catwoman7

All food restrictions will be lifted once you're a few months out. There's nothing you won't be allowed to eat, but you'll need to be mindful of calories, portion size, and nutrition from here on out, otherwise you'll be at risk of gaining the weight back. I eat all of those things you mentioned..just in moderation (and some of them, I don't eat very often).. Do I ever splurge? Yes - but not often, and I'm right back at it the next day. honestly, many of my never-been-obese women friends eat the same way - they watch their portion sizes and don't splurge or eat really high-calorie or unhealthy things very often - just occasionally.

I'd do what works for me rather than them. Also you may not even get a date until after that anyway. As someone else said, it has to go through the insurance approval process. Even after mine was approved, they were scheduling a month or so out - and they gave me a couple of different dates to choose from. I actually asked if I could even do it later than the dates they were offering because I was working in education, and my supervisor said she preferred I wait until after the academic year was over (which was maybe another month out) - they said that was fine and gave me a couple more date options, one of which I went with. It all worked out in the end..

as usual, I agree with everything Arabesque said. A 10-20 lb bounce back regain is very common after you hit your lowest weight. It's your body settling in to where it's comfortable. You can always lose it again if you really work at it - although if that new weight IS your body's new "set point". it'll be a challenge to get back down there and stay there - but it's not impossible.

it's very unusual for "normal" weight loss patients (that is, those of us who aren't the size of the folks on "My 600 lb Life") to lose that much weight (the 30 or 40 lbs you mentioned) the first month. I have been involved nationally - both on forums and at conferences - with WLS for years, and I've never known anyone to lose that kind of weight (maybe 30 lbs - but even those folks are outliers. Forty pounds? Never). Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range that first month, so you are right where you need to be. I lost 17 lbs my first month, and I started out at well over 300 lbs. I went on to lose 235 lbs (have gained some of it back, as most people do, but I'm still over 200 lbs lighter at nine years post surgery). Your loss is absolutely normal.

I would check with a doctor, but Bypass2freedom may be on to something. It could be Orthostatic hypotension. That can cause both temporary blurry vision and dizziness. It's due to low blood pressure and usually occurs when you stand up quickly. It's very common in the early months after weight loss surgery (used to happen to me, too). If you stand up slowly you can usually prevent it. But check with a physician regardless to be on the safe side (this might have been what was going on the other day when you mentioned you were dizzy, too)

It *could* be hypoglycemia. To prevent that, you're supposed to eat something about every three hours. Preferably a protein if it's WLS-related. Even a thing of yogurt is fine.

the kind of reactive hypoglycemia that some people get after bariatric surgery isn't necessarily related to diabetes. It can happen to non-diabetics, too (I'm not diabetic). I've also seen it referred to as "late dumping", because it tends to happen a couple of hours after you eat (as opposed to soon after, as is the case with regular dumping). I mentioned in my response above that my physician couldn't find anything wrong with me when she did the workup, but she told me to let her know the next time I had that experience. The next time was a couple of weeks later. I'd been at a retirement party and had a whole piece of cake (instead of a couple of forkfuls, like I used to have back in those days). A couple of hours later, there it was again - dizziness, etc. She said it was likely reactive hypoglycemia (AKA post-prandial hypoglycemia), and it may not have shown up at the workup because my glucose might have been normal the day I went in for that. Anyway, yes - it's not uncommon after WLS, . It often appears when you're a year or so out (although sometimes sooner...or later). They say to eat protein - or a something paired with a protein - every three hours or so to prevent it (I know it's orange juice or something similar for regular hypoglycemia - but she specifically said protein with this type - may be something to specific to the WLS-caused version)

yes- I went through that. I just said "thanks" - and if they asked how they did it, it depended on who was asking. Normal-sized people and people I didn't know well I just said I was working with a dietitian and exercising like crazy. Skinny people believe that crap. If it was another obese person who seemed genuinely interested, I usually told them the truth. I was very glad when the comments finally stopped - because now almost everyone I know either never knew me when I was fat, or they've seen me since I lost all the weight. Occasionally (actually, rarely) I'll see someone I knew from years ago who only knew me as fat - but oddly, they usually don't say anything. Maybe they figure I lost the weight a long time ago - or took it off very slowly - or have some kind of medical issue - but luckily, it doesn't come up.

