Sleeve_Me_Alone

I get hiccups when I'm "full" every single time I eat. I've learned to eat VERY slowly and as soon as the first one comes, I stop eating. The rare times I've tried to eat past that point, I've been miserably sick. Runny noses, sneezes, and other odd "symptoms" can be full queues for WLS patients due to the anatomical changes made in the vagus nerve during surgery. Totally normal and for most people it goes away with time. But it can be a really helpful benchmark for learning your new body, so I would say slow down and allow time between each bite to see if/when the hiccups trigger.

I'm sure you'll hear it from others, but hair loss and loose skin are absolutely inevitable. They are just part of the WLS process. There are some basic things you can do to help minimize the impact and/or speed up the healing/regrowth, but that's about it. That being said, here is what I did: Start taking your vitamins now including biotin or hair/skin/nail supplement, get in the habit of drinking your water and hitting your protein goal, use BioOil daily, stop dying your hair/using heat/doing restrictive styles (these all contribute to hair loss so if you minimize them, you'll lose less overall), start using a hair oil with Rosemary (clinically shown to work nearly as well as Nixoin). I'm 3 months out and am just now starting to see some increased shedding. I'm not sure how bad it will get, but I've just accepted it as part of the process, while doing the best I can to minimize it.

A single pound of fat is roughly 3500kcal. So unless you ate 10,500kcal OVER your baseline intake, there is absolutely no way that is true weight gain. It could be water weight, hormonal changes, bowel movement issues, etc. There are dozens of factors that impact weight and might be reflected on the scale. Additionally, the more you lose and closer you get to a healthy weight, the more likely you are to see those fluctuations as the week to week loss slows down. Keep sticking to your plan and doing exactly what you're doing and you absolutely will see the scale move again. And congrats, 90lbs is amazing!

I had VSG and really struggled towards the end of the soft food phases. I was so tired of the same bland, mushy crap that it got really hard to eat. I started thickening things and bulking up the texture, essentially accelerating the last couple of phases a bit, just to be able to eat. As others have said, check with your team, but I don't think its at all unusual. Thankfully, this is just for a short period of time and you will be able to eat "normally" again eventually!

I am not much of a breakfast eater, but in the early phases, I did have oatmeal a few times. I just used a lower sugar packet, since I have them in the house for my kids anyway. I added some Isopure plain powder to it before heating it up. If you add it after, the powder will clump and never mix in. I don't know that rolled vs steel cut really makes a difference, I would say try the one you prefer and see if you tolerate it. Chew really well, that will help. If not, try the other. You won't be able to eat much of it anyway, so might as well try and enjoy what you can!

I have never liked breakfast, and have never eaten it. It often upsets my stomach and leaves me sort of "off" the rest of the day. That hasn't really changed for me post-op. I definitely feel more restriction early in the day, which makes breakfast even more undesirable. I usually have my cup of coffee and then a protein shake, or if I'm busy, I'll hold off and have an early lunch. I usually spread my vitamins out between coffee and my first meal and that seems to work for me.

Baritastic. There is a "Daily Notes" section where you can keep track of all sorts of things, the food database is fairly comprehensive, and its very user friendly. I was a long time MyFitnessPal user, but my surgeons office is connected to Baritastic so I made the switch and have come to like it even more than MFP.

A true stall is generally 3+ weeks. Anything less than that is nearly always water weight, poop, or other completely normal weight fluctuations. Those first weeks your body is still healing from surgery so there is bound to still be swelling, and it will take time for your body to adjust. Just follow your plan and give it time.

100% agree. Therapy is so essential to long term success. I am SO grateful for the work I did before surgery that got me to a place where I could use the tool properly. So, so much of this is mental & emotional. ETA - I'm only 3 months out, so still very solidly in the protein and veggies phase. But I absolutely know that a balanced diet, including carbs of various sorts, will be in my future. Adherence is so vital during the active weight loss phase (1 year or so). But as you reach maintenance, you will learn how to incorporate other foods that help you maintain vs. continuing to lose weight.

