BigSue

Congrats! You’re doing great. What a nice Christmas gift to give yourself.

Congrats on your surgery! In the beginning, it is like a full-time job to get all your fluids and protein. No matter how much anyone tells you how hard it is, you don’t fully understand until you‘re there. I think surgeons are overly optimistic about their goals for protein and fluids in the first week or so. From what I’ve seen here, almost everyone has difficulty meeting those goals at first. It’s definitely important to stay hydrated or you’ll end up back in the hospital, but since they probably pumped you full of IV fluids during and after surgery, it’s not going to be the end of the world if you don’t get a full 64 ounces per day right now. Just do the best you can and always be sipping. I was on liquids only for the first week and didn’t start purées until week 2. If you have trouble getting purées down, you can always go back to liquids (and then you don’t have to worry about the timing). Yes, it does get easier. After the first few weeks, you should be able to drink more quickly and you won’t have to work so hard to get your fluids. I’m 5 months out and I can drink pretty normally now. I didn’t drink enough water before surgery, so I still have to make a concerted effort, but it’s not too difficult. The rules for time between eating and drinking vary by program. Mine doesn’t restrict drinking before meals, but since so many programs do, just to be safe, I wait 30 minutes after drinking before I eat. It’s more important to wait to drink after eating. My program says to wait at least 30 minutes, but some say 60 or even 90 minutes. The reasoning also varies. Some people say that eating and drinking at the same time or too close together will stretch out your pouch/sleeve, but others say it’s just uncomfortable and can make you vomit. Either way, it’s something to take seriously because it’s not good to flush the food through your stomach too quickly. It’s weird at first, but you get used to it. I set a 30-minute timer on my phone to help me keep track.

One of my first NSVs (this one was actually before I had my surgery) was the ability to tie my shoes. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but at my highest weight, I could not tie my shoes while they were on my feet. If a shoe became untied, I had to take it off my foot, pick it up, tie it (loosely enough that I could slip it back on my foot), put it back down on the floor, and slip my foot back into it. And of course I didn't want anyone to see me doing that, so I would walk around with my shoe untied until I could find a spot out of anyone's view. I was so thrilled when I realized that I can just bend down and tie my shoes now! I've been able to do this for months, but I still smile to myself every time I tie my shoes.

Congrats! That is a huge victory!

It was just a week for me. I started purées in week 2.

Glad you found us! This is a great resource for all the info your surgeon doesn't tell you... Feel free to ask questions. I hope your surgery goes well!

You are smart to take before photos! I have always avoided getting my picture taken, and I don't think any photos of me exist from my highest weight. I've noticed that a lot of people have before photos from weddings, and I'm guessing that it's because they're like me and hide from the camera, and weddings are one of the few places they can't really avoid being in photos. Anyway, there are lots of options for protein drinks! My personal favorite is protein hot cocoa -- it's a nice break from the cold protein shakes (especially this time of year). I purchased a bunch of sample sizes of protein powder before my pre-op diet so I could get some variety. My favorite is IdealLean. They make clear protein powders, too. The BariatricPal store has a lot of options, but you won't get them before your surgery.

Many (most?) people have these feelings of buyer's remorse right after surgery. I certainly did! The first few weeks after surgery are the worst because you're still recovering from the surgery itself, maybe in pain, you're extremely limited in what you can eat, adjusting to the huge changes to your life that you've put in motion, and you're not yet seeing the benefits of the weight loss. It all gets better! Just wait a couple of months, and you'll feel better, you'll be able to eat "normal" foods, you'll get used to your new diet and maybe even discover new favorite foods, and you'll see amazing weight loss and all the benefits that come with it. It's totally normal to worry when you've just gone through a major surgery, but weight loss surgery has a very low complication rate, so chances are that as long as you follow your surgeon's instructions, you will be totally fine and soon be able to enjoy your new life!

