lizonaplane

I have heard this on 2 different bariatric podcasts hosted by nutritionists, plus I believe they mentioned it when I had my last call with my surgery center

I have heard from several "reputable sources" that we cannot absorb more than 25-30g of protein at once, so any additional protein is just being turned into fat or excreted. Maybe have the shake and the chike a few hours apart?

This is my first time posting in this thread. Surgery almost 5 months ago. Today I used about 100g of egg product and 28g of reduced fat cheddar cheese plus a little salt (trying to get my blood pressure up since I'm dizzy all the time, but I don't like salt much). I ate about half. 60 calories, 9 g protein for the half I ate. Also, this is my favorite plate. Orange is my favorite color and I love the geometric pattern. It's a "salad" plate, although it seems almost a dinner size plate to me. I never use the larger size anymore.

Neither does the morning after pill... But I think it still works, just not as well! Or maybe that was the patch??? Sorry, it's been a while

I forgot about Nuva Ring. I used that for years, but then I read that it doesn't work as well in obese people. I didn't get pregnant, but that's probably because I don't have sex 🤣

Update: I got my DEXA scan yesterday. I went down from 51.6% to 41.7%!!! I know I have a long way to go before I'm healthy, but I was excited. I lost about 12 lbs of lean mass, but also lost 50lbs of fat mass. This is since Jun 2021, so two months before my surgery when I'd already lost 40 lbs from my highest weight. I'm trying to decide how long I want to wait until my next scan, but in reality it will likely be dictated more by my travel schedule.

Yes, swimming does make me hungry too, but it doesn't burn as many calories as you might think. The estimates given are based on weight, but your weight doesn't cause you to exert much extra energy in the pool, so they are overestimated that way. Plus, because these calorie estimates are always way too high, that's more than the usual amount of "bonus" calories it says your burning vs what you actually are. I do agree that having a plan for what to eat post-swimming is much better than just grabbing anything. Did the psychologist say she wouldn't approve you for surgery? I would just smile and nod and say you agree with her. Normally, I say to take these psychologist evaluations seriously, but it sounds like this might be an exception. I hope you are able to get your surgery! I haven't gone back to swimming since my surgery, even though I can. I just keep making excuses, so good for you!

I don't have any suggestions for you for pre-op, since I mostly ate lean meat (I've never been good at cooking tofu!). However, my stomach is fine with cheese, so I eat a lot of high fat dairy. Some people DO become lactose intolerant, but not all cheese has lactose. Also, kefir is more sour than bitter. It's also not necessarily high fat. I add a lot of fat free greek yogurt to my meals to add protein and flavor. It's great with chili, which can be done vegetarian post surgery when you can have beans again (I was permitted beans on pre-op).

I agree with listening to the medical personnel. However, ask them WHY they are giving you these directions. Once you have surgery, you need to be aware that "grazing" (unplanned snacking, eating too frequently) can cause you to not loose much or regain your weight, because you're constantly re-filing your stomach as soon as there's room, and usually with not healthy food. Also, most people think exercise burns a lot more calories than it does (most calorie counters are completely wrong on how many calories you will burn and overestimate it), so eating because you've exercised is not always the right response. but... you will never last in your life long journey if you ignore your hunger. I never lost my hunger after surgery and had to eat 5-6 times a day because I could only eat a little at once. I agree that you should tell the doc/pa/nutritionist that not everyone is on the same page!

I had a lot of regret for the first few months after surgery. I hated eating; it hurt and nothing tasted right. I'm not sure where in this process you are, but at almost 5 months out, I'm now more comfortable. Since the first month I've eaten out frequently - I travel for work and eat out able half my meals. You won't be able to finish a ginormous restaurant portion, but you can still enjoy the food (once you are able to eat "regular" foods). You can have your partner finish your food or take it to go and enjoy it the next day! I order full meals because appetizers sometimes aren't that healthy, but I don't have any shame in not finishing. I agree with everyone that you might try to connect with a bariatric therapist, but that can be hard to find. Can you figure out what, besides large portions, are missing from your life? Is it the comfort of being able to overeat? Is it being to turn to food when you have big emotions? There are solutions to these.

I agree with @Sleeve_Me_Alone. It's a tool, but you have to "wield" it properly. It's very easy to eat junk even with the sleeve. I might be extremely full from protein at dinner, but if I decide to eat some cake, cookies, pretzels, etc, it doesn't matter how full I am; those foods just slide right on down. It's still a constant struggle to eat the "right" foods. I am for 80% good foods. The lap band was maybe not a great surgery, and there were lots of complications for many people, but I've also heard that with each successive WLS you have, the success rate (getting to a good weight and keeping it off) goes down. So, lap band to sleeve, then sleeve to bypass, each time you're likely to lose less weigh. Of course... those are just averages. But... it's all a head game, so make sure your head is in the game before you do the surgery.

