Flutterfly

Hey everyone! I cant believe a year has flown by so fast. I know when I was pre-op I used to seek out these threads to read other's experiences, so I wanted to share mine too. My start weight was 277 the day I scheduled the consult for bariatric surgery, and I was 255 the day of surgery. The first 3 months were a bit of a whirlwind. I dropped 20 pounds in the first month, and I thought it would stay that fast, boy was that some realistic thinking on my part. As real food was reintroduced during my second month I learned what the foamies were...oh my goodness, so not fun. I lost 10 pounds during month two and I remember feeling discouraged and having to reassess my motivation for this surgery. Having to remind myself that this was a change for the rest of my life and that it was okay if the weight didn't just fly off, because if I kept working with my body, then my body would have no choice but to become healthy. The next month I lost 9 pounds and learned that if I didn't chew my food really, really well, that it could get stuck and hurt like hell until it made me vomit. This was not a fun time, but alas I learned, and learned relatively;y quickly. Month 4 came and two things of note happened. I lost 5 pounds and felt confused and a little lost as to what was happening with my body. Also, my hair started falling out like there was no tomorrow! That became my new normal for awhile. 5 pounds a month, hair falling out. Somewhere around 8 months out my hair loss stabilized, but by then I had lost about 2/3rds of the volume I had. Biotin never helped, but I took it from the day I was cleared to begin vitamins post op. Around March I was 6 months post op and I had my first month with no loss, where I actually gained. I was aghast. I had this weird feeling like I wasn't going to get where I needed to be unless I started working harder. So that was the point where I finally changed. I started counting every macro, and working out 3 days a week in April. Initially walking and increasing in length/intensity. That was the beginning of my adventure into exercise. I currently run/walk in intervals a 5k a minimum of 4 times a week. I have never felt stronger or more alive. I was the girl who only ran when chased, I had no idea that underneath all that weight was a body that felt happy when it ran. A brain that felt at peace when it focused on my breathing. I'm still losing at the rate of 5 pounds a month, total weight loss since March of 2016 is 110 pounds. Biggest change has been my brain. I stopped worrying about the scale. It goes down because I'm living the way I am supposed to be. It doesn't have to be big numbers, because this is the way I live my life now. I don't know if that makes sense anywhere except inside my head, but I hope you get it. I only this week made it into the "overweight" bmi category and I have 27 more pounds to go before I am considered to be of a healthy weight. Loose skin? Yep! I'm not even mad about it. To be honest I didn't expect as much on my thighs and thought most of it would be around my midsection, but it's everywhere. I don't think it will ever bother me enough to have it removed, but only the future knows for sure. Dumping. Now to be fair I had my gallbladder removed a few years prior to gastric bypass surgery, so I already had issues with dumping. Bile buildup has a laxative effect on me. If I go more than 12 hours without eating, then just a sip of water can send me running to the bathroom. Fats don't typically bother me and I avoid sugar because I don't like the way it feels when my insulin spikes and then drops. It's scary and not fun. I get fuzzy and light headed, my stomach feels blah and my heart races. I'm human though and I challenge my biology on occasion. Ice cream doesn't love me anymore. It melts in my pouch and foams back up and just feels like it's sitting at the top of my esophagus and making me burp little foamy ice cream burps...I think the only reason I am okay with halo top is because the sugar alcohols scare me enough that I only ever eat a tiny bit because I don't want to live in my bathroom lol. Support systems! These are so important. My spouse is amazing. He's my biggest cheerleader and my companion in all things, including exercise! Make sure the people in your life only want what's best for you. Current diet is low carb (under 20 grams a day) moderate protein (60-80 grams) and moderate fat. This will likely be how I eat the rest of my life and I am okay with that. When I do consume more sugar, my brain starts to crave sweets and I feel like I have to fight with myself. For me personally it's not worth it anymore. That last sentence is a huge nsv for me. It's so weird and amazing/awesome to be nearing 40 and finally feeling like I'm not powerless to food anymore.

My hope is to maintain the mindset this surgery has allowed me to achieve and I sincerely hope when I'm posing about being two years out I am feeling the same. I just wanted to let others know that while things may not go exactly as you planned for them to, that for me this was a positive life altering experience that I wouldn't change for anything. I wish you all the same type of trans formative journey I have had in my first year <3

I would contact your bariatric team and see if they have recommendations for local therapists that are familiar with disordered eating.

Strawberries are also top on my list closely followed by blueberries, but I need to be careful with blueberries. They are so small it's really easy for me to not be mindful when eating them because I'm just popping them in my mouth.

