Starwarsandcupcakes

Today we’re celebrating the last day of school and as such, I made waffles! Blueberry protein pancake mix (followed the waffle recipe on the side), topped with homemade vanilla maple whipped cream, maple syrup and sprinkles because why not?! Ate about 1 1/2 quarters of a whole waffle but don’t worry my pancake and waffle loving kid ate the rest.

Spaghetti squash with Italian sausage, onion and garlic tomato sauce and topped with fresh grated Parmesan. Not a kid complained! Bonus points for having enough squash (a whole half!!) to have it again tomorrow and even my pickiest eater agreed! My plate was 1/2 cup squash, 1/2 cup sauce and 2tbsp grated parm

I have sensitive skin and get a rash from them but I do use a vitamin d one on top of tablets to combat my chronic vitamin d deficiency. So far with it my levels have been good. Hopefully someone has more input for you.

I’ve used SparkPeople for years (even before WLS) and I still use it now post op in maintenance. I tried MyFitnessPal but didn’t like it. Im not sure how similar it is to other apps but it does also have a website version (same login info) that offers groups, personal mail, blog posts from members, along with tracking quality of life measures (sleep, stress, etc.), and inches as well as weight (can track in app). I can scan food barcodes, add items not listed, add meals from the SparkRescipes app, and add water intake and exercise as well as read articles, post updates and pictures of progress and adjust some settings. With the nutrition tab (to track food) I can even see a macro breakdown by meal if I click the 3 dots to the right side as well as at the bottom. The nutrition details for the day lets me see where I’m at with tracked vitamins and minerals as well as fiber and sodium. It’s a great way to see what I can do a little different to hit goals the next day. It’s not perfect by any means but I love the community support and ease of use so I’ve stuck with it.

I have this link saved on my favorites on my phone for when I want to update anything about my surgery.

When I started my 6 months pre-op with the nutritionist I went all in. 1200 calories a day with 60g protein minimum. For a while during pre-op I was drinking around a gallon of water on top of other liquids as well. I lost 20lbs the first month and a total of 60lbs including the 15lbs for the 2 week liquid diet right before surgery. I found it much easier to do a complete overhaul than gradually change things because I wouldn’t have stuck with gradual changes. I wrote everything down in a journal the office gave me and tracked with the SparkPeople app as well. I still use SparkPeople to track most days and I’m 9months post VSG to RNY revision.

I did go from sleeve to RNY. It did eliminate the gerd but I still take the protonix once a day when I wake up until I talk to the surgeon at my next appointment in July. I’m 9 months out from my revision to RNY have lost about 60lbs and I’ve been maintaining at 150-155 for almost 4 months now.

I should also add that as far as sustainability goes, the longer I did it the easier it got. Packing meals was a no brained, I was preoccupied with thoughts of food, and I wasn’t really ever hungry. Just find shakes that you can tolerate that follow your surgeon’s guidelines. Some of my favorites for ready to drink are- premier protein chocolate peanut butter (tastes like a Reese’s cup), equate brand high protein blueberry and caramel flavors, GNC Girl Scout cookie flavored lean shakes, and Atkins plus milk chocolate. As far as powders go- I prefer Syntrax nectars as they’re easiest I find to mix with water and come in loads of flavors like lemonade, apple, and grape.

My first go round (dec 2019) I went from 279 to 264 (15lbs). When I had my revision for gerd (aug 2020) I went from 220 to 212 (8lbs). Both were 2 weeks long. Edited to add- my plan was 3-4 protein shakes a day, all the celery and cucumbers I wanted and 1-2 cups of broth.

Because today I’m apparently eating like a hobbit, I present second breakfast! 2 eggs, a cup shredded fresh spinach, 1/4 cup onions, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup snow peas, 2tbsp roasted red peppers, 1tsp garlic, topped with 2tbsp cheddar cheese and black truffle salt. Total comes to 248 calories and 19g of protein for the whole thing. I’ll maybe eat the rest later.

It’s one of my favorites for coffee in place of creamer. Mmm coffee.

Let me preface this by saying I used to LOVE Girl Scout cookies and would buy them by the case before WLS. Last year and this year though I didn’t because they’re usually too sweet now. However! GNC does sell these bad boys (along with protein shakes). And while still sweet, they’re much easier on my pouch to eat than a sleeve of thin mints like I used to prior to WLS.

