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Post by OnMyWay2Thin on Jul 28, 2014 12:19:48 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
Well, today is three weeks since surgery and I think I'm starting to get things a little better. I'm trying really hard not to compare myself to others but it's hard not to. Here's where I'm at with most things, I would love all of you to tell me if I'm on track as of three weeks, you are full of incredible information and knowledge so I read everything you write!
I'm in the puréed stage and not eating too much because my water and protein drink comes first. Each day I'm drinking a 35 gram protein drink called Pure Protein to get in the protein. It's making me gag now so I'm waiting on a delivery of ProStat which gives 15 grams per ounce protein, they gave it to me in the hospital and I liked it. I'll up the protein to 45 (3 ounces) when I get it. I'm also trying to fit in some other things. I had a tablespoon of peanut butter yesterday and today, a bit of my husband's delicious puréed chili with a little cheese, and a Polly o cheese stick, also. Should I not have cream of wheat and oatmeal due to lack of protein? That's what I'm thinking. I'm looking forward to soft foods next Tuesday. I'm assuming that's scallops, fish, or most foods that aren't tough.
Counting broth, I'm getting in about 45-50 ounces of water per day.
I'm doing okay getting around, not as good as others it seems. My belly area seems very tight but I'm trying. Still tired and getting by on Tylenol for the most part during the day and Roxicet before bed and first thing in the morning. My husband helps me get in bed and get out. My main pain comes from where the band was removed.
I go back to the surgeon next Tuesday, he's great. Makes both my husband and I laugh a lot. I'm wondering if he'll clear me for driving with Tylenol only and what else he will release me to do. We were considering going to an Irish Festival this weekend, what do you think, too soon or give it a try? I guess it's normal to want to start participating in fun things again.
One last thing, I'm down about 30 pounds since the shakes prior to surgery but that scale hadn't moved in a solid week. I've read enough of your feedback to know this is not unusual but I sure will be excited to see it start moving again! Hopefully, tomorrow.
Thanks in advance for your great feedback,
Kelly
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Post by bboop on Jul 28, 2014 14:31:48 GMT -5
Sounds good to me. And no, no cream of wheat or oatmeal...you can do it, but you have very little room in that tummy and I would make sure it went to hydration and protein. Not what you wanted to hear, I know. Sorry.
Have you tried jello and popcicyles? Don't forget sugar free pudding, too. There's a whole world of things you can nibble on at this point.
You sound like everything is right on track.
Go to the festival this weekend and see how you do. Tell your husband that you may not make it for the entire day, and go with that understanding. He will understand I'm sure. One thing I recommend is to shower the night before...then go to sleep. I swear showers just wore me out. I always had to take a nap afterwards.
Welcome to the dark side and I'm happy you had an uneventful surgery and looks like so far a normal recovery. Way to go. The weight will come off. Just give it more time. That I can promise you.
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Post by west4thavenue on Jul 28, 2014 15:50:44 GMT -5
Hi, Kelly! Glad to hear from you!
I agree with bboop. Everything sounds pretty normal to me. Revision is not an easy surgery and recovery takes time. The little bit of a stall is normal, too. I must be the first one to admit that it gives me the creeps every time I hit one of them. For the past 12 days, I was stuck. Then BOOM! This morning, 2 pounds down. It has become more of a step, pause, step, pause... You have done wonderfully for 3 weeks out. Rapid weight loss is tough on the body. It just needs a little rest now and again.
If you feel up to the Irish festival this weekend, by all means, GO! and have a fabulous time. Ask the band to play "Mary Mac" for you. Fun pub tune.
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Post by OnMyWay2Thin on Jul 28, 2014 18:31:46 GMT -5
Hi bboop, thanks for the great feedback. The reassurance feels great and makes me more confident. The cream of wheat and oatmeal was on the recommended list from the nutritionist so my husband bought it, that's why I ask. I would prefer protein based on feedback from this wall. I do think we'll try going to the festival, I know my husband will understand if it's too much!
Monica, I read all your posts, thanks for responding. I appreciate the feedback on the stall. I kind of knew I couldn't continue at the fast rate, but you hit the nail on its head when you said it still brings some worry. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll ask for the song you recommend...
Hope you both have a great week!
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dawn4511
Junior Member
Posts: 92
Surgery Type: Revision
Surgery Date: 08/14/2014
Surgeon: Dr Dennis Hong
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Post by dawn4511 on Jul 28, 2014 19:35:19 GMT -5
Hi Kelly
Glad your recovery is going so well, good work getting in your protein.
