BigSue

I love protein hot chocolate. It tastes like normal hot chocolate and doesn't have a weird protein taste. I have personally found that hot drinks go down more easily than cold, so protein hot chocolate was helpful in getting in my protein in my early post-op days. I make it with Fairlife milk instead of water and it has as much protein as a shake. I've never been a coffee drinker, and I don't like black tea, but I like apple-flavored tea. My favorite is Stash cinnamon apple chamomile with sugar-free caramel syrup.

I bought a bunch of samples of protein powders -- different flavors and brands. It was nice to get some variety when all my meals were protein drinks.

Hang in there! Don’t forget, 60 pounds is a lot! It doesn’t seem like it when you’re comparing yourself to other people who have lost more, but it’s a big accomplishment! The hair loss isn’t exactly from the weight loss, but more from the surgery itself (telogen effluvium), and typically happens 3-4 months after surgery, regardless of the amount of weight loss. My surgeon doesn’t order bloodwork until 6 months post-op, so I haven’t had that yet. My endocrinologist ordered bloodwork 6 weeks after surgery, though. I was never on any medications for diabetes or blood pressure, so I haven’t gone off any medications, but my A1C went from 8.1 in May to 5.2 in August and my BP is in normal range.

My surgeon wanted me to lose 20 pounds before surgery. I hadn't really dieted in years, because my previous experiences with dieting were that I would lose a small amount of weight and then gain it all back and more. I eventually quit dieting because I figured I was better off staying at the weight I was than losing, regaining, and gaining more again. I was reluctant to diet before surgery because of my past failures (which was also why I was resorting to surgery in the first place), but I had to lose 20 pounds just to get the surgery, so I had to try something. I decided to try intermittent fasting because I know people who swear by it and it was something I hadn't tried before. Initially, I just fasted for 16 hours per day and ate as much as I wanted the other 8 hours, and it didn't work very well. One of my surgeon's pre-op requirements was to track my food for a week, either on paper or with MyFitnessPal, and I hate doing anything on paper, so I went with the app. I've counted calories before and also used point systems where I had to track my food, but this was in the days before iPhones and I had to track everything manually, look up the numbers either on the labels or in some kind of book, and it was such a hassle that I never stuck with it for long. I was surprised by how easy it was with the app, and I kept using it. It gave me a limit of 2190 calories per day, and at first, it was hard to stay under that, but I gradually decreased my intake until I was averaging 1500-1600 before surgery. I set out to lose 20 pounds before surgery, and I ended up losing 70 in 5 months! I actually started to wonder if I should have the surgery because the combination of intermittent fasting and MyFitnessPal was working so well. I've never lost that much weight before. But I started out with an extremely high BMI (over 60), so even after losing 70 pounds, my BMI was almost 50, and I realized that it was highly unlikely I would be able to lose enough weight without surgery, and also that there was a pretty good chance that I would gain it all back without surgery, so I went ahead with it. I'm glad I put all that effort into losing weight before surgery because it sort of gave me a head start. I've only lost 60 pounds in the 4 months since surgery, but add the 70 pounds before surgery and I'm down 130 pounds total. Plus, it helped me develop some better habits that I think have made the post-surgery lifestyle easier, like cutting out snacks and tracking everything I eat.

There's pretty much no avoiding loose skin when you lose a massive amount of weight (especially if you lose it quickly). It varies from one person to the next depending on a lot of factors, but you just have to take it into account with the pros and cons of surgery. To most people, loose skin is far better than the alternative of keeping the excess fat. I've lost 130 pounds, and although I still have a ways to go, I have some loose skin, and I'm grateful for it because it's an amazing improvement from where I started. I don't look as good as someone my size who has never been bigger than this, but I look a heck of a lot better than I did at 341 pounds. Loose skin doesn't really show under the right clothing, so for the most part, people can't even tell if you have it. If it bothers you, plastic surgery is an option, but insurance doesn't typically cover it, so it's very expensive, and from what I hear, very painful.

