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Ahhh Pita and rice may work up the calories. I have been avoiding grains cuz they seem too heavy. But now that I am almost done with month 2, I may give it a shot. BTW, brown rice or white rice? Can't do chicken and all cuz vegetarian but would love a falafel in a pita (ofc bariatric version of falafel) 😂 Your carb content isn't almost double your protein. So seems like I shouldn't be worried getting more carbs in. With beans and lentils, carbs do overshoot, but without them there won't be much variation in my diet. My fats are around similar number, usually less than 30gram.

I’m on day 5 post op. Everything seems to be going pretty well. My Dr has moved me to phase 2 eating, creamy soups, yogurts ith fruit flavor no pieces of fruit. Also soft boiled egg To go along with my protein shakes. I started my bariatric vitamins B12 dissolveable tablet, Calcium Citrate 1000mg chewable(not so great) and a multi that looks like a starburst candy!!!! So far I have been walking abouT 1.5-2 miles each morning( not today 12in snow) I find it easier to drink while on my walk rather than sitting down. I have to say that I am not hungry at all. I know I have to eat which I am doing getting in 60-80g protein and 64 oz liquids. It’s just weird that I’m not looking to graze in the fridge!!!! Also I am keeping a food journal, times and how much and protein taken in and am also using Baritastic app to track weight and goals and food as well. Might be a little over kill the journal but for now I seem to like it. Just wanted to share my first week with everyone because I’m proud of the work I’m doing!!!!

I used a personal trainer at a gym 10 years ago, the last time I got close to the weight I am now. Of course, that was before I had surgery. I don't remember for sure, but a probably did 2 or 3 dozen sessions. It definitely made me feel better. I've been thinking about doing it again. As I near the supposedly ideal BMI of 25, I notice that my legs and especially my arms are looking pretty scrawny. I also have some wrinkly skin on my arms and legs that could really benefit from adding back some muscle mass. (Of course, at 68, I'm a certified Old Guy, so maybe the wrinkles are par for the course, but they weren't there when I was bulked up with fat. ) And though I look good in clothes, I still have a couple fat places that could really look a lot better when I'm standing shirtless in front of the mirror to shave. What I've been wondering is whether I need to find somebody who has experience with bariatric surgery patients, and if so, how to find such a person whom I could afford.

I had a gastroscopy yesterday 27th January 2022, with my bariatric surgeon. I have been experiencing awful acid reflux, regain, lack of fullness and occasionally vomiting. He informed me I have candy cane syndrome. Which means there there is a part of the anomostosis which goes from the pouch to the intestine which basically shouldn't be there. It's filling with food and causing too much acid. Also the hole from the pouch that connects to this anomostosis is too big. Letting food through too fast. My pouch is 6cm which he said was good but had stetched a little. I had my RNY 21 years ago and this is apparently rare. But I'm sure in those who had surgery that long ago may well have it and not know. So have to have it rejected. Surgery planned for 17.2.22. I would hope you get your surgeon to take a look, he knows what he's looking for. I've had a couple of gastroscopys via the NHS and they said nothing was wrong!

not only is it acidic, it's carbonated. Not a good choice at less than a month out. You're still healing. Plus transfer addiction is unfortunately a real thing - some people develop issues with alcohol after bariatric surgery. So I'd be careful. we were told to wait a year after surgery to indulge - some people are told six months. Some may not have to wait as long, but 3.5 weeks is way too early.

Yesterday was my first appointment at Ridgeview Bariatric Center. I met with a nurse first and then the surgeon. I can’t believe I got to meet with the surgeon on the first appointment. Is that normal? The surgeon was really impressive, informative and encouraging. I left with a binder loaded with all the information I need (pre-op plan and checklist, surgery overview, post-op plans for diet and exercise with log charts, meal plans, recipes and more). They did blood work before I left. I drove home feeling so happy and hopeful (I might have shed a few tears). Today the nurse called me to schedule appointments with a dietician, psychologist and exercise physiologist. I don’t want to get too excited because I know things can go wrong at any step along the way (with the psych eval, testing and insurance approval). Right now I’m feeling really optimistic.