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Post by OnMyWay2Thin on Jul 28, 2014 19:48:06 GMT -5
Thanks, Dawn, I appreciate it! You'll soon be done and feeling good yourself!
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Post by Girlrocker on Jul 30, 2014 10:36:38 GMT -5
Hi there, sorry I missed your update last week! You sound overall really good on ALL fronts. Did you go to the festival? Bascially the hardest part of going out for me was being unsure of the bathroom  and my energy. I did things in small steps and the friends I was with understood. One of my first outings was a big art expo, it was easy because I just walked, could take rest breaks and they had good bathrooms. Soft proteins are a nice place to be - eggs, tuna/egg salad (or shrimp/crab if you like it), deli/cheese rollups are good protein and not too dense. I also liked some soy products during this time, from burger/chikn patties (Boca, Garden) to using soy chorizo in my eggs for a change of pace. Ideally you'll work with a 50g carb guideline, and at this phase when you can't eat much, is easy to play with. I needed some kind of 'starch' so I ate oatmeal, used half low-carb tortilla for a long time for 'bread' and soy flaxseed tortilla chips for some kind of chip-cracker. Oatmeal is the better option vs. cream of wheat, because it's a complex carb and has protein. Many people like to add unflavored protein to that, soups, etc. Unjury makes a good one. My preference was I pureed tofu (one of the few non-animal complete proteins) or eggs into many things Yes, even oatmeal! I couldn't manage much oatmeal right away, too heavy, just a few teaspoons. I also doubled the scoops in my daily protein shakes. The first big weight loss drop after surgery is a huge change/shock to body, as is the surgery itself. So you're doing just fine there. Look at the first drop like the induction phase many diets use, you have a nice launch pad to start from. The scale will move again. Your goal protein wise is 30/60/90/120g to days out. I wanted to keep my protein up there and relied on shakes to do it for a long time until I could eat more. Doubling my scoops gave me 60g a shake, and it was easy for me to get down made with water. Took awhile! But I could do it, and actually, I still do that today, one a day. I like the bank of protein plus I genuinely like protein shakes and smoothies. |
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Post by historytracker on Jul 30, 2014 15:47:11 GMT -5
Kelly:
Go to the Irish Festival and have a good time. I am happy to hear that you are progressing well. I did not do the cream of wheat or oatmeal because they are a carb and I did not want to start that bad habit. I want to pick and choose my carbs and limit them to 50 g a day. I still double my protein every day to start with 50 grams. I am using Isopure Zero Carb as well as Ultramet Low Carb which has 35 g of protein. I also ate refried beans with cheese, string cheese, sf pudding with protein powder.
Your husband's chili sounds great. I made homemade sauce with hamburger and pancetta. The tomatoes came from our garden and for all of you - nothing is better than a Jersey tomato. I put other vegetables (zucchini) and pureed it. It was the first homemade dish I tasted and was so yummy.
I had the scale stop for a while, but now I am back on track. I use my fitness pal to track what I am eating and keeping count of my protein, carbs and fats. I am seeing Dr. Greenbaum on Wednesday next week so we will see what he says about the weight loss.
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Post by illinids2 on Jul 30, 2014 17:08:20 GMT -5
Kelly: Go to the Irish Festival and have a good time. I am happy to hear that you are progressing well. I did not do the cream of wheat or oatmeal because they are a carb and I did not want to start that bad habit. I want to pick and choose my carbs and limit them to 50 g a day. I still double my protein every day to start with 50 grams. I am using Isopure Zero Carb as well as Ultramet Low Carb which has 35 g of protein. I also ate refried beans with cheese, string cheese, sf pudding with protein powder. Your husband's chili sounds great. I made homemade sauce with hamburger and pancetta. The tomatoes came from our garden and for all of you - nothing is better than a Jersey tomato. I put other vegetables (zucchini) and pureed it. It was the first homemade dish I tasted and was so yummy. I had the scale stop for a while, but now I am back on track. I use my fitness pal to track what I am eating and keeping count of my protein, carbs and fats. I am seeing Dr. Greenbaum on Wednesday next week so we will see what he says about the weight loss. You are only 30 days out, and don't take this the wrong way, but what exactly are you expecting? 150 in a month? Relax, the weight loss is going to happen..even you eat a few carbs like delicious cream of wheat with half and half..I did early on because it was about all that would go down and as of today I am down 176 pounds. I weighed myself once a week early on, as I like to track. Anymore than that is over measuring, IMO. Water weight, poop, etc will make it vary a pound or two so I just weighed once a week and when I got up that morning. You will get there so don't get too worried about the pace of loss...It is perfectly normal to do so, but don't stress yourself. |
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Post by historytracker on Jul 30, 2014 17:35:00 GMT -5
But I am revisional which makes it a little different. Your right I am 30 days out and I have no patience. The problem is that I am right where I left off with the lowest weight from the gastric bypass. So psychologically there is a small part of me who remembers the struggle from back in 2003.
