Michelle920

Amen to the refried beans! I lived on them. Also tuna, canned chicken, grits with laughing cow cheese, and a protein pudding I found (can't remember brand.) I drank two Premier proteins a day so I didn't have to worry about getting protein in. So sometimes I had sugar free pudding for lunch.

Oh I didn't see it was guys either! I thought the "guys" in the topic was generic lol.

I can totally relate, except I'd been dieting over 35 years. I've gained and lost probably 400lbs. I'm afraid to do the math!! When my weight was creeping up again, I started running through my diet repertoire to decide which one to go on next, but I was sure I'd just gain it back so I had a consultation with my surgeon and never looked back. I'm sorry your insurance doesn't cover it. But if there is any way you can swing it financially, do it!! I have zero regrets. It's been a bit of a roller coaster and I've had a small regain, which I'm losing now, but all in all, I'm a success!!

It's funny, mine was also due around surgery date, which was June 2015 but I was starting menopause so who knew if I'd actually get it. I was prepared but it didn't come at all. I ended up having a hysterectomy in November. It was already on the table; in fact my gynecologist had me ask my surgeon if we could do both at the same time but it didn't make sense at the time.

At my lowest adult weight, my BMI is barely "normal." My current goal weight gives me a BMI of 25.2 and I'm fine with that. My boyfriend, who is in excellent shape and has never had a weight problem, has a BMI that classifies him as obese. I know a few weight lifters in that same boat. I also have normal sized friends who are classified underweight and look fine. IMHO BMI doesn't take enough into consideration, and the only time I ever gave it any thought was when qualifying for surgery.

Not everyone has "damn complications." I'm doing very well after gastric bypass, and I say that even though I developed an internal hernia nine months later. This is a SERIOUS complication but I caught it on time, had outpatient surgery and am doing great. I am grateful I was able to have surgery and I don't regret it one bit.

Hi everyone! I need a little support today and thought if I shared my journey it would help. I had RNY in June 2015 at 248 and am currently 197. I got as low as 175 in March 2016 but then I had an internal hernia in April (a complication of gastric bypass that affects 5-10% of patients) and then put my rescue dog to sleep in May, which devastated me. I also took a vacation two months out, and had a hysterectomy in November 2015. So it's been a wild ride. I had all kinds of ideas about how I was going to live my life post surgery, and of course I was going to do everything right/perfectly. Ha! But I was 185 at my one year appointment, and my surgeon was pleased. I said I wanted to lose another 10 lbs and he said he didn't think I needed to but go ahead. (No doctor EVER said anything like that to me!) I'm back on track and doing better, but as I'm reading all these posts and comments I'm motivated to do more. RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

I started to say I lost weight slowly too and you're right on track but I did the math and realized I lost 40lbs within the first two months, so I'm wondering if you should check with your surgeon. I have a couple questions. How much weight do you have to lose? What's your start weight and goal weight? What's your age? I just turned 50 and was going through menopause. I had a partial hysterectomy five months after surgery and now am on HRT. Are you hitting ur Protein and Fluid goals? RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

I didn't read all the comments so I might be repeating. Thrift shops, consignments, Salvation Army are great options. I went from a very tight 16 and am currently a 12 so I really didn't need to buy a lot of new clothes and my weight loss wasn't super rapid but I have friends who have been through it. If you have a support group at your surgery center, try to get a swap going. I've also gotten clothes on eBay. I stretched out my 38DD bras so I was able to keep wearing those for a while, until I got down to a 36D. I bought a lot (too many) new bras and because I'm a lot saggier, the plunging ones aren't working too well. RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

Love and support from NJ. Venting always helps!! RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

We've all felt that way! Totally normal. Just remember this too shall pass (then it will come back!) I had GNY in June 2015 and probably have done a lot of wrong things, but I'm back on track now. I'm waffling between saying "never again" to certain foods, and not having any foods as off limits. I'm sitting here reading all kinds of posts to get myself back in the right frame of mind. When I was brand new, I thought I'd never eat pizza, Pasta, ice cream etc again. I don't know when that changed. I've had all three since then, but they don't make me feel good emotionally, or physically. One of my lifetime goals was to never make myself sick. The nutritionist at my surgeon's office says to eat right 99% of the time. My new nutritionist is more liberal, I think because I beat myself up when I fall short. Ultimately it's up to me to make the right choices. Anyway, that being said, if it's stressing you out to think you'll never eat X, Y or Z again, try not to think in such absolutes. But since you had gastric bypass, there's a chance certain foods will make you very sick. That doesn't happen to me. Sometimes I wish it would! RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

