Creekimp13

Complications are scary. You never imagine yourself having them...and when you do...it kinda gives you a jolt of reality...that this thing that we're all doing is very serious. I think your reaction is very understandable. Wishing you an uneventful recovery from here on out:)

A lot of people find that the changes they go through with bariatric surgery also inspire other overdue changes in their personal lives. Sometimes this means re-evaluating realationships. Divorce is so common after bariatric surgery, it's been dubbed "divorce surgery". But as common as divorce is after weight loss surgery, new realationships are even more common:) My psychologist said at our presurg interview that weight loss surgery will make a good marriage better, and a weak marriage worse. If there are problems....the changes you go through will put them under a microscope. Whether you can work through them, or need to re-evaluate/leave the relationship....if you came into this surgery with vulnerable spots in your relationship, they'll need to be addressed. Happy to report hubby and I are doing really well so far, but I know a couple people who split up over incompatible health priorities, jealousy issues, unfaced issues that came to a head....after surgery. Whatever happens, I wish you well and hope you have a lot of love and support....but also inner strength and the ability to stand on your own inside your new self. Good luck!

Loving your collar bones:) Nice work!

Incredibly happy:) Wish I'd done it years ago.

I'm nearing goal, so I just talked to my nutritionist about this. We go by calories. At my clinic most women do 1200 calories per day for weight loss, but maintenance can vary quite a lot depending on activity level, etc. My nutritionist suggested adding 200 calories per day if I want to stop the weight loss, and adjust up or down to find the sweet spot. Different people will have different metabolisms. I know folks my size who will gain on 1300 calories per day. When I was in pre-op...(granted I was a larger person then, but not as active as now)...I had no problem losing on 1600 calories per day. Younger people can eat a little more generally. Diabetes makes it harder. Lots of factors to explain the differences. Best wishes and congrats on reaching goal!

Google it:) It's a diet designed by Mayo Clinic, one of the finest medical research hospitals on the planet. It resembles the Mediterranean diet and Japanese diet. I like this because both of these diets are correlated with the greatest longevity of anyone on Earth...and the lowest rates of heart disease and cancer. Lots of fruit, veggies, whole grains, lean protien. And 75 calories per day for "sweets" or other treats. I love this diet because it's livable. You won't lose weight screaming fast like keto...but you will lose weight safely and steadily and not feel hungry or deprived. Works for me:)

I DID eat the bun:) I typically avoid white bread, but I counted it as my 75 naughty calories (allowed on my Mayo Clinic Diet)....so yeah, I know the bun is junk, but I didn't exceed my junk budget. I'm six months out and loving my forever diet:)

My butt works great. I eat a lot of oatmeal and figs. Not sure that helps, but there's my two cents. LOL:)

And she looks like a million bucks, too:)

Eggs Benedict is one of my all time favorite things to get at a local restaurant. Even if I get the half order...which I'm glad they offer...I still have left overs, and Eggs Benedict really doesn't reheat or travel well. I get that it feels like a shame scraping that into the trash. Ask anyone at your table if they have a dog. If I have leftovers we can't eat, pretty often my puppy gets a treat. And yep...she loves Eggs Benedict. At least someone gets to enjoy it that way:)

Drink more. That is an insanely low total fluid volume for 6 days out. Watch out for symptoms of dehydration..it's dangerous.

Drink lots of water. Watch out for kidney stone symptoms. And gallbladder symptoms. Kidney stone attacks and gall bladder attacks are common after bariatric surgery.

You'll fight REAL hunger, too....because less than 1000 calories are not enough to support your nutritional needs. You'll be hungry and miserable. It's awful. But you get through it. I agree with previous poster that it gets easier after day 3....it's like your spirit gets broken and you accept your hellish fate or something. LOL. Your liver WILL shrink, however...and this will make your surgery safer. Best wishes...it's a tough one. You can do it, though.

If you keep drinking 20 ounces a day, you will end up in the ER with dehydration...like many many other bariatric patients before you. Don't do this. I promise there are better ways you want to spend your day. To avoid this....pour four little one ounce medicine cups of fluid every hour. Write it down. Drink one little one ounce cup every fifteen minutes. Every hour you are awake. If you do this for one week, you will have a much easier time drinking. Any fluid counts. Broth. Tea. Coffee. Flavored water. Protein drink. Strained soup. Just get 4 ounces in every single hour. Best wishes.

