AZhiker

As far as the post op period goes, I think of the whole experience like child birth. It is a real pain, but you get a whole new life of the other side. A year down the road, you barely remember the recovery, the diet stages, the major adjustments, because you are so busy LIVING!!!

Same with me. I was crying in pre-op, wondering if I was making the right decision, and thinking about getting off the bed and leaving, My surgeon came in and told me that none of his patients had regretted their decision. I also thought of my PCP's words, "If you COULD have done it on your own, you WOULD have by now." It was one of the single best decisions of my life! I cannot begin to tell how much my life has changed for the better and all the opportunities in living that are now open to me. I did have a couple of complications - blood clots and an ulcer, but those are resolved now and I would do it all over again, knowing what I know now from this side.

19 months out and I sill have loose stools, 5-8 per day. Sill a lot of gas, too. They are getting darker in color but still float, so I know fat malabsorption is still an issue.

I was told that the falling hair is really because the NEW hair is growing back in and pushing the old. dead ones out. This makes sense, as the hair loss usually starts at the time when one is able to start taking in more nutrition and able to support hair regrowth. For every hair that fell, I reminded myself that a new one was growing. That really helped my mental attitude about the whole issue. I thought I lost a lot, but absolutely no one else even noticed. I did get a short cute cut before surgery, so the loss would be less noticeable and the regrowth would fill in faster. Most people are going to have some hair loss. It's just part of the process of rapid weight loss. But it is temporary and not worth stressing over.

have you tried eliminating all dairy?

An ulcer and the inability to get enough protein and fluids is not uncomplicated. How did your 6 month follow up go? Did they give you any help with the issues? I imagine you are on omeprazole now and that you have a follow up scope to check on the ulcer? I agree that the pain is probably not even related to the surgery. You might need an ultrasound or CT to check it out, but please do that and try to get a handle on the intake problem. By now, you should not be having issues with protein or fluids. Best wishes and keep us posted.

I am 19 months post op and although my new life is wonderful in every way, I find myself a little lost sometimes as I live in a new mental reality. As a fat person, I often hid my personality, thinking that I was not as valuable as others or that I was being judged. In a group, I was withdrawn, shy, and basically tried to be invisible. I would scan a room as soon as I walked in to identify furniture I could fit into and if there were any other large people there, but I was usually the biggest in the room. Now I am a normal weight and many people in my life (like co-workers) never knew me as anything but thin. But I still find myself hiding and shrinking away from social situations, still trying to be invisible, still feeling unworthy and that I don't measure up. To others, this can come off as snooty and stand-offish. I think this is the poisonous effect of obesity. It truly does affect us on very deep levels. It's very hard to reverse decades of shame and self loathing. I was told that I was repulsive and ugly and that people (like my mom) were embarrassed by me. I am struggling to find the "new me" as a person - someone who is confident, happy, and at ease with others. I know it will take time, and I want my psyche to be as transformed as my body. I still feel like a fat caterpillar in a butterfly body. Anyone relate? For those of you down the road, how did you make the mental transformation?

IF is a very powerful tool, but please wait until at least 6 months out to start or restart. You've just got to focus on your protein and your volume is so small initially, that it would be impossible to get your nutritional requirements in. Keep it in your pocket as a tool to boost your weight loss if you start stalling or slowing down right before goal. IF helped me get the last 15 pounds off, and now is a tool I use in maintenance. I know it is so hard to go back to regular meals, but you need to do it for now. It's great that you already know what to do - just save it for the future.

You are at a challenging stage with adding new foods and trying to figure out how much you can eat and what you can tolerate. I cannot count the times early on that I ate something that was just one bite too much, and the AGONY was just awful. It seemed impossible to find the "sweet spot." I would eat slowly and stop when I was just starting to feel full, and then 10 minutes later, POW! I thought I'd have to go to the ER a couple of times. And the real puzzle was that it was never consistent from day to day. One day 1/4 cup of food would be just fine and the next day, 1/4 would make me throw up or think I was dying. You WILL get through this. Your weight loss is good, which should be encouraging. I lost 35 pounds by the end of month 2 - similar to you. I went on to reach my goal just 5 months later. Hang in there! This, too, shall pass, and it will all be worth it. Don't let this normal phase of things make you think you made a mistake with the surgery. Nearly everyone goes through this very uncomfortable adjustment stage. Your body is actually still in the final healing stage from the surgery, and is trying to adjust to all the plumbing fixtures! It will start getting better and better. I remember that I feel like I "turned a corner" around the end of month 3. Things got a lot easier. Stick with the plan and work on your exercise.

