What's "Typical" in this New Atypical Life?

[Taylor5 98]

I know everyone is different...So everything is different for each person. But when polling a group of people you can get a better sense of what is "typical", even in this totally atypical post-op world I've now joined you in.

So, is anyone up for sharing your approximate # of cals you take in per day (or took in post-op rather)? I know many may not count calories, espec at first, being more concerned w/fluid & Protein intake. I'm just curious, bc at the end of the day, in some ways it still comes down to calories in vs. calories out, right?

I'm a little discouraged, I guess. Trying not to be, but failing.

I lost 10 lbs. pre-op bc I did my extended pre-op diet in stages to stave off severe side effects. I was good with that decision.

Three days post-op I weighed myself at the hotel and I was down another 5 lbs already! I was totally stoked! I hadn't had any, um, movements yet, and knew I was still swollen, so I was really happy to see that # of 190 on the scale! Also, my stomach was a little sunken in around my belly button. It has been hard/round/pushed out for so long that I had almost forgotten I used to have an "innie". I was so happy that day and grateful I had done this.

Now back at home, I have added a Protein Shake in each day, per my nutritionist. My cals per day I estimate have gone from approx 500 to approx 750. My tummy (espec naval area) is looking rounded and more firm again rather than sunken in (which had been a lovely sight). And my scale has gone up a lb or so. I have had several BM's (sorry TMI), so feel like that should have helped, if anything, but apparently not. Honestly, I am feeling pretty low and am not sure what to do about it. Taking in less calories seems ridiculous as I feel fairly hungry right now (yeah, I know, I didn't expect that either - I fill up quickly, but still have an appetite - my tastes have not changed - and there's definitely some head hunger going on as well).

So, I'm not exactly "active" right now bc my tummy is still tender on the left side and near one incision, and I also still have my back and neck pain. Plan to add in more 5-10 min walks per day to help "get my steps in".

Sorry, I rambled on again...Just, anyone who can share calorie experiences in the first 1-3 months, espec if you can give some perspective on what your weight and activity level were (for comparison/reference) and if you lost consistently, I would really appreciate it. Thanks

[BigAussieGirl 162]

Hi, for the first few months I was having about 450 calorie a day. It wasn’t enough once I started exercising/weights my NUT advised I increase my calories to 600 -800. I feel much better since increasing my calories, more energy and enjoying life more. I’ve had a few stalls, that’s just part of it. I’ve lost 48 kgs/105 pounds total inc 2 week pre-op liquid diet. My surgery was 21 Aug 2017.

Good luck on your weight loss journey.

[BigAussieGirl 162]

Hi, for the first few months I was having about 450 calorie a day. It wasn’t enough once I started exercising/weights my NUT advised I increase my calories to 600 -800. I feel much better since increasing my calories, more energy and enjoying life more. I’ve had a few stalls, that’s just part of it. I’ve lost 48 kgs/105 pounds total inc 2 week pre-op liquid diet. My surgery was 21 Aug 2017.

Good luck on your weight loss journey.

[BigAussieGirl 162]

Hi, for the first few months I was having about 450 calorie a day. It wasn’t enough once I started exercising/weights my NUT advised I increase my calories to 600 -800. I feel much better since increasing my calories, more energy and enjoying life more. I’ve had a few stalls, that’s just part of it. I’ve lost 48 kgs/105 pounds total inc 2 week pre-op liquid diet. My surgery was 21 Aug 2017.

Good luck on your weight loss journey.

[Taylor5 98]

1 hour ago, BigAussieGirl said:

for the first few months I was having about 450 calorie a day

450, wow that's low. Especially because I actually feel hungry at meal time. I can't take in much, but everything in the house looks and smells great even though I try to stay away from food that's not mine. Visions in my head are tempting too. I think I can handle where I am now for a while cal -wise, but 450 cal w/o exercise or 600-800 w/exercise seems Low. I didn't realize it would need to be that low. I did a ton of research...I'm going back through some of it now...but it doesn't say much about actual calorie consumption. Note to self: This is going to be harder than you thought. Start planning again. Ugh.

Thank you for your response, and good luck to you as well - you've already done so well, congratulations!

[BigAussieGirl 162]

Hi, everyone is different. At this stage I don’t get hungry at all. My doctor had advised that this will change in time and I’ll need more calories .

[Taylor5 98]

16 minutes ago, BigAussieGirl said:

At this stage I don’t get hungry at all

You guys are so lucky...I banked on that and I shouldn't have.

[orionburn 1,024]

I know it's hard to resist counting calories, but honestly in the early days don't stress about it. I did my journals to track Protein as usual. First couple of weeks I was probably around 600 a day. That's all I could manage. Mainly stuck to yogurts, Protein Shakes, and the early soft foods allowed on my plan. If you're info is accurate it looks like you're only about a week out from sugery? Seriously that's way to early to be stressing about the weight coming off. Getting healed up is priority #1. The weight will come off. Your body has been through a helluva a lot so be patient with it.

You're also at a bit lower weight than a lot of others. It's just the nature of the beast. It always seems that weight comes off quicker in the beginning for those that weigh more. Focus on the basics right now. Don't think of your walks as exercise to lose weight. It's to get you up and moving and help the healing process. You got all the time in the world coming up to fine tune your diet and exercise program. I had complications after surgery which made for a very long 2 weeks after surgery. Don't push yourself too hard because it isn't worth risking any setbacks.

In time you'll get your calories up, and you're right that you will need to. If they're too low your body will resist wanting to shed weight. I hit a stall for about a week or two in the early months and found that actually increasing my calories helped get the weight coming off again. That being said we're all different. Keep doing a food journal because that will give you something to go back and look at and help figure out what is and isn't working for you.