Today I ate 690 calories, 18 grams of carbs and 30g of fat. I am hoping that the scale drops this week. As soon as the cardiologist approves me for the exercise that I want to do them I need to include that. But I am hoping that I am consuming more calories.
Good news today is that I really enjoyed 3 slices of center cut BACON, cooked crispy just the way I like.
Thank you. I just did the math and I lost 22 pounds since the surgery and that is within 1 month. Guess it is working.
Let's see what the second month brings.
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Post by illinids2 on Jul 30, 2014 17:42:20 GMT -5
But I am revisional which makes it a little different. Your right I am 30 days out and I have no patience. The problem is that I am right where I left off with the lowest weight from the gastric bypass. So psychologically there is a small part of me who remembers the struggle from back in 2003. Today I ate 690 calories, 18 grams of carbs and 30g of fat. I am hoping that the scale drops this week. As soon as the cardiologist approves me for the exercise that I want to do them I need to include that. But I am hoping that I am consuming more calories. Good news today is that I really enjoyed 3 slices of center cut BACON, cooked crispy just the way I like. Mom mm mm mm mm mm. Bacon!!!! Ha...I love me some bacon and I am glad you are able to as well. I get where your mind is at and it takes a while to fully come to terms with DS eating and expectations. As many have said, I never count calories or for that matter fat. I only track protein intake. I don't avoid fat but I don't seek it out either. As far as exercise, walking is great but you need to heal and get strength back so don't rush exercising too much. Your absorbed calories will be low so you don't want to burn too msn6. Protein and fluids are the key areas of focus now. You are doing well and the weight will come off. |
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Post by OnMyWay2Thin on Jul 30, 2014 19:03:42 GMT -5
Hi Sharyl, thanks for the feedback! I love your feedback, always detailed and chock full of good advice! I start soft foods next Tuesday and am looking forward to it.
Cindy, So great to hear how you're doing always, since you're a week ahead of me. If it doesn't rain this weekend, I do think we'll try going to the festival. You're right about the oatmeal and cream of wheat, I'm going to stay away from those carbs, too. That dish you made sounds wonderful and with those tomatoes from your garden, phenomenal! Cindy, you are doing great and will be completely successful, of this I have no doubt. Bacon sounds amazing, I'm not there yet though!!
Illinids2, I wish I could weigh myself once per week! That being said, I'm not concerned about the numbers (though I'm thrilled with them), I'm more concerned with getting my water, protein, and vitamins in. I'm trying to up all tomorrow, we'll see. Unfortunately, sometimes I still feel pains pretty bad from healing.
Thanks again for all your feedback! What would a person do without all of you...
Enjoy your night,
Kelly
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Post by goodkel on Jul 30, 2014 23:43:15 GMT -5
But I am revisional which makes it a little different. Your right I am 30 days out and I have no patience. The problem is that I am right where I left off with the lowest weight from the gastric bypass. So psychologically there is a small part of me who remembers the struggle from back in 2003. Today I ate 690 calories, 18 grams of carbs and 30g of fat. I am hoping that the scale drops this week. As soon as the cardiologist approves me for the exercise that I want to do them I need to include that. But I am hoping that I am consuming more calories. Good news today is that I really enjoyed 3 slices of center cut BACON, cooked crispy just the way I like. Thank you. I just did the math and I lost 22 pounds since the surgery and that is within 1 month. Guess it is working. Let's see what the second month brings. You don't have to count calories or fat. Neither count matters to your weight loss. The only two things you do have to count are carbs and protein. Although you will lose weight without exercise and slow your weight loss down if you push yourself too much, you will need to increase your protein ( a count I didn't see in your post). Whatever your surgeon releases you to do physically, you shouldn't work out until you are ingesting at least 120 grams of protein daily. Exercise takes protein to repair your muscles afterwards. 90 grams is the amount you need just to sustain your normal day to day activities. 22 pounds the first month is awesome! You are doing great! |
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Post by goodkel on Jul 30, 2014 23:52:25 GMT -5
