Amylou

Massage? New workout toy - Fitbit, new shoes, new workout music? A walk in a new place? New adventure?? A car detailing? Anything that would be a treat to you that doesn't involve food!!!

You will be just fine!!! I'm 6 weeks out and could totally do a Disney vacation now. Just keep up with your Water with all the walking you'll be doing. Disney is also fantastic about having healthy options available as far as food but they're also great about allowing outside food to be brought in - so pack a cooler bag with string cheese, yogurt, etc. Jealous!! Have fun!!!

I had my RNY done on 6/22. Recovery was a breeze and I'm back to work this week. I also graduated from the liquid diet to pureed food this week. Kinda confused on what I can eat but I picked up some thicker Soups for a start and of course, my bff Greek Yogurt. Today, I had some cottage cheese. OMG. It tasted AMAZING. Like - I cannot believe how great it tasted. I also have had this weird feeling all over my tongue like I've been sucking on a cotton ball...no matter how much I brush my teeth or how much Water I drink, it's there. I emailed my NUT and she suggested some sugar free candy to suck on. So I picked up some peppermints and they tasted amazing too!! I feel I'm eating for the first time ever all over again!! Also, who stalled out at week 2? The scale hasn't moved since Wednesday.

I'm plateau-ing too - had RNY on June 22 and have stayed at the same weight for a week now. Super frustrating. You're not alone.

I was told scrambled eggs are not in puréed but in soft foods - next week for me.

I was right where you are a month ago. I would have these gigantic swings from wildly excited to scared to death and second guessing the entire thing. The very best thing that happened is the surgery date came. I was exhausted from thinking about it for so long. IT IS SCARY. It's a life-long decision. It's FOREVER. However, it's all about YOU. It's for your health, your life, your well-being. The surgery is scary - being put under, having everything re-routed and then recovery - but what are you truly scared of?? I was scared of the unknown...how was I going to feel? How much pain would there be? How scary is that first sip of Water? It was all unknown and very very scary. Know what? It was so much easier/better than I ever imagined it would be!!!! You will be in good hands. This is a good decision. If you can, pray for peace of mind and calm thoughts. I promise, it's going to be OK.

I grew up with a very nutrition-conscience mom and grandma. All 4 food groups were represented at dinner - Protein, vegetable, starch, salad, sometime dessert. Some standard meals would be - Swedish sausage or Swedish Meatballs with boiled potatoes, peas Baked chicken, green Beans, salad, rice Baked fish, rice medley, broccoli, salad Grilled steaks, baked potatoes, asparagus, bread Fresh or frozen veggies only. We never, ever had sugar Cereal in our house. No pop. No candy. No chips. Ice Cream was a very rare treat. Snacks would be some cheese cubes or some frozen peas. I was a very long and thin child until second grade when I doubled in size in 6 months. To this day, I think it's all emotional eating. I eat when I'm lonely and for comfort. That's all.

Does this apply to anything liquid?? Broth/soup?

I have a constant burning/pressure on my chest. Feels like a gigantic belch would take care of it but I can't seem to make that happen. Will this go away??

I've always had bad menstrual cramps but after my third baby, they're REALLY bad. My OB/GYN suggested taking Advil for the two/three days before my period and then continue thru the first 3 days to stay ahead of the pain. Well we all know that Advil is now a no-no and I'm thinking Tylonol isn't going to cut it. My surgeon said he'd write me an Rx for a light narcotic but geez...I have three kids I need to keep track of...I'm not sure if narcotics is the way I want to go. My PCP suggested an IUD but then I'm reading on this board that IUD's can stall weight loss. Any advice/suggestions/tips??

Had my RNY this morning. Not feeling too horrible but I cannot keep my eyes open. Like the drowsiest ever . Normal???

Pre-op still but wondering if any of my current practices will have a place in my life in the months following my RNY. I drink Kombucha daily for the Probiotics. I homebrew. Will Kombucha have a place in my life post-op? I include Chia seeds in my daily routine for the Omega 3 and Fiber. Will I be able to include Chia in my post-op life? Kefir and fermented saurkraut - are they gone forever? I know every body is different but I'm curious...

it's speed. You will be jittery, unable to sleep well, you won't be hungry but you will have heart flutters and/or racing heartbeat. Yes, you'll lose weight but it's not worth it IMHO.

