Gastric Bypass Surgery Support Group
Gastric bypass (GBP) is any of a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight in the form of fatty tissue, and the health problems ("co-morbidities") which result. If you are considering gastric bypass or have had it, join the community where we share our experiences and find support.
I'm sixteen days into my new normal (RNY on 12/11) and am still trying to find my bearings. Here's what I've learned so far:
1--The scale is not a daily requirement, it is a weekly check-in. I decided that Fridays would be my Scale Day. As of last Friday, which was also Chrsitmas Day, I was down 38 lbs. (20 pre-op, 18 post-op) Will see what this Friday brings.
2--When the dietician says to go EVERYWHERE with your water bottle, she wasn't kidding. It's the only way to have even a ghost of a chance of making my daily water intake requirement. Haven't made it yet, but am getting closer.
3--I need to find a water bottle that not only holds 32 oz and has the ounce markings on the side, but will also fit into the cup holders of my car. My family owns about two dozen water bottles and guess how many with ounce markings fit in those blasted cup holders? Hint: Less than one.
4--MyFitnessPal.com is a fantastic and easy way to keep track of my protein intake, let alone other nutrients, as well as water intake and exercise.
5--Tonight's dinner was my first time eating chicken since before my pre-op liquid diet three weeks ago. I had MUCH better results than I did with my Christmas turkey dinner because I remembered to puree it. However, I forgot to use the sauce it cooked in and used plain chicken broth instead.
6--I got a Vitamix for Christmas from my husband and discovered it does a lousy job pureeing just two tablespoons of chicken with a touch of broth.
7--That same Vitamix does a fantastic job with the entire pot of chicken and apricot tagine (recipe from the cookbook Eating Well After Bariatric Surgery). I threw the contents of the pot in there after my family had dinner tonight and the machine made mincemeat out of that entire batch in less than two minutes! I put it into six 4-oz containers and now I have six lunches or dinners whenever I need them.
8--I catch myself looking at my profile at every mirror I pass, and end up giggling like a schoolgirl while rubbing my now-obviously-shrinking belly.
9--I have ankles!!!
10--My skin is starting to sag and get wrinkles in places I wasn't expecting. (Any tips on what to do about that besides more water and exercise?)
11--I have to get my driver's license renewed on New Year's Eve. I'm so excited because this is the first time since high school that my weight listed on it was what I actually weigh! Well, it was current last week. Now I weigh LESS!!!
12--It actually is possible to survive without bread, pasta or rice. But by God, it is HARD.
13--Christmas was tough. Lots of candy and cookies around and I was sorely tempted, but I didn't give in.
14--I am so glad I found this group. :-)
1--The scale is not a daily requirement, it is a weekly check-in. I decided that Fridays would be my Scale Day. As of last Friday, which was also Chrsitmas Day, I was down 38 lbs. (20 pre-op, 18 post-op) Will see what this Friday brings.
2--When the dietician says to go EVERYWHERE with your water bottle, she wasn't kidding. It's the only way to have even a ghost of a chance of making my daily water intake requirement. Haven't made it yet, but am getting closer.
3--I need to find a water bottle that not only holds 32 oz and has the ounce markings on the side, but will also fit into the cup holders of my car. My family owns about two dozen water bottles and guess how many with ounce markings fit in those blasted cup holders? Hint: Less than one.
4--MyFitnessPal.com is a fantastic and easy way to keep track of my protein intake, let alone other nutrients, as well as water intake and exercise.
5--Tonight's dinner was my first time eating chicken since before my pre-op liquid diet three weeks ago. I had MUCH better results than I did with my Christmas turkey dinner because I remembered to puree it. However, I forgot to use the sauce it cooked in and used plain chicken broth instead.
6--I got a Vitamix for Christmas from my husband and discovered it does a lousy job pureeing just two tablespoons of chicken with a touch of broth.
7--That same Vitamix does a fantastic job with the entire pot of chicken and apricot tagine (recipe from the cookbook Eating Well After Bariatric Surgery). I threw the contents of the pot in there after my family had dinner tonight and the machine made mincemeat out of that entire batch in less than two minutes! I put it into six 4-oz containers and now I have six lunches or dinners whenever I need them.
8--I catch myself looking at my profile at every mirror I pass, and end up giggling like a schoolgirl while rubbing my now-obviously-shrinking belly.
9--I have ankles!!!
10--My skin is starting to sag and get wrinkles in places I wasn't expecting. (Any tips on what to do about that besides more water and exercise?)
11--I have to get my driver's license renewed on New Year's Eve. I'm so excited because this is the first time since high school that my weight listed on it was what I actually weigh! Well, it was current last week. Now I weigh LESS!!!
12--It actually is possible to survive without bread, pasta or rice. But by God, it is HARD.
13--Christmas was tough. Lots of candy and cookies around and I was sorely tempted, but I didn't give in.
14--I am so glad I found this group. :-)
This will be a lifelong learning journey, i think. I'm still working on getting my bearings and i'm 4 months out - down 60 lbs so far!
My favorite saying (I stole it from theworldaccordingtoeaggface) - "When the not so great choices start calling remember: Don't trade what you want most, for what you want at the moment."
Treat every day as a learning experience and you'll continue to do well.
Congratulations!
You don't have to have marked water bottles. I packed a small, 8 oz bottle with me and refilled it through the day. I tried to drink one bottle every hour or so, sometimes I did it, sometimes I was a little short, but I got enough of them in to make my 64 oz each day. When I went back to work, I got a 24 oz, thermal cup and filled it at each break, every 3 hours or so. Worked like a charm. I was taking in more water than needed, which never hurts.
You learned to blend up larger batches.... hint: freeze the pureed foods into ice cube trays, then transfer to plastic bags to eat from for a month or so. Throw 1 or 2 cubes into a small container, it'll thaw just in time for lunch. That way you can have a couple ounces of chicken something or other, another ounce of veggie or fruit something or other, and another ounce of something else.
You got this!! Wahoo!!
Hmmm...that might be a great way to keep ice cream out of the house. If there's no room to store it, my husband and kids will just have to eat it out of the house, like at B&R's. Sounds like a win-win to me!