Hi all! I'm 44 days post op and I find my pouch confusing...I discovered ricotta bake when I first started puree foods. I ate it for dinner for days, and then one night two bites in I was in discomfort and it bounced right back out. Ricotta in general, tried it again on it's own. I was fine. Tried it another day and it bounced. Scrambled eggs, good one day, I'm throwing up the next. Same thing with tuna salad on protein chips. So I'm wondering, for those who have experienced this, does it become more predictable? Is my body just weird :o)

Hi there. I was initially told to stay between 50-60g of protein and told that going over that for my frame (I'm only 5'3) would do more than just salvage lean muscle mass, that instead if I was taking in too much excess protein it would turn into glucose (sugar). I was drinking 2 premier protein shakes a day and getting 60g of protein but I wasn't hungry so the rest of my intake on most days was just herbal tea. At 160 calories x2 I was just keeping my body in starvation mode and it wasn't happy with me. I tried throwing in a two step protein bar for another 15g and things felt a little better, but honestly it wasn't until I ditched the second shake and replaced it with real food (a can of solid white albacore tuna mixed with avocado, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper and placed by the forkful onto salt and vinegar protein chips - this is two meals for me) did my body start to feel better and my weight started to go down again. I wonder if it wasn't so much the protein shakes as the nutritionist saying that your body readily absorbs more protein from real food than shakes or bars. Regardless, this was my way out of my first stall. I expect many more!

I was 255.6 the day of my surgery, which was 8 weeks ago today. Week 6 I hit my first stall and understood why so many people tell you to up your protein/calories to break through them. The scale didn't move again until I figured out how to consume more. You're going to hear this a million times, everybody is different. I decided to be less concerned about my actual weight post op. I didn't put it on overnight and I know it won't come off overnight. But, I also know as long as I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, getting my protein in, my vitamins, staying hydrated and moving around more, my body kinda has no choice but to lose weight. So I'm just going to let it do it's thing and do my best not to stress over it.

My routine looks like this; Wake up and take 2 Bariatric Fusion Multivitamins followed by a Barimelt Biotin and a Barimelt Iron +Vitamin C (I take the extra Iron every 4 days) I work from home and I am still using the notebook I got immediately post op for keeping track of things so I write down the time. 2 hours later I take my first 500mg/iu Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate + Vitamin D3. I note the time and repeat 2 hours from then. I do it a 3rd and final time for the day 2 hours after that. Total of 3 a day. Finally 2 hours after my last Calcium Citrate chewy bite, I take my last 2 Bariatric Fusion Multivitamins (total of 4 a day) suddenly an app doesn't sound like a bad idea lol

Hi all! I'm 45 days post op and I find my pouch confusing...I discovered ricotta bake when I first started puree foods. I ate it for dinner for days, and then one night two bites in I was in discomfort and it bounced right back out. Ricotta in general, tried it again on it's own. I was fine. Tried it another day and it bounced. Scrambled eggs, good one day, I'm throwing up the next. Same thing with tuna salad on Protein chips. So I'm wondering, for those who have experienced this, does it become more predictable? Is my body just weird :o)

See now that I can deal with, any indication would be better than none. So I guess I will just have to pay extra close attention to my body and how I a feeling before I eat something that has given me an issue in the past. It's just hard right now because i find that I am approaching foods that are good for me (high in protein, low in fat and sugar etc) with trepidation., and I really don't want to feel that way about good food that's supposed to nourish my body. Like I said, it's just been confusing.

My last post op appointment we discussed vitamins and I had a bottle of Bariatric Fusion (what I currently take) and a bottle of Barimelts. Doc didn't like the Barimelts, said not enough of what I need in it. My current regiment looks like this; 2 Bariatric Fusion multis (mixed berry, while not great is the least offensive tasting) and I take a Barimelt Biotin in the am with them. Then after 2 hours I take my first Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate Chewy Bite. I actually love these in caramel. I take 3 a day total, each two hours apart. Followed by another 2 of the Bariatric Fusion Multis two hours after my last calcium citrate. I take a barimelts iron+vitamin C every 3-4 days. Some days when the multis hit my pouch I get some nausea. I find taking them and then sipping a hot beverage like tea seems to make this subside quickly. I have been told Gummi's aren't for anyone who has had RNY, nor are flintstones.

I'm not going to lie, it is a little disheartening to hear that six months out you're still having issues with this, as I was/am hopeful that it's something that will resolve. It would be easier if I knew I could just never eat some of these protein sources, instead of the fine one day followed by discomfort/pain and puking the next. The nurse practitioner for my program who had the surgery decades ago, just said some things will agree with you and some won't and it's up to me if I want to keep trying. Tuna is just such a good source of protein though...I'm just hopeful my stomach figures this out.

I wanted to add that I wholeheartedly agree with seeing a therapist/counselor, I didn't recommend it because a lot of people still feel a stigma with mental health and those services can be costly. You have been given some great advice though. Try and get to the root of your issue and then find a new way to cope or distract yourself from food. We all know how this feels though, and you're not alone, if we didn't identify with making poor choices we likely wouldn't have found ourselves here in the first place. The good news is you can always DECIDE to make better choices.

The surgery fixed your body but it didn't fix your brain. Coping mechanisms can be hard to find. I manage the urge to snack mindlessly easier during the day than I do at night. First step is identifying it. You know if it's real hunger or not, and if it's not you need to find something else to do. Period, end of story. If it's during the day (light outside) I go for a walk, then I make a hot cup of tea in a mock bakery flavor like caramel apple to curb my craving. Finally, I sit down and work through whatever is causing me to feel like I need to cope. It's not always easy. I write a lot. I find it's hard to use my hand to shove food in my mouth if I have a pen in it.

