lizonaplane

I take a number of psych meds but not Paxil. I'm 4 months post sleeve and I have not had any issues. I didn't have any extended release or slow release meds, but those can be an issue. I didn't have to change any doses. Some people have mood issues after surgery due to the fat releasing estrogen during weight loss, but I haven't had any issues.

yes!!! I thought I had read everything a million times, but when it came down to it, there is still stuff from pre/post op I didn't remember! I hope your surgery doesn't get canceled!

Sorry you have COVID, but just wanted to say you should be fine swallowing pills. I took pills a few hours out of surgery. I had to take each one separately, but I had no choice since I have bipolar disorder and can't miss them. It will NOT mess up your surgery. If you have always had trouble swallowing pills, that's a different issue.

Do not eat only 680 calories a day. That is not healthy once you are that far out. I'm not sure what calculator told you that, but it's not realistic. Did you set it to lose a lot of weight every week? Talk to your nutritionist. It is harder to lose weight as you get thinner, but 3-5lbs a month is a LOT when you are ten months out and very close to a healthy BMI (I am your height and 141 is the top of "normal" BMI.). What you do needs to be sustainable; drinking tea instead of meals is NOT sustainable, and not healthy. I'm 4 months out and I am eating about 850-100 calories a day, which is within the normal range for 4 months out, per my nutritionist.

Hang in there! I found if I kept the water/drink bottle in my hand or right next to me, it helped. Also, try different temperatures of fluids. Some people like them very cold, others like warm, like tea or broth. I sucked on ice. Also, sometimes plain water doesn't taste good after surgery, so try flavoring packets if that's an issue.

I found that I enjoyed sucking on ice cubes right after surgery, and that I was better able to drink if I kept the beverage in my hand or right next to me. Because it hurt to move and stretch, it was hard if I put it a few feet away. Also, try different beverages (plain water no longer tastes good to me!) and different temps. I liked my drinks very cold, but some people prefer them hot/warm right after surgery. Try hot herbal tea or broth for example.

Yes, this is what our surgery center told us. In addition to nutrient deficiency (are you taking your bariatric vitamins every single day?, are you getting enough protein, etc) it could be a hormone/thyroid issue.

I am down to a large from a 3X. If I catch a glance at myself in a mirror, I'm happy with how I look, but when I go to put on size large clothes, I'm sure they won't fit. It's very common, but I agree that working with a therapist can be helpful. Also, I read in a book on bariatric surgery that you can look at those around you and try to guess their size, then you'll be surprised when you realize that you're actually smaller than them. I also would recommend getting clothes that fit. I don't see how much weight I've lost when I put on bigger clothes. When I see my body in clothes that fit, it's more obvious.

It's called Actigall (urisodiol - I might not have the right spellings). I was prescribed this right after my surgery to take for 6 months. I haven't had gallbladder issues so far, knock on wood!

I feel your struggle. I had sleeve but even 4 months out I struggle with nausea. I've found that if I eat more slowly, it's better. Although the multivitamin still makes me nauseous. I was tired for a while after surgery too. Make sure you're getting your vitamins and fluids in, as that will help with the tiredness and maybe the dizziness (I still struggle with dizziness, but I have always had low blood pressure). If you are taking blood pressure medication you might talk to your doctor to see if your BP is no longer elevated and they might suggest a lower dose. Don't give up!

I agree with the above advice. Also, consider that you might be grieving for the loss of food as a comfort mechanism. Can you make an appointment with the bariatric therapist who approved your surgery? They can help untangle this. And if you do decide to take an antidepressant (which is probably a good idea), make sure you talk to your doctor about taking one that's not likely to cause weight gain. There are a lot that can cause weight gain in some people, but there are many that do not. Keep us posted!

Soup is basically the same as water or a protein drink, unless it's very chunky. If you can drink water or protein shake in 8oz in a short period of time it makes sense that you'd be able to eat 8 oz of broth or similar soup. I was able to eat about that much of broth right after surgery. It's actually good to have broth soups because the added salt can help you stay more hydrated. You won't feel restriction until you get to more solid foods, especially things like meat. I'm 4 months out and I can only eat about 2-3 oz of meat, but I can drink a protein shake mixed with coffee in about 20-30 minutes (it's about 24 oz).

I agree with throwing out the JUNK and tracking and distracting yourself. Can you go two hours without snacking? What about a day without sweets? I like distracting myself with solitaire on my phone or calling my mom or drinking hot tea. What about a hobby that keeps your hands busy? Crafting, knitting, cleaning, etc. Or get up and take a walk or do a youtube exercise video when you want to eat. You've got this!

If you have a sweet tooth and that is what is causing the overeating and possibly the weight gain, consider stopping all sugar. For many people, if they do not eat it, they do not crave it. Some people find they need to give up fruit and artificial sweeteners too, but I didn't find that personally. Keep the sweets OUT OF YOUR HOUSE! If someone else in your house NEEDS sweets, have them eat them somewhere not around you and ask them to put them in a certain cupboard that you don't go into, or keep them in their car or something. Probably you have not stretched your stomach. You don't need to "shrink" your stomach (and really, there is no way to do that). You need to find a way to avoid the foods that cause you to overeat. Can you distract yourself when you have a craving? Talk a walk, watch a YouTube exercise video, take a hot shower/bath, read a book, color, etc? For many people, once they wait an hour by distracting themselves, they usually can make it without eating. You may also consider meeting with a therapist who specializes in eating disorder, or call your original surgery center for help. I have noticed that not everyone has these options, but you do have the option to avoid sweets (I have a sweet tooth too, so I understand!) Good luck!