Hi Everyone, Well, today is three weeks since surgery and I think I'm starting to get things a little better. I'm trying really hard not to compare myself to others but it's hard not to. Here's where I'm at with most things, I would love all of you to tell me if I'm on track as of three weeks, you are full of incredible information and knowledge so I read everything you write! I'm in the puréed stage and not eating too much because my water and protein drink comes first. Each day I'm drinking a 35 gram protein drink called Pure Protein to get in the protein. It's making me gag now so I'm waiting on a delivery of ProStat which gives 15 grams per ounce protein, they gave it to me in the hospital and I liked it. I'll up the protein to 45 (3 ounces) when I get it. I'm also trying to fit in some other things. I had a tablespoon of peanut butter yesterday and today, a bit of my husband's delicious puréed chili with a little cheese, and a Polly o cheese stick, also. Should I not have cream of wheat and oatmeal due to lack of protein? That's what I'm thinking. I'm looking forward to soft foods next Tuesday. I'm assuming that's scallops, fish, or most foods that aren't tough. Counting broth, I'm getting in about 45-50 ounces of water per day. I'm doing okay getting around, not as good as others it seems. My belly area seems very tight but I'm trying. Still tired and getting by on Tylenol for the most part during the day and Roxicet before bed and first thing in the morning. My husband helps me get in bed and get out. My main pain comes from where the band was removed. I go back to the surgeon next Tuesday, he's great. Makes both my husband and I laugh a lot. I'm wondering if he'll clear me for driving with Tylenol only and what else he will release me to do. We were considering going to an Irish Festival this weekend, what do you think, too soon or give it a try? I guess it's normal to want to start participating in fun things again. One last thing, I'm down about 30 pounds since the shakes prior to surgery but that scale hadn't moved in a solid week. I've read enough of your feedback to know this is not unusual but I sure will be excited to see it start moving again! Hopefully, tomorrow. Thanks in advance for your great feedback, Kelly You need to increase your fluids to a minimum of 64 ounces a day. Liquids are more important than food. If you don't have the room for both, cut back on the food. Otherwise, you seem to be doing great. Go to the festival. If you can, bring a beach chair in case you suddenly need to sit down and rest a bit. Expect to be exhausted when you get home. Have a great time and congratulations on your success! |
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Post by historytracker on Jul 31, 2014 5:41:13 GMT -5
Kelly - now I know who you are! We were at the preoperative surgery meeting. I am so happy that you made the decision to do the surgery - GREAT! It is good to hear that you are doing well. Great picture!
Goodkel - I forgot to mention that I get in anywhere between 80 to 100 grams of protein a day. You are right I need to get up to 120 for the exercise. I double up on my protein shake and the rest is through food. I am sure in a couple of weeks I may be able to get in more protein or just add another shake at the end of the day.
I have no problem with fluids - I am drinking most of the day. I just find that I need to do my vitamins before my meal because honestly sometimes I feel all those vitamins fill me up. I want to see results of my first labs and see what I can eliminate so I can take fewer pills.
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Post by OnMyWay2Thin on Jul 31, 2014 7:47:44 GMT -5
Cindy, too funny! I put my picture up because I said to myself you probably didn't even know who I was! You're doing great, so happy for you. I'm upping my water today and, hopefully, my protein.
Goodkel, I'm trying to increase water today. It sure is hard, even at 3 1/2 weeks out! Thanks for the advice...
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Post by illinids2 on Jul 31, 2014 9:37:49 GMT -5
Cindy, too funny! I put my picture up because I said to myself you probably didn't even know who I was! You're doing great, so happy for you. I'm upping my water today and, hopefully, my protein. Goodkel, I'm trying to increase water today. It sure is hard, even at 3 1/2 weeks out! Thanks for the advice... I really struggled with fluids the first several months and finally found sugar free grape crush packets that I add to s bottle of water. It goes down so well because frankly water tastes nasty to me unless extremely thirsty. That stuff was a life saver for me...I think I get 6 for a dollar. |
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Post by Girlrocker on Jul 31, 2014 10:18:10 GMT -5
Fluids can be tough, I was lucky that I actually liked Crystal Lite and it really helped me. Also the fruity flavored teas which I made iced. I got myself a kid sippy cup at first, and worked my way up to smaller water bottles and up. I kept it with me at all times and made myself sip even when I wasn't 'thirsty', kept myself in steady sipping motion. You won't have to do that forever, before you know it you'll be swigging and gulping! But while you're healing in these early weeks, it's a tougher.