There is a bariatric one that does the same and made for bariatric patients. I started using mine on the liquid stage and it counted down to surgery day now it counts out how many days since surgery and what I lost the month on liquids preop, what I’ve lost post op plus the combined loss it’s pretty awesome!

I ask myself the same question😭 I had my sleeve 12/22 and at my post op visit 1/18 I'm already in the bariatric plateu. My surgeon said it's normal BUT the thought of doing all this potentially for nothing is heart breaking. I wish you all the luck possible🤗

Hello All, Sometimes it is nice to know that you are in a group of the "world's best" at something. It is my opinion that we are the world's best at losing weight. I do not mean to imply that once we have had bariatric surgery, we are good at losing weight. I am willing to say that, prior to your surgery, you have lost (and gained) tens and tens of pounds over your lifetime. You have tried at least six or more diets and you were probably successful in losing a significant amount weight on each of them. I have done this too. The problem is we are world class weight gainers also ...ugh! Thankfully, we have weight loss surgery to help us eat fewer calories. However, each time we lose weight, we must face the "STALL." You know, that period of time when we don't lose weight even when we think we should. Everyone dreads these time periods. If you are interested, I would like to share with you some information that has helped me over the years to overcome and understand stalls. First, I am not a doctor nor am I offering any sort of medical advice. I am simply trying to provide you with information from my own personal experiences. You are free to believe or not believe. Every single person is different. If you know something that works, please share. I would love to learn from you. Until then, here are my thoughts. Vary your exercise routine. This is pretty simple. One must understand that we come from a long, long line of survivors. Just think, there is a very good probability that several of your ancestors survived the black plague which eliminated almost half of the population of Europe. Over time, our bodies have learned to adapt to new "challenges" so to speak. Here is a secret to assist weight loss: YOU MUST CHALLENGE YOURSELF to avoid your body's natural ability to adapt and become more efficient to your routines. If you are doing any kind of exercise, you will need to vary this exercise every few weeks. For instance, I am currently using an elliptical machine for cardio. Every two weeks, I change my routine. I went from just moving for 30 minutes at any speed for the first two weeks to adding intervals of going as fast as I can for one minute and then slowing down for three minutes. I have also changed the interval times. For example, I went fast for 30 seconds and then slower for two minutes for a period of two weeks. Next week, I will be changing to a stationary bike for cardio. In a few more weeks, I will be heading outdoors for walking/jogging, etc. The point is to change it up so your body must adjust to new challenges. Build muscle. These are the facts. Muscle burns more calories, even while resting, than fat does. Did you know that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson eats more than 5000 calories per day? The man is a beast and definitely is not fat. He is able to eat so much because he has a huge amount of muscle mass. That muscle burns a lot of calories. Check out what he eats in a typical day here: The Rock's Diet. I wish I could say the phrase "build muscle" and, magically, I would build muscle...