SummerTimeGirl

Nope. Just my coffee in the am and then water, plain, the rest of the day. I will see what happens in the next few weeks before contacting them.

Thanks! By writing here it not only helps me keep tract of things but I guess it can help others too. My last doc visit a few weeks ago they lowered my meds even more so I doubt they would put me back on this (I was taking this along with my Lisinopril for my high BP which has now been LOTS better which is why they lowered my meds). That's why I was wondering what else, aside from water, would/could act as a good diuretic naturally so that I don't have to worry about this water weight gain/stall again.

Well it is medication that was prescribed to me and I took it for years. I was only told to stop it because it acts as a diuretic and they didn't want me to take that when dehydration could be an issue after surgery. That's the only reason why they said to stop. But yeah, I understand.

So after what I wrote above on Sunday, I decided to take some Hydroclorothyazide that I had left over since surgery (was told not to take them anymore once I had surgery). I took what I used to take, one a day. Also increased my water intake. Did that for the last two days and what do ya know, down in two days those 8lbs I had "gained". Back down to 251. I had not seen that number since August 28th!! I have been peeing like crazy since taking them. Even in the middle of the night. I'm hoping the scale will continue to go down from here but we'll see. Not sure why I was holding all that water weight. I mean I did just get over my period too but but I obviously did not have my period for the last month so not sure why this happened for so long. Haven't been eating salty foods either. So strange. Like nothing I did/didn't do was different. I wonder what I can do naturally to keep that extra water weight off cause I'm not really supposed to be taking that medication anymore. I guess just drink more water? At least that's what I've read in the past.

So after what I wrote above on Sunday, I decided to take some Hydroclorothyazide that I had left over since surgery (was told not to take them anymore once I had surgery). I took what I used to take, one a day. Did that for the last two days and what do ya know, down in two days those 8lbs I had "gained" (I also increased my water intake). Back down to 251. I had not seen that number since August 28th!! I have been peeing like crazy since taking them. Even in the middle of the night. I'm hoping the scale will continue to go down from here but we'll see. Not sure why I was holding all that water weight. I mean I did just get over my period too but but I obviously did not have my period for the last month so not sure why this happened for so long. Haven't been eating salty foods either. So strange. Like nothing I did/didn't do was different. I wonder what I can do naturally to keep that extra water weight off cause I'm not really supposed to be taking that medication anymore. I guess just drink more water? At least that's what I've read in the past.

No I haven't. And if I'm being honest I probably haven't been drinking enough either, let alone double. Maybe I'll try that. Thanks!!

I'm in the same boat as you right now (and just posted about it in my own thread that I started and use for my own updates). I am about 4 months out. Watching my protein and calories too and yet the last time I had a loss was Aug 28th!!! Since then my weight has even gone up from 251.6 to fluctuating between 256 and 258!! Not sure why. Now I have had my period the last week and I also had my Metformin dose cut down in half so who knows what the heck is going on! If one or both things may be contributing.......or not. Frustrating nonetheless especially when you know you're doing all the right things.

UPDATE: So, I think in two days it will be 1 month since I had any loss. Not sure why or what's going on as nothing is new as far as my eating goes. I've also still been keeping an eye on my protein intake and it's been fine. The only thing I have been wondering about is the Metformin. Last month some time I ran out and was without it for like a week. Well I noticed that in that time I had no loss. Didn't think much of it as it was just a week and that happens. But then my doc went and lowered my dose during my last doc visit and again, no loss since. That was several weeks ago. I am wondering if this is just a typical stall for whatever reason or is this change/loss in medication really working against me and the reason for it? I just can't figure out why the stall for this long. And it's not just a stall but my lowest weight was 251.6 on Aug 28th. I am now fluctuating between 256 and 258 again. It's driving me nuts!!!! The only other thing is that I got my period last Friday and it's just now going away so that may be contributing somehow. But it's never stalled me this long and like this any other month. Just strange. I hope it picks up again soon cause I have way too much to lose still. This can't be it. Sigh

I'm 4 months out too and also started noticing this in the last few weeks. Each hair brushing session I'm finding I'm emptying the brush bristles like 3-4 times!! Not to mention all the hair on the bathroom floor. From what I've read about it they just say to make sure you're up on your vitamins/minerals/protein and that it will eventually stop and grow back again. Something about how your body, after surgery, starts utilizing the vitamins/minerals/etc for more important things (to the body anyway) like the heart, lungs, etc. That it sorta puts your hair in a dormant stage which is why it falls out but that it eventually evens itself out and will start growing again. Since I already know I'm getting getting what I need vitamin/mineral and protein-wise, I'm just gonna stick it out and see how it goes.

