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OMG! Wow, thank you so much. I have never known about oral fixation, but it makes so much sense, and it explains so much, so much. Here are some examples I keep a cherry stone in my mouth for hours, playing with it. When I cut of tags of new clothes, I'll put the plastic thing in my mouth and play with it for a long time I chew on headphones cables I put everything in my mouth. I don't suck on candy, chew it. I chew soft candy, hard candy. There has to be something going on other than sucking. (it sounds so pervy lol) I most definitely need to find other solutions to this But just knowing there is a name for it, that it actually is something.

The stomach ache is the cramping from the sugar alcohols causing a stimulant laxative effect when you eat more than your body can handle. Sugar is addictive. Can you find a lower sugar style candy that at least provides vitamins/minerals/probiotics so you will have to limit your intake. In the States there is this product https://smartsweets.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqqTuBRBAEiwA7B66hRdJyvSKmdcZ6Gg6FAZo-DjaRj6GI5utdXr8jPF9B2YkEspwrhn2-hoCDWgQAvD_BwE

You can make your own sugar free gummie bear candy out of sf gelatin. And you can flavor it with essential oils, liquid stevia, and add citric acid to make them like sour patch. Then you start stepping down from the candy. But you will likely need to replace the cals with some other source cuz otherwise you will likely start losing again. Also, you can make keto candy like fat bombs with healthy oils/fats + cacao powder, nut butters etc. They add up VERY quickly. But they are usually more satiating. SF peanut butter cups are the bomb. You can also try getting delicious protein bars, cutting them in 8 pieces then freezing them. Pop them like a candy bite. I think you're in a pretty special situation because of your super endurance exercise. I think @Healthy_life2 and @BigViffer could help you with this. They are both power athletes and have to eat in a method to keep their cals high enough for training. Congrats on your losses. The candy is an addiction. Addiction to sugar is as powerful as heroine addiction. I'd also see your doc/RD and ask for help. They may have a temporary medication that can help you with cravings as you try to detox.

Welcome! I've found this site to be very friendly and supportive! Wishing you a speedy recovery!

That's where cutting a protein bar into 8 pieces and freezing them come in. Then instead of popping candy, you pop a bite size "candy bar" in your mouth! And you get nutrition and protein in at the same time.

This was a good article thanks for the recommendation. It covers a lot of the real emotions around weight that I had before college before I realized nobody had to be happy with my weight but me. This led to me looking at myself and realizing how beautiful I am and accepting myself. Yes I do get frustrated about clothing at times (big women don't need flowers on everything lol) but I learned ignore it all and confront the negativity. As long as I'm comfortable in what I have on (unless one wants to buy clothes for me there's nothing to be said, and yes I do offer to let people buy my clothes if they don't like what I have on). Thank you for the suggestion and congrats. Sent from my SM-J737A using BariatricPal mobile app

Best wishes, while in the hospital blow in that blow thing to get lungs cleared. The first 2 weeks just sip on protein drinks. They will all taste horrible as you will immediately go into Ketosis and that makes everything taste bad. I just put a lot of ice in my Ensure plus and managed 3 a day. That will take all day. I also loved my Outshine pop cycles, no sugar added. I didn't add "full liquids" until the second week, that was cream of chicken soup, but not much as I was still drinking 2 Ensure Max a day. Wasn't until week 3 on soft foods. I did a lot of tuna in pouches, some flavored. Add foods slowly. I also bought a set of stainless children utensils to eat with. They are small enough to make you eat slowly. I'm now 3 months out and I'm still eating with them and will probably continue to do so forever. Just be patient, recovery takes time and so does the weight loss. You will have a high periods and some lows, some great weight loss and some stalls. But you will be successful!

We had a "Family and Friends" forum for many many years but removed it a little while ago for non-usage 🤷‍♂️.

Thank you for the well-wishes and kind thoughts. We are a team unit here so I definitely have the support, but it is nice to have this Forum to lean on.

See if you can download the Medicaid requirements. My insurance company had a lot of very specific stipulations and requirements. I read those papers so many times, and it was good to have a hard copy. Don't try to lose right now - not before you know the plan's requirements. Some people have to actually gain a little to meet BMI requirements for surgery. Once you have information from the insurance, see how your PCP feels about working with WLS patients. Even if there is not a prolonged PCP supervision program required, you are going to need your PCP support and most likely letter of recommendation for the surgery. You can also start researching surgeons and then checking to see if they are approved by insurance. The insurance company can certainly give you names, but you may find others that may also be approved, but the insurance list is not up to date (not unusual). You want someone who not only does a good job and has been doing these procedures for years, but also a program that will follow you for years afterward. For example, my program has 2, 4, 6, 8-9, 9-12, 18 month followups, with yearly followups for 5 years. You will need that support and supervision. Absolutely start going to free seminars that many programs offer. Even if not approved by your insurance, it will give you a lot of information and ideas of what will happen. It is a good place to start your education. Just remember that they are selling a product. Keep that in mind. Focus on facts and not the sales pitch. You can also start watching YouTube programs. Dr. Matthew Weiner has a ton of good information - all the way from choosing the right surgery and how surgery works, to long term maintenance. Bear in mind, his post op diet will probably be different from your own surgeon's (MW starts soft veggies very early on, while mine made me wait 8 weeks). But he does have a LOT of good information that is sound and will give you a good foundation. You want to go into this armed with all the information and education you can get. It's very sad when someone has surgery and then says, "I didn't know about such and such" or "why didn't they tell me this or that." You have to take responsibility for your own education on this - no excuse for ignorance with all the good info out there. So there are some ideas. It is a lifelong journey, not a sprint. It's great you are in a place where you are really ready to make the changes at such a young age - before you get all the degenerative breakdown and health issues that many of us have from decade upon decade of obesity. Keep us posted on your progress.