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Hi there, Newbie here. My surgery is March 10 and I'm starting the liver reduction diet tomorrow. I have a few questions... Should I start taking bariatric vitamins now? Should I reevaluate my anxiety meds due to the possibility of nonabsorption? What should I bring for recovery? (My surgery's out of state) What should I expect as far as mobility immediately after surgery? Thanks in advance!! Amanda

Hi and welcome! Congrats on listening to your body and noting the cues it's giving you!!! Waaaahhhhoooooooo! That is totally part of how we come to have "light bulb moments" with the signals our bodies send us! Most likely what's happening for many reasons is: The food is very processed so it hits your blood stream as glucose faster which causes a higher insulin spike. When your blood glucose falls, then you get hungry again. And it can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 3-6 hours depending on the food source. Right? The less processed a food is and the more dense, dry and solid it is, the longer is stays in our new tools, the more work and energy the body expends to send it out of our tums and into our gut, and the slower we digest the food in our gut, the slower the broken down macro nutrient takes to get the glucose that can be wrung out of it, into our blood stream. Slow is good! Liquids = super fast Mechanically ground = super fast Solids, low carb, low calorie dense, high fiber = very slow or at least slower Solids, dense, lean, no "lube", low fat = slowest and ideal Sorry to geek out on you! (I ate eggs and sausage with avocado and pico at 10:45 this morning and I've yet to eat again cuz have been full all day. ) Tonight I'm eating a king's meal: steak, asparagus, avo & tom salad.

Am I reading this correctly— you’ve lost 123 lbs since your surgery on 1/16/20 and It’s only 2/23/20. I figure you meant you had the surgery in 2019. Anyway, a 123 pound loss is phenomenal. Congratulations!

I encourage you to do so. My employer kept changing insurance carriers the last two years I worked before my retirement. During that time, I worked with my PCP and watched what I ate and exercised. I was not able to get my surgery until after I became eligible for Medicare coverage. I had lost 35 pounds on my own before my surgery on 8/21/19. I just passed my six month anniversary from surgery and I am down an additional 78 pounds. My starting weight in 2017 was 315 pounds. At surgery I weighed 280. I am now down to 201. I can’t believe that I am one pound shy of being less than 200 pounds. I haven’t weighed so little since my twenties!

Yesterday Saturday, Feb 22 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.33 yrs PO Sleeve / 113.4 lbs ---------------------------------------- Don't know whats going on...had another day of slimies I don't know if I am getting the slimies because I'm not eating much, or I'm not eating much because I have the slimies. I did just come back from Costco shopping this AM, so there is now a drawer full of salad greens & other good stuff so maybe if I get back to my regular diet and start eating "normally" again, the scale will stop going down. The Kids says to just eat some cookies. Mr. says cut back on the coffee. I like the Kid's suggestion better. 😎 ---------------------------------------- 9:00am - black coffee w/ stevia 12:30pm - 2.5 oz pan fried brussel sprouts in bacon fat + 1/2 package shiratake noodles + 2.5 oz grilled chicken + 1 tsp garlic chili oil * ate a few bites of this * 5:00pm - * 1/2 the leftovers of 12:30pm meal * + 2 oz chicken adobo 8:00pm - * the rest of the leftovers of 12:30pm meal * + 1/2 cup canned corn niblets + 3 oz grilled chicken + 1 tsp garlic chili oil 10:00pm - 1/2 cup cashew milk --------------------------------------- Totals: 560 cals - 47g Protein - 24g NET carbs - 26g fat

Hey y’all!! MIA all week again- it’s all I can do during the work week to come home, do a load of laundry and cook dinner for my 9 & 10 yo. Whew Mama is TIRED! I wanted to give y’all a little update on my progress- I can’t get on my iPad for some reason so I can’t change my ticker but I’m down to 232.2- woot! That’s 43.2# so far! This week was slower but I’m eating and drinking more- still loosing about half a lb a day so that’s good. A NSV is that I went to the Goodwill on Monday ( $.99 cent day at my GW) and bought a bunch of size 18 khaki pants- typical art teacher attire- and THEY ZIPPED THIS MORNING! I was a size 24 Jan 2!! Hekka Yeah! Finally I had a GNO last night- we went to a local pub and then to see Mama Mia our on by our local theater club. I didn’t drink but I ordered their naked mugs (real chicken breast cup into cubes). We were in the nosebleeds- the theater is super old so during segregation it was the “black section” and the seats are TINY dingy and HOT! But I fit!!!!!! I’m attaching a picture of me in my SIZE LARGE dress that I wore (not XXL like 2 months ago!!!) Also attached is a comparison pic- Jan 2 to last night. Total difference!!

