momof3_angels

That is fantastic! Brag away! I think it is just important that we post our successes as it is to post about our struggles. I remind myself of that everytime I want to post my positive updates (AKA bragging).

Try Milk of Magnesia and if it doesbt work quickly, call your doctor right away. 3 weeks is too long to not go. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Liquids are much easier to get in for many people... but be very careful of the solid-ish foods! If you are eating mostly broth you should be fine... but if you are eating more solids in the broth you need to start measuring and limiting them if you want to be more successful. It is easy to try to push limits, but the goal is to try to stick to the diet as outlined by the nutritionist. You really shouldn't be trying to eat more than a half cup of the solids this early out. But again... pushing fluids is fine.

Doesn't it feel great!

Like I said, find out what she is afraid of... she is afraid of something. It might be that you will get skinny and leave her. She might be afraid because she is ill-informed. Weird food? Well, that is a "cover-up the real fear" excuse if I ever heard one.

Yes, my doctor does this. They find if you carb load before surgery they have better recovery results. I had to dri k sugary drinks both the night before and morning of surgery. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I still occasionally feel fatigued. 5 months out. Drink your fluids. Eat your protein. Take you vitamins. You can also have your labs and blood pressure checked. I feel like crap when my BP is too low or I am dehydrated. And remember, you are still healing so SOME fatigue is normal, but it shouldn't be all the time. Let your doc know!

I would think that in the early stages post op, it could be more serious (incision still healing). Not necessarily 1+ years out. That said... I am kind of scared of experiencing my first stomach bug or food poisoning just because of my new small stomach! I have only thrown up once... and my stomach emptied quickly that time, but I have gotten nausea many times which seems worse than before. My stomach doesn't tolerate as much as it used to.

Husband and I are both RN's. Hubby was against surgery... but he was simply afraid I would die during surgery. Nothing I could say would ease his fear. I simply insisted I am doing it and needed his support. He stayed with me in the hospital and made sure I was OK. In retrospect, he realizes I made the right choice and is proud that am doing so well. Find out what your wife is so afraid of. Then you can deal with it. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

At 3 weeks, definitely eat slower and chew your food much better than you normally chew! I also found it was best that I ate foods that were much more moist. So... I ate a lot of soupy foods. My episodes lasted 15-20 minutes for the most part. But there have been a few days when I go to sleep feeling absolutely sick from whatever I ate not going down well. Just learn your signs that you are getting full and listen to them! And again... moist foods go down much better.

I haven't done it, and I am a lower BMI to start with.. but mi75 is correct, every movement in these types of classes can be modified! Just like when I returned to Pilates... last year I couldn't do most of what I used to do. When I went back to Pilates post-op, I needed to modify a lot of movements (still recovering from abdominal surgery). As I regain strength and endurance I can do more. Crossfit is no different principal wise. Start off doing what you can do, modify the movements that you need to modify, and as you gain strength and endurance you will be able to do more. Getting a personal trainer to help you get started is probably a good idea. They can see what you are capable and create a plan for you specific to you and your abilities and goals. They can also teach you the modifications that you might need to make in a regular class. And any good teacher will encourage you to make modifications in their class if it means you will participate and maintain your safety.

I agree with the others. Seek the guidance of your nutritionist on how to move best from weight loss mode to maintenance mode. It may be that they want you to increase calories in general, or add more carbs specifically. I would hesitate to do either until you speak to the nutritionist though, so you don't add the wrong foods and start increasing your weight by too much. You may also have to cut back on exercise a bit. But I also agree with others that 1) your body will adjust to the new weight and redestribute in a way that is healthy and 2) You will most likely have a little rebound weight naturally, so you may want to ride this out a little longer and see what happens. I have seen quite a few people lose a ton of weight, have periods where they look sickly, then periods where everything balances out and they look great. I don't think I have hit sickly yet, but I mentally prepared myself for it to happen based on watching others go through this journey. As long as your labs are OK, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. But again, talk to the nutritionist.

