Berry78

What friends? Lol!

When I was pregnant, I became hyper aware of all the pregnant people around. One day, no preggos.. the next, boom! Now that I'm about to go under the knife, I start thinking about all the people I have seen that have lost a ton of weight, and I wonder whether they had some help [emoji6] And, recently, an aquaintance mentioned she had a small stomach. Before, I would have thought it was some kind of birth defect. Now I know better! Lol.

The people that live in my house with me need to know because while I'm recovering, they have to pick up my slack. It also will help having them watch out for me if I get sick. Anyone that lives outside the house is on a need to know basis. I definitely won't tell them before the procedure, and I'll play it by ear after. I don't work, so don't have that dynamic.

It's so funny how different bariatric surgery is from other types. A broken leg's cast invites inquiries and others' tales of skiing accidents. An appendix removal doesn't have lasting repercussions. But bariatric surgery seems to be very different. There is no external wound, but the lifestyle change is permanent... creating the potential need for continuing conversations. It's no wonder this journey can be so confusing.

It's probably just loose skin that makes you think you are bigger. Teenage girl muscle doesn't take up much room, unless you were a body builder!

I think the presumption is McDonalds puts a lot of preservatives or other chemicals in the food, and the "proof" is what happens by leaving it out. Now I am not privy to the recipes used by that restaurant chain, so couldn't say whether there is anything unusual in their ingredient list. And simply leaving it out doesn't prove anything either. (Bacteria and fungi don't tend to grow on dessicated substrates). But, it is important we each EVALUATE our food choices, and then eat the choices that are right for us. A lot of times our choices aren't actually actively chosen. We eat what is easy, quick, tastes good, or habit, without really thinking about it. The problem (for me) with McDonalds hamburgers is this: I am trying to evaluate whether I should include this food in my diet. I do not know what is in it. Therefore I truly have no way of knowing whether that food should fit into my diet. Conclusion: I should not eat it, or it should be consumed rarely. Pretty much every processed food has this delimma. Many ingredients in prepackaged foods were created in labs. How is the average person to know whether the added chemicals are good, bad, or indifferent? I'm not here to say whether Diet Coke is the right choice for the individual bariatric patient. I'm here to point out that many times we don't know what we don't know... and as long as consuming an unknown is acceptable, then so be it. The unknowns are rampant. We just have to choose the right ones for us. Something as simple as carbonation and stretching... I don't KNOW... but the right choice for me, at this time, with my current information, will be to avoid carbonated beverages.

That is amazing! Congrats!

This is a good question for a nutritionist, more-so than your surgeon. Something to try: 5 meals a day, each meal containing: 20-30g of protein (400-600 cals) 30g carbohydrate (600cal) 10g-20g fat (450-900cals) This would get you to 1450-2100cals. Compared to this, how much are you eating now?

I would tell myself to get the surgery as soon as possible so my own children could benefit from the changed food environment in the home. (As it is, my oldest is almost out of the house, and she needs the knowledge more than anyone)

Before I started my preop diet a few weeks ago, I never had gallbladder type pain. I always ate lots of fat. Ever since starting this low fat, low carb preop diet, I have been having twinges in the gallbladder area. I am having an ultrasound done in 3 days to see what is going on. I am interested in going LCHF after surgery, so want to keep my gallbladder if possible. How soon after surgery could I start LCHF? Anyone know where to find a meal plan? Of course most of these postop meal plans are low fat.

Ok, did a quick investigation, and since your condition is considered mild, the surgeons may feel the risk/reward isn't there. Another group you could talk to are gynecologists. They may help, especially with the pelvic floor issues. Have you used osmotic laxatives? (Like Miralax)

Do you have a weight issue that could be causing some of it? This message board is mostly about heavy people looking to lose weight with the help of surgery. Why didn't the surgeon want to work with you?

It is so hard to guess what is causing pain over the internet My MIL gets muscle spasms that are debilitating. Low sodium V8 helps her. Since the pain is abdominal, you could have something going on with an internal organ. Doctors need to run tests to check those out. Maybe a hernia.. How often do you have pain? Does it stay constant or come and go? Does the leg pain seem related to the abdominal pain? How about your female organs? Is everything normal with that? Do you see what I mean? Soo many different possibilities....

