Question:
This may sound weird, but I'm feeling normal...

I'm almost 8 wks post-op from RNY and just about feel "normal". In fact, maybe TOO normal. I feel like I can eat more (and I do)..I can swallow and drink my fluids much faster now, don't have any pain. Most people had told me I wouldn't feel better until about 3-6 months out..I don't mean to worry when I feel so well, but I almost feel like I didn't have surgery..?? Is this the calm before the storm?    — Jennifer C (posted on May 9, 2002)

May 8, 2002
Jennifer, I am not sure why it is but some people have a much easier time with surgery than others. I too had a very easy time of it. I am almost 20 months post op and I can eat small amounts of absolutely anything with no problems. I have lost 333 pounds and didn't hit my first plateau until 18 months post op. There may not be a storm at all. :) Keep up the good work and please let me know if I can help in anyway. Your Weight Loss Pal,
   — DeeDubbs

May 8, 2002
Hi Jennifer...I feel the same way you do and I am only one month out - and down 27lbs! I had one week of nausea and general blahness, but other than that I am doing fine. I was going to post a question about my fear of eating too much also, but I was afraid of being chastised by some of the super sticklers in the group. Anyway, I guess I should be happy not to have suffered complications, but can't help but worry a bit...sometimes it seems too easy. Best of luck to you!
   — rebeccamayhew

May 8, 2002
I'm right there with you, girlfriend! I am 10 weeks out and for the past three weeks, ever since my Dr. and I got the nausua/vomiting under control, I have been feeling great and am eating more too. But I'm not worried. I look oeverall at what I've eaten, and it's still not totally up to much over 1000-1200 calories a day. Example: last night we ate at Olive Garden. I was hungry. I had some salad (which chews down to nothing!), chix scampi (1 1/2 small pieces of chix, two bites of pasta), 1/3 of a breadstick and 2 bites of tiramisu. Sounds like a lot but when you add it up it really isn't that much. And I didn't eat the rest of the night. There are days like yesterday where I eat more, and there are days where I'm just not hungry so I eat what I need to. Go with the flow, and listen to your body. My point of view is that if I'm feeling ok, not getting sick, and the weight/inches are still coming off I must be doing something right. I hope this helps - sorry to have rambled!!!
   — Sarah C.

May 8, 2002
over 300 pounds weight loss?! YOU ROCK! Posrers, try not to feel intimidated and post anything and everything you feel. Others who post, may put their input, but don't mean to criticize. Some or us make different food choices in our recovery, that's all. Like me..I choose to never ever eat bread & pasta again. Pizza, pasta --breads...they got me here in the first place! Today, I put only REAL foods, not processed foods in my body. I no longer eat flour or sugar or caffeine. And I am ok with that. It isn't for everybody, but it IS right for me. My first five weeks were awful & I regretted surgery :-( However, now I am 11 months out and -158 pounds, yay!And yes ---I can eat a lot. But, I try not to "graze" and I try to stop at a reasonable for me portion, to train me for the future way ---my permanent way of eating--that fits in with my loving this lifestyle :-)
   — Barbara B.

May 9, 2002
Jennifer ~ I feel exactly the same way and have since my sixth week. There are days that I don't feel like I've had surgery, and almost feel guilty that I've had it so easy - no nasuea, no dumping, no throwing up. I almost feel like I shouldn't be allowed to wear the WLS badge of courage. I've changed my patterns so significantly: I exercise a lot, I do still measure my food for every meal and do not eat any bread, pasta, potatoes, rice or sweets. I chew, chew, chew. Those changes are the only thing that reminds me about my RNY. All that stuff already seems like second nature to me and I am twelve weeks today. I am down 62.5 pounds, but sometimes feel like it's been so easy for me that in the end I'm never going to lose all of my weight. Weird, huh?
   — PaulaM

May 9, 2002
Amen, I am so glad somebody has expressed my exact feelings. I will be 5 weeks post-op tomorrow and lost over 30lbs...I feel absolutely great and have felt that way for over 2 weeks. I can eat almost anything that I choose, just small portions. The only restrictions that i have placed on myself are not to eat bread, rice, pasta, etc. Sometimes, I too wonder if this is just a calm or if everthing is working as it is supposed to be. When i start to feel that way, i just think about how much food i used to consume per day as opposed to my food consumption now. I dont even really think about food anymore. I used to go to bed planning breakfast and wake up planning lunch and dinner. now i have to remind myself that it is time to eat. we are eating to live, not living to eat and that makes all the difference.
   — Maria A. M.

May 9, 2002
Wow ... people are SOOO different. I was literally sick as a dog for the first 12 weeks after my surgery. I threw up at least 3-5 times/day and had diarrhea if I ate anything with any carbs in it. I lost weight VERY rapidly (100 lbs. in the first 12 weeks), but then I started feeling a ton better. Over the course of the next 10 months, I have only lost 77 lbs. So I guess it all balances out. Some people tolerate anything they eat from day one, and others like me have more trouble, but in the long term, the overall weight loss is very similar.
   — Terissa R.

May 11, 2002
Hi...I am like you. I felt "normal" almost immediately. That is, after I healed from the surgery. But my insides felt normal right away and still do. I am 5 months PO and have lost 60 pounds.
   — Caren S.