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Hi there - I used to be an addict to this website - then life got really busy and I dropped off. I had WLS June 22, 2004 - it has almost been 2 years and I am STUCK! The honeymoon is over and I am SOOO plateaued it is pitiful. Is anyone else having trouble with all this protein we are supposed to take in? I just can not eat that much. I am the cake lady in our city so I breathe in sugar, so sugar does not make me sick one bit - I could eat as much sugar as I wanted to and no dumping. I, fortunately, really do not crave the sugar because I am around it all day. I just can not seem to eat or I do not have an appetite for anything. How are you all handling it? I have my 2 year check up soon and really want to be back on the right track....

Any words will help!
Sarajane

Hi Sarajane, and :welcome: back !!!

Well, how about getting your protein in via protein shakes?

How much have you lost since surgery?

:hug:

lap band? bypass? something else? gotta go to a meeting. will be back soon

Hi all - bypass - the best gift I could have ever given myself! My beginning weight was 350 and I am teetering 195+/- now after 2 years, but I am at a really good size for me. I am a firm 16 (down from a 30) and the only thing I am unhappy with are the boobs! I can always buy some of those when I do the tummy tuck. I have been really lucky with the fact that I do not have alot of loose skin. My arms are great, my inner thigh needs some work, and my tumme is a bit stretched, but not so bad.

I go back to the dr. on the 8th... I can not drink shakes, I can not handle any liquid like that whether it is water based or a creamy shake. I get sick. So I have some protein bars that I enjoy, but I know I am not getting enough. I know that that will jumpstart more losing if I get all the protein. I just can not seem to eat during the day at all. So I am generally eating one real meal a day in the afternoon and grabbing a bar during the day.......

I just am not so motivated to do it!!!

Gotta run deliver a cake!
Sara

Wow, I don't know how you handle the cake thing. I love it. I've had two pieces of cake since my surgery and it didn't make me sick one bit, which scares me because I'm a real sugar addict. Have you tried beef jerky? My support group is always going on about how that can fill you up, is a good source of protein and is a better snack than chips. I've gotten sick a couple of times drinking my protein shake, I think it's because I drank it fast, thinking it was like water.

I am loving beef jerky (and pig skins!!!)- which I would have NEVER eaten before. I buy it in bulk and keep it in the bakery. I can not drink water either. It drops in the bottom of my stomach and hurts...crystal light yes, water no... go figure. I drink unsweet tea like crazy. I know my iron is low because I am eating ice like crazy. Sometimes I go through a bag a day. I seem to be full of bad habits!!! My family has never really eaten cake - you do not want it. The best way to keep off something I think is to surround yourself with it so much that it makes you not want it. I will taste a sliver here or there just to make sure it is just like I want the taste to be, but generally I can tell by the texture of it or the sound it makes when the knife slices it. I have just made so many that I know what it should look like and taste like in the same.

Have you had any plastic surgery? That is my next step. Probably one more year and then I will be ready.

Thanks for talking!!!
Sara

I haven't had plastic surgery. It's too soon since my surgery. They say you are suppose to wait 18 months for your weight to stablize. I'd like to, if I could afford it. I think it may come down to buying my first home or surgery in a couple of years. If I had only bought a house three years ago I could have refinanced and paid for the surgery. Bummer.

Have you talked to your doctor about your problem with water? Maybe it's a sign of a more dangerous condition than you are aware of.

I have talked to him, he said about 1 in 250 can not handle straight water after the surgery. He suggested the crystal light, which I was already drinking so it is ok. Our nutritionalist is a real "Barbie" and I hate to have to see her. She is blonde, skinny (naturally), and a bit too cheerful. How often do you have to see the nutritionalist? So many of my dr.s patients were skipping her meetings, that he arranged for her to come into the room to see you before he does - sticks her to ya! My sister inlaw had the surgery a month after I did and she is down to a 10! She has a small frame (5ft2in and small boned) I am 5ft 8 and not small boned at all. I am happy with a 16 - I do not look sick like most get to. After my tummy tuck, I should be able to really be a 14 - I can wear some now but very few. Here, some of my friends have had surgery and since they have lost more than 100 pounds, their insurance has covered everything. I had my surgery just before Blue Cross stopped covering it. I was very lucky. I have a friend who paid cash for hers and her husband carries around her water pitcher from the hospital and calls it his $50,000.00 coffee mug! I was very lucky.

Back to baking!!!

Hi Sarah:
I haven't had the surgery yet, but i wanted to comment on 2 things
1 my nutritionist is uber cheerful. . .tho I get the feeling she might have been at least chubby at one point. . .she's way too excited!
and 2 have you tried fruit 2O? I can't stomach crystal light generally but fruit 2 O isn't bad if its cold
Also She said dasani water was best tolerated by alot of their patients

$50,000 Coffee Mug? At least he has a sense of humor about it :D
Kierie

too sweet for me! I do better with the crystal light peach tea and unsweet tea. Thanks though. Are all nutritionalists perky??? Maybe it is what THEY eat! Although, I did see mine at the grocery with ice cream, chocolate milk, and frozen pizza! I do not want to nutritionalist bash, but mine just gets on my nerves!!!Love my dr to pieces! I think that is the most important part of the whole surgery process.