Hmm, I’m taking extra iron (81 mg/day) at my endocrinologist’s direction and I haven’t had any bloodwork since I increased my iron. But I’ve read that dark under eye circles can be caused by iron deficiency, so I don’t know what to think. Between the dark circles and thinning hair, I truly look like death warmed over, but ironically, everyone keeps telling me how great I look just because I’m less fat than I used to be. Kind of a sad commentary on how society views body size.

There’s a lot of variation in pre-op diets, so it’s hard to say how your surgeon came up with these specific guidelines. To be perfectly honest, I suspect it’s partly superstition. I have heard of it sometimes being based on weight and/or body shape. If your BMI is on the low end (40ish) and/or you carry your weight more in your hips than your belly, you may not need to shrink your liver as much. But really, you just need to trust your surgeon and do what he/she says.

I was afraid to start eating solid foods because I was afraid of getting sick. I really hate vomiting, so I am super careful about what I eat. I stayed on purees for a few weeks longer than I had to because I didn't want to try solid foods too soon. I haven't had any issues so far except for occasionally having a bite of meat getting stuck on the way down. I haven't really felt restriction kick in -- I haven't gotten to the point of thinking I couldn't eat any more. I measure out my food and don't eat any more than about 1/2 cup at a time. I have gotten full a few times, and even to the point that I wish I had stopped a bite or two earlier, but only with solid foods, not purees. And I haven't experienced any of the new feelings of fullness that other people have described; it feels pretty much the same as before surgery to me (just takes much, much less food to get there). I have a few go-to meals that I repeat a lot, so I've learned to adjust the portions. The dietitian in my surgeon's practice told me I should be eating 800-1000 calories per day, and I don't get anywhere close to that. I have only gone over 600 a few times. And when I do, it kind of makes me nervous because I'm worried it will get out of control, and I feel like I need to stay lower in calories the next day. I'm very strict with myself about only eating 3 meals per day and no snacks other than protein drinks. Right now, it's easy because I don't ever really feel hungry, and I want to take advantage of that to cut my calories while it's still easy.

I live alone and didn't tell anyone about my surgery, and I didn't have any issues. I had very little pain by the time I left the hospital, but they gave me a prescription for pain medication (which I didn't need). I was able to walk around the house and take care of myself with no help. I was told not to lift more than 20 pounds for the first 6 weeks, and I think that's pretty standard, but I didn't really need to lift anything heavy. I made sure to stock up on supplies in advance and not buy anything heavy during that time.

Funny you should mention this because I have noticed that my under eye circles have been especially bad lately! I’ve always had dark under eye circles, even as a child, but I swear they’re worse than ever now. Hard to say if it’s because of surgery/weight loss or working 80 hours per week, though...

I wouldn't recommend doing it for any longer than your doctor requires. It kind of depends on what the diet is, though. Mine was one week with 3 protein shakes per day plus a low-calorie, low-carb meal, then one week of all protein shakes. It's not fun, and it's not intended to be a long-term diet. It's just meant to shrink your liver to make your surgery safer. I don't think it's particularly healthy as a long-term diet, either. You're probably better off eating "real food" for as long as you're allowed, like lean protein, veggies, and complex carbs (like beans and whole grains). Some pre-op diets are a lot less strict than mine and allow you to eat meat and veggies, so if yours is like that, it might not be as hard to do an extra week. Unless your surgeon has a requirement for you to lose a certain amount of weight before surgery, don't worry too much about that 4 kg. You will lose plenty in a 3-week pre-op diet and of course after surgery.

It's a challenge! My goal is 60 grams of protein per day, and I still don't always get that much. I usually need to drink half a protein shake or some protein hot chocolate to get to 60 grams in a day. I also mix protein powder into anything I can. My go-to breakfast is half a thing of Greek yogurt with half a scoop of protein powder (vanilla yogurt with birthday cake protein powder is my favorite), for 18 grams of protein. I mix unflavored protein powder with soups or refried beans, and cinnamon roll protein powder with protein oatmeal. Not sure if you're allowed to have crunchy things yet, but I love Quest protein chips. They have 18-20 grams of protein per bag. I make taco bites with them (1/3 bag of protein chips, chicken, salsa, lettuce, tomato, plain Greek yogurt).