In a few weeks you'll have a lot more options and you'll be feeling way better. The time right after surgery is tough physically as well as mentally. The mental part is what a lot of us weren't fully prepared for. Give it some time and it will all be good!

[AZLoser 103]

The first 4 months I was under 500 cal. Very typical for the program I'm in. I was up to 800 until recently. Now a year out I'm about 1000 but my rate of loss is too slow so I'm going to bump back to 800. Are you on a PPI/antacid? That can really help as the acid can make you feel hungry. I get hungry too. That's my biggest disappointment in the process.

[Taylor5 98]

11 minutes ago, AZLoser said:

I get hungry too. That's my biggest disappointment in the process

Thank you so much - while I'm not happy you have to deal with this issue too, I'm glad to know it's not just some problem with me. I assumed Everyone didn't feel hungry at first, and then when that wore off was different for each person. Never occured to me that I would never experience that anomaly at all! What a disappointment, sigh.

I do take OTC Nexium bc I already had mild reflux before the procedure that was well controlled with the med. I should probably up my dosage to 40 mg, which is what typical Rx strength is, and see if that helps at all - thanks for the reminder about that.

I have been chewing sugarless gum (and keeping track of the minimal calories). I get severe dry mouth from my meds that Water alone doesn't always help. Plus, switching up flavors has been helping to keep cravings for things like hard candy and other sweets at bay. I just ordered Trident in bulk on Amazon, lol, so I hope this isn't an issue, but now I am wondering.

The first few days post op I'd only have 2-3 pieces all day. Now I'm up to maybe 10, which is about 50 calories. I know there is a concern with excess gas caused by chewing gum. I do have some gas but nothing crazy or painful so far. But one thing I wonder about is that my tummy, espec around naval area, had taken on a "sunken in" appearance after surgery, and now I am back to "basketball belly" look - all round and firm and protruding. Could this really be caused by gas caused by chewing sugarless gum? Sheesh I hope not...but will investigate more...

[Taylor5 98]

@orionburn, thanks for the words of wisdom. Everything you said makes good sense. It's hard to keep all this in mind but I have to try harder. One thing I worry about is that Greek yogurt seems to play a big role in most recipes - quick, easy, higher in Protein - But I cannot tolerate the taste. Regular yogurt I do ok with, and although it's not a" favorite food", I could live with incorporating it more. But I'm not sure that will have the same desired effect...?

[orionburn 1,024]

Just now, Taylor5 said:

I have been chewing sugarless gum (and keeping track of the minimal calories). I get severe dry mouth from my meds that Water alone doesn't always help. Plus, switching up flavors has been helping to keep cravings for things like hard candy and other sweets at bay. I just ordered Trident in bulk on Amazon, lol, so I hope this isn't an issue, but now I am wondering.

The first few days post op I'd only have 2-3 pieces all day. Now I'm up to maybe 10, which is about 50 calories. I know there is a concern with excess gas caused by chewing gum. I do have some gas but nothing crazy or painful so far. But one thing I wonder about is that my tummy, espec around naval area, had taken on a "sunken in" appearance after surgery, and now I am back to "basketball belly" look - all round and firm and protruding. Could this really be caused by gas caused by chewing sugarless gum? Sheesh I hope not...but will investigate more...

The act of chewing starts sending signals to your stomach to prepare for food, so in all actuality you may be doing more harm than good for yourself. My doc flat out didn’t want us chewing any sort of gum for the first 2 months. Probably more caution than anything, but the fear was that in the early days after surgery you could accidentally swallow your gum and it could get stuck if you’re still fighting inflammation. The calories from the gum really isn’t much to be concerned with. I went through a ton of popsicles the first month after surgery. That gave me something to do since getting fluids in was a challenge for me.

[Taylor5 98]

5 minutes ago, orionburn said:

The act of chewing starts sending signals to your stomach to prepare for food, so in all actuality you may be doing more harm than good for yourself.

Ok, that makes sense! I'll try less or none for a few days and see what happens. Thx!

[orionburn 1,024]

Just now, Taylor5 said:

@orionburn, thanks for the words of wisdom. Everything you said makes good sense. It's hard to keep all this in mind but I have to try harder. One thing I worry about is that Greek yogurt seems to play a big role in most recipes - quick, easy, higher in Protein - But I cannot tolerate the taste. Regular yogurt I do ok with, and although it's not a" favorite food", I could live with incorporating it more. But I'm not sure that will have the same desired effect...?

I used to HATE Greek yogurt with a passion. I've actually come to like it now more than the standard Yoplait yogurts that I used to get. There are some really good ones out there now. The lower calorie ones that Dannon and Yoplait make are great and they actually have fruit in them. The Oikos ones are good as well but they aren't as good as the others IMO. Yogurts are clutch for me because it's an easy way to get a good shot of Protein and Calcium in.

If you can't stomach the taste of eating yogurt by itself the other thing you can do is try using it as a substitute for mayo. I've fine tuned my chicken salad recipe over the past few months. I’ve moved away from using only mayo to about 80% plain Greek yogurt and 20% mayo. It does make it a wee bit blander, but with the right seasonings it tastes just as good. So now I’ve managed to get more protein into it and cut way back on the calories/fat. It’s also an easy way to boost your Protein Shakes. Throw a spoonful in and you’ll never know it’s there.

In time you might find yourself liking it more. Right after surgery there were things I came to hate that I used to love. Certain drink mix flavors of Crystal Light were my favorites and came to despise them. The first month I was all screwed up with my taste buds. It’s normal to go through that and after a few weeks things got back to normal. I know for some they can’t do Greek yogurt no matter what. It can be an acquired taste for sure.