BigSue

Congratulations! 90 pounds in 5 months is fantastic, and your NSVs are great as well.

That seems very strange! My plan specifically says no bread for the first year. They said this is because it is hard for the pouch to digest and tends to sit in the stomach like a rock. I don't know how you could even have room to eat two slices in one meal 8 weeks out.

I am very picky about the protein bars I eat. I love Built Bars not only because they are amazingly delicious, but they are also fairly low in calories (130 to 180 calories) with 17-19 grams of protein and 5 grams of sugar or less.

My gastric bypass was done with the Da Vinci robot. My surgeon was oddly insistent that HE would be the one doing the surgery, not the robot, so I guess a lot of people have concerns about having their surgeries done by a robot. But really, don't get hung up on the concept of a "robot." It's really just a tool that the surgeon uses to do the surgery. It's some of the most advanced surgical equipment available, so I looked at it as a good thing. I wanted my surgeon using the latest and greatest technology.

P.S. If you want to try those, now's the time. They're 40% off with coupon code BLACKFRIDAY.

Glad you’re doing well! I’ve seen people say anything is puréed if you chew it enough, and that makes no sense to me. If that were the intent of the puréed phase, there wouldn’t be a puréed phase. It would just be a “chew really well” phase. In my opinion, you don’t want to take any chances with your new stomach. It’s not worth it. It’s tough to be so limited in what you can eat, but it will be no time before you get to move on to soft foods and then regular foods. You’ve gone through a lot to get to this point, so keep it up and you’ll continue to succeed!

They're not bad. Obviously, they don't taste like real tortillas, but for 15 calories and 1 net carb, they serve their purpose. I've made taco shells with them by spraying with nonstick spray and air-frying (using some aluminum foil to hold the shape). I also make tiny wraps with them, and when I do that, I put 7 grams of shredded cheese in a nonstick pan, place the tortilla on top, and heat to melt the cheese onto the tortilla (cheese side down so the cheese gets a little crispy). I think that helps the texture.

First of all, 12 pounds in 3 weeks is right on target, so you're doing fine! Many people gain weight immediately after surgery because of all the IV fluids, which can skew your early results. Many people have a stall in the first month (commonly referred to as the "three week stall" because it often starts right around week 3, but that varies from one person to the next). If you follow your surgeon's plan, you WILL lose weight. I know it's hard to be patient, but you have to be. What did your surgeon say about exercise? Some surgeons actually discourage strenuous exercise in the beginning because, as you've discovered, you don't have enough energy while you're eating so little. Are you walking at all? It is good to walk a little, even if it's just around the house or up and down the street, but you don't need to be going to the gym or anything at this point. Did you exercise regularly before surgery? If not, you'll probably need to start slowly.

My plan allowed refried beans in the puréed stage, but they said to purée the beans before eating them (even though they’re already mashed, there are still some lumps). I don’t see why you couldn’t do that unless they’re concerned about the carbs or the fiber or something. I ate a lot of refried beans with Genepro during my puréed stage! i think the reasons plans differ so much is that everybody responds slightly differently to the surgery, so there’s no one single plan that works for every patient. I think most surgeons do their best to come up with a plan that will work for most patients, and this is probably based on their own patients’ experiences. There are definitely similarities among almost all plans, but I’m guessing each surgeon tweaks the plan a bit as they go. Maybe yours noticed that a lot of patients had problems with beans during the puréed stage. It would be easiest to use the strictest rules for everyone, but they also try to balance it with compliance, because they realize that a lot of patients won’t stick with a plan that is excessively restrictive. I’ve adhered pretty closely to my surgeon’s plan, except that I stayed on puréed foods for a few weeks longer than required because I was afraid to try soft foods at two weeks and didn’t want to take any chances. I’m also not eating as many calories as they say I should because I’ve found it’s practically impossible to get 800-1000 calories within the guidelines they gave (3 meals per day, no more than 4 ounces per meal, no snacks other than protein drinks between meals), and I’m not hungry, so I don’t really want to eat any more than 500-600. The only thing I’ve added that they said not to but I’ve seen others eat is low-carb tortillas. A lot of people here love the 1 net carb tortillas from Mr. Tortilla, so I bought some even though my plan says no tortillas for the first year (I’m pretty sure they mean regular tortillas, and they might be ok with the 1 net carb tortillas, but I haven’t asked).

Haha, no, my scale is not that fancy -- I went with the cheap, no-frills model. No wifi or bluetooth connectivity.