historytracker/Cindy, I can really empathize with the revision life, and the stress/anxiety you feel right now, just going through this a second time, and, what its like to see what I referred to in my own post-op journey posts as the 'bermuda triangle weight zone'. When you have endured the number of losses and regains we have, your anxiety is perfectly understandable. Plus we know ourselves when it comes to food/carbs. So I was uber diligent too about doing everything I could to do it 'right', more work on breaking old patterns - so I was nervous even when I ate saltines for the horrible nausea I had. I knew saltines were FINE, but I also was afraid of cravings getting kick-started. So I got oyster crackers instead so I didn't eat as many, they weren't a vehicle I could spread, put things on. And when I was finally feeling better, I switched to soy flaxseed tortilla chips as my go-to starch-crunch vehicle. And I literally was in gridlock body pain being in that weight zone, until I got past certain points I had been/there done that way too many times. That fear that it won't happen. But it will. Nothing anyone can say will make you feel better until you get there, I get it. But don't force/rush this process, as we talked about on the phone last night. No heavy exercise this early when most of your protein needs to come from protein shakes - walking, eliptical machines, swimming. You will need food nutrition - protein and some complex carb - to sustain more heavy workouts like bootcamps, spin, weight training, so please, hold off.Use the time to teach yourself, learn, know you have a great loss to start, and that the prize is not only the loss, but keeping it off, at last.
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Post by historytracker on Jul 31, 2014 18:44:52 GMT -5
Cindy, too funny! I put my picture up because I said to myself you probably didn't even know who I was! You're doing great, so happy for you. I'm upping my water today and, hopefully, my protein. Goodkel, I'm trying to increase water today. It sure is hard, even at 3 1/2 weeks out! Thanks for the advice... You know I am up at 4:30 am. The first thing I do is drink. I have 2 pitchers of crystal light in the fridge. I find that things with ice are better. I was on water for the 3 days at the hospital and all I drank was ice water and chewed on ice chips. The colder the drink the better it seems. I have a case of diet Snapple, flavored waters (grape is my favorite). I am not a coffee drinker and rarely drink anything hot. Hopefully you will get more fluids in today. We have some things in common such as the Irish Festival that I attend in NY (last name Cooney and grandmother was a Braddee). I have sitting in my CD tower: Cherish the Ladies, Several Chieftains, Ronan Tynan and The Irish Tenors. Today I breaded some chicken thighs and I coated mine in some almond meal and Parmesan cheese and drizzled some EVOO and baked them. I made sure to chop it up and it was fine to eat. So I am happy to add chicken now and this weekend I want to grill some fish. Take it a day at a time and it does get better! |
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Post by OnMyWay2Thin on Aug 1, 2014 9:00:16 GMT -5
Thanks illinids, Sharyl, and Cindy! I did get in at least 64 oz yesterday, including soup and 11 oz pure protein drink. It was tough but I did it. I also love cold drinks. Also got in 50 g of protein and multis/b12. Time to start calcium and iron. Interestingly, my family doctor took a blood test and my Ferritin was really high (it wasn't prior to surgery). Maybe it was too soon when it was taken (3 weeks post op exactly). Can't wait until I understand all of this DS stuff!
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Post by goodkel on Aug 4, 2014 1:04:05 GMT -5
Thanks illinids, Sharyl, and Cindy! I did get in at least 64 oz yesterday, including soup and 11 oz pure protein drink. It was tough but I did it. I also love cold drinks. Also got in 50 g of protein and multis/b12. Time to start calcium and iron. Interestingly, my family doctor took a blood test and my Ferritin was really high (it wasn't prior to surgery). Maybe it was too soon when it was taken (3 weeks post op exactly). Can't wait until I understand all of this DS stuff! Great job on the liquids and vitamins! Was your ferritin in the high, but normal of the range or over that? |
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Post by OnMyWay2Thin on Aug 4, 2014 8:12:45 GMT -5
Hi Goodkel,
Thanks! My ferritin was 542 NG/mL and the normal range is 10-232. I'm wondering if it's from surgery since that was July 7 and the blood test was July 29. I'm meeting with my regular doctor tonight, she should have some insight into this. My Ferritin was normal at my last blood test prior to surgery. I appreciate any insight you may provide. Just an FYI, they did take a liver biopsy during surgery, perhaps that's why it's so high?
Kelly
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and my energy. I did things in small steps and the friends I was with understood. One of my first outings was a big art expo, it was easy because I just walked, could take rest breaks and they had good bathrooms. 
