PennyinAL

So I'm only a month out from my surgery but just the 27 lbs I've lost is already making a huge difference in my clothes! YAY! I literally have clothes in my closets from size 16-22/24 and 0x-3xl so when I tried on a few things that I had that were previously tight, I was excited to find they now fit loosely the way I like them. So then I just started pulling out all the 3x bc most of them no longer fit and some of the 2x were too big as well. I have a LOT of clothes (and shoes and purses) and while I'm a bargain shopper, I have a lot of things with tags literally still on them that are now too big for me. I went online and ordered 3 of those clean out bags from ThredUP and already filled one up with some really nice new and nearly new items, I also have a lot of stuff that can go in them but I am curious what experiences everyone else has with them and/or any other resale/online thrift places? Do you bother with trying to get them altered? I've got a lot of sale items that I paid less that it would cost to get them altered. I have never really had much luck on FB Marketplace with clothes, has anyone>? Is there a trick to it? What say you experienced newly skinny chicks>?

I haven't lost anywhere near that much but I was so happy to fit into my 1x clothes then into some 1x and XL clothes at the mall yesterday and even bought a sexy lingerie outfit that husb. loved. I keep finding things in closets and drawers that now fit that did not before (many new with tags) and I've got about the equivalent of 3 or 4 large closets of clothes I'm trying to figure out how to start selling to hopefully recoup some of my money back to buy a new wardrobe. I almost sent them in to an online consignment store but read bad reviews and changed my mind. It's a shame we couldn't have regional clothes swaps for bariatric pals! I've heard of women who do this in larger cities where they gather and bring in 10-30 pieces of nice, gently used clothes and swap pieces with others. I may look up the specifics and see if I can get something together if I can't find a way to sell.

I took blood thinners for almost a year post heart stents and they never seemed to make me feel cold, I have also been hot natured my entire life. About 10 years ago, I started having MAJOR heat issues. They kept saying it wasn't a thyroid issue bc I was "low normal" not actually low. After years of being miserable and making everyone around me freeze all the time, I finally got a gyn to give me thyroid meds and voila! it helped. It was almost a miracle. I'd been on HRT for a long time, tried every menopause solution I could try from natural crap that did absolutely nothing but make the folks who sell it a bunch of money to prescription hormone pills. Yes, I was menopausal but that wasn't the main issue. It was the thyroid. Now, after this surgery, they said my thyroid was too high and that my hormones would reset themselves. I quit taking the Levothyroxine med, 3 weeks post-op my thyroid had dropped to a below normal low. Started back with meds. I also developed a rash on my throat around my thyroid area, Nephrologist said he didn't know what it is so I'm going to a regular md tomorrow at a walk in type clinic since I don't actually have a regular physician, I've been seeing a NP when I have to be seen for the last several months bc it is really hard to find an actual doctor who has openings! I'm really, really fatigued again and have been back on meds 10+ days I guess it is now. I mean EXHAUSTED. I've actually been getting much more exercise than normal but can barely walk across room smh. Call your surgeons office and ask if they need to check your blood. I called mine about the thyroid issue, they told me to see whomever I see for my thyroid normally. I'm kind of like "Why am I bothering to follow up with surgeon's office if they're going to tell me to go elsewhere when there is a problem?" bc they want me in his office every 3 months and quarterly blood work as well. Seems a waste to pay a specialist co-pay and for additional labs if they don't actually deal with any problems that arise. I know people on here apparently have a ton of variations in the type and amount of care they can expect from their surgical staff, some have WHOLE TEAMS and some of us get the girl who answers the phone who works part time....no consistency in care so you definitely have to be prepared to be your own advocate and researcher and a host of other things. Call Dr, see what they say, if you don't like or aren't satisfied with the response, call your primary care dr if you have one, if not go to the walk in clinic or an ER. Our local ER is just plain scary so if I don't get a satisfactory response on mine tomorrow I'm probably going to drive to an ER in Huntsville, AL, about 45 miles away bc it is just plain scary that we seem to have gotten all the folks who got the D's in coursework. Some may be nice but I am not getting a warm, fuzzy feeling....

