jobillandjosh

This seems to be one of my biggest challenges and since I have to start taking the rest of my pills/vitamins next week, I just wanted to see what someone else was doing. Also are you taking chewables for Vitamins? pills? My Endo usually wants me to wait up to 4 hours before I take a MV, Calcium or Iron near the thyroid med. He said 2 hours is doable, but he prefers 3 or best is 4. Only so many hours in the day to pop pills! :-) I try to take it now by 7 AM and get in a cup of tea with it for the H20 requirement. Then I wait 20 mins and take my PPI. That means at about 11 I would take first calcium and so on. Any help would be great just to give me an idea. Thanks!

I've lost about 1/3 of my hair. Started in earnest when I hit month 4. I was religious about taking Biotin, Vitamins, Protein before and after surgery. Levels are all great. This is just the result of the stress of surgery on my body. It SUCKS. I won't lie, but I wouldn't change getting this surgery for anything. The only + for me on the hair front is that it's fallen out uniformly so I have no balding Patches. I honestly don't think there's any pill I could take, anything different I could've eaten that would've changed this outcome. Just have to ride it out. I agree with pp the mental stress of this - have to forget it or I would only harm myself more. Just have to think wow my face is thin now and a ponytail looks OK. :-) I've cut back on stressful styling too.

You know you're relearning how to eat when you're confused by Soup. My plan phase says I can now have lentil soup, vegetable soup, chicken vegetable, chili, minestrone - all no noodles or rice, but many of these are made with liquid. So we're constantly told eating food with liquids is bad. This seems so odd to me then to eat Soups. What gives? Who else can eat soup because I know others have posted it's a no go for them. I can call my Nut, but was just wondering...

I am being too literal. Smacks forehead. I'm only 5 weeks out and am so used to following these explicit guidelines that it's like I cannot think for myself. Thank you!

My biggest thing when I came back to work was getting off track on eating and drinking and really reminding myself to get those things done. I need to set up alerts more so for the food. I just started adding back in all of my Vitamins this week so that adds another set of to do's. I'm doing good with it, but need to be doing better. Vitamins all in. Food is not all in. liquids are OK but should be more. I did better when working from home after surgery. Probably easier to focus without distractions. I haven't killed it at the gym yet either. With work, surgery, family and this benefit I've been working on, I am tired by the end of the day which I usually ignore, but this is like 8 PM I may fall asleep reading my son his bedtime story. LOL I am going to the gym this weekend as my benefit wraps up Saturday night! Hooray! Good for you on the BP and new clothes. That's awesome!

Then you'll be drinking shakes and eating purees forever. You did a brave thing having surgery. Don't chicken out now! I'm adding new foods. Ate fish today. Ate two small crackers with a pureed bean topping yesterday. All OK on my plan. I eat new items when I don't have to go anywhere (at home for dinner) so if they bother me I'm in the comfort of my own home. So you can guess I avoid new foods during the day at work. It can be done! Luckily everything has been fine and it's been nice to eat other foods for different flavor and texture. Good luck!

This is what I do for people I really don't want to explain my WLS to. I've run into this a few times already in small settings like a group of 6 where it can be noticeable. If we're having pizza, then I put a slice on my plate, cut it up here and there and and then I also get like a yogurt with Protein powder or something and eat that while the pizza sits there. No one asks why I haven't taken a slice and they see me eating. I'm usually able to throw my plate away. No one noticed or at least no one said anything. No one pushes food on me. A win I can live with.

I am 3 weeks out on Tuesday. I feel GREAT! Trust me, it gets better. It's still early for you and the first week is the hardest with coming off of surgery drugs, getting your routine down, incision pains, sleeping pains. It really does get better. Take a deep breath, put one foot in front of the other and take it one day at a time. Don't look at forever. Just look at today. Get up tomorrow, just look at tomorrow. If you try to tackle it all at once, it'll be too overwhelming.

The mindset here is just wrong. This surgery requires a huge level of commitment to change with clear boundaries on our programs that are lifelong. You were gung ho enough to commit to surgery, but now are deviating from the program 2 months in on something as simple as Protein and Vitamins? We're not talking about a struggle with pizza when hunger comes back. Just protein and vitamins to keep you healthy and help you function. If you want to give on these, what else are you going to give up on next month or 6 months from now? Take it or don't take it. Got no time for people who can't do what they know they need to.

Has anyone given you a meter to check your blood sugar number as soon as you get the symptoms to and then pairing that with what you're eating when and in what order? My Endo and PCP would probably have me start doing all of that to figure out what's going on. They'd give you the meter for free usually with enough for 10 tests. It could also be what you're eating and drinking to get it under control that are making it worse. I think first, if you're not doing it already, get the meter to get a baseline of numbers so you can then talk to a specialist if you need to (Endo). But PP is right with the tracking/journal. Good luck!