Yes - I have that. Or at least that is what my physician thought after I had occasional symptoms like that and they couldn't find anything else wrong with me (had the workup about four years ago). She said to eat something about every three hours - preferably a protein or something paired with a protein. It works - I rarely have those symptoms any more. P.S. any kind of protein is fine - even a thing of yogurt.

a lot of plastic surgeons suggest you wait for a year after hitting your lowest weight, because it's very common to have a 10-20 lb rebound. I waited two years, and I'm glad I did since I did gain that much (actually, a little more). They say a gain of more than 10-15 lbs can affect the results.

I've been making Greek yogurt and skyr for years. I also use my instant pot. Lots of recipes for both yogurt and skyr online (skyr is made the same way, except you add a couple of drops of rennet, and it doesn't culture for as long (about five hours rather than the eight or so hours for yogurt).

this is so awful. I am so sorry this happened to you. This was one of the things that scared me about plastic surgery (which is usually self-pay - if insurance covered it, I wouldn't have been as concerned). I opted to pay more for a plastic surgeon who did it in a hospital and insisted his patients spend the night there, too, so they could monitor me in case anything happened (although even though it gave me some peace of mind, it probably wouldn't have helped money-wise -I'm sure I, too, might have gotten a huge bill if something like this had happened to me). I don't know what to say other than this is just awful. I wonder if talking to the hospital's billing dept might help - maybe they'd be willing to reduce it? (I don't know since I haven't been in that situation). But how can they expect anyone to be able to pay that?

iron level is how much iron is currently in your blood ferritin is your body's iron stores. Your body taps into this when the iron level in your blood is too low. It's when the ferritin gets too low that people need an iron infusion however, this is more common in bypass patients than sleeve patients

yea maintenance takes A LOT of getting used to since nearly all of us have never been in this position before - or haven't in years. I was always gaining weight or trying to lose weight the whole time I was obese. if you are maintaining on your current level of calories, then stick with that until it's no longer working - and then adjust up or down as needed. Calorie levels change if your activity levels change, or as you get older, or whatever. What I did for a long time was set an "oh crap" weight (for example, 160 lbs) and once I reached that, it was all hands on deck until I was safely back in my safe zone again. So something like that might work for you, too. But yes, maintenance is definitely hard to get used to!

I agree to contact your clinic, but it wouldn't be that unusual since you had surgery on your digestive tract. It's many several years for me, but I think I remember having this. Also, like others have said, constipation can cause small tears in your rectum, which can also cause blood in your stool. I've had that issue as well (these particular incidents were not surgery-related, but the first one was)

P.S. I meant I lost weight for 20 MONTHS, not lbs! Can't believe I didn't catch this!

you are fine. Most people seem to lose somewhere in the 7 - 11 kg (or 15-25 lb) during the first MONTH, and you've lost 10 kg in six weeks, so you're absolutely in the normal range. I lost 16 lbs (7 kg) the first month, so I was probably exactly where you are at six weeks out. I went on to lose over 90 kg (200 lbs). (you will always find people who lose less or more than the range I stated, but they're either outliers, or they started out at MUCH higher BMI's than most of us have - such as the people on shows like "My 600 lb Life"). Your nurse and doctor are fools. I had a resident tell me the same thing when I was a few weeks out, and I wish that jerk could see me now!! I'm sure I lost much more weight than most, if not all, of the people who went through the program when I did! rule #1 with this is; don't compare yourself to others! Your rate of weight loss depends on so many things, only a couple of which you have much control over. Age, gender, metabolic rate, what percentage of your body weight is muscle, genetics, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a lot of weight before surgery, diet, and activity rate are all factors. How much you're eating and how active you are are really the only things you have control over. Do well with those, and the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. But don't forget - 10 kg is six weeks is completely normal. Just carry on and don't listen to foolish crap like this. EDITED to add: I lost weight for 20 lbs. Yes the first month tends to produce more loss than following months, but just like with regular diets, that's because some of it is water weight. One kg a week is pretty normal after the first month - but that'll gradually drop as you approach a normal BMI.

it's the same as Miralax. I think it's a UK brand - maybe Canada, too.