I have dealt with depression and anxiety my whole life. Prior to surgery, I put a tremendous amount of work into getting into a really good med routine, therapy, learning coping mechanisms and grounding techniques, dealing with the thoughts that were driving my disordered eating behaviors, etc. I think the very best thing you can do is get yourself in the best mental & emotional shape you possibly can. The reality is bariatric surgery is major surgery, it puts tremendous strain on your body and your mind, there are risks and benefits that have to be considered. If you are not quite ready to face the emotions and struggles that come after, then talk to your therapist and decide if now is the right time for surgery. But if you've done the work, have a solid support system, and realize that the only way to make this work for you is to do the hard work, then you're ready and will be just fine. My anxiety has not increased since surgery, but I attribute that to the work I did beforehand and the realization that I've done something that was quite literally life saving for me. It has given me incredible hope. Best of luck to you!

Agree with others who have said stick to your plan, unless the plan isn't working for you. My plan recommended 3 meals & 2 snacks, and I still can't do it, so I don't. Maybe try adding in half a protein shake between meals and see if that helps, If not, step up to an additional serving of purees. There is no one perfect way to do post-op life. Yes, following your plan is important and yes, you want to be mindful of what/how much/how often you're eating, but NO, adjusting your eating schedule will NOT inherently ruin your success. In fact, being flexible and finding systems and routines that actually work for you and your life is pretty integral to success. Also make sure you're supplementing your electrolytes. With so much water and so little food, its very easy to get off balance which can contribute to fatigue and feeling tired.

If your surgeon participates, they can get a code and you can link your account to them so they have access to all your information directly. If not, there is a report function that will email you a .pdf of weight, steps, and some very detailed nutrition data, including about a week of daily logs.

I could not stomach the thought of "normal" foods pureed into oblivion. Things like mashed potatoes and refried beans were fine, but I couldn't imagine eating pureed meat or veggies that should have had texture/form. Instead I made soup by chopping everything into a very fine dice and then just chewed the hell out of it. That was much more palatable to me than something taking on an unnatural texture. I also found that using rotisserie chicken or chicken cooked in a crockpot, shredded very fine, worked well. If you aren't keen on chicken, could you substitute fish, shellfish, or some other protein? I'm not sure what the justification is for specifically using chicken. Seems like any healthy, lean, protein you are able/willing to eat should do just fine. Of course, I'm not saying to disregard your Drs directions, just wondering what other options you might have.

At 6 weeks out, I was averaging about 800kcal a day, 70g protein min, 50g carbs max. Around 6 weeks is when I hit mostly "normal" foods per my plan, and I've been about that ever since. Some days are a little more, some a little less. I am a little "behind" where my program would have me. They suggest closer to 1000kcal per day, especially now that I've started introducing regular exercise again, but that is really a stretch for me. So I'm just focusing on making sure I'm hitting my protein and fluids and listening to my hunger queues. There is no right or wrong, and every program has their own guidelines. Listen to your surgeon/dietician and if you need more personalized guidance, don't hesitate to seek it out!

No experience, as I opted not to get one after a good bit of research. Reviews are a little hit or miss, seems like the new technology might not yet have all the bugs worked out (also, what do they DO with all that data?!), shipping is taking several months, customer service isn't great, requires some heavy duty installation work (must be multi anchored to studs, limits placement) and the price point is pretty aggressive. We decided to go with a Bowflex and have been VERY happy with it. Found it used on FB marketplace, paid $400 for a nearly brand new roughly $2000 model that our whole family can use. I also have a treadmill and under desk elliptical for cardio. I love the concept, but decided it wasn't the biggest bang for the buck for our needs.

Yes! Such good advice! I try and really be present with my family when we eat meals together, and to really enjoy the food when I'm eating alone. I put my utensil down, chew well, appreciate the sights & sounds around me. Its not easy and it takes constant intention, but its slowly becoming a habit.

Its definitely difficult, especially in those very early days. I try really hard to limit artificial sweeteners for a multitude of reasons, so I totally get it. I do use a SF syrup in my coffee, but have slowly lowered the amount over time to keep it minimal, and I have a protein shake/water most days, but that's about it. I am trying to slowly up my intake of whole food based protein so I can cut out the shakes, but I'm not quite 3 months post-op so its still a struggle. Instead of flavoring in my water I use lemon or lime juice when I want something other than plain water, I opt against "low carb" anything and just go without (breads, pasta, cookies, ice cream, etc.),. no SF jello or pudding or any of that junk. As others have said, its not impossible, its just depends on what degree of abstinence you're comfortable with. I am ok giving up the "treats" I am NOT ok giving up yummy coffee! Experiment with alternatives and figure out what works for you. It may be helpful to go completely without for a period of time, and then reintroduce only those things that are most satisfying/desirable to you. There is no right or wrong, its a lot of trial and error.

