Bufflehead

It sounds like you are on the right track in terms of preparing for and dealing with issues regarding the loss of food as a coping mechanism. Honestly, I think you are ahead of the game there. With respect to sagging skin - I have a ton of it, and I'm okay with it. The cold hard truth is that even with sagging skin, I'm a lot more attractive than I was when I was morbidly obese. More importantly, I'm a lot more healthy both physically and emotionally. I don't worry about fitting into airplane seats or restaurant booths. I don't feel like people are staring and judging wherever I go. For me, the emotional toll of being a morbidly obese person in our society was huge, and I am now free from that. I will take all the sagging skin in the world in exchange for my physical and emotional health. All of that said - you can really only see sagging skin if you are both naked (or very skimpily dressed) and standing upright. How often does someone see you like that? I don't like skimpy clothes anyway. The only people who see me naked are lovers and health care professionals, and if they can't deal with it, I don't need them in my life. I love my new body and am proud of it, sagging skin and all!

It looks to me like Oregon is among the 26 states that do not require insurance policies offered via the Exchange to cover bariatric surgery. However, their in-state health coverage for needy folks, the Oregon Health Plan, does (or at least it did as of a few years ago) Since the OP is a college student only working part-time, perhaps she is eligible for the Oregon Health Plan? http://www.oregon.gov/oha/OHPR/EHB/docs/Final%20EHB%20Summary%20Presentation.pdf http://www.katu.com/news/local/126001408.html

Grapes - I tried a few at about four months out, still don't eat regularly because of high sugar and carbs Pickes/cucumbers - pickle relish at the soft food stage which was 8 weeks out for me. Pickles and cucumbers had to wait until I was off soft foods, which was 6 months after surgery. Shrimp - I had pureed shrimp on the pureed phase (weeks 4-8 after surgery) and regular sauteed shrimp starting in soft foods (8 weeks after surgery) Almonds/pumpkin seeds/nuts - not until I was off soft foods, 6 months after surgery Protein bars - not cleared to eat them until a year after surgery due to high carb content Low carb wheat tortillas (think tortilla pizza) - not cleared to eat any grains until a year after surgery Turkey bacon - soft food stage, 8 weeks out Hamburger meat/ground beef - I had pureed ground been on the pureed phase, regular ground beef during soft foods, 8 weeks out. Broccoli - soft food phase, 8 weeks after surgery, but it had to be cooked to mush - so soft I could cut it with a fork. I don't like mushy broccoli so I didn't eat it often. Carrots - I could have had them during soft foods if I had been willing to cook them to mush. I hate mushy carrots so didn't bother.

Virtually everyone stalls in or around the third week. It is completely normal and there is nothing you can do to prevent it or to "break" the stall other than let time pass. Follow your program, put the scale away for a while, and sooner or later you'll start losing again.

@@MrsSugarbabe I like Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard and Jay Robb protein powders, as well as Syntrax Nectar. They are all whey isolate and have great numbers and lots of good flavors. Many people like the Syntrax Nectar fruit and tea type flavors because they mix with water and are thinner - easier to drink after surgery. Also those flavors count as "clear liquids" if you are required to do those for a while. I personally prefer the Syntrax Nectar Sweets flavors that mix better with milk - chocolate truffle, double stuffed cookie, latte cappuccino, and vanilla bean torte. Jay Robb samples: http://www.jayrobb.com/protein/whey-protein-samples.asp You can get samples of Optimum Nutrition and Syntrax Nectar here: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html They don't have all the Optimum Nutrition flavors but they do have a pretty good selection. I didn't care for the Premier Protein shakes but I know lots of people love them. They were more tolerable to me than most other brands of RTD, I will say that. I am an outlier on this issue but I don't think it makes that much of a difference if you drink whey concentrate rather than isolate. Follow your own RD/Nut's instructions of course but I never made a point of sticking with isolate and I don't think it hurt me.

