CraftyScientist

Hi everyone! I recently purchased protein smoothie mixes from Bariatric Pal and am wondering if I can mix them with frozen fruit or ice? The consistency is too much like pepto bismol for my taste!!

Wow, I thought for sure you were gonna say that you had a candy bar or something!! I guess crackers are a "cheat" food so close to your surgery date. Sometimes, it's better to have a little something than to make yourself suffer. I think I ate like 5 Cool Ranch Doritos about a month out, and told my oldest son not to tell daddy. I let him have 2 bags of chips or something as a bribe. As soon as hubby got home, my son says, "Hi dad! Mommy ate chips today!" Guess you can't trust a 9-year-old!! He's really good about keeping junk from me when I tell him "DON'T LET ME HAVE ANY!" He slaps my hand away! Haha Surgery date 9/26/16, weight 224. GW 140, height 5'2" CW 153

For me, there was surprisingly little pain. I was expecting a lot, but as many of the ladies have stated, my C-section was worse! I've got severe osteoarthritis in both of my knees and for some odd reason (probably the meds used during surgery), my knees didn't hurt much at all. I didn't start taking my pain meds until maybe a week after surgery. I also wasn't walking around that much (you know, lack of energy and all that). My cousin went to TJ to have her sleeve done and she was in a LOT of pain, but she was having a lap band revision and had had previous abdominal surgeries. Pain is relative though; don't let the fear of that stop you! Surgery date 9/26/16, weight 224. GW 140, height 5'2" CW 153

Let's see if this works..... surgery weight was 224... this is one of my heaviest weights, after having my second baby: Surgery date 9/26/16, weight 224. GW 140, height 5'2" CW 153 And then a side-by-side, one week pre-op and last month: At my niece's wedding in May: My work badge photos. First one was November 2010, second one last month:

Yes, it really depends on your job. I have a friend who was back in 5 days, but she's got a desk-type job; she said she was extremely tired due to the low caloric intake & practically zero protein & carbs that week, but she was otherwise fine. Myself on the other hand, I took 8 weeks. That's what my doc recommended, and I work in a busy hospital laboratory where I'm standing most of the day. I felt strong enough to go back after about 3 weeks, but my mother passed away 2 weeks after my surgery so I stayed out for the full 8 weeks to take care of all of that. Good luck!

Hi! Try not to stress (I know, easier said than done). I would hit a wall every 6 weeks or so, but I think that's just your body going into starvation mode due to the low caloric intake. You'll get over it. As for your food - I'm 10 months post-op and at my 9 month check-up, I was told that I should be able to consume approximately one cup of food at each meal. I don't really adhere to that, as it's more or less than 1C depending on what I'm eating. I try to eat slowly and listen to my body to tell me when I'm full. That's more difficult as well, but you'll definitely know when you've overdone it. Have you been measuring your food at each meal? I've found that's the very best way to make sure you're keeping on track & not over-eating. Have you been exercising? I started going to the gym about 6-8 weeks post-op and started with light cardio and moved up to weights and cardio combined. I try to go about 3 times a week. Good luck and again, don't stress! Let your new small stomach work for you!

My surgeon said that the band would have been the better option for me, given the amount of weight I needed to lose (224 day of surgery, I'm 5'2"), but I've got severe osteoarthritis in both of my knees and take a medication called Meloxicam to combat the inflammation. It doesn't directly help with pain, so I take Tramadol and the occasional Norco when it's really bad. I need a knee replacement, so he said the sleeve would be best since the Meloxicam is known to cause ulcers in a "normal" stomach, and if I had a banded stomach, I'd get an ulcer for sure. I had my sleeve on 9/26/16 and wasn't allowed to get back on it until February. I haven't had any issues with it, but I can't take any NSAID medications because of it. I wouldn't recommend seeking out a doc who will tell you what you want to hear, but I'd definitely see your rheumatologist to feel out your options. Good luck!

I'm 10 months post-op and can eat pretty much anything now. Scrambled eggs make my stomach feel like I've got a rock in it, same with bread. That one makes me sad, because I love a warm butter croissant! For breakfast most days, I make a protein shake with 2.75 oz vanilla Premier Protein shake, 1/4c 1% milk, 1/4c nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 1Tbsp agave syrup, and 1/2c frozen mixed berries (black, blue, & raspberry mix). I measure out the premier protein by weight into baggies & freeze them because the stuff doesn't keep once the bottle is opened. I never seem to get tired of my shake, but I do switch up the frozen fruit now and again. I don't care for the texture of overnight oats, so I'll make a serving of old-fashioned oats and split it into two servings and add whatever I want. If you're doing instant, go with a plain one so that you can avoid all of the added sugars. My breakfast shake gets me about 15g of protein, and it's just enough to fill me up. I can't drink the premier proteins straight because they're God-awful, so I concocted something that works for me and tastes great. Good luck!

I started going to the gym about 5 weeks post-surgery. I've only hit my protein goal a few times since my sleeve on Sept. 26th,and I think my muscle suffers more than anything. I've lost 70 lbs so far, but I've been religious with measuring my food and really trying not to over-eat. I don't think that increasing your protein will help with losing the weight, but it won't hurt. Are you keeping a food journal? I use MyFitnessPal and I average about 1200 cals/day.

Hi everyone! I'm new to this group & site and am looking for advice. I had my sleeve done on Sept. 26th and I'm feeling great. I have my 9-month post-open next week, so I had some labs done to check my progress. My doc had me on a prescription strength Vitamin D (15,000 units once a week for 3 months) so she wants to make sure I'm in a good place. It seems that I'm a little anemic now though (iron was 40, hemoglobin was 11) so she ordered 65mg of iron twice a day. I've been on it for a week and, of course, I'm constipated! The interests suggest eating more fiber and drinking more water, but there aren't any suggestions for those of us who are living with a tiny stomach! They all say, "it's best to get your iron from what you eat" Well, no duh! But my inane is what's caused the dang anemia to begin with! So, have any of you been through this and can share some tips? Thanks in advance!!