FutureSkyDiver

I use straws on my various hydration systems for cycling (I’m a long course triathlete). I find that I belch a lot more (and WAY louder) now than I did before. Those straws are bigger bore (think milkshake straws, not regular drink straws) and sometimes they are long (like 2+’ long), which leads to a lot more air in the stomach…thus, the belching. It hurts if I don’t, but honestly, triathletes are pretty gross in general during training and racing (perfectly lovely, hygienic people in real life), so a few extra burps don’t matter to anyone! I find it is helpful to suck the beverage into my mouth, then hold it a few seconds while I force the extra air out my nose, then swallow.

I'm about 10 weeks out from VSG. For me, I can now take generally "normal sized" drinks. I don't have to sip the 1/4oz anymore, but I cannot chug anything. Two to three swallows at a time is my max, or I get stomach pains. While working on remodeling my kitchen one day I had a memory lapse and forgot about surgery and started chugging a Gatorade. Two gulps in (think about 12oz), I had a major diaphragm spasm and my stomach just rejected everything. I had grape Gatorade coming out of my nose and what felt like someone stabbing me in the chest with a knife. It was...unpleasant, to say the least. tldr: sipping won't last forever, but you may not ever be able to gulp

I have (maybe had at this point) severe fatty liver disease when I had my surgery (VSG), so I was super worried my liver would be too big or fatty for the surgery to go forward on the day and specifically asked my surgeon about this. She said that they generally only worry about the liver being too big/fatty with patients with BMI in the 60s or higher, which wasn't me. I don't know if that is you or not, but a bit of info. She also said that the pre-op diet, especially the liquid portion, is very effective and can shrink the liver quite a bit in just a few days/weeks. As for starting the liquid diet early...I wouldn't suggest it. It is pretty tough and if your program is anything like mine, it will be a loooooooooong time before you get to eat food again. Don't give it up too soon. I was on nothing but liquids for 10 days pre-op and more than 15 days post-op--25 days total. I had three periods of psychological difficulty with this--day 2 & 3 pre-op (just hangry and had a headache for more than 24 hours--pissed me off), the day before surgery (just tired of liquids and impatient) and then about 10 days post-op, when I was really, really over the protein shakes and just wanted to eat something--anything. Good luck!

It won't help in the long term, but sniffing rubbing alcohol will help nausea subside immediately. It is weird, but it works!

I would have tossed his butt the moment he returned from the store with that sh!t--not because of what he chooses to eat, but my house, my rules. If I ask you not to do something in my house, you better not do it, or you'll be out of my house. Plain and simple. Toss him and the food and don't feel bad about either for one second.

Your body loses the fat where it wants, when it wants. There is nothing you can do to speed up fat lose in a specific area of the body. A rule of thumb, although not at all tested or true for everyone, is first on, first off, so if you originally stored your fat in those areas, they will be the last areas to lose the fat. And...I'm a firm believer that exercise helps everyone, regardless of age. Perhaps even more so with age, as there are a number of positive mental/cognitive returns on time spent exercising, beyond the physical benefits.

I encourage you to think about all the things associated with attending class in person, it isn't just the sitting in the car and classroom. There is walking from the car to the classroom, which in my experience with universities (25 years, 5 different universities), can be quite a distance for students. Can you walk that far right after surgery? Can you carry whatever materials you need for class? I had a 5lb restriction for 6 weeks and my briefcase weighs more than that (by a lot!) with my computer, notebook, and occasionally a book or 12. I don't know what your academic program is, or how you take notes, but whatever you need during class, you need to consider if you can carry it within your own restrictions. Can you be present without being a distraction to the instructor or other students? Can you focus on the material? In the immediate aftermath of surgery, I had to spend A LOT of time just focusing on getting liquids in, including the use of a 30ml cup to poor tiny "shots" of water that I would then drink over the course of 15 minutes--4oz each hour. It takes a lot of mental energy to focus on hydration like that. Can you pay attention to class AND not get dehydrated AND not distract others from their learning experience? Only you can answer these questions for you, but for me, it was about three weeks after surgery before I felt up to even working (I'm a professor) in my home office, and even then it was only for a couple of hours a day. Good luck with your program.

Thank you ALL for your honest answers! I'm eight weeks out, so solid foods for four weeks, and really having trouble with the portioning. If I don't weigh everything out, I worry I'm over eating. Still struggling with the clean plate club, but working on it every day.

It will get better with time. At this point, just drink as much as possible right now. It will get easier quickly. I think I was up to the required 64oz within three or four days of returning from the hospital.

I have a question...and it is NOT meant to be judgemental, but instead comes from a true place of knowledge seeking. I'm relatively new to this whole eating actual food post-op thing. Do you all expect to eat all the food you put on your plate? I see a lot of plates with a lot of food on them in the "after" photos...or a statement like "I ate a quarter of that" (as in post above...again, not judging, just using you as an example ShoppGirl!). I guess I'm just not sure why you'd put all that food on the plate if you didn't expect to eat it. *I* know I'd try if I had it there (solid member of the clean plate club here!). But...my little plate looks so pathetic with just 3oz of food on it, I know I'd *like* to put more on it! Thanks All!

