New to the RNY forum

Hi Everyone,

I hope it is okay I post here. I had a medical bypass. It was not RNY but it was a bypass and since this forum is so active I am hoping to learn from the members here. I am doing well with hydration and protein but right now my goals are the opposite. I want to gain. I need to gain. So, I am following the post op plan but tweaking it carefully as far as calories go. I go slow to watch for signs to how my body will respond to sugars/carbs and fat since I am so early out (started week 3 yesterday/revision on 7/25). I have worked up to at least 1,300 calories but my weight is still teetering and I am not gaining (yet). I am doing quality nutrition like whey isolate, whole greek yogurt, my vitamins specific for bypass etc. and the purees I do so far have been tolerated well, even scrambled egg with melted cheese (organic sweet potato, organic applesauce, cream of wheat made with whole milk instead of water, etc.) I plan to try avocado, eggs pureed with mayo or avocado, fish mashed the same, etc. I am 5 foot 9 and have been at 127 now for a few days (up from 125 before I had the revision), so I know I have worked up in the right direction but right now it will be up to my body to let me know what it can tolerate and also to heal from the surgery internally etc. I write everything down in a food log right now and try to limit daily activity (and no exercise****il this sorts itself out. I feel so much better now that I can hydrate and get nutrition in but I still know I have a long road ahead. Once I reach a weight that is healthier for me and maintain that for a while I look forward to using my tool differently. While I am grateful, this has been really difficult. I don't enjoy eating so much dairy and relying so much on whey protein powders etc. I have to sip very slowly over at least an hour generally so I don't cramp etc. I hope to learn lots from the posts here and looks forward to being able to tolerate more nutrient dense FOOD. I had a check in with the local general surgeon who did my EGD scope before the revision and he said my pouch looked to be about 5-6 cm. (He showed me my vertebrae and said each one was about 2 cm. and my revised sleeve to bypass pouch in relation to those), and my bypassed intestine is around 80 cm. I was told or no more than 1 meter, basically, enough to reroute around the complication and re-establish a route for nutrition, with a bilroth 2/omega loop connection rather than the RNY. He scanned my surgery video into my file and made notes for my local hospital so that if I were to have any medical issues that they have it on file. I appreciated that. He told me to keep following the dietary guide I had been using and just using trial and error with my body to see what works and what doesn't. That is hard for me, lol; but I have an appointment with a nutritionist later this month. I haven't found their advice super helpful before but I will go and show my diet logs and see if they suggestions. I really like to see what actual patients/consumers have found helpful though.

Welcome!

Nut butters (like peanut butter and almond butter) are high in calories in a small package. You could eat a few spoons full throughout the day and easily get an additional 400 calories. They are also a source of protein (small... but it still counts). Peanut butter was what my mother's doctor recommended when her weight got dangerously low. It helped her gain and she enjoyed eating it because it was a small "treat" that was not too large for her (she had zero appetite).

I add PB2 to my mid day smoothie and am slowly adding nut butter to see how much my body will accept. I will also eat tiny amounts through the day (just 1/4 tsp, then 1/2 tsp. etc.) I hope my body continues to be okay with it. Did your mom have a bypass or was her low weight due to another health issue?

Mom had other health issues, but weight gain is weight gain.

I add PB2 to my mid day smoothie and am slowly adding nut butter to see how much my body will accept. I do still have my gallbladder so I am thankful for that and hope it will continue to do right. I will also eat tiny amounts through the day (just 1/4 tsp, then 1/2 tsp. etc.) I hope my body continues to be okay with it. Did your mom have a bypass or was her low weight due to another health issue?

I guess I'm confused by your post about wanting to gain weight with bypass??

I understand. My revision was medically necessary to re establish a route for nutrition and hydration. It is a long story but I have posted about it. Once I reach a stable weight I have the tools to maintain. I hope this makes sense. It isn't about being thinner right now, but about getting back to healthy after a complication from my gastric sleeve healing leading to where I found myself before the revision. I hope this helps. I am 5 foot 9 and underweight, just hoping to reach and maintain a healthy, stable weight.

gotcha

I think the feedback here you may be given is to pay attention to portion size and weigh food. You don't want to go into a rabbit hole where you are eating inappropriate things outside plan as it will be a harder transition after you get to maintenance weight.

Welcome to the group! I think if you look at the menus, particularly of the fantastic vets, you'll get some ideas about what you can eat healthily and be set up for the future as well as driving the results you want right now. Just remember you're still healing and to balance anything you find interesting to try with your surgeons food stages.

I am 5'8" and technically underweight right now post-hernia & fundoplication surgery (per BMI chart); however, I am not worrying about it or trying to gain weight. Nor are my physicians concerned about my current weight. I feel pretty good while I wait to get my appetite back and can advance my diet. I joke that I'm Hollywood thin, which is true, but I'm healthy by most/all measures. I'm on the edge of normal BMI so this won't be an "issue" for very long.

I've read so many stories of people that do a lot to gain weight and end up gaining too much and developing poor eating habits. I did not have WLS 18 months ago to end up with a poor result long term. I'm confident that when I can eat dense protein and veggies again that my weight will stabilize appropriately.

momtshaver: Your current weight is in the normal BMI range. Are your physicians telling you you're grossly underweight or is that your perception?