BigSue

Are you still on liquids or are you allowed to have purees now? Purees give you a lot of options, especially once you get the unflavored protein powder. My favorite purees included: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon roll protein powder Triple zero yogurt with chocolate, vanilla, or birthday cake protein powder Sugar-free pudding with chocolate protein powder Protein oatmeal with cinnamon roll protein powder Pureed refried beans with unflavored protein powder, topped with enchilada sauce and Laughing Cow cheese Pureed black bean soup with unflavored protein powder I also ate a lot of sugar-free popsicles, fudgsicles, and Jello in the liquid and pureed stages.

I love those! I use them sort of like mini taco shells (with taco meat, lettuce, tomato, and plain Greek yogurt). The loaded taco flavor is also good for that. Have you tried the spicy sweet chili flavor? They have a lot of good reviews, but I haven't tried them because I've only seen them in an 8-pack and I don't want to buy that many when I don't know if I'll like them.

Yes, totally normal. I actually weighed more at my one-week follow-up than I did on the day of surgery (I've lost more than 80 pounds since then). It's because of the IV fluids. Don't worry about your weight right now -- just focus on getting your protein and fluids. I promise you will start losing weight if you stick to your plan. Your body just went through a major surgery, so everything's a little wonky right now.

I figured I'd post an update here in case anybody comes across this post wondering about the same thing. I took my endocrinologist's advice and started taking additional iron. I now take a multivitamin with 45 mg of ferrous fumarate, plus a chelated iron supplement with 36 mg of iron, for a total of 81 mg of iron per day. I just got my 6-month bloodwork, and everything is great, so I think I'm taking the right dosage of iron (at least for now). I have no idea whether the chelated iron makes a difference, but it's certainly not hurting.

Definitely ask your doctor about this, but most likely, you'll just need to lower your iron dose (I assume you are taking 65 mg, not mcg, right?). 5000 mcg of B-12 is a lot (I only take 1000 mcg), so your doctor may tell you to lower that as well. I think taking B-12 supplements can make your bloodwork show erroneously high levels. My bloodwork showed high B-12 levels, but my doctor was not concerned about it because you just pee out the excess.

I am terrible about shopping every purchase TO DEATH (I had been shopping for a new TV for over two years before I finally gave in and bought one on Black Friday). When I bought my air fryer, I was actually shopping for a deep fryer (this was way before I started my weight loss journey, when I was in an "eat what tastes good" phase), but I kept seeing air fryers in my search results. I decided that I would give the air fryer a chance and buy a deep fryer later, and I just picked one! I bought the Amazon's Choice air fryer and I could not be happier. I never did go back and buy a deep fryer.

I purchased Genepro unflavored powder to mix into foods, but I don't like the way it tastes. Even though it doesn't have added flavoring, it still has a taste and I find it unpleasant. I would not drink it in plain water. When adding protein powder into foods, I prefer to use flavored protein powder for sweet foods like yogurt, pudding, applesauce, and oatmeal. I only use Genepro in savory foods like soup, beans, and pureed vegetables.

Somebody asked a similar question here: Here are the ones I purchased (I think I found all of these through ads on Facebook; none of these are referral links and I do not benefit in any way from them): IdealFit (IdealLean) (You can also buy individual sample size packets if you don't want this many) 1up Nutrition Northbound Nutrition Waves of Whey Strength (Unfortunately, the samples are 5 packs of the same flavor, so you'd have to buy 10 packs just to get both flavors) KetoShop (There are two different sample packs; I got the zero carb just because the flavors were more appealing to me) My favorite was IdealLean and that's my go-to brand now (I love the birthday cake flavor mixed into yogurt -- that makes for a great high-protein meal after surgery -- and the chocolate brownie is my favorite chocolate Protein shake). Once you start shopping for Protein Powder online, you'll start seeing ads for other protein powders. I've seen some appealing ones recently, but I'm all stocked up on protein powders so I'm not buying any more right now. You should look at the ingredients and nutrition info to make sure they meet your requirements. You might also want to try clear protein powders. IdealFit has some (including samples) and you can buy Syntrax Nectar samples in the BariatricPal store. They do not have the same thick texture as the shakes, so you may find them more palatable. I also recommend trying protein hot chocolate; I find it easier to drink than the cold shakes.

