What's life like after surgery?

Thank you for the info! Can I just say WOW!!! Reaching your goal in only 9 months is A M A Z I N G!
I like the idea of getting in protein 1st then everything else later- I can see how that in and of itself would keep carbs somewhat under control. Oh, and I think I will pass on the gut issues! :) I will have to go back to work at 4 weeks- desk job so Im sure I will be okay.

1.      1.  Yes. The first 3 months I don’t think I had enough room to but now I don’t even think about it.

2.     2.   That seems to vary from person to person. Some people do fine with them, some don’t tolerate them well. To maximize your loss I would stay away from them for a while.

3.     3.   My youngest was 8 when I had surgery so it’s hard to say about a baby but I was keeping up with mine pretty well when they got out of school a month later. I do remember the first two weeks were very rough and there is no way I could handle a baby during that time.

thank you! this is excellent information :)

You've gotten some great answers so far, so I'll just answer #3: No, you won't be able to care for your baby after surgery. My husband had to stay home and care for both of us for 6 week for each of my surgeries, because I wasn't allowed to lift more than 5 pounds until 6 weeks out.

And honestly, even when he lifted her to me, I was so sore and swollen that even holding her on my lap was painful. I don't think it was until the 3rd week that I even changed a diaper.

Everything makes you sore and uncomfortable after surgery, and you really don't realize how physical taking care of a young child is until you just don't have the energy or range of movement anymore.

My husband was SO happy when I took child care duties back! I think he couldn't sleep the night before he went back to work because he was so excited!

Have fun with your learning/research phase!

1. Yes, but in the early weeks/months, you will have so little stomach space that you'll need to severely limit your fluid intake while eating in order to consume enough food. If you are like me and need a little sip of fluid with nearly every bite of food, it *can* be made to work, but it means eating probably slower than some other folks might eat.

2. Not really. It's time to change the way you eat for real, instead of looking for substitutes. You need to learn how to live on a diet that is basically primarily animal source protein and veggies. People who try to find ways around this concept tend to be dissatisfied with their weight loss and/or their gas and poop issues.

3. Not a mom, but if you can possibly get help, do so. The more you can rest, and the more you can protect yourself from early lifting, the better.

You got great responses to your other questions, so I will answer question #3 --

My daughter was almost 2 when I had my surgery last year, and for the first 2-3 weeks after surgery, I *absolutely* needed help with her. I was very tired and weak, my surgery was right around Christmas so her daycare was closed, and I was barely capable of taking care of myself. My mom was in town and able to help care for her, and I had other friends with kids take her on a few days, too.

Around 3 weeks out, I got a bit more energy and managed to get myself back to work, and her daycare was open again. I was not able to lift her into her carseat, I had the daycare dad help lift her in the car for me when I picked her up, and I was mostly able to care for her in the hour interval between picking her up from daycare and when my husband came home. I was able to *help* care for her, but I don't think I was truly comfortable taking care of her by myself until I was about 5-6 weeks out.

My daughter was extremely obliging in this time, and learned how to do a lot of things so that I wouldn't have to lift her -- climb in her highchair, climb onto the couch with a little stool, climb out of her carseat, etc. I was VERY lucky.