Not sure what you mean by gross ingredients? I mostly went with broths and some cream soups in the 3rd week of clear liquids, I'd mix one can broth to one can cream soup. My fourth week sent me into soft foods which was mostly eggs, ground sausage or beef and some fish. Week 5 I moved into chicken. Chicken being so very dry it seems harder to digest than anything else, ground beef was so much easier. I can't much do the protein shakes, the only way I've been able to choke them down is to literally put in a blender with some extra protein powder & yogurt and ice and make a smoothie/milkshake thing and top with keto whipped cream. I use it more as a dessert bc I can't drink all that sweet stuff in the early morning. Not much of a breakfast person but since this surgery I wake up famished but I guess 3-4 oz only takes so long to digest and if I eat at 7-9 pm by the time I get up at 9-10 am it has been a long time. I got the Walgreen's extra protein shakes, small town, limited choices around here.

Yeah, I haven't much been going to restaurants...we live in a rural area and only have 2 restaurants in our little town, both close at 2 pm, well there is a Mexican restaurant but I'm not much of a fan of Mexican food in general. I have a well stocked pantry, freezers and kitchen and actually enjoy cooking (this butt didn't get this big by itself) and Lord help me, I enjoy eating way too much. That said, I'm 33 days post op and it was awesome to find a "snack" I CAN HAVE...well I think I can have it? My list is so vague...I'll try to share this pic of my instructions. It says "Protein, Protein, Protein" suggests ground turkey....and I'm like with WHAT? As you all moved into your 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th weeks, What do you eat? I had a LOT of Cod this week, made an Alfredo shrimp/crab sauce to serve over it and some canned turnips on the side. I have Chicken thighs, breasts, wings, 3 kinds of Fish, Ground Beef & Turkey & Turkey burgers, Cooked red beans, 15 beans & Lima & Cream Peas and can't figure out a darn thing to make for dinner because I don't know how to pair or prepare it....I am seriously thinking of Buffalo Wings or thighs with sauce? Fortunately, I lost another pound (all that damned fish, lol) but maybe just because nothing seems to taste right or I don't have a taste for anything...rambling here, but does anyone else have that feeling? Like nothing is suiting you or you just don't feel like bothering for the whopping 3 or 4 oz you're going to be able to eat out of the pan after you do all that work? And What Veggies are acceptable at this point? Last night I had boneless ckn breast over a salad mix with a little dressing, green onions, bacon bits...and when I'm eating hubby asks if I can eat that. I had only considered the chicken, hadn't thought of if salad is allowed? I remembered someone saying they eat salads all the time but they are like an old timer. I have several containers of fresh mushrooms I was going to prep, some for now and freeze for later but then started wondering IF I can have??? Turkey burger with no bread sounds sucky... I'm not sure if food is "not allowed" bc of the calories/fat intake or if food isn't allowed bc of a possible adverse reaction with the bypass. Like if I make a turkey burger and eat a slice of whole wheat, is that OK? What about serving something with a sauce along side something like Quinoa? SMH...done with my rant, please share your rants and tell me I am NOT alone with all these things running around in my little A.D.D. brain

Wow that’s amazing! I’m down 30lbs today after a minor setback with my thyroid basically stopping working for about 10 days of the last 31, had my surgery 8/1. I’m glad it appears to be getting better and after being stalled for several days I finally dropped those last few to get to the 30 lbs I also found Quest protein chips and cookies and some other protein products today and am curious about what everyone is thinking about these items???

that is wonderful news, welcome!

