Creekimp13

Chili cheese dog. It used to be my holy grail of junk foods. A big ole grilled hot dog with chili, nacho cheese, mustard, ketchup and onions. I loved them. They were so dang good on a summer day with a mug of cold rootbeer. I've probably tried them six times...hoping for some magical new result, but it's always the same. They taste like salt and greasy fat. Super nasty. I remember how they tasted....and they don't taste ANYTHING like that to me anymore. I never make it past one bite. They just gross me out now....genuinely repulsive. It's kinda sad to me sometimes....to remember how amazing they used to taste....knowing I'll never find that again. LOL. The sane part of my brain says I'm better off....but the nostalgic part of me feels a little cheated that I can't have them for a treat ever again cause they gag me out now. LOL. I used to love the occasional steak....don't enjoy steak anymore. Have developed an intense love of crab and shrimp (used to hate them) so I guess sometimes it's a switch? I used to hate oatmeal and beans....couldn't live without them now. Have always enjoyed fruits and veggies, but I'm gaga nuts for them now. The flavors are more intense and delicious.

Not a guy, but figured I'd throw in my two cents. My doctor wanted us to reach 1200 calories per day as soon as we could (part of a study on post surgical diet and maintenance). I reached 1200 at around 3 weeks...6 little 200 calorie meals a day. Stayed at 1200 calories a day during loss phase. At maintenance, I hang out around 1400-1600 calories per day. At my yearly exam a couple weeks ago I was within one pound of what I weighed two years ago (didn't have a weigh in last year, just a video visit due to Covid). But yeah...typically closer to 1600 calories a day and maintaining really well. No gym or anything like that, but I walk at least 10K steps a day, garden, bike...pretty active person with heavier muscle mass.

I've eaten kettle chips and popcorn with no problems. Tolerance is gonna be individual. I do regularly eat air popped popcorn because my plan has a fiber requirement, but I largely avoid chips....too many calories, no nutritional value. But in life, there are times for treats in moderation. Make sure your food day is balanced and measure your chips out in a workable serving size...and put them away. Be careful not to fall into a trigger for disordered eating habits. (ie: mindlessly munching on the bag until it's gone) If they're a trigger and you have to fight temptation constantly, it probably isn't worth the stress of having them around. If so, make a deal with yourself to only eat them at special occasions...parties, out of the house, etc. Moderation is easier with witnesses. LOL:)

Eat more. Get a new scale. I know "eat more" sounds like crazy advice when you're stuck in a stall, but our bodies have an amazing set of defenses...thousands of years of evolution to survive bad harvests and hunting seasons. When we drastically cut calories and move a lot more than we used to....our biology interperates this as OMG, we're starving to death and must be moving more because we're desperately searching for hard to find food!...then your endocrine system goes....Must hit this body with every hormone and defense mechanism possible to STOP weight loss! (there are also a whole bunch of little hormonal changes that can bite you in the ass after a long period of severely restricted calories to "make up" for weight lost and encourage gain...which is why most people have some regain issues eventually) If it were me.....I'd add calories. Something with fiber. Black beans, potato, a smoothie with some spinach and low fat greek yogurt. All of these have protien, but they also boost your gut microbiota and stop the keto that your body might be interpereting as starvation. Crazy internet lady advice....take what you like and leave the rest. All of our bodies work a little different. Find what's best for you.

Best to ask your doc. No one here knows what's safe for your specific medical history. Hope you feel better!

4 months out, I had limited amounts of dessert items and still do....but they are foods I watch very carefully. The piece of cake I can eat on my birthday is a LOT smaller now...lol....but I still like to eat cake on special occasions. If you're looking for something healthy that might work...it's a great time of the year for strawberries mashed with splenda over angel food cake (you can even find sugar free angel food sometimes). A little sugar free cool whip, and that's not a bad treat. I'm also a big fan of chocolate Yasso Bars.

Also, this can happen anywhere...I'm not blaming Mexico....but it's a good warning for folks to remember that they really need to line up post surgical support at home. If you feel like something might be wrong, don't wait. Get treatment promptly. https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/bariatric-surgery-in-mexico-turns-deadly-for-phoenix-woman

Glad you had an excellent experience, and indeed there are some wonderful hospitals in Mexico. Make sure you have support lined up at home. You will still need follow up, metabolic tests for nutrient deficiencies, etc. Most of this stuff can be handled by a primary care physician, but you'll have to be proactive in making sure it gets done. Best wishes and congrats!

No advice to add....just wanted to say I'm sorry this happened to you. It's a risk we all take and it stinks you drew the GERD card.

Being low on D isn't going to make you sick, weak, dizzy, nauseated, or have muscle cramps and pain. Something else is going on and should be investigated...probably with your primary care doctor. Best wishes.

10,000 is a pretty big dose. Did your doctor prescribe that much? Be a little careful and monitor your level. D is fat soluable and excess can't be flushed out like water soluable vitamins....having too high a level can cause some calcium problems that can hurt your kidneys...so it's important not to go overboard. As long as your doctor is monitoring your level and has prescibed that dose you should be fine...they might be trying to get your level up in a hurry before surgery. You probably will need it adjusted down when your levels come up.

Low D is VERY common, particularly for folks in the Northern States. Do some naked sunbathing and take your D3.