He has two RNs that provide us with nutritional info at the support meetings. My doc also talks to us individually when we meet with him.

I just have to comment here about the nutritionalist. Mine is not cheerful, upset, anything--just emotionless. Any expression would be better than none at all. My appointments with her have been to have her read my food guide to me for that stage--I have already read it myself & understand 3 oz of ... etc. When I have had questions for her, she has been unable to answer them. I have my 3 month appt. on Monday. During these appts. I see the surgeon, nutritionalist, exercise advisor, & RN case worker. This time I said I didn't have time for everyone, so would skip the nutritionalist.

If I had questions about what to eat it would be different... but with all the research most of us do before the surgery, it is all outlined for us. By this point in my growth, 2 years, you are going to eat what you eat and you learn what does good and bad. I really feel meeting with her is a waste of time, because she really does not give me information - I have never shown her a food journal... she just asks what I eat, and comments on that. I am not a good eater, I work 15++ hours a day and I do not get to sit and eat meals at a table. I know I need to, it just does not work like that for everyone. I snack on carrots, protein bars, beef jerky,and some fruits. I know what food works for me and I stay away from the ones that do not. Although, I am LOVING the Krystal corn pup - it is like the corn dogs you get at the fair, just miniature. I can eat almost a whole 3 inch corn pup - I am still working on the taco - I can not eat a whole one... if I were single, I would be a really cheap date!

Take care

Ok, I'm going to be bold here. Sarajane, what I'm hearing is a combination of you saying you're frustrated, stuck, and nothing is working. And... I know what I'm doing, I can eat anything. I can eat sugar, corn pups and tacos and it doesn't affect me. I don't need guidance or direction because I already know where I'm at.

Clearly, to me anyway, you DO need to make some changes and the fact that you're stuck means what you're eating is NOT working for you. You may not dump when you eat sugar. But you have to KNOW the food choices you mention here aren't optimal. That's common sense whether you've had WLS or not.

I suspect your body has become very hungry for carbs and you probably would go through some real anxiety and changes if you dropped them. And I can assure you dumping the carbs would go a LONG way toward helping you bust out of the plateau.

You commented that at 2 years post op you eat what you eat. Well, that may well be true in the sense that old food patterns (and even some newer ones) will be pretty well established but if you're stuck the truth is the way you eat isn't helpful at the moment and you may have to consider making some radical changes again. Re-evaluating your diet. In fact, going back to the way you ate right after surgery may be helpful.

Wow! you are bold!

Thanks for the reply and please know, I eat baked/grilled fish, baked/grilled chicken, grilled veggies, seafood, ...no pasta, no pizza, no chips, no fried foods (minus the 1 corn pup or taco I allow myself a week) no candy, no ice cream, no cereal, no cake, no potatoes,no red meat, no pork, nothing I ate pre surgery. I will never say I do not need guidance, but I do not get anything out of the nutritionalist that my dr. has. It has been 2 years since I have had a soda of any kind. I used to dring 2+ liters of Diet Cola a day. All I am saying, is that after 2 years, it takes more that a blonde barbie look alike with a fake smile to make someone get back on track. Is that not was sites like this are for ... to help get you back on a good path for you.. with others that understand where you are? I do love carbs and I have to choose them carefully - I would love to have a plate of pasta with alfredo sauce and garlic rolls... but I choose not to have that. I do not think it is bad to have one corn pup or taco - after all there are no fries or sodas with that, I think not allowing yourself to have some things that you want is worse than indulging once a week. Just because I am loving the taste of a taco and a corn pup, does that mean I am eating them in the same week. If I go to a mexican resturant and have already indulged for the week on another day, I will just get an order of fajita veggies and salsa, If not , I have a taco. but nothing else.

I have changed my life since this surgery, changed my eating, changed my work out habits, changed just about everything I can, and now after 2 years, I do feel a bit stuck - that is why I logged onto this site to see how others are handling it. Clearly, I understand that I am lacking in the knowledge to make this change on my own, that is why I was looking for what has worked for others. I do not feel that I can get that from a nutritionalist that has never been there.

Your comments are most greatfully taken, please do not think otherwise. :)

What about changing Nutritionist? Do you have to see her?

i've seen a wide range of dieticians. some are absolutely horrendous and a few - VERY few - are excellent. the rest are mediocre. the best one, for me at least, was a diabetes educator who believed that all of us who qualified for the surgery are insulin resistant, and we have to re-learn to eat in that style, and take into consideration the new nutritional needs we have.

there are actually a couple of dietiticians who have gotten up in front of rooms filled with new post-ops and told them to eat 4 oz of meat/chicken/fish at every meal!!!! i challenged one of them, and she backed down, saying that she was speaking about those who were a couple of years out. but they never make that clear.

and, sarajane, i'm very glad you clarified what you're eating! it was hard to tell from the post that hubs responded to whether corn pups were a regular part of your diet or a treat. we all need treats. one of mine is a particular brand of diet soda ONE SMALL BOTTLE EVERY 6-8 WEEKS [i had to put that in caps :lol:]. and i chill it [sometimes even in the freezer for 30 minutes], then pour it over a tall glass of ice. that gets a lot of the bubbles out, and then i savor every sip.