My surgeon keeps all patients on omeprazole for a minimum of the first 30 days post op. You can purchase it over the counter and it's not harmful to take post op so I would hit the pharmacy and start taking 20mg a day while you're waiting for the doc to get back. If it gets better you have an indication of what your problem might have been. Regradless it needs to be discussed with your physician.

The premier isn't terrible. I like the strawberry and cream and the banana and cream the best. That being said, if you don't mind mixing it yourself, my absolute favorite is Inspire Chocolate Covered Cherry. Their peanut Butter Cookie is pretty good too. I mix with 8oz fairlife fat free milk and you end up with 33g of protein for 8oz fluid.

If you haven't had a bowel movement yet the gas pain is normal. As far as being red cheeked I did not experience this.

Hi there! I'm also in upstate NY but I have blue cross blue shield. I went with Bassett in Cooperstown even though it's several hours from my home because I really liked their bariatric program.

Thanks for replying so quickly and easing my mind. My husband is a health nut and is all about the microbiome and while he is supportive, things like this make him more cautious. I guess in the back of my mind all along I believed I would be weeding out unhealthy foods, but I never thought about having to remove healthy foods as well so it was just a bit of a shock. I guess I will just go back to the mindset of taking my time with everything and know that my mileage may vary with certain foods, possibly forever.

I had to reschedule my first appointment because the north east decided to get hit with a blizzard, so I was overdue to see her. I don't know if she is trying to prepare me for the worst, but she said some things I wasn't expecting at all. Like a lot of people get stuck at the mechanical soft phase and cant move past it. Also that fresh fruit or vegetables may never be an option again. I guess the thought of never being able to eat a salad again may seem weird to some people, but oddly that was one of the foods I thought I would be able to consume for the rest of my life post recovery. I also know every nutritionist gives different advice, I just wish there was a standard that everyone followed (I know everyone can tolerate foods differently) because I see people writing about being allowed to eat these things at 8 weeks or six months, but this was the first that I have had it put to me as a never again thing.

jrmoseley that has to be extremely frustrating. I had to postpone my appointment with my nutritionist because we had two feet of snow and because of her schedule and mine I wont be able to see her for the first time until May. I'm hoping it's the only bump I have in the road. I still have to get in my required support group meetings too. My timing was terrible for starting this because we had a vacation planned that will take us out of the country for a few weeks right in the middle of everything.

I'm also at the beginning. Initial consult, chest x-ray and labs done as well as mandatory seminar. I see the nutritionist on 4/7 and I don't go in to get scoped until May. I also have some support groups I have to attend. Glad to join you all in being nervous and excited!

Also new. I know every place has their own protocol. So far I have done the mandatory informational seminar and had my first doctors appointment with ekg, chest x-ray and labs. I see the nutritionist next month on the 7th, and the enterologist for esophageal and stomach scope in May. I'm pretty set on bypass but all the research about internal hernias and blockages has me a bit scared.

Hi everyone! I am at the absolute start of my journey and in the learning phase. I start with a mandatory seminar on the 7th which will likely be the beginning of a six month adventure prior to surgery if everything goes as planned. I feel like I have come across a lot of conflicting information and I am not sure if it's all just a case of your mileage may vary or if my sources are just bad. I'm hoping someone can straighten me out. I have heard that you can never take NSAIDS again. I have also heard they can be taken but with an acid reducer. Which is true? I have heard that the surgery fixes reflux and GERD. I have heard that people who never had heartburn pre-op now have it daily. I have heard that there are some foods you can NEVER eat again. I have heard that in time you can eat anything again just in moderation. Which is true? I have heard that there is a high percentage of addiction transfer. I have also heard that simply isn't true. I have heard sugar and fat cause dumping. I have heard neither of these things cause dumping or ymmv(your mileage may vary) I have heard everyone is constipated all the time. I have heard there is chronic loose stools. I'm wracking my brain because I know there is more I have read. I'm sort of in information overload right now. Thanks for your help, patience and time.

I plan on seeing a therapist in conjunction with the surgery because I realize that along with my body not cooperating it works in conjunction with my brain and my brain for lack of a better term is stupid when it comes to food and coping mechanisms. That's also why I asked about addiction transfer. I drink wine maybe a handful of times a year but I did read about some people who only drank socially like that and still developed issues. I asked about NSAIDS because before Aleve was available over the counter I had a prescription for naproxen sodium(generic aleve)for menstrual cramping that can get so severe on the day of my period I vomit. So I was curious about that. I do have GERD and currently take prilosec so I was wondering if it would be worse or better. I have primarily only been looking at bypass and not sleeve information because I know they have two different sets of rules. I'm just trying to get everything straight in my head and I tend to research as much as I can before I do something especially when it will be life changing.