The first month or so was low energy, but by the time I was up to 1200 calories a day...I felt amazing. Tons of energy. I have more energy today at 49 than I did at 30. Very honestly. I feel so much better and so much more able to get things done:)

When you pick a doctor, definately ask about their experiences with patients having acid issues after sleeve. How often does it happen to their patients? What treatments do they pursue? How many of them need surgical revision? Some doctors will have a better handle on this than others. Also ask...how have you modified your technique to avoid acid issues with sleeve? Do you have fewer patients with post surgical acid issues now? Have you done any recent continuing education on patients who experience acid with sleeve? Go to someone who is part of the conversation for the newest ideas in surgery. It's not a guarantee you won't have problems, but it increases your odds for success.

I had acid, but learned during my pre-surgical endoscope that it was due to a HUGE hiatal hernia. Doc fixed the hernia when we did my sleeve and I have had no acid since (three and a half years)

What would you think of seeing a bariatric therapist? Sounds like the first time you didn't get your disordered eating issues resolved.....but maybe you can this time around with some help? Wishing you the best.

UCLA is excellent. Having surgery will not solve a lifelong issue with obesity. It won't fix your relationship with food, and every single surgery can fail and you can eat yourself fat again if you don't address your past relationship with food and make the needed changes. Cutting out your stomach doesn't fix your brain. But it really can help you to work on your behavior, your choices and your future eating habits. Expect to work harder than you ever have, and use a clinic that works closely with therapists who can help you along in the process. Beware clinics that make it sound like a quick fix. It isn't.

Yes, it's possible. While it is much more common to lose only about half of your excess weight, and struggle with regain...there ARE people who swap one version of disordered eating for another and ultimately struggle with full blown anorexia and bulemia. Inpatient eating disorder treatment centers are reporting increasing numbers of post bariatric surgery patients. It is not that bariatric surgery causes an eating disorder...the eating disorder is usually pre-existing. But it can cause the eating disorder to take a different form...almost like cross over addiction (which is also a significant problem for many post bariatric surgery patients.) People do die after bariatric surgery due to eating disorder related malnutrition. It happens. That said! Bariatric surgery is overwhelmingly coorelated to increased lifespans. Fatal eating disorders are rare. In short....worth paying attention to, but few deal with it...and overall, Bariatric surgery has far more benefits than risks.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/publications/psychiatry_newsletter/hopkins_brainwise___winter_2015/bariatric_surgery_and_eating_disorders http://c-hit.org/2014/10/15/years-after-weight-loss-surgery-patients-seek-treatment-for-eating-disorders/ https://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_DietAndFitness/bariatric-surgery-eating-disorders-lap-band-made-bulimic/story?id=13802938

A lot of it is keeping track and making adjustments. First, figure out how many calories a person of your weight, gender and activity level burns in a day. A nutritionist can help you. (there are a lot of Basal metabolic rate calculators online that might help, too) Then, try to eat that many calories, and see what happens to your weight. If you lose, go up....if you gain, go down. If you adjust by 200 or so calories each adjustment....eventually you'll find the sweet spot. For me, it's about 1400-1600 calories and 10,000 steps a day....and the occasional trip to the bariatric therapist if I find myself self sabotaging and falling back into bad habits due to emotional triggers. Don't get addicted to starving yourself....it's just another version of an eating disorder. Eat a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet. Best wishes!

Every clinic has a different way of measuring what "counts" and when they will push the paperwork. Best to call and ask.

Lot of pharmacies will have those blood pressure stations you can use for free that have scales built in. YMCA will have good scales and likely wouldn't charge you to just weigh yourself....or about any doctor's office (though with Covid they might be picky if you're not a client)

Make sure you're drinking enough water. Biggest cause of muscle spasm is dehydration.

It isn't weird at all, and yes, you can have a heart attack when your potassium gets badly out of whack. 3.5 is borderline...it's just under normal. 3.0 is bad (particularly combined with indicators of extreme dehydration and poor kidney function). Moral of the story: Drink your fluids. Sip, Sip, Sip. All day. Everyday. When you are at more risk for dehydration, you have to extra careful with overheating in ways you weren't before. I remember being able to chug almost a quart of water when I got overheated before surgery. These days, over three years out, I can barely "chug" 6 ounces. Learning to drink water all the freaking time when it's hot...is essential. Eating your bananas and salty stuff is a good idea, too.

My approach to exercise has two elements. First, I do track my steps. I'm a hard data person, and I like something simple that I can quantify. When I started out I was getting 5000 steps a day. I gradually increased 200 steps a week and worked up to 10,000 steps a day. I picked that number because my doctor said it was a good goal. Research varies on what is best, but most will put the optimal number between 8,500 and 12,000 steps a day for good cardiac health and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. Lot of research out there about how awful sitting for most of the day is for you. In maintenance, I do 10,000 steps a day. When i'm actively trying to lose (went up a couple pounds and want to correct) I'll increase to 12-14,000 a day. I have had a few days in the 20,000s and a couple in the 30's.....but most often I'm somewhere between 10 and 14...and for me, this feels perfect. The other element of my approach to exercise...is to do active things that I LOVE. I never do exercise I hate, or that bores me. I garden, ride my bike, swim, run my dog, hike with friends....stuff that makes me smile and feel good. I also mow my lawn. With a push mower. How many people pay for a gym membership, and go home and ride a riding lawn mower! Seems crazy to me. Lawn mowing is an awesome work out...upper and lower body, core...good stuff...and you get to look behind you and see how much you've done. Finishing the work kinda pushes you to commit....and at the end your yard looks terrific. I know this sounds psycho, but I kinda love to mow my lawn. This level of exercise supports a 1600 calorie a day diet. I like having this many calories, and I like keeping my heart healthy. I also like the muscle definition in my arms and legs. Hubby says I have Wonder Woman legs. LOL.