marymoon

I just can't understand how people get this amount of food down after surgery. I'm 3 months out today and still cant eat a whole egg at once. I felt guilty for chewing up & then spitting out a french fry at 10 days out because I needed some flavor! Jelly Bellies? WTF?!?

I'd love to hear from others about this as well. I forget to eat almost every day - it's after 1pm local and I just now had a Protein shake for Breakfast. I have a coffee habit and since I'm drinking, I tend to put off solids until I remember to eat, which is about the same time I make lunch for the kids. I love not being hungry but I have a hard time hitting my protein goals.

Congrats! I'm trying to psych myself up for a half and am so inspired by you! Way to go!

I'm a baker, not a cook so I still eat mostly convenience foods. Protein shakes, yogurt, Jerky, soups, etc. during the day. I cook a healthy dinner for the family every night and that's pretty much the only time I put effort into food prep. I'm very fortunate that my hunger is all but gone so I don't have an urge to snack anyway. Every now and then I'll cook an egg for b'fast but at 3 months out I still can't eat a whole one. I hate wasting food so it's just easier to dink a shake.

Another happy Aceves patient here! I had such a great experience and fabulous results my husband is considering VSG in Mexicali, too. Feel free to PM me as well if you need more info.

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one to do that! Hope you had a good experience with pre-surgery testing and had a great meal! Best of luck tomorrow!

Congrats! Get plenty of rest & hope you feel better quickly!

Awesome! You are going to have such a great experience & you're in good hands with Dr. Aceves & his staff. Best of luck to you and enjoy dinner tonight!!!

I don't do low carb, either. I've had success in the past with Atkins, South Beach, etc. but with the restricted calories of the sleeve, low carb just wasn't doing it. Once I get closer to goal I anticipate having to watch carbs more closely to get the scale moving but for now, my daily intake is 100 grams or less.

I can relate. I was at 235 on my surgery day, wearing a size 20W jeans. Just yesterday, I thought I'd try them on since I'm down 48lbs and guess what - they're still snug in the thighs! The waist is loose but I'm not sure I can go down a size and still squeeze my fat leg in. My fingers have yet to shrink much, too. I've always had fat sausage fingers, even when I was skinny in high school, but my size 9 wedding rings are still snug. WTF?!? At least I'm down to just 2 chins so that's something, I guess... I think you look great, btw!

I was sleeved 4/15 and at 187lbs, I am down 48lbs since surgery and have lost 73lbs from my highest weight of 260lbs. I feel really great but continue to struggle to get all my Protein & Water in. If it weren't for Protein shakes, I'd never make it. I simpy can't eat enough to hit the daily goals. I work out 5 days/week and keep my intake at 800 calories or less. I don't low carb, but I tend to stay under 100grams/day anyway since I no longer eat bread. I LOVE this sleeve!

That's tough. I can relate - my Mom is 78 and a worrier, especially ever since my Dad died. I made the decision to keep my surgery from her until after the fact and although she was hurt that I didn't confide in her, I think she understood. 5 days after surgery I was driving her around town, hoping it would show her I was ok. I broke the news at Easter dinner when I was 1 week post op and she still freaked a little. She still worries but is very happy at how well the weight is coming off. She knows I couldn't keep it off any other way 'cause I had just lost 60lbs thru diet/exercise alone and regained 40lb. I hope your Mom becomes more accepting of your decision.

Our government believes that putting a disclaimer of 'do not ingest' on a tube of Preparation H is critical to ensuring the safety of the people. Don't you think that the same 'powers that be' would ban WLS entirely if masses of WLS patients were dropping dead in the streets after the 5 year expiration point? Seriously, people are going to have complications and for many of WLS patients, that includes damage to our cardiovascular system that we may not be aware of until it's too late. I'll take my chances...

On days that I don't exercise, I try to stay at 800 calories or less. I'm not doing low-carb since my body functions better if I get complex carbs in but I do try to keep my daily intake to less than 75 grams. During workouts, I wear a heart rate monitor that calculates how many calories I burned and on those days I try to eat a bit more. I have yet to eat all the calories I burn off because 1) I don't completely trust the numbers and 2) there's no way I can eat an additional 600 calories right now. If it weren't for Protein drinks, I'd never get in my required 60 grams/day. I've lost 48lbs since having surgery 12 weeks ago which I am more than satisfied with, but I also have a fast metabolism. My PCP is a bariatric doc and has a special machine to calculate individual metabolism rates and every time I've been tested mine is above-average for my age/weight. A huge chunk of my loss came immediately after surgery and I seem to have settled into a rate of 2 to 3 /week.