Baritastic does not have a paywall. What you see is what you get. I was a long time MFP user and made the switch because Baritastic is linked to my surgeon's office. They can review my food journals, weight, measurements, etc. Makes getting feedback/answering questions very easy. That aside, I think its just about on par with the free version of MFP. You can set individual macro goals, create meals, input recipes, etc. There are far fewer ads, which I appreciate, though I do think the food info database is slightly less comprehensive. But even still, I've been able to find suitable entries for nearly all foods, having had to submit manually only once or twice. I like that it is a "one stop shop" for weight loss stuff; I don't have to keep other apps for measurements, vitamins, etc. Its tailored well for WLS patients, and has less of the junk that MFP has that I never used anyway.

You're going to do great and we will be here cheering you on!

Once all scabs come off, about 2-3 weeks post-op, I started using BioOil. Then around week 6 I added in silicone scar tape. I have olive skin and tend to scar easily, both seem to be helping minimize discoloration though final results are still TBD. As far as bruising, I think I had bruises for probably 2 weeks. I feel like by the time the scabs were gone, so were the bruises. But, as with most things, every body is different and there is no right or wrong timeline for healing.

Yep, my plan was 1 week clear liquids then 1 week full liquids, and so on. Each program has their own version, some include protein some do not. I think the goal of such a restrictive plan is to minimize discomfort and potential complications. It is pretty miserable, but thankfully it doesn't last forever!

Its usually 2 fold: 1) identify the source of the behaviors - WHY do you overeat/binge, etc? What is causing you to use food as a coping mechanism? You absolutely have to get to the root of the problem, otherwise you are just slapping a band-aid on it and it will eventually be problematic again. Then, 2) create new behaviors/coping mechanisms for dealing with the emotions that are triggering the behaviors. Once you've identified what's driving the patterns, you can work on changing them. Some of this work is specific to eating, some of it will be applicable to other areas of your life. And even general therapy NOT related to disordered eating can help create new behaviors since you are dealing with the underlying issues.

I had surgery in Mx. on 9/21 and it was the best decision I've ever made for myself. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but ultimately it was the very best thing I could do for myself. Most people mean well and their concern comes from a genuine, if not misinformed, place. Medical tourism is a multi-billion dollar business; thousands of people travel to Mx. every year for surgeries and care of various kinds. If you have done your research and thoroughly vetted your surgeon, then you are just as safe and will be as well cared for as you would be in the US. She is your pastor's wife, who loves and cares about you, to be sure. But she is not a physician, certainly not YOUR physician, and you would be wise to not take medical advice from her. What you need from her is her love and support. She should be offering to care for you, pray for you, serve you, and see you through, not discourage you from something that will likely be a life-changing, and possibly life-saving medical procedure. You need to trust yourself. You have been given discernment and intuition for a reason. You desserve to take care of yourself!

I am 2.5(ish) months out and on a "regular" diet per my programs plan. All is well, no issues with recovery or food so far. However, I went to a Mexican restaurant with the husband for date night a few nights ago and realized upon order my very favorite Albondigas... I don't know how to eat soup now?! Obviously, I ate more than my fair share pre- and post-op in the liquid/mushy phases, but I haven't had any since then. Given that we aren't to mix food & drink, how does that apply to broth based soups?? Do I drink the liquid, wait, then eat the "guts" and if so, how long do I wait? Do I skip the broth and just go for the good stuff? Do I ask for a blender and relive the liquid diet nightmares?! Any suggestions are appreciated. I'm likely overthinking this, but I'm also trying to be compliant and set myself up for success, so I'd love to hear how more experienced folks handle stew situations!

I was given pills & capsules straight out of surgery and told if I had difficulty I could open/split them, but not necessary unless they bothered me. I did fine with them though and actually switched my daily multivitamin from a chewable to a capsule and am able to get it down much easier.