Great job! Isn't it awesome to get farther down your ticker?

How are you feeling now?

I had sleeve not bypass, and I don't have sex because I'm not interested in it, but I know that you will likely be much more fertile after surgery, even if you don't get your period for a while. I haven't heard of birth control pills not working, but you will have to be really careful to take them EVERY SINGLE DAY. I know a lot of people on here have used IUDs and really like it. I personally would hesitate to get the implants because they can cause weight gain in some people. I would ask your surgeon.

Thanks! I don't have a Sam's club membership but I can try Target. I just ordered a sampler from Amazon. If I like them I will figure out who has a membership.

Where do you find the salted caramel? I've never seen it! I've gotten the Chocolate at Costco, and there's a similar Core Power that I've found in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry-banana

Sorry... I was having mathing issues this morning!

I believe my surgery center said no gummies because they don't contain the same level of vitamins. My surgery center doesn't say no drinking before eating or no caffeine, and the diets before surgery (which aren't really unhealthy given that they just ask you to eat less junk food) are an insurance requirement, which if you go for self-pay is not an issue. What your surgery center recommends has more to do with the research available. Where I went, they are constantly updating their recommendations to reflect current research - they now allow carbonated beverages. But they still say no gummies. Plus, I don't want to do gummies because I have crap teeth.

Yes, milkshakes and soup (and other liquids) slide right through the pouch, but most of us define "slider foods" as highly processed foods, mostly carbs and sweets that almost dissolve in the mouth so by the time they get to your stomach they just don't fill you up like protein and vegetables do. I know I can be full from a dinner of protein but if I want to, I can still eat cake, cookies, pretzels, etc. I try really hard to eat only a very small amount of these and not frequently. "Excess weight" is defined as your highest weight minus your "ideal body weight" (ideal body weight is often quite low in the "healthy" BMI range, but some doctors will change "ideal body weight" to be a BMI of 25. So, most people say that with sleeve you can expect to lose 55-65% of your excess body weight whereas with bypass, it's likely 65-70% (estimates vary and these are only averages). So, if you weigh 150kg, and your ideal body weight is 75kg, then you could expect to lose about 65% of that 125 kg (the excess weight above ideal body weight): (150-75)x.65 or about 81.25kg, but again, this is only an average. You may lose more or less than that.

Yes, this is a great way to do portion control... at first. Eventually, you will be able to eat more, and it doesn't stop you from eating "slider foods", things like chips, cookies, etc that you can easily eat a lot of without feeling full. I also never had trouble losing weight; keeping it off was my problem, too. I can see how much I still have to be extremely diligent to ensure I don't gain this weight back.

I agree that these are scale related aberrations, but as long as you are aware of that, and of the daily fluctuations, and you are patient, it can be very satisfying to see the numbers go down. However, if you have a history of weight-related psychological issues, I can see that it might be necessary not to use the scale. You can always judge your weight by how your clothes fit. I'm not sure if DEXA scans are available in Spain, but that's a great way to check your lean mass to fat mass ratio.

Our surgery center said no patches and no gummies...

I was told we would have to take EXTRA vitamins if we didn't choose of of the brands they recommend. They told me to take calcium unless I was getting enough from food, which I am. They didn't tell me I needed B12 shots, but they did say that taking certain multivitamins would require me to take extra B12 (and a few other vitamins) which is why I went for this brand.

I lost 50 lbs before surgery and have lost 46 since surgery (4.5 months ago). I KNOW from everything I've read here, in my support groups, and in the information provided to me by my bariatric center that stalls are normal and inevitable. BUT THEY STILL SUCK DONKEY BALLS! I was losing about 9 lbs a month (rolling average) for the first 4 months, but since month 4, it's been just up and down the same two pounds. I'm TRYING to focus on the fact that I've gone from a 2x-3x to a large. I'm TRYING to focus on the fact that I can walk so much more quickly now. But I am so scared the weight loss has stopped. I am trying to do exercises, but I hurt my arm and my doc told me to rest it for a while. I was then doing more treadmill, but my hip started to hurt like it did when I did treadmill every day before surgery. My eating is decent but not perfect (I eat out a lot due to traveling for work, so I know my meals aren't low fat). I'm drinking so much I have to pee every hour. How long do stalls last and how do you know if you're in a stall or if your weight loss has STOPPED? (sorry for the CAPS 🤪)

I thought you had to get your heartrate up to a certain level before it registers "exercise" minutes? Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing. I walked the hallways outside my apartment today and used the exercise tracker and it did record it, but I was also walking a lot faster.