Hi! Beauties! As you can tell by above picture I love butterflies. Then it being a pink butterfly just makes it even better for me…..love me anything in pink. I think they are a good representatives of each of us as we choose our own weight loss journeys, no matter the way you choose to start that journey. I feel we, much like butterflies, may start off as a caterpillar in our life and that may not always be so beautiful but by our growth in all areas of our lives we can allow ourselves to blossom into a beautiful butterfly, both inside and out. Today we will be discussing stages 2 and 3 of my gastric bypass journey.

Stage 2: Clear Liquid Diet 

• 1 day pre-operative
• 1 day post-operative
• Food services will send you a tray with all clear liquids. It is your responsibility to follow diet guidelines.
• Food Choices: Broth, diluted juices, caffeine-free tea or coffee, sugar-free, non-carbonated beverages (I have not had a carbonated drink in 2 years now), sugar-free popsicles, and sugar-free Jell-o

You will still be receiving IV fluids while on the clear liquid diet. The goal is to begin behaviors that you will have to maintain when you advance to full liquid.  A clear liquid diet are food items that are in liquid at body temperature that you can see through. All liquids will have to be consumed in  30 cc(1 oz or 2 Tbsp.) increments, every 10-15 minutes. You will be using a medicine cup to measure your foods(liquids). This is one of the hard parts, you need to be consuming these liquids every 10-15 minutes even though you may not want anything because you are droggy and may be in some pain, but if you don’t your kidneys might have a hard time to get back working correctly after anesthesia and surgery. Fluids will need to be sipped, not gulped. You can not use straws nor chew gum. During the first few days in the hospital, aim for 32 ounces per day, gradually you need to build up to 64 ounces once you get home.

Stage 3: Full Liquid Diet 

These stage will begin the day after your first day home from hospital and continue for 14 days. Here is some examples of what is included in a Full Liquid diet:

• Applesauce, sugar-free unsweetened
• Cottage Cheese/Ricotta Cheese 1 % or fat free
• Custard, sugar-free, made with skim milk
• Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rice, Farina, Grits thinned
• Instant Potatoes (thinned)
• Cream Soups (no solids), Egg Drop Soup
• Milk: 1/2%, 1%, or Skim, Soy
• Double Milk: add 1/3 c dry milk powder to 1 cup milk
• Pudding, sugar-free, made with skim milk (I always used 1% milk and still do)
• Yogurt: drinkable, plain, vanilla, no added sugar (no more than 12 g Total Carbohydrate)

It is import to remember to drink your protein supplement 2-3 times throughout the day. Also you will need to take your chewable multivitamins , B Complex and your Calcium Citrate supplements.  Here are some tips to help you while in this stage:

• Stop eating when you start feeling full (1/4 cup semi-solid- 1/2 cup liquid/meal)
• To boost your protein intake you can always add unflavored protein powders (UNJURY OR Beneprotein are good products). I also used my flavored whey protein powders in my puddings.
• If you make homemade puddings, custards, hot cereals, cream soups, or thinned mashed potatoes, use Double Strength Milk (mentioned above)
• If you experience lactose intolerance, substitute dairy products with LactAid or Dairy Ease Milk. LactAid drops or chewable pills can be used when consuming dairy products. Alternatively use soy-based beverages and foods.

I am not going to sugar coat it, these first 3 stages to me were the roughest. But you will find or least I did,  that this time span will go faster than you think. I think because you are so focused on making sure you get your protein, vitamins and liquids in that you lose track of time.  There are a total of 6 stages of this journey. Stage six is the stage that will become your new lifestyle. I believe there will be 2 more articles of this series.

I so hope you are enjoying this series. Okay you know the drill….LOL! I hope you will subscribe to my blog if you haven’t already, it is free and you will be notified when any new articles are published on this blog. I  love to read any comments, suggestions or feedback. Also please feel free to leave any questions you may have for me. I read and respond to all my comments and questions. As always you can also connect with me through any of my social media icons, I am just a click away!

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Hi! Beauties! Today is Part 3 of My Gastric Bypass Series. I want to discuss with you a few things that if you are considering having the Gastric Bypass surgery that is going to become “Must Haves” for you. The above picture is just one type of a protein supplement that you would have to choose from. It is the one I used. Mostly because it was the cheapest and the most versatile in ways you could use it. It is a powder to make shakes or to add to puddings etc. I would like to explain why protein is so important to your body.

Why is protein so important anyway?

• Protein acts as building blocks for your body
• It makes up the greatest portion of your body (second to water)
• It helps your body build new cells and tissues
• It helps wounds heal
• It reduces our risk of infection
• It helps preserve your muscle tissue during injury, stress & illness
• Bariatric surgery is considered a stress to the body and therefore increases the need of protein to prevent muscle wasting that causes the body to need more energy.
• Hair loss is a sign of inadequate protein or iron intake

How much protein is enough?

• In general it is recommended to consume between 65-75 grams of protein per day
• Your dietitian will calculate your protein needs based on your ideal body weight. In my case, I needed to get at least 65 grams of protein per day.

Some examples of protein sources:

• Meat, fish, poultry
• Dried beans or peas
• Egg
• Peanut butter
• Nuts

The protein supplements will mainly come in effect the 10 days prior to surgery and will continue after surgery until you can get your daily minimum 65 grams of protein without it.

The next ‘must haves” are vitamin and mineral supplements. Another thing to consider if you are considering to have the gastric bypass is : YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE VITAMINS AND MINERALS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! This is to prevent osteoporosis and other long-term chronic diseases associated with chronic vitamin and mineral deficiency. Daily supplements should be in a highly absorbable form. They recommend a liquid or chewable form. In the above picture are examples of a (OTC ) gummy mulivitamin and vitamin b-complex. I take the the following daily:

• Since I do choose to take OTC multivitamins like the ones above and since the vitamin B1-Thiamine found in them is critical, I have to take double what the label on them says to take. For example: the Vitafusion  MultiVites says to take 2 daily, so I would need to chew 2 in the morning  and 2 at night to get my recommended daily dosage.
• The same goes for the OTC gummy B-Complex, the directions says to take 1 daily so I chew 1 in the morning and 1 at night.
• Required is 3-500mg doses (seperated) of Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D supplement. It must be a Calcium Citrate, not a Calcium  Carbonate. This is because calcium citrate does not require acidic environment to be absorbed. I am required to take 2 Citracal Calcium Citrate + D3 in morning, 2 in the afternon and 2 at night.
• Once a month, I am required to have a vitamin B12 injection of 1000 mcg (requires a doctors prescription). You can take sublingual tablets, liquid drops, mouth spray or a nasal gel/spray that you can get over the counter but the amount I would have to take it is just easier and cheaper to just have my husband give me an injection once a month.

I, again, like in each one of these articles of this series, want to make sure everyone understands that these articles are not meant to convince anyone to get the gastric bypass surgery nor are they meant to scare anyone away from getting the surgery. With this series I am just trying to let anyone who may read these articles and are considering this surgery for their weight loss journey, to have my experiences with the surgery as tools to learn from.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and reading this article. I hope you will subscribe to my blog if you haven’t already, it is free and you will be notified when any new articles are published on this blog. I  love to read any comments, suggestions or feedback. Also please feel free to leave any questions you may have for me. I read and respond to all my comments and questions. As always you can also connect with me through any of my social media icons, I am just a click away! 

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