Answers for a Newbie?

[It'sAlbright 22]

Hi all! Thank you for being so supportive and forthcoming to my previous post. I am getting closer and closer to having all my requirements done (and closer to a surgery date!) I do have a few questions that I am hoping any other RNY patient can answer.

1. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight?

2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)?

3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing?

4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated?

I am sure I will have a ton more questions later on, but I am so happy to be here and so thankful for any answers I will receive.

[Philly3178 3]

. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight? - I am 2 weeks post op and down 13 LBs already

2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)? Honestly? Cherry Jello and cream of chicken with garlic powder

3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing? Still recovering but I’m 30 and really only had 2 bad bad days and those were days 3 & 4 where the pain was awful

4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated? Haven’t done much exercising besides walking but motivation is the fact I’ll live longer and healthier.

[Smanky 747]

1) A couple of weeks after surgery the scales began to move. There's a lot of Water retention post-surgery, which throws a lot of people off. Best advice is to just ignore the scale while you're still healing from the procedure. The weight is definitely coming off, but there's some adjusting your body needs to do. It's been through a lot!

2) I had no appetite right after surgery and was on liquids, so I really can't recall anything that I honestly loved. I couldn't tolerate sweet things, so any liquid savoury Soup (like a simple miso) was appreciated. Unsweetened matcha lattes made on Protein fortified soy milk also kept me happy.

3) It took a good month for me to recover (I had a hernia repair with my bypass). Once the pain had finally gone and things settled in, I began to feel better pretty quickly. The first big improvement honestly came from having quit sugar from the pre-op diet onwards. By about week 3, my skin was clear and I really noticed how much better I was feeling. No more headaches.

4)The trick with exercise is to pick something you enjoy. There's no point joining a gym if you don't enjoy gym fitness. The best exercise is the one you'll actually do. I personally love the gym, it's my happy place so I don't need to motivate myself to go because I look forward to it. Find what gives you pleasure. It might be swimming, riding a bike, or just walking (great time to pop on headphones and listen to a podcast or audio book). There's honestly a fitness activity out there for everyone. Set aside the time for yourself and enjoy it.

[Guest]

1. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight?

Weight loss started pre-surgery and continued through surgery. Fat loss is constant with caloric deficit. Weight loss isn't so shouldn't be taken too seriously or monitored too carefully.

2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)?

I was on an Optifast only plan for ten days following surgery. I lasted a week and transitioned onto smooth blended Soups. I enjoyed neither.

3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing?

4 to 5 days.

4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated?

Easier than before - being lighter is a good feeling generally for walking and my walking speed has increased dramatically.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Guest

[GradyCat 3,695]

15 hours ago, It'sAlbright said:

Hi all! Thank you for being so supportive and forthcoming to my previous post. I am getting closer and closer to having all my requirements done (and closer to a surgery date!) I do have a few questions that I am hoping any other RNY patient can answer.

1. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight? IMMEDIATELY WITHIN 3 DAYS IT SHOWED UP ON THE SCALE

2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)? sugar-free POPSICLES

3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing? TWO DAYS

4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated? NO IT WAS A RELIEF TO EXERCISE WITH LESS FAT AND MORE MOBILITY. I LISTEN TO MUSIC IN MY EARBUDS WHILE I WORK OUT.

I am sure I will have a ton more questions later on, but I am so happy to be here and so thankful for any answers I will receive.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

16 hours ago, It'sAlbright said:

Hi all! Thank you for being so supportive and forthcoming to my previous post. I am getting closer and closer to having all my requirements done (and closer to a surgery date!) I do have a few questions that I am hoping any other RNY patient can answer.

1. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight? Within a week I was losing weight, but it wasn't a ton of weight. Like 9 lbs in the first month

2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)? Fat free, sugar free Greek yogurt

3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing? LOL. Everyone promised I'd have so much more energy. I have the same amount of energy. I still don't feel "amazing" at 7 months out. I stopped being exhausted and in pain at about 3 weeks out. At about 3 months out I noticed I was walking faster

4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated? I still have trouble getting myself to exercise. I am not that motivated and don't exercise most days. If I'm working that day, it's very hard to get myself to exercise, but if it's a weekend or vacation, I'm much better. I try to stick to things that are more enjoyable to me - like swimming laps or walking. I've had a lot of muscle/joint pain (more than before surgery) so I'm limited at the gym.

I am sure I will have a ton more questions later on, but I am so happy to be here and so thankful for any answers I will receive.