I"m on the tail-end of the liquid diet - just today left and then tomorrow I change to the Clear liquids only diet until Monday (Surgery day). The liquid diet days 1-3 are really hard. It DOES get easier. I promise. The Swanson's Intense broth (or whatever they're called) saved me. The Hot and Sour is really tasty as is the Thai Ginger. V8 has these Infusions drinks that are clear too that I enjoyed as well as Vitamin Water Zero. I was also allowed low/no fat Greek yogurt and found that the Yoplait Greek Whips were awesome - great flavors, great texture, no chunks. After that first week, you'll be amazed how full you feel after a mug of warm broth and a yogurt. Good luck. You can do it!!!

The hospital I'm having my RNY at requires all patients to attend a class within 30 days of surgery. I attended this morning and it scared the crap out of me!!! I was feeling pretty good until I sat thru detailed descriptions the OR, every wire and monitor that will be attached to me, etc. I'm so overwhelmed!!! Somebody tell me that a month from now this will all seem insignificant!!

Giving up Advil was a sticking point at every single appointment I went to. NSIDs are crazy-hard on the lining of the stomach and since you'll have less surface area within your stomach to absorb the medication, it's even harder on your pouch. I've been in love with Advil for years and years - breaking up with it is going to be hard. That's why I'm trying to have a back-up plan in place.

Minneapolis, MN

My surgery is at 7:30am on the 22nd - so a week from right now, I'll be in my room already - DONE. I also just found out that a friend of my mom's will be my nurse anesthetist and she's bringing her favorite anesthesiologist...so I'll be in good hands. Huge relief there. The liquid diet is growing old. I went and got a bunch of new 'stuff'...V8 juice, SF pudding, SF Popsicles, a couple different flavors of broth, but what I really really want is to chomp on something crunchy. A stalk of celery would do it. Raw carrots. it doesn't even have to be bad stuff...just crunchy stuff. My teeth feel strange in my mouth after not chewing for a week. My husband and I went on to a concert over the weekend and that was a bit weird - no dinner beforehand, no drinks during. A preview of the new life, I suppose. Anyways, I'm feeling more optimistic about this than I was last week. That first week on the liquid diet sucks. I talked to a friend who had RNY a few years ago and she said it's the sugar leaving your body kicking and screaming that makes you such a mess. That's exactly what it felt like.

The Lemonade Diet was the worst for me. The drink wasn't horrible - I could get it down - but the oral enema every morning was the worst. 32 ounces of Water at 98.6 degrees with 2 T of table salt in it drunk as fast as you can get it down - then run for the bathroom because it's going to come shooting out in about 15 minutes. And I did that for two weeks!!! Insane!!!

Milanoo.com is where I got my dress - custom fit to my measurements. It was perfect - came in plenty of time - and gorgeous. I paid less than $150 for a custom made dress that would have retailed for over $800. If you google them, you'll read a lot of bad reviews but I had a fantastic experience with them.

OK I'm 12 hours into liquid Diet Day #1. I'm nervous - as what I've read, it's the hardest part of this journey. Anyone have any tips for me?? Any must-have things to have on hand?

I'm 2 weeks pre-surgery and I'm freaking out. Not really about the procedure or the pain of recovery but about it's permanence. I'm trying to think of this entire journey as my 'tattoo'. I don't have any real tattoos, but I imagine it's kind of the same - you have to be really sure that it's a good decision, you have to love the end result, it's painful at first but eventually, it becomes a part of who you are. You don't even think about it anymore until someone comments on it. Again, take things one day at a time, one hour at a time, one moment at a time. Build your successes on a few amazing moments strung together. Do not get dehydrated - that will be your worst enemy and make that your #1 priority. Once you concur Water, allow yourself to be proud. We're all going to need to learn that this process is about moment-to-moment successes... Hang in there. You're recovering from major surgery and your hormones are out of whack.

I did. BCBS of MN requires 6 months of dietitian/nutritionist appointments, a psychological eval and some exercise phys appointments in order to be approved thru insurance. Basically I had to log my food - I used MFP (My Fitness Pal) and just tried to apply some of the rules for after surgery - high Protein, chewing extremely well, fork down between bites, 30/30 rule, start taking Calcium and multi-Vitamins, incorporating exercise in my daily routine. It wasn't a big deal. 6 months FLEW by.