I haven't tried swerve or almond milk, but I eat a lot of artificial sweeteners and eat whole almonds. Are you asking for right after surgery? Or for the long term? I eat a LOT of refried beans, both black beans and kidney beans. Right when I got off of liquids, these were the easiest for me to eat. I had some yesterday after I threw up the night before and was told to rest my pouch.

This is so hard! When you are eating, what are you eating? Is it dense protein and some veggies? Or are you eating "slider foods" like chips, cookies, crackers, etc? You will not feel full for long if you are eating chips, cookies, crackers and the like. I agree with drinking warm tea with some milk, or coffee, or broth. These can help you feel full. If you have recently eaten but feel you want to eat again, try distracting yourself with a walk, an exercise video on YouTube, a hot shower/bath, or a hobby

If you just had the surgery a few weeks ago, you are likely in the 3 week stall. It happens to almost everyone. You will start losing weight again. As others have said, it's completely possible to lose weight and gain it all back. You have to follow the rules of the program, but the restriction is there to guide you... for a time. Hang in there! It's a head game as much as anything.

I would agree with what everyone has said about finding a different therapist. It can take a few tries to find someone who is a good fit. Don't feel bad about switching therapists; that is something they are used to and the will not be offended. You could also try a support group for alcohol use. Many people use AA, but there are probably others if AA is not your cup of tea. Try to take it one day at a time, can you go today without a drink? If you find yourself wanting a drink, can you distract yourself with a walk or an exercise video or a hot bath or shower? Good luck!

I like sugar free/no sugar added Swiss Miss hot cocoa packets mixed with high protein milk. Also, I will sometimes have sugar free fudgesicles or pudding. Also... and other people may give me grief about this, but sometimes I'll have some real chocolate with actual sugar in it (oh, the horrors!) but if you feel you can't stop after a small amount, then that is probably not a good idea.

If you are self-pay, I wouldn't think it would be an issue. I have seen people on here who had BMIs similar to yours who got the surgery and were self-pay. I'm not sure of the rules in the UK, and what your surgeon will agree to.

I would talk to your surgery center. Sometimes belching and pain can be a sign that you're eating too fast, but I would talk to your surgery center to be sure. I know GERD is common after sleeve, but I haven't heard of it being an issue after bypass. Good luck!

Oh, of course, I want to wait until my weight is stable for at least a year. And I'm not sure how I will feel about it then... I really didn't like having surgery!

I would recommend going to your library and checking out a nutrition TEXTBOOK. Not some diet book, but a textbook on nutrition, and one that is recent. I did this years ago. It not only explains what you need in terms of macros, but also why. There is no firm answer as to how many grams of protein, carbs, fats, sugars because there are so many different schools of thought. If there is flour in the cauliflower pasta, it's essentially just pasta. I made this mistake with cauliflower crust pizza. I thought it would be low carb, but it's mostly flours (rice flour is still just flour) and it wasn't low carb at all. Look at the ingredient list for words like flour, rice syrup, cane sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, etc. These are not good, but you won't be able to avoid them completely, so make sure they are towards the end of the ingredients list - by law, ingredients must be listed in order of most to least, so if the first, second, or third ingredient is one of the ones listed (these are not the only ones) then it probably is high in refined sugar or flour. You can't completely avoid carbs, but try to eat whole grains like quinoa, wild or brown rice, farro, steel cut oats... Here is a general rule of thumb: the more "processed" a grain or food is, the more calories your body can absorb from it. For examples, if you eat 100 calories of corn meal, you will be getting more calories than if you ate 100 calories of corn on the cob, because it's easier for your body to digest the calories in corn meal (this is a particularly gross example, but your poo will contain some undigested corn if you eat corn on the cob but you will not see this with corn meal). I personally have read a lot of clinical studies on artificial sweeteners, and have talked to my doctor and nutritionist about this. There is no issue with artificial sweeteners. Those studies where they say people gained weight due to artificial sweeteners were not very good studies (I have a degree is research methodology, so this is my field of study). Some people get digestive or other issues from certain artificial sweeteners, but if you're not one of them, I say enjoy! The protein drinks have artificial sweeteners. Are you eating a P3 pack for lunch because you don't have room for anything else? Or is just because it's easy? Try to have some non-starchy vegetables (ie, not potato or corn) with your meals, or some fresh or frozen fruit. The P3s are pretty processed so they may pass through quickly (I eat them too, as snacks while traveling). Try switching that for tuna fish (no bread) or rotisserie chicken etc. Refried beans with cheese also provides good levels of fiber (important for a lot of reasons), some protein, and slow-digesting carbs. Sorry, this has turned into a book!

I'm wondering about this. I am only down 90lbs but My thighs are like the worst in terms of loose skin. Sometimes it gets caught under the toilet seat and I got a small cut from that. Soooo gross! I keep thinking I don't want plastics, but it's pretty bad already, and I'd like to lost 40-50 lbs more... if my body allows!

That's really hard. I have already had my surgery, but I was so worried it would get postponed due to COVID. Luckily, back in September, numbers were okay here in Boston, but now it's terrible. I'm sure most people are having their surgeries cancelled. I'm so sorry it's such a let down... This Omicron seems to be passing through cities pretty quickly, based on UK and NYC data, so hopefully they'll be able to get you back on the schedule soon!