Sajijoma

I was 38. Starting weight of 429lbs and I'm currently around 240 I think. I quit weighing daily. It slows my progress somehow. I had RNY.

I had rny, but my surgeon requires the same tests for both...which was just a basic CBC panel, EKG(it was less than a minute), and answer a bunch of questions to determine if they need to watch for signs of sleep apnea. He likes to keep things simple and I was grateful.

The pure protein bars are full of very dense fiber and when you drink water with it, it expands which is great pre op because you stay full on one bar, but post op it can be dangerous, although I found I had to at least take a tiny tiny sip because it was like swallowing sand and not drinking for an hour was too miserable.

I've tried it, but my "pancakes" using the recipe didn't turn out at all. It was a hot mess. I'm not a stranger to cooking either. I went to culinary school! LOL I still have the rest of the box in the cabinet and haven't bothered trying any of the other recipes. It really just was a bummer for me.

I had soreness at the sight of my drain and the water from the shower really brought me to tears the first few days after it was out. It will pass, but just keep it covered during the day and you can use neosporin on it to keep it from getting infected and promote healing. My surgeon had me remove the bandage and allow water(not soap) to run down it daily. That was not fun for me, but it did heal up well. I almost can't even see the hole at 8 months out.

Everyone is kind of different because your ability to absorb different vitamins and minerals may be different based on your own physical anatomy. For me, I take Bariatric advantage ea chewables and chewy bites 500 for calcium and that's it. My body is absorbing all I need from that and my levels are good and steady. Some people I know who have had the same surgery need more B12, iron, and d3/calcium because they just aren't absorbing it. I'd start off with the basics like I did and wait til your labs to see if you need additional supplements. You may not need them and that's money left in your wallet.

I was lactose intolerant for the first 6 months after surgery. The Syntrax nectars were and still are my shake of choice. I also bought the lactase tablets so later on I could tolerate cheese and yogurt. Some people are lactose intolerant for a short period of time after surgery and some never get over it, but even if you are now, there is no reason to think it's forever.

I still used protein shakes to help me meet my protein goals at that point. The puréed foods were mainly to satisfy my mouth's need to be involved in the process. I couldn't hold more than 1oz of purée in the beginning so my protein shakes really saved me.

My guidelines were that I could drink caffeine once I could get in 36oz of water first. Caffeine is dehydrating so in the beginning it's important to get that much needed water in first, but after the 36, you can have your caffeine.

left is me the day before surgery and right is today hw:429 sw:386 cw:248

Charliewrt2016 You really have got the best surgeon in the world. IMO. He was so gentle and he does his best to get all the gas out so you don't have the insane pain that comes from the gas being left in. I can't say enough about him. He just really cares. Every time I have an appt he always comes out and says hello and checks up on me and how I'm doing even when I don't have an appt with him anymore at this point. I just love him to death. I honestly was freaked out about the drain too. I begged him to just not put it in, but he'll tell you why it's something he does and why he won't budge on it. It really wasn't that bad in the end. I had mine for 10 days. The worst part was that it would fill up at night while I was sleeping and leak so I started emptying it at night when I got up to use the bathroom and that handled that. Also I am a super clutz and got the hose part hung on the cabinet door knobs more than once and broke the bulb part off once [emoji15]. Get a lanyard to clip to the bulb end of the drain for when you take a shower and use a safety pin to pin it inside your shirt for extra support. It's a God send so you can use both hands to shampoo and whatever. Also as I learned... tape the hose down close to your body with waterproof tape so you don't hurt yourself on doorknobs, but don't over tape it because you have to pinch and squeeze the hose to create the suction after emptying. The nurse will show you how before you leave the hospital. It really isn't that bad, I promise. [emoji4]

It's hot or miss honestly. I use Goodwill and Savers and sometimes I'll leave with bags of clothes for $20 and other days I pick through all the racks and leave empty handed. It's kind of like hunting. If you aren't into the hunt, maybe stick to clearance racks and eBay or something

The biggest hurdle at all immediately post surgery was being tired, but do as much as you can before surgery and then rest a few days and then get back on it. You'll be fine and the fact that you are probably going to be bored to tears at that point will make you ever so grateful for something to stimulate you.

