Gastric Bypass

[nurse1sue]

I am sooo glad to find this thread! Thank you Tootts for starting it! I had gastric bypass April 17, so I'm still on a fairly restricted diet (up to chicken and turkey) and as of my 1 month check up, I had lost 25lb. Am starting to have to "retire" some of my pants and start shopping my closet for previously-outgrown things! :D

 

 

Glad to hear that so many of you, besides having fabulous weight loss success, have had an easy time cruising post surgery. Now that I have learned that feeling that's like a light switch, that means put the fork down NOW, I'm feeling pretty confident about handling it. Our next cruise is coming up in January, so I've got a ways to go before I start buying cruise clothing....although I have started thinking of where I can purchase a new bathing suit in the winter if I need to!!

 

Looking forward to following you all through your journeys - both your personal journeys and your cruise journeys!

I'll bet you felt like jumping up and down with that first 25 loss. It's so true this is not a miracle cure, it's a lot of work and sacrifice, but in some ways for all of us, it is OUR miracle. I'm a nurse, I worked for several years in a bariatric unit, watching these patients on these super restrictive diets, some for up to 4 yrs. it was predestined they were going to cheat. I know myself, you can not expect someone to live on salad chicken and turkey, for life. Epically when they would only lose a pound a month for all the sacrifice !

I them worked a post bariatric surgery unit for those that had complications. Some were there for up to 2 months, mainly they had major prior health issues. That happiness and excitement when they would see 25-40 pound losses in the first month or two actually made their complications resolve themselves faster. These people wanted to dance a jig! Most were 500+ lbs, but for the first time, they were really losing weight and really didn't feel hungry!!!! So in a way for us who have struggled our whole lives, it is our own miracle.

I still occasionally forget the off switch and pay for it!

Yesterday my husband found me these wonderful wafer cookies that don't taste like cardboard. Completely sugar free. I'll post the name later after I go downstairs. Now when everyone else has some night time snack I let myself have 2 of these. If you don't find something like that, my dr said then you will eventually start back to real sweets. He said you will eventually want the sweetness so find a sugar free product ( Edys, Bryers make good sugar free ice cream) and let yourself have a little bit. I only let myself have 1/2 c ice cream 3 nights a week when I have it. I refuse to let myself fall back to old habits!

My husband practice has a medi spa and they just got a new laser that melts fat cells. They are going to try it on my arms first. If it does what it should I can get a sleeveless size 16 dress for a party the end of July!!!!! Not bad when I started in a 32-34!

My name is sue (lol) and if you'd like to stay in touch my email is nurse1sue@yahoo.com.

Sue

[Fergus]

Sue, thank you for your encouragement! I do feel amazing after this initial loss and even better just thinking that it's going to KEEP GOING in the RIGHT direction! :) I want to hear more about the laser treatment - keep us posted!!!

[tootts]

Congrats to you! I laugh because we have to be the only people that get excited about being weighed. Don't you get the feeling of "uh ha, yep, look at me!" It's exhilarating. Next summer is my 40th class reunion. I'm going! I weighed 250 through high school. The only reason the "in" crowd gave me the time of day was because my mom taught there and they all loved her.

Keep doing what you're doing. I was told 10 lbs a mount is outstanding, 5 lbs a month is expected. You are doing fantastic. Go ahead and put that bounce in your step girlfriend, you are fabulous!!!!

Sue

 

Sue,

 

Thank you sooo much!!! I bet you are a terrific nurse:).

Yes, after many, many years dreading the scale, I look forward to it - what a change:eek::D. Tuesday I go to the Nutritionist that I was seeing before my surgery. I love to see folks that haven't seen me in over 4 months. You are so right about the bounce, plus the grin:D

 

Congratulations to you too!!! I understand about the Class Reunion, I would feel the same way. You are doing terrific!