No acne, but a pimple which is odd at my age (56) and then I broke out in a rash at my thyroid area, asked my nephrologist about it and he said it isn't my thyroid so now I have no idea WTH it is??? I have had my surgeon say and a surgeon I am following on Youtube, Dr. John Pilcher out of San Antonio, Tx, say repeatedly about how the bariatric surgery somehow resets your hormones so I'd say it is probably "normal" to have hormonal changes affecting your body like a teen in puberty. I normally have very clear skin and it is usually in great shape for my age but it has been very dry since surgery (but I had also discontinued my thyroid meds at the time of surgery and have since re-started) and I feel like I look like my skin has aged 5 years since! IF this doesn't improve and the red blotch doesn't go away by next week I'm going to see a regular md and then a dermatologist bc I hate the look of it. Another weird thing to consider: We are all probably eating more fats/meats than before surgery? Broths and cream soups can have high fat contents, eggs, cheeses, etc. especially if it wasn't your "usual" diet. I rarely ate eggs/breakfast foods but have been waking very hungry and it is one of the few soft foods so I've gone through nearly 3 dozen eggs these last 31 days! I don't think I've ever eaten so many eggs. Ditto with Chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. /for the pimple I just wiped it with alcohol, used my metal face pimple clearer thingy to scrape/pop it off and reapplied alcohol and it was dried up and gone the next morn. p

Hi Peggy Anne, I just couldn’t do puréed meats or much of anything puréed, thankfully it was my 4th week and I survived on the eggs then cream soups and ground sausage. having meatballs with a brown gravy and mash potatoes for dinner. I’m happy to say that it was my first full day away from home for dr appointments and I left at 9 and got back at 9 pm and I had breakfast was 1/2 small Wendy’s chili lunch Popeyes 1 chicken strip with red beans no rice small Early snack dinner Jacks chicken finger and a small mash w gravy Having a very light dinner so it was fairly easy and happy no problem with the chicken. about to see where my calorie count is at I’m happily retired for six years now. what kinds of crafts? I like to do some crafts I see on YouTube videos and am threatening to turn one of the spare rooms that I have a bunch of craft items in into my craft room but haven’t had time since we bought this house in February. wishing you great success with your show!!!

Peggy Anne, I feel your pain. I'm supposed to move from pureed to more soft foods this week. I have stalled in my weight loss but I also have a thyroid issue now apparently. My dr did a blood check last week and my t4free is low but I quit my Levothyroxine at the time of the surgery bc they told me the thyroid was too high at that point...smh. For the last week I've been so tired I can barely walk, and then I developed a rash on the thyroid area of my neck and other thyroid symptoms so I started the meds back a couple of days ago but they still haven't helped. I called the nurse at my surgeon's office to ask if they had seen my results (i got them the next day) and she said basically she could make me an appointment but that really isn't their issue? I guess she wanted me to see my primary care dr but since I don't actually HAVE A REGULAR DR I told her I'm seeing my nephrologist tomorrow and I'd see if he could tell me what to do. I'm kind of like Why am I following up with the surgeon at all bc apparently if there is an issue, he won't handle it so I'm going to get labs done and sent to him to tell me to see a regular dr.???? About your meatballs....I had 1/4 lb of ground beef I cooked w./brown gravy and put over some mashed potatoes that stayed down so I took out a 1 lb pack of 12 frozen, pre-made meatballs last night that I thought I'd cook down in some spaghetti sauce. Didn't consider adding cheese but I thought I'd cook meatballs in the air fryer and then drain well and add to some store bought sauce. I am missing vegetables, carbs too like rice, breads, potatoes, etc. but the veg is almost a craving since I haven't had anything green in 30 days. I'm maybe eating 2-3 times a day, I also tried a piece of baked tilapia with butter and seasonings that stayed down well with no issues. It seems anything without a sauce or gravy causes issues, nothing too dry. Other than that I seem to be progressing along in the healing up process. Now if I can just get the strength back and walk across the room ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ:)

Arabesque the roasted fava/chick peas as a snack? I’m guessing the peanut paste is peanut butter? And what is Labneh? I’ll admit I’m not the most adventurous or knowledgeable about foods and I’m very unfamiliar with foods abroad bc even when I travel I’m reluctant to eat a lot of things