You are doing great with both weight loss and exercise. If you chart your weight loss, it is never going to look like a smooth slope racing diagonally downhill. It's going to look like stair steps going down, and not even nice even stair steps. Like crazy stair steps that you would have to lurch down and probably trip on! Trust the process and that if you follow your eating plan you will lose weight, just not in a way that you can predict, control, or even like! Being exhausted is normal. Focus on getting your fluids and protein in and your energy will gradually come back. Good luck!

Yeah there is no way to get rid of that stupid message about eating under 1200 calories and going into starvation mode. I just ignore it. Sorry MFP, I am going to take the medical advice of my surgeon, physician, bariatric nurse practitioner, and registered dietician -- not alarmist claptrap from a bunch of computer programmers who have never even seen my medical records or met me!

Working out is great for your health. It is not necessary for weight loss. Quadriplegics can lose weight - so can people who don't like to exercise or who don't have time etc. The saying is true - the battle to lose weight is won at the kitchen table, not in the gym.

Unjury - love the chocolate splendor flavor and still use it frequently. Right after surgery I also used their chicken soup a lot. Isopure - the RTD stuff? Absolutely vile and disgusting IMO. Still, for the first four weeks or so after surgery, I gagged it down almost every day, mixed 50/50 with G2 or Powerade Zero to make it somewhat palatable. It was so helpful in getting my protein in and staying low carb. But as soon as I could transition to other types of drinks (and purees) that helped with the protein, I could. They call it Isopuke for a reason!

Are you on a PPI? Often stomach acid will mimic hunger. If you are on a PPI, you might consult with your doctor about a different PPI or a bigger dose. If it isn't stomach acid, it might be head hunger. Are you wanting to eat a specific thing (cookies? Pizza? BBQ sandwich?) or would you eat just about anything in order to stamp the hunger out, including foods you don't particularly like? If you would happily drink a particularly nasty protein shake or eat a piece of dry, unseasoned chicken breast, that's probably not head hunger. Head hunger is something you have to learn to deal with -- I recommend the book, the Beck Diet Solution. It really helps with things like that! It can also help you deal with true stomach hunger in ways other than eating. Good luck!

Make sure you are using the web version, not the app. My Home --> Goals --> Change Goals --> Custom --> Continue

I actually find obesity help to be more straightforward and "tough love" than this forum. And gastricsleeve dot com makes me roll my eyes a bit with all the "oh you ate a bucket of wings three days after surgery? That's okay, we all slip every once in a while!" and "you want to subsist on a diet of oatmeal, mashed potatoes, and milkshakes? Yay for you, it's so silly to worry about calories or carbs, no one could do that! After all, we didn't have this surgery in order to keep dieting! No one should care about what they eat!" claptrap. Honestly I'm more of a fan of the tough love approach but I try to temper it because I know that on the internet what is meant as tough love tends to come across more as tough and less as love. All that said, I think I missed the original "what's your excuse" post that the OP was referencing . . .

I had to take some tests - the MMPI and a test about how I perceive food and deal with food. The psychologist and I talked about my support systems and what I expected from surgery. They wanted to make sure I wasn't seriously mentally ill (hearing voices/hallucinating/delusions that I am the president), that I had realistic expectations about surgery, that I had support to cope with the changes after, and that I was going to be able to stick with the post-op eating plans and not go home from the hospital, binge on a large pizza, and put my life in danger. So while my psych session took a fair amount of time (the MMPI seems endless), it wasn't scary. He wasn't looking for a reason to deny me or anything like that. It was actually very supportive and we talked about some useful ideas for getting emotionally ready for surgery. It was absolutely fine.

@@abbyt don't be afraid to go back to full liquids for a couple of weeks if you need to. Not everyone can tolerate purees so early out. I was on full liquids for four weeks before transitioning to purees! If you do want to keep trying food, just make sure that you take super tiny bites and eat really, really slowly. That may help. Good luck!

breakfast - sirloin wrap w/ romaine lettuce, mustard, 2 oz sirloin - 70 calories, 13 grams protein lunch - Fage Greek yogurt with chocolate sweet drops and 1 T. PB2 - 123 calories, 20 grams protein dinner - 3 oz scallops - 90 calories, 18 grams protein snack - 1 stick Ostrim jerky - 90 calories, 14 grams protein You've just hit 65 grams of protein in under 400 calories. Spend that other 400 calories on green veggies, beans, dairy, whatever you want that fits your macros and rules.