I use workout videos on YouTube. You can do them at home for free. Someone here recommended Leslie Sansone Walk at Home, and she has a lot of free videos on YouTube. I think they're great for beginners because they're pretty simple, most don't require any equipment, and you can start with short ones (10-15 minutes) and work your way up to longer ones.

I had surgery on a Thursday and went home on Friday. The first few days were a little rough, but by Tuesday (5 days after surgery), I could have gone back to work. Even in the first few days after surgery, though, I was ok -- I didn't have any pain by the time I got home from the hospital, and I was able to walk around the house and take care of myself.

You could try liquid vitamins or vitamin patches. I used Barimelts for the first 3 months, which I prefer to chewables because they melt in your mouth so you don’t have to chew them, but if you have issues with sublinguals, these might not work for you, either. The only thing I have to take sublingually is B-12, and you can get that as a shot or nasal spray.

I have the same plan where I'm supposed to eat three meals per day and no snacks, but I can have protein shakes between meals (and need them to get enough protein). You should probably space out your protein shakes at least 30 minutes from food, or however long your program says to space out solid food and liquids. Eating and drinking together is generally not advised for bariatric patients, and that includes shakes.

Keep in mind that I still have a lot of weight to lose, but I have definitely had improvements in mobility. It's a lot easier to climb stairs without carrying an extra 120 pounds! Easier to get in and out of chairs, etc. My knee and foot pain has improved a bit, but it's also counteracted by the fact that I'm exercising more. I also have better flexibility -- for example, no problem bending down to tie my shoes. My blood pressure and blood glucose are now on the low side of normal with no medication. And that's all on top of the benefits of not always being the fattest person in the room, being able to fit in chairs, if I ever fly again I won't need a seatbelt extension, I can buy clothes from some mainstream brands (still XL or XXL, but in brands that don't make clothes as big as I used to be).

I went back to work 11 days after surgery, but I have a desk job. I was told not to lift anything over 20 pounds until 6 weeks after surgery, and I think that's pretty standard. Does the nurse know that you do heavy lifting at your job?

You can mix protein powder into a lot of pureed foods. I still eat a lot of pureed foods with protein powder. Examples: yogurt, refried beans, mashed cauliflower, pureed black bean soup, protein oatmeal, no-sugar-added applesauce, sugar-free pudding. I like to use flavored protein powder for sweet things (example: chocolate protein powder and powdered peanut butter mixed into vanilla yogurt; cinnamon roll protein powder mixed in protein oatmeal) and unflavored for savory things.

It might have been reactive hypoglycemia since it happened after you ate. Some BBQ sauces are loaded with sugar, and eating sugar can cause reactive hypoglycemia. It's definitely a good idea to see an endocrinologist because 26 is scary low... It's amazing you were still conscious!

That is REALLY low, and cause for concern. Have you contacted your doctor? Are you still taking diabetes medications? Does it happen before or after meals? My blood sugar has gone from high to low, but not nearly as low as yours. I was never on any medications, and my A1C was 8.1 about 4 months before surgery, and dropped to 5.2 a month after surgery. In the last few weeks, my blood glucose been in the 60s before meals. I got a 59 this morning before breakfast. I'm not too concerned at this point because I'm pretty sure my meter is biased low (the reading at the doctor's office is always higher), but it might be a problem if it gets much lower.

Have you tried protein hot chocolate? I find it much tastier and easier to drink than protein shakes. If you use Fairlife milk instead of water, it has about the same amount of protein as a shake.

I am no longer morbidly obese! Just plain obese, haha. But not bad, considering that I started with a BMI over 60.

I usually reheat my food in the microwave at least once during a meal. I also try to cover my food between bites (either with a lid or plate on top of a bowl, or an inverted bowl over a plate).

I was allowed to start taking capsules 6 weeks after surgery.