What's life like after surgery?
Hi everyone,
I am still in the research phase (and waiting on a response from Dr. K's office) and I have a few more questions. I'm sorry if this is a common question but I have read many posts and did not find an answer. I am the type of person that like to plan, plan, plan. I like to visualize, so to speak, what life would be like after a DS. This helps me to be less anxious about surgery...
A few questions:
1) Is it okay to eat and drink at the same time? This is the main reason the lapband did not work for me
2) I understand there is a limit on carbs, but is low carb / high protein pasta and bread ok? I know that the Atkins line has a lot of yummy foods that are low carb. Are these ok?
3) I'm a new mom - I have a 6 month old and am worried about taking care of my baby after surgery. If there are any moms, how long after surgery were you able to care for your kiddos?
Thanks so much!
I am still in the research phase (and waiting on a response from Dr. K's office) and I have a few more questions. I'm sorry if this is a common question but I have read many posts and did not find an answer. I am the type of person that like to plan, plan, plan. I like to visualize, so to speak, what life would be like after a DS. This helps me to be less anxious about surgery...
A few questions:
1) Is it okay to eat and drink at the same time? This is the main reason the lapband did not work for me
2) I understand there is a limit on carbs, but is low carb / high protein pasta and bread ok? I know that the Atkins line has a lot of yummy foods that are low carb. Are these ok?
3) I'm a new mom - I have a 6 month old and am worried about taking care of my baby after surgery. If there are any moms, how long after surgery were you able to care for your kiddos?
Thanks so much!
Amy Farrah Fowler
on 11/16/11 3:27 pm, edited 11/16/11 3:27 pm
on 11/16/11 3:27 pm, edited 11/16/11 3:27 pm
1) Is it okay to eat and drink at the same time? This is the main reason the lapband did not work for me
Yes, we can eat and drink at the same time. It would drive me nuts to not drink with my meals.
2) I understand there is a limit on carbs, but is low carb / high protein pasta and bread ok? I know that the Atkins line has a lot of yummy foods that are low carb. Are these ok?
I was OK at low carbing while in the active losing stage, but not so much now. I'm pretty lax with the carbs unless I need to knock a few pounds back down. Now that I'm pretty much just maintaining, I make sure I eat enough protein during the day, then just what ever I want.
Some folks are more careful than me, and can have gas issues if they eat garbage. My gut is bullet proof, but if you're one of those that get farty, then white carbs are a common culprit (white rice, white flour bread / tortilla, white pasta, sugar). Some will eat the offending foods despite knowing they'll pay, and just TIVO it until later in the day, or sometime that won't matter if they fart.
I DID have some issues with it earlier out from surgery, as well as lactose intolerance, so milk and ice cream were a drag, but now that seems to be gone.
3) I'm a new mom - I have a 6 month old and am worried about taking care of my baby after surgery. If there are any moms, how long after surgery were you able to care for your kiddos?
I don't have kids, so I'll let others address that one better, but I could do basic stuff as soon as I came home from the hospital. I was tired, and really wasn't up to full energy for a long time, like 6 months, but did everything I needed to do, just no extra. In case you are incapacitated for longer, make sure that you have a partner, parent, sibling, or someone in the wings that can help.
Yes, we can eat and drink at the same time. It would drive me nuts to not drink with my meals.
2) I understand there is a limit on carbs, but is low carb / high protein pasta and bread ok? I know that the Atkins line has a lot of yummy foods that are low carb. Are these ok?
I was OK at low carbing while in the active losing stage, but not so much now. I'm pretty lax with the carbs unless I need to knock a few pounds back down. Now that I'm pretty much just maintaining, I make sure I eat enough protein during the day, then just what ever I want.
Some folks are more careful than me, and can have gas issues if they eat garbage. My gut is bullet proof, but if you're one of those that get farty, then white carbs are a common culprit (white rice, white flour bread / tortilla, white pasta, sugar). Some will eat the offending foods despite knowing they'll pay, and just TIVO it until later in the day, or sometime that won't matter if they fart.
I DID have some issues with it earlier out from surgery, as well as lactose intolerance, so milk and ice cream were a drag, but now that seems to be gone.
3) I'm a new mom - I have a 6 month old and am worried about taking care of my baby after surgery. If there are any moms, how long after surgery were you able to care for your kiddos?
I don't have kids, so I'll let others address that one better, but I could do basic stuff as soon as I came home from the hospital. I was tired, and really wasn't up to full energy for a long time, like 6 months, but did everything I needed to do, just no extra. In case you are incapacitated for longer, make sure that you have a partner, parent, sibling, or someone in the wings that can help.
That will be tough - I love to hold and cuddle so much - he is my little miracle baby and I still can't get enough of him. He is the reason I decided to make a permanent change. We will be staying with my parents for "as long as needed" after surgery (weeks, months, doesn't matter). They adore taking care of him and he will always be nearby- maybe taking naps with me after a while...