I’m seven weeks out and lose about two pounds a week.

I workout regularly and my surgeon suggested 1000 calories a day.

I'm a University professor. While our roles are different, there is a lot of overlap in terms of the sitting quietly and ingesting information over long periods of time component. I'm seven weeks out and I'm still having difficulty concentrating for periods over about 20 minutes. I'm no longer in pain, although for about 3 weeks it was extremely uncomfortable for me to sit completely upright (as in, at a desk), but I think it is the super-low calorie consumption. There was absolutely no way I was going back to work during the first at least two weeks either. The first several days are completely consumed with focusing on getting protein and fluids in--as in, you have to actually concentrate and force yourself to drink on a very regimented schedule. And then there is the sleeping...12 hours a night, multiple naps throughout the day. The mental energy of keeping up with school work would have been too much for me. If you care about your grades in these classes and/or they are foundational to future coursework, I'd seriously consider rescheduling to fit into the academic schedule. If you got wls right after the semester was over, you'd be ready to start again in January.

I say it all the time here, but in case you haven't seen it yet. Appeal, appeal, appeal. Insurance companies are very vested in denying coverage for whatever minuscule reason they can. It saves them tons of money. Heck, it is easier with less paperwork to deny a claim and hope the insured doesn't appeal than it is to approve a claim, even when there is coverage. Never accept the first denial from an insurance company...or the second or third if you are sure you should be covered under your plan. They make more money when you keep quiet.

I can't tell you the best calcium chew, but I can tell you I'm never putting a Bariatric Advantage calcium chew in my life ever again. I got a few as a sample from the bariatric coordinator at my clinic and tried one this morning (only five weeks out, so surgeon just prescribed it). It was absolutely vial. Everyone says they are like candy--and they look like starburst, but the one I had was so gross I had to spit it out. There is no way I was going to be able to chew it long enough to swallow. I can't even describe it. The taste was ok-ish, but the consistency was like eating dried rubber cement with a coating of latex.

I am five weeks out and I have been able to increase the size of my drinks for about a week or so now. I can't chug down a huge glass of water like I used to be able to do, but I can take what I would consider a normal-sized drink. I do still try to use the sipping motion to actually drink though, to avoid getting too much air in my stomach, which can lead to gas and discomfort.

Appetite and hunger are two different things, so the fact that you have no hunger pangs since surgery isn’t really relevant. Phentermine suppresses appetite, not hunger—not real hunger. It will help control your head hunger, which is good. I haven’t taken it since surgery, but when I took it pre-op, I gained all the weight I lost on it right back shortly after stopping.

I’d stick with walking until you talk to your surgeon. You have major internal trauma from surgery and you do not want to hurt yourself trying to do too much, too soon. for reference, my surgeon said I could swim and ride a bike after four weeks, if I did it at an easy pace. Running, weight lifting, and other strenuous activity had to wait until after six weeks.

Some people lose hair as a response to the trauma of surgery. It usually starts falling out about three months out and stops around 6 months (general timeline). It will grow back. Another hair-related thing that can happen is the de-pigmentation of your hair (i.e., it turns white). As catwoman7 said...it is your body. If you want to lose more weight, do so. A lot of times, once someone has reached a stable weight, what fat they have left will redistribute and make them look less gaunt/sickly/unbalanced. It takes time though.

Once you reach your goal weight, if you are happy, you enter maintenance phase. You eat a few more calories to support your body. You should have a dietitian/nutritionist on your team who can help you decide what the appropriate number of calories is for weight loss, maintenance, etc. No one can really give you a number, because we are each different in our height, age, body composition, activity level, etc. Good luck with your surgery.

Ask him if he remembers his wedding vows. Mine had a bit about in sickness and health. Obesity is a chronic disease. Medical professionals have provided you a treatment plan for your disease. Would he balk at supporting you in your chemo treatments if the disease you had was cancer? If he doesn’t come around, I’d suggest part of your pre-op preparations should be therapy for you and consulting a divorce lawyer. You don’t even have to say anything to him, but at least prepare yourself for the worst case scenario.

Keep in mind the body can only absorb and utilize about 30g of protein at a time. I personally like Fairlife nutritional plan, which has 30g of protein. They have several flavors and are thicker than others like premier, which I find watery and overly sweet. I get mine at Sam’s.

Removing stitches is quite easy if you have the guts for it. Get yourself a sharp pair of pointy scissors and a pair of needle nosed pliers. Disinfect both and get to work.

I found this article an interesting explanation of the three week stall. https://www.sagebariatric.com/what-you-can-do-about-weight-loss-stalls/

I'm not sure re-sleeved is actually a thing. I've never heard of it. I've heard of having your sleeve revised to an RNY, but not a re-sleeve as in taking your existing sleeve and making it smaller. I honestly can't see that the benefit from that would outweigh the risks involved in the surgery. The original surgeon already cut out what s/he considered the disposable portion of the stomach.