SpartanMaker

Have you already talked to a doctor? I believe the most common reason for this would be reactive hypoglycemia, but I'm sure there are other potential causes. Only a doctor can properly diagnose the problem.

Off hand, I'm not aware of any premade protein drinks that are readily available. You could always buy a vegan protein powder and mix your own. I'm curious, is there a reason you're wanting one without whey?

I strongly believe there is no perfect goal weight. I think the goal should rather be how you feel and how you feel you look. If you feel good and are happy with how you look, then you're at your goal. If you think you'd like to shed a few more pounds, then do so. If you feel like you look underweight, then it might be time to gain a bit. I would never recommend BMI as a guideline. A much better guideline would be % body fat, but accurate testing is expensive and not readily available. Keep in mind if you were obese for any length of time, your organs are likely bigger and your bones denser. This means you might look identical at 170 to someone that was never obese that weighs 150. Also, as most folks know, since muscle is denser than fat, the scale just does not tell the full story. There are people with a "normal" BMI that are carrying too much fat because they have so little muscle mass. I get it, especially for very goal-oriented people, they want something exact to shoot for, but when you think about all the above factors, picking a goal weight is just so random and almost certainly to be wrong for you.

10/10 would do again. I only wish I'd done it sooner. While no surgery is risk free, the mortality rate for bariatric surgery is pretty similar to other major elective surgeries, with the overall mortality rate at this point being right around ~1 in 1000, The factors that increase risk the most are higher BMI, older age, being male, as well as having pulmonary hypertension, heart disease, or liver disease. Obviously the more of those you have, the higher the risk. If you are younger, female, only moderately obese, and don't have any major illnesses, the risks should be much lower. It's also pretty well documented that the mortality rate from being obese is higher than the surgery, meaning the riskier thing to do is NOT have the surgery. I honestly feel like my bypass surgery probably saved my life. I felt at the time like I had one foot in the grave, but now feel so much better and healthier.

^ This. Post bariatric surgery eating is really hard! Never let anyone tell you that bariatric surgery is "the easy way out"! Regarding your protein intake, let's start with an understanding of why a protein-first diet is recommended post-surgery: Primarily, we are hoping to stave off something called muscle catabolism. This is when your body basically breaks down your own muscles. This happens mostly but not entirely to meet your daily essential amino acid needs. If we eat enough protein, this significantly reduces the amount of muscle mass your body will burn. That's important because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, meaning you'll burn more calories even at rest. Most scientific literature suggests that 60 grams per day of protein is sufficient to meet your essential amino acid needs and thus hold off the bulk of the muscle catabolism that happens while on a weight loss diet. Note that some muscle catabolism is inevitable and no amount of protein intake is going to prevent that. The second reason protein is important is because protein is filling and relatively slow to digest. Studies have shown that eating more protein than the 60 grams per day minimum can help you feel more full. That basically will result in reduced overall calorie consumption. For this, amounts between 1.6 grams to 2.2 grams per day per kilogram of ideal body weight have been shown to be effective. For example, if 60 kg was your ideal body weight. protein intake between 96 and 132 grams would be suggested. I'm not sure what your surgical team told you, but since you're already getting over the 60 grams per day minimum, I'd say you're doing fantastic! As you get further out from surgery, you'll probably want to consume more, but keep in mind that all it's really doing is keeping you full longer. It's not going to sabotage your weight loss due to excess muscle loss. TL;DR: You're going fine on protein, don't sweat it.

My hypoglycemia symptoms are mostly dizziness & shakiness. It passes quickly if I eat something to get my blood sugar back up. I don't have a problem with constipation at this point. I did early on, but now that I can eat more, I eat pretty well, with lots of veggies, fruit & whole grains (fiber). I also take probiotics and fiber supplements to stay regular.

I think the first thing that comes to mind is just how varied dumping syndrome can be. When the bariatric teams talk about it, they tend to tell you all the symptoms and that it tends to happen pretty quickly after eating. Unfortunately, it's not that simple or straightforward. Some people may only have one or two symptoms. Others multiple symptoms. For some people it happens really quickly, and for others it can take hours before it begins. Time to recover is also really varied. For some it's over with in 30 minutes or less. Others can be in agony for many, many hours. As an example, I'm over 2 years out and for the longest time I just assumed I was one of the lucky (or cursed depending of your perspective), people that didn't really have to worry about dumping. I can eat almost anything and not have "typical" dumping syndrome. What I do have is what I was calling reactive hypoglycemia, meaning I was having low blood glucose issues ~3 hours of so after eating. After talking to my bariatric surgeon in my last checkup, she pointed out that what I was calling reactive hypoglycemia, is likely just a different form of dumping. Once I started being more careful about not eating a bunch of added sugar without sufficient protein as a buffer, the symptoms mostly went away.