Good luck!

Personally, this I the problem I had with food pre-surgery and the sole reason I gained the weight that I did. I asked this very question when I attended my first bariatric seminar and so far, my experience has been exactly as described. This is also why I chose the sleeve over RNY or DS - I simply needed portion control that my brain & willpower couldn't provide. I'm just 12 weeks out today and realize that my sleeve capacity could increase as the healing process continues, but I am physically full on 2oz or less of dense Protein such as grilled chicken breast, hamburger, tuna, etc. No just regular full, but it's-Thanksgiving-and-I-just-ate-everything-on-the-table full. After a lifetime of eating massive amounts of food, it's an odd experience. I've experienced some hunger since being sleeved but I find it's mostly related to my cycle or when I've forgotten to eat for many hours. Head hunger is a curious phenomenon and one that, in my opinion, cannot be fully understood until it is experienced. Most of the time, I stop eating when my sleeve tells me to and I am completely satisfied. Sometimes tho, the head hunger takes charge and I get frustrated that I physically can't shove any more food in. I've yet to vomit from overeating but have been uncomfortably full a few times. it's not a good feeling and serves to teach my brain when to quit. I've read it here and say it myself often - the sleeve allows me to eat like a skinny person. I eat enough to get nutrients in and feel satisfied and that's it. My whole relationship with food has changed because of the physical restriction and now I'm in charge! Love it!

That's priceless!!!

I regretted the hell out of having mutilated my body several times since having surgery almost 12 weeks ago. It wasn't because of physical discomfort - most all surgeries bring some level of pain during the recovery period which eventually passes. My regret was not being able to eat all the yummy foods that I have always enjoyed which, in turn, brings me pleasure. The worst was immediately after surgery when I was on clears and then full liquids. I had to face the fact that although I had denied it, I was indeed a food addict, or at the very least, a sugar/carb addict. I allowed myself a brief mourning period and then got over the sadness I felt over never again being able to enjoy the buffet at Golden Corral or my favorite Chinese place. After all, it's just food. How stupid is it that I would sacrifice my health and improved physical appearance over some stupid fried rice that would only bring momentary pleasure to my taste buds? Personally, being down 73lbs from my highest weight ever FAR outweighs my being able to eat at a buffet. It's. Just. Food. I can still eat most of the foods I enjoyed before surgery, just not in the same quantities. Instead of 2 cups of fried rice I eat 1/2 cup. I can eat 2 crab wontons instead of 10. And I can eat 4 or 5 french fries instead of an entire super-sized order. Every now & then, my head wants more even though my stomach says I'm done. My inner 3 year old self wants to stomp and cry and do a 'take back' on the surgery so I can eat more. Fortunately, my sleeve keeps me in check until I regain my senses and put my big girl panties back on. I have lunch with friends often, starting when I was just a week out and had to bring a bowl of broth with me to the restaurant. Yeah, I felt like an oddball then but now I just eat like a skinny person! I wouldn't give up my sleeve for all the tea in China 'cause I would have never been able to control my appetite enough to keep the weight off without it.

I have 2 large containers of Nectar protein mixes - Roadside Lemonade & Crystal Sky - that I would love to pass on to someone who could use them. They have both been opened but only a few scoops are missing from each as I can't stomach the taste. If you're local or can meet me somewhere in the Nashville/Murfreesboro area you can have 'em!

I got hit on at Home Depot yesterday. It's been such a long time since anyone other than DH has come onto me that it took a few minutes for it to actually sink in just *why* this guy just happened to bump into me in 3 separate aisles trying to make small talk. I'm so used to being invisible to others that I barely said 3 words to the guy - I'm sure he thought I was a complete snob!

I'm 11 weeks out and just tried my first bites of salad earlier this week. Aside from not being able to hold much, it went down fine & I didn't get sick at all. I was so relieved because I LOVE salads and was really beginning to miss them greatly!

I hope your surgery went well today, Bridget! Stop in & let us know how you're doing when you feel up to it!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Cheryl Woo hoo!!! Congrats on completing W5D3 - it's such a HUGE milestone in the C25K program & you should be very proud of yourself for doing it! It's been over a year but I still remember how thrilled I was when I did it & I even teared up right there on the greenway when it was over because it was such a momentous occasion. I have a girlfriend who completed her W5D3 last week & I was the first person she called to tell cause she knew I'd understand how she felt.

Wow. I cant imagine what that must feel like. I hope you're triaged quickly and get relief soon! Good luck!