biginjapan

I love Syntrax - I use both the nectars and the regular chocolate/vanilla protein powders. A full scoop of either is 100 calories and 0g of carbs, fat, and sugar. I also like the Quest salted caramel protein powder (it also seems to be the one out of all the flavours I tried that clumps the least). I was accidentally sent a huge tub of vanilla-flavoured Premier Protein powder instead of the pre-made drinks from an export place that carries both. They ended up sending me the drinks and told me to keep the powder. I never used it until yesterday, partly because I didn't like the fact that it has almost twice the calories, plus carbs, of Syntrax. When I made my smoothie it was a lot thicker than the Syntrax ones, and in the end I had to throw half of it out. The aftertaste was just disgusting, and despite brushing my teeth and using mints and other things, nothing could get rid of the aftertaste, which lasted several hours. It's definitely going in the garbage. The pre-made drinks I can handle, it's the powder that's gross (at least for me). I make all of my own protein drinks (Syntrax nectars or Quest - the former mixed with water and the latter with almond milk) and smoothies (also mixed with unsweetened almond milk, and 1/2 cup of berries or banana thrown in, plus chia seeds). I like them so much better than the pre-made drinks, which always have a weird chemical (or something) taste to them.

I went with Dr. Cabrera at Mexico Bariatric Center.

Just curious as to how people measure their major milestone dates. In the beginning, most people seem to go by weeks, but as you go further out, do you continue to go by weeks (and therefore 4 weeks = 1 month), or do you go by the actual day anniversary? So, using myself as an example, my surgery was Thursday, Feb 9, 2017. If we go by the standard 6 months (even though they range from 28 to 31 day each), my 6-month surgiversary will be August 9th. But, if I go week-by-week, as I have been doing since this started, 6 months will be July 27th, 2 weeks earlier. I'm probably overthinking this (!) but I consider Thursday my surgery day, not the 9th of any given month, since it usually doesn't fall on a Thursday. However, if I do that, then there will be 13 "months" in a year, not 12. Ugh. I need help. How are you measuring your dates?

Yeah, I guess I should stop counting weeks at this point and just go by full calendar months using the actual date (not day) as the marker. So August 9th will be 6 months. My initial hope was to lose 100 pounds by then, but I'll be lucky (and happy) if I can hit 90 pounds lost. I just need to up my game over the next month.

I wish I could eat whole grains. Well, I suppose I do in the form of oatmeal, and occasionally lentils, but otherwise there are no whole grain products in Japan (they love simple carbs here). There is brown rice, but my digestive system can't handle it, along with other grains like barley and bulgur (that was pre-op due to gastrointestinal issues I've had my whole life). I'm going home this summer for a couple of weeks so I'll try some then and see how they affect me.

I wish I could say the same at times - with a few exceptions, I haven't lost my taste for anything. Which means I do actually have to be careful with sweet things, so I may never really introduce them back into my diet (which is the point I suppose). Sorry, I know that's not much help, but maybe some vets who have experienced this can chime in.

I also got pneumonia about 2 weeks after surgery, but I didn't have any pain like you described. I was given an incentive spirometer in the hospital (although the nurse did not tell me what it was for - he said it was for pain, which I didn't really have, so I didn't use it as much as I should have) but that didn't help in the end. Luckily it wasn't too serious, as I was recovered within 2 weeks - useful, since I went to Germany on a business trip then!

Not only goals, but let's you know how much over the goal you are. Some apps just tell you that you hit your goal (yay!) but really, I'd rather not go over my calorie or fat "goals". I also would like to see a calculation of micronutrients like vitamins - as I input food, it keeps track of how much calcium or vitamin c or whatever that I'm consuming. BUT - it would need to be customised by the user for our bariatric needs. As most people don't need the extra vitamin supplementation that bariatric patients do, I'm often told on other apps (well, Spark People only, since none of the other apps I tried do this) that my nutritional intake is off the charts. Also, no limitations on weight loss/week. Most apps prevent you from putting in a goal that's more than 2 pounds a week, but of course that doesn't work for us.

GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease. People often suffer heartburn or have acid indigestion as a result. RNY gastric bypass removes most of your stomach and re-arranges your intestines and you'll be on vitamins for the rest of your life because your body will not be able to absorb the nutrients it needs due to the changes to your digestive tract. Gastric sleeve only cuts out 85% of your stomach, but otherwise leaves your digestive tract alone. You'll probably be on vitamins for at least the first six months since you'll be limited by your small stomach, but eventually you'll be able to get what you need from food with little to no supplementation. People lose faster on bypass, but after one year out, the weight loss is about the same for both procedures. There is no "better choice" - there's only what's the best choice for you. If you are over 50 BMI, have GERD, and/or have an addiction to sugar, bypass is often recommended. If you don't have any of those issues, usually sleeve is recommended.

What are you eating/drinking? I found my first couple days rough on this diet, but after that I had way more energy than before.

Glad to hear you are doing great! I had pretty much the same experience in Mexico, but in my "wing" of the hospital, out of the 6 patients, I also had a very easy recovery with little pain or discomfort, lots of energy, etc. compared to others, some who were suffering quite badly with gas pain/fatigue. I broke out in tears at one point because I didn't know what was wrong with me - everything I read on these boards matched what everyone else was going through on my floor, why was I not experiencing any of this? Did they even cut out my stomach? Maybe these were fake scars. My doctor laughed and told me to be grateful that I was one of the lucky ones who had no pain or complications afterwards, then showed me a picture of my cut out stomach to reassure me that the surgery, in fact, took place. I really wish I had been prepared for no problems!

