catwoman7

I didn't worry about calories for the first several months. With as little as you eat the first few months, calories aren't going to be an issue - but protein IS. I switched over to calorie counting (although I still count protein) when I was close to a year out, I think.

Premier shakes are popular, but I never liked them - I can taste the protein in them. Everyone's tastes are different, so you're likely to get a lot of different answers, but my favorite brands are Unjury (available only on Unjury's Web site) and Syntrax (available at lots of places - both stores and online - including Bariatric Pal's store). Get single packets if you can in case you don't like them - it'd be awful being stuck with some $30 (or more) tub of something that you hate.

surgeons are all across the board on the caffeine issue. Some forbid it forever, some are fine with you drinking it from the get-go. Some allow it but limit it to one or two cups a day. Some are OK with it after a certain amount of time (e.g. three months after surgery - or six months after surgery). I'd ask. But my guess is, since there doesn't seem to be a consensus on this, it's not the worst thing you can do...

no need to worry about that - your weight loss will slow way down after the first couple of months....

to be honest, I found the two-week liquid diet the most challenging part of it. After surgery most people lose their hunger and appetite for awhile, so these restrictive diets we're on the first few months don't seem that bad in comparison!!

I wasn't allowed pickles - or anything other than non-calorie or ultra-low calorie fluids. I stuck to my plan. I know it's hard, but it's so worth it in the end.

Stalls and hair loss are both very common. I'm surprised they didn't mention this to you in your pre-op classes. The hair loss will stop after a few months and it'll all grow back. The stalls will continue throughout your weight loss phase. Just stick to your plan, and the weight loss will start up again.

that unfortunately isn't all that uncommon among gastric sleeve patients. Sorry you're dealing with this. Hopefully they'll be able to find something that works for you.

as others have said, being able to drink a lot of fluids is not a problem - they go right through you - which is also why you're not feeling any restriction. You'll feel it once you move to solid foods.

mine goes over 2000 sometimes. Evidently it's not dangerous, but it does mean you can cut back a little on your B12 supplements (and save a little money). I used to take a megadose once every two weeks, but the PA at the bariatric clinic said I could cut it back to once every three weeks and still be fine. Just keep an eye on your labs and adjust accordingly.

Yes - that's a common side effect of being in ketosis

I think most of us go through that back & forth stage before surgery. I also thought I should just try to lose weight again on my own, but then, I'd been doing it for over 30 years, just to gain it all back again. What made me think I was going to be successful THIS time? I finally admitted to myself that I was never going to be able to do it on my own - I needed the tool. btw - lots of people never have complications from the surgery, and for those who do, most are minor. I wouldn't let that stop me.

I was told I could exercise (except for weights) as soon as the glue and scabs came off at about four weeks out, but I think I also waited about six weeks before getting in the pool.

I didn't eat it all during the weight loss phase because as someone else said, it doesn't have much nutritional value, and I don't have a lot of real estate in my stomach anymore. I do eat it occasionally now that I'm in maintenance, but it's easy to pack away a TON of it - it shrinks down to pretty much nothing once it's in your stomach.

you likely won't feel full for awhile. For one thing, you haven't started up on solid foods yet (and once you do, you'll start feeling the restriction), and for another, some of your nerves were cut during surgery - it takes awhile for them to heal. I had to spend the first few months just measuring/weighing whatever I was eating because my body signals were off.

that's going to really vary a lot between people depending on several factors. I had to experiment with different calorie levels to find my "sweet spot". I can maintain my weight as long as I don't go over 1700 kcal most days of the week. If I drop below 1500, I start to lose. But I know other people who maintain on 1000 or 1200 and have to drop below that to lose. So to answer your question, I usually eat around 1700 kcal/day (I'm in maintenance now).

I haven't had DS. But the hunger factor would be controlled by your sleeve surgery (which is actually stage 1 of a DS - but you've already had that part of it). It cuts out much of the part of the stomach that produces ghrelin. So that piece you've already had. What the intestinal part (stage 2) will give you is malabsorption, which will also help with weight loss. The malabsorption you get from a DS is greater than what people get from RNY, which means you'll need to be even more diligent about taking your vitamins. Vitamin deficiency is more of a risk with DS than it is with RNY, so you will really need to keep on top of this for the rest of your life. Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of primary care doctors are familiar with the sleeve and the RNY, but not the DS, so you may have to "teach" them and become your own health advocate. other than that, there are a lot of people out there who are very happy with their DS. Although I do agree with the above poster that at your weight, I'm not sure I'd consider it. It's a pretty radical surgery and probably more appropriate for someone with a TON of weight to lose.

most people do lose their hunger for awhile - anywhere from 3-4 months up to a year. Mine came back at five months out. There are a few outliers who either never lose it at all or they lose it permanently, but for most of us, it eventually comes back. That's why it's so important to really work the plan those first few months when you're not having to deal with hunger. It'll NEVER be easier to lose weight than it is when you're never hungry!!

re; RNY and dumping - no, we don't suffer it forever. In fact, only about a third of RNY patients experience dumping, and that's only when they eat a lot of sugar. NOT every day. And it can be controlled by limiting (or avoiding) sugar. I'm not sure what exactly is going on with you, but that is awful!!!

I've never heard of that - but then, the surgical techniques they use now are much improved over what they used years ago...

I can't imagine that having braces would be an issue...

I'm not telling you what to do, but I almost never went off my plan until I hit maintenance. The one time I remember eating ice cream while in the losing phase I literally had like two tablespoons of it. But then, I know myself too well. I'm at high risk of straying and sabotaging my weight loss. Happened millions of times prior to WLS.

people lose weight at all different rates due to many different factors - age, gender, metabolism rate, starting BMI, whether or not you lost weight prior to surgery, etc. At eight weeks out, I'd lost 26 lbs (11.8 kg). I was very worried about not losing quickly enough, but I was very committed to my plan and ended up losing 100% of my excess weight. As long as you stick to your plan, you will lose the weight, whether fast or slow. In the end, your hard work and commitment is going to have a MUCH larger impact on your eventual success than your rate of weight loss will.

I lost 57 lbs between my insurance-required six-month supervised diet and the two-week "liver shrinking" liquid diet that my surgeon required before surgery. I'm glad I did. The six-month diet, especially, was a good way to gradually transition me to the post-op way of eating (by gradually increasing protein, decreasing carbs, weaning me from caffeine and carbonated beverages, lowering my calories) so that it wasn't such a shock after I'd had surgery. Plus it put me that much ahead of the game once I'd had surgery.

I'd start with cutting way back on carbs and drinking with meals. After that, gradually decrease your calories. Jumping right back to 600-800 might be too radical and set you up for binging. Figure out how many calories you're eating now (by logging your intake) and then cut back by 100 every week until you get to the point where you're losing again. That's going to vary for everyone. I can lose when I drop below 1500.