I did yoga for years (haven't in a while, though). You're probably not going to do much, if any, sweating unless it's hot yoga - and I doubt they'd have that at a community center. You'll usually find those kinds of rooms at a regular yoga studio. (I didn't sweat in yoga classes even when I weighed well over 300 lbs) I always wore sweat pants and a t-shirt. So did a lot of other people, at least when I did it. You don't necessarily need specific yoga clothing - although some people do wear that. the mat you have is probably fine for starters - and maybe forever. If you find it too uncomfortable the first couple times you go, then you can get a thicker one - or get another thin one and just use them both together. But for now, I'd give it a try with what you have. I wouldn't worry about blocks and straps, either. Not all forms of yoga use those. You can always get them later if the style they're doing requires them. balls - knee pads - no. I've never used either of those in yoga. you'll definitely be barefoot in yoga. You'd slide around in socks. for the first couple of times, just take your existing mat and wear comfortable clothes. Then you can buy other things later if you need them. P.S. instructors are good at modifying poses if some people in the class find some of them too challenging. In addition to that, I'd often scout out a spot in the back of the room so if there was some pose I couldn't do (or didn't like doing), I'd do something else.

the two they usually measure for are ALT and AST. But not all clinics test for those, so not everyone knows their values (actually, my bariatric clinic doesn't test for them, either - I'd gone to my primary care provider for some reason or another (it's been eight or nine years, so I don't remember why) and she did some panel that included liver values. She freaked about it, but my bariatric clinic knew what was going on - and again, they were back down to normal once I was about a year out).. They go up because rapid weight loss is really hard on the liver.

you won't need any of that weeks after surgery. It's really just the first week or so. After the first week, the only thing I felt was tired - that lasted for a couple of months. I didn't use a reclining chair - I just propped a lot of pillows up on my bed. Some people do rent or use recliners the first week or two, though.

high liver enzyme levels aren't uncommon the first year or so after weight loss surgery. Rapid weight loss is really hard on livers. Mine were high for about the first year, and I've heard this several times from others as well (including people from here on Bariatric Pal). My regular doctor was really alarmed by it, but the people at my bariatric clinic knew what was going on. They went back down to normal and have been normal ever since.

I don't remember how long I took the pain meds for (I think it was hydrocodone) as it's been a few years for me, but I do remember it was really painful. Way worse than WLS. It does get better - but - UGH. In the end, I was glad I did it, though. P.S. I'm not sure what you had done, but the lower body lift (LBL) was definitely the worst pain-wise (I also had an arm lift, a breast lift, and a face/neck lift - those surgeries weren't as bad. I think it's the muscle tightening and all the lipo they do that make the LBL so painful)

my hunger signals are the same. "Full" signals are often different than they are pre-surgery, though. Since you're only. few days out, it's best to follow your plan, though. Not sure I'd trust any signals this point.

sorry that happened to you. I know there are some people for whom oral iron supplements don't "work" that well, so they have to have occasional iron infusions, although that doesn't seem to be super common (although I'm only basing that on how often I read/hear about it here and on other forums, so it may be more common than I think). Were you getting your ferritin levels checked at least yearly? It takes a long time for your iron stores to deplete, so I'm a little surprised they didn't catch this before it became a crisis. Although you did say there was some bleeding in your digestive tract, so maybe that was the culprit (?) . Anyway, I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this. EDITED to add: interesting articles. And yes, bleeding in the digestive tract can definitely cause iron deficiency anemia. One of the articles talked about inflammation (which is common in obese patients) can also throw off chemical balances, which can affect vitamin/mineral absorption (for example, iron - probably explains why some people don't absorb oral iron supplements that well - although I've read they tend to do better with heme rather than non-heme iron - in fact, I know of several who take Proferrin, a heme source, because it "works" better for them than other forms of iron supplements). Anyway, interesting topic. thanks for posting the articles. And again, sorry you're dealing with this.