What do you do when you can't finish your meal? I prepare an appropriate portion size (about 4 ounces) and eat slowly with small utensils. Sometimes, before I finish the portion of food I prepared, I start to feel full, so I stop eating. I'm sure this happens to most of us on occasion, so what do you do with the rest of the food? I usually put it in the refrigerator for a while and then go back and get the rest later. I don't know if this is the right approach, or if it's a bad habit that will come back to bite me someday. I'm a little worried because I recently saw a WLS YouTuber say that this is a habit that contributed to her regain. I don't like wasting food, but I can get over that. The bigger problem for me is that I plan out my meals to get enough protein, and if I don't eat all of what I served myself, I'm going to be short on protein. I'm not eating an excessive amount of food; I rarely go over 600 calories in a day, and I sometimes get full before I finish something like 2.5 ounces of Greek yogurt or a small salad with 1.5 ounces of chicken. Today, I started eating 4 ounces of pureed black bean soup with half a scoop of Genepro, and I felt full after eating about 3/4 of it in 15 minutes. I only eat three meals per day and no snacks other than protein drinks between meals, but I'm afraid that this might be kind of like cheating, because I'm sort of having the rest of my meal as a snack. I'd love to know how other people handle this situation!

I purchased sample sizes of a bunch of different brands so I could get some variety and figure out what I liked before I bought a big tub. My favorite was IdealLean and that's my go-to brand now (I love the birthday cake flavor mixed into yogurt -- that makes for a great high-protein meal after surgery -- and the chocolate brownie is my favorite chocolate protein shake). Once you start shopping for protein powder online, you'll start seeing ads for other protein powders. I've seen some appealing ones recently, but I'm all stocked up on protein powders so I'm not buying any more right now. You should look at the ingredients and nutrition info to make sure they meet your requirements. Here are the ones I purchased (I think I found all of these through ads on Facebook): IdealFit (IdealLean) (You can also buy individual sample size packets if you don't want this many) 1up Nutrition Northbound Nutrition Waves of Whey Strength (Unfortunately, the samples are 5 packs of the same flavor, so you'd have to buy 10 packs just to get both flavors) KetoShop (There are two different sample packs; I got the zero carb just because the flavors were more appealing to me) P.S. None of these are referral links and I do not benefit in any way from them.

Sorry to butt in here, but I just wanted to say that I love my air fryer! Buy one! It is honestly life-changing. I just made some amazing garlic parmesan carrot chips in the air fryer tonight. I used the air fryer a lot more before my surgery because it's really good for frozen fries and anything breaded, which I don't eat anymore, but it's also awesome for cooking meat (you can air-fry fantastic chicken wings without any oil), roasting veggies, reheating stuff, etc. You can definitely air-fry meatballs, and I've never made falafel, but Google shows tons of air fryer falafel recipes, so I'd say that's also a yes. I almost never use my toaster oven anymore because the air fryer does almost everything better. I have this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LX9T6HF But I bought it a couple of years ago, so there are probably better ones on the market now.

Yes, that's very true! I have watched a lot of her videos, and there is definitely more to the story. She gained some weight due to pregnancy and she has acknowledged adding foods back into her diet that she shouldn't be eating. What she says in the video implies that her portion sizes were too large and she was "eating around the surgery" by eating too large a portion over a longer period of time. That's not what I'm doing -- I'm planning out an appropriate portion of healthy food for each meal -- but I'm also only 6 months out from surgery and still in the honeymoon period. I'm trying to avoid habits that could cause problems later on, so I was concerned when she cited this as something that contributed to her regain.

This is the video: Now, what she is describing is a little different than what I'm describing because she says she was making poor choices and perhaps eating more than her allotted portion size, but it was kind of alarming to hear that because I stop eating mid-meal and save the rest for later fairly often.

Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. It's totally understandable to get off track when you are grieving, but good for you for committing to getting back on track and reaching your goal. You have done great! You look so skinny. From that picture, you don't even look like you have 20 pounds to lose! Have you tried chelated iron? It is supposed to be better absorbed by gastric bypass patients, and also easier on the stomach and not cause constipation. I had iron deficiency before surgery, but I've been taking 36 mg of chelated iron per day (plus a multivitamin with 45 mg of ferrous fumarate) and my latest labs were great. This is the chelated iron I take: https://amazon.com/Nutricost-Chelated-Iron-Ferrochel-Capsules/dp/B0792MCYGW

Just keep doing what you're doing -- 45 pounds is great! There's a lot of superstition around how to break a stall, but the reality is that all you can do is stick with your plan and wait it out. Some people recommend only stepping on the scale once per week so it doesn't drive you crazy every day. Right now, a week seems like an eternity, but when you look back 3 months from now, 6 months from now, a year from now... This stall will be a tiny blip on your progress. I'm in a stall right now, too, so I feel your pain, but I am over 150 pounds down from my highest weight!

I'm not looking to start a debate or anything (I follow the protein-first approach that my surgeon recommends), but I came across this video from Dr. Matthew Weiner explaining why he recommends a vegetable-first approach for his patients:

This! I expected a lot of changes to my body, but it never occurred to me that my armpits would change so much! It is such a struggle to shave them now.