I have gone on several holidays already... one at 3 weeks post op, another at 5 weeks post op and 1 since then. By planning ahead, I was able to survive all of them! Even the trip to Disney with my daughter. At 7 weeks, you should have most of your energy back, but still pace yourself. Make sure you provide yourself opportunities to rest between activities so you don't over-exert yourself. Eating WILL be a challenge, but it is a challenge you can manage. I make sure to have plenty of my protein shakes in a cooler, along with other quick/easy foods that I know I can tolerate. For food, I looked for places with a variety of soups to try. Sticking with soups was much easier than figuring out what to eat on the rest of the menu. I also brought snacks like cheese/nuts in single serving packets. For the airport... you can buy water past the security check point, and I recommend buying 2 water bottles for the plane ride. One can be used with protein powder for nutrition on the plane. The other is simply water. Stay hydrated as best as you can! You can buy individual serving protein powder packets for ease of going through the security. Avoid eating foods you know you won't tolerate or you haven't already tried before getting on the plane. I really never threw up after my VSG. The one time I did was after I had anesthesia. Be careful not to overeat though... because I do get quite miserable when I overeat. If you can, look at restaurant menus before you go to them. It takes me forever to figure out what to order that is high protein/low fat/low carb and cooked in a healthy way that my stomach will tolerate. Again... soups worked well for me.

You should be focusing on fluids and protein at this point. If you eat your protein and still have room, focus on veggies that you can tolerate. Carbs are the least of your concerns for a while. I still hardly eat carbs at almost 5 months out. I do eat them, but very little. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Be careful, I couldnt go below a certain weight and still have surgery. It depends on insurance and doctors. They vary more than the should. That said, my doc told me exactly where my weight needs to be to be approved and I just made sure I didnt drop below that number. Also, if you are on metformin and your A1c is normal, that just means the metformin is doing its job. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I experienced the same thing. I loved Premier Protein shakes before surgery. After surgery, the only flavor that I can tolerate is the vanilla and even that makes me a little nauseous. I also like Premier Protein Water before surgery, and cannot stand it at all after surgery. I agree with others... get some samples of different flavors to try both before and after surgery. Don't stock up on too much of anything before surgery. Just get enough to get you through the first 2 weeks maybe. I ended up giving away my stockpile of things I didn't like after surgery. Also, in addition to normal whey protein that my nutritionist recommended... she suggested buying collogen protein powder. It is truly flavorless and can be added to anything. It mixes super well in hot liquids and on some foods. I have added it to soups, oatmeal, and my green smoothies.

Beans are great for many people after surgery, but you will have to see what you tolerate at the different stages. There are a lot of foods you love before surgery that you don't tolerate so well after surgery. It doesn't mean you can never eat those foods again, but you might try them, learn you can't eat them yet... wait a few months and try them again. I do very well with most beans... but when I get a power bowl salad from Taco Bell (without the rice), I can't eat the beans in it. But it has to be how THEY are preparing the beans, because I don't have any problems with anyone else's beans. The spicy foods are hit or miss for different people. Personally, when I reached soft diet, I LIVED on homemade chili for weeks. It had kidney beans, ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and celery in it. Tolerated it just fine and found it easier to go down than most foods. Sausage: Some I tolerate fine, others I can't eat. And I agree... skip the corn startch. Not only do you not need the extra starch in your diet... but also the thinner broth will help when eating any kind of soup or stew type of food.

Thanks. Yes, there are. But I am trying to avoid that. The problem with doing that is if you send your bag ahead, you need to know exactly how far you will be walking that day. I might pick a town 25km ahead. But... if I get hurt or need to stop early, I wouldn't have the flexibility to do that because my supplies are 25km ahead. I really want to be able to listen to my body and walk further on days I feel good and stop earlier on days that I need to stop earlier. Also, while it isn't expensive, the costs will add up if I have to do it daily. And if I bring everything I truly need, then I have to add hold luggage to all my flights, which adds even more cost and I risk my bag getting lost with things I really need. I prefer to carry-on only. Still... haven't ruled it out as an option!

