Need some experiance and hope answers please

Ok, 3 weeks this Monday since bypass surgery and here is a progress report. I am down on most days 16-20lbs. Working out doing cardio every day for 30-40 minutes, treadmill and elliptical. Can't do any strenth training for 3 more weeks. Sugar is down from 270ish ot 140ish. Food-  Doing smoothies with whey and muscle milk shakes 3 times a day. The muscle milk worries me cause with water it's like 300 calories for 12oz. I can eat eggs, fruit , yogurt, nuts, fish, chicken ( some home cooked chicken doesn't go down well at all) and lean ground streak. Salads, carrots, assparagus, green beans all ok. Bread is my nemesis....toast no matter how I chew gives me that hung up feeling. Makes me hurt and I fight off the barf feeling. At work I am eating string cheese, yogurt and some real soft beef jerky and sugar free pudding , a shake and a meal. So far so good. Today after feeling like my sugar plummited I ate 8 I mean 8 individual pringles and I had something BAD BAD happen which I think was dumping. Ya'll tell me. I got nauseous, light headed like I was spinning, weak and my stomach felt like it was a volcano about to erupt. Took me 30 -40 minutes to get over it. So learned not to eat 8 pringles again. I have had no soda, no sugar to speak of and no alcohol. Is 16-20 lbs in the first month normal or behind? I have been really eating small portions of everything and burning about 400 calories every morning exersizing. I look at my self and don't see much of a change. People say my face and belly look smaller but I dunno. Help!!!

I waited significantly longer than you did to eat such a broad selection of regular foods.   Here is what my doctor recommends for the first 6-8 weeks after surgery http://thinnerfuture.com/steps_dietary/stage3.htm ,

I definitely wouldn't eat bread as it both is primarily carbohydrates which doesn't help with weight loss and it doesn't go down well.

20 pounds in three weeks sounds reasonable to me.  Even with surgery losing weight takes time, if at six months you don't look different in the mirror, then I would worry.

Hey Rob, what kind of a diet did your surgeon put you on? I was on full liquids for three weeks after surgery. After three weeks I was on soft foods for four weeks. After that four weeks I started regular food. I know that some surgeons do move along faster than others, mine is very cautious. I will say that I was loosing real slow in the begining. I had already lost forty pounds before surgery and think my body went into starvation mode for awhile. Now I seem to be loosing any where from 3 to 6 pounds a week.  Like Dx says protien first. I would watch the sugar and carbs. I dont know what the muscle milk drinks are but at 300 calories times three a day that's 900 calories before you have eaten any thing else. The protein drinks I use are 200 calories for two scoops. I use one and a half scoops which is about 35 grams of protein and 150 calories, plus it has vitamins and minerals in it. I use Isopure no carb. If you surgeon has a nutritionist on staff it might be a good idea set up a visit and go over your diet.  Hang in there. pan head

Rob, "Rate of Loss" seems to be about right. But the range of foods you're eating seems "Ahead of the Curve." Did your doc give you a list of- "Eat This...avoid this, add this at week 3, 4, 5, 6, etc...?" Most do. For many, something like "Salad," Doesn't get introduced back into the diet until around week 11 to 18. BUT---- EVERY Doc's reccomendations are different. Some just go with-- "Eat what you CAN tolerate." The ones who's patients tend to have lower incidence of Barfing, are much more conservative... Here's What I had in my hard drive...... (sorry to just Copy/Paste, but it saves an azz-load of typing....) Hope it helps...... Best Wishes- Dx _______________________________________________________

