on everyday seem so tiny.

The 3 week stall is very common for RNY patients. I think it is for sleeve also, but don't quote me on that. For some it comes after just 2 weeks, for others it waits for 4 or 5 weeks after surgery. It seems to be the body's response to the major surgery and then the rapid early weight loss. It can be discouraging, but hang in there. Once your body adjusts, the weight will start coming off again. Exercise definitely helps getting over stalls. If you're not exercising (or you can't yet), do it as soon as you can. If you are exercising, try changing things up. It also really helps to log everything you eat during the day. It really helps to make sure you're not eating more than you think you are. Stay strong! You all can get through this!

At about that 3 week mark, my weight loss changed from a downward slope to stairs - hold for a while, big drop, hold, drop, etc. It's been that way ever since. But I also have noticed my body reshaping. When you're working so hard, it's frustrating to not see something change in the scale every day, but keep the big picture in mind. It will come off!

I didn't really feel normal until sometime a little after the 6 week mark. Since you're about there, hopefully it happens soon. I got my first energy boost at about 2 1/2 months. The last two weeks have been nice!

My doctor said I should be off one week, the nurse practitioner said at least three weeks, and four would be better. I went back after two weeks, and while I made it through the day, I was really wiped at the end. (I'm a high school teacher).

I feel fortunate because I've never been told this to me. I would be just as angry as anyone else. My best friend lost 80 lbs, but he did it by isolating himself from his family and walking on a treadmill 2-3 hours a night. He was skeptical about me having the surgery until I explained to him that my main reason was to control my diabetes. The weight loss was a wonderful side effect. While I of course agree that it is not the easy way out, I don't think I would classify it as the "easier" way (at least for me). I went through pain post-op, discomfort for 6 weeks until my insides healed, went 6 weeks without picking up my daughter, was exhausted all the time, struggled with nasty Protein shakes, struggled with liquids and pureeds, and struggled taking Vitamins multiple times a day. It got so much easier at the 6 week mark, as almost all of these things went away, but it was a challenge. It would've been much easier to follow a traditional diet and not have the surgery. Would I have been as successful? No, but it would've been easier. I told everyone at work I was having this done, as well as everyone on Facebook. I wrote a long, extremely honest blog post, and gave the link to anyone who had any questions on why I was getting this done. I laid it all out there for anyone to see: my lost struggle with my weight, my minimal success and my many failures, my embarrassing and soul-crushing public issues (not fitting into seats, being rejected for my weight), and the health issues my weight was causing. I think it really helped people to understand why I had my surgery, and why it was really something that HAD to happen. Many people aren't comfortable with sharing so much personal information, I get that. I still surprise myself that I did it. But I'm glad I did, and I get nothing but support from my family, good friends, and acquaintances.

My doctor's plan calls for us to eat 900-1200 calories a day from 6 weeks on, along with 60-80g of Protein for women, and 80-100g for men. I've found My Fitness Pal to be very valuable to track what I'm doing. I ignore their percentages for the day and recommendations, but focus on just the basic numbers of what I have been eating. I find that I usually hit my protein goals before dinner, and I'm usually at about 500 calories at that point. Most days, I'm probably at right around 900 calories.

I was in a 48, and I'm currently in a 42. My smallest in high school was 34, so I'd say ideally 34-36.

I'm a type 2 diabetic. I was on 5 medications before surgery, and my surgeon described me as "an insulin-dependent diabetic that doesn't take insulin." When I left the hospital, I was down to just metformin twice a day (1/3 of what I was taking before) and nothing else. I was disappointed that it wasn't totally in remission, but it was still a huge improvement. I'm really hoping that as my weight continues to drop, I will eventually get off of medication altogether. My morning sugars are slowly coming down.

Totally agree with Amy: you trusted your surgeon to perform the operation, you need to trust his or her recommendations for what to do afterwards. But for FYI: My plan calls for 3 meals plus three high Protein Snacks from 6 weeks through 7 months. I am to get 80-100g of protein a day, and 900-1200 calories. My first snack is a Protein shake, my second snack is a stick of string cheese, and most days I don't end up eating my third snack, mainly because snacking after dinner was a huge reason my weight got so high, and I just don't want to get in that habit, even if it is a healthy snack. I get my protein daily (usually over 100g), and I'm normally at around 1000 calories daily.

I couldn't get all my Water in until I started using a straw. I emailed my nutritionist around the 4-5 week mark, and she said to go ahead. As soon as I did that, it was much easier to get the water in during the day, and I haven't had any problems with excess air or anything else. Think about contacting your doctor's office and see what they say about straws.

Like sunflowerchild said earlier, you're more likely to read negatives online (about anything, really) than positives. When we're not happy with something, we want to warn everyone, but if we're happy, we don't always do anything about it. Having said that, one of the things that really reassured me before surgery is how many more positives you read about on forums than negatives. Sure, they're there, and they may stick in your mind, but most of us have had really positive experiences. I'm 10 weeks today, and I've had a bunch of positives: getting off of almost all of my medications, losing 70 lbs, being able to exercise with less pain, fitting into smaller clothes, fitting in a theater seat, and having more self confidence. And that's all in less than three months. I can't wait to see what the summer brings!

I'm 39, and my BMI started at 42.5. I ended up staying an extra day in the hospital, because my stoma was swollen shut the day after surgery. I ended up going back to work 2 weeks later, and I really couldn't have done it any earlier. I'm a high school teacher, and I told my principal that I would be teaching from my desk for a while. Those first two weeks back were exhausting, and I didn't stop napping after work until I hit the 4 week mark, and I finally felt normal at the 6 week mark. If I were running around with kindergarteners, or had a more physically demanding job, I would've needed more than the 2 weeks.

I've read online that these shots actually aren't good for us, because it's the wrong sort of Protein and we don't absorb it well at all. I'd doublecheck with your doctor's office and ask if they think it's okay. I will second the idea of the Syntrax Nectars. When I was new post-op, they are what got me through the Protein shakes. I just couldn't do anything creamy. But I got really sick of those a couple of weeks ago, and now I drink the Premiere Protein shakes from Sams (even though they're creamy, I'm okay with them now). I really don't get a protein taste from them.

I love seeing how many different opinions there are out there on almost everything regarding our surgeries. For Prilosec, I was told 20mg twice a day for 3 months, and then I'd be dropped to once a day. I was taking one a day before surgery for acid reflux, but it was because of a side effect of another medication (byetta). Since I no longer take that, I don't really think I need it after the 3 month period. I'm going to talk to them about it at me 3 month checkup. And for straws, I went through all my pre-op classes and got the impression that I was to never use one again. But after reading how so many people online use one, I emailed my nutritionist, and she told me that it would be fine. I'm glad, because I found it much easier to get all my Water in with it.

Nah, it's only the Pens. Skip it, it's not like it's the Wings or anything! But I hope everything goes well for you today. I couldn't have done it that soon, especially with all the steps in an arena, but maybe you'll feel fine!