 

Norma

[tootts]

Oh and in November, we are doing a Royal Caribbean 9 night repo from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa. It goes to labadee, Curaçao, Aruba, and Grand Caymans. Lots of sea days. If you're looking for a fall cruise think about it! There's quite a group of us that met on here that has become close. Prices just soared but they should come down again. They usually go up during the sales. I will be in a bathing suit, saggy skin and all !!! I can even wear a sun dress!!!!!! Yeah!!!!

 

Sounds like a very fun cruise. Good for you on that bathing suit & sundress - you will look wonderful!

 

We would have loved to come along, but we are doing our 40th anniversary cruise in November - our first TA - very excited. Hopefully we can sail another time!

 

Norma

[tootts]

I too had gastric bypass in August of last year and we are cruising in August a surprise party for our 16 year old so today my nsf is I got to buy me a new dress for formal night I am so excited not to have to go to the plus size section for clothes I have lost 125 lbs since surgery and feel fabulous.. :)

 

Congratulations!!! How exciting, especially shopping in the regular department:). I am almost there. Still working through stuff in my closet, only having to buy pants. Know you will find a terrific dress.

 

Norma

[tootts]

I am sooo glad to find this thread! Thank you Tootts for starting it! I had gastric bypass April 17, so I'm still on a fairly restricted diet (up to chicken and turkey) and as of my 1 month check up, I had lost 25lb. Am starting to have to "retire" some of my pants and start shopping my closet for previously-outgrown things! :D

 

 

Glad to hear that so many of you, besides having fabulous weight loss success, have had an easy time cruising post surgery. Now that I have learned that feeling that's like a light switch, that means put the fork down NOW, I'm feeling pretty confident about handling it. Our next cruise is coming up in January, so I've got a ways to go before I start buying cruise clothing....although I have started thinking of where I can purchase a new bathing suit in the winter if I need to!!

 

Looking forward to following you all through your journeys - both your personal journeys and your cruise journeys!

 

Congratulations!!! You are doing great. That is wonderful that you are listening to the switch. Very important is also not to drink any liquids an hour after you eat. That makes a huge difference Understand the closet shopping:D. I had a 40 pound wight span of clothes:p

 

Keep up the good work & feel free to ask any of us questions. This forum has some terrific folks that have experience in the various stages. Great support group, which is very important

 

Norma

[nurse1sue]

Sounds like a very fun cruise. Good for you on that bathing suit & sundress - you will look wonderful!

 

We would have loved to come along, but we are doing our 40th anniversary cruise in November - our first TA - very excited. Hopefully we can sail another time!

 

Norma

Oh, a TA! How exciting. We'd both love to but Bill feels guilty shutting down for 10-12 days. He's not your typical Dr. He really does care about his patients. Sat night he met 2 at the office for emergencies and was there for 3 hrs.

Where are you going? Oh with the weight loss you will have such a wonderful time! What cruise line?

Sue

[tootts]

Oh, a TA! How exciting. We'd both love to but Bill feels guilty shutting down for 10-12 days. He's not your typical Dr. He really does care about his patients. Sat night he met 2 at the office for emergencies and was there for 3 hrs.

Where are you going? Oh with the weight loss you will have such a wonderful time! What cruise line?

Sue

 

What a wonderfully dedicated Dr - not enough out here that way, for sure.

 

We are going on RCCL Serenade & it leaves from Barcelona, goes to a couple of stops in Spain & Canary Islands & one Caribbean stop and then ends up in New Orleans.

 

I needed to time my surgery so that I would be far enough in the weight loss to justify buying clothes and also hopefully have my stomach ( and self:p) adjusted to new eating/ food habits. I really need to be very used to listening & obeying the "switch" :D

 

Norma

Edited June 17, 2014 by tootts

[nurse1sue]

What a wonderfully dedicated Dr - not enough out here that way, for sure.

 

We are going on RCCL Serenade & it leaves from Barcelona, goes to a couple of stops in Spain & Canary Islands & one Caribbean stop and then ends up in New Orleans.