Are you sure your insurance will cover it? Just because your insurance covers bariatric surgery doesn’t mean they will approve it for everyone. As Catwoman7 said, you would not qualify for most insurance companies’ criteria for bariatric surgery approval. Even if your insurance company really would pay for it, bariatric surgery is not something to be taken lightly. Gastric sleeve is a major surgery that permanently removes a large portion of your stomach. It requires lifelong changes in eating, taking supplements, and regular follow up monitoring. It can also have complications (the most common one for gastric sleeve is GERD, which can be so severe that it requires medication or even additional surgery). It is also not magic; if you do not fully commit to the lifestyle chances, you could regain some or all of the weight, These risks and drawbacks are true for everyone who gets bariatric surgery, so everyone has to evaluate the pros and cons. For someone who has 100+ pounds to lose and serious health problems related to obesity, it may be worth the trade off. But it would be a lot to go through to lose 20 pounds, especially if you don’t have any other health problems related to your weight. That’s why insurance companies only approve it under certain circumstances — they only want you to do it if there is a very good chance that it will improve your overall health.

I have had to get rid of a lot of food since my surgery. I cleaned out my cabinets and filled three boxes with unopened cookies, crackers, candy, chips, popcorn, pasta, rice, soups containing pasta or rice, full-fat salad dressings, ice cream toppings, etc., and donated those to a food bank. I threw away opened food items that I couldn't donate. I still have a bunch of perfectly good food in the freezer that I can't eat, like my favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's, Magnum ice cream bars, french fries, eggrolls, and meals with rice or pasta. A lot of these are perfectly good and unopened, and I can't bring myself to throw them out, but I need to get rid of them, both to make room for my bariatric-friendly foods and so I don't have to look at them and feel sad (and tempted) every time I open the freezer. I live alone, so there's no one else here to eat this stuff, and I have chosen not to tell anyone about my surgery, so I can't really offer this stuff to other people with the explanation that I can't eat it because of my surgery. I'm thinking about bringing it to work and putting it in random freezers in hopes that food thieves will take it. So, what did all of you do with the food you can no longer eat?

It is really hard to make these changes, even with surgery! Most of us have developed poor eating habits over the course of a lifetime, and we can't change them overnight. Good for you for taking action to get counseling and get back on track. This is a great time to resolve to make the changes you need for your health. How do you track your food? If you haven't tried an app like MyFitnessPal or Baritastic, those make it so much easier than tracking on paper. I don't know if this will help you, but something that has helped me is to make it a personal rule that I always track my food BEFORE I eat it. I often plan out what I'm going to eat for the whole day, and then I don't even need to worry about tracking it as long as I only eat what I entered. I probably have it a little easier than most people because I live alone, so I'm not constantly around food that I shouldn't eat. It is hard on those occasions that I am, like when I'm at work and people bring in treats to share. I also live in a rural area where there aren't many restaurants around, but I even have a hard time when I drive to the city and have to pass all of the restaurants I love. It might be easier for you to avoid temptation if you can physically stay away from the foods that tempt you. If possible, get rid of the foods that aren't on your plan. I assume your husband eats some foods that aren't on your plan, but maybe you could keep those foods in a different cabinet so you don't have to look at them. Also, just stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. Do you use Pinterest? I have found lots of healthy meal ideas there -- things that I am excited about making and eating. Since I am eating small portions, one recipe can make a bunch of meals to freeze for later, so I have a freezer full of individual portions that I can just throw in the microwave. When you have food you like that fits into your plan, there's a lot less temptation to go off track.

I don’t have any advice on exercises, but I will say that for me, weight loss has greatly improved my flexibility and mobility. At my highest weight, I couldn’t tie my shoes while they were on my feet. Now, it’s effortless to bend down and tie my shoes. Everything is easier — getting up from the floor or chairs, going up and down stairs (I can climb stairs without holding the handrails now), walking, climbing over/under/around stuff — without the extra 150 pounds. I do still have some knee issues (stiffness when I sit for a long time, aches/pain when I stand for a long time, and I still can’t squat all the way down), but that has also improved with less weight stressing my knees.

That's great! I, too, have a bunch of company shirts in my closet that I never wore because they were too small (even the biggest size available). I remembered that recently and I thought, "Hey, now I'm small enough to wear those company shirts!" Well, now most of them are too big! I have a really nice one that I never got to wear because it was too small, and now I could almost wear it as a dress.

Stalls typically last 1-3 weeks, but they can be longer. It varies from one person to the next, so there's no telling how long it will be for you. There's a lot of superstition around how to break a stall, but really, the only thing you can do is be patient. It's just your body catching up with all of the changes. Keep following the program and your weight loss will resume. Have you lost 56 pounds since your surgery, or was some of that before surgery? If that was all since surgery, 56 pounds in less than 2 months is fantastic! But on the flip side, losing so much so fast means that your body has a lot of catching up to do.

I live in a rural area, so there aren't any homeless people around (that I know of). Also, this is frozen food that needs to be cooked, so not really good for homeless, anyway. And we don't have a neighborhood Facebook group (I think a lot of people around here aren't very tech-savvy).