Re: NEED A LITTLE HELP

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm 5 weeks post-op (upper, lower, and genio). I honestly found this

site to be the best help throughout my recovery. The people here are

fantastic and very supportive. Unless it's a question more suited for

your surgeon, you'll likely find most of your answers here.

To answer your weight loss question; I was fit when I had the surgery,

as I went to the gym nearly every day. I have a high metabolism, so

I'm a burning furnace and I only keep my weight when I exercise,

otherwise I turn into a toothpick. Since I couldn't go to the gym

after surgery, I lost about 8% of my weight after 2 weeks. I'm still

holding that loss steady, and it's a reasonable weight, just a bit

depressing after all that work in gaining weight. I believe people

lose about 10 lbs on average.

I recommend having these items on hand for your first 2-4 weeks post-

op:

- a blender.

- lots of pillows to sleep at an incline.

- lots of ice packs (or whatever you choose to use).

- a few different baby toothbrushes (you don't know which will work

best until you try them).

- lots of plastic syringes.

- plastic cups, spoons and forks.

- dissolvable Gravol for the surprise nausea at night.

- lots of healthy soups.

- lots of gentle juice (apple juice saved me).

- someone to help you for the first 72 hours.

- tons of patience.

Yann

> Hello everyone my name is and I am having upper lower and

> chin.(I keep forgetting the terms but my lower will be moved up and

> back I have a open bite and my face is long). I just had a couple of

> questions to ask everyone. My surgery is May 25th. I am really

> excited about everything. My first question is weight loss, I will

> be wired for six weeks and would like to know about weight loss.

> second, is there extra skin on the neck after surgery since it is

> moved up and back, and Last can anyone give me a list or a website to

> go to that shows what I need to have to prepare myself for after the

> surgery before and after thank you for all your help

[Guest guest]

I can say the following about weight loss.

First, calculate your metabolic rate. This of course will depend on

a lot of factors, but you can get a good estimate just by taking your

bodyweight in pounds and multiplying by 12. That is the number of

calories you need to neither gain or lose weight.

For proper healing, you should eat that amount or greater. The most

important thing will be to get the proper amount of protein, which is

what your body uses to repair itself (the muscles in your mouth will

need to basically be rebuilt. For proper bone health, also get your

required calcium and other minerals by taking a multivitamin). The

recommended protein-sparing level of protein-intake (how much protein

to eat) is about 1.5g/kg or about .9g/lb bodyweight. So if you weigh

150lbs, you will need at least 135g of protein a day.

To get this protein you will HAVE to buy whey protein from your local

GNC or health food store and make shakes. 1 5lb tub is only $30 and

should last you several months. Mix 1 scoop of protein with milk or

water and drink.

Fat intake is not extremely important except you will need to have

proper EFA's, essential fatty acids that your body cannot create, for

optimum recovery. Since your jaw is wired shut, I recommend buying

some flax oil in a squeeze bottle and taking a tablepoon of it a day.

If you WANT to lose weight, you should do it by limiting carbohyrdate

intake. For optimum healing, you should eat carbs at 2g/lb

bodyweight. So if you weigh 150 lbs you will need 300g carbs. You

may still lose fat if you eat that much, since you will be severely

limiting fat intake and probably eating a generally healthy diet.

However, it is probably going to be very hard for you to eat that

many carbs, especially good ones that will keep you satisfied (coca-

cola doesn't count) and keep your muscles replenished with glycogen.

If you can eat oatmeal, grits, or cream of wheat through the back of

your mouth, I suggest them.

Limiting carbohydrates will cause weight loss with minimal

consequences to your healing time, if you want to lose weight. This

is not recommended but is the safest way to do it. I would think

many people would like to use this as a weight loss opportunity

because you can't really get that much enjoyment from eating.

You will probably lose weight simply because you don't feel like

eating nearly as much. Remember that it is imperative to take a

multivitamin, essential fats, and proper protein. You will not be

helping your healing by drinking a ton of fruit juice or sugary soda,

so avoid these.

Nothing about your surgery is just going to cause you to lose

weight. It is the eating issue. The best thing you can do is get

the proper amount of calories. It is likely that you can still build

a caloric deficit of 1000 calories a week or so, which can mean a

pound of fat loss every month, and not suffer too much in the healing

department.

Good luck, hth

-Zac

> Hello everyone my name is and I am having upper lower and

> chin.(I keep forgetting the terms but my lower will be moved up and

> back I have a open bite and my face is long). I just had a couple

of

> questions to ask everyone. My surgery is May 25th. I am really

> excited about everything. My first question is weight loss, I will

> be wired for six weeks and would like to know about weight loss.

> second, is there extra skin on the neck after surgery since it is

> moved up and back, and Last can anyone give me a list or a website

to

> go to that shows what I need to have to prepare myself for after the

> surgery before and after thank you for all your help