How many calories are you eating and how much are you working out? It may be possible that your workouts might be sabotaging your weight loss at this stage if you are not consuming enough calories for your energy expenditure (there's a recent thread about this if you do a search). I'm 3.5 months out from surgery and have lost 50 pounds post-op - but over the past 14 weeks what usually happens is the scale will not move for 1-3 weeks, then will suddenly drop 2 or 3 pounds several days in a row. This has been a consistent theme since surgery and I've just realised that this is how I lose weight. I no longer use the word "stall" since clearly I'd have to go much longer (for a month or so) before I need to start getting worried (but hopefully that won't happen for a while). Your body too is still coming to terms with everything, it will start showing a pattern soon enough I think. Also, averaging 5 pounds a week is really good - that's almost a pound a day - just keep at it.

I know! I rarely take photos of myself (since I am usually the one taking photos), but honestly, just have fun for half an hour trying different things. The good thing with digital snaps is that you can shoot a bunch and then delete the ones you don't like.

I'm 3.5 months post-op and like you, am experiencing major hair loss (or so it feels like). I put my hair up in rollers today and lost more hair taking the rollers out than I have all week! I've already noticed my hairline is quite thin at the temples. I can't help you with your question since I'm at the same stage as you, but I'm really interested to hear what others have to say. (Oh, and I ran out of biotin this morning. Great timing )

I've been photographing people since high school (yearbook) and I can say that most people's belief in their lack of photogenic goodness is all in their heads. Yes, some people photograph better than others. But that's likely due the shape of their head/face/eyes and the lighting they are in. Also, I find that people who hate having their picture taken almost always find a way to sabotage the photo by making a strange face or scowling or whatever, which further reinforces their belief. A few tips: Be confident. Want to take the picture, want to look good in it. Your confidence will make the picture better. Be aware of different kinds of lighting and how it affects your face. I know for me, natural light is best, and if I can, I always face a window to get a nice, even light on my face. Harsh lighting or low light is generally not good for me, since the shadows emphasize all the bad stuff, so I avoid taking pictures then (but follow advice #1 not to spoil any that might be taken). You must have one side (or more) that you feel is more photogenic than the others (or not as bad as the others) - and this is NOT the back of your head! Try taking photos with that side, and be aware of it when others are taking your picture too. I hate my profile, especially the left side, so try always to be facing forward for any kind of portrait. However, that tends to be opposite for most other people. Take photos with your head/chin in different positions (slightly up, slightly down, slightly to the side) and see what's most flattering. Since you've lost a significant amount of weight you may not need fear the double chin anymore by lowering your chin for portraits. Cell phones have wide angle lenses on them which really distort faces. You can use that to your advantage my taking a photo from slightly above your head (with your chin pointing down and eyes looking up towards the phone) - it will give you a much narrower face. However, if you want a more natural looking picture, try using a camera with a lens between 85-135mm in focal length - this is generally the range favoured by portrait photographers (85 and 105 are usually the gold standards). I'm not sure exactly what your situation is (you taking the photo, or someone taking the photo of you), but I hope you find something useful here.

Syntrax and Unjury protein powders are 100 calories, and 0 carb, 0 fat, and 0 sugar and 23 grams of protein. BUT...they are whey proteins. You'll really have to look at vegetarian options if you can't have whey.

I think almost everyone goes through this, at least once, during their journey. I've heard the first 2-3 days are the worst, and that people feel better after that. It sucks while you're going through it, but it'll get better.

That's too bad. I feel lucky in that, while there are some things that I don't particularly care for, there's nothing (so far) that I can't eat or drink. Hopefully you'll find something more to your taste soon.

Have you tried other options instead of dairy? I use unsweetened almond milk (and before that soy milk) instead of regular milk when making my shakes. Now, I would never drink either of these on their own, but they work well in shakes and add extra protein as well (I find homemade shakes a million times better than the pre-packaged stuff, which tastes way too chemically for me). Another option is the Syntrax nectars (juice-flavoured protein) - they have ones like lemonade, peach, berry, etc. - just mix with water. When I was within my first 6 weeks of being pre-op, having a proper shake in the morning, plus one of the nectars later in the day, really help me hit my protein goals (in fact, most days I was over 100g).

@niyahimani and @ Tarno3: You are both doing well. Losing 31 pounds in 7 weeks is a completely normal weight loss for bariatric patients. I was the same at your stage (I had my surgery Feb 9). Now I'm just over 3 months post-op and I've lost 40 pounds post-op (but 62 pounds total from my highest weight). You'll go crazy trying to compare yourself to others. We all gain weight differently, we all lose weight differently.

@AGreenEyedWolf: Please note that what I say next is coming from a good place - I have some of the same struggles as you, so this advice is as much for you as it is for me. Just because you have no restriction, just because your plan allows you to eat whatever you want, doesn't mean you should. You (your brain) has to be in control over your stomach/cravings/etc. Get rid of the fruit - that's way too much sugar! My plan allows for 1/2c of berries or 1/2 a banana a DAY total, and I only put them in my protein shakes (if I do). However, even for me I feel this is impacting my weight loss, so for the next few months I'm going to stop eating any and all fruit. Get rid of the bread and wheat thins - I don't even know why this is on your plan. Both are simple carbs, both will induce cravings, both will impact blood sugar levels. Meat/fish/tofu and veggies - focus on that. Your macros are important - protein should be at least twice your carbs. Weigh out your food and eat only the portion you measure. Don't go back for more, even if you feel you can eat it. Finish eating within 20-30 minutes - if it takes you longer than that, you have too much food on your plate. I totally understand the feeling of feeling hungrier at home - this happens to me too, especially during weekends and holidays, so I force myself to do things (clean the closets, go for a walk, etc) to keep myself busy and not in front of the computer all the time, which, for whatever reason, makes me hungry. Your idea for a reset is good, I hope it helps you get back on track!