New to the Men's Forum....

Gentlemen, I am new to the men's forum.  I recently had surgery (RNY) 2 weeks ago on April 11th.  To give you a bit of background information,  I am 40 years old and prior to my surgery I weighed in at 425lbs.  I am 6'3 and I was a former college athlete (football).  I've always maintained my weight for at least 38 years of my life but my life took a dramatic turn 2 years ago.  In 2009, I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease which is actually an over-active thyroid.  This actually resulted in weight loss due to the fact that my metabolism was working overtime and I was actually taking medicine to slow down my thyroid.  In July of 2010, I was hospitalized in the ICU for having a "Thyroid Storm" which was basically my thyroid going out of control and I basically couldn't hold anything down and my heart rate was racing, blood pressure through the roof, etc.  I actually had a 50/50 chance of survival and fortunately I survived.   After recovering and leaving the hospital, my endocrinologist suggested that that I have my thyroid removed to prevent reoccurrence.  Without doing my due diligence I didn't research the after effects of this surgery which is weight gain along with several other issues.  Unfortunately the doctor had me believing that as long as I took my meds, I would be OK.  What I didn't realize is that getting your meds right is a long tedious process.  Because I wasn't getting the right amount of thyroid medicine, my metabolism was basically non-existent and although I worked out regularly 3-4 times a week for at least an hour each time (cardio).  I would still gain weight.  To make a long story shorter, I gained approximately 115lbs in about a year or so.  With no resolution in site from my endocrinologist, I made the decision to have WLS and after a year of going through the 6 month program and several cancelations I am finally post-op.

I'm down 30lbs since surgery but tomorrow is the beginning of the pureed stage and I'm somewhat pumped.  I know that each person has different instructions for their diet, but what are some things that you guys ate for breakfast (especially on your first day).  I plan on having 2 eggs and maybe a spoonful or two of grits...

At any rate, any advice is appreciated and I promise that I can take any criticism

I know I had trouble with eggs early on, especially if they were "dry" (hard boiled, etc)   I believe I was doing a bit of oatmeal, banana as well.  Took a while to get in enough protein, had to supplement with protein drinks for quite a while.

Congrats and welcome to the Losers bench!

I had scrambled eggs (add some milk for extra moisture) and tolerated those pretty well. Also I have cream of wheat with some sweet 'n' Low and cinnamon in it made with milk. I also sometimes add flavored or unflavored protein powder to it to give an extra protein boost and thicken it up a bit. I did have an omelet the other day, a chicken Fajita omelet from iHop. I really didn't have a choice on eating out and it was the best choice I could make and I only ate about 1/4 to 1/3 of it. I also ordered it with fruit. Don't forget to tell them NOT to use pancake batter in your eggs because they do that there.

I've been on pureed foods since day 1 out of the hospital. So far there really hasn't been anything I have not tolerated as long as I eat small portions although the portions are getting a little bigger. At 5'8" I am supposed to get 105g of protein so I imagine you need much more than I do so add that protein powder and I also do 1.5 scoops of protein powder in my shakes between meals.

Oh, and welcome to the Men's Forum!

Howdy!

I've been dealing with Graves Disease ever since former President Bush, George Sr., barfed on the Prime Minister of Japan.  Getting levels squared away can be a PITA.  Be patient. 

Good Luck with the pureed groceries.  Learning to eat post-op is a LOT of trial and error mixed with the occasional  and trips to the can.

Don, my advice to you (if you can help it)....DON'T GET RID OF YOUR THYROID!!  This was one of the worst mistake of my life.  Continue to take your meds faithfully...

Mine was not removed but was "nuked" over twenty years ago!  Had to do it twice to get it neutralized so to speak.  Are you taking generic or real deal Synthroid? 

Hello-Welcome to the Men's Forum. You will find a lot of support and advice from a great group of guys on here. Best of Luck on Your journey, there will be ups and downs but in the end will be well worth it!

Yours is WLS Journey,

Bill