5 months out and need help
I will never regret having this surgery it has given me back my life. I am now able to move without being in pain 24/7.Now i only feel pain when weather changes occur, which believe me is a real change from the morphine patches and vicodin pills to manage the pain. Now i take nothing for pain as long as i move .My trouble is eating the right things all this time. No carbs is hard i like toast for breakfast and that has been the hardest thing to leave behind. Protein shakes ii dont like they make me gag so i try to find alternatives to keep my protein at 65g. I would like any help any of you can give me to keep the protein up.I have been taking flintstones 3x daily and am doing great on them and my levels are good. The only thing i find that bothers me is the hair loss it really hits me hard. I have always have had super thick hair and could only wrap a band around it twice. Now i can wrap it around 4 times. It probably doesnt help my hair is down to my waist but when it came out in clumps of hair was disheartening. I know its vain but i dont know what to do if it keeps falling out like this i will be bald in a matter of weeks. Does it ever stop and grow back in?
As i said in the beginning i would do it all over again but need help find my way through. My doctor and nut are of no help at all. My nut still wants me at 500 cal. and my doc says everything is fine keep doing what i'm doing. But i feel like i'm walking in the dark just feeling my way.
Can i eat oatmeal, grits, .... and if so how often and what amounts.
thank you for listening and any help would be appreciated just a little frustrated.
Your hair will grow back. I am sure no one notices the loss but you. Some say biotin will help your hair to be healthier but it isn't a hair growing potion.
As far as toast and oatmeal and grits, it really is best to avoid the carbs as much as you can while losing weight.
Believe me when I tell you that I have been around here for years, and I am also a veteran of a failed WLS, that I managed to fail all by myself, and I have seen many who play around with things like bread and cereal live to regret it.
The problem is you will still lose weight, only slower and your chances of reaching goal, and staying there, is greatly reduced. And even though 20 or 30 lbs over goal isn't terrible by the time you hit year 2 or 3 and bounce back comes around, that 20 or 30 can easily be 40 or 50.
I always advice to follow your surgeon's plan to the letter until you hit your ultimate goal. It does not hurt to go a little below that, like 10 lbs, to get a little wiggle room. Do not be alarmed if people start telling you to gain weight back or ask you if you are sick. It is very common to look gaunt after a big weight loss, even if you are still overweight. Work with you doctor and don't let a non medical person tell you what you should weigh or what you should eat.
Once you get to where you want to be then you can experiment with different foods if you want, with a watchful eye on the scale to make sure you aren't over doing it.
As far as the protein goes, I know it isn't the best thing in the world but sometimes you just have to choke it down. I learned early out that many of the most successful post ops aim for at least 100 grams of protein a day and 100 oz of fluids. I know I did and still do and I have no complaints. It is good for your health as well as your weight loss.
There is no way I can get in that much protein with food even now so I still supplement with shakes. Many don't have to but my numbers are on the lower range of normal even with 100 grams of protein a day so it is part of my routine. Sometimes I'll have a protein bar if I am out and about and don't have access to any thing else.
Good luck to you.
WLS 10/28/2002 Revision 7/23/2010
High Weight (2002) 240 Revision Weight (2010) 220 Current Weight 115.
What do you mean by "proper bariatric vitamin?" I agree that Flintstones don't cut it - the ASMBS says we need an adult multi with 100% of the RDA of stuff, including minerals like copper, zinc and selenium. But what constitutes a "proper bariatric vitamin?" Any multi that meets the ASMBS guidelines?
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
But Flintstones are missing some nutrients altogether, like selenium. Three times zero is still zero. So you aren't getting an adult dose of selenium, you aren't getting any selenium at all.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Can I please ask how you get in that much protein and liquid? They told me no more than 2 oz. every 15 minutes. I find I'm having trouble hitting goal ounces while at home recouperating...I'm really worried about when I go back to work next week. How do you successfully manage and still do things that need doing other than holding a 2 oz. cup in your hand?
Nope, hair loss never stops. All RNY patients end up bald in less than one year. You know those of us you see with hair in pics? Wigs. We are all wearing wigs.
OK, seriously. Your hair will stop falling out and grow back. It is most unlikely you will end up bald.
Why are you taking Flintstones, though? Why not an adult multi with 100% of the RDA of stuff in it twice a day, like the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says we need?
I would imagine you can eat oatmeal and grits. You can probably eat toast. Most RNY folks can eat those things. Are they good choices? Well, I don't think they are bad choices, in moderation. I'd go for whole wheat toast and maybe not eat it every day and make sure you are getting enough protein in every day since toast is not high in protein. Same with oatmeal.
Of course, oatmeal has carbs. But you're not really doing no carbs at all, are you? Because we need some carbs in our diet.
Greek yogurt has lots of protein. So does cottage cheese. Of course, meat and seafood are high in protein. And beans. But beans have carbs. So does yogurt.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