Yeah most definitely gonna give it a better try with more food in my stomach cause I love that this has more than enough of what I need and it's only one a day!

Thanks for the feedback. I just started using these and wanted to give them a good go before switching. Plus I'm only 1 month into a 3 month supply. Maybe I will try taking them after dinner or eat more protein rich food before taking it as suggested.

4 months out for me too in a few days and the only time I have tried carbonated soda was one time like two months ago when I tried a drink that was suggested here (I was looking for an alcoholic drink that would be "ok-ish" during a family reunion). The drink consisted of Red Wine mixed with diet orange soda (like 60/40). It was so little it didn't do or feel like anything. To be honest, other than that I have not had soda, at least since surgery but maybe even longer than that (I honestly can't remember). I'm just so used to getting water when out and also just drinking it when home that I just don't miss/crave/or want soda or similar drinks anymore. I know I've read that others here have had it since surgery and do fine. Some even drinking it regularly now but they can tell you more on that I'm sure.

I personally do not. Sorry!

Based on recommendations from here and my surgeon I took very little. My cell, a charger, chapstick, mouth spray for dry mouth and that's pretty much it (didn't use or need any of it). Oh and a change of clothes and underwear and pads (I got my period the day before surgery). And to be honest, I didn't even use my phone for anything. My husband text everyone who knew I had surgery to let them know how things were going so I didn't have to. Otherwise I was too tired to be bothered with the phone or anything else (just watched TV). Not to mention the nurses coming in what seemed like every hour. I was too occupied with them and the constant walking around and when I wasn't doing that I was watching TV, drinking water, and peeing constantly. LOL And in-between all of that I TRIED to sleep.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!! Sounds familiar (the part about not being noticed after having lost so much). I have lost 75 since March and 57 since surgery in May and not many people have said anything about my weight loss. Mostly my husband and grandkids who see and feel it through hugs and whatnot. But others, not so much. I mean I have had a few friends/neighbors say something but at the same time, I don't think or feel like I lost much at all. And what's even stranger, a friend told me her weight without knowing mine, and here she's like 10 lbs heavier than I am which I find insane. I just don't see it. I see myself as WAAAAY bigger than her and find that hard to believe. I've also been walking around in my old clothes so that may contribute to no one noticing as well. LOL

I'm 4 months out too and hit stalls a few times. In the beginning I believe it was due to not enough protein an possibly not enough calories. But once I corrected that and made an effort to increase both, my weight started moving again. However, I hit my lowest weight of 253.4 lbs on Aug 28th and since then I have stalled and not lost anything more. In fact I have been seeing 255, 256, 257 on the scale since then. Nothing has changed diet wise so I'm not sure why (but I'm also due my period in 8-12 days so maybe that's why?). But like others say, it's normal to stall along the way. Anywho, my normal diet usually consists of...... Breakfast: 1 egg scrambled with some shredded cheddar cheese. Sometimes with some salsa, spicy guacamole, or mushrooms and/or onions, etc. I also usually have 1 or two turkey sausage patties but not always. Once in a while I will even make a sausage, egg and cheese on a whole wheat English Muffin but can ever only eat about half or a little more that half. Lunch: A scoop of tuna (made with light mayo) with 6 whole wheat Saltines and a few cubes of cheese. Or sometimes a sandwich (on Aldi Keto Bread: zero net carbs and 50 cal) with turkey lunchmeat and cheese (again, I can never eat a whole sandwich). Or sometimes just the meat and cheese by itself. Dinner: Usually chicken (baked in some way or another) and I always try and add a scoop of veggies but once I eat my protein I'm usually not able to fit the veggies. I also try and add brown rice once in a while or black/kidney/northern/etc. beans but usually never eat more than a few forks full. Other proteins I eat for dinner are salmon, shrimp, tilapia, flounder, etc. I also use the various tortilla's from https://mrtortilla.com/ and make all sorts of tacos or quesadillas. Each tortilla is 1 carb and 15 calories!! We LOVE them!! Oh and I also make chicken wings with various seasonings in my air fryer. Homemade chicken nuggets too. I don't usually snack during the day or evening but once in a while I will have an extra thing during the day like some light Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese alone or with something like cut up cantaloupe. I do TRY and have fruit most days too, like an apple or Halo, etc.

I started getting serious about my diet a lil less that two months before my surgery and lost 18 lbs during that time.

