goodnuff

I ran across this from another thread http://www.bariatriceating.com/our-story/about-sml/ just the kick in the pants view point that I needed

@@IndieDivaIN if you search for "3 week stall" you will come across lots of posts from so many that stalled at the same time. It's typical so don't worry, this isn't the end of the road for you.

Easy is not part of the equation. We are, and always will be, faced with food everywhere we turn. You just have to buck up and take advantage of your tool. Get used to making good choices most of the time so that when the honeymoon is over it's a habit to choose lean Protein over sweets and to choose a walk over sitting in front of the tv or computer. Don't waste this opportunity to finally get it right. A pep talk that I give myself daily...I give you permission to use it .

Bathroom issues...ahh, I'm only 8 weeks out and could already write a book on the subject. my surgeon recommended Benefiber 3 times a day. I only do it twice, one dose in my morning coffee and one dose to V8 at night, it seems to have helped tremendously. I'm also doing a half a dose of miralax a day because I was having a combination of issues. Good luck!

@@LipstickLady, I enjoy tracing your activity to figure out who you offended that gives you these great ideas. Sometimes finding the original post is like discovering a Darwin Award winner. They should just add your name under a Please Do Not Respond header in their signature if they don't want honest opinions/advice.

@@countrygirl are you married to your doctor? That seems like a ploy.

I had an ablation 3 years ago. I was told beforehand that 70% of women will have little to no bleeding after an ablation, 20% will have lighter periods and 10% of patients will have no change. The cramps didn't get any better for me but I went from bleeding 20-28 days to 10 and from irregular to regular periods. Honestly, I really wish I had gone with a hysterectomy. I've been told if I have a second ablation I have an 80% chance of having no bleeding. For now, I'll manage by doing what I have been doing. I'll be watching this post for ideas for the cramps, they can be debilitating. Good luck!

Pre-op it took a lot of food to feel full. 8 weeks post-opI feel that I can eat more than I should be able to without feeling satisfied. I know the difference between full and satiated, I don't feel either. Last night I had 1/4 c of tenderloin and one serving of high protein/high Fiber crackers. Waited an hour, felt hungry again. Drank 16 oz of Water...waited the prescribed time. Ate a Dr. Kracker with 1.5 oz cheese. Waited another hour, drank, waited and ended the night with a Protein bar. Today I woke up hungry. Drank a cup of coffee and 20 oz of water. When it was time I had a scrambled egg, 1 oz ham and 1 oz cheese. I'm not hungry per se but I'm not full either. Was I wrong to expect to not be able to eat this amount of food without feeling overly full and uncomfortable? Any suggestions beyond the golden rules of staying hydrated, taking small bites and chewing to smithereens would be appreciated. Thanks.

I don't know about weight gain with Spironolactone but I got incredible uncle weakness and foggy brain. Went away about 6 weeks after stopping it.

In my opinion, any exercise will help the weight come off faster/tone things up but there is no way to dictate where we lose it from. As women, I believe we carry extra padding on our bellies as a general rule. If you are sticking to your dietitians guidelines for the most part, I'd say a bite of chocolate isn't the cause. Did you take pre-surgery measurements? If so, re-measure and see where you are at. My guess is there has been a loss, it's just not showing in pants waist yet. I measured each roll- lol! I've lost a few more inches in my upper roll than my lower one, I assume it will catch up. I had a hernia repair near my belly button and I find that by the end of the day my waistband bothers that area, so I know there's still some healing to do. We'll get there, no doubt!!

Same-ish here. 7 weeks out and down 42+ pounds and yet the waist of my jeans still fits fine. My thoughts are...my stomach is the part of my body I like least so of course it's going to stick around the longest. I've lost weight before and I clearly remember the same jeans fitting me from 280 to 316 pounds, my support group members all agreed that the bigger the size the more generous they are. They all said that once the size decreased they had to buy new pants every 15-30 pounds. And last but not least, swelling from surgery can last months and months (think about all of the manipulation happening in that area) In the past my lower belly has gotten that soft feeling after a loss of 30 pounds, this time it feels "firm" still. I'm chalking it up to swelling and calling it a day.

It is scary. There are so many "unknowns" going into surgery. I was a pretty active person before surgery and enjoyed being told I looked 10 years younger than I am. I was so worried about being malnourished, weak and looking haggard. I had a picture in my head of myself with hollow, sunken eyes and an inability to lift my own arms much less help my laboring patients. It's been 7 weeks and so far I'm feeling good and according to my very honest daughter I don't look like I've aged 30 years. I was scared of the anesthesia and of possible complications even though I know statistically the risks are low. It is just plain scary to change our lives so drastically. For myself, I just knew it was the right thing to do and hoped for the best.

