DeletedMember

THIS! I can't even count how many times over the last 8 months I've thought "man, I can't go outside in this, it's ridiculously big". In the previous 42 years of my life I think I had that thought about ZERO times.

My hunger came back around 4 months post-op. I'm close to 8 months post-op now and the big difference is that the hunger isn't anywhere near as intense as pre-op. I describe it as more of a gentle reminder to eat than a ravenous hunger. I hope it remains this way as it's a heck of a lot easier to lose/maintain weight when you aren't starving!!!

If you don't mind sharing, what is your BF %? I am trying to figure out when I'm "done" and should move into maintenance and I'm focusing on BF% as my metric.

I found grape and orange to be the best. Green Tea wasn't too bad either. And I agree - keep them very cold. They are really gross at room temperature. IMO, while they are not exactly good, I preferred them to the really sweet shakes post-op.

I'm glad you did. I do not know how I never saw this thread! Awesome read.

I'll confess to not knowing what "real sugar" is, but any sugar can cause dumping. Sugar, Sugar in the Raw, corn syrup, honey, agave, etc etc. That being said, not all RNY patients experience dumping. Only a minority do (I forget the stat, but if you search dumping you'll see the stat repeated many times)

If you do decide on getting one, I'd check out any local universities. When I first started looking into it there were some private companies offering them at about $150 a piece. One of our local universities has a health and nutrition department that has one, and they charge $40. $30 if you are a student. The hand thing was most likely a bioelectrical impedance body fat analyzer. It's the same technology they use in scales that read BF %. From what I've read, they can be fairly accurate, but really only if you use them under ideal conditions, which you have to really plan for. You need to be well hydrated, you should not have eaten for many hours, you should not have worked out that day, etc, etc. I see this in my own scale, often in the AM (when you are dehydrated) the BF % can be several percent higher than the afternoon when I'm well hydrated, etc. My BF % on my scale is WAY lower than my actual BF % - about 5% or so. The calipers are supposed to be pretty reliable too, but only if people are well trained, and it generally is a lot more consistent if you go to the same person every time. This is why I went with the DEXA scan. It wasn't terribly costly, and gives an accurate reading. My plan is to get down to a normal BMI and get tested again. If my theory is correct I should be at a pretty normal BF % at that point too. If so, I have no compelling reason to be re-tested on any sort of regular basis. EDIT: One thing I've also wondered about is how all the excess skin affects or doesn't affect the caliper BF % measurement. If anyone has any knowledge or experience on that, I'd love to hear it.

I was never a binge eater, and never much of a snacker. I just really, really liked food, so when I sat down to a meal, I could put away a TON of food. A couple of big burgers and a bunch of tots or a huge plate of gnocchi and about 10 pieces of buttery garlicky bread, etc etc. In some ways I feel fortunate, as the RNY makes that behavior impossible (not eating the wrong foods, but eating that quantity). And since sweets, snacking, binging were not really my issues, as long as I'm vigilant, it's sort of a miracle. The one thing I have wondered 1,000 times since surgery is if "normal" people experience hunger like I did. It never really occurred to me pre-surgery, but I have realized that it really isn't hard to lose weight and eat healthy if you're not starving. Initially I had no hunger at all, and although it has returned over the last few months, it's a completely different sensation. Now it's more of a gentle reminder that I need to eat, but is easy to ignore if food is not accessible, etc. This was not the case before. I would become RAVENOUS, and there was really no option not to eat. The longer I held it off, the more food I would want to eat when I did eat. So, I wonder, is what I feel now more "normal" than what I felt before? Is this the type of hunger that "normal" people experience their whole lives?

I am still about 8lbs until "normal" weight per BMI (that would be 164lbs). I actually set my original goal at 185, which was lower than my doctor thought I would get (he doesn't set goals, but said he could see me being around 200lbs). I also thought that I would never be at a "normal" BMI as I don't really buy in 100% to BMI as it's not designed for the individual, but for large averages. I decided that I would focus more on my Body Fat %. So once I hit 185lbs, I went and had a DEXA scan done, which told me that my BF % was 26.5% - above the normal range. I did a little back-of-the-napkin math and I think I will probably get to a "normal" BF% right about the same time I'm at a "normal" BMI, so I guess for me, BMI is actually very accurate. YMMV. On another interesting note, I found a site that tries to predict your BF % based on your BMI. Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, I put in my gender, age, and BMI exactly as it was the day I had my DEXA scan. The online tool predicted I had a BF% of 26.7%. Holy crap! That's outrageously close to the 26.5% the DEXA scan returned. Anyway, everyone is different, but for me, as it turns out, BMI seems to be incredibly accurate. Obviously, if I bulk up muscle, etc that will be less so, but for now I must have a pretty typical body composition. If you are interested in the online BF % calculator based on BMI, it can be found here: http://healthiack.com/body-fat-percentage-calculator