*sigh* Until then, I must incorporate strength training the old fashioned way. I lift weights. At the moment, my routine consists of body weight type of exercises, pushing and pulling. My goal is to preserve as much muscle as I can while losing weight. I want to burn the maximum amount of calories possible...even while sleeping. YouTube has many, many videos to help just about anyone. Keep track of your food intake. I measure my food and keep a daily log. I know how much food my stomach can hold and I do not over eat. But my personal opinion may be different than yours when it comes to caloric intake. Personally, I cannot live for the long term on 800 calories per day. Many of us were/are eating about 800 calories or so per day after surgery. I have no plans to eat only 800 calories per day for the rest of my life to maintain my goal weight. Therefore, I have increased the number of calories I eat per day. At the moment, I am eating around 1500 calories per day. I am about six weeks post surgery. The bulk of my calories comes from protein. I try to add calories to my day without adding a lot of volume to my stomach. Here are some things I do in order to add calories. Once per day, I drink a protein shake instead of water. Also, I will add the following ingredients to meals throughout the day (not all at the same time, mind you): olive oil, avocados, sour cream, cheese, mayonnaise and peanut butter. These are generally healthy fats which allow me to consume more calories at every meal. I try to eat approximately 400 calories three times a day and then supplement with a few snacks in between meals. I typically eat 5 to 6 times per day. Set realistic goals. If you do not know, one pound of fat is 3500 calories. To lose one pound of fat, you must create a deficit of 500 calories per day for each day of the week...500 calories x 7 days = 3500 calories lost. Create a deficit of 1000 calories per day and lose two pounds per week. 1500 calories = 3 lbs. per week. This is the idea...a 500 calorie deficit per day equates to one pound loss per week. A typical male burns about 2000 to 3000 calories per day (typical female: 1600 to 2400.) You can play with these numbers all you like but the reality is: it is very hard to lose a large amount of fat in one week. Last week I lost three pounds. I believe that this result is fantastic. That loss is a 10,500 calorie deficit for the week (equivalent to NOT eating 37.5 Snickers Candy Bars.) I believe this is a heroic effort on my part...I celebrated with a quiet "YES" and a fist pump while standing on my bathroom scale. Fist bumps to all of you who have shared the same win. NOT an exact science. Things change. There is not a perfect formula. When you lose weight, you lose fat AND muscle. This is NOT avoidable. No one is able to lose 100% fat. It is not possible to do so, therefore mentally prepare yourself for some disappointment. If you do not have strength training in your schedule, you will lose more precious fat burning muscle than you would if you incorporate strength training. Either way, you will burn fewer calories per day when you, eventually, weigh less. It makes perfect sense. At 300lbs. you may have burned 2500 calories per day. At 250lbs you may only burn 2200 calories per day. You were bigger so you burned more calories. Therefore, it is harder to create a calorie deficit when you weigh less because you are burning fewer calories. Again, this concept really sucks but it explains why we lose less weight as we get closer and closer to our goal. Okay...so this turned into a much longer post than I originally anticipated. Some of the words above make it sound like I have it all figured out. But alas, no. I have issues too. I gained over 100 lbs. in the last six years eating pizza with extra cheese and trying to diminish the world's supply of beer. I am somewhere in the early stages of this particular weight loss journey. My goal is to make this my last weight loss/gain journey. I truly wish all of you the very best life has to offer. The struggle is real and I know, like me, you are fighting every day. I look forward to all of your comments and learning from your experiences. Best, AnotherGuy