I heard this once and I think it's true. "You lose weight in the kitchen and keep it off in the gym." You need both to lose weight and to keep it off, but it still makes sense to me. If you want to change your body, not just lose weight, I would work with both a personal trainer and a nutritionist, if your budget allows. RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

This is a great post! I'm glad I came across it. Every time I went on a diet I made a list of weight loss goal gifts (usually first ten pounds, under 200, ten pounds from goal, then goal, then staying at goal for a year, then five years- that was a trip to Greece) but for some reason I didn't do it this time. Some items were spa pedicure, massage, diamond earrings, new tat. I never made it past the massage! I'm 10-15 (maybe 20) pounds from where I want to be, so maybe I'll decide on a good final goal gift. I want to get a paw with a halo over my heart. We put our rescue baby to sleep last May, so it's to honor him. I gained weight back after we did that. I'm getting that tat no matter what, so a tat may be out. I also need plastics (boobs for sure!) but it will take a while to save for that, and I'm going to want my gift immediately! Instant gratification got me to almost 250lbs this time. I was 288 in 1999, 188 in 2002, then got back up to 272 in 2010. I lost a lot of weight again (for the tenth time!) but crept up to 240 in 2015. Anyway, sorry for the rambling. Maybe I'll finally get my eyelashes when I lose ten pounds. I have a limited budget so I have to take that into consideration. RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

Hi LuAnn! I'm in NJ also. I had gastric bypass in 2015, but I can give you a little advice. If you're going to be in the hospital more than one night, bring dry shampoo. I had to stay three nights and couldn't shower, so I wish I had mine! Bring Gas-x strips with you. I never had a problem drinking water before surgery but it was harder after, so I drank vitamin zero. Water just didn't appeal to me. And I haven't tried that brand of vitamins. Over the last year and a half I've tried a variety of multis, all chewable, bariatric geared, in the beginning. Now I'm able to take pills. I prefer the chewy kind. RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

When I decided to have surgery I was 5'10 and 238 lbs on my own scale (naked, first thing in the morning!) I don't remember what the BMI was but it was borderline. When I was weighed at my surgeon's office I was 5'9 and 245. I think my BMI was 36. I don't have the standard co-morbidities like heart disease or diabetes but I have bipolar disorder and arthritis in my hips. I needed a note from my therapist (who specialized in eating disorders and evaluated patients for surgery all the time) to clear me for surgery anyway, and I got a letter from my orthopedist too. Ultimately my insurance covered my surgery based on a history of depression. I had gastric bypass on 6/8/2015. From everything I've heard over the last two years, insurances are very different and my policy was liberal. I had no problems whatsoever. Anne, I had this surgery because I have struggled with my weight my entire life. At one point I weighed 288 lbs. I was heading there again, and the thought of going on one more diet scared me, because I knew I would just gain the weight back. I was borderline suicidal. My surgeon agreed that this surgery was the right decision for me. He said it was more dangerous for me to continue losing and gaining weight than to have surgery and I know he was right. It's been a struggle, mainly because I still have diet mentality and that's what I'm working on now, with a great nutritionist. It's not easy but it was the best thing for me. RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 197 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

I had RNY in June 2015 and I only had about 70 lbs to lose. I am down 50, after losing 65 then putting 15 back on after a traumatic year. I'm working to lose the 15 and might even lose another 5.

I need this reminder!! RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 201 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

You can do this!! You're doing the best thing you can for your daughter. RNY 6/8/15 SW 248 LW 175 CW 201 GW 180 "Eat to be the person you want to be."

I have bio oil in my medicine cabinet and will start using it!!!

I'm 50, has gastric bypass in June 2015 and was in the hospital three nights. My Iron was low so I needed two blood transfusions.

I had gastric bypass 6/8/15. My SW was 248, LW 175 (for a hot minute) now I'm up to 201. I was 185 in May when we had to put my beloved rescue dog to sleep. It was the most traumatic thing I've ever been through. I still have my emotional/boredom/anxiety/pain eating issues and need to work on those in therapy, but here I need to get back on track with my eating, and following the rules, like no drinking half an hour before, after and during meals, and not eating until I'm past full. Plus I need to plan and make better food choices. I'm working with a new nutritionist, have a therapist and workout at a great gym, but I need daily support and accountability if I'm going to lose these last 20 pounds. It looks like I found a good group!