I had RNY, but I was taking two different BP pills (3 meds total, one pill was a combo of two meds). About 2 weeks after surgery my BP crashed. It was actually kind of a scary feeling. I called my surgeon and he had me stop one of my pills (the combo pill). I followed up with my PCP a couple weeks later and she cut the other pill in half. A few weeks after that I was approved to cut them out all together. I was kept on the PPI while I healed, but after a few months I came off those as well. I now only take 2 Centrum multi Vitamins a day. Blood work is great, BP is well controlled and no GERD. Awesome stuff.

Your body treats honey and agave just like any other sugar. Nothing like Splenda, stevia, etc.

I don't avoid carbs, I avoid highly processed or refined carbs (bread, Pasta, rice, sugar). But I eat plenty of fruit, Beans and lentils. I average about 80g-90g a day. Sometimes as high as 110g-115g. I have lost extremely fast, so I can't imagine the carbs slowed my weight loss at all. I've lost 162lbs in a little less than 8 months.

Cauliflower is good. If you like curry, I will sprinkle some curry powder on my cauliflower before roasting and it's awesome! Haven't tried turnips or carrots. Willing to try any roasted vegetable though!

Ok, can we talk about Starvation Mode for a minute? It seems to come up on these boards on almost a daily basis, and I have hovered over the “reply” button so many times, but know that more is needed than a simple reply, but I have never taken the time to put that together. Now is that time. SUMMARY (tldr): Starvation Mode exists, but not at all how most people think it does. YOU WILL NOT STOP LOSING WEIGHT THROUGH A SEVERE REDUCTION IN CALORIES. This should be intuitively obvious. If people stopped losing weight by only eating 600-800 calories a day, then when you saw photos of starving people (malnourished 3rd world countries, or Holocaust photos) those people would not be thin, but they are. In fact, they are insanely thin. How could this be possible? Starvation Mode is actually something called Adaptive Thermogenisis (AT). AT is a drop in your resting metabolic rate that is independent of the reduction caused by the reduction of body weight and body composition. In other words, you burn less calories as you lose weight, but you also burn less calories simply because you have severely restricted your calories over a period of time. AT exists, but probably not at NEARLY the level you think it does. It’s worth noting that almost all of the information on AT is derived from a 60+ year old study referred to as the “Minnesota Study”. Ironically, although this is the basis for most peoples’ understanding of Starvation Mode, if you see photos of the participants of this study they are grotesquely thin. There is an article that does a great job summarizing the findings of this study (and provides loads of other information) : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.20027/full Here are a couple of key relevant points: The reduction in calories burned due to AT is really quite small:“In the Minnesota study, about 35% of the fall in basal metabolic rate (0.8 MJ or about 180 kcal) was independent of changes in Fat Free Mass (FFM) and therefore ascribed to AT.” 180 calories a day people. If you “normally” would be burning 1600 calories a day, this would mean you are still burning 1420. THEREFORE, if you are eating 800 calories a day you will NOT stop losing due to Starvation Mode. It just means rather than running at an 800 a day calorie deficit, you are running at a 620 a day deficit. So, instead of averaging 1 pound lost every 4.38 days, you will lose 1 pound every 5.64 days. It takes a few weeks to develop, and you “max out”. You do not keep lowering your metabolism forever.“A maximum adaptation was reached after a 10% weight loss or after 12-20 wk. After 24 wk of semistarvation, there was no further adaptation of basal metabolic rate.” Disclaimer: I am not advocating starving yourself. I am not advocating any specific daily caloric intake. As always, you should work with your doctor/surgeon/NUT.

I LOVE Brussel sprouts and eat them at least once per week. My kids HATE the way they smell when I cook em I usually either use fresh ones and cut them in halves or really small frozen ones. Sprinkle a little olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and roast them for 30-45 minutes. Delish!! Roasting veggies has become a way of life! I never ate them that was until this year, but it's AMAZING! Brussels sprouts, green Beans and broccoli are all regularly featured in the roasting rotation at our house. The kids LOVE veggies this way (not so much the Brussels sprouts). They even refer to the green beans as "green bean french fries". We prepare them pretty much exactly as to describe.

