Sajijoma

Don't overthink the bag. LOL I had all kinds of crap I never used. All you really need is your insurance cards, ID, underwear, loose clothes to wear home, a robe to cover your @ss flapping in the breeze as you walk the halls, slippers or slip on shoes, toiletries(although hospital provided some), chapstick(although hospital also provided some but I like my brand better), charger and phone, and I took my body pillow to get comfortable with. That was the life saver of all the things I brought! I can't emphasize enough how uncomfortable those hospital beds are, but with a good body pillow I was pretty comfy for my 3 day stay(had oxygen and waking up from anesthesia issues so I got an extra day) that's all you really need. I had all kinds of junk in my bag for "worse case scenarios" from listerine pocket packs, self cooling ice bags, self heating heat packs, ear plugs, eye mask, feminine hygiene products, sprays to make the hospital smell go away, pjs(which in the end I wore 1 pair home just because I didn't want to have to get dressed just to go home and put pj's on but the rest of the time I was in the hospital gowns and too out of it to care), socks, they put compression socks on me so my socks were useless, I mean I had a lot of crap! LOL

I like the Jack links tender cuts. They aren't so painful to chew and have a good flavor without being too strong. I keep bags of jerky stashed in my van, my desk, and occasionally my purse just incase of emergencies although I did have a major emergency Monday and was left without any jerky or water for almost 6hrs. I don't advise that!

If you are fresh out of the hospital post op, sure, it could work, otherwise it's just not enough protein to meet your needs. The first days are rough trying to get in enough protein and liquids. Just do the best you can.

@@Cassie111 PB2 is a powdered peanut butter without the fat and sugar. You can "reconstitute" it into peanut butter by mixing with oil or blend it into protein drinks to add peanut-ness.

I took my before pic the night before surgery. I didn't want to look at it. I didn't want anything to do with it, but at 6 months out and down well over 100lbs I like looking at it compared to my pics of me now. It shows me how far I've come because physically I don't feel different. My mind protected me from seeing how huge I was and when I look in the mirror now I cannot see any difference, but when I take a pic and compare side by side with that first pic I'm all like "yeah, that's a major difference!"

The Bariatric pal store has some crunchy protein snacks that are pretty good. There's one that's like sour cream and onion O's. Tastes really good and we're kind funyon like....I used to love those back in the day. Scratched that itch nicely.

I didn't get cheese back til I was over a month out. Something about it can melt and gum up the healing stomach pouch/intestines, so you need to wait til it's healed. Literally at 6 months out, I eat cheese every day. It's my best friend when it comes to meals.

I haven't dumped except during the soft food stages when I was ok'd to eat Bariatric vegetarian chili. It was just this side of hell. Not something you want to go looking for. I have kind of poked at that bear a few times like tasting a bite of cake(it was gross btw) and it didn't do anything to me. I've had pasta sauce that was over my 4g of sugar limit given to me by my NUT and still no dumping. Not all people dump so you cannot count on that safety net. You have to just go knowing that it "may" be a possibility, but don't go poking for how much you can get away with before it happens. When I recognized my behavior I made changes so I don't go testing to see what I can get away with again. It's not very beneficial in the long haul to be trying to defeat or push the limits of our surgeries.

are you sure you don't? Have you been checked for sleep apnea or have light stress in continence like when you sneeze? That can be comorbidity! I bet if you go to your PCP they can find you a comorbidity if they look hard enough. I technically didn't have any, but if I had been tested for sleep apnea I am certain I would have come back with it because I would wake up choking and gasping for air and feel tired in the morning.

You should just tell him. You are suppose to be a team and he can either support you, or you'll know it's time to walk away from the sinking ship, but hiding is not healthy. What if you have complications or worse yet, what if you didn't make it due to complications. He has a right to know what the risks are too doesn't he? Since he'd be the one losin his wife and shouldering the responsibility of both parents. Here's the deal. When I told my hubby I wanted gastric bypass he was NOT behind me at all, but I told him my reasons for doing it and that I was going to do it. I did my best to educate him on what it was and what it wasn't so that he would know that this was a carefully thought out decision and although he didn't like the idea, he did come around and seeing me healthy, happy, and a helluva lot more mobile now, he understands that it was the best thing for me.

@@katesuccess thanks! This is really helpful. After not really getting the answers I need, I am going to go rogue and looking at what you do does help.

