catwoman7

yep. I don't think I ate it at all during the weight loss phase, but I do now during maintenance. Not a ton - maybe a tablespoon here and there.

I was also eating around 800 kcal/day then (some people eat fewer than that). I only eat protein bars occasionally. I usually have one in my purse, but I only eat it if I'm in a bind and don't have any good choices. They're pretty high in calories for when you're in weight loss mode (most are around 200 kcal - if you're only eating 600-800 kcals/day, that's 1/4 - 1/3 of your calories - in one protein bar)

I ate hummus pretty frequently during the pureed staged (which is mostly pureed chickpeas), but I waited on the others. You should be OK to eat them once you're on solid food, but I was trying to do moderately low-carb, so I waited a few months on those.

I agree with everything KCgirl said. To be honest, I've been active on this and other similar forums for at least five years (maybe not quite as long on this one - but at least 3-4 years here), and I've never heard of people with VSG getting infections. So I suppose it could happen, but that would be REALLY rare. I wouldn't worry about that AT ALL.

the stomach isn't floating around - it's still there. They just put a line of staples across your stomach to divide it between pouch and the remnant stomach. RNY IS reversible - but it's a complicated surgery and they'll only do it if the patient has some serious medical issues. (btw - VSG is NOT reversible, since they remove 80% of your stomach and throw it away) those intestinal problems you mentioned can happen, but they are pretty rare.

people lose at all different rates due to all different factors - gender, age, starting BMI, metabolic rate, genetics, whether or not you lost a lot of weight pre-surgery, etc. Your weight of rate loss has very little (or maybe no) bearing on your ultimate success - your success is due to your level of commitment to your program. If you work hard and are committed, the weight WILL come off. I lost 16 lbs my first month. And I have lost 100% of my excess weight, over 200 lbs. Try not to compare yourself to others. You can't control most of the factors that influence your rate of weight loss. You CAN control how hard you work at it. So focus on that.

P.S. It could be that your stricture is in your esophagus, although if so, that would be rare - I've actually never heard of that. They're usually in the stoma.

you're in the right time frame for a stricture. It's not the esophagus that gets stretched, usually - it's the stoma that connects the stomach with the small intestine. Sometimes scar tissue overgrows there, closing off the hole (this is what a stricture is). They just do an upper endoscopy and use a tool to stretch it out a bit. I had two - one at four weeks out and one at eight weeks out. Strictures, if they're going to happen, are almost always during the first three months after surgery - they're very rare after that. BTW - about 5% of bypass patients have them.

Greentealael is correct. Most of us have our first stall within the first month after surgery. Just stick to your plan and the stall will break...

weeks 2 and 3. My weight loss started up again during week 4 and I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days.

when I wanted to put the brakes on my weight loss (and even gain a little - I, too, got a little skeletal looking for awhile), I added in mostly healthy fats to increase my calories - although I did start eating a few complex carbs (like whole grain things), but only small servings because carbs can trigger binges. Like others have said, go back to basics - protein first, then non-starchy vegetables - but then when you get to the point where you want to level off again, try to avoid unhealthy carbs. They are a trigger for a lot of us. You are definitely not alone!

I've heard of people gaining up to 10 lbs from the IV fluid! It'll work its way out in a couple of days - maybe a bit longer if you're salt sensitive (that fluid has a lot of sodium in it) - but either way, just give it some time.

it's hard to say because it depends on so many factors. How many are you averaging now? If you're not sure, track all your food for a week or two and figure out what your average intake is. Then try cutting it back by 100 calories a day, give it a week or two, and see if you weight starts to drop. If it doesn't, cut back by 100 more. Rinse and repeat until your weight starts dropping again.

I always used the entire Syntrax packet as one serving - not sure about this 1/4 packet business - but I'd noticed that as well. I can't imagine most people drink less than a packet. One packet has around 100 kcal and 20-ish grams of protein, although it may depend on the flavor. most people ditch the protein shakes after the first few weeks or months (and you can as soon as you're getting all your protein needs met by real food), but some people keep up with them. They include: 1) people who malabsorb protein (like me). My protein needs are much higher than the normal bariatric patient, and a shake or two a day helps me meet them 2) people who can't stomach solid food in the morning. Some of them do a protein shake for breakfast instead 3) people who just flat-out like protein shakes (and there are some out there...)

we were supposed to focus on fluids and proteins at first and not worry about calories, so I'm not sure how many I got during the pureed stage, but I doubt if it was more than 500 or so. Once I started eating solid food and tracking, I was at 600-800 kcal for quite awhile.

for the first 3.5 years my usual breakfast was Greek yogurt - and then Greek yogurt with a few berries or some diced fruit on top. the last few months it's been protein pancakes topped with 1/3 C plain Greek yogurt and either diced fruit and sugar free syrup OR topped with plain Greek yogurt and some homemade fruit compote (made by cooking down fruit with sugar free Torani syrup and adding a little cinnamon and vanilla extract)

everyone's tastes are different so you're bound to get 100 different answers to this question. That said, I like Syntrax and Unjury products. Getting individual packets is a good idea - that way you don't waste $30 or $40 on some big tub of powder that you don't like.

I agree with GradyCat - the loss of taste/appetite the first few months isn't abnormal, but the weakness/inability to stand four weeks out IS. I'd call your surgeon.

you may be onto something with the lactose intolerance idea - it's not all that uncommon after surgery

I can eat pickled ginger, so you may be fine. Ginger is actually calming for stomachs (don't know about whatever they pickle it in, though - but whatever it is, it doesn't bother MY stomach)

you're going to start blowing through sizes really fast, so I personally wouldn't buy anything new except for things like underwear and swim suits (well, you could get those used too, I suppose - but the thought of that creeps me out). Goodwill and other thrift stores are your friends. Spending $4 on something you can only wear for a month is way better than spending $30 (or more) for it.

read, read, read. I spent a lot of time on internet forums (like this one) reading current and old threads, and also reading Web sites and books so I was SUPER prepared going into surgery.

yes. Some people even go down a size or two. My size stayed the same, but I now wear a medium instead of a wide.

I did some of that, too - not a lot, but some. The thing is, at some point you'll be able to eat a lot of those foods again, so it's not like a permanent farewell. Everyone's different, of course, but the only food on your list that I have a hard time tolerating anymore would be the crab rangoon. The fat in it wouldn't sit well with my stomach. A bite or two would probably "work", though.

I agree with the above poster. Lactose intolerance is not all that uncommon after surgery