I totally understand where you are coming from. No I was not hungry either but like you said-- I somewhat mourned the act of eating like a normal person . For me it did not last long. Came and went. I could barely get the food I was supposed to eat down let alone what they were eating. However my husband like yours did on a few occasions stop for fast food. I didn't want it though... I gorged on that crap all pre op and I was beyond sick of it but I felt bad for him and the kids eating it because I know its garbage. I asked him not to feed it to my kids and gave him alternative places to go for fast food like Panera bread, subway or boston market. He agreed and honored my request and we are all now eating healthier. My 12 year old daughter has lost almost 15 lbs since my surgery and its a testament to leading by example. She now see's that she can do it and we're hoping for and working toward a total of 50lbs lost by the end of the school year or at least by my surgiversary. I'm hoping to be able to take her on a trip to celebrate our success!!!! This post made me very happy for your daughter!! In retrospect, my biggest parenting regret is not modeling better eating behavior. My kids self regulate well and are at very healthy weights, but they still make plenty of bad choices. I struggle with this daily as I try to model and discuss food choices without making them feel bad about themselves. My 19yo has been trying to make better choices, but he really knows little about nutrition - I feel very responsible for that. And he's now off at college trying to fend for himself. My 12 yo has always been more health conscious, and is more knowledgeable about nutrition as a result. She tends to gravitate to fruits/veggies as Snacks, which is awesome. Overall she eats pretty healthy, but she does love sugar - lemonade, Cookies and ice cream mostly. But good for you and your family. Those healthier alternatives still offer a lot of delicious options!

If it's going down well, you can tolerate it. You'll definitely know if you can't. For me there is pain. And it kinda sucks. But it's unmistakeable, you won't miss it! Dumping only occurs in something 30% of patients. Again, I hear it's terrible and you will know. I've never dumped (6.5 months post-op) but I never, ever eat sugar (except as part of fruit). If you can't tolerate something, just wait a few weeks and try it again. You will eventually be able to tolerate most if not all foods. As far as shrimp, it was one of the first animal Proteins I could handle. For some it's one of the harder. It varies so much from person to person you just have to try it out (in accordance with your surgeons plan of course). Most people can tolerate fish quickly - I still struggle with fish, but can handle chicken and pork pretty well. I also struggle with ground meats, but a lot of people find these easier. I cant explain why there is so much variance between people, but it seems to be a consistent theme around here.

I don't know this drink, but I'd guess zero. Protein itself has 4 calories per gram. This drink has 20g protein and 80 calories so I assume the calories all come from protein.

I'm just here for the photos ladies......

I am a little over 6 months and mine is still loud! Mostly when I drink anything liquid. Gurgles and gurgles and gurgles.

You have to pass a drug test to be approved for bariatric surgery? Odd. That's the first I've heard of that.

I track my intake on Fitbit - mostly because I already use it for tracking activity and weight. I use MyFitnessPal (MFP) to track my food (which also syncs with fitbit). You can track water intake in MFP as well. If you are already using an app to track food/fitness, I would try and use that as it will probably be more convenient for you.

@@Donny Super impressed! It can be done, and you're doing it. I have a close friend that had RNY many, many years ago and regained back to over 350lbs and had been there for awhile. This year he got serious about it and he's down to 195lbs in less than a year's time, and is in amazing shape. There is always hope!

Man, I can totally relate to this topic. I had surgery in March, and have surpassed my original goal weight (185), and now am less than 10 lbs away from my revised goal weight (165). Who knows, I may revise my goal again just to avoid maintenance, LOL. It is such a mental game. Yeah, I know what I need to do, but I'm afraid I'll slip into old habits. Even after losing FAR more weight than I ever have, even after changing the way I approach food, and maintaining that approach for almost 8 months, I STILL doubt myself. With good reason - I have lost so much weight (never this much), so many times, and always regained. Failure, after failure, after failure. I know it's different know, but I still fear it. I have been successful at losing weight many times, but have NEVER been successful at keeping it off.

I am totally not judging you! I have no issue with people using marijuana - medicinally or recreationally. And I think it's a heck of a lot better than opioid pain medication. I was just curious what type of insurance you had to get drug screened for. Is that for Medicaid? The only time I've ever been drug screened was for life insurance. One thing to note, for my life insurance, it didn't matter if you were a medical patient or not (I live in MI where medicinal is legal), if you tested positive to marijuana you weren't denied insurance, but you automatically got a "smoker" rate. Which is ridiculous on many levels, but that's another topic.