This is a great topic! As usual I have mixed emotions. I see all sides of this issue. No, I don't want to celebrate with pizza, but I get wanting to feel normal again. Then again there was nothing normal about the way I usually ate pizza. And as always, I'm going to go back to what my NUT told me. She said after the first year I should adhere to the prescribed plan 99% of the time. I suck at math but that means things like pizza, wine and cheesecake once in a little more than a blue moon. And frankly, if even one bite makes me sick, I'm not going to bother!! I'm five and a half weeks post op so I'm brand spanking new still, but I have what I think is a pretty good grasp on my future. Oh, and I was determined to not "cheat" one bit for a year, but I've had a few meals out, my boyfriend brought home Wendy's chili and a baked potato for me (I ate half the chili and a quarter of the potato) and I got four McNuggets the other day while I was driving around with my dog for three hours while same boyfriend was deep cleaning our carpet. I smooshed as much oil out of them with a napkin, ate three and tried to give the dog the fourth, he turned his nose up so I threw it out. I don't know if any of this is cheating. And I could say it's a miracle I didn't eat all the chili or get fries at McD's but I've done things like that hundreds of times while "dieting." I always thought I had my sh!t together when I did that, but it was a struggle. I'd white knuckle the whole time. Now, knowing I'll feel horrible if I eat too much, too fast or the wrong thing, I just do it. I hope I feel the same way two, three and ten years down the road. I know it'll get harder but I also hope I'm laying a strong foundation.

Great post!! I actually stepped away from here for a few weeks because of the wildly differing phases and allowable foods. That and the fact that I didn't lose 30 pounds in two weeks like everyone else (it took me 5.) But I came back this morning to get some recipes, and am sort of reconnecting. Although I'm not going to make myself crazy with the comparisons. That's what got me in all kinds of trouble in the past. Thinking I'm not as thin, pretty or successful as everyone else sent me right to the refrigerator! That being said, I decided to just follow my own bariatric team's recommendations. I follow their Facebook page, and use the nutrition booklet I got from my NUT. But even my team don't always agree, and then I have to do what works or makes sense to me. Like my surgeon says protein shakes can count as a liquid but my NUT says no. I agree with her so I only count waters. It's empowering to think for myself sometimes!! But being bombarded with SO much conflicting information can make you crazy!!

This thread (or whatever it's called) is great!! I'm 5 1/2 weeks post op and am tired of canned chicken and eggbeaters. I've been skimming all the pages and agree with everything I'm reading. I know I've been eating WAY too much processed food but it can be daunting to make full meals when I can only eat 1/4 of it, and the dog and the boyfriend both turn their noses up at it! Now that I'm able to eat a little more and am working out regularly I'm ready to eat healthier foods. I am horribly computer illiterate so I'm afraid I won't be able to find you ever again!! Is there an actual internet blog yet? Like can I go directly to your blog without coming here first?

I'll be three weeks post op on Monday and my weight is all over the place. I weighed 246 at my consultation and 243 at my nutrition appointment. My surgery was less than eight weeks after my consult, and I wasn't given a diet to follow, other than clear liquids the day before. I was encouraged to practice behaviors like tiny bites, chewing and not drinking with meals. I also tried to avoid sugar and alcohol. But during the last two weeks before surgery, my mind played tricks on me, and I told myself I would never, ever eat sweets or drink again (my diet mentality rearing its ugly head.) So I indulged. No bingeing or anything, but I ate what I wanted. So I was 248 on my own scale on surgery day. I've weighed myself at home every day since and the lowest I've been is 231 (233 after I moved the scale.) I've been getting in 60-64 ounces of water, but at my support group on Thursday our NUT said we have to drink more than 64 ounces. She said an extra cup for every 25lbs you're over your ideal weight. That made sense so I drank over 90 ounces yesterday, and this morning I was 236.5, then 238 (I have to stop moving my scale.) I didn't go the bathroom that often yesterday and feel water bloated and my weight has always fluctuated due to water. But man, I'm discouraged! I'm also somewhat constipated. It doesn't hurt, I just don't go every day. I walk briskly every other day, although I walk the dog every day. I'm definitely getting in plenty of protein and have no problem eating. I'm starting to think I'm not having drastic losses because I finish everything I eat. I don't stuff myself, I just mean I'm not only taking two or three bites. I've been drinking coffee almost daily to help move things along, which is dehydrating, so maybe that's it. I can stop the coffee. Thanks for listening!!