Amburmist

U took the words right outta my mouth. My weight, too, is coming off like molasses on a cold day, comparatively speaking! Trying to stay the course and keep the faith, tho. I had bypass (on 9/13) so my expectations were really, really skewed...based on all the RnY threads starting with "3 month in, down 75lbs" or like u said, "1 month in 30lbs down". Ugh. Fortunately, most my hunger hormone is disconnected, so I find it easier to stay away from junky, greasy, fatty foods. Just fighting head hunger mostly, trying to get 64oz of water in daily, and working on getting my big butt up REGULARLY for exercise! [emoji12] [emoji123] I'm with u...hopefully my slow metabolism will kick into high gear soon!

My surgeon told me that Miralax won't 'make' u go because it's not a stimulant. It's nice to use on a regular basis to help ur poop not be hard, because it's purpose is to draw water into the intestine/stool. But if u want to force a BM, he recommended Milk of Magnesia. I'm 3 weeks post op (bypass) and am having BM issues now too. Prior to surgery, I would have a BM once every 3 to 4 days. That was normal for me. Now, my BMs are fewer and farther between, and now they're round balls instead of logs (sorry for the descriptive words). So I think I'll give Milk of Magnesia (MoM) a try and see how that goes. Has MoM worked for anyone on this thread? What are ur experiences with it? I was told its a 'gentle' stimulant, but I wonder...

I had to take Chantix to stop, and it did take a few weeks of smoking -while taking Chantix- before i eventually stopped smoking. I didn't think Chantix was going to work for me either, but it eventually just took all the want and drive to smoke away. It's pretty miraculous, actually. I enjoyed smoking, truly did. I had to stop for 6 weeks prior to surgery, which I did. I made a mistake though. I stopped taking Chantix a week before my surgery, which was on Sept 13. I thought I'd be fine...and I was until getting home from surgery. Now I crave a cigarette almost daily, multiple times a day. It sucks. I really need to get back on Chantix, if that's even possible. They way I'm craving them, I feel it's only a matter of time before I stop at the store and pick up a pack. Has anyone started back up with smoking post-op or know anyone who has? Did u (or they) end up getting ulcers or anything else bad? Any other cautionary tales of becoming a smoker (again) post op? Intellectually, I know it's bad for me and I shouldn't do it. But...nicotine addiction's a b#$@h! Good luck with continuing NOT to smoke!

Oh, I feel for both of u. I feel the exact same way and@ready2live! broke down perfectly the thoughts that are going thru my head. Hell, I'm 3 weeks out and only down 13lbs. [emoji52] I too thought I would lose a good amount of weight relatively quickly, as I am also following my plan to the letter. But alas, I guess my body's on its own timetable. Discouraging as hell too! [emoji34] Makes me doubt my decision daily. And people keep saying not to worry, don't get discouraged, chill out the lbs will come off, etc, etc. I really hope they're right...

Where can i find the recipe for BOTH versions u made? Looks dee-lish! Im only 3 weeks postop, but lookin forward to tasting that!! Mmmhmm!

Ok, ok guys...I hear u! I'll try and calm down, take a 'chill pill', and focus on MY journey's requirements. It's just hard sometimes when u see others following the same path and their numbers are so much higher. I just start wondering if I'm doing things wrong, u know? *sigh* But...I shall just keep moving forward, continue following the rules, try to keep a positive attitude. Thanks for the pep talk u all.[emoji4] I needed it! @blondie66 - I had the RNY.

@blisair09 - I totally get what ur saying; however, I've found it has been a bit easier post surgery, for me anyway, because the hunger hormone (grehlin) has been significantly reduced in my stomach. Without it constantly nipping at my brain (or my back!), it's been easier to distract myself when I get that "mind hunger". Plus, since I decided to go thru this big surgery, I find I want to make sure and give it my all and do it right. I believe for the most part, lots of things change for people after surgery that allows them to be stronger and not cheat as readily as they would have prior to surgery. That's the whole reason for getting surgical intervention...lots of times, ur new anatomy won't LET u cheat, which is a good thing! Now, that said, I also agree with@stardust that she should have a plan on what to do, post surg, when she gets that mind hunger because it will be there. What has really helped me is I created a schedule of what time to eat, what time to stop drinking water, on when to take my vits, etc - for every hour of the day. (I'm only 20 days post op so I'm still new to this life). And I just go with the schedule, period. For me, that has helped guide me and not give me room (or time) for cheating. But bottom line, I don't agree that just because u can't make it on the preop 'starvation diet' that u shouldn't have the surgery. Just my opinion based on my experience.