You don’t have to be gender specific to contribute at all, quite frankly most of my gay friends always had much better fashion sense than my straight ones. You certainly don’t have to be skinny 😍 because I certainly have a long way to go before I am in any danger of anyone calling my fat arse “skinny” but I am certainly willing to admit it is a goal of mine to be called a skinny “b—-h by some of my friends🤣 And again, I’m not opposed to giving things away, BUT, as I mentioned I am retired and on a budget that doesn’t allow me to just buy clothes the way I used to before I had to quit working. I would love to recoup some of the money that I have invested in the literal hundreds of articles of clothing and dozens of pairs of shoes that are already too big, I don’t think that makes me a bad person, what I can’t sell or trade off I’ll be happy to donate! so please Tek do share your thoughts, insights, humor, feelings and ideas as I certainly hope you feel 🙏 welcome pennyinAL

While I'm a bargain shopper, I have a lot of really nice clothes, maybe not top designers, but from places like Macy's, Dillards, Kohls, Belk, Torrid, Venus, etc. Most are current and all are in excellent condition bc I've always taken great care of my clothes, hung everything to dry and such. I also know that to buy them again would be something I could NOT afford. I've realized I will have to do much less volume and be more creative about pairings and figuring out what flatters. I'm fortunate that I'm tall-ish (5'9") so a lot of my dresses and my cardigans can be worn for a long time before they're falling off I think. I wouldn't mind donating things but I'm also practical in my realization that much of this was bought when I was working and now that I'm retired, I don't have the disposable income I once had. I'm 56 so I've got a few years before I'm sitting on the sofa in sweatpants but not sure how to sell what I have and get back a little cash to re-buy some new duds. That idea sounds cool with reusing the fabrics but I don't see it being a viable day-to-day business bc it probably wouldn't be practical and while I can't speak for everyone, most of the things I've bought as my fat self were never sentimental or something I'd want to save, I can't wait to be in a size 8 or 10 and hope to never have to buy another piece of clothing with an X in the size! I want to shop at cute places in the non-plus section for Chico's, Boston Proper and Venus and have someone tell me how thin I am Vain I know but a girl's gotta dream p What part of Tn you in? I'm in Crossville, AL, about 45 min from TN/GA/AL junctions on I-59, just south of Ft. Payne myself. aL

Hi Arabesque ir is definitely very different from location to location because you’re from another country and the food references are for items that I have not even heard of :). As I mentioned in another post the difference from dr to dr can be HUGE as to the amount of care you receive, the amount of post surgery guidance and what is expected of patients. Some patients have very detailed instructions and menus while some of us get very little information. I have noticed that some people are convinced that carbs are no longer allowed, some are fine with them. My dr doesn’t seem to have a problem with them although they want you to get your protein in then veg and then if room allow carbs. I think that carbs, while not ideal, aren’t the devil. I also believe that if you’re eating a total of less than 4 oz per meal (my dr literally gives you a 4 oz measure cup and says this is what you do for all meals, the cup is imprinted with the words “measure for success”) that as long as you stick to food instead of junk you will probably be fine. Yes, make sure you get the protein but most foods aren’t that calorie dense. I found a TikTok person who is a bariatric patient who has videos specifically for snacks for low carb keto diet. I think we all have to do our research and find what works for our bodies and lifestyles.

