jhope71

Most folks hit a stall around the third week after surgery, so you're right on schedule. Also, us women can "gain" water weight easily at certain times. Two pounds isn't a huge amount, and mine has fluctuated that much several times in the two months since surgery. Hang in there, keep drinking, walk walk walk and you'll do fine!

I've gotten sick a few times. The first few times I hadn't learned my "you're full" signals. The other times I didn't chew well enough. Yesterday's a good example. I had gone several weeks without getting sick, but yesterday at lunch I swallowed a piece of pork loin that wasn't well chewed. As soon as I'd swallowed, I knew it was a mistake. Sure enough, I got sick a while later. I'm learning that it's very important to chew well, especially for meat. The grilled chicken you mentioned is a good example. For some people, dry grilled meat is really hard to get down. Chicken's healthy, but grilling it dries it out. I'd just take time to chew better and be extra careful if the meat is really dense or dry. Hope you're feeling better soon!

I'm wearing a shirt today that is NOT PLUS-SIZE! First time in 25 years. This is blowing my mind, in a good way!

I'm not a clergy (my dad is), but I'm super-involved in my church, and their excitement at my progress each Sunday when they see me again has been a big boost. If I were you I'd be honest about the reasons for your time off, and about your new habits. If your church is like mine, food is a big part of social events, so it might help to explain why you're not eating lots of casseroles and desserts anymore. I also choose to present my surgery as a blessing from God, in that it helps me work around my health issues, and that it's helping me prolong my life so I can serve Him longer. You could also point out to the congregation how much more active you'll be able to be as you lose weight, and healthier. You may still get occasional rude comments, but it's really none of their business, is it? :-)

It has to be by prescription from your doctor. Your doctor's office will send in the prescription and your contact info, then they'll contact you to set up the rest. (Shoulda mentioned the prescription part in my first reply. Sorry for the confusion!) I think it's part of a deal with the nasal spray, which is called Nascobal.

I use Nutrition Direct, too. I get a B12 nasal spray, multivitamin, calcium and iron delivered to my door for just $25 a month. Can't beat the price or the convenience! You can get them in chewable or capsule form. I used chewables for the first few months, but am switching to the capsules next time.

Most surgeons have an extensive training program. You'll likely take classes to learn about the diet you'll have to follow, meet with a counselor, and get detailed information about how you should eat from now on. I personally went to two educational seminars, one pre-op nutritional class, one counseling session, and two post-op nutritional classes. I could tell you what my diet plan has been like, but every doctor is different, so yours may be different. There's lots of info on this site, though. Poke around and ask questions, and you'll do fine, I'm sure.

It's common to stall about three weeks after surgery. Happened to me, too. It's only temporary. Hang in there!

Be grateful! LOL I had a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time and couldn't breath properly for almost 2 weeks. The gastric bypass was the easy part. I had an easy time with that part, too. Keep walking, keep sipping! :-)

Can you do broth or sugar-free jello? Sugar-free popsicles are good, too. You're almost there! You got this!

Every doctor is different. I was allowed coffee right after surgery, with artificial sweeteners and/or a small amount of half & half/cream. No other creamers, though, and only 1-2 cups a day.

I was just on their website last week trying to figure that out. I know their original hot or iced coffee is fine, and you can get it with or without artificial sweeteners and milk, cream or half & half. It seems all their flavor shots have a ton of sugar, though, and that sucks. And their specialty drinks are WAY high in carbs.

Depends on the ingredients and where you are in your progress, but it should be. If it's soft and blended like pate, and doesn't have pickles or anything carb-y in it, sure.

I didn't have bruises near my incisions, but the incisions themselves are still red. And you can still see exactly where I got all my heparin shots, 5 weeks later. Those things bruise like mad. Bodies are weird!

Tylenol is it, I'm afraid. it comes in different strengths. Maybe extra strength or arthritis strength would work better? I have knee pain, too. When it gets bad, I wear a wrap on it, rest as much as I can and put heat and/or ice on it. Hope you feel better soon!

Can you have sugar-free jello? That helped me some. I liked Premier Protein drinks the best, and some of the Atkins. I know the broth gets old, but I liked them. I doctored mine up a little. Onion powder in beef broth tastes like French Onion soup. Poultry seasoning in chicken broth makes it taste richer. Garlic makes things better, too. Hang in there!

DeltaD - They took you off depression meds cold turkey? That's not recommended. Mine let me stay on my depression meds, but took me off metformin and the spironolactone I was taking for PCOS. Depression meds should never be stopped cold turkey. You need to wean off those with a doctor's help. Some meds are more serious than others, and I don't know much about Effexor. You might want to call the doctor to make sure that's what he meant to do. Hope you feel better soon.

Egg salad. I'd been craving it for weeks and it was SO GOOD!

Sorry you're having a tough time. My thoughts are if your friends and dates actually get angry when you don't eat/drink the same as them, they're shallow. Real friends should be happy for your healthy results, and real women don't measure what their dates eat. I think some of the other suggestions to find new hobbies and activities are helpful. You'll get to try new things and meet new people. If anyone asks why you aren't eating, just say "I'm not hungry" or lie a little and say you had a big lunch. If they're decent people they'll accept that and move on. Good luck!

I don't think that's too much liquid. I could do the same by that point (and I'm only two weeks ahead of you). Liquid and protein are the main things to focus on, so you're doing just fine. Soft foods will come in time. Can you do yogurt? We were told CarbMaster, Oikos Triple Zero and Dannon Light & Fit Greek were good options. They go down much easier than eggs or cheese. Good luck!

60g is two Premier Protein shakes. I'd supplement with those til your appetite returns. Atkins shakes have 15g each. Not sure about other brands, because those were the two recommended to me, and the easiest to find.

I'm 25 days post op, so I'm still learning too. That tight feeling is probably your sign that you're getting full. It's different for everyone. Some people in my support group sneeze when they're full, some get a tiny burp, some get a feeling in their chest. I've noticed I burp once or twice before that tight feeling hits, so maybe that's mine. It's a learning process for all of us!

I'm so glad to hear there's a "three-week stall" because I think I'm there. I think part of mine is constipation, too. I've started taking Miralax in hopes of turning that around. I'm down 22 since starting pre-op liquids, but nothing the past week. So frustrating, even though I seem to be losing inches still. Here's hoping we all see a big WHOOSH soon!

I gained 10 lbs from the IV fluids. So frustrating, even though it's temporary. In fact, about five of us had our surgeries the same day in the same hospital, and we ALL gained. Our doctor said it's the nurses' fault for pumping us all full of fluid! LOL!

My dr's office told us about this deal. For $25 a month, you get a weekly nasal B12 spray AND all your other needed vitamins sent right to your house. They're BariActiv brand and you get multivitamins, calcium and iron, all in chewable or capsule. The spray is called Nascobal and the details of the program are here . I don't know what they taste like yet, but for a deal that good, I kinda don't care! LOL (Oh, and it's prescription-only so you need to go through your doctors office)