I think it's BS when programs push specific brands of protein drinks. Unjury is recommended by a lot of programs, but there are tons of other options for whey protein isolate. Premier Protein ready-to-drink shakes use milk protein concentrate, which is not as easily absorbed as protein isolates, but I would think they're still better than nothing, especially since you are past the liquid stage and you're consuming protein from meat as well. I've tried a bunch of samples of protein powder and my favorite is IdealLean (I love the birthday cake flavor mixed in my yogurt), but again, it's a matter of personal taste. I found that once I started shopping for protein powders, Facebook started advertising them to me nonstop, and I've discovered different brands that way. Syntrax Nectar is also whey protein isolate, and they have lots of flavors (including a lot of fruit flavors that are more like juice than protein shakes). Do you drink coffee? A lot of people use protein shakes instead of creamer in their coffee, which is an easy way to add a little protein. I don't drink coffee, but I love protein hot cocoa. I make it with Fairlife milk instead of water for even more protein. Unfortunately, you may have to cut back on the veggies for a while to give you more room for protein. I know that seems weird since it's been drilled into us that veggies are good for you, but right now, since you are so limited in the volume you can eat, you have to reserve most of it for protein. You can add a little protein to your meals by incorporating protein soups, plain Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese into toppings or sauces. You can mix unflavored protein powder into anything liquid or pureed like soup or refried beans. I prefer flavored protein powder to mix with sweet foods like yogurt, pudding, and protein oatmeal. As for the stall, it may or may not have anything to do with what you are or aren't eating. Even if you are following your program perfectly, stalls still happen to everyone. You've done really well with your weight loss, so your weight loss is going to slow down and you might just need to give your body time to adjust. If you're working out, you might be building some muscle as well, which can increase your weight even as you are losing fat.

Before I started my pre-op diet, I purchased a bunch of sample sizes of protein powder (different brands and different flavors). It helps to get a little variety when that's all you can consume! Also, try to stay out of the kitchen and avoid being around people who are eating if possible.

I second the Built Bars! I've tried a lot of protein bars, and Built Bars are the best by far! (But taste is a very individual thing, and it seems like most people either love Built Bars or hate them, so I would suggest starting with one box to see if you like them.) Nature Valley protein bars only have 10 grams of protein. There are a lot of bars with higher protein. Built Bars have 17-19 grams. Quest Bars (which are available in most grocery stores) have about 20 grams. I mix protein powder into food to boost my protein intake. My go-to breakfast is half a container of Triple Zero Greek yogurt with half a scoop of protein powder, which is 19 grams of protein. Or protein oatmeal with additional protein powder mixed in. Quest protein chips are also high in protein and I often incorporate them into my meals to add a little protein (for example, crushed as a salad topping, or topped with taco meat for nachos). Can you give some more examples of things you eat and maybe we can suggest ways to add protein? What are your program's criteria for protein shakes? There are A LOT of protein shakes on the market, and if you don't like the brand you have, you can try some others to find something you like better.

1. I have BCBS, and I was initially denied because they required some very specific wording in the letter from my PCP. My surgeon's office sent my PCP an example letter, and after the new letter was submitted, I think it was only a few days to get the approval. But as you said, it is holiday season and it's quite possible that it will take longer since people might be on vacation. It looks like your surgeon's office is on the ball with this, so maybe check with them next week if you haven't heard anything. 2. I had gastric bypass, but my surgeon says for both sleeve and bypass patients to wait 6 weeks before lifting more than 20 pounds. From what I've read, that's pretty standard for most surgeons. They just don't want you to tear your sutures.

You don’t NEED most of that stuff, but some of those things are useful. These are the things I use a lot: Food scale - I prefer to measure my food by weight rather than volume. It’s more precise and you don’t have to get a measuring cup dirty. Small food storage containers (4-5 ounces) - You’ll get a lot of portions out of a recipe now, and it’s really convenient to portion them out into individual servings and freeze. Disposable 2-ounce cups with lids - I go through tons of these; they’re great for holding or storing small quantities of ingredients. Small utensils - very optional (you can certainly still use regular utensils), but I prefer using small ones because they make it easier to take small bites and eat slowly. Milk frother/personal blender - this makes it so much easier to mix protein drinks and mix protein powder into liquids. Protein powder will probably be an important part of your diet for months, so this is nice to have. Small nonstick skillet - I’m almost always cooking for one, and an 8-inch skillet is the perfect size for, say, one scrambled egg or one serving of green beans.