Last night I was made aware of an app called Yuka. Apparently you can scan a barcode of any food and it will tell you whether or not its a good or bad choice. A snip from the app page says............. "Yuka is a free mobile app that allows you to scan the barcodes of food and personal care products and instantly see their impact on your health. A rating and detailed information help you understand the analysis of each product. When a product has a negative impact on your health, Yuka also recommends similar but healthier alternative products." Like I said, I ONLY just found out about it last night and downloaded it. Only scanned a few items in the house here so far. Thankfully they listed as "Excellent" choices. LOL Now, it's not specific to Bariatric Patients but I still think this could come in handy for many of us. Check it out if you want.

I had a lot to lose (175 lbs) but I went with the sleeve anyway. I ended up losing all the weight. Either surgery can be great for you, it’s just a question of what you want and what your surgeon recommends. I liked the “simple” nature of a sleeve, and I knew people who had gotten it and had great results. A bit over a year later I am still happy with it, still maintaining my full loss. I don’t have to take bariatric vitamins anymore, I just take standard vitamins from Costco now. Honestly there are some valid medical reasons for one over the other but if those don’t exist it’s just a matter of preference and both are great surgeries that can be super successful for you.

My gastric sleeve was done 1/22/22. I had a 10 day pre-op liquid diet which was a lot and lonely. My nurse was supposed to call and check on me about half way thru- she never did- nor did she return my voicemails. I also was in a weird schedule shift at work so I worked 8 of the 10 days- which I think was a blessing in disguise since I was busy and not focusing on what I was or wasn’t eating. Due to COVID it was a drop off pick up situation. So my mom dropped me off at 5:20 am. I was in communication with her until my nurse anesthetist came in and they put my phone in my bag. I don’t remember anything after the operating nurse coming in and putting my hair net on me around 7:20 am. The next thing I knew I woke up in recovery with a nurse sitting on either side of me. They were super great- my mouth was very very dry so they let me suck on a sponge. I was also very close to the desk in recovery so I could tell my mom was on the phone with them. I immediately requested my phone from my bag and called my mom. It was about 11:30am and she hadn’t heard from my surgeon- she was not happy. But had a lot of relief hearing from me. The conversation was short as I was still out of it. The nurses also put some Vaseline on my lips since they were super dry. My room wasn’t ready yet so I was able to just relax in recovery for a bit. Lots of naps in and out and some texting with friends. Once my room was ready the wheeled me away from recovery. Once I got to my room I was given goals. -Manage nausea -Manage pain - go to the bathroom -take a sips test -walk around -sit in the chair I didn’t find my self nauseous until they gave me a different pain med via my IV. Luckily I didn’t throw up and they gave me some spearmint patch on my gown which was nice. Pain was managed via IV for the first bit. I really felt like I had to go to the bathroom so the nurse helped me on my feet within about 2 hours of being in my room. No luck on the bathroom- but I found I could get up and move. After that we did my sips test at 1:15 which went really well. After that I got white grape juice watered down and water to sip on. Goal was 5 med cups (2 tablespoons) an hour. After that another nurse came in wanting my to start walking. He helped me into my really comfy pj pants- no open booty walks for me! We did 2 laps around my ward. I ended up in the locked pediatric location so they were a little more lax with me about walking on my own. During this time I also attempted to go to the bathroom a few more times. Finally before 8pm my nurse came in turned the sink on and basically told me to relax and I was in my head about not going. ALAS- it worked- a ton of relief happened from being able to go. That night I walked more- drank more- slept more and prayed I was gonna be able to go home. I swear every time I was falling asleep the nurse aid came in to take my vitals. ☹️ the nurse aid also had no knowledge base in what I had done so when I asked for broth she told me to order… there were no ordering food for sleeve patients. The broth was in the kitchen on the floor so that was a bit of a run around but it all worked out well. The next morning a different bariatric surgeon came in to talk to me- mine didn’t come in on Sundays…. But he was cool and told me I could go home! So I got my paper work and then a nurse came in unhooked my from my IV so I got dressed. My nurse came in gave me a cart and some directions and away I went. I got my meds filled there and then waited for my mom to pick me up. The first day I was home I was very slow moving. Ended up sleeping in a recliner because it hurt too much to get out of bed. Monday and Tuesday went similar- very quiet working on getting liquids in and moving around as much as possible. Today I can get up much easier and moving around a lot more. Since I’ve been home I’ve only taken Tylenol for pain killers- they gave me more but I haven’t felt like the pain was bad enough to use them. Here are my number so far… Starting process- 270.9 Surgery day- 258.6 2 days home- 256.6 So far I’ve lost 14 pounds. I can’t wait to see where I am in a month. I’ll definitely keep posting my journey here. Wish me luck!

^^^^ I was just going to say that! A lot of bariatric patients from the NYC area have used him and been very happy with the results.

Sindibee I'm having an issue getting enough water also. Fluids have been a struggle. I checked in with the Dr on the 18th and I've hit the bariatric plateau. Now I'm going to start things all over to see if I can restart my weight loss. I'd hate to think I did all of this for nothing. Especially considering all the meds needed.

I've been over 500 lbs in the past, but was around 480ish when I began my pre-op diet. As far as changing, I noticed my clothing sizes changing pretty quickly. I've gone from a size 62 pant pre-surgery to a size 52 within 5 months. I have a nice rain jacket that I bought when I was near my biggest. It was a 5xlt and pre-surgery, it was very tight in the shoulders. I wore it the other day and I felt like a teenager borrowing his dad's jacket, it just hung off me. I don't notice the changes in the mirror as much, but that is due more to body dysmorphia (VERY common in bariatric patients) than it is a lack of change.