You are absolutely right that it's ridiculous 'they' expect us to do this weeks long starvation diet when we're having surgery because we have issues with food in the first place (generally speaking; most of us)! I understand why they want us to do it, from a surgeon's standpoint, which is to shrink our liver since it rests directly over the area they need to work on when inside ur belly. However, its damn near impossible for us to do it for longer than 1-2 days..and even then... I'm postop and fortunately only had to do 2 days of it, but that was damn hard too! So, I say all that to say...don't beat urself up. We've all been there. Quite frankly, they're expecting us to cheat at some point, especially the longer the diet/preop diet timeframe. If u just cut out the fried crap, sugary stuff, breads, pasta, potatoes, and DON'T GAIN lbs on the scale, u will be fine. Ur going to be ok!! Good luck!!

Ah..interesting. thank u for the info. I was not aware.

How did u know, specifically, that u were in the maintenance phase?

U can gulp water? Like more than 1 gulp at a time? I cannot as my pouch fills up immediately. I agree with GassyGurl tho that u should feel restriction more with purees and denser foods. That said, my plan says to eat based on the amount they tell u (2-4 oz), NOT based on how full u feel since u may not be full eating that small amount but u want to let ur pouch heal and not push it. Bottom line, u should feel some sort of restriction, even with liquids. U havent felt the restriction yet at all? Maybe check in with the doc. I don't know if pouches can be made different sizes based on the suegeon or if its supposed to be standardized? For peace of mind...call the doc. I would.

My NUT says full fat, low fat, good fat, bad fat...its all processed the same in the body, so just keep it within reason. So many differences were taught.

Nope. Cant gulp. Gets filled up immediately if i do that. And then takes a couple, 5 mins to empty. Sips only for me. Is that ever going to be possible to do again?

I feel u Precious517. Im 21 days post op and only down 11lbs. It truly IS discouraging to read others in the same timeframe, same surgery (or less drastic surgery even), same start weight or about, and they've lost so much more. I'm torn because I'm so excited for them but so depressed for myself, u know? But the folks on here who have commented are right...we've gotta stop comparing ourselves to others since that's a losing battle, and just be proud of ourselves if we're following our plans correctly. They say the weight will come off, it has no choice with what little we're eating! So i just have to keep telling myself that too. Lol. But it's hard not to be depressed, I'm right there with ya. We can, and will, keep going though, right?!! Because we certainly wouldn't be able to diet like this without the surgery, so it was the only route to take. We'll stay the course, think positive thoughts, and hope for the best! Deal?! Lol Good luck hun!!

Thank u all for responding! I really needed the encouragement and others' perspectives today. @MrEdwards - it particularly feels nice to know im not alone in my thoughts, that someone else is feeling the same way right now. As u all said, i just gotta continue to follow the plan and do my part. Things will happen as they should if i do what im supposed to do. Even when the darn scale doesnt move!! [emoji6] Thanks again for ur support today guys! Good luck with ur continued journeys, as well. [emoji4]

Basically, the only things I eat (18 days postop) are: -light and fit greek yogurt -morningstar spicy black bean 'burger' -cottage cheese -premier protein shake -eggs I can't think of anything else to eat either. Meat gets stuck, even deli meat, so I'm not bothering with meat at this point. But I too am getting bored with what I'm eating. What is everyone else eating?