I'm also a nurse and had 6 weeks off. My orders were not to lift over 20 pounds for that time. My doctor gave me the ok to fly right away if I wanted to so that shouldn't be a problem for you...Congratulations on the new grand baby...I was a traveling L&D nurse at a Bon Secours hospital in Norfolk in 2013, great nurses and providers.

Started with walking 1/2 mile three times a day right away. Built that up to a total of 3 miles a day. Cleared at 6 weeks to do everything but sit-ups and crunches so I joined a gym this week. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill and 5 mins 36 seconds (1 "lap") on the elliptical. I was huffing and puffing at 2 minutes and pouring sweat by 3, I was never so happy when that 1 lap was completed.

Just like everything else on this journey, every surgeon and dietician has a different theory on coffee/caffeine. I started with decaf coffee 1-2 weeks after surgery, with real half and half. Then once I was getting at least 48 ounces of water everyday I switched back over to one cup of caffeinated with 2 T of full fat half and half every morning. My surgeon is completely fine with it. Check with yours and go slow to see if it bothers your new pouch. If not, enjoy!

You are an inspiration! I would love to see what you eat on MFP too, I'll send a friend request if you don't mind.

I'm 5 weeks out and have been obsessed pre-surgery and now with finding the "perfect" drinking cup. Started with needing to have incremental measurements so I could see how well i was doing. Now I spent $25 for one that is supposed to keep my drink cold for 18 hours. I can't wait to move into something more wild like panties or sex, even if it's with myself!

I haven't had problems since I came home from the hospital 4 weeks ago. I haven't pushed limits, in my opinion, but nothing has given me issues yet...burger, chili, salmon, cheese, eggs cooked several ways, even a hotdog. I've stuck to the 1/4 cup of food 2-4 times a day as recommended by my dietician but I'm worried too. I brought it up tonight, mostly because at this point I never feel really hungry but I haven't felt full either. Everybody agreed that I was lucky and that this is the sweet spot, not feeling hungry or having a feeling of fullness. Ok, they are the veterans, I guess I'll believe them.

Still on soft for one more week. I make one egg with 2 thin slices of ham and cheese and eat half at a time. My new favorite is browned ground turkey, cottage cheese and spaghetti sauce. Gr turkey, beans and cheese. Tuna, salmon, string cheese and turkey. It's getting old. Today I made a smoothie with 4 strawberries, 1T blueberries and kale and of course protein powder. So far so good. It was an errand day so lunch is a decaf Americano with Isopure powder.

I'm a firm believer that women have tummy bulges for a reason; to protect those babies we carry, even most skinny girls have a little padding there. I'm a belly fat carrier too, the upper bulging part is already slightly smaller, I'll just be happy to see feet again. I've been doing well. I chose the bypass hoping for the best tool to help curb my sugar addiction. Looking forward to getting some energy back. Are you scheduled yet @@Martene81

My good friend had 5 cesarean sections, has gone from a size 26 to a size 4. She can definitely zip those 4's and see her toes. Yes, lots of loose skin but that's to be expected for any of us loosing 100 pounds or more.

Ice packs and protein it is. Thanks ladies.

I'm 3 weeks post- RNY, 2 weeks post adhesion release for a bowel obstruction. I'm limited to walking right now, which is fine because it's my favorite form of activity. I thought I got nauseated on a two mile walk a few days ago because I forgot to take Water with me. It took hours to recover. The next day I drank plenty of water during my walk, still got nausea but it didn't last as long. Saw my Nut yesterday and she feels I may be doing too much at once. Did 4 one mile walks yesterday and was fine. Today, I slowed it down a bit but tried 1.5 miles because I won't have time for 4 walks. Nausea is back, it's kind of really frustrating. Ok, I just wanted to rant.

Hmm, that's a thought. I have to remember my body is different now. I'm still on soft foods, maybe a string cheese. Thanks. Btw, @@LipstickLady I stalked all of your posts in the last week. Funny, inspiring and good advice...I'm kind of jealous.

I'm going to agree with the savings on food. Unless you only eat 1/4-1/2 cup of food 2-3 times a day now you will definitely save. Also, I would agree on the not stocking up on Protein powders. There's no knowing what your new tummy will like/tolerate after surgery. My Nut did the cost per day to get every Vitamin you need per day through Bariatric Advantage. The Advanced Multivitamin chewable (2/day)or the ultra multi (3/day) and 3 of the 500 mg Calcium chewy bites is less than $4.00/day. I don't know your current food vices, Starbucks was mine, but that's less than I was spending there. Good luck!