While you may be on a surgical pre-op diet(some do some don’t apparently) if I had it to do over I’d have eaten my popcorn and potato chips and a whole dominos pizza a few days before 🤪js

I'm looking on the BariatricPal shopping site now and on Sam's and Amazon. Sweets have never been my thing much so a protein bar seems like a candy bar, which is awesome for some folks. I like savory snacks like Cheetos, Potato Chips and Popcorn, etc. (which is why my fat arse needed surgery to begin with) and was looking at the Protein Chips options and saw a big tub of cheetoh type cheese balls on Sams for around $20 and some things that look like Doritos from various companies. Obviously, I don't want to sit around eating chips and snacks all day bc even the healthy snacks add up pretty quick calorie wise but I'd like to find some snacks as well that are "light" versions but satisfying. I will say MsTeeTee that if you want a simple protein snack, I purchased a 10 pack of boneless, skinless pre-cooked, seasoned diced chicken breasts which was in 3.5 oz individual portion vacuum sealed packs. It was $14.99 which isn't a great bargain but for just one person, convenient. I'm retired but if I were working a regular job I think I'd buy some meats up, marinate/season them and cook them and freeze them up in Rubbermaid small containers. I've already done that with several varieties of beans (red beans, Lima beans, 15 bean soup mix and cream peas) and it makes it an easy lunch or dinner. I'm not sure when(if) we get to eat things like pork, burgers, steak, etc. but things like chicken, pork, steak fajita mix thrown in a small container with a low carb tortilla would make a quick snack. I saw a cute idea at a convenience store where they had taken hamburger meat and shaped it into the shape of a hot dog. I was thinking of doing that and tossing in the air fryer, again, using lc tortilla. If you wanted to make 10 or 20 of the hamburger dogs and toss them in zippy bags for a lunch bag when you leave home, it could make things very convenient later in the day. IF you aren't into cooking Tyson and Springer Mountain both make bags of 8 oz pre-cooked chicken you could buy already made. I'm looking forward to getting to the stage where I can eat something besides soft bc I'm not doing so well on it so far, I'm only tolerating eggs w/sausage gravy, some beans, cream of chicken soup, yogurt. Good luck with finding snacks!

First Question: How do you get your info on the left side of screen to show? I can't get it to let me edit my screen to put that stuff in.... PeggyAnne: You are NOT alone! I see a HUGE difference in the various drs and care that we all seem to get. Some of us get all the hand holding and people who are there every step of the way, others get a handout and a call if you have questions kind of experience. My dr suggested ground sausage and so I got some Jimmy Dean ground breakfast sausage, cooked in air fryer then diced it on a cutting board until it was finely minced and kept part to put in my scrambled eggs and took the rest and made a sizeable skillet of sausage gravy to go over those scrambled eggs. Honestly, it has been the least painful of foods. I got brave again and tried the mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch and am now regretting it!! It seems to create a suction/vacuum feeling in my stomach, weird and uncomfortable. I have enough gravy and eggs to last through September so I may just stick to that Beans work okay too as long as I have enough broth with them, I have had red beans and then lima beans but the Limas with a lot of broth and picked out the ham and sausage that was initially cooked with them before I froze them into containers. Dry foods seem incompatible at this point, no matter how soft. My dr SPECIFICALLY TOLD ME NOT TO EVEN TRY CHICKEN IN ANY FORM AT THIS POINT BC HE SAID IT IS ENTIRELY TOO DRY and I'm thinking he's right. I may try the same thing with some ground beef at some point and a brown gravy. Everyone seems to jump up and down when you mention this food or that food but what he basically said is that the goal at this point is just to find things that will actually go/stay down without making you sick or stuffed and in pain. I am seriously a very slow eater but it hasn't helped me here bc even eating slowly, putting utensil down between bites, chewing slowly, etc. some things are just making me feel like I ate a whole slab of beef! The eggs may work well bc they're scrambled? maybe the gravy makes it mushy enough? I don't know but I can't do 'pureed' and he said not to try chicken bc I was asking if I could make a chicken salad (NO) and so I'm just like you WTH can I eat? LOL my list says eggs, pureed veg, yogurt & pudding. at the end of week tomorrow that's 4 weeks and I guess I could move to the next stage but frankly not comfortable moving forward after another mashed potato fiasco today. I have a cake "frosting" recipe made of SF cool whip, dry pkg of sf jello and crushed pineapple and I'm very tempted to make it. I've only had one chocolate protein drink/shake and I mixed w/ice in blender and put sf whipped topping and it was like a milkshake but I'm not much into sweets so I may just have to make myself drink them.

