Betty1971

WAS being the key word.......the progress is insane!!!! it makes it all worth while

Its super nice when the scale is stalling to see the progress in another way.

Its out right shocking. I actually used an old string out of a pair of sweat pants and then measured it against a tape measure when doing the measurements and logged them into the app but I was shocked. It gives you a reason to push away from the table and do something when everyone else is enjoying their dinners and such. With the holidays and all the big food events coming up I was starting to have a little pity party about not being able to join everyone with all the goodies but this made me realize that its is worth it and it paying off big time. Summer will be here and I will be at my goal weight and be able to wear those cute summer outfits without trying to hide behind big baggy t-shirts and such. @FindYourFire it will all be worth it in the end!!!

congrats!!!!

Holy Moses, I am three weeks post op and I JUST started soft foods!!! I was lucky to get two full protein shakes in a day during my full liquid days!!! I was on clear liquids for the first week after surgery and then after that full liquids for two weeks....I cannot even fathom soft foods three days out. I was also given a scrip for omeprazole 40 mg to take for 3 months post op and then he said we would discuss it.

Not eating anything actually can slow down your progress. I would also find a way to get in water, broth, sugar free jello, crystal lite, the cirkul bottle, there are so many options out there, if you are not getting in the water or your protein you are not helping your body lose the weight. Can you sit down with your dietitian and go over some other diet options? I am sure its extremely frustrating and painful but maybe they can help you come up with some options for you that sound appealing ???

I would definitely recommend a stool for your feet. I know it sounds too simple to help but it does help ALOT! Even after an enema if your hips are up flexed up it allows things to pass more smoothly. It’s so simple I feel stupid but it really has helped a great deal

They have a med for nausea that works great in case you get the pukes. I have only had them a couple times and both times it was when I did something that didnt agree with my tummy and it was over super quick. But they normally give you a med called Zofran after surgery to take home just in case.

I wouldn’t worry about it at all!! I was in PACU for 4 hours after my surgery and in all honesty, I can’t really remember it being any different than the actual floor when I got moved to my room. Your really not there long enough to get comfy! They all know their jobs well! Don’t fret, just remember to walk and follow their directions!!! good luck

Holy Moly my husband and I are traveling this week and I brought most of my own food. I needed to take my meds this morning and grabbed his orange juice to take them with...... I am pretty sure that is what HELL feels like!! Within minutes I was gagging and throwing up (sorry for the graphics here) and I felt like I drank 10 too many screwdrivers!!!!! when I got in control of my gagging I made a cup of the good old chicken bone broth and sipped it slowly and in about 30 minutes I was good to go. moral of this story: Betty can’t drink OJ!

I have found when I get that gagging sensation if I drink something warm and salty like the bone broth it goes away pretty quickly. I have tried hot tea and warm jello but that doesn’t soothe it as quickly for me. I carry a little zip lock baggie with instant bone broth packs in it for emergencies!!

I really didn’t think of much but I needed a couple drinks if something wet to get my meds down! I don’t know if it was the sugar or the acid or both but I will NOT be doing that again! Lol

I swear that was like gunpowder and syrup of ipecac mixed!!!! Uffda. I certainly hope I don’t try something new without thinking in public because it was fierce. Who knew two little drinks of something could cause such an issue!!!

I am also about 3 weeks post surgery and I obsessed in the beginning about ounces in and ounces out and I have found that if I keep busy during the day I don’t even think about it. I fill up my water bottle and dig into projects and have a reminder set on my phone so I do not forget to eat. I would suggest to find something to keep your body busy because if your body is busy your mind is busy you will find food far from your thoughts. My husband has just started his two week pre op diet and I actually have found I do better when I am by myself in the middle of some big cleaning or organizing project so I don’t fret about him or worry about what I am going to eat!! Hope it works ! Happy holidays!!