My base recipe is mostly: Either ~12 oz of a fairlife protein drink, or fairlife whole milk depending of what flavor I'm going for ~1.5 Tbs unflavored whey protein isolate ~2 Tbs instant pudding ~1 ts extract of your choice Add additional sugar substitute of your choosing if you like it sweeter This normally takes 1 spin on Lite Ice Cream and 1-2 re-spins. For me this is 2 servings, though YMMV. Sometimes, especially if I used a protein drink as the base, I'll use a little less of that and add in some Greek Yogurt to make it creamier. I personally don't like it if it's more than about 4 Tbs because it tends to be a bit tart for my tastes. Here's a more specific example I made recently (and just finished off today): 12 oz Fairlife whole milk ~1.5 Tbs Isopure whey protein isolate ~2 Tbs Butterscotch instant pudding ~6 drops ultra-concentrated Rum Extract Splenda to taste (I didn't measure) I added walnuts as a mix in Now it's your turn to share!

Love it! By the way, I also have a Ninja Creami and my latest passion is trying new recipes for protein ice cream. And yes, chunks of snickers have found their way into my creations. 😁

"Unless you stole it from an orphan..." 🤣🤣🤣 He's definitely on point with all of this, though I suspect most folks need some help and guidance on how to actually implement these things. I also agree that are no BAD foods, but there are definitely some that are better for you than others. Balance is important, and that may be the one point I'd add to what he said. Yes, eat all the foods, just make sure your "all" includes the salad and the veggies and the fruit and the whole grains, etc.

Collagen Protein by itself is not considered a complete protein because it only has trace amounts (at best) of tryptophan, an essential amino acid. As @NickelChip mentioned, some collagen protein supplements add L-tryptophan to make a more complete protein. Looking at the one your husband is suggesting however, it does not look to have any added L-tryptophan, meaning it's really not suitable. Something else to keep in mind is that whey protein has a huge number of scientific studies showing it's better at muscle protein synthesis than collagen. A protein first diet is recommended for bariatric patients due to the desire to spare muscle catabolism when on a very low calorie diet. If whey is better at muscle protein synthesis, then it makes sense to focus on whey (or alternately on lean whole foods like chicken & fish). This is the reason almost all bariatric surgeons will tell you that it's fine to take collagen, but you should be careful if you are counting it toward your overall daily protein goals. FYI, due to your issues with artificial sweeteners, you probably should be looking for an unflavored version of whey protein isolate. Because it's unflavored, it's also likely to be unsweetened. I personally like Isopure brand, but there are others that are good as well.

I also take prescription NSAIDS due to significant back issues, so I initially thought I could not go with bypass. However due to the risk of GERD (symptomatic and verified by endoscopy), my doctor did not recommend sleeve. The resolution was to go ahead with the bypass. With my doctor's blessing, I have continued to take the NSAIDS and have been successful because she also prescribed a Proton Pump Inhibitor for me. If you have any history of GERD, it would be best to at the very least have an endoscopy done to make sure you are still a good candidate for the sleeve. I don't know what the overall revision statistics are, but there sure are a lot of folks on here that initially had sleeve and had to get a revision to bypass. Some of those were due to poor results, but a lot seem to have been due to GERD.

Well, I don't fit your criteria (I was at about a 47 BMI at my highest), but I wanted to provide some overall perspective. There will always be some people that regret having bariatric surgery regardless of starting weight, but studies suggest that the vast majority are happy they had it done. The satisfaction rates seem to be about on par with other major "elective" surgeries such as joint replacement. In the studies available, there was a very strong correlation between satisfaction and weight loss success. That makes sense, because if you can't maintain the weight loss, this would tend to make you think it was a waste of time, money and that you went through a lot of hardship for nothing. Another strong correlation existed between those with eating disorders and dissatisfaction. Again, this makes sense because of the correlation between success and satisfaction. If you have an eating disorder, it's certainly possible to out eat any surgery. Those that report the highest satisfaction would tell you it was nothing short of life changing. At the end of the day, only you can decide if it's the right decision for you.

What you're experiencing is completely normal. Partly your body is simply trying to heal from the surgery, so food right now is not what a healing stomach wants. Regarding the tastes changing, it's entirely possible that some foods you used to like you may never want again. Other things you'll learn to enjoy again. This is just something we all go through. The water thing should get better over time. At this point, your stomach is likely still swollen, so it just can't hold very much. Most of us had to really be religious about drinking just maybe 1-2 ounces at a time and trying to drink every 10-15 minutes while awake. This is hard right after surgery, but as I said, it gets a lot easier as the swelling goes down and you're able to drink more normal amounts. The nausea is a little unusual this far out, so I'd honestly recommend talking to your surgical team. It could just be from overeating/drinking, but it's best to talk to the experts. Regarding weight loss, you have to keep in mind that your body is made up of a lot of other "stuff" besides just fat. You may well be retaining fluid or stool and that can mask weight loss early on. It's physiologically impossible to be eating as little as you are and not losing fat, so please just have faith in the process. The best thing you can do is follow your surgical team's post-op instructions and you WILL lose fat.

Great advice above by all. I wanted to add that sometimes people think there's something wrong with them or with the surgery, but what you're feeling is absolutely normal. Sure, some of the things you're feeling might not qualify as "true hunger", but that distinction is sometimes not nearly as clear as some people make it out to be. Much of what we call head hunger is due to hormonal responses not unlike those generated by actual hunger. This can be especially true when we're in a significant calorie deficit, like you are in right now. My point is that your body is designed to do exactly what it's doing, so don't beat yourself up for it.