I'm struggling with the clear liquids. I don't really like the crystal light, but that might help you if you like the taste. I made a pitcher of it with about 50% more water and I find it ok watered down. The other things I am doing for clear liquids are; Herbal tea with a little stevia (I like mint, ginger and a Yogi kind called Egyptian Licorice), bone broth (Swanson, chicken bone broth, also gives you some protein and is a nice break from all the sweet, sweet, sweet) and frozen sugar free pops. Someone had recommended Hint water, I got the watermelon and I really like that, I had a 16 oz bottle of that over about 2 1/2 hours yesterday. It just takes so looooong. I tried the protein water, but I could not stand it. I tried watering it down, I tried freezing it, I tried freezing it watered down, I can't get it in without retching. I am amazed at how tired I am by walking still! I have been trying to walk every hour, but I can't do much more than 10 minutes before I feel really weary. Hopefully we will get stronger every day! I am glad I have one more week off from work. I was going to try to go back after 2 weeks, but I think just for stamina I need another week. I love reading your updates! Onward and upward (or...downward I hope.)

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No, these were all sale items I had found when I was a size 10/12 thinking let me get them and just see! I found an absolutely gorgeous navy blue couture dress that is a true size 6. Now I know I'm smaller - as we know the designer lines are accurate. So excited to share the fruits of my labor these past few weeks. I desperately needed to replace all the basics... dresses, tops, bottoms, belts etc. Mission accomplished! ;]

My surgery is Thursday the 27th. I have been doing the 2 week pre-op diet. It is soooo hard. I have had protein shakes, daily, jello, cottage cheese ect. that is called for. Last week when I started I make this chicken santa fe soup all the time for my family( a family favorite)that consist of chicken breast, black beans, onion, taco seasoning, chicken broth and tomato juice! Since my diet consist of up to 2 cups of tomato juice daily and unlimited chicken broth I would eat the broth part of the soup that was more flavorful than just having tomato juice or chicken broth by itself. I have a very active job sometimes walking anywhere from 6-10 thousand steps a day, so this restriction has been hard. I have had 3 premier protein shakes a day, the soup broth, and 2 cups of cottage cheese a day mixed with jello and cheated with a little sugar free cool whip on top. Today I have felt very weak and very tired and instead of having 3 shakes I had 2 but I ate a little bit of deli ham. No bread or anything just maybe a couple of ounces. I felt like I just had to have something I was starving. I really hope I haven't sabotaged my surgery. I have also been in the bathroom a lot today to the point there is just water coming out today. I don't know what to think. I feel like I have already had the magnesium citrate and that is not until Wednesday? IDK what to think?

I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible. Sorry if I rant on and on. As I went from 240 lbs to 390 lbs between 2009-2019 I slowly hid myself away from friends and family. The truth is I was in denial about how bad things were getting and I was embarrassed. I was ashamed of how I couldn’t keep up with my friends just walking around the city or fitting into booths at restaurants for family milestones. I was out of breath walking into work from the parking lot. I felt like if I could avoid these things in front of other people, if other people couldn’t confirm how limited I had become, it somehow made it less true. I have missed SO many adventures and huge important events in my loved ones lives simply because I was physically unable. This hurts my heart. In 2018 I ditched a good friend’s bachelorette weekend out of town because I was so anxious about how I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everyone. Like literally I could not walk around and I felt ridiculous going to clubs with girls wearing their best outfits and me in an oversized T-shirt. By that point I couldn’t stand for 5 mins without my lower back screaming. Our friendship has not been the same since. I have always thought that was the turning point in our friendship. Now fast forward to late 2019. I happened to be invited to another good friend’s bachelorette weekend. This is a friend I met in college and we were so close we lived together for a couple of years. This is also when my depression/weight gain really got bad. I did my best to hide it, but I’m sure it was obvious. Over the last 7 years I have make excuses to avoid meeting up with her because she is so active. I even prayed she wouldn’t ask me to be a bridesmaid. How sad is that? I really didn’t think I could make it through the dress shopping bit. Pre-surgery I was 390 lbs and a size 26. This friend has run the NYC marathon and I was at least 220 lbs heavier than any other girl in her friend circle. When I was invited on the bachelorette weekend I immediately thought of ways to get out of it. I told one of the maids of honor that I didn’t think it would be a good idea since it was still early after surgery and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. Well it’s been almost 5 months and I’ve been so lucky to have zero complications. My mobility is much better too. I am also sober by choice. I was never a big drinker anyways. I partied pretty hard as a teen so by the time I got to college I was somewhat past that phase. It doesn’t make me feel good and now with a sleeve I feel like alcohol serves me no purpose. Anyways what I am looking for is real honest advice. I feel immense guilt over declining this invite. I have thought about how I would feel if I was my friend. I could see how she would be upset or disappointed. Am I wrong to not go? I don’t drink and I’m trying so hard to stick to my diet. I know if I really wanted to I could make it work. I don’t want people to tell me what I want to hear. I guess I just want someone to say they understand what I’m saying and feeling. I don’t have anyone in my family or friends that are even overweight. I feel like no one can relate. Has anyone else been through this? Did things get better as you lost weight?