I just checked out my entries from MFP and my top 5 Trader Joe's foods are: organic fully cooked roast sirloin Omega 3 organic eggs frozen artichoke hearts shredded Swiss & Gruyere cheese fully cooked turkey meatballs Also a non-food item was actually no. 1 - their high potency chewable Multivitamins.

honestly I would not waste stomach space on things like potatoes at this point. Maybe try a tiny bite of something high protein and soft, like refried beans, tofu, Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese.

I use an immersion (stick) blender for mine - it doesn't add any air. I tried using a regular blender at first and there was just too much froth and foam. Letting the shake rest for a couple of hours in the fridge after making it did help somewhat, but I prefer my immersion blender.

Don't feel embarrassed or ashamed! I know society wants us to think that obesity is a matter of will power and character, but it is a disease. You wouldn't tell a cancer patient or someone with lupus that they should be ashamed of themselves, right? Be proud of yourself for taking the steps to deal with your disease in the way that is scientifically proven to be most effective. Good luck going forward!

My team is okay with me getting 1500 mg of calcium -- either calcium citrate in supplemental form or from my diet. I track my calcium on MFP and usually get at least 1000 mg from my diet, so supplement the other 500 mg.

For the vast majority of us, we are gradually able to eat a little more as time progresses. How much and how fast that happens really varies, and it doesn't mean that you have done anything to stretch your stomach. Did your surgeon provide any guidance as to how much you should be eating? My rules for the first six months (in terms of how much to eat) were to eat three meals a day, no more than three ounces per meal. I followed the rules and didn't try to eat more, but I think I could have towards the end of the six months. I know I can now, although my restriction is still good.

I didn't worry about sugar or carbs other than to make sure to keep my daily carbs under 60. I ate a lot of Fage plain with peanut butter, almond butter, PB2, protein powder stirred in for flavor. I also ate a lot of Stonyfield Farm Greek nonfat, Chobani Simply 100 (all natural and it has lots of fiber), Siggis Icelandic yogurt, Trader Joe's nonfat Greek yogurt, and Voskos Greek yogurt. Also some Dannon Light & Fit and Yoplait Greek 100 but not as much just because of all the artificial stuff in them.

Congrats on getting approved! Your surgery date will be here before you know it. Good luck!

It's funny, I was just thinking about similar issues this morning. I was definitely not raised in the "clean plate" club. In my family, it was considered rude to eat everything on your plate because it indicated you thought you weren't served a sufficient amount of food - an insult to the cook. And if you had asked me 18 months ago if I had problems throwing food away, I would have told you "no." But the truth is, somehow I did acquire that problem. I just never really had to test it out before. Everything I brought into the house, I ate unless it expired or spoiled. I live alone and I bought the stuff I liked or wanted to try, and I am not a picky eater. So I ate ALL the things! But when I had to start throwing food out after being sleeved, it did bother me. Don't get me wrong, I still did it -- and now it doesn't bother me anymore, I've adjusted. I will say that a lot of it doesn't get thrown out exactly, but put down for the dog. She loves my sleeve almost as much as I do! Lots of leftover meat, cheese, and eggs for her - and much more regular walks around the neighborhood (exercise for me, fun for her). So win-win.

@@VSGAnn2014 definitely you will want to check with your own program for their guidelines. For the first year out, I was eating a max 800 calories per day and the guidelines given to me by my program were based on absolute numbers of carbs, protein, fat grams, etc. I translated them the best I could into MFP as: carbs 30% (max 60 grams) protein 35% (min 70 grams) fat 35% (max 31 grams) My actual guidelines were to eat between 30 and 60 grams of carbs, at least 75 grams of protein, and no more than 30 grams of fat. But MFP only allows rough adjustments, in 5% increments, so I couldn't get it to say that exactly. But it was easy enough to remember my guidelines and follow them using what MFP gave me. It was close enough.