Good luck!

16 hours ago, It'sAlbright said:

[BigSue 1,364]

1. Like many people, I weighed more when I left the hospital than when I checked in, due to the IV fluids. The number on the scale is meaningless for at least the first couple of weeks. I see people here all the time who are freaking out that they haven’t lost weight in the first week, but you need to have patience. The first few weeks are all about getting your Protein and Water. Don’t even look at the scale if it’s going to make you anxious.

I lost 70 pounds before surgery. Nobody seemed to notice until I had lost over 100 pounds total (about 2 months after surgery), which was also about the time I had to buy new pants. But I started out really big (BMI over 60), so it might be noticeable more quickly if you have less to lose.

2. I was on liquids for the first week, so options were limited. I mainly had Protein Shakes, protein Soups, sugar free Jello, and sugar free popsicles. In the puréed stage, I ate a lot of triple zero Greek yogurt and puréed refried Beans with enchilada sauce (both with Protein Powder mixed in).

3. I went back to work 11 days after surgery and I felt good. As I lost more weight, I felt great, full of energy even though I was eating very little. Unfortunately, that started to change about a year post-op, and now I feel weak and tired all the time.

4. I went from not really exercising at all to working out every day. My recommendation for starting out is Leslie Sansone videos on YouTube (someone here recommended them to me). I started with 15-minute videos and now I do about an hour every day. I also got a Fitbit and have over 1 year of 10,000 steps per day. It is hard to stay motivated because sometimes I just don’t wanna, but at the same time, it gets easier the more weight you lose and the better shape you get into.

This might be controversial, but it’s what works for me: I exercise every day. No days off. At least 30 minutes of cardio. To me, it’s easier keep it up when I tell myself I have to do it every day. Also, I used to work out when I got home from work. Now I work out first thing in the morning to get it out of the way and that’s a game changer. I wear my workout clothes to bed and put my pre-workout supplement on my nightstand. As soon as I wake up, I drink my pre-workout and start exercising.

[ElleyOtter 8]

On 4/19/2022 at 5:12 PM, It'sAlbright said:

Hi all! Thank you for being so supportive and forthcoming to my previous post. I am getting closer and closer to having all my requirements done (and closer to a surgery date!) I do have a few questions that I am hoping any other RNY patient can answer.

1. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight?

2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)?

3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing?

4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated?

I am sure I will have a ton more questions later on, but I am so happy to be here and so thankful for any answers I will receive.

1. How long after surgery did it take for you to notice that you were losing weight? Literally - within days. My face started slimming out before I could comfortably get out of my recliner, haha.

2. What was one of your favorite items to eat right after surgery (would love recipes)? RIGHT after surgery I was on a clear liquid diet for a week, then full liquids for another 2 weeks. I really liked the Gatorade Zero Protein - got some protein in, and it worked well to mix my daily dose of Miralax into. On the puree stage, I loved some Beans (black or pinto) pureed and then heated up with a bit of cheese and a drizzle of taco sauce. YUMMM.

3. How long after surgery did it take you to feel amazing? I had a lot of post-operative pain because of some complications, so I struggled with pain for the first 3 weeks. Once that deep muscle pain finally went away, I felt awesome really quickly. About the time I got to start eating some foods instead of only liquids.

4. When exercising, was it hard to get in to the habit of doing so? If it was hard, how did you keep yourself motivated? Some days are harder than others for sure. I'm 2 months post-op, and am motivated by all the non-scale victories - like being able to fit into the jeans that were too tight when I had to go back to the office! And I'm finally under the weight limit for my bike so I can ride it this summer! I started with walking and at firt could only make it down the street and back, and now I walk every day because it's my calming practice. I exercise 60 minutes a day most days now at 2 months post-op, mostly walking but some swimming, strength training, VR boxing... I'm constantly amazed by how much more ENERGY I have now!!

[IWant ToDelete MyProfile 37]

I’m curious, when’s your surgery?? I’m nearing the end of my program too and looking at an end of May or early/mid June surgery. I was wondering these same things. So thanks for asking them!

[It'sAlbright 22]

On 4/21/2022 at 4:31 PM, Edmira said:

I’m curious, when’s your surgery?? I’m nearing the end of my program too and looking at an end of May or early/mid June surgery. I was wondering these same things. So thanks for asking them!

Hi! My last appointment with the behavioral health and final surgeon appointment are on June 9th. I am not sure how long of a wait time it will be to schedule surgery (insurance approval etc.) I am nervous and excited! Good luck with your journey!