 

I needed to time my surgery so that I would be far enough in the weight loss to justify buying clothes and also hopefully have my stomach ( and self:p) adjusted to new eating/ food habits. I really need to be very used to listening & obeying the "switch" :D

 

Norma

After 7 1/2 months I still have to tell myself it's ok to not finish those last few bites on my plate. I just hand my plate to bill and tell him to just take it away, get it away from me. That works best. He usually finishes it lol. Over the past 4 yrs he's gained 40 lbs and the worst has been recently, finishing my plates.

Your cruise sounds wonderful. I know I can't wait to get new clothes for mine in nov. I really need to exercise more. Maybe I'll go to the park today and walk. Hummmm, I just hate exercise!!!

[Fergus]

LOL, Sue, that's funny........I see my hubby looking at my unfinished food - tempted - but he's done pretty well in passing it on to the trash or fridge!! :) The leftovers get out of hand in my fridge now, I've got to train myself to just leave it to be thrown away.

[tootts]

After 7 1/2 months I still have to tell myself it's ok to not finish those last few bites on my plate. I just hand my plate to bill and tell him to just take it away, get it away from me. That works best. He usually finishes it lol. Over the past 4 yrs he's gained 40 lbs and the worst has been recently, finishing my plates.

Your cruise sounds wonderful. I know I can't wait to get new clothes for mine in nov. I really need to exercise more. Maybe I'll go to the park today and walk. Hummmm, I just hate exercise!!!

 

A friend that also had the surgery warned me to get used to throwing food away - very hard. We are also trying to figure out how to eat out - need to share meals. I keep taking to-go boxes and then end up throwing the food away anyway. Mike will finish my stuff, but not good for him either - he needs to lose about 35 pounds.

 

I am with you on exercise - am one of those purpose walkers, not a good wanderer:p Unfortunately in the past I would happily walk towards something - ice cream shop, restaurant, snack bar:eek::D

 

Norma

[tootts]

LOL, Sue, that's funny........I see my hubby looking at my unfinished food - tempted - but he's done pretty well in passing it on to the trash or fridge!! :) The leftovers get out of hand in my fridge now, I've got to train myself to just leave it to be thrown away.

 

Good luck with that Libby - tough to do. Good that your husband can pass it up.

 

Norma

[Fergus]

Do any of you all use the Protein Tracker app? It's been a great tool for me to make sure I get all my protein every day. I have it on iPhone but assume it's available on other formats. You preload your list of foods and their protein values, then each day you click on the items throughout the day as you eat. Highly recommend it!

[nurse1sue]

Do any of you all use the Protein Tracker app? It's been a great tool for me to make sure I get all my protein every day. I have it on iPhone but assume it's available on other formats. You preload your list of foods and their protein values, then each day you click on the items throughout the day as you eat. Highly recommend it!

Since I basically eat protein I don't keep track of the amount. I always eat my protein first , other stuff later. Even my favorite thing,salad, gets plenty of protein. Sometimes I skip meals if I'm busy and that's not good. That's when I eat more than I should because I've gone 20 hrs without food. Bought my old reliable protein shake stuff yesterday. Love to make it like hot chocolate. I hate milk to it helps me to get it down.

I'll look up the app though. I'm sure I fall short a lot. My last bloodwork my husband ordered for me and when it came back he just said, drink more protein shakes. Lol

[Fergus]

Sue, I drink the Premiere Protein (premade) shakes - 30 grams each - that's almost half of my daily goal! The chocolate is good.

[tootts]

Sue, I drink the Premiere Protein (premade) shakes - 30 grams each - that's almost half of my daily goal! The chocolate is good.

 

Hi Libby,

 

I drank those right after surgery - they were a lifesaver and pretty inexpensive compared to others. As I got further along, they got too sweet for me, so now I drink Unjury Chocolate Splendor - really yummy - 21g of protein and only 3g of sugar. Nutritionist told me always have double digit protein and single digit sugar - easy to remember.

