Nessy76

Scrambled eggs, refried beans..lots of greek yogurt, thick creamy soups..

Hi there! Surgery on 9/6/17.. SW:230, CW:183. 5' 3" 40 yo fem. I pretty much didn't lose weight for an entire month from mid dec to mid jan. I think part of it was all the holiday food, return of bad habits, but i think it may have also coincided with a stall. Started losing again a couple weeks ago. I do exercise, HIIT 2-3 times per week. Calories have been between 900-1100 since a couple weeks post op. I feel really good, lots of energy. Low potassium can def make you feel crappy, glad you've gotten that straightened out.

You look fantastic, even better, you feel fantastic! Congrats on maintaining your loss.

I second the nystatin...or try your monistat powder, it's common to get fungal infections in those dark moist areas. Hope you get some relief soon!

Each day will get a little better. The first few days are tough, just do the best you can getting those fluids in.

Around 900 -1100 from about 2 weeks on. I have logged everything on MFP from day 1 to make sure i was on target for protein.

I had the sleeve done, not bypass, but 6 weeks seems like plenty of time to heal up and be feeling well.

H Pylori? or having the egd actually caused infection? Either way, sorry your surgery got delayed.

I had to experiment a little with temperatures in the beginning, I found that things at room temp or slightly warm felt better. Just try your best to stay hydrated at this point, something like isopure protein drink may be easier than the shakes...almost tastes like a melted ice pop. Things will get easier, good luck!

Hey Jess, I found them at Price chopper...I think they are pretty new. I also love the Siggi's plain yogurt..

2 eggs w/ 1/2 c spinach, 1 tbl feta cheese, franks hot sauce and 100 cal serving of wholly guacamole. variations of this almost every morning..sometimes ill use fresh salsa or broccoli, change the cheese up etc.

Breakfast: 2 eggs w/ 1tbl feta/ 1/2c. spinach/ wholly guacamole 100 cal pack 16 oz coffee w/ 1c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk Lunch and Dinner: 3 oz baked chk breast w/ 2 oz green beans Snacks: Fage plain yogurt w/ 2 tbl chopped pecans and pumpkin pie spice Finlandia parmesan/ gouda cheese stick 1/2 oz. almonds

I can't count how many times i've seen posters on various sites tell someone complaining of hunger that it isn't physically possible that they are hungry because "all the nerves were severed during surgery" or that "its just acid".

You've had this pain for 2 years? Have you asked your surgeon?

I was driving a few days after surgery. Definitely can't drive if you are still on narcotic pain meds though. Try short trips at first, that first week I was pretty weak and would get shaky if stayed out too long, also got nauseous one time and had to return home.

I had an on and off pain in my left side that felt like the type of cramp you would get when you are out of shape and try to run ( a stitch in your side). But I haven't had that pain since month 3 post op though. Are you a lap band patient still?? or have it revised to to something else?

Ha ha! That's awesome Creekimp!

This. I am 4 months out and dealing with this head on now. I had a "perfect" first 3 months post op, then started slipping up with old favorite foods, now almost fully back to previous eating patterns and binge like activity (basically my worst nightmare come true). Most of us have some sort of unhealthy relationship with food and have had for many years, this needs to be addressed or there is a very high likelihood of falling back into negative patterns. I delayed getting the psychological help i needed directly post op because things were going well and I thought maybe I really didn't need it but here I am at 4 months post op and up 5lb in the past month. Tomorrow morning I have an appt with a therapist who specialises in obesity related eating disorders. I wish I had done this earlier and feel that I have now squandered a month of weight loss. You will see many times on these forums where people suggest getting psychological help pre/ post op, I would definitely reccomend this if financially feasible.

Do whatever your surgery team suggests but i was sent home from the hospital with tablet pain meds and i was taking tylenol tabs as well. Good luck.

In the same boat here, completely unfocused on diet this past week and feeling awful about it. It's hard not to let those old feelings of failure creep in...and then further self sabotage. Allie589 is right, we are not failures..we are just human, we fall down and then pull ourselves back up. Focus on the positive, how much weight you have already lost, how much closer to your goal weight, how much better you feel. Although, mentally, it may feel like you have regressed 6 months....your body probably is about the same so it not too late to turn things around.

I totally hear you guys, it does seem that a lot of people go through surgery and come out with some unrealistic expectations for both rate of weight loss and total expected wt loss. On the other side, I remember how irrationally emotional I was those first few weeks post op. Actually thinking I was failing already bc I wasn't losing enough weight (really I was), I had to help myself "get a grip" more than once on this journey. For that reason, I try to be understanding and reassuring when I see "Help Me!!" "Stalled!!" titles in the post op forum. The calories thing drives me crazy too, it's really hard to know what is right! Personally I was at 900 cal at a week post op but was never actually given any specific calorie target to hit by my nutritionist.

Try not to get down, your body is still in a bit of shock. The weight will start coming off and 8 lb is pretty good for someone starting at a lower BMI. Hang in there, stick to your program and try not to dwell on the scale ( i know its hard)... There is also a bit of an emotional roller coaster you will likely go through the first month, crazy happy, crazy sad and everything in between... it gets better, i promise.

They are all carbs and have little to no protein so you wouldn't want to eat this several meals a day but in the beginning sometimes just getting something in is better than nothing. However, I would definitely prioritize protein dense foods at each meal, many times you don't have room for much else.

Hi Mandy, welcome! 1. Is this surgery risky in any way? Every surgery has risks. Not sure what bariatric surgery you are contemplating (gastric sleeve, gastric bypass etc.) , but bariatric surgery in general is very safe and you will be put through a battery of tests to make sure you are healthy enough to undergo surgery. You have to also weigh the risks of surgery with all the health risks that come with morbid obesity (diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea, etc, etc.). It was an easy decision for me. 2. How do you guys feel about the recovery and success rates? Recovery was easy, for me, everyone is different, but generally you feel pretty crappy at first but then there is marked improvement each day and people are often back at work in 2-3 weeks. Success can vary, the surgery is a tool to help you shed the weight, you have to put in the work to help create healthier habits for long term success. Often this requires work with a mental health professional to help uncover why we are abusing food. 3. If i already have some mental health and self esteem issues is this a good idea? Only a mental health professional can tell you for sure and you will have to be cleared by one to proceed to surgery. Many obese people suffer from low self esteem and depression, there isn't much joy in being overweight. 4. My doctor told me my stomach is the last to go when loosing weight. How do i go about looosing all the access fat is my stomach area? Everyone loses weight differently, that's really impossible to say. 5. How long does this process usually take? Im trying to go from 316 to 125. I don't want to kill your joy, but it's important to have realistic expectations, depending on the surgery the average bariatric patient loses between 60-70% of excess body weight. You have roughly 175 lb of excess body weight ( given a normal BMI of a 5'5" woman is ~150lb)... the average patient your size would lose 122 lb..that would put you around 200lb. This is the AVERAGE, so many people exceed this and many don't even lose this much... I have seen several people on this site shed 100lb in year.. the weight comes off faster at first and then slows down considerably. As others have said this is a big decision and not a magic bullet, you will have to be mentally prepared to make some life changes. There is a lot of great information on this site, i spent hours and hours reading through posts prior to my surgery. Make a list of questions to ask your dr and surgeon. Overall, you will find very few people here who regret having their surgery. Good luck to you!

Wow MollieVSGHopeful! You look fantastic, nice job!