UPDATE: So today I got some blood work done that my gp requested. He had me do a CBC, Basic Metabolic, Triglyceride, LDL and A1C tests. Everything came came back good and/or improved but for a few......... LDL: On 3/11 it was - 151 Today, 9/9, it was - 135 Triglycerides: On 3/11 it was - 322 Today, 9/9, it was - 141 A1C: On 3/11 it was - 6.7 Today, 9/9, it was - 5.8 And my iron shows as low. Lower than in March and May when they checked it but I'll wait til I see him next week to talk about this. Otherwise I am soooooo close to having everything back in the NORMAL range!!! In November I'll have more blood work done for all the vitamins and stuff the surgeon is requesting. On other note, not sure why but for the last week or two I have stalled again. And in fact my weight has gone up 3 lbs from my lowest (my lowest was 253.4 on Aug 28th and has now been staying around 256/257). Not sure why. Nothing has been different but for me regularly walking on the treadmill (30 min a day, for two weeks now) and I have started to incorporate an upper body, full body and lower body routine (Mon, Wed, Fri) and the upper body part has me using weights (started this week). Otherwise, eating the same, bathroom has been the same, etc. I am due for my period in the next 8-12 days. So maybe that? I don't know.

Still doing well. No issues with any foods that I've tried. Depending on the food, I can eat about a cup or a little more now. Always stop when I start to feel that full feeling. I never push the limits or over stuff myself. Still basically follow the guidelines on the amounts of food I should be eating suggested by the nutritionist. And I make an effort to eat 3 times a day. I do not drink nearly as much water as originally suggested (I get in roughly 45 oz now, not 64, including my morning coffee) but I spoke to the nutritionist and surgeon about it and they said as long as my urine was light/clear, not to worry about it. And it is, so I don't. Was cleared a few weeks ago to use weights but haven't started yet. I have however invested in a crosswalk treadmill that I found on FB marketplace for cheap. I walk for 30 min each day at a good pace of about 3.3-3.5 mph (using the crosswalk feature). I may start doing that twice a day soon. And finally, as of today I am down 57 lbs since May 19th (surgery day) and a total of 75 lbs since March 1st. Hope you all are doing well too!

Yes, I know all about transfer addiction. I know about watching the sugar content. I know that MOST docs suggest NOT drinking while in the losing phase (if ever). I know we shouldn't have carbonated drinks. I know we have to watch with how quick drinks hit us. I know we should try a drink at home before trying one outside of the home. Etc, etc, etc. I get it! But for those of us/you who HAVE had a drink or drink on occasion, what is your go to? Since surgery I have missed out on several parties, anniversaries (including my own), birthdays (including my own), holidays and even a wedding. I knew it was too soon to celebrate any of those things due to where I was in my food stage, mostly. The alcohol I could avoid if I have to. But now I am on regular foods and 7 weeks out and soon I will be having a family reunion with several family members I may not see again for years, if at all ever (as they live across the country). Anyway, I would like to have a drink or two with them during their visit. BEFORE surgery I would drink occasionally. Maybe once or twice a month on weekends, around a fire or dinner out. My drink of choice before surgery was the Bud Light Out Of Office seltzer drinks. But I DO NOT see them as a go to now cause of the carbonation. I'm trying to think of some OTHER drink choices ahead of time so that I can try it at home before this reunion. I DO NOT like Whisky, Gin or Tequila. I also DO NOT like drinking the alcohols I do like (i.e., Vodka) straight. So, having said that, IF YOU DRINK or HAVE HAD A DRINK SINCE SURGERY, what kind of drink did you have? I am DEFINITELY looking to avoid anything sugary. I made a HUGE mistake over the 4th weekend and has a small milkshake and thought I was gonna puke, die, something. LOL MY heart was racing and I got all clammy. Ugh! I'm assuming it was the high sugar content that got me/spiked my sugar. I have not had sugar like that in about 4 months. So yeah, NEVER AGAIN!! LOL I USED to drink (just to give you an idea of my tastes so that you may be able to better suggest something to me)........... Wine (the sweeter the better, sadly)/Sangrias Bloody Mary's Seltzer Drinks (some) Fruity Drinks (pina coladas and the like) Beer once in a while I recently had a SIP of a drink my husband bought to try. It was called BeatBox. It wasn't bad at all but seems kind of expensive. Especially if I won't be drinking often (but they do have singles you can buy). https://beatboxbeverages.com/collections/zero-sugar Either way I'd like some other suggestions too. Oh and, I'm that person who DOES NOT like to taste the alcohol in their drinks. LOL Which is probably why I can't drink anything straight or even just mixed with plain water. Anyway, if after all of that you still have suggestions, lol, please let me know! Thanks!