Was it your family doctor or bariatric surgeon who ordered the endoscopy? If family doc, was your bariatric surgeon in the loop on it! My thoughts is that there are a lot of things (potentially) going on in the blind look of the RNY (remnant stomach, duodenum, bile and pancreatic ducts, etc.) that aren't covered by an endoscopy as with the normal anatomy. So for instance, you may not be seeing any ulcers in your pouch, but there may be one in the remnant stomach. I would want to make sure that someone intimately familiar with your altered anatomy is in the loop on this.

Kurt, my man! Easy! You'll get there. Aside from the physical stuff so excellently covered by the kind people above - take a deep breath. You just had a huge part of a hormone-producing organ taken out - consider you could be recalibrating hormones and this will affect your mental state. Upside for the guys; in a few weeks or months, you'll experience the male post-bariatric testosterone boost. It'll be like you're 16 again, for better and worse. Just watch yourself from the outside a bit, take a deep breath, follow your plan, get your fluids, get your sleep, laugh at the comical stuff we experience on this ride. And yeah, strap yourself in, it's a hell of a ride. A good one, usually.

I went ultra-low carb (20g net carbs a day), but I’m not vegetarian so it would’ve been easier for me. This was not my prescribed program, i chose to do this on my own (and fully disclosed it to my NUT). I didn’t eat any fruit during weight loss phase save for the occasional berry (least amount of sugar in the fruit family). But i do now at 3+ years post op. You can try google-ing Vegetarian Keto for some food/recipe ideas, but i think that so soon after surgery you may not reach your bariatric protein requirements and stay below your maintenance calories to be true Keto. So maybe a modified version of it?

Yep. Further, at 9 months post-op, I renewed my passport early (2 years before it was set to expire) because it was getting annoying/stressful having to explain that i was in fact me at airports. Im 3+ yrs post op now and a few months ago, I renewed my driver’s license and its nice to not have to explain my appearance to the people at the liquor store when I get carded. Though getting carded at all is an NSV in itself cuz im like 50 years old. Lol. Congrats, and enjoy the broken face!

Every single one of my doctors encouraged me to get bariatric surgery because they said that it would cure all my comorbidities. I have type 2 diabetes, idiopathic intercranial hypertension, migraine, GERD, and hypertension all of which they said would go away. I think I should have realized that was super optimistic. These are the same doctors that said if I lost 10% of my body weight, all of these would get better and they didn't. Well I've had the surgery. I've lost 93lbs so far and ... I still have every single one of those problems. I feel a bit mislead or maybe just broken. I have other medical problems besides those, they were just the ones they blamed on my weight. I like losing weight but had gotten my hopes up about being less impacted by these other diseases and it didn't pan out. Did it work out for anyone else and they actually had other medical problems resolve after surgery?

Hi, I just started with a Bariatric Center with the goal of gastric sleeve, and I'm confused enough it's frustrating. Had my first visit with surgeon, he told me that for my insurance, I should lose 10 lbs (no more without endangering my insurance).. Seems like it's five months until surgery, possibly six. I then attended a (no lies, pretty bad) online group nutritional presentation, that really skimmed over things like no caffeine and no carbonated bees, and was also informed that I had responsibilities to make ALL my pre op appointments myself, but I haven't been given any list of labs/tests to do so. I have no diet assigned... ? No instructions were specific about what I should be eating right now, but am trying to go for a LOT more protein and a LOT less carbs. Am I supposed to be starting with protein shakes? They mentioned, but no real clear direction. No followup appointments with the bariatric center have been scheduled as yet, no one has returned my call of last week, basically begging for my pre op appointment list. I try to be patient but am definitely a type A person who likes to plan. I am worried about losing too much weight and very confused about what specifically my diet IS. Already down about 2.5 pounds. I don't do well with uncertainty I guess. Also, the changes over the past two weeks, eating less, the ever=present journalling of food, the appointments I have been called for (apparently, not everything was my responsibility), the trying to lessen the caffeine, and my beloved sodastream plain seltzers, is difficult. I'm definitely planning to call the center with more specific questions this week, and in hopes I receive a call back, but can anyone give me a feel for what the first couple weeks in a program are like, and should I relax about what feels like chaos?