I live in the US and that isn't usually true. Most hotels (not all) have a mini fridge and a microwave in the room. Of course, depends on the hotel... but I look for mini fridge and microwaves for every place I travel to in the US. I find the mini fridge to be essential when I travel, whether it be because I am traveling with kids or because I need my protein shakes to be refrigerated so they are cold when I drink them.

Mo co-workers is noisy all the time... and she is years out! Mine isn't too terribly noisy. It is definitely noisy at times, but most of the time others don't notice it. Haven't figured out what makes it noisiest yet.

Ask for a to go box be brought with your meal. Box half of it and eat whet you can of the rest. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Protein: If I am driving anywhere, I pack a cooler with all my protein shakes, water, vitamin water zeros etc. I also pack the small protein bars and any other foods that I like. If I travel by air, my plan is to bring electrolyte and protein powder packets to add to water that I will buy after I to through TSA. I will also pack nutritious snacks for the plane and/or buy something at the airport (for bigger airports with more dining options). I will be doing a long haul flight in May. The airport I will be leaving from has lots of food options. I will buy food and bring it on the plane (again, after going through TSA). This way, I am not stuck with airline food that I may or may not be able to eat. For the breakfast meal later in the flight I will probably bring high protein granola something. Dinner Out: I do eat out with my family. I do NOT eat at buffets. Sometimes I buy something on the menu that is high protein and perhaps veggies, but I skip the carbs (unless they are something like beans with protein too). If I order my own meal, it will be 2-4 meals for the day. Or, I tell my husband to order something that I can eat and I will take a little of his food. In the beginning it is really hard to find something other than soup you can eat... but as time goes on you can eat more variety. I look at the kids menus too, but most of the time they are crap I shouldn't eat. Another option is to order a side dish only that meets your needs. It varies. Cooking: I hate cooking, but I find I am cooking more than usual. I often cook something in bigger batches and eat it all week. I find a few things I LOVE to eat (that are healthy for me to eat)... and eat them more often. Work luncheons... I have had 2 since surgery. The first was a Thanksgiving style meal. I put turkey and essentially a teaspoon of everything I wanted to taste on my plate. My plate was ridiculously empty (since it was a fullsize dinner plate), but I enjoyed the meal with my peers. I ate the turkey first, then the other stuff until I was a little full. Talked to everyone. Then ate a few more bites. It was fine. The second luncheon was mostly sandwiches and pastas and such as sides. There WAS a salad, but I couldn't digest lettuce yet. Since it was all food that I knew I really shouldn't eat... I chose to go home early that day. I just couldn't handle being around so much food that I couldn't eat that day... so I made the decision to avoid it. I could have just as easily gone out to get something I could eat and bring it back to the luncheon. Everyone would have understood. But I wasn't in the best place emotionally that day. For future luncheons, I will continue to find out what the menu is in advance, so I can make the best decision for me, on that day.

Ugh. That is why I kept my plans to myself for as long as I could. Had 3 work friends that knew before my own husband! Told daughter before surgery only because she lives with me. Tokd grown sons about a month after surgery. Most people at work know. My parents, siblings, and other extended family still dont know lol. Anyhow... do what you think is best for you. It is about your health, not their opinions. My husband didnt want me to do it, but now he admits I made the right choice and is proud of my progress. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

My first dr appt I weighed 226.8. And surgery I weighed 205.something. Surgery was Sept 4, 2019. My doctors goal weight was 160. I suprassed that by 3 1/2- 4 months. I weighed 149 exactly this morning. Weight loss was rapid for the first 2 months and much slower the last 2 1/2 months. The scale only drops maybe 1-2 times a week and my morning weights go up and down within 3 pounds when I do not drop. But... I AM still losing weight. And I am still loosing inches. And my health is greatly improved. BYW, I am 5"4.5". Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wasnt a problem for me people I know personally who had the same or similar preop diet. ! Having only a 1 day preop diet does not mean you didnt have 3-6 months of nutritional counseling and "diet" before that. My nutritiionist had me eating 6 smaller healthier meals/snacks per day to prepare me for post op life. The preop diet is designed for shrinking your liver and emptying your gi tract. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app