Oh ok. Also keep in mind, or at least this was true for me, I was told not to worry too much in the first few weeks about getting the entire amount of protein or even water in. My surgeon, and the paperwork the dietician provided, said that many times it's hard to meet those goals in the beginning weeks but that was ok. I imagine once you move on to puree, or whatever comes next for you, that you will easily be able to get your protein from other sources aside from the powder/liquid protein drinks if those are truly an issue for you.

What stage are you on? Liquids still? Puree? As someone said above, bone broth, Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt has like 15 grams of protein. A few of them a day may help and should work for you in liquid and puree stage (if you're still in one or the other). Same with cottage cheese. Just have to know what you're allowed and try and aim to get your protein from foods as much as possible since you're not liking the protein drinks/powders. Again, I don't know what stage you're in but I stopped with all protein drinks just about a month out and instead concentrated on getting it from other sources food-wise.

Unfortunately, I have 3 grandkids, my husband and my son and DIL who live in the house and eat MANY things that I can't/won't have. LOL I don't expect them to change their own eating habits for me. They're all healthy. And with me being home all the time there isn't a time to do it/save it for when I'm not home either. I made a choice back in March to start eating better (to get ready for surgery and my new life) regardless of whether or not my hubby joined me. However, he too started eating low carb/no sugar and also eats whatever I make and eat for myself. BUT, he does still sometimes eat snacks and stuff that I don't and I'm totally fine with it. I feel I have more willpower and control now than I ever have before. I think that takes time.

UPDATE: I just had my video appointment with my dietician and surgeon. Both said everything is going well from what I have told them. Surgeon said I'm still ahead of the game when it comes to weight loss as I'm ONLY 2 lbs away from being in the 6 month weight range!! Meaning, for me (based on where I started and their calculations), at 6 months out I should be weighing in around 232-255. Right now I'm at 257. They also gave me additional ranges of: 15 months out: 186-223 18 months out : 170-212 21 months out: 155-201 The Dietician said not to worry about not being able to get in veggies with my protein right now that it will get better over time once I'm able to tolerate more volume of food. I will meet with both again in 3 months which will put me at 6 months out from surgery. At that point the surgeon is gonna run more labs that include a multitude of things my regular doc won't be checking for in a few weeks. Things like various vitamin levels and whatnot. Oh and, we talked about how I have switched to the ProCare one a day with 45mg of iron and how someone from the office told me not to take the extra B1, B12, Iron or Calcium. After looking at my previous labs from BEFORE my surgery back in March, surgeon said NO, I did NOT have to take Calcium as my levels were perfect then. And to not take any extra of the others as I was told. But we of course will know more when I have the new labs drawn in 3 months and will adjust accordingly. Oh, the surgeon gave me the go ahead to start using weights and also gave me a website to use that has FREE exercises/workouts. It's called www.fitnessblender.com If anyone is interested.

Regular Food Stage: I've pretty much continued eating like I did several months BEFORE surgery (low carb/no sugar) only less. Breakfast: scrambled egg & 1 turkey sausage patty OR a one egg omelet w/cheese and/or veggies OR a turkey sausage, egg and cheese on a whole wheat Thomas' English Muffin (can only eat like half to 3 quarters of it) Lunch: tuna (with just light mayo, salt and pepper) along with 6 whole wheat crackers and a few cubes of cheese OR a few pieces of lunchmeat and cheese OR left over protein from the night before OR natural PB with some sugar free jelly on whole wheat bread. Dinner: When it comes to meat/protein it's almost always chicken (baked/cooked various ways)/shrimp/salmon/fish, etc. I TRY to also get in veggies but am usually barely able to fit them in once I eat my protein but veggies will be anything from broccoli, green beans & mushrooms, spinach, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, etc. Snacks: I don't usually snack at all during day. But if I still feel hungry after my meals I will take that opportunity to eat some sort of fruit or yogurt or cottage cheese. I usually make it a point of getting in at least two servings of fruit a day anyway. My meals don't typically include starches (hell, if I barely have room for veggies then I almost never have room for a starch) but once in a while they do and it will be something like brown rice, protein pasta, veggie pasta, potatoes, or the whole wheat/grain bread, whole wheat/grain English muffins, whole wheat/grain crackers. Stuff along those lines.