Please try to fill in your profile. It will help everyone to know when your surgery was, starting weight, goal weight, etc. The journey is a bumpy road, for sure. Lots of ups and downs - physically and emotionally. But the end result is so worth it. WLS is hard, and not for the fainthearted. It takes courage and resilience, and you have both, or you never would have gotten the surgery in the first place, Remember why you got the surgery and where you want to be in a year. This will be one of the hardest, yet most amazing and transformational years of your life!

Sure seems like overkill to me. I was offered a sleeve or bypass, and we decided bypass was the best option because of my GERD. There are absorption issues with bypass and a lot more with DS. Most people lose all the weight they need with the sleeve or bypass. What is the actual reason your surgeon wants you to have DS? There needs to be some solid rationale for this. If you feel something is fishy or his motives are simple financial, please find someone else. You need to fully trust that your surgeon has your best interests in mind - not just his own.

depended on the type of food. Cottage cheese, yogurt, and refried beans were probably about 1/2 cup servings. Once I could eat veggies, those were probably about 1/4 cup, and fish was also 1/4 cup,

I did make sure to get all my protein in, and I ate NO junk, no processed food. I tried to make every single bite as nutritionally dense as possible. I made soups, green berry smoothies, ate a lot of yogurt and cottage cheese, home grown pumpkin and garden veggies, some fish, a little fruit (like 1/2 apple or a mandarin orange.) I was also using lentils and other legumes, as well as still using some protein powder. No grain based carbs, no nut butters, very limited fruit. I reached goal very quickly and have maintained now for a year. I am now plant based and do not even try to count calories any more. I still get about 60 gm of protein a day, but I eat whatever I want now and as much as I want. I am never hungry. Mind you, I get in about 10 servings of fruits/veggies a day, eat a moderate amount of whole grains, plenty of legumes, nuts and seeds, but no sugar, simple carbs, processed or junk food, No soda, no alcohol, no caffeine. Never felt better, have tons of energy, no pain, no sleep apnea. Blood pressure is normal now, and my fatty liver is now normal. Cholesterol plummeted to 152, as did my LDL and triglycerides. Losing over 100 pounds made a world of difference - a whole new life. But going whole food plant based (WFPB) took it to a whole new level of health and wellness. My other fat life seems like a distant dream now - and I'm never going back there! Bottom line - success at lifelong weight loss means making lifelong changes in food choices, habits, exercise patterns, and lifestyle. We must let go of the things that made us fat in the first place, and embrace the new things that will bring us success for the long term. It can be a scary journey, but worth every step!

At week 6 I was eating under 500 calories - 410 to 485. At week 7 I went up to the 500 calorie range. Looking through my journal it looks like I stayed in the 500-600 range all the way to goal. Some days were higher, but I was exercising heavily on some days. I did a sprint Triathlon at about 6-7 months, and a 53 mile bike ride at month 9.

BTW.... the "get to know you" or "meet and greet" appointment is required by a lot of insurances. The doc isn't just doing it to get more $. They have no choice.

I really watched carb intake during the weight loss phase, and as sillykitty said, there just wasn't much room for them after getting protein, and then veggies in. My weight came off very quickly - over 100# in 7 months, but I really did journal everything and was very careful. I did my best to maximize the first 6 months that I had heard about, and it worked for me. I added grain based carbs and fats very very slowly as I approached goal weight. I eat quite a lot of carbs now, as whole grains, seeds, legumes, fruit, and starchy vegetables, I do not eat bread or processed grains except for some chick pea pasta, I am very active and am maintaining my weight loss. If a few pounds creep back on, I cut down on the grains and nut butters. That takes care of it.

I am 18 months out and even though my weight has stayed the same, it has shifted around a bit. My boobs and hollow thighs don't look as bad as they used to. My bat wing arms tightened up a lot in the past 6 months. I was really thinking about plastics after I lost my weight, but now I would not consider it at all. I have gotten used to my new and different body that doesn't sag nearly as much as it did right after I reached goal. Time does make a difference and I personally think people should wait a year after reaching goal to make that decision. There is a lot of mental and physical changes that take place. I was 62 years old at time of surgery, so it took a while to look better. My face and neck are still saggy, but not as much as a year ago.

Grain based carbs are more for when you've reached your goal and need to slow down weight loss or to maintain,

My hair loss started at 4 months and went on for another 4-5 months. From what I've read, the loss is from the dead hair getting pushed out by the new hair that is starting to regrow. My hair got quite thin but is now back to normal volume. BTW, I started mega doses of Biotin at 2 weeks post op, and it didn't help. Don't waste your money.