Sarajane! What a fantastic response. Really. I respect your position and I'm so glad you responded directly as you did. I'm much more clear on where you're at.

One thing I know is that our bodies sometimes need to take a break. Our furnace becomes very, very efficient at surviving on what we've been giving them when we go through weight loss and can come to a grinding stop. Everything that works for a year or so, doesn't work so well any more.

To me, that always means shaking things up a little. Tightening up on the things we have become comfortable with as our way of eating. And going back to the beginning for a bit. Often it doesn't take going that radical change route for long to get things going again either.

I totally understand why you're having trouble with your nutritionist and if you see her as anything but a model of understanding and 'leadership' then she truly has nothing to offer you.

So to go back to the beginning. If you look very, very carefully at how you've eaten at times when you've lost the most, how is that different from what you do now.

And thanks for taking my comments in the spirit they were intended. They were meant as a challenge in the spirit of support, not in the spirit of judgement.

CJs Princess - the nutritionalist is sort of a package deal - you have to see her when you see the dr.

Hubs - If I did not want opinions and suggestions, I would not have logged back in! I might have said the same thing.

I would LOVE a diet soda - but I will not let myself get back to that. My Sister in law drinks them and that is fine if she wants to. I would never judge for that - heck, I had a truffle 2 weeks ago! My other Sister in law had the surgery and has gained more weight than she lost, so I know what happens when you do not do as you should. My older brother had the surgery as well and due to her unwillingness to maintain her promise of what to eat, he is gaining weight back. I refuse to do that! It took too long to get here.

Jiffypop - even 2 years out I can not eat 4 oz of chicken! If I did there would be no room for veggies.

Thanks to you all for the advice! now back to the bakery!! weddings tomorrow!

i know what you mean about the 4 oz. i'm more than 4 years out, and i can barely manage 3 oz! and that's just fine with me! '

gotta go home now. see ya all later.

Great thread !!!

The dietition I had before surgery told me that after banding I would only be eating a teeny babyfood size jar of food..... bwaaaaaah! what a joke. I can eat prob 2+ cups of food easy at this point. I would need a ton of fills to only be able to eat 1-2 oz of food.

I am learning that dietitions and doctors know about the procedure but they don't know to much about the after care IMHO.

leenie, you've hit on a HUGE problem. i've been trying for a long time to provide continuing medical education on this problem, but it's nearly impossible to find a funder. as soon as i do manage to find a way, i can promise you that this will change!

<note to everyone - i'm actually a medical writer and editor - and i run the editorial department that provides continuing medical education to docs, nurses, and pharmacists.>

Point & case, I told my fill doctor that I have a harder time eating (increased restriction, couldn't get much food down) in the morning than at dinner time where food would go down with no problem (just to see what he would say). He told me that it was in my imagination and that I needed to deal with these mental issues.

This is a very common thing that most bandsters experience but obviously my doctor knew nothing about.

I know that when I get up in the morning, my hands are swollen and I feel a little bloated as compared to the night before where as my ankles will be swollen but when we lay down the fluids are redistributed.

Doctors should treat each individual patient just as that, individuals, and if one patient has symptoms different than another, those symptoms should not be dismissed and they should not make the patient feel ashamed. Wish they'd listen with their ears and hearts instead of their wallets.

JMHO

When I eat, I get incredibly sleepy - my bloodsugar get all out of whack! My nutr. told me it was what I was eating, and I was very strict on what I ate, and it still happened, it was only after tests that we found out I have an underactive pancreas that does not keep up with digestion. She had never heard of this... Each patient is very different and medical professionals need to understand that they can not lump people in a group just because they are overweight. We all got here in different ways, and it takes different ways for us to find our ways out. My son is 12 and almost 6 foot tall. He weighs 280 (the football coaches love it...) he eats regularly, does sports all year long, perfect blood workups... yet he is overweight by many pounds. I do wish he would eat more veggies, but don't all parents wish this. Anyway - he has always been lumped into catagories of lathargic overweight underactive lazy children... when he is very active. He has a new dr. that actually asked me to bring in family photos on our next visit.

more cakes to do!

I'm just popping in for a second before i bond with laundry!
I just wanted to say this forum gave me the greatest insight into the procedures and the effects. Y'all are brilliant! (Yes I'm a jersey girl and i said yall sue me i lived in the south for 2 years)
:) Kierie

Even a Southerner for 2 years is a Southerner for life! I am popping in while I am waiting on the last wedding cake icing to set up before going out in 90 degree heat.Gotta love summers in the south.

Are these surgeries popular in your cities? You can watch the depleation of obesity here by shopping at the consignment shops, there used to be tons of 16 and 18's because no one could fit into them anymore, and now they are loaded with 26-28's and there are no 16's!

In my case, I'm seeing the Nutritionist by choice. It's not required by my Dr. but I feel like I can use all the help I can get. I may take her information witha grain of salt, but again, I'm looking for help wherever I can get it!