They said I was cath'd during surgery but other than that no, went home next day, could take my chewable multivitamin, blood pressure pill and biotin had chewable calcium surgery was Dec.10, 2019. Couple weeks I will be on regular foods! Woooohoooo

Thanks so much for your encouraging note. I really appreciate it. I see you had the sleeve...that's what I'm having. I want to lose 75-80 pounds. I'm only 5'2" and I weigh 202 now.... Actually, it was just a week ago I got a call to come in to see my surgeon and she gave me the "go". She told me to start losing weight on my own before the surgery (which is scheduled for this coming Wednesday.) I actually have lost 10 pounds in 7 days.. I proud of me and I'm proud of YOU Keep in touch. Many thanks, Grace

Wow thanks! I haven’t measured my self in 2 weeks. The last time I measured I had lost 10” total all over. I did have ALOT of muscle coming into this journey. Because I lift weights. And I’m really active in the gym. But nope defiantly 252 lol I wish it was lower my goal weight is 150. So I still have 102lbs to lose.

I don't know about anyone else, but some medication effects me different than before surgery. I take trazadone at bedtime and if I take it just 10 minutes before bed I am staggering all over the place, dizzy and I feel heavy. I try to take it as I am walking to the bedroom.

it may vary depending on insurance policies. With mine, I got billed for my 10% co-insurance after I had the various procedures done (sleep study, nuclear stress test, labs, surgery). Although I think by the time I had my surgery, I might have met my out-of-pocket maximum for the year, in which case I wouldn't have had to pay the co-insurance any more (once I've forked over something like $5000 in any given year, insurance starts covering 100%. I think I may have met my maximum that particular year - so my surgery might have been covered 100% - I can't remember, to be honest....). But if I paid anything for it, I would have been billed for it after the surgery.

go back to weighing/measuring and tracking your food, if you haven't already. I've found that if I don't, i start underestimating my calorie intake after awhile. Also, try to go back to the way you were eating the first year - protein first, then non-starchy vegetables. Then, if you have room, a small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb. I'm doing all that now because I want to lose 8-10 lbs. It'll be slow, but it should work...

Yesterday Friday, Feb 21 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.33 yrs PO Sleeve / 114.0 lbs ---------------------------------------- Seriously. If I don't go grocery shopping soon, I'm going to have to go back to eating all the sugar-laden stuff in the pantry... Also, had a weird day of slimies and chest fullness yesterday. I barfed up slime 4 times. Finally took a Nexium around 8pm and felt a little better by bedtime. And this morning I feel fine again. ---------------------------------------- 10:00am - black coffee w/ stevia 12:30pm - 1.5 oz pork adobo + 1.5 oz roast chicken + 1.5 tbsp tzatziki + 1/2 tsp chili oil 4:30pm - 1/3 cup cashew milk + 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1/2 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1 oz blueberries 7:30pm -3 oz roast chicken + 1.5 oz pork adobo + 3 oz pan fried brussel sprouts in bacon fat + 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1.5 fl oz pumpkin seeds --------------------------------------- Totals: 940 cals - 85g Protein - 42g NET carbs - 49g fat

Hi Dee. How are you?. You and I had surgery about the same time. I remember you from our September 2019 surgery thread. My surgery date was September 16th 2019 and I have lost 90 lbs so far. I had a two week stall similar to you recently which just broke last week. I even gained 2 lbs in the second week. However in the 3rd week I lost 6 lbs. Go figure. I have read and done so much research on stalls I was not really worried when it happened. I knew it was my body adjusting. The week right before the stall I started exercising and I lost 8 lbs that week. Then came two weeks of a stall and weight gain but I just rode it out and stuck to the plan. Plus I'm sure we are losing inches though its not being reflected on the scale. So when I see a stall I will get excited cause I know a good loss is coming because I normally lose 3 lbs a week on average. Hang in there Dee. Stick with the program and be patient cause you are doing great. Congrats on your weight loss so far. HW 342.8 beg of 2 wk preop liquid diet SW 327.8 Sept 16th 2019 CW 252.2 5 months PO

My facts: 55 yr old F, 35.8 BMI, had band removed in 2018. When I went back to surgeon ins the summer of 2019 he suggested RNY which surprised me because I was thinking sleeve. But since I had GERD when I had the band he said RNY. So I got my mind around RNY. I ended up getting bad gout that summer and surgeon decided one week before surgery that I should do VSG due the fact that RNY can cause gout attacks, malabsorption of meds, inability to take meds, etc. he told me he was afraid I would be miserable. So then I had to get my mind back around vsg. Lol Ultimately it looks like it all has worked out well. I am 4 months post op and 5 lbs from a goal that they didn’t believe I would get to. I’m sure either surgery would have given my these results because after all it really is up to us! You can eat around any surgery if you want to self sabotage. I pray that never happens to me again but Ultimately that will be up to me! Best wishes!!