MakingChanges74

My doctors office suggested Celebrate brand vitamins. They gave me samples and I started off with those. But once I started to take them, they made me vomit. So I tried Bariatric Advantage vitamins. I was able to get a sample from a friend and that really helped. I use their black cherry or strawberry watermelon multis and the lemon calcium (it tastes like a starburst, really, unlike the Celebrate ones that my doctor told me were like starburst, it was like a starburst flavored piece of chalk). I *think* that some of the vitamin companies will sell you a sample packet of their options so you can try them out. My doctor said that regular gummies should not be used because of the sugar content. But they did say that if you could not manage the bariatric vitamins, you could use Flinstone kids chewables or Alive Women's gummies (these are a different type of gummy and I think that is why they are allowed). I tried both but they still that had vitamin smell and my tiny tummy could not handle it post op. It took a lot of hard work (and a lot of money!) to find my perfect combination but I am happy now and always manage to take my vitamins.

There isn't as much protein in beans and cheese as you'd think (well compared to animal proteins). I am a vegetarian so I eat it pretty regularly. You also might want to watch the carbs as beans can be high in carbs (if your doctor has a carb limit). I use vegetarian, fat free beans with low fat cheese. I also add a Tbsp of salsa and a 100 calorie guac pack now that I am several months out. It makes a very filling lunch. I was dreaming of refried beans after my surgery. I couldn't wait and wanted it to be my first real food. I was all set and ready but then I had an apt with my doctor and it turns out that I had read my paperwork wrong and I wasnt going to be able to have beans for 3-4 more weeks (my doctor had pretty strict post op diet rules). I waited and was in heaven when I was finally able to eat them. I also do sides of refried beans and guac when we go out to dinner.

I had the same thing happen after surgery. I was bad for the first couple of days and then it seemed to get better. I had a lot of trouble looking at my phone and transitioning from close up to far away and vice versa. It was super annoying but cleared up within 2 weeks or so.

I got violently ill the first time I took the Celebrate multivitamin. It took some trial and error but I was finally able to find something that didn't make me sick. I use the Bariatric Advantage Chewy Bite multi and calcium. I tried Flintstones and Alive chewables. But they still made me feel sick. And I can only take them later in the day. I usually take one multi before dinner and other around 9pm.

Are you worried about you want to like meat again or are you concerned about getting enough protein? If it is the later, I can reassure you that there are plenty of non-meat protein options. I haven't eaten meat in 26 years. Since being post-op, I haven't had any issues getting in protein. Yogurt, protein shakes, cottage cheese, tofu, soy meat alternatives, nuts and seeds. There are plenty of options. I guess if you are upset that you don't like meat and wait to again, just be patient and keep trying. Your tastes will continue to change and perhaps your love of meat will return.

Can you bring food with you? Mashed potatoes was never on my list for mushy foods. What other items are on your list? Can you travel with any of those. When I first started foods, I was worried and made sure to be home just in case I had an issue. Maybe you could mash up come chili from Wendy's?

It is pretty normal to stall. My weight loss has been slow and when I talked to my doctor, he said that I was not eating enough calories. I couldn't believe it. Eat more. I was getting around 600-700 calories at 7 weeks and it just was not enough. My doctor suggested that I up the calories to at least 1000 for a couple of days. I did this and I started losing more weight. I didn't think that I would have "time" to eat more calories during the day but I added in an extra shake and it has helped a lot.

Hang in there. It does get better. I am almost 8 weeks and I noticed that I started to feel so much better once I started to eat some food. Yogurt, beans, cottage cheese (since I am vegetarian) really helped a lot. I think that it is super important to find a protein drink or powder that you can tolerate. I've tried so many of them. Even the unflavored Unjury didn't agree with me. I did have good luck with using high protein milk and Unjury Chocolate Spendor and Syntrax Nectar Latte Cappuccino. Also using sugar free syrups to alter the shake flavors helped me. Now that I have a system down that I can tolerate, I have been feeling much better. I feel better than I did before surgery.

There was NOT WAY I could have gotten down of the floor and then stood back up myself 3 weeks after surgery. Can your baby stand while holding onto something? If so, you might consider keeping things on the couch where you could try to get the baby to stand next to the couch and help push their bum up onto the couch. Also, it took about 5 weeks before I was able to bend over to pick up something without pain (I had pain from my main incision). In fact, I ended up going to Walmart and getting one of those grabber things from by the pharmacy. It was so useful and I wish I had gotten it before the surgery.

I use Baritastic for food, weight and measurements. I recently got Round for vitamins and medicine. I like that app a lot since I have so many different vitamins to keep track of.

This is a very interesting topic. I didn't tell my mom, dad or sister (who wants to have the sleeve but has some other health issues that might make it impossible for her to have it). My decisions to stay private didn't have anything to do with being ashamed or hiding it. My family has a way of making everything about them. I wanted to be able to heal and rest and be in peace. If I had told my family, they would be calling and texting and I just didn't want to have to deal with it. My mom tried to get focus on herself (and away from me) during my wedding and the birth of my first child and now that I am older, I am no longer tolerant of those behaviors. So I have to keep things private so that I can feel comfortable and secure. I've told 3 friends and I have my husband and 2 kiddos for support and it has been all that I needed (in addition to online support groups and my doc's office). It is hard to feel comfortable with the decision to stay private based of the guilt I know that my family would feed me if they found out. But I need to just push through it. I know in the long run it is the best decision for me.

I had 10 days of clear liquids after. The one thing that I noticed right away with WLS is that each surgeon has their own ideas and plans for pre and post op. It gets a bit frustrating if you are trying to find someone who has a similar experience but I just followed what my plan was and what I felt my body could handle. I had to go back a phase or two at times when my tiny tummy didn't feel ready.