Water intake can come from a lot of different areas; 1. water 2. broth 3. sugar free jello 4. tea you can get kind of creative with jello- when you first mix it up and its dissolved in the hot water you can add the cold water and put a little in a cup and sip on the warm jello like a sweet tea treat. It is actually pretty soothing to the system there are all kinds of caffeine free teas hot and cold, I personally found the first week or so after surgery that warm drinks were calming when ever I was gassy or had an upset system. It is also helpful with constipation to drink a warm drink to help get the bowels rolling. I got the Cirkul water bottle with a bunch of different flavors and find myself having to cut myself off from drinking water in the evening or else I am up all night using the biffy!!! I highly recommend looking into the Cirkul water bottle. They have a promotional deal going where you can get the set up for $5 https://drinkcirkul.com/pages/trial At first I thought it was super expensive until I started to figure out what I used to spend on soda and now what I was spending on different drops and teas and other things. It really isn't bad priced when you really look at it and the actual product is AMAZING!!!

Don't freak out about not being about to do it after surgery!! Everything changes in an instant. The first week will you will not want to eat anything. You will have to force yourself to get your fluids in and then after you can get fluids in you will work to get in your protein. Definitely do what you can do now to lose what you can and follow the Drs and dietitians pre op diet, my program had me on a low carb high protein liquid diet for two weeks before surgery to try to shrink up my liver as much as possible to make surgery as easy and successful as possible and those were the hardest two weeks as far as feeling hungry. After surgery I have never felt hungry, I have been super lucky and had an easy recovery as well. As long as you follow the program they give you post op and get in your fluids and don't try to push the boundaries (with no appetite its pretty easy to do) you will have no trouble. I do not know which surgery you are having but with the gastric sleeve it is pretty neat because when they remove the majority of the stomach you no longer have the hormones that make you hungry. I can't say with the gastric bypass how it works as I had the sleeve but don't freak yourselves out about how you will do it after the surgery because your tastes, systems and hunger all change big time when you wake up after surgery!!! Happy Holidays

This sounds silly but a few things I wish I knew ahead of the game: Tylenol makes extra strength Tylenol dissolve packs where no water is needed 500mg packets (amazon) and it works so well when you don't need the high powered pain meds as it doesnt cause the constipation that the opiates do. Get a pack on hand as Walmart and such does not carry them that I can find. I didn't need much at all for pain where the surgery was concerned but I had headaches and couldn't take anything bigger than a pencil eraser and even that was difficult the first week. Walking may be uncomfortable but as early as the nursing staff lets you....walk walk walk and when you are tired walk one more time. The faster you can work out that gas from surgery will make your healing at home so much easier. As stated above just really try to get in that water and protein and everything else just kind of works out as long as you follow your diet plan from your surgeon

I had the gastric sleeve. I have been married to my husband for 17 years and I guess I wasn't really concerned about the scars. After 17 years of marriage and 4 children my body is a well used machine, I have many many scars and stretch marks and a story behind each one of them. I am hoping the weight loss will give us many many more years together and maybe I will look at plastics later on maybe I wont we will see what the future holds when it comes. As far as the gas and the pooing, again, when you are with someone you really love, the human body makes little noise now and then and thats life. I could run to the bathroom everytime I need to toot, I can control it. I have never had to change my pants due to uncontrolled toots with chasers either.....I guess everyone in different. I find constipation a problem more than the other and by golly if I have to poop and there is only one bathroom available and my hubby is in the shower or bath in the only one available you better bet your bottom dollar if I feel a movement coming on come hell or high water I will be in that bathroom no matter who is in there, and I will be happy to be on the toilet! Your stats isn't on your info so I do not know your age but I can tell you this, the older you get the less you care about the little things in life. I wouldn't be ashamed of having WLS to get in control of your life. WLS is only a tool, the hard work will have to be done by you. I am happy to have my husbands help with this journey. He is also overweight and has decided to do the sleeve as well. So we will be doing a lot of lifestyle changes together. Good Luck and Happy Holidays

Thanks for all the awesome ideas, how do you guess the protein content on the broths then.....I am trying to be pretty careful with getting in the right amounts of protein. I would much rather make my own because I know where all the animals in my freezer have come from and how there were fed but I just don't know how to count the nutrients in them?