1. Yes. At first there may not be room, you will fill up very soon if you eat/drink at the same time, but this lessens with time.
2. Everything is OK in moderation. Eat your protein. Read labels. Know what you're eating. Don't make assumptions. Read nutrition facts at restaurants. Know serving sizes. There's hidden stuff in everything.
3. N/A
Life after surgery: To be honest, I thought the first year was kind of dreadful. I wasn't really emotionally prepared for all that change. Losing weight is stressful. But life further out is stupendous. There are always not-so-rosy parts, but I am truly very pleased with the surgery and what it has done for my life.
2. Everything is OK in moderation. Eat your protein. Read labels. Know what you're eating. Don't make assumptions. Read nutrition facts at restaurants. Know serving sizes. There's hidden stuff in everything.
3. N/A
Life after surgery: To be honest, I thought the first year was kind of dreadful. I wasn't really emotionally prepared for all that change. Losing weight is stressful. But life further out is stupendous. There are always not-so-rosy parts, but I am truly very pleased with the surgery and what it has done for my life.
5'9.5" | HW: 368 | SW: 353 | CW: 155 +/- 5 lbs | Angel to 
Thank you! I need to at least sip when I am eating - I'm glad I will be able to :) I am a label reader (and generally read everything, all the time). I also have a strange way of remembering calorie and protein counts in most of the foods I eat (YEARS of dieting) - most nutrionists are surprised when I start spouting off nutrition info... so reading labels will not be a problem. I just need to better educate myself on what to watch for on the labels (ie sugars, carbs) because I am accustomed to looking at calories and sometimes protein.
I am glad the surgery is working out for you despite the difficult times. We are strong women! :)
I am glad the surgery is working out for you despite the difficult times. We are strong women! :)
I'm still rather new to my DS, only 5 months so I am still getting use to it but I can relate to the baby thing. I have 4 kids, my baby was 8 months at the time of surgery. All i will say is you will need help! I could not pick him up for 1 month and then when I finally could it was so hard, I was so weak. It took a while to gain my strength back.
Gina
What an awesome mom you are! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have more kiddos. It took years for this baby but I hope that after I lose weight (and maintain for a while) it will be easier to become preggo and carry a baby... my lil man needs siblings :)
We will be staying with my parents as long as needed so I will have lots of help... I just know I will miss taking full care of my little angel :)
We will be staying with my parents as long as needed so I will have lots of help... I just know I will miss taking full care of my little angel :)
1. Yes, it's okay to eat and drink at the same time. However, for me personally, I find that I get really full really fast if I try to drink much while I am eating. So I just don't drink that much with meals anymore. But that's just my personal experience and preference.
2. Many people are real "carb nazis" - I am not, and never have been. I didn't need to be (I reached goal in 9 months), but some people really have to watch their carbs to maximize their weight loss. All of us are different on that front. I make sure that I get in at least 150 g of protein every day; when I've achieved that, I figure that I can eat whatever I want to. Here's some observations, though: if I go highly-processed carb crazy, I have gut issues - gas, bloating, rumbling...not fun; if I eat more complex carbs, not so many issues, and most of the time - no issues. It's all a choice - you sometimes have to make that decision between "do I really want to taste that and deal with the consequences later?" or "would I rather not deal with those consequences and not taste that food that causes them?". The whole thing is up to you and what your body can handle.
3. I didn't have to deal with taking care of a baby - my "baby" was 14 when I had my DS. However, I do remember feeling very weak for awhile. I went back to my restaurant management job at 3 weeks post-op, and I'm really glad I did because it helped me get my strength and stamina back. I don't think hanging out at home doing much of nothing was doing me and my body any good. I would definitely think that you are going to need help taking care of a little baby though, although for how long is just going to depend on how you feel.
2. Many people are real "carb nazis" - I am not, and never have been. I didn't need to be (I reached goal in 9 months), but some people really have to watch their carbs to maximize their weight loss. All of us are different on that front. I make sure that I get in at least 150 g of protein every day; when I've achieved that, I figure that I can eat whatever I want to. Here's some observations, though: if I go highly-processed carb crazy, I have gut issues - gas, bloating, rumbling...not fun; if I eat more complex carbs, not so many issues, and most of the time - no issues. It's all a choice - you sometimes have to make that decision between "do I really want to taste that and deal with the consequences later?" or "would I rather not deal with those consequences and not taste that food that causes them?". The whole thing is up to you and what your body can handle.
3. I didn't have to deal with taking care of a baby - my "baby" was 14 when I had my DS. However, I do remember feeling very weak for awhile. I went back to my restaurant management job at 3 weeks post-op, and I'm really glad I did because it helped me get my strength and stamina back. I don't think hanging out at home doing much of nothing was doing me and my body any good. I would definitely think that you are going to need help taking care of a little baby though, although for how long is just going to depend on how you feel.
~Heather~
HW: 249/ CW: 130/ GW: 140
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