learn2cook

Kmac1 awesome job! I hope you took pictures and journaled your triumph! You worked so hard for your health! Lily2024 to quote Dory the fish from “Finding Nemo,” “keep swimming!” Your first goal is to get as healthy as possible to ease through the health helping surgery. The surgery will honestly help you lock in your healthy lifestyle. We all need to heal physically from the surgery itself, then slowly build back the strength and endurance. It’s the journey not the finish line. I bet even kmac1 has some other goals to accomplish. Good health and living isn’t a one and done deal. But it sure is nice to celebrate the significant goals achieved. (Because we all know life is hard and it’s the little moments that make it sparkle) well done kmac1!

My preop program wanted me to start right away, and I did. Going cold turkey full throttle was the best thing I ever did. I do occasionally have a sweet now and then, but don’t crave sweets like I used to. That said, you do you. Some people do better going slow.

First congratulations on your life changes and healthy goal achievements! I very much enjoy working out and being active too. Just don’t trust whole heartedly what sport devices say word for word. They are really tracking trends and general steps. They tend to overstate actual calories burned. They also don’t account for older-than-50 bodies that burn calories far more efficiently. Several things could be at play so you will still have to do your detective work. Try talking with your dietitian or nutritionist. You may need more protein. You might be triggering your body into starvation mode too, and need to slightly increase your food intake. Make sure you aren’t coming down with a cold that increases inflammation like Covid. Are you getting 7 hours of sleep per night regularly? Is your bloodwork good? Taking probiotics? I stalled at the same time and found my bloodwork was off. But, I also talked with my surgeon who “walks his talk.” He suggested switching up my workouts. I used to live for the weightlifting high, but only lift 2 days a week now. I do more outdoor activities like rowing, biking, and hiking. Walking with poles burns far more calories. I’ve rediscovered walking with all my daily water in a backpack ups my morning walk too. Two years out I’m still finding my balance of food to exercise and still loosing weight. You’ll find it too.

First congratulations on your life changes and healthy goal achievements! I very much enjoy working out and being active too. Just don’t trust whole heartedly what sport devices say word for word. They are really tracking trends and general steps. They tend to overstate actual calories burned. They also don’t account for older-than-50 bodies that burn calories far more efficiently. Several things could be at play so you will still have to do your detective work. Try talking with your dietitian or nutritionist. You may need more protein. You might be triggering your body into starvation mode too, and need to slightly increase your food intake. Make sure you aren’t coming down with a cold that increases inflammation like Covid. Are you getting 7 hours of sleep per night regularly? Is your bloodwork good? Taking probiotics? I stalled at the same time and found my bloodwork was off. But, I also talked with my surgeon who “walks his talk.” He suggested switching up my workouts. I used to live for the weightlifting high, but only lift 2 days a week now. I do more outdoor activities like rowing, biking, and hiking. Walking with poles burns far more calories. I’ve rediscovered walking with all my daily water in a backpack ups my morning walk too. Two years out I’m still finding my balance of food to exercise and still loosing weight. You’ll find it too.

No reactions for me, but I’m reading too much about how people with a predisposition toward asthma and allergies are getting new food allergies after a virus. I would be more concerned about a severe reaction, especially since it encircled your neck. I hope you find your trigger soon!

I know how truly awful the ulcers and GERD feel like. I’m wishing you a speedy recovery!

Congratulations on making positive life choices for yourself! You’ve really done well!

I take a general glucosamine and chondroitin supplement from BJ’s. It seems to help with joint pain and inflammation because I can’t take Aleve or ibuprofen anymore. It took about a month to feel the difference but between the weight loss and this, I can avoid shots to the knees and surgery a little longer. I still lost significant hair because I do not absorb iron well and that takes some detective work and time to figure out precisely what is going on with YOUR body. My friend who had a sleeve done found out a year after surgery, her hair issue was related to hypothyroidism. You can try all the supplements you want, but you need to be a detective for yourself. Watch carefully which supplements can be taken with what foods and other supplements and medications. My hair came back eventually. I decided I would rather be bald and strong any day over being fat and falling apart.