Hate to mention this....but you're probably not even close to done with the dietitian. Your dietitian will likely do your presurgical diet instructions, your post surgical diet instructions... and will probably want to see you regularly after surgery as you start to introduce new foods. I just saw my dietitian for my 6 month check up. I'm glad to be done for 6 months, though:) Have to see both my doc and dietitian at one year. Very best wishes on your upcoming surgery!

Liquid stage of my post op diet only lasted a week. After that we'd add one thing at a time to see how it agrees with us. We started with things like strained cream soup, yogurt, thin cream of wheat....then moved to soft foods like cottage cheese, tuna, potato. As your tolerance improves and time goes on, you add different things, take it slow, chew well, and see how you tolerate them. You don't really jump from just fluids to some fantasy meal you like...LOL. There's a whole lot of....Yay! I ate refried beans and an avacado slice today....inbetween. Some stuff takes longer to eat comfortably. Bread was hard for a long time. Six months out, I can eat it comfortably, but for months it was awful. Fibrous meats...baked chicken, steak, chops....took a little longer, too. For a while, it's all about texture and little teenie quantities. In truth, your first "real meal" might be about a quarter to a half a cup total.....hopefully with a few good bites of protein in there.

I really didn't expect my weight loss to go so fast. I also did not expect to be this successful. I figured I'd be one of the very typical middle of the road average sleeve patients who lose 65% of their excess weight. I figured I'd stall out at 205...and that sounded great to me. 205 is a hell of a lot healthier than 270! Six months out, and I'm losing slow and steady. Made it into the 170's. Seems crazy to me, and really wonderful. I'd rather go slower and give my skin time to catch up. No hurry here at all.

The research group that I'm with believes that eating very low calories for too long...will set you up for a bad metabolic reset and more rebound weight gain at five years post op. You don't want a starvation metabolism. You want a hot burning furnace that supports lots of activity, healthy muscles and exercise. We are encouraged to eat 1200 calories per day as soon as possible after surgery. I've eaten 1200 calories daily since my third week post op. I feel terrific. Am almost to goal. It's important to listen to the professionals. Their advice is based on a broader perspective than just our own. And they've seen the consequences of lots of well intentioned nutritionally disastrous efforts. Be safe, be well, and best wishes!

Your pre-op diet and weigh ins will have a goal that differs for each doctor. Some will want you to lose a set amount of weight (a percentage of your excess weight) to be eligible for surgery. Some won't. You will likely consult with a nutritionist each month about your diet. They will likely want you to keep a food journal of everything you are eating, so they can go over it with you and point out trouble spots and help you come up with substitutions, behavior modification ideas, just general help with your diet. You will learn A LOT about eating right...because if you don't, and if you don't change how you eat, the surgery can and will fail. The surgery is a tool...it's not a cure. You will still have to watch how you eat carefully the rest of your life....but it makes it a lot easier. Also, after surgery, your nutritional requirements will change for a while and you'll need vitamins...and you need to understand why these things are important and how to meet your new needs. Some clinics will use this time to do metabolic testing. Any other health concerns you have will also be evaluated and addressed to make surgery as safe as possible. You'll likely do some screenings... Upper GI or Endoscopy, chest x-ray, EKG, blood work...that kinda stuff...to keep you safe. I had my first seminar in May of last year, first weigh in appointment in June, had my surgery in December. I just did my six month post op appointment. For me...the process went shockingly FAST! I thought it was going to drag on, but each month of my new forever diet taught me something new...and required some trial and error to tweek it. My biggest most important tip for you....the thing that I credit with a huge portion of my (so far) success..... get a pedometer and app...like a Fitbit or one of the Fitbit knock offs...and start walking and tracking your activity. This made an incredible impact on my life. People who go into this surgery thinking they're going to escape addressing diet and exercise will fail. No nice way to say that. It's just true. Diet and exercise are still your core issues and you'll be working on them every day. But with the tool...it will get easier, your results will be motivating, and you'll have better chances of losing more and keeping more off long term:) Wishing you the very best.

Lots of folks go through a little period of mourning and even second guessing themselves after surgery. Give her time. As you know, every week that passes gets a lot easier. Getting back to work might be a surprisingly good thing for her. Staying busy and being with work friends can keep your mind off the big changes and help restore a sense of normalcy. As far as drinking goes...tiny amounts constantly. It's a pain in the butt...but it gets easier with time. She'll get the hang of it:) If you have any concerns about her ability to drink not being normal, keeping in touch with her team about it is a very good idea. They might have suggestions for her, too. It's lovely that you're concerned and care.

