Kimpossible00

Hello, all! I had gastric bypass on December 29th, so I'm only 6 days post-op, but I hit my first personal benchmark of losing 20 lbs since my 2-week liver shrinking diet pre-surgery today. If you are a visual person who is still on your weight loss journey or are looking to gain muscle, I wanted to share an awesome FREE app that helps track your progress visually and automatically takes measurements for you. It's called Me°-Three-Sixty. (No waiting for a partner to take your measurements or trying to do it yourself while holding one end of the tape measure awkwardly in your teeth or armpit.) As you continue to take scans, you can compare two scan dates side by side, both visually and with measurements. The measurements are approximations from taking a front facing and side view photo, but as long as you are consistent in where you stand & distance from the camera, the progress will be the same but may differ from actual tape measure. I took a scan pre-surgery and then took another one today. The app calculates the change in inches and percentages between any two scans. You can also use the slider tool and see what your body might look like with a weight gain or weight loss up to a certain pound percentage. Anyway, I thought you might like to try it out while you have something to compare a "Before" photo and it can still be in an anonymous way. I also loved Baritastic app, so if you know of other awesome apps we could benefit from please drop them in this thread!

So far, I have only dumped on fat: beef chuck roast (cooked very soft & tender but had too much fat), turkey sausage (too much grease), chicken cooked in too much oil at a restaurant. Its not so much excess fat (kept down ice cream, cream cheese, etc.) but excess oil & grease for me. I haven't dumped from sugar, yet, but I've only had a sugar cookie and kept it down. When I dump, the food sits on top of my stomach and I know the signs within 15 minutes, although others have delayed dumping. My nutritionist said for me to try to keep <10g carbs and <10g fat per meal. That works for me. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Baritastic is free and has a great macro tracker and you can scan all of your foods! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

CHK, I had bypass the day after you and get to start Phase 3: purees on Thursday. I plan to make a lot of the soft food recipes without some of the chopped vegetables from the Baritastic app and puree them: Ricotta bake, Cottage Cheese bake, cauliflower puree, and the tender turkey meatloaf. I also am going to really blend down chicken salad, turkey chili, taco seasoned ground turkey w/ guacamole, and regular ground turkey or low-fat ground beef with low carb/sugar marinara (I like the Pomi brand). I also plan to make thinned down mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes. I have a whole lineup. I'm sick of liquids, too, between the 2-week pre-op liver shrinking diet & the 2-week post-op clear liquid and full liquid phases. I'm also a seasoned weight lifter but tend to do more modified CrossFit/cardio strength conditioning workouts. Once, I'm cleared, I will transition to body weight calisthenics workouts. I have been a little more active each day and noticed that my stomach (and?) have been pretty sore yesterday and today from keeping my core tight or being a little too active. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I don't know how accurate this calculator is overall, but it was helpful for me to see a baseline trend of what could be expected in the first year on a month-to-month basis compared to people of the same demographics (age, gender, height, weight, ethnic group, and WLS type). That being said, my chart predicts an average weight loss of 12 lbs in the first month, and I lost 9.5 lbs in the first 5 days after surgery. I'm only on day 9 post-op now, but I am 5'3", my surgery weight was 221 lbs, and I was at a BMI of 39 on surgery day. https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/ Hope this helps! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I know there is no one recommendation, but I'd like to hear from veteran WLS or patients 6+ months out. How often did you weigh in after WLS? Once a month? Once a week, or every two? Does it just depend on your mental well-being? I don't want to obsess and my surgeon didn't mention anything. I want to create a plan now that I can stick to and was thinking once a week was sufficient. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Oh, Cici, you poor thing. I empathize with you so much. I had a dumping episode tonight that was maybe only 20% of yours. I didn't have any sugar-free hot chocolate and thought I would sub with a no-sugar added fudgsicle, which is a horrible choice in case you were wondering! My stomach is cramping so bad, and it feels like I'm going to have the dumps but I can't get it out. I guess we will just have to experience small episodes of dumping to remind us that we have sensitive boundaries. I hope you'll be able to try soy milk, again in a few weeks and tolerate it better. I'm so sorry. Sending you well wishes, my friend! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm taking the Bariatric Advantage chewable multivitamins with iron in strawberry and the mixed fruit. They are very smooth and easy to take because they are not chalky at all. They kind of taste like a larger Flintstone vitamin. I'm also taking the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews and they are nummy. I'm doing the sweet assortment which come in chocolate, caramel, coconut, and maybe peanut butter? I also got a bag in the mixed fruit and they taste like Starbursts. I'm using my FSA to cover both as they are a little bit more on the expensive side but it's worth it for the taste. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

These attached photos are the lists that my surgery center (Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA) recommended. I'm not attaching the day 0-1 list, because you will be in the hospital probably that day. You'll notice slight variations from surgeon to surgeon. There are also a few other threads on this topic if you can use the search tool. Good luck!