I take a general glucosamine and chondroitin supplement from BJ’s. It seems to help with joint pain and inflammation because I can’t take Aleve or ibuprofen anymore. It took about a month to feel the difference but between the weight loss and this, I can avoid shots to the knees and surgery a little longer. I still lost significant hair because I do not absorb iron well and that takes some detective work and time to figure out precisely what is going on with YOUR body. My friend who had a sleeve done found out a year after surgery, her hair issue was related to hypothyroidism. You can try all the supplements you want, but you need to be a detective for yourself. Watch carefully which supplements can be taken with what foods and other supplements and medications. My hair came back eventually. I decided I would rather be bald and strong any day over being fat and falling apart.

Your body is your body and you just can’t compare with other people. Thirty two pounds lost is amazing! Did you ever have that kind of success with diets/exercise programs before? There’s no magic time frame. It’s being patient with yourself and continuing your healthy lifestyle that will see results. You WILL get there. None of us got fat overnight, and we didn’t loose it overnight either. Dory from Finding Nemo said, “Keep swimming, keep swimming…”

I love that you kept working at health even though it was hard! That determination is amazing! Please keep us informed on your progress, even if you don’t think it’s progress. I’m cheering here in MA!

Different times of the year I do different things. Like above said, I plan leftovers to take for lunch or snack. Early on I would drink some protein shake. Later I had one oz of chicken or a hard boiled egg. Eggs stay better in the cooler months. This summer I put 1oz of fresh walnuts into a toddler sized food container with whatever blueberries I could get in too. It was my perfect anti-hangry fix. The venison and turkey jerky from Trader Joe’s held hunger off, but also were too salty (for me). Other post surgery folks smoke their own meat (popular in New England where I’m from).

I slowed down significantly in the 7th month after surgery. It turns out that I was very iron anemic. My journey has been to find the sweet spot of eating/exercising just enough but not too much. When I keep my iron levels up I still loose about 1-1/2 lbs per month 2 years out. I’m almost done loosing I think because it doesn’t take much effort to stay where I’m at currently, but I’d have to WORK to get and stay at a lower weight. It’s all about your sweet spot. Keep working your plan, there’s more losses coming, just slower, in fits and starts.

Like @Arabesque I drink water throughout the night too. Every time I roll over or get up to pee. I also flavor it with herbal teas, just throw the bag in like sun tea. I make weekends special with fresh cut fruit or cucumbers in the water. I wouldn’t recommend the fruit or cukes until those foods are cleared. They may irritate the healing places. Early on, I made SF jello and popsicles, everything counts toward your liquid goal. I still love LS chicken bone broth warmed up! Early on, warm drinks were easier to get down.

I’m so sorry this is happening to you. It took me a year to get through all the pre-surgery clearances. I DID feel heard though, I had to wait for healing. Are you being noticed and heard? What clearances have you gone through?

I just went camping for two weeks and we lost power and ice in the area due to storms. We moved on and ordered eggy stuff at Tim Horton’s, sandwiches at Subway (didn’t eat the bread), and burgers at local restaurants (no bun but extra lettuce and tomato). In fancier places I ask to order an appetizer as a meal. No one cares. I ended up dropping 5 pounds. (I think the threat of carnivorous animals being attracted to food in the tent had a big effect on healthy habits too. Sigh, maybe I should be more afraid of the giant rats in my apartment building ;)

Yes, I was like this. I was 53 when I had RNY. I had been period free since age 49 so yippee, then 4 months after surgery I got a “fake” period. I was concerned about the normal concerns, but the Gyn and surgical doctors told me it happens sometimes due to the estrogens being released from fat during weight loss. I was reexperiencing hot flashes and more brain fog. I was experiencing peri menopause all over again for a whole year until my weight mostly settled. I used to get anemic from periods and fibroids, now it’s malabsorption. Weird fact, if you leave the fibroids alone, they eventually calcify. You can see them when you get scanned at the airport for a flight. They make it look like I’m packing bombs and I get flagged for a very thorough search. At least if you can tell the person they are fibroids they don’t freak out over your stomach so much. The women “get it.”