I was allowed to try eggs in the puréed food stage so I cooked basically a sunny side egg and mashed it with a fork til it was good and floppy(like I fed my babies when they were eating mushy foods). It went well for me, but some people have a really hard time with egg especially in the beginning so if it doesn't work, table it for awhile and try again later.

I had puréed foods at 10 days post op, so not too soon at all really. Life for me on the protein shakes was hard because I was lactose intolerant immediately post op and the shakes that were lactose free made me violently vomit, but once I got to start adding in soft foods like yogurt, it got easier. More choices make thing so much easier! You are doing fine. It's just the part of the recovery very few doctors explain to their patients unfortunately.

Congratulations and happy surgiversary! You look wonderful!

I'm 9 months as well, and my weightloss is reaching a slowing point. It's not done, but the days of the 4lb overnight drop are long gone and I can go weeks without losing a lb and then lose 5 and then not lose for awhile. It's all part of the process as we get closer to goal. Just make sure you are still following your guidelines and keep from sabotaging yourself with little things you wouldn't allow in the beginning.

Here's what I tell people. I'm doing a high protein low carb diet and exercising 1 to 2hrs a day(all of which are true). They don't need to know the particulars of the surgery and for all they know you could have lost weight from something like cancer even. It's your business and not theirs. You don't have to give up any information you don't want to, just because someone was nosey and asked.

It's not advised ever to drink carbonated beverages because it can do damage to your pouch, but I don't know of any surgeon anywhere who is going to tell you it is ok at 15 days post op mainly because your stomach is still healing and that fresh suture line will never be able to hold up to the acidity of that soda nor to the gas from the carbonation. It's really just a bad idea.

My biggest annoyance are the people who want an exact weight amount about how much I've lost so far. "You are life half the size! How much have you loss?" And when you refuse to give them an exact amount siting that it is very personal, then they keep needling away "so was it like 100lbs?" Seriously, it's no ones business how much I have lost! I'm not doing it for their curiosity!

I want to scream NEVER!!! But it's not never. My program offered mashed potatoes in the puréed stage and low carb tortillas in the soft food stage in the form of a roll up. Why I want to say never is because the window of opportunity to maximize your weight loss is so small, and these things tend to be really bad for most of us. A lot of us got to where we started on the backs of bread, pasta, rice, and sweets, so the more you stay away from them, the better your overall outcome. I'm almost 8 months out and although I occasionally will take a small bite of one of these things, I generally leave them alone and honestly I don't miss them anymore.

I didn't have one and didn't really need it. I did find a few pairs of bike shorts that helped support me without being too constricting that helped, but I didn't need anything as tight as a binder.

I avoid pasta, potatoes, most kinds of rice, most breads(but not all), anything breaded, fried, anything with more than 5g of sugar in it....really it's probably easier to say what I do eat than what I don't. I stick with simple unprocessed foods, beef, beans, and fish mainly. I eat a lot of cheese and jerky. My stomach doesn't handle most chicken or pork well and then after I've had my protein serving, I'll fill in with salad, carrots, green beans or other fresh veggies, peaches in natural fruit juice with no sugar, or a few strawberries especially if my meal was spicy. It cuts the burn and allows me to wait comfortably til my 1hr post meal time to drink water.

Before doing anything different, always always ALWAYS consult your NUT. Advancing your diet before your body is able is a recipe for disaster. That being said, I was advanced to puréed foods at 10 days post op. Things on that list included sugar free yogurt, sugar free pudding, mash potatoes mixed with unflavored protein powder, ricotta cheese, refried beans, cottage cheese and even runny eggs smashed. This is the part of the program where your brain and your body are not on the same page. You have to learn to follow your steps and ignore what you think is hunger, because it isn't. It's just your head talking a pretty game, but the longer you follow your rules and stick to the steps, the easier it gets. I'm almost 9 months out and I do get hungry sometimes and sometimes I don't. It matters what you put in your body to make it not be hungry. The rules are a must. At about 4 to 6 months that's when hunger starts making it's comeback so it's important to have the rules down to heart before that happens otherwise you will likely go off the rails easier.

@@charliewrt2016 do you know who your surgeon at Kaiser will be? My surgeon Dr Chae, also does surgeries for Kaiser and he is amazing!