Each person recovers differently. I bounce back from surgery well and knew that going in. Little pain and no nausea. Have had no issues with drinking or eating. I had surgery on the 6th and started working from home on the 8th. I'm 2 weeks out now and would say I'm ready to go back into the office, but have taken a 3rd week to deal with some low blood sugar issues before commuting next week. I still put in a normal 8 to 5 day of meetings, calls, projects, etc. I needed that first week to get my routine down - what I can eat, when, etc. with the flexibility of being at home. I also got to wear sweats :-) No one at works knows I had this done either. I had a hernia repair - true - which is what they know. I say take at least a week for yourself to get the basics down. It will serve you well for the rest of it. I think anyway being a newbie and all in a way what do I know LOL! Good luck!

I sent a friend request over. Good idea :-)

Here you go...I pretty much do the same thing over and over because it doesn't bother me and I hate cream Soups. :-) Try not to laugh at this....I do really well on a schedule, and my hospital gave me general times to follow for food that you see below. Works for me and I am able to get it into my work day and home life with hubby and kids. For the first week at home I kept forgetting to take my Water bottle in the car. ARGH! If I don't plan, guaranteed I'll end up missing a meal or two in favor of getting liquids in. Good luck! It's another job right now and I'm doing it with you! :-) 6:45 AM - 8 oz cinnamon tea w/skim and truvia 8:00 AM - 1/4 cup cream of wheat with cinnamon and truvia 9:00 AM to 10:45 AM - about 12 oz of water, tea, crystal light, etc. 11:00 AM - baby food mixed with 1/2 scoop unflavored ispoure or 1tbsp natural Peanut Butter Noon - 12:45 PM - I can get in about 6 oz of water 1:00 PM - lite greek yogurt with 1/2 scoop unflavored Isopure 2:00 PM - 2:45 - I can get in about 6 oz of water 3:00 PM - CIB with scoop unflavored isopure and tsp PB2 with skim - 8oz and takes me an hour 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM - I can get in at least 8 oz 6:00 PM - 1/4 cup refried Beans with ff cheese (cheese is OK per doc) 7:00 PM - 8 oz iced tea 8:15 PM - SF Jello 9:00 PM - 8 oz tea with skim and truvia

I came in with a low BMI too. I've lost about 10 lbs 2 weeks out. I think that number is good. I average about 600 calories, 25 carbs and about 80 g Protein. MFP user.

My stomach basically cramps or I feel the pressure as if I have to burp, but can't. More than likely though, the cramping hits first which usually means trying to stuff too much in at one time and that I have to slow down. I do the timer - 30 minutes for a meal and then I'm done. I can't say I'm satisfied or not because I don't feel hunger. I eat more for the carbs, calories and Protein at this point.

I bought one of those blender in a bottle things on Amazon and I find the Isopure dissolves better in that. When I mix it with yogurt and baby food, I have to put extra elbow grease into it, but it reminds of making pancakes out of the box. KWIM? have to use flat side of the spoon to get larger pieces down and then it's fine. I would never put in Soup. I tried once in Water, and ugh revolting. Im going thru the exact same thing and im 4 weeks out, i have developed anxiety about eating Does the ispoure mix really well?

My fav is Dannon lite greek toasted coconut yogurt mixed with unflavored ispoure that I sprinkle cinnamon and some truvia on top of. So good! I also like a Carnation Instant Breakfast shake made with skim, unflavored ispoure, and PB2 which thickens the shake and tastes more like PB than choc than a runny CIB shake. I try to mix up sweet with salty and will drink some broth after the wait period after a meal. Helps me feel satisfied. I'm right along with you - sleeved on 10/6. :-)

I don't think it's made an impact one way or the other. I'm only a week out from surgery today and have lost 5lbs. I do feel like I have a lot of energy though and have recovered really well from surgery - so far :-) Do you find that the increased Protein intake boosts your weight loss?

I find if I start the morning with a cup of hot decaf tea and then follow with cream of wheat I don't have the major rumblings. I just did it this morning :-) I like to drink cinnamon tea.

I'm in my first week out, but these are the things so far that have surprised me: 1. The trapped gas pain. I woke up with that already in my shoulders and neck right out of surgery. I never had it with other surgeries so no experience with it. It took an overnight for it to relent a little. Three days to feel fairly good. If it hadn't been for that, I would've said I had little pain. Also a surprise. Even so, I didn't use pain meds much at all after the first day. 2. My taste buds haven't changed at all. Everything tastes just like it did before. 3. How it's like I have a 2nd job - drink, eat, drink, eat and repeat. I'm doing ok with it, but it's completely all consuming. I knew the plan, but totally different living it.

I like Isopure unflavored. Mixes well so I eat it in my carnation shake, in my pudding, etc.

It's called Bariatric Timer and I got it from the Google store. It lets me time the 30 minutes I need to wait after eating and then the 15 before eating. I also use it to time my meals, but really could use the plain timer too. I just like the bariatric one for the meal thing better.

I use my fitness pal to track what I eat and usually drink, but I also have timer on my phone and a bariatric timer.

Surgery is tomorrow. I am sure I am going to feel like I've been hit by a truck. And then some. I am sure I'm going to ask myself why I've done this. So I'm looking for inspiration that it gets better so I can look at it and remind myself. One foot in front of the other. :-)

Thanks so much! Some great perspectives! I can look back on them if I need some inspiration!