My hubby has been amazing, too. My young adult daughter and bestie have been incredible cheer leaders as well. Even my Mom...who was scared to death about the surgery and tried to talk me out of it....is 100% supportive now and has been expressing that she wishes my other heavy sibling would consider the surgery. (she would like to see the same improvement to his health concerns that I've experienced) But yeah...wow...getting through this process without support would be brutal. I feel for everyone who is going it alone. So hard! Wishing everyone the love and support they deserve.

I think it will pass. I had a couple of weeks of quiet introspection there...where suddenly things had just gotten TOO REAL all of a sudden. Sort of like that Oh Shite! moment. What have I gotten myself into? Do I REALLY want to do this? It gets very real....and so does your grief about losing food...and your fears of how you'll replace that coping mechanism. Food was huge in my life. The idea of losing it seemed really depressing. All of my happy memories had food in them....food I wasn't supposed to eat ever again.. What the hell do I do now? It's sobering. Messes with your identity a little, messes with your coping mechanisms, messes with how you socialize. It's a big deal. People downplay it...but it really is a big deal to adjust to. You'll get through this....and worse. Trust your saner self who started this big adventure. And keep smiling.

I did the carb restricted liver shrink protein shake diet from hell for two weeks. I still maintain...it was the HARDEST part of this whole process. (for me, anyway) Tips: If you have to drive anywhere, drink your shake ten minutes before you drive. I was lightheaded and had crappy reaction time. Loading the calories right before driving helped me stay alert on the road. Here's the exciting part....you are in the home stretch. You are huffing up that mountain...and then you'll have the climax...the day of surgery! And it's all down hill from there. Post op diet is tough, too...but you get to add things and each day gets better. Take this a day at a time...and stay the course. You can do it!

I'm a sleeve person...wrote this up on another post. My clinic sets a goal of 1200 calories and 60+ grams of Protein per day during weight loss phase. We can either eat three 400 calorie meals, or six 200 calorie meals...or any combination we'd like as long as net calories are 1200 per day. I personally prefer to do three tiny meals during the day, a bigger meal for dinner, and another tiny meal around 8pm (usually it's got a desert vibe, like fruit or cupcake yogurt, or a chocolate protein bar.) This is how my day usually works: (with a few different meal options...I like to mix it up a lot...variety is necessary!) 200 calorie Breakfast (oatmeal and coffee with Protein Shake for creamer/an egg and half a slice of whole grain toast/fruit and yogurt/etc) 200 lunch ( 3 ounces of pork chop or chicken breast with green beans/sweet potatoe with pecans and salad/BLT wrap/chef salad with hard boiled egg/homemade veggie Soup and slice of homemade bread) 200 midday snack (protein muffin/half a cup of potato salad/veggie and hummus/etc) 400 dinner (Crab boil/steak salad with eggs and swiss/protien Pasta with salad and homemade wholegrain bread/chicken stir fry/stuffed pepper/ vegetarian chili and cheese on a baked potato/etc) 200 after dinner snack (strawberries with chocolate sauce/watermellon/frozen grapes/cupcake yogurt/oatmeat with pecans and cherries/chocolate protein bar) I like a little sweet after dinner, and usually do this after I finish my 12,000 steps for the day...sort of my reward. I eat a lot of really satisfying delicious food. I'm getting an education about portions and making healthier choices. I'm eating a ton of fruits and veggies, lean Proteins and complex carbs. I LOVE my diet. I feel better on it. Tons of energy. Exercise is a big part of my day, too...and I have the energy to enjoy doing it. I drink at least 64 ounces of fluid a day. I have been in the habit of drinking all day and paying attention to drinking a lot because I used to take a diuretic and dehydration has been a risk. Water goes in the car with me anywhere I drive. I drink steadily anytime I'm at my desk or at home. Coffee, tea, lots of iced tea and Mio recently, herbal tea, water, etc. If my pee is darker? I drink like crazy. I typically walk 4000 steps by noon, 8000 by 5pm, and get a full 12,000 by bedtime. 1am? I do a variety of cardio activities....an hour, three times a week. (in addition to the walking) Weight loss has been slow and steady:) Getting close to goal:) Loving life:) PS...I'm a sleeve, not a bypass...but figured so much of this is universal it couldn't hurt to add to the conversation.

Frustr8, do you have a date yet? I keep crossing my fingers for you.