The Post-Op Diet- Following bariatric surgery, the typical recommended goal is to develop a balanced diet that optimizes nutrition, stressing Protein, Hydration, Vitamins/minerals and offsetting any possible nutritional deficiencies with vitamin supplements. The goal is to develop a long term eating pattern that provides balanced complete nutrition that provides less calories than are utilized until the patient has lost their excess fat tissue (or a ‘goal percentage’ of that tissue) and can sustain a constant and healthy weight. Such a Bariatric Diet plan is available from the Obesity Action Coalition at- http://www.obesityaction.org/resources/oacnews/oacnews2/nutr ition.php Such a long-term "Dietary Lifestyle" however is often developed by first adhering to a diet that allows the surgical trauma and swelling to subside and heal properly without pressure or strain on the healing tissues. This Diet is typically broken down into "Stages" or "Phases." Each bariatric surgeon has their individual recommendation as to what diet is best suited for their patients. Early Post-Op Dietary regimens can range from "Eat what you can tolerate," to elaborately scheduled and measured protocols that dictate times and specific foods that are to be consumed. In general, all of them stress- enough water/fluid to remain thoroughly hydrated, followed by protein and then vitamins. They also typically come with the caveat of- "Do Not Advance Your Diet Until Instructed to do so By YOUR Doctor." These Post-Op Diets, aimed at gradually re-introducing food to the patient, do prevent in many cases vomiting, and stress on the newly Banded, Stapled or Sutured stomachs. They can break into various numbers of "Stages" or "Phases." Most commonly there are 3 to 5 stages. Although some protocols combine Full and Clear Liquids into one phase, and pureed and mushy into a single stage, these are often the descriptions (in order of advancement)- Clear Liquid Diet- Water, Unsweetened clear juice, Sugar free Jell-O, Sugar Free Popsicles, chicken, beef, or vegetable broth/bullion, and Decaf or herbal teas. Full-Liquid Diet- All foods and drinks from previous stage plus- Skim-Milk, Sugar Free/Low Fat or plain yogurt, (without fruit) Strained Cream Soups, Protein Shakes, Thinned Cream of wheat or cream of rice cereals, No sugar-added applesauce, and Sugar-Free puddings. Puree Diet- All foods and drinks from previous stages plus Low Sugar and low fat foods that have been processed/pureed to the consistency of baby-food or applesauce. Soft Diet- (Mechanically Soft, or mushy) All foods and drinks from previous stages plus very tender meats such as canned tuna fish, low-fat peanut butter, soft cooked to the point of mushy vegetables, Soft fruit, (banana, melon, low sugar or no sugar added canned fruit) eggs, toast, low-fat crackers, Fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese and soft low-fat cheeses, Mashed Potatoes, (without skins) Tofu, etc… Typically- No vegetable skins, Crisp vegetables, Corn, Rice or Soft Bread.

Full Diet- All foods and drinks from previous stages plus crisp vegetables, fruits, meats, etc… as tolerated. The emphasis continues to be on Protein, Low-Fat, Low-Sugar, Vitamin rich foods. An example of a typical "3 Stage" Diet for Bariatric Patients is provided online by J. K. Champion, M.D., F.A.C.S. of Atlanta’s Videoscopic Institute of Atlanta, P.C., Bariatric Surgery. (Dr. Champion is one of the three founding officers of the Surgical Review Corporation which was created to establish "Centers of Excellence" in Bariatric Surgery.) http://www.drchampion.com/postop-diet.php St. Vincent's Bariatric Surgery Center (also a Bariatric Surgery ‘Center of Excellence’) offers an extensive "5 Phase" Diet for Bariatric Patients (complete with shopping lists) at- http://www.stvincents.org/healthservices/bariatrics/dietstag e.cfm

Eventually, sooner for some than others, a balanced, nutritional, healthy dietary intake is the goal. This is the same whether one has a procedure that is more mal-absorptive or only restrictive and not mal-absorptive at all. Healthy, Nourishing, Balanced Diet.

OK here is that my Dr. said or rather gave me as a guide. Basicly the same thing I have been reading. First 3 days it was liquids i.e. hot tea, chicken broth, popsicles etc. The evening meal the 2nd night out of surgery it was oat meal, hot tea, chicken broth, gatorade etc. The 4th day through say the 10th day it was basically the same, Malt o Meal, soft fruit drained and washed, some string cheese and srambled eggs with barely any yolks and lots of water and gatorade. On the 12th day I tried baby carrots, a few green beans and some chicken, it was a chicken tender at a resturant with the kids and my wife and I picked the breading off and it was so tender and it all went fine but it seemd to be a week earlier than the guide said. On the 14th day I met my bariactric surgeon for a check up. She asked how it was going and I told her what I just laid out here and she said GREAT!!! It's good that your tolerating those foods and the weight was down from 345 to 329. So I asked her is it ok to start walking more and doing more cardio and she said sure, take it slow and gage how you feel. The beef jerky was kind of an experiment. I play guitar in a band and had a 2 hour road trip. I tried some cashews and a little jerky on the road and I had no problems. So I may be a freak of nature here. A gf of mine suggested the isopure in lieu of the muscle milk because it's 44 gms of protein and no calories. That  Muscle Milk just has too many calories but the carbs seem decent.  So DxE she ( my Dr.) kinda took the eat what you can tolerate stance with me since I seemed to be going ok. I am pooping ok although it took a week. Here is an overview of what I am doing now. 5am    to the gym and a shake or an optisource bar before workout 30-40 minutes cardio 7am     2 eggs and some yogurt Yoplait lite or a smoothie with whey water water water 11am   some fruit and a optisource mini nutrition bar 12-1pm    can of tuna or chicken breast 3 oz and a serving of vege's water water water 2-3pm     some string cheese and a shake 4 oz w/water (200cal 16gm) 4-5        sugar free pudding or yogurt water water water 6-7       either  3oz of chicken or 3 oz fish, a serving of veges and 1/2 cup of salad 9pm     a smoothie with whey I haven't counted that up but it doesn't seem like a lot. Compaired to what I read of guys still eating baby food or pureed stuff and oatmeal seems a little out of whack. Maybe I am doing it wrong but my Dr. says I am doing fine. What do ya'll think