Congrats! I just hit one-derland myself a couple of weeks ago... it’s great, isn’t it? So many things are easier when you’re not carrying around a whole extra person. Not many people know what it means to lose 100 pounds. I used to see people who lost that much and I thought it was impossible. It’s very cool to be one of those people now.

Welcome, and ask away! Everyone is here to talk about weight loss surgery, so don't be shy about asking questions. Your surgery was just two days before mine! I am only 5 months post-op now and still losing, but I live in fear of regain. It's easy to say when you're fresh out of surgery that you're not going to let it happen to you, but it does happen to a lot of people. I always pay close attention to the people who are several years out and try to learn from the people who have successfully kept the weight off as well as the people who regained. There's a WLS YouTuber called Foodie turned Sleevie who is 4 years out and recently revealed that she regained about 50 pounds. She made a whole video about how it happened and I think it's really informative. She shows her weight chart and talks about how she has slowly regained over the last 3 years at about 1.5 pounds per month. That's so little that you would barely notice it, especially if you have a lot of other stuff going on in your life. And I think that's why those responses above have said that their secret to success is setting a limit and taking action if they get there. You may not notice 1.5 pounds per month for a long time, but if you've set a limit of, say, 5 pounds, you'll notice that in 4 months and you can do something about it before it gets out of control.

I haven't told anyone about my surgery except medical professionals. I had family visit when I was 2.5 months out and they didn't know about my surgery. I had lost over 100 pounds since the last time they saw me. They obviously noticed that I had lost weight but I made it pretty clear it was not a topic for discussion. I was farther out from surgery than you are now, so it was probably a little easier for me since there were more foods I could eat. I cooked things that I could eat (or at least I could eat some parts), like BBQ chicken and ribs (with a choice of regular or sugar-free BBQ sauce) with veggies on the side, chili, scrambled eggs and turkey sausage, salad and wraps with grilled chicken. You can serve sides like rice, potatoes, pasta, bread and just not take any for yourself, or take a small portion and push it around on your plate. You can put out snacks for your family and not eat them, or just eat a small portion, or just grab a yogurt for yourself while others are eating chips. My family not only didn't feel like I was serving diet food, but they actually raved about how great the food was during their visit. It might not be as obvious as you think it is that you're eating tiny portions. If you take tiny bites and chew for a long time between bites, a small portion will last a long time, and unless your dad is paying really close attention to how much food is on your plate, it will look like you're eating plenty. I think it's harder to see portion sizes in a bowl than on a plate, so foods like soup, stew, or chili work well. I am a terrible liar so I don't like to say things that aren't true, but my opinion is that you have a right to privacy about your own medical history and if you have to lie a little to keep it private, it's not wrong. That said, I find it easier to tell the truth but not the whole truth -- I'm tracking my food, going low-carb, cutting back on sugar, trying to eat more slowly, drinking more water, all of which is true and helps to explain my weight loss and changes in eating habits.

Would you mind sharing some of the fitness videos on YouTube that you like? I've been doing Leslie Sansone videos, which are great, but I'm starting to get bored with the limited selection available on YouTube.

I set a timer for every 30 seconds. I take a bite and try to chew for 30 seconds, then wait another 30 seconds to take the next bite (so 1 minute between bites). I also use a tiny fork or spoon to eat. I cover my food between bites to keep it warm and often reheat the food halfway through the meal.

Don't worry too much about a couple of pounds. I usually weigh myself multiple times per day, and my weight can fluctuate by a couple of pounds within the same day. Things like water intake, salt intake, hormonal changes (which can definitely be affected by a new birth control), and bathroom issues can cause small fluctuations. A lot of people recommend only weighing yourself once per week so you don't see those small day-to-day fluctuations.

I have BCBS Tennessee. I think there may be some differences from state to state. Mine required 3 months of medically supervised weight loss, a psychological evaluation, and a letter from my PCP (my surgeon had some additional requirements, but I think that was all that was required for insurance approval). The surgeon's office is very familiar with insurance requirements and took care of most of it. I was initially denied because the insurance company required some specific wording in the letter from my PCP. The surgeon's office sent my PCP an example letter (basically fill-in-the-blanks) and once my PCP sent the letter with the correct wording, I was approved within a few days.