I record my weight once per day, but I step on the scale a lot more often than that. I'm a weirdo and I record my official weight fully clothed with shoes (also full bladder) because that's how they weigh me at the doctor's office. I'm an engineer, so I guess it's ingrained in me to use the worst-case scenario and build in some margin to my measurements. I used to keep my scale in the hallway because I don't have a good place for it in the bathroom, and my bedroom is carpeted, so also not a good place for the scale. I walked past the scale many times per day and weighed myself a lot. I had houseguests last month and didn't want the scale sitting in the hall, so I moved it into the closet off the master bathroom and left it there. I don't see it as often now, so I only weigh myself a few times per day, I do step on the scale with various amounts of clothing, after I pee, with wet hair, etc., to see the range, but I only record the official fully-clothed weight. I should probably get a better scale because the one I have is annoying. It shows one decimal place, but the number after the decimal is always even, so at best, it weighs to the nearest 0.2 pounds. But I don't think it even does that because it NEVER changes by less than 0.4 pounds. It will often be exactly the same for several days and then change by 0.4 or 0.6 pounds.

Congrats -- that's awesome!

4 months post-op here. Yesterday was not a great day for my protein intake but here goes: 444 calories 51 grams protein 40 grams carbs 12 grams fat 7 grams sugars

How long do you have to stay on liquids? My liquid phase was only a week, and after that, I got to start purees, which is much easier! Protein hot chocolate was a life-saver for me in the liquid phase. I found it much more tolerable than cold protein shakes (and I still drink it regularly to get my protein intake). I make it with Fairlife milk instead of water to increase the protein. I also like protein soups. The BariatricPal store has a lot of different flavors (and you can find some of the same ones on Amazon).

I haven't told anyone other than medical professionals that I had surgery. Nobody in my family and nobody at work knows, and I don't plan to tell them, but I don't know if that's feasible forever, especially at family gatherings where it might become obvious that I can't eat certain things. For example, we have a family tradition once a year that involves a meal consisting entirely of fried foods, so that's not going to work for me. People at work have started noticing and commenting on my weight loss, which I personally think is kind of rude. I know they mean it as a compliment, but I still think it's inappropriate to discuss coworkers' bodies at work. A lot of people have asked me what I'm doing, and I feel bad about lying because most of the people who ask want to know because they want to lose weight, too. I'm not a good liar, but I feel ok in telling them that I've lost weight by intermittent fasting, low-carb, tracking my food, and exercise, because it's all true. And I lost 70 pounds before surgery, so it's not ALL from the surgery. I also think they are being rude by asking for personal medical information, and I don't have an obligation to share it with them. Just like if a random coworker came up to you and asked what kind of birth control you're using or how often you poop, these are inappropriate things to ask and you don't need to answer. On the other hand, I totally agree that you shouldn't be ashamed to have weight loss surgery. It has been proven to be not only the most effective treatment for weight loss, but the only treatment with more than a 5% long-term success rate. Why shouldn't you get the most effective treatment available? Despite what some ignorant people think, it's not easy and it still takes a lot of work to lose the weight and keep it off. I will also say that keeping a secret that affects my life so greatly is a huge burden, so keep that in mind as you decide whether or not to tell people. I can't advise about what hospital to use because it depends on many things. I am not in the medical field, so I don't know anybody who works at the hospital where I had surgery. I live in a rural area and went to the biggest hospital in the city about an hour away from my home, and I didn't run into anybody I know, and even if I had, they wouldn't have known why I was there.

It sucks when doctors try to tell you how fast you "should" be losing weight. They should know it doesn't work that way. My surgeon is excited about the idea of seeing me under 200 pounds (he's said at my last two appointments that it won't be long before I'm under 200), but he hasn't given me an expected timeline for that. He said at my 3-month appointment that I "might" get there by my next (6-month) appointment, but definitely didn't say that I "should" or that he would be disappointed if I'm not. At my 6-week appointment, I told the dietitian that I was disappointed in the amount of weight I had lost since surgery, and she actually seemed kind of annoyed and told me that my weight loss was normal. And there's nothing "only" about a 65-pound weight loss! That's a lot. I see ads for weight loss products where people are bragging about losing 30 or 40 pounds. Losing 65 pounds is a big accomplishment.

If you're not already tracking your food, I suggest starting now. I like the MyFitnessPal app, but a lot of people here swear by the Baritastic app (and it looks like they have similar features). It is a good habit that will help you after surgery. I do think there's a middle ground for you! I lost about 70 pounds in the 5 months before surgery, just by doing two things: intermittent fasting and tracking all my food in MyFitnessPal. MyFitnessPal recommended a goal of 2190 calories per day, and I started there but kept challenging myself to go lower and ended up around 1500 calories per day by the time I had surgery. I still had food funerals, but I stayed within my calorie budget for the day (which sometimes meant that I had to fast all day and save my calories for one great meal). Food funerals can be a bit controversial, but I'm glad I did them. It still bothers me that I never had a chance to get one last donut before surgery.

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.