Here Goes; I have been in denial & coming back home to this forum has made me "see" that I have a lot of work to do & accountability. In the Spring of 2020 during the height of COVID my neighbors dog ran out on me and as I stumbled while trying to get away from the dog I fell, hit the concrete, & couldn't move. I had broken a bone in my back. I cried at every day for at least 2 weeks due to the pain. I was immobilized and the work I did outside of my home that had me active, lifting heavy items, & always moving I could no longer due. Here 1 1/2 years later I continue to have back issues. If I walk too long, lift too much or sit too long I am in pain. Although I can't consume a lot of food at one time, I know I am getting calories in with the wrong things. After surgery I was no longer able to drink straight water, it would make me nauseated and it would come back up so I know I am not getting enough fluids in. I am vitamin deficient (lab results) and I have put too much of my time into helping family & friends that honestly, I forgot about me. I was at 163lbs now I am at 190. I was 33lbs from goal now I am at 60lbs from goal. I know to some it may not seem like a lot but most of us know losing 5lbs takes a lot of effort! Bariatric Pal Forums: Coming back home & reading posts after being away so long has made me look at myself in the mirror & remember what I did in the first place that made my weight loss successful. SO HERE I GO: recommitting to myself; committing to the 30/15 rule (wait to eat 15 mins after drinking and wait to drink 30 mins after eating), COUNTING my calories & making sure I get in my grams of protein (which Unjury is a great brand), finding health zero cal/sugar enhancers to get my water in daily; & getting back to strength training that would not put a strain on my back. I don't know about you guys but COVID time gave me an excuse to cancel my Planet Fitness membership 😕 Am I going to do what they call a "pouch reset"? Nawhhhh...I'm doing a recommitment to self reset. I know what to do & I have all the tools (food scale, portion control serving utensils etc.) I am raising the bar once again for my life. Thank you Fitness Pal Family for always being here and giving all of us prodigal children a home to come back to. eating reset back to basics.doc

Where they located? Dr Yu is such a common name lol. There is a Bariatric surgeon here in my part of Florida with that name.

I do not have my date yet, but I expect it will be late February. I did my cardio clearance today and I am pretty optimistic I did ok. I didn’t pass out or fall off the bike (lol) . I’ve done the sleep study and most of the blood work. Will do the rest and my chest x ray when I get a definitive date. I’m in Fort Worth Texas if anyone is looking for local support .I’m using Dr Adam Smith at Ultimate Bariatrics.

For foods: Stick to whole foods. You don't need any premade, prepackaged, keto or bariatric foods. Meats, cheese, fruits & veggies, eggs, etc. If you buy ingredients and make your own meals, you don't need to worry about nutrition labels. I know it seems boring, but the trick is to switch up flavors (Spanish, Asian, etc. etc.) and figure out what you like. Cottage cheese, jerkey, protein bars/shakes, hummus, and things like that are all generally very safe bets as well. Recipes: Look in the forums here, Pinterest, or online for cookbooks. Also, find support from a registered dietician if you can - @theguacwarddietitian, @bariatric.meal.prep, @bariatricchefboyrd, and @mybariatricdietitian on IG are all great, as is @BariNation. Exercise: Fitness Blender (website or YouTube) and Get Fit With Rick (website or YouTube) are great resources for at home workouts. They both have a wide variety from super beginner to super advanced, many that do not require any equipment at all. Pre-Op Diet: This varies WIDELY from surgeon to surgeon. Some require a period of liquids only, some have a whole foods, low carb based approach. Your surgeon should be telling you exactly what they expect you to be doing pre-op. Lastly, please make sure you are having this conversation with your surgeon. They should be providing you with nutritional guidance, meal plan resources, etc.