Checking in

Hello all...yesterday was my four-month" surgi-versary"...so far I'm doing better than I could have ever imagined. I was so full of concerns and doubts before the surgery but afterwards it has honestly been smooth sailing. Since I started the pre-op diet two weeks before surgery back in March I am down from 279 to 197, in just 4.5 months. At present I'm taking in about 800-850 calories a day on average, and aiming for at least 60g of protein each day. I wish they had told me at the clinic exactly how many calories and grams of protein/fat/carbs I should be getting each day at this point, but I'm basing it on what I've read online about dietary guidelines at 4 months out from sleeve surgery. I use the myfitnesspal website to keep track of everything I eat, it is a great tool.

Just recently I have started to notice the accelerated hair loss. It does make me a bit nervous but I am trying to have faith that I will not lose it ALL, hopefully! Any tips for how to stop that would be greatly appreciated. 

The only real issue I have had is with constipation (sorry if this is TMI!) I don't know how you could avoid it with such a drastic reduction in fiber intake from before surgery. When you are putting protein first it seems impossible to me to get the recommended fiber intake from diet, not even close. I used to eat cereal and whole grain bread and lots of fruit and huge salads to get fiber...now I am getting not even a quarter of the RDI of fiber from what I eat, so I'm supplementing with Metamucil daily, but still having major issues. I mean I can go for a week or more without even having the urge to "go", despite the daily fibre supplement. I'm getting about 6 glasses of water a day on average, this seems to be about all I can manage. Wondering if this is common and/or how others meet their fiber intake needs?

Hi - I am 9 yrs post op and still struggle with this issue. I take a stool softener - Colace - Docusate Sodium - 2 capsules twice daily - am and pm. Has been working for me for years. Since I am required to take an iron supplement as part of my post op vitamins and minerals - constipation is an un-welcome side effect. I stay away from stimulants such as sennekot and exlax - as they only give you a crampy belly. The softeners work for me. Good luck!

Mary