hopeful33

Hi, I noticed quite a few people mentioned not losing as much or at all after beginning solids, and I was no exception. I also gained and lost the same two pounds at least twice in the first week of solids. Once I'd begun my regular workout routine at the gym (which I have to say my body needed after this transition) I lost them for good and kept them off. What I found more interesting though was the amount of inches that keep coming off, and the strength in muscle that my body seems to be retaining due to the workouts. Don't focus as much on the scale. I think that may hurt your perspective of the ultimate goal. Remember that all of us are becoming healthier on a whole, whether the scale wants to show that or not. This is especially important when you begin working out because the muscle and water retention with throw you way off. You're on target, you know that because you've got your nutrition down.

Hello Lindsay, Welcome to the forum. I'm not sure if this was your first post yet or not, but I enjoyed reading what you had to say. I'm a big fan of fresh rather than frozen simply because my body reacts to it better. I personally played victim to avoiding both refined sugars as well as simple carbs due to insulin resistance before the surgery. I'm finding now though that as the structure and hormones of my central nervous system are changing rapidly due to this surgery and my body will require enough calories (via carbs, sugars, etc.) in order be able to exercise on a daily basis, let alone enjoy it while I'm doing so. Well, that's my little ramble about why I enjoyed what you had to say. What I think might be more important is that I too would like to see more. So please feel free to post again. Thanks

I have them too. A lot of them, as my surgery was a little over a week ago. I think it may have something to do with the hernia that Dr. O fixed while performing the surgery. Fortunately they are becoming less dramatic, and frequent, and I'm familiar with the sensation from childhood. I hope this helps a little.

Congrats Nazish! It looks like we're turning the corner into creamies soon. lol This should be interesting. lol BTW, due to the fact that my profile photo still hasn't posted on here I'm going to have to describe myself to you, so that you know who I am. I was the chick with the long red hair at the end of the hall near the bathroom. You and I woke up one of the nurses when we attempted to raid the fridge for water and otter pops. I'm Debbie, and I obviousely have no shame. I hope you're doing well over there on that beautiful western coast.

I only had my surgery six days ago so I don’t think I will be of any help to you from the perspective of someone who’s reached their goal weight. What I can tell you though from experience is that people are visual creatures and that does tend to motivate them to some degree. However making decisions that effect you and your own mental health based on the perceptions or visual whims of other people is never a good idea whether you are obese or thin.

I’m new to the forum, but I’ve posted a few questions before, and am very happy with the advice I’ve received. So here’s the thing… I’ve got five days before my surgery date, and now I have all kinds of things running through my mind. I’ve never had surgery or been completely under for anything throughout my life. I have no idea what my pain tolerance will be, or if I’ll be able to spring back the way that so many of you were able to do. I don’t even know if there’s going to be a place for me to put my slip-on shoes and gas-x strips while I’m in surgery. I sleep on the right side of our bed so when my husband holds me I’m usually laying on my left; right where the port is supposed to go. I’ve been reading over lots of testimonies in order to get a better idea of what to expect, but I’m still scared. I just keep forcing myself to look forward and remember that this is yet another temporary step towards progress. That being said I could still use any advice or info. that you might have for preparation of surgery time, or the healing process after. Thanks in advance, Hopeful33

You all are awesome. I'd thought about pouring them into those little 3oz. bottles to, but after hearing from so many of you that I shouldn't even have to worry about my protein intake until after I return home, I'm not as concerned anymore. lol You're right, they're way too expensive to have security toss them out, or worse have them cause me to miss my flight. I'll stick to the powdered broth packets that I'm bringing, and plenty of the gas strips. I'm so glad you all recommended those things. I had no idea that they even existed. I think I'm probably more nervous about the flight than I am about the surgery, which seems up-side-down, but there it is. I'll try to document my experience when I go though so that I can publish it when I return. Thanks again!

I finally found some protein bullets to help the healing process after surgery, and would like to be able to bring a couple with me to drink afterwards. The problem is these things are 3.2 ounces each. TSA security won't let me bring any liquids that are more than 3 ounces inside of my carry-on on an airplane. Do you think they're going to notice the .2 ounce overage? Or should I just stick to the protein powder?

Ok, both of these responses really helped me. I know that sounds strange, but it's true. First off I was pretty sure that my list was way off, and sort of needed some confirmation on that. I've also emailed Dr. Miranda since and he also confirmed that. Second giving me ideas of what you ate during this phase really does help as I'll probably be glued to this forum during those three weeks. LOL Thanks so much.

I have to admit that I was curious about this as well, but I have concerns about getting through the airport security here in the states rather than across the border. I take several meds for Bipolar would love to have a stash on reserve in case times ever got hard. Has anyone ever had trouble buying meds in Mexico and then getting them through airport security in order to fly home?

Hello all, I'm new here as you may have already guessed. I'm scheduled to be banded on Feb 16th, and am preparing my pantry for the post-op liquid diet. I received a small blurb about what liquids to stock up on in the paperwork provided by the OCC, but the only thing that I was told to avoid during that three week period was carbonated beverages. This is a self-pay scenario as I’m sure a lot of these are, but when I make a large investment of this sort I intend to do everything in my power to help it succeed. That being said I’ve done my own research on several other recommended post-op liquid diets. They say to avoid the following: Citrus Juices (Orange, Grapefruit, Pineapple) Acidic Liquids (tomato juice, soup, buttermilk) Caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea) Carbonated bev (already covered by the OCC) Homage fruit or yogurt smoothies Anything that seems liquid but is not (Jell-o, Yogurt, Pudding, Ice cream) Now I know that Dr. Ortiz has been doing this for a lot longer than any of these other surgeons, and has a different way of handling post-op for that reason (hence the three weeks of liquids, and no mushies) which makes a lot of sense to me actually, but for the purposes of making sure that I have the right stuff waiting for me when I return from this trip has anyone heard about, or noticed any liquids like the ones listed above that I should avoid? You all have already been down this road, so any advice that you have will be greatly appreciated.

Hello there, I just noticed your post today, as I'm a newbie . Not only am I getting banded the same week as you, but I'm also getting banded on Feb 16th, so it seems we'll both be there on the same day. I started the preop diet a couple of weeks early and was able to lose 8 pounds fairly easily due to carb and sugar reduction. Now I’m incorporating more liquid into this diet with the protein shakes and seem to be either stagnating, or gaining back one pound here, and losing another there. I’ve only got 4 more to lose at this point, but I’m concerned about how much water retention, and muscle from exercise will weigh in the end. I don’t want my surgery rescheduled after all of this work.