The reality is the surgery DID get you where you are today. It's sort of like a mechanic staring at a bunch of metal parts laid out on the ground that used to be a transmission. If someone comes up and says to the mechanic, " Did you do this? " He says "Yes" And then they point to the wrench, and say, "but you didn't do it by yourself". It would be ridiculous. Would the mechanic get all huffy? Maybe. but it would just be as productive for him to say, yes, I did use the wrench, and it sure helped! The truth is, there is a 98% chance that indeed, without the surgery you would be 300lbs. Own it, be proud that you got the help you needed, and that gives them zero fuel against you.

I am a surrogate mother. I carried a child of whom I am the biological mother for a couple that could not conceive a child on their own. I am not shy about talking about it, as it is part if my identity. When people hear about it, it usually brings up the same couple questions, and they move on. For me, WLS will fall into the same niche. If it happens to come up, I'll talk about it. Mostly people will be curious for a few minutes, then lose interest. They almost invariably dismiss the surrogacy conversation by saying, "oh, I could never do that." I imagine the surgery conversation would be the same way. They ask questions, then put themselves into your shoes to see if it would apply to them or someone they know.

I guess I don't quite"get it". Let's say according to my meal plan, my sleeve should hold 1/2 cup at 8 weeks post surgery. I can picture putting 1/4 cup of chicken salad and 1/4 cup cooked green beans on a plate. I know not to eat more than that, and stop if I feel full before eating it all. If I weigh it out, I can calculate the calories on the plate. If I eschew the measuring cup, how do I know if I need 2 or 3 ounces of chicken salad (or is it 4 or 5?) How many ounces of green beans? Another complicating factor is some foods have a low weight to volume ratio. A half cup of cheerios in milk will weigh less than a half cup of grape-nuts in milk. And, for the record, the videos posted are good at showing why not to use heaping cup measures... but once we are aware of that problem, it is easily fixed. I am sobered by how far off the weight/volumes and therefore calories are. But ultimately, the surgeons publish anticipated volume measures, not weight necessarily. Once I measure a nice level 1/4 cup of chicken salad, I will know it weighs x ounces, so that is what to shoot for in the future... right?

A slow cooker is a great tool for making broths. Plop bone-in meat, water, and seasonings in it, and leave for 8-12 hours. Strain and chill. Skim off the fat. Voila. Use the meat for another recipe. Do this once or twice a week. Separating the meat from the bones is the most time consuming part.

It seems like the best plan is to use measuring cups for portion control, and the scale for calorie counting.

Plateaus are no fun. If you describe your food/exercise routine, we might be able to help more. Philosophically , you think weight loss is formulaic. But what each person needs can vary widely.

Gas has to come from somewhere. Right after surgery it is coming from the procedure. Later it might come from swallowing air. It might come from the bacteria in the intestines. If the patient is constipated, or has slow digestion, the food in the intestines sits around, producing more gas. Probiotics can help establish healthy gut bacteria. Fiber and stool softeners can help expedite the bowels. Chewing and swallowing carefully can help with swallowed air. Pay attention to what you eat. Many of us become lactose intolerant. Other food intolerances can develop too. Hope any of this helps! Gas-x strips might help while you figure it out.

JerseyJules got scared 2 years ago. Backed out of the surgery. Nothing improved, so he went back to the surgeon, and is now a little over a week out of surgery. Stories like that keep me to it. I know if I back out, I'll end up coming back eventually! Might as well get on the other side! Good luck! You'll do great!

Is it in a healthier looking way? Maybe you aren't consuming as many staining types of food/beverages. My mouth is cleaner feeling than before. I'm on the preop diet.

How frustrating! At least it sounds like it'll only be an extra few weeks. Good luck!

Since another surgery is inevitable, and your family is on board with the removal, just try to get the removal and revision at the same time without telling them about the sleeve. They're happy, you are happy.. and when you drop weight, just say you are, indead pushing yourself away from the table [emoji6]

They refer to a period of time with no changes of weight as a plateau. This is because on a line graph, the line flattens out like the topographical feature. Good luck!