Hey Rob,  First of all, we're neighbors! Everyone is different when it comes to losing. I don't know much about what you're pre-op diet was like. How long were you on a pre-op diet? How much did you lose? You're body may be adjusting if you lost a measurable amount in the time leading up to surgery, a plateau of sorts. Personally, I lost 29 lbs. in the first three weeks, then 10 more the next week for a total of 39 for the first month. One thing to keep in mind though, I was not on a reduced calorie/carb diet at all before surgery. Well, I did have to drink liquids only the day before surgery. I don't know if that made a difference or not. Once I lost the 39, the weight loss slowed down, but has stayed fairly consistent since, well aside from a couple of short lived plateaus.  About the calories: You're in what "WLSers" call the honeymoon phase. NO amount of calorie intake will affect your weight loss that much at this point. Take advantage of this time to re-learn to eat. By that I mean find what foods your new pouch can tolerate. Also keep in mind that your tastes have changed, and they will continue to change. Some foods that I couldn't handle the first month or so, go down without any problems at all now and taste better, too. I've never been a shake drinker, not even at the beginning.  I hated the way they taste then, and it hasn't changed. For this reason I can't give you any insight on the shakes. I'm sure someone out there will pass on some information about them.  Check out these links: You will find a couple of guys that post their progress from the beginning, myself being one of them. http://obesityhelp.com/forums/men/a,messageboard/action,repl ies/board_id,5479/cat_id,5079/topic_id,3222096/ http://obesityhelp.com/forums/men/a,messageboard/action,repl ies/board_id,5479/cat_id,5079/topic_id,3216246/ You're doing great man, keep it up. Stop worrying so much.

Will do Ronnie. I am anxious and wiggng for some reason. Peace

I just want to throw something in here, if I might. I have a friend that had bypass surgery about a year before me. He was so hell-bent on comparing numbers that it has served him wrong. He's now 4+ years post op, and I have not laid eyes on him in forever. I know that his eating habits were really screwed up, he stopped excersizing, and ate whatever he wanted because he knew he  could make himself throw up and get rid of it. Sound problematic? My guess is that he's put on a substantial amount of weight and doesn't want anyone to see him, What do you think? I took the liberty of copying something out of your profile, I hope you don't mind.  It's a long road, but I am willing to go to any lenghts. It IS a long road.You'll get there, honestly! And when you get "there", you'll have a little further to travel. By the grace of God, you'll have people around you to travel with  and hold you up when you need it or kick you in the butt if that's what you need. I say enjoy the moment, it's all about change and as the therapist that runs our support groups says, 'you've got nothing but time, so enjoy the ride.' I have a plaque on my wall that I look at every day. It says Happiness is in the journey. The destinations are great too, but it's all about getting there.  Since your doc thinks you're doing well, I say keep it up and you'll continue to lose. The only thing that I would be wary of is the shakes. Sometimes they can be highly caloric and not give you enough protien to warrant the calories, again, that's my opinion. Also, you might want to try tracking your calories, etc at www.fitday.com I know a lot of people that find that site very helpfull. You might actually be surprised at what you are eating. I wish you well, and please know that there are plenty of people around if you need help. Wishing you all the best, continued success, and all of God's blessings. . . Bob

I think I just had an axious moment. I am damned determinded. I didn't go through 4 months of preperation and the ass whipping that is surgery to manipulate this bypass. My family, wife, kids and I have commiitted to a lifestyle change. I just felt a little overwhelmed.

Rob, Congratulations on your success!  You’re eating nutritious foods, exercising, and getting healthy again.  You’re doing great.   Don’t worry about what you see others eating the first few weeks or how much weight they are losing.  Everyone is different.  We all have different starting lines and the goal lines are different as well. The biggest guys that have the furthest to travel generally drop weight pretty fast at first, but then they have a longer journey to make than some of the rest of us. You are eating about what I was eating in the first few weeks and your rate of weight loss is about the same.  Listen to your doctor’s advice, set a short-term goal and stay focused on it.  It isn’t much different that a football or baseball game.  Get the first downs or base hits and the points on the scoreboard will follow.  Your goal is to lose just one pound at a time.  Eventually they add up to a healthier you.