Lornapc

Hi everyone, Does anyone know of a chart that tells us how much protein, kcals, fats, carbs, fibre and salt we should eat as post-bariatric patients? Since I’m writing everything down, I feel like I should at least check that I’m not going over the top on salt, for example. I also suffer from constipation and I would like to try and manipulate my food to help - so it’s good to have base lines! The recommended daily allowance that we get on food labels in the U.K. is for standard diets of 2000kcals per day. Maybe I should just quarter that but I wonder if there’s a calculator out there that takes different sizes of people into consideration? Hope this isn’t a silly question. My brain is still very fogged up! 🌸

I’m coming to really really really realise that my whole life used to revolve around food and now I am in limbo. Just 6 weeks post op. The other day I went to a flower festival - all I could do was watch people eating and want to eat all the yummy BBQ, burgers, crepes, etc etc. I realised that I have never been to a festival or park event without going primarily for the food on offer. Then I’m getting to realise that I never really go anywhere that doesn’t have a food element. I get slushies and chocolate and crisps etc if I go and fill the car up or stop at the station on the way from A to B just for food and no petrol. Meeting friends - all about eating. Maybe not for them, but for me. Staying home is take out. Has anyone ever found something like that out about themselves? Anyone else “lost”? I have not idea what I’m supposed to do any more - and I’m realising why I’m so frustrated … all I ever used to do is eat or look forward to eating. It’s sad. I’m sad.

I got angry one day and threw all my clothes into goodwill. I now exist on two pairs of trousers, a few t shirts, a few jumpers and two pj sets! Easier on washing. When I finally start to feel better about myself I think I’ll be able to enjoy getting new clothes.

I’m with you on most of that.. just amazing that it’s hard to work out what the emotion or feeling is. I am hungry all the time (the off switch is broken and hormones haven’t changed) but then when i have just eaten and am still hungry I know there’s an emotion going on.. but I don’t know what it is. I think I have dulled my emotions over the years with food. Swallowed down any feelings, positive or negative. Can’t get hurt if I can’t feel!!! I’m realising this now - it’s not be conscious before and I suppose that’s going to be my “off-switch” in the end.. realising that I’m feeling things and learning to put names to the feelings. Does that make sense?!

👍 thank you!

Hey guys, I lost 14kg (30 lbs) in the first month and the pre-op diet combined. Average I think. But in the last 2 weeks I’ve put on 5 lbs!! I’m wondering if more movement could do it. It’s only in the last few weeks that I’ve been able to move around much. I really suffered after the surgery and had no energy. Anyone else put on weight? I’m frankly mortified. I must be under 700 calories per day easily.

Right. Thanks Queen. Makes sense and I’ll just have to get with doing that. It seems impossible to me that I’m overeating, especially since I’m hungry all the time… but we will investigate to be sure sure before worrying. Thanks kcuster and Queen ❤️

Hi 👋 You’re right. I did list everything for the first few weeks - and I was at the 500 calories mark. Now that I can eat more solid food I’m making family meals and eating just small amounts. If I scramble an egg for myself then I can count that no problem, but I’m not sure how to calculate a ladle of home-made stew, for example. I’m assuming I’m under the 700 because I don’t drink calories, I don’t eat anything off-diet like sugar. I certainly don’t hit my Protein mark by far though.  I am drinking a lot more. Is that what you mean by water weight?

Hey guys Maybe TMI but yesterday I had the most awful, two hour long session trying to have a BM. Soooo constipated. My hubby was ready to call an ambulance it was that bad, sweating and shaking and finally when I had managed to go enough to make a difference, I was so exhausted I just slept and slept. In the night I woke with pains in my stomach under the wound sites and a pain in my left shoulder. It is a bit better now so I’m not rushing to A&E or anything but I wonder if straining the wound site causes referred pain in the shoulder? I’d imagine if I had burst stitches I’d be in agony and my stomach would be hard so I’m not too worried / but just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience? Xxxxx