I have always spent a lot of money on groceries. Food was just a given, we live in the country so a trip to the grocery store was always between 200 to 300 dollars and we went frequently. I have a large garden and can a lot and we have our own beef and pork so I never buy meat at the grocery store so basically I am buying garbage at the store but I a year ago I would have never admitted that. So the last few months I have been very diligent about what we purchase and reading a lot of labels and I am shocked to see how much more expensive healthy high protein foods are. I have found I really like the taste and texture of the Fuel for Fire protein smoothies but they are quite spendy and if you are purchasing for anything other than weight loss or a medical diet I can't imagine them being realistic in the family budget. It is just my husband and I at home now and we are fairly well off so it isn't a big deal but I can remember not long ago when using a calculator in the grocery store and I would have laughed at the thought of putting them in the cart. I found Shrewd Foods have really good protein puffs that tastes AMAZING AND ALMOST MELT IN YOUR MOUTH! A lot of the bone broths are 3 to 4 times the cost of regular broths as well. I have found the Bare Bones brand pretty tasty!! But over the next month I am going to try to make my own. My question is this.....when you see all these really good protein supplements and you try to make them at home how do you know if you are getting the protein necessary in them? I assume I will have to buy protein additives to say the soup bone broth I make and trial and error it to flavor and consistency ?????? Has anyone tried to compete with homemade verses premade products and is the cost that much different once you buy all the ingredients. Its a darn shame that carbs are cheap and protein is expensive! LOL

We have our own beef and pork so my freezer is packed with soup bones, I am just really confused with all the different protein powders out there and the best way to actually get the right one with the right foods processed in the right way.... I am so used to cooking for a small army and cooking old school you know butter, cream, flour, meat and potatoes!!! I have a ton of homemade frozen pot pies and lasagnas that I wanted to donate to the homeless shelter and they wouldn't take it because it was homemade!!! Good lord how sad!!! I am not even kidding when I say this: I have three deep freezes full of food and there is just my hubby and I now at home. What to do with all this food now is a darn night mare. Which protein powder do you recommend to mix with your bones for bone broth?? I assume I can use any seasonings I would like ( I am a spice *****) LOL

a phone charger and loose clothes.....walk walk walk to get rid of the post op gas and go home! piece of low carb cake!

I cannot get past the texture of tofu.

I went to my post op two week check up today and was pleasantly surprised to see the Drs scale say I have officially lost 25 pounds since the day of surgery and that was fully clothes with my shoes on (I even had on a sweatshirt and jeans) !!! Had I had the opportunity I would have been in a hospital gown with my bumm hanging out for as dry of a weight as I could have come up upon but I was happy with 25 pounds in two weeks!!! I got the go ahead to start the mechanically soft diet and I can start my walking program. While they did my sleeve they had to fix a hernia and remove a few little unwanted polyps but nothing major, just enough to make me have to stay away from anything but walking for 4 more weeks and no lifting for another month. My hubby starts his two week liquid diet on Thursday so we are going to be drinking meals around here for some time BUT what are some foods you find really give you energy before a good walk (3 or 4 miles) that could be blended and are not necessarily a protein drink ( I have had my fill of them for a couple days)!! We farm and I my only concern about my hubby having this done is the low energy from the low calorie meals, he can be feeding animals, loading grain and shoveling corn all at the same time and I just don't know if a protein shake and bone broth is going to get him what he needs to get through the day............

Your surgeon should be able to tell you how aggressive your exercises can be. I just had my two week post op and during my lap Sleeve surgery he fixed a hernia and removed a few polyps I had but he still gave me the go ahead to get on the treadmill as much as I want as long as its just a brisk walk. No weight lifting or actual running yet but walking a couple times a day for a couple miles really feels good. Your surgeon should tell you exactly how much for your specific situation you can handle. I am an old nurse and can tell you that our bodies are much tougher than we give them credit for. When we feel things tug and pull when we stretch our arms and such it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Those muscles we are guarding need to be used or else we can actually do more harm than good. I nice steady stretch that is slow with deep breathing is a super good way to get blood flow to entire body.