I threw CiCi off because I double posted a post in a new topic in a separate forum. https://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?/topic/442800-MeThreeSixty,-Baritastic,-or-other-helpful-apps How are the rest of you doing on recovery? 600 calories doesn't feel like enough now toward the end of the night. I feel hungry and I haven't gone back to work yet. I actually got 75g of protein yesterday, but 635 calories and my tummy was hungry with pangs last night. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

What are "no spoon" days? Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I echo the water bottle (with oz markers & time markers are helpful on a 24-32 oz bottle), the food scale, measuring cups AND would ADD to make sure you have a really good colander/strainer to strain all of your soups for the first two weeks of your post op diet! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm still in the liquid phase, but I am looking forward to pureed turkey chili and pureed chicken salad without the bread/sandwhich in my future Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

You might try the Premier Protein ready made shakes. They come in a variety of flavors and are less chalky. If you are a coffee drinker, the cafe latte is great to help you wean down to 1 cup/day pre-surgery. The vanilla is nice and smooth and not too sweat.

January 2023 peeps: Don't forget to take a few "Before" photos before your procedures. It helps to see small changes on days when you stall, especially if you develop body dysmorphia. Wishing you all successful procedures this month!

December surgery buddies: Just a quick reminder that there is an awesome app out there that will help you track your progress visually and automatically take measurements for you. It's called Me ThreeSixty. (No waiting for a partner to take your measurements or trying to do it yourself while holding one end of the tape measure in your teeth) As you continue to take scans, you can compare two scan dates side by side, both visually and with measurements. The measurements are approximations from taking a front facing and side view photo, but as long as you are consistent the progress should be the same. I took a scan pre-surgery and then plan to take another one when I hit the first benchmark that uses the slider of what I would look like minus the next lbs lost (in my screenshot, that would be 18 lbs, so once I lose three more pounds, I will take my second scan!) Anyway, I thought you might like to try it out.

Nana22, I had a similar experience. I weighed 220.7 lbs the morning of surgery on Dec 29th and weighed 228 the following evening from so much water retention & gas? I think we have to hold on to a lot of non-scale victories. Being 5 days post-op, I have already noticed being able to breathe easier when sitting in a car with a seatbelt on and my knees not hurting or breaking when I walk down the stairs. While the head hunger is real and I am counting down the days until I get to pureed food (thanks for those suggestions, btw), I already feel like the procedure was worth it even though I experienced a few surgical complications (required a transfusion and an emergency EGD with the second surgery for a burst internal blood vessel and now body hives), I can already see the benefits of tracking water, protein, and planning out my meals throughout the day! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my surgeon's staff write a Letter of Medical Necessity and my FSA covers my Bariatric Advantage multivitamins and calcium supplements for one year. They also wrote a letter for protein shakes, but my FSA denied that since it considers protein shakes food replacement. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Do you crave the caffeine? I saw your thread about tea flavors and thought a lot of those sounded amazing. It's a nice way to switch up the water and water flavorings. Personally, I hate buying one use plastics and felt like the tea might be a better option for me than buying the vitamin water, Mio, Gatorade zero, etc. I'm so glad you started that post, Lisa. I've been drinking the Premier Protein cafe latte flavor to get my fix in for now. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks, Naynay77! I will definitely be searching for that recipe as soon as I hit the puree stage. Just 9 more days. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Pizza is a favorite for me! In 6 months, I'm going to let myself try to make a bari friendly pizza with thin crust & turkey pepperoni. I don't think I could ever give it up completely and thank goodness I won't have to long-term. Have you noticed that some of your tastes have changed already? I tried orange sugar free Jello today and it tasted like hairspray. Aquanet to be exact. Ick. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow, Lisa! Great job hitting your protein goal. I'm gonna get after it today. Being in a car for 5 hours yesterday made that a little rough. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Ooh, the sugar and fat grams is really helpful. My surgery center (Virginia Mason in Seattle) has all the same guidelines as yours but didn't mention guidelines for sugar and fat intake and I want to avoid dumping. I am not allowed coffee until I hit my water goal. Only home one day, and got in half the liquids and half the protein. Going to really get after it today! I just got unflavored protein. How are the BariatricPal soups? Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had gastric bypass 5 days ago, and I echo this exact experience: 6 incisions and the lower left is the most red and bruised. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Home now and resting comfortably! I'm on full liquids so my post-op diet should be similar. I now understand all the fuss from you about trying to get liquids in when you feel full all the time! I know that we are supposed to try to eat low-fat or fat free cream soups, but did any of your dietitians tell you what the recommended grams for fat and carbs are to keep under? So many soups are processed and the ones out of the deli are higher than carbs/sat fats than I'm sure we're allowed. Also, if you aren't sure what to mix your Miralax into, I just added it to 4 oz of chicken broth and I couldn't even taste it! That's a win in my book. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app