I actually would recommend not buying too much of any one thing. A lot of us experienced changes to our tastes such that things we enjoyed pre-surgery became things we couldn't stand afterward. Just for clarity, part of your stomach is actually removed from your body when you undergo gastric sleeve surgery.

Welcome Kat. So sorry to hear of all the struggles you've had. It sounds really rough. I think almost everyone here has struggled with something over the course of their bariatric surgery journey and some have struggled a lot more than others. None of us are perfect. We simply can do what we can do. Please keep in mind: If the recommended changes regarding diet and lifestyle were easy to make, I'd wager that most of us would have simply made those changes without going through the surgery. My own perspective is that my weight loss surgery was a tool that helped me eat better and eventually allowed me to get to a weight that also allowed me to be more active. It's was not the other way around, where I had to do certain things for the surgery "to be successful". Please understand, I'm NOT saying you can do whatever you want after surgery. What I am saying is that the surgery itself is a tool that can help you do the things that will lead to success such as eating better and being more active. Those changes take time. You're not going to be able to make dramatic lifestyle changes overnight. Don't even try because that NEVER works. Focus on making just small sustainable changes before trying to make any further changes. It sounds trite, but slow and steady truly does win the race. I would also strongly advise you to consider finding a good mental health professional that specializes in bariatric patients. This one thing will probably help you more than anything with some of the struggles you're having. A dietitian can also help with the diet portion and is also strongly recommended. Please keep us apprised of how it's going and I think you'll find there are people here that can help with whatever struggles you may be having, whether it's being compliant with your surgeons instructions, cleaning up your diet, or finding motivation. We're here to help.

Well done, though I have to mention I'm a little confused? The title indicates 25 years post-op, but your surgical date indicates 15 years? Either way, you've done a fantastic job.

I'm reminded of something one of my mentors used to say a lot: "Progress, not Perfection". To me it sounds like you're making great progress! I personally think you need to both celebrate your progress, as well as give yourself some grace for not being perfect, since none of us are perfect. Regarding the certifications, is there a way to get the money some other way? is this the sort of training/certification where school grants or loans would be an option? If not, what about a personal loan? I'm guessing you may have already evaluated this avenue, but I thought I'd mention it, just in case.

Sorry you're feeling some pain. I would strongly advise you to talk to your surgical team. While the likelihood is this is not anything bad, the smart thing is to talk to a medical professional and let them evaluate you just to be safe. Even if someone else had the exact same surgery as you and had similar symptoms, there's no guarantee that you both are experiencing the exact same problem.

The ONLY thing you have to do to lose weight is eat fewer calories than you burn. If you do that you will lose weight. There are lots of tools we can use to help us in this regard, like tracking, meal prep, tweaking macros, eating more high quality foods vs. junk food, and a lot more, but at the end of the day, it's calorie consumption that will make or break a diet. For some people tracking is critically important because if they don't track, they overeat badly. Everyone has a bad tendency to way underestimate the number of calories we eat in a day, so especially for people that tend to snack a lot, or eat a super varied diet (which is not a bad thing!), then tracking at least sometimes is pretty helpful to make sure they don't overeat. Like you, I just can't track reliably. It's not so much that I forget to do so, as much as I find it incredibly time consuming and boring, thus I just don't do it. Would I love to be able to track calories consistently? Sure. Really honing in on my daily calorie intake appeals to my analytical mind. I know I'll never be able to do it though. At this point, what I try to do is "spot check" my calorie consumption here and there. Sometimes I might make it a whole day and sometimes I just evaluate a single meal. This helps remind me to keep things in check.

Well, you know yourself best, but my impression is that strict, regimented meal planning would be a better fit for you. What I mean is that it's not the tracking of the food every single day that will make the difference here. It's making a simple, defined menu plan that you stick to. Determine ahead of time EXACTLY what you're going to eat every day, and set reminders to eat on a schedule so you don't go too long without eating. Again, just my thoughts based on what you've said so far.

My first question is why are you feeling like you need to track your food? I know some people find it helpful, but in your case, it sounds like it's just causing more stress than it's worth?

Hmm, that all does sound a bit like shingles (and you can have it without a rash). Were you vaccinated? Did your doctor test for shingles?

I'm going to go ahead and add another comment because I can just about anticipate the next comment (since I've heard it a lot): "I don't care about all that, I just want the scale to go down!" Let's try a little thought experiment here: If I could wave a magic wand and you would instantly look just like a fitness model, be super athletic and healthy and you'd be able to rock that size 0 (or whatever), dress. Would you want me to wave that wand? What if I told you you'd secretly still weigh whatever you weigh today? You'd still look and feel fantastic, but the scale would stay right where it is now. Still interested? I"ll wager almost everyone here would take me up on that deal. The possible exception might be the folks here that already look like fitness models. (You know who you are!) Why? Because ultimately we want to lose weight to look and/or feel a certain way, not strictly to be a certain arbitrary weight that at the end of the day really means nothing. Scales are just a really poor way of measuring fat loss, at least in the short term, so it's best we don't make them out to be more than they are.