It's all trial and error after surgery. For me, I could only drink water if it was ice cold. If it got too warm, the pain was incredible. I drank my protein shakes the same way. Ice cold. What you should do is get a small measuring cup. I have one that is 2oz. I'd set a timer for 15 mins and sip sip sip til I got through those 2oz and then set a timer for the next 15. It was a real struggle those first few days but remember ALL liquids count towards your water total, so you broth, your jello, your sf Popsicles, your protein shakes, your v8 juice all count towards that total. You are probably NOT going to meet your protein goal in the first few days/weeks. Just do the best you can. It gets easier the further out you get.

I drink Twisted Cherry every day and the Wild Grape and Crystal Sky on occasion. The only ones I really haven't liked were the roadside lemonade and lemon tea. They were both barf worthy.

Physically pain wise I could have done it, BUT the fatigue for the first week or so is tremendous and pushing yourself too hard too soon can cause a major setback. I wouldn't do it if I were you. It's too easy for something to go wrong. In the beginning, like at 2wks out, I had more than 1 bout with dehydration because I thought I could leave my water bottle in the car while I shopped. You don't want to experience that and being on a field out in the sun for that long could be a trip back to the hospital.

You look absolutely beautiful Djmohr! You should wear bright colors more often! They look great on you!

@@Djmohr Did you have extreme headaches almost like migraines or fatigue then too? Because I have really been struggling with these headaches that come on the same time every afternoon and the fatigue where I just fall asleep wherever I am. I had my vitamins all checked tecently because of it and they were all fine except my B 12 was high and my iron was borderline low-which is an improvement from where I normally am with iron. I sent a message to my NUT asking for help again, but if i don't get some kind of answers soon, I may just go rogue because I feel like crap and everyone is telling me I need more calories and carbs and she hasn't suggested I do anything except cut all carbs, which I did, but I actually feel worse!

I recently hit Forever 21 sizes. I love that store and H&M. My advice though would be to wait to buy a goal dress until you are at goal because your style and personality might change as you go or you might accidentally breeze past the goal size you bought and never get to wear it. I know I've breezed through a few sizes without really making use of the clothes so now I'm just buying for the size I'm in and a size or two smaller in small quantities so I don't waste too much money.

When I was preparing, my NUT had me do all sorts of things. It started with trying to leave 20% food left on the plate. Then there was eat protein first, veggies second, and any starch last. Then there was 30 mins to eat and take a bite and put the fork down for a whole minute before the next bite. Then we transitioned to little plates and no water 30 mins before or 60 mins after a meal. It all helped to build that routine that I needed post op. It is a lot easier to do post op though and not nearly as painful to maintain. [emoji4]

I am the same shape. I have no butt, no thighs really, but my bulk of my weight is across my belly and hips. I find the Lane Bryant skinny jeans work really well. They have stretch so it's not painful in the belly, but are "skinny" enough that they still hug my butt and thighs. Definitely worth it. Just don't buy too many because you seriously won't make back your money wearing them before you are on to the next size.

if I were you, I'd find a different surgeon. I was 429 when I met my surgeon and we sat down and talked about options and he said either rny or sleeve would be good, but rny would probably offer more weightloss. I was 386 on the day of surgery. I wasn't required to lose anything, but I tried so hard because I know losing weight does make it easier to do the operation, but seriously, unless you are like 4'9 or something and it's just inaccessible due to anatomy, it really should be gastric bypass IMO. I don't regret my rny at all and it would be better to get her done right the first time instead of suffering through a second surgery if it doesn't work out.

I'm a very by the book kind of person, but I'll call my NUT and see if she'll let me try it. I honestly don't know HOW I'll be able to increase it though since getting to 800 is a chore in and of itself in the outline of the program, but maybe?

I'm not sure I have anything else to cut. I literally have nothing left that I could cut unless it's the salad which isn't providing much, because I need the protein.

I'm 5'9. It probably would be a good idea, but I have a hard time just getting it in. I have to rely on protein drinks to get me as high as I am.

I had RNY on 11/9 and I've noticed that I'm losing weight from the top down! It's so weird! My face is thin now and I've lost a couple of top sizes, but my bottom half is still the same size! I feel like one of those bopping balloons or something that you hit and it wobbles but sits right back up! Did anyone else lose like this and when did the bottom half kick in?

My NUT was very adamant that 800 cal is where I should be and that no snacks are allowed in our program. I have an appt in like a week and a half so maybe she'll bump me up then or do you think I should call her again about still be stalled out before I do more damage.