Omg it isn’t just me? I’m a very hot natured person and normally keep our house between 63-69 depending on the time of year but since the surgery I have been cold! I mean like keeping one air unit set on 72-74 and the other unit on 70 or more and my husband is grateful and shocked. I’m actually happy bc it could save us money but I asked my dr and he checked my thyroid again. I got the results and it said my T3 was low but not sure what that means yet bc I don’t go back until next month. Being in the south where it’s been hot as hell for much of the summer I need only walk outside to warm up so there’s that. I’m curious if this is common as well

How do you not overeat? I’m having the problem of eating and it goes down fine but in 30-45 minutes I feel like I swallowed a basketball! I’m measuring out to the 4 oz measure cup they gave me, I am on puréed/ soft foods which has been eggs, Lima beans or mashed potatoes and gravy and I am giving myself time to eat slowly, break between bites and not drink liquids and then when I think it went well I’m in pain bc I feel soooooo full! I’m going to try to cut it in half and see how it goes starting tomorrow but it seems to take a while for the food to get down into the pouch bc by the time I’m feeling full I stop eating and I feel bad later…ugghhhh I’m happy to be full from such a small amount mind you but I’m not sure how to get it down to a normal system

My list of soft foods from dr is mashed Potatoes eggs pureed fish (I can’t even) puréed veg yogurt/pudding after the initial soft food week 3 (4 for me) I am supposed to switch to proteins @50% then veg or carb last im planning on mashed beans, mashed potatoes and eggs and yogurt for a week or two

I had mine 8/1/23 and last food I had was 7/31 so 3 weeks today of clears, I asked about protein shakes and they said I could get the Ensure clear protein drink but no shakes! I can’t drink it because it’s so sweet it gags me so I’ve lived on broth and a lot of water and snowcones w/ sf syrup and popsicles. Three days ago I had cooked/frozen several large batches of Lima, Red beans, cream peas and bean soup. I had some of the bean broth bc it had a bit of substance and it seemed to be all that kept me going. I ran out and went back to broth with seasoning but finally started using 1 small can cream of chicken soup to a quart of chicken broth plus 2 cups water and cooked down with a bunch of Cajun spice. I go back to surgeon tomorrow and am supposed to be put on soft puréed food, eggs, mashed potatoes and yogurts per their instructions and I am certain that if I don’t gnaw my arm off by then I will come home and eat the best eggs and potatoes of my life 🤣 I have been starving for the last 10 days and I’m pretty sure my stomach has healed bc it growls and gives hunger pains about 90-120 post broth meals.

Apparently you have had some issues with medical pros in your lifetime as well. Unfortunately, in many communities drug use is such a problem that drs & nurses look at everyone as a junkie if you are in chronic pain. The sad reality is that so many people have major injuries that cause them to be in long term pain that necessitate pain medication that the numbers seem really high. I've personally been in 5 car wrecks, 3 times I was rear ended while sitting at a red light! For a dr or nurse to tell me I don't need my pain meds or to withhold them until they think I deserve them like a dog who is sitting up for a treat is demeaning and unethical. Like I said, I'm not saying everyone should ignore their dr orders but if you have issues, you might not want to be caught unprepared because while there are some truly AMAZING and WONDERFUL med pros out there, there are quite a few of them who have no business being in the caring profession. Take care

Thanks it’s saying 60-80 so if you’re not absorbing 30-40 percent makes sense. But you had me at reducing the sagging skin! That’s been one of my biggest fears is that I will look much older after I lose weight. I remember a lady I knew who lost weight and her face looked so different and just dropped 😢. Unless I have issues I don’t think I’ll have a problem with getting that much, 3 servings of Greek yogurt is good 👍

Good luck! 🍀