 

Glad you are doing so well!

 

Norma

Edited June 19, 2014 by tootts

[Fergus]

Norma, where do you buy the Unjury drinks?

[tootts]

Norma, where do you buy the Unjury drinks?

 

At Unjury dot com. They are safe and dependable. I get both the canister and individual packets for travel

[Fergus]

Thanks, I will check those out!

[lisa414ny]

I had gastric bypass three years ago and have cruised 4 or 5 times since. I have another cruise coming up next month.

 

I've done well on the cruises, but still find there are a few things I need to watch for. As somebody else mentioned - alcohol! On one cruise I dared to try a super sugary pina colada and did fine. On the next cruise a few months later I had another and just about died for 3 hours :-( I'm more likely to stay away from the pretty drinks now. I'd rather not spend vacation time sick.

 

Also watch the sugar free desserts, cookies, cakes, etc. Too much sugar alcohol can make me very sick.

 

The buffet always gives me the most options. The dining room meals seem to always have a lot of cream sauces or fatty gravies. I do eat in the dining room, but I'm super careful. One thing I have to watch for in the buffet is not to mix too many different kinds of foods. That can bother my stomach.

 

Being three years out, I can eat more now than I could early out and I have to be more aware now. Back then, my stomach would stop me much sooner. This winter I gained a few pounds and had to remind myself to get back to the basic rules of gastric bypass. As soon as I did, I lost those pounds and am back at the weight where I leveled out at after surgery. Gastric bypass is a great tool - we just have to remember to use it!

[tootts]

I had gastric bypass three years ago and have cruised 4 or 5 times since. I have another cruise coming up next month.

 

I've done well on the cruises, but still find there are a few things I need to watch for. As somebody else mentioned - alcohol! On one cruise I dared to try a super sugary pina colada and did fine. On the next cruise a few months later I had another and just about died for 3 hours :-( I'm more likely to stay away from the pretty drinks now. I'd rather not spend vacation time sick.

 

Also watch the sugar free desserts, cookies, cakes, etc. Too much sugar alcohol can make me very sick.

 

The buffet always gives me the most options. The dining room meals seem to always have a lot of cream sauces or fatty gravies. I do eat in the dining room, but I'm super careful. One thing I have to watch for in the buffet is not to mix too many different kinds of foods. That can bother my stomach.

 

Being three years out, I can eat more now than I could early out and I have to be more aware now. Back then, my stomach would stop me much sooner. This winter I gained a few pounds and had to remind myself to get back to the basic rules of gastric bypass. As soon as I did, I lost those pounds and am back at the weight where I leveled out at after surgery. Gastric bypass is a great tool - we just have to remember to use it!

 

Thank you for all the great suggestions/thoughts Lisa. Congratulations - sounds like you are doing wonderful. :)

 

Our TA in November will be our first cruise post surgery. I am now 4 months post and doing good with proteins and fluids. Trickiest thing for me is not waiting too long to eat and then eating fast. Stomach gets very unhappy:eek: also watching out for those slider foods - crackers, etc.

 

Norma

[nurse1sue]

I am now 9 months post surgery. I've lost 105 lbs and can get into a size 18/XL. I leave with my husband tomorrow for Colorado and went to salvation at for a few new clothes. Found an almost new pr of jeans, a couple of dresses, (which I never wore before) and some accessories. I only have about 55-60 more to lose and so I think these will get me through about half of that , then I'll need a few more things.

The only negative is....I have a very large hernia from when I got sick on Percocet in March after my knee replacement. Couldn't keep anything down. This has been gradually getting worse so aug 7 I go for surgery. Ugh! This is surgery #7 in a yr! I had lap band removed, bypass, knee replacement, oral surgery, cataract surg both eyes, then this! Despite this little set back, I couldn't be happier. I am 9 months with NO sugar! It's been getting harder but I just won't do it. Once I do there's no going back. My blood work was perfect last week so I have finally found the right balance of vit D and vit B12. My only real struggle is the protein shakes. After 9 months I am sooooooo tired of those things. I can tell when I need them if a skip a few days and then I'll get back on them.