My plan allowed oatmeal during the pureed stage. I ate protein oatmeal from the BariatricPal store and had no issues. This is instant oatmeal, so it's pretty mushy. I wouldn't eat steel-cut oats or even old-fashioned rolled oats at the pureed stage. And don't add mix-ins like nuts or raisins.

I brought my iPad to occupy myself. I mainly played mindless games and surfed the web. Also watched TV. Most of your time and attention will be taken up by sipping fluids (way more difficult right after surgery than it sounds) and walking around, but I liked having something to do to take my mind off of stuff for a few minutes at a time. Comfortable pants and underwear are a must for walking around since the hospital gown doesn’t have great coverage below the waist. I wore Crocs to the hospital with the intention of wearing them to walk around, but I was given grippy socks in the hospital and I just wore those. My hands get dry, so I brought some lotion. I also brought some water enhancer (Mio), which helped with drinking water. Other than that, I didn’t really need much. I was only there one night and I wore home the clothes in which I arrived. I brought Listerine breath strips and used a lot of them, but I don’t recommend this because I ended up with oral thrush, which is a fungal infection in the mouth that can be caused by excessive mouthwash (or breath strip) use that kills off the good bacteria.

Congrats on your success! It's nice to see those numbers on the scale that you haven't seen in years, isn't it?

I went into my initial consultation thinking that I wanted the sleeve because it seemed like a less extreme, less risky surgery, but the surgeon recommended gastric bypass because my BMI was over 60 and gastric bypass results in more weight loss on average (as NovaLuna said above, some lose more and some lose less than average, but gastric bypass gives you slightly better odds). I did more research in the months before my surgery and by surgery day, I was confident that gastric bypass was the right surgery for me. I've never had GERD, but I've seen a lot of people who get the sleeve talk about developing it (or existing GERD worsening), and I've seen a lot of people who get revisions from sleeve to bypass, either because of GERD or because they didn't lose enough weight with the sleeve. I don't want to get another surgery, so it seemed like bypass was the way to go to minimize my chances of needing it. I think I also had some misconceptions about the risks of gastric bypass. Nowadays, bypass and sleeve have very similar rates of complications, so neither is significantly safer than the other. The sleeve has a higher risk of GERD, and bypass has a higher risk of ulcers. Some doctors allow sleeve patients to take NSAIDs (although I believe it is still not recommended), while NSAIDs are not allowed for gastric bypass patients. You need to take supplements for both, but sleeve patients have a better chance of being able to stop taking them eventually. There is a higher chance of dumping syndrome with gastric bypass, but some people consider that a benefit because it stops them from eating things they shouldn't. Remember that the decision is ultimately yours, and you have the right to go to another surgeon for a second opinion. It's a big decision, so do your research and make sure you can live with the decision you make. Keep in mind, though, that the surgeons are experts who have seen lots of patients and have a pretty good idea of what surgery would give you the best outcome.

So, I found this pizza in the store a couple of months ago, but I was saving it for a special occasion, and I decided to make it for Thanksgiving dinner. My portion was 1/3 of the pizza (two itty-bitty slices, as pictured above). It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing. It tasted sort of like pizza, but it definitely wasn't the real thing. It was a tiny pizza! It was obvious from the box that it wasn't a full-sized pizza, but it was actually even smaller than the box suggested. The recommended serving size is 1/2 the pizza, and there's no way that would satisfy an adult with a whole stomach. I bought it on sale with a coupon and it was still over $5 for this tiny pizza. The macros are good for pizza. It's higher in fat than what I normally eat, but also pretty high in protein and low in carbs. The crust is made of chicken, mozzarella cheese, and egg whites, so it didn't feel wrong to eat it. I baked it in the oven per the instructions. The leftovers, reheated in my air fryer, were actually better. I might buy it again, but not on a regular basis. I think I'll try making a home-made chicken crust before I buy this one again. My overall rating: 3.5/5. If anyone else is interested in trying it, you can get a coupon for $1.25 off on their web site: https://www.fosterfarms.com/coupons/