I was buying Oikos Triple Zero and then I foubd that Dannon Light and Fit Greek yogurt is even better for us and tastes lovely. Give it a try! Also, Ive always been a meat eater but since meats arent doing too well in my pouch, i tried Morningstar Spicy Black Bean burger in the freezer section. Dee-lish! Ill be trying more Morningstar products. Simple ingredients, great tastes!

Yes, that is in my plan too. Technically, the only things my plan says i CANNOT eat yet are raw veggies, fruits with skins (gotta peel the skins 1st), beef and pork, grains (ie pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, popcorn, etc) and nuts. Everything else is game. I'm about 15 days post op and i was cleared to eat real food (chewed very thoroughly) after 1 week post op. My surgeon said after 1-2 weeks, our internals are healed. However, the re-routing of it all is not yet 'efficiently' working and our bodies need time to understand the new setup, if u will. That said, chicken is one of the hardest for our new stomachs because its fiberous and can be dry before chewing, dry after chewing if chewed too much, or just simply hard to digest. I like what was said above: just because ur plan says it's ok, doesn't mean your body personally is ready. Just scale back to easier to break apart foods. I've found canned tuna mixed with lite mayo, chewed generously, goes down wonderfully. Eggs, cottage cheese, morningstar spicy bean burger...those all chew up to mush and have no hangups in my pouch. But lemme tell u, I tried deli sliced turkey and holy crap...got stuck for over 6 hours! So even though I'm cleared to eat that stuff, i won't be for quite awhile!! Bottom line, u won't hurt ur pouch by eating real foods at this point, as long as u can chew it up to mostly mush before swallowing. But also, listen to ur body and stop eating things it doesn't like right now. Try those things again in a month or so. We're works in progress! Good luck! [emoji4] PS. Vomiting every time u eat solid foods (even when eating dime sized pieces and chewing thoroughly) is NOT normal. Scale back to liquids for a week, then try easing in again (like with eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt). If ur vomiting again, i highly recommend seeking medical assistance.

Indeed he is. Did u use the same surgeon?

Congrats!! So inspiring!! Would u mind sharing what ur diet has been like these past 4 months? Like what u eat, avg daily calories, etc. And then, whats ur exercise regimen? Again, congrats!!!!

My surgeon just instructed me to take Milk of Magnesia if i want to "make" my body go poo. And then for maintenance, take Miralax. He said Miralax wont "make" u go because its designed to bring extra fluid into ur stool, so its easier to pass; whereas Milk of Mag is meant to clean ya out!

If u have GERD, the sleeve is NOT recommended because it will continue or be made worse with that procedure. GERD is all but eliminated with RNY because the part of the stomach causing the GERD is removed. Next, no way would i get such a major surgery in Mexico when u have insurance in the US. I too have Aetna and among other things, the only way they would pay for my RNY is if I chose a facility and doc that was certified as 'Institute of Quality'. Reading all the threads showing such drastic differences in post op care, diet, education, etc, I am so grateful Aetna guided me to the facility and doc they did. My surgeon was director of bariatrics at Mayo for many many years, for example. My point is, jump thru the "Aetna hoops"! You won't be sorry AND you'll have your doc in your town, not in another country, esp if something goes wrong after. Good luck with ur decisions! [emoji4]

That is crazy u are 4 weeks post op and still havent been allowed to transition past this. That is just torture to put people thru, shame on ur surgeon! I feel so bad for u. You're stronger than Id be at this point! Keep up the good work tho... remember this is only temporary in the big scheme of life...u will be eating in no time. No phentermine! Best wishes! [emoji4]

Perhaos the issue is ur not including any chewable protein, like chicken, turkey, fish. Drinking the protein isnt going to keep u full feeling for very long, which is what we need. Scrap the pudding and popsicles and soup and grab some tuna (breaks up really really well after 10 chews!) Or deli meats. U can eat food food right?

Hi Shareeann - quick question. When u say it was effortless, what did u do to lose the weight so quickly? How often did u exercise? What type of exercise did u do regularly? Im good with the food part since its pretty much the same no matter ur surgeon, i was just curious about the exercise regimen u have. Also, what are the max calories u try to stay under? Thanks!