Can't wait for our cruise in November. I should be almost to my goal and feeling wonderful.

My husbands medical practice got a body sculpting laser, and it's wonderful. I've lost 1 3/4 inches off my upper arms in 2 sessions. Next we'll do my hips and very upper thighs, then abdomen. It's a good alternative to surgery. Will I ever look perfect, no but I'm happy with a few inches gone. But...the neck tightening is amazing. I look 20 yrs younger. A facelift with

no surgery.

Everyone, just hang in there. Remember we are all in this together. No one else can ever understand this unless you've had it done.

Keep posting the positive stories and weight loss stories. It helps us all!

[Fergus]

Hi all! Just returned from a land vacation - my first since my bypass in April. Think I did OK, just wasn't able to eat as "regularly" as usual. We went to Bar Harbor, so I had lots of lobster!! :D At my dr appointment just before we left, I had lost 45lb.

 

Anyone have tips for shampoos/treatments for hair loss? I am doing the biotin, and a friend suggested Clinicure, which I'm using but don't see any changes yet. Help!

[tootts]

I am now 9 months post surgery. I've lost 105 lbs and can get into a size 18/XL. I leave with my husband tomorrow for Colorado and went to salvation at for a few new clothes. Found an almost new pr of jeans, a couple of dresses, (which I never wore before) and some accessories. I only have about 55-60 more to lose and so I think these will get me through about half of that , then I'll need a few more things.

The only negative is....I have a very large hernia from when I got sick on Percocet in March after my knee replacement. Couldn't keep anything down. This has been gradually getting worse so aug 7 I go for surgery. Ugh! This is surgery #7 in a yr! I had lap band removed, bypass, knee replacement, oral surgery, cataract surg both eyes, then this! Despite this little set back, I couldn't be happier. I am 9 months with NO sugar! It's been getting harder but I just won't do it. Once I do there's no going back. My blood work was perfect last week so I have finally found the right balance of vit D and vit B12. My only real struggle is the protein shakes. After 9 months I am sooooooo tired of those things. I can tell when I need them if a skip a few days and then I'll get back on them.

Can't wait for our cruise in November. I should be almost to my goal and feeling wonderful.

My husbands medical practice got a body sculpting laser, and it's wonderful. I've lost 1 3/4 inches off my upper arms in 2 sessions. Next we'll do my hips and very upper thighs, then abdomen. It's a good alternative to surgery. Will I ever look perfect, no but I'm happy with a few inches gone. But...the neck tightening is amazing. I look 20 yrs younger. A facelift with

no surgery.

Everyone, just hang in there. Remember we are all in this together. No one else can ever understand this unless you've had it done.

Keep posting the positive stories and weight loss stories. It helps us all!

 

Sue,

 

Congratulations on the weight loss and hope you had a great trip.

 

Hope the surgery went well and you will be feeling better real soon!

 

Take care,

Norma

[tootts]

Hi all! Just returned from a land vacation - my first since my bypass in April. Think I did OK, just wasn't able to eat as "regularly" as usual. We went to Bar Harbor, so I had lots of lobster!! :D At my dr appointment just before we left, I had lost 45lb.

 

Anyone have tips for shampoos/treatments for hair loss? I am doing the biotin, and a friend suggested Clinicure, which I'm using but don't see any changes yet. Help!

 

Libby,

 

Congratulations on your first post surgery trip. Congratulations on the weight loss!!

 

I am at almost 5 months and have lost 53 pounds. I am also having trouble with hair loss. My wonderful support group (friends at work that have had the surgery and are in different time phases) warned me, but have also assured me that it will come back. I take Biotin every day and just had my hair cut super short:o oh well...

 

Hang in there. You are doing great.

 

Norma