I am 3 weeks after surgery. Been fat always. Had the sleeve in 2016 and did well for a few years. The plan was to convert then to the bypass once my BMI was down but then the insurance company decided not to pay and it was a battle til now. I had it 3 weeks ago. And this is so much worse than I could have ever imagined. I realise now that they put me on anti nausea meds and took me off my antidepressants that I’d been on for about 8 years. Cold turkey. I am now a bitch who yells and snaps or cries. That’s it. I had a lot of pain post surgery and was in hospital 6 days not 3 - as with probably lots of us, I’m tolerant to pain meds so I am only now managing with plain paracetamol. But I feel nauseous all the time. OK.. so it’s piteous.. but I really think that I’d be ok if I could stomach any protein powder at all. I just can’t. It’s all completely disgusting. I’m in Europe not the US but I ordered over €200 of different products. All made me vomit. No taste ones, flavoured ones, ones in soups etc. all the same! I sit here with no energy and frankly no will to live. I have a bucketload of pills that I could take but I have kids so I just can’t do that. Somehow this has to turn around. But how? Has anyone been through this? I wanted to move to the country and grow delicious wonderful food and have a few hens, not bankrupt us on buying disgusting “shakes” and being bloody miserable. I don’t weigh. I don’t have scales. I just know that my body is eating itself and I’m not giving it enough protein because I just vomit it back, even the mini-sips. And how miserable is it to be only about to drink 50ml in an hour and have to fill it with sips of stuff that makes you want to vomit… then you do vomit!! Google anything about protein shakes that are any good and of course, they all come up. Can someone actually tell me if they have been in this situation and if they have found any protein that works? What a baby I am but I am at the end of my rope. I appreciate any ideas, especially from people in Europe. My “bariatric team” are useless. Just useless.

Hi 👋 Now I know that my own “team” should have helped me with this. But they didn’t. Now that the world is a smaller place and consultations can happen online, does anyone have names of *reliable/responsible *well educated and certified Psychologists especially for us bariatric surgery patients? I didn’t see anyone pre-surgery and I know that I need to both address why I got so big - and - how to get over those issues - and - how to keep losing now. All of us have limited money, right?! I hate the idea of spending my kid’s college money (which is what any extra money we manage to save ultimately is), on a psychologist who sees one patient like me in a lifetime and has to look everything up before I get to her and after I leave. You know what I mean? It also can’t drag on forever.. I just don’t have the means to be going for more than six months or so. Ideas for across the globe welcomed ❤️ Xx Lorna

Thanks so much. There isn’t much help here at all for psychologists specialising in bariatrics so I have to go further afield. Thanks for all the info :)

Keep em coming! I’m hoping an Irish one will pop up and I’ll even be able to use some insurance :)

No matter that I’m suffering from a whole load of symptoms, I just had ice cream and chocolate. Why? How can someone put themselves through so much pain and surgery etc and then just self sabotage? My mind won’t heal overnight I know. Right now my stomach feels like I have gastric flu. I’m waiting for the inevitable. Punishing myself. I know I’m not alone. I just hope I’ll cure myself of these habits soon. Anyone else like me? I’m not even a month post surgery yet.

Thanks Tek ❤️

Thanks Tek I didn’t explain myself well. The nutritionist said to aim for 60-80g protein and no more than 600 kcals.. but has said nothing about sodium, fat etc. So I was wondering if there’s a calculator out there that is for bariatric patients telling us those levels to aim for? I am a small frame female, so taking 600 kcals is like 1/3 of the recommended for a healthy woman (more or less), however, due to the bariatric surgery and poor absorption, I need 60-80g protein at the moment. That is NOT 1/3 of the recommended, so I can’t just divide all the figures for “normal small women” by 3. If there is no calculator, maybe someone has been told by their nutritionist. Mine just shrugged!

Thank you!

Thanks guys. You’re the best for answering me. Sometimes we just need to hear it again. Thank you.

Thanks again! Toodlerue - I was thinking the same about the gas and my shoulder but then it only started hurting like this after the constipation straining. That’s why it seems odd.

Thanks guys

Big news for me from this group was broth. I’m now drinking bone broth and the protein content is amazing compared with practically zero I was getting a few days ago. I’m the same as you are so I can’t help much but try and get someone to look up bone broth, get the butchers to give up the bones and get simmering. If you can find some to buy while you’re making your own then great.

Thank you for answering me, friends. I have calmed down a bit, mainly thanks to the idea of bone broths. Yes! I can make bone broths and I can stomach that - and it’s fluid. So that’s my plan. I am so so grateful to you. Yes also to yoghurts and I’m 3 weeks in so broth and yoghurt. Last night I took a bit of the outside of my husband’s pizza and chewed it and chewed it and then just spat it out. (Sorry for TMI). I felt a bit better as well.. maybe just the comforting taste after nothing but water and bile for two weeks. So now I’m feeling a bit better. I have a review with the surgeon in a few weeks and I’m going to have a few things to say. Firstly, that it’s not good enough after paying thousands for aftercare that I can’t even get a phone call when I need one. And two, it’s not good enough for me to have been taken off the antidepressants without consultation or help. Thank you for giving me the support. I am so grateful.