This is a constant problem for me too. I take Zyxal or Zyrtec for the 24 hr control, Singulair and Flonase, and Benedryl for nighttime. Then there’s puffers galore for asthma. I have tried dropping the Singulair because it makes me stupid. It worsens everything about menopause, but it does help nighttime asthma. If there’s other ideas for moderate to severe asthma/allergies I’d love to hear it! (Yes I boil the sheets, use a hepa air purifier, and shower nightly.)

Congratulations on making goal! I did still loose and loose when the weather and my activities change. Fixing the low iron problem got me to onederland. Staying in a healthy iron range is proving to be the harder effort. Oh, and my calories can go to 1200-1500 if I’m including a hamburger or meatballs. For me it seems to be what I eat that makes a difference, not the calories so much. I’m 5’4” and moderately active. I lost weight bumping up calories with nutritious choices. I logged food and weighed myself to figure it out, mostly it is religiously getting the iron.

I can easily explain to curious kids why I have cute wobbly angel wings under my arms. But I haven’t figured out a positive name for the leg wobbles. I explained “melted ice cream” but it was not satisfying. Angel legs anyone? There has to be a better comeback. The weather is hot and the kids often go home relating to parents “the most interesting thing of the day.”

I eat a hard boiled egg, or one once of meat, or a meatball. Lately I have put 1oz of walnut and 1 oz of blueberries in a toddler size container to have after work to avoid the “hangry.” Recently I cooked up some ground buffalo and mixed in some marinara, then stuffed it into some pre steamed mini peppers. Roughly it was 1 oz of meat per pepper, I only measured my 20 grams of protein needed, then stuffed the peppers with it. It was a colorful meal, but leftovers were great as a meal or snack! I absolutely love @Arabesque ‘s egg dishes and will try them!

I saw “bar pizza” and I thought Mass! All is not lost as others have said. I plan my pizza into my intake. I see a special holiday or super birthday or a difficult week time wise for cooking. Then I buy a large pizza and purposefully share it so with teenage boys I’m lucky to get 1-2 slices and I’m done. I make sure the size is obvious to share and not a single serving like a bar pizza is! I also eat in front of people. No more secretive eating habits! That’s why this surgery is a lot of work and not the easy way! You probably also weren’t full because there’s no way even a fully loaded meat pizza has enough protein to keep you in check? Every day is a learning opportunity, we’ve all made our learning mistakes too!

I was told to never drink it. I really love the warm, deep umami flavor of coffee, so I brought it back in around 4 months. The caffeine could inhibit your iron absorption. It did for me. I just take my iron with vitamin C at lunchtime as a work around.

By the way, my midwife said “Babies are parasites and will pull from you what they need. Just take your vitamins!”

I was post menopausal for my bypass. Two of my friends had sleeves with the purpose of having good health and getting pregnant. They both had had issues with PICOS and “advanced age” , over 35. One got pregnant through IVF and had a healthy girl who was born deaf, but has warmly knitted our community closer by making us all learn sign language. The mother regained her weight, BUT the dad had bypass recently and is quickly regaining his health. This family also celebrated HIGHLY the adoption of a daughter prior to the birth. Isn’t that how it always happens? I’m going to say, build your family the way it happens and don’t worry about it. I knew a single guy who worried about never having kids of his own, and his sister and brother-in-law died from a freak plane accident leaving him with two nephews to raise!!! The second mother successfully had her baby girl (she may be younger but I’m not going to ask) the “normal “ way. She did regain after the 3 yr mark, but quickly got back to track using hot yoga and a new business she started. Everybody retained their good health. Isn’t this about health and creating family? It’s going to happen one way or another, watch and see, worrying won’t make it better. GBY