I think the general feeling is to limit the carbs until you get closer to maintenance. Just getting the protein and fluids in is a major accomplishment for a long time, and then adding veggies and some fruit is more than enough. Adding carbs and fatty foods like nuts and nut butters can slow down your weight loss. I reached goal in 7 months, but did not even think of adding a grain based carb, nuts, or nut butters until then. Then I added them very gradually, to ensure I wouldn't start regaining. I am 18 months out now, and am eating a whole foods plant based (WFPB) diet now. I get all my protein in, but it comes from legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and non dairy milk/yogurt. I eat a lot of carbs now - but they are whole grains, legumes, fruits and veggies - nothing processed. I eat nuts and seeds every day. I also eat 8-10 servings of veggies/fruit every day, so I am NEVER hungry with that much volume. This all to say that there are a lot of different ways to eat after surgery, but initially, until you reach goal, you need to stick to your protein, water, legumes, veggies. The other stuff can come later. The first 6 months are where you are going to lose a lot of weight. The first year is the golden year, and you want to maximize the opportunity to lose as much as you can during that time. After 12-18 months (sometimes sooner, sometimes later), the weight loss will slow down, your body will start absorbing nutrients more easily, you will lose the tight restriction, and all your new lifestyle modifications will be the real tools you will use to maintain your new weight. The surgery gets the weight off, but you need to do the rest. Don't waste those first months. Hold off on maintenance foods like grain based carbs, starchy vegetables, and nuts/nut butters until you are ready to stop losing and start maintaining. Just my 2 cents worth. I'm sure others will have different ideas.

I work in a GI department, and you should never wake up with the scope down your throat. How terrifying and uncomfortable that would be! An EGD is only a 5 minute procedure, maybe a little more if biopsies are taken, but it is very quick and the anesthesiologist should have kept you asleep during the entire thing. General anesthesia should not be necessary for an EGD. That is overkill. MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) with propofol is the best way to go. You breathe on your own and did not need an endotracheal tube, you are completely asleep and comfortable for the procedure, there is no nausea, and you wake up quickly and feeling great. I would sure talk to the anesthesiologist and let them know that you do NOT want to wake up! That is their job - to keep you safe AND comfortable!

I totally agree that each mistake needs to be an opportunity for insight, learning, and growth. This first year is the time to really zero in on WHY you overeat, and to develop tools to change both the thinking patterns and the habits. For example, I caved to cravings for French fries after 2 long bike rides. I was sick afterward and regretted the choices. But I discovered I was not getting enough electrolytes during my rides and was craving the salt. Once I learned a new way to hydrate, I was fine. I still struggle with eating during the evenings. I still haven't unraveled the complexities of night time binging, but in the mean time, I am making choices to drink a big mug of hot herbal tea in the evenings. I also prep raw veggies to have on hand if there is a total munch attack. There is a theory that you cannot break a bad habit without replacing it with a better habit. So until I figure out the evening "hand-to-mouth" disease, I will substitute healthy alternatives. Just some thoughts....... but the big lesson is to LEARN a lesson every time there is a slip. You can't just brush it under the rug and pretend it didn't happen and that you will do better next time. Unless you learn and prepare for "next time" there will never be a permanent change.

I did not say my surgeon disallowed all pureed foods. My solids started with soft, non fibrous foods. It was the fiber in vegetables that was not allowed until week 8.

Agree, that you need to dust yourself off and get back on track....... HOWEVER, this kind of slip can actually cause very serious harm - like breaking open your internal sutures and rupturing the new connections that are not even healed yet. People can DIE from this, so please, please, please stick to the plan. At this point, the dietary restrictions are about more than losing weight - it is about allowing the surgical sites to completely heal. My doc would not even allow pureed cooked veggies until week 8, to avoid fiber that could cause issues for the new surgical connections.

Regardless of what the doc said, I found it easier to sip with a straw. I felt I could control the size of the sips easier. For me, it was sip, sip, sip continually throughout the day. I had a bottle that was 2 cups (16 oz) and I filled it 4 times a day for the 64 ounces. I also found that warm fluids like herbal tea was easier than cold water. Now I can drink a lot easier - 3 or 4 swallows at a time, but even 18 months out I cannot gulp or guzzle like I used to. I drink 16 oz of warm tea first thing in the morning. Then 16 oz during the rest of the morning, 16 oz in the afternoon, and 16 oz in the evening. On days I work outside, I drink more, but keeping up with the goals throughout the day keep me on track.