Lunch from today during normal people hours! 😂 Riced cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, garlic, spinach, and a vegan sausage patty chopped then topped with about 2Tbsp of shaved Parmesan. Came in at about 195 calories and 20g protein for the whole thing so I’m guesstimating I ate about 95ish calories.

They also make vitamin patches. I try to remember to wear a vitamin d plus calcium one once a week (on top of daily multivitamins and supplements) to make sure I’m not deficient. Do be aware that if you are sensitive to adhesives like I am they can cause some irritation but if that’s not a problem and your team approves them (some don’t) they are an option. Just know that you might have to switch to pills after the first couple months post-op to keep blood serum levels up and avoid deficiency.

I’ve had 3 surgeries since August 2020 which was my VSG to RNY revision. For that one I was told to quarantine and only leave the house for work…. I work in a hospital 😂🤷‍♀️. For the other 2 they were emergency surgery I was already in the hospital as a patient when I had what’s called a “rapid Covid” done so no quarantine needed.

Swallowing can be difficult for a few reasons after surgery and it depends on where the swallowing hurts. If it’s in the actual swallowing process it’s most likely irritation from the intubation for anesthesia or the insertion of scopes to check the new pouch/sleeve. If you also had hernia repair and you’re pain is after in your lower chest it’s likely from the suturing and inflammation swelling around the site. If it’s below your breastbone it’s likely swelling from the actual restructuring of your stomach and as @Arabesque said it should subside within a week or so. Just remember to take it slow and you’ll get through it.

I have beef and pork rarely because I have to crave them to eat them. They seem to sit well most of the time but I have “off” days with foods every once in a while. Chicken has been my biggest issue after my RNY revision but I’m slowly able to eat it now that I’m 9 months out from it.

It can take up to a year following the same diet you did pre-pregnancy in order for the weight to come off. I wouldn’t sweat it too much right now but continue to eat healthy and love yourself. When you go into your appointment in July explain to them that you’ve had a baby in the last year. I’m sure they’ll be understanding especially since it sounds like you developed preeclampsia toward the end of your pregnancy.

WLS first crossed my mind in 2002 when I saw a nighttime special on it. I was a senior in high school then. I wanted to join the military but when I talked to a recruiter both my weight and the prospect of WLS both disqualified me. I had thought about it off and on and been discouraged by others (including my ex-husband) with fear mongering and promises I could do it on my own. That was until I had an appendectomy in April 2019. At my post-op appointment my surgeon said, “I know we’ve talked about it before but have you considered WLS?” I said, “ya know what, let’s do this!” And that led to my journey to WLS. Those 7 months flew by and I had VSG in December 2019. I’ve had a revision since then due to a hiatal hernia causing GERD but if I could do it all over again knowing what I know now and what I’ve been through since, I totally would! It’s saved my life in more ways than one. Without the pre-cert process I’d never have known I have 2 congenital heart defects and now regularly see a cardiologist.

Did you roast your radishes? I love them roasted and they look similar to how I’d roast mine.

Bariatricpal makes protein soups. I have a beef bouillon (70 calories and 15g protein) one every day that I work. I also used Syntrax unflavored protein powder (10g protein for 40 calories), but their roadside lemonade and chocolate truffle (both 100 calories and 24g protein) flavors are delicious. They sell a variety pack of individual servings so you can try the flavors to see how you like them. They mix great with water. Other times I’ll mix fat free fairlife milk with serving of Starbucks skinny vanilla latte (refrigerated section at the store). It comes to comes out to 150 calories and 19g of protein.

I’ve had VSG to RNY revision because a hiatal hernia caused me to develop hiccups from the GERD. Compared to VSG it was much easier to drink liquids after RNY. The lack of pyloric valve was great in that regard. I do have more restriction with foods than I did with sleeve. I’m 9months out from my revision and just now able to eat chicken. It’s different for everyone but definitely listen to your body and any cues that you might be getting full, even after just a few bites.

If your profile is correct then you’ll probably lose weight slower than those who still have a lot to lose. Just keep going and I agree that switching things up once in a while helps continue the loss phase. Hang in there!

Oh wow. Mine wasn’t like that at all. Mine asked why I was there, why I thought I needed surgery, what I thought the surgery would do for me, and if I knew the possibility of risks involved. Then there was the 200 yes/no questionnaire I had to fill out afterwards.