TakingABreak

Remember it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. I highly doubt at 8 weeks, you can eat this much to gain weight. It could be water weight or other variables. Track your food and follow your plan. It will get easier. This is a lifestyle change. And WLS is only a tool.

I forgot the most important part! Keep track of your food and liquid consumption. I use MyFitnessPal.

It’s possible that the types of foods aren’t leaving you as restricted. Are you eating your protein first? Are you chewing your food to apple sauce consistency? Are you eating slowly enough, recommended 30 mins? Are you withholding from drinking while you eat, 15 mins before, 30 mins after? The key thing is that your swelling has completely subsided now. Your stomach heals at about 6 weeks. This may be your actual pouch size. This surgery is a tool, but it also requires self control and management on your end. My recommendations are: 1. Measure and weigh all foods 2. Obviously stay within guidelines of the questions I asked first. 3. Limit yourself to 3 meals per day, 2 snacks max. No grazing. 4. Get all your fluids in. People mistake thirst for hunger all the time. 5. Contact your NUT and get back on track.

Yay! Looking great!

Not sure why this showed up in my timeline but I just realized it’s a super old thread. Oh well!

I always start out my day with a protein smoothie that has 45 grams min. I have two staple snacks I eat almost everyday. 1. Tuna Packet 14grams 2. Cup of roasted chick peas 12 grams protein & fiber.

I’m not a fitness expert by any means. My suggestion is fit in at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least 5 days a week. Exercise after surgery will gradually become different as you lose the weight. You will find yourself being able to do more and push yourself harder. The key is to make exercise a part of your routine and a habit. I know it was a struggle to fit it into my schedule at first but now it’s second nature. I have to do laundry and I have to go to the gym. It’s everything else I have to “find time” for now.

You look great! Keep up the good work!

My before & now

Feeling great, thank you!

Thanks ladies!

You look great! Such an inspiration!

I am super envious! I started at a 26 pant, 4x shirt, and now I am probably a 1x shirt and I don't know what size pants. My stomach is not going down, which is super frustrating. I bought new pants in an 18 and they were too small. I have lost 74lbs though, mostly from my extremities.

I feel the exact same way about my friends and families questions. I have a mother who is always asking me "my number". And sometimes, like the one week that I have my lady friend... the number doesn't change much. Its frustrating and feels discouraging. On the other hand, I like that I have people who feel interested in my journey. It feels good to know that people care about what's going on. I can relate to you 100% . I'm almost 75lbs down and I haven't gotten many big reactions. I don't know if it's just a topic that most people don't bridge or if it's because, like you, I started off on the high end of the BMI scale. I feel like I look different, but I'm not getting any validation. I choose not to tell anyone at work about my surgery. They know I've been eating right and exercising for the past 6 months, and I'm 2 1/2 months post op now. But no one at work says anything at all. I weigh myself every time I go to the gym, which is 5 days a week. There are draw backs because I get in my head about my weight when I am on my period and am not loosing. I've even seen the scale go up during that pesky week. But I find that weighing myself, nearly daily, keeps me accountable. If you were only weighing once a week, then you are throwing away a WHOLE WEEK. That's how I feel about it.

I stalled after the first week of surgery. I had lost 27lbs in the pre op diet, then another 11lbs in my first week. So I hit the dreaded "3 week stall" early. It will pass. Just keep following your plan.

I found I bought way to much and prepared too much. I think it helped me mentally get through the waiting game of surgery. However, I wish I wouldn't have bought so much. There is a lot I'll never touch again.

100% juice was on my clear liquid approved diet. This is very early on when I could only have 2-3oz per hour. However, I was only on this during my hospital stay. I transitioned to full liquids after that. I'd say that after you can progress to protein shakes, skim milk, ect. you should stay away from sugary drinks. If you need to add juice to your water for taste, that is always an option. However, make sure you are drinking 100% juice, no additives or sugar.

In my neck of the woods, we eat BBQ pulled pork. Is this how you eat it? The reason I ask is I realized early on that BBQ sauce has A LOT of sugar in it. This can cause dumping and discomfort. I did find that there is an EXCELLENT sugar free BBQ sauce option, its called G Hughes. I buy it from Walmart .

Yes, I've had this problem now twice. I was recently in the ER twice for gallbladder attacks and they wanted to give me an NSAID for pain relief. After I had surgery I put NSAIDs on my allergy med list. Both times I was in the ER they brought the syringe full to inject me, and both times I had to ask if it was an NSAID. Both times it was. Both times the nurse left and went and got the doctor. They insisted that the "injectable" is OK after bariatric surgery. I will be talking with my surgeon in my next appointment to see if an NSAID injectable, on these rare occasions, are ok to use?

I feel this way a lot of the times about liquid. My stomach is super sensitive about drinks. I cannot drink straight water and it's been a struggle to find things that don't make me nauseous. Nonetheless, I think its completely normal feelings to have on an occasional basis. We are used to eating when we aren't hungry, or if we had to, actually forcing ourselves. Now that we are post op, our stomachs are more sensitive and our minds are too. I wouldn't worry too much unless it happens more frequently.

Have you tried flat bread? Flat Out brand has some choices that offer generous protein values. I can't eat a whole one, so I cut it in half for a wrap. The multigrain has 100 calories, 9 grams of protein per wrap.

I would stay away from gummies. Your pouch doesn't have enough stomach acid to break down the gummies. The chalky ones are the only way to go, until you can swallow pills. I recently switched to a bariatric vitamin I can swallow.

I love learning new fun facts about nutrition, exercise, and health in general. Everyone post their fun facts! You burn approximately 2.16 calories for every pound of body weight during 30 minutes of elliptical use. For example, a 160-pound person would burn about 345 calories during 30 minutes on the elliptical. Have you heard about the Matcha craze? Out of all the antioxidants, EGCg is the most widely recognized for its cancer fighting properties. Scientists have found that Matcha Green Tea contains over 100 times more EGCg than any other tea on the market. Keep it going!

I'm the rebel in this topic. I chew my food the recommended amount of time, but I don't intentionally slow my eating down to stretch out a meal time. I def eat slower than pre op, but I don't think it takes me 30 minutes to finish. I think as long as you are only consuming the appropriate amount & you are chewing your food to an applesauce consistency, it shouldn't matter. Only if you are following both of those things. They like to say 30 minutes because it gives your mind time to catch up with your body and send those "full" signals. I premeasure out my food and I don't get "seconds" even if I don't feel full. This is why I don't feel bad if I finish a meal in 15 minutes.

@Creekimp13 is correct. Hydration is going to be key to keep your energy levels up, not to mention for everything else. I really pushed myself in the first few weeks to consume as much liquid as possible. Once I found the right thing to drink and temperature it was fairly easy. I could "chug" liquids within the first few weeks. However, reminding yourself to drink now that you are back to work is the most important thing. Carry a water bottle around with you constantly. I'd recommend 32 oz by lunch and 32 oz after.