Babysteppin

I relate with this completely. The concerns about the social aspect of these post-op changes is very real (and normal I think). I think sometimes we focus more on the physical/medical questions, but I'm realizing it's equally important to address the psycho-social ones while we're still pre-op. Oh, and like you said...I know this surgery needs to happen for me as well, and that it's 'only food'...but to some extent, I feel like food is and always will be a part of how we relate to others, and a part of our sense of wellbeing and 'normalcy' sometimes. Thanks for starting this thread to ask questions like these. I was having the same ones!

Um yeah. Broccoli. Geez, you'd think I'dve at least popped my staple line for something good. Note to self: Resist the temptation to binge on raw vegitation when I wake up from surgery.

I'm starting to have weird dreams too! I dreamt that I had the VSG, but a mean nurse took over my case and discharged me that same day. So I got home, and then for some reason without even thinking, I ate a sh** ton of RAW broccoli!! (which I would never to in real life btw, heh heh.) But then immediately I realized oh crap, I just had surgery what am I doing?!! I tried to call the hospital and say, "um, I was just there....so uh, can you let me back in?" The mean nurse said no.

Hi Michelle, Nice to meet you here! Thanks for reaching out. I hope all is going well for you so far in post-op! I live in Winchester and work in Brighton. I see a lot of people from the south and west on here, but not many of us NE folk...hmmphh. We're lucky to have Boston though which has a lot of good medical centers that do the sleeve. I can't wait for mine! Thanks again for the support

I haven't actually had mine submitted to HP yet b/c I'm still working on all the appts and stuff. I've been in the whole process since Aug, but that's prob because I've taken my time.(since I was sort of a chicken until now.) :ph34r: Hoping it'll go quickly in the end though! But I hear some of the wait has to do with how good the doctor's patient coordinator is too...like if he/she follows up on your claim regularly or not, and if he/she puts all of the administrative stuff together quickly. If it's going slowly, it's worth poking the insurance company and the coordinator then I guess.

I sometimes like to make it the consistency of Peanut Butter and then spread it on stuff.

Good to see another Bostonian on here! I have Harvard Pilgrim too, and it hasn't been bad at all so far. They don't require a 6 month weight loss program before surgery, and they didn't really check into to my past attempts at losing weight either...well, nothing beyond what my doctor had written in his notes anyways. HP told me as long as I go to a Center of Excellence, the surgery is covered. There's just a whole bunch of appts to go to for the hospital's program, and paperwork that needs to get pushed around first. Hope pre-op stuff goes well for you, and hang in there! We'll each get there

Found these great bento lunchboxes...might do the trick: www.laptoplunches.com

So not sure if others have been given this advice, but my NUT said buying children's sippy cups was a good way to train myself to take small sips, and help stop me from gulping. Maybe it's just me, but I'd be totally embarrassed walking around with a sippy cup that has handles on both sides, and Dora The Explorer pictures all over it. LOL. But wanted to share that I FINALLY found an "adult" looking sippy cup!!! So if anyone's been looking for the same thing, here's one I found online at Target: http://www.target.co...lot=medium_1_48 Ahh, the simple joys in life.

Thanks you guys!

I can relate! I think I'm even already 'mourning' over not having the ability to binge anymore once I'm sleeved. It's like I get nervous butterfiles, and a sinking lead feeling in my gut when I think about it. (Hello, addiction calling!) Up until now, I never realized how much I actually ENJOY binging, and the thought of not being able to do so after surgery is scary to me right now. Is that totally crazy?!? Hopefully like I've heard other post-op folks say....once you have the surgery, your whole mindset around binging can change...and the thought of doing it is completely unappealing! Good luck to you, and hope it helps to know that others are feeling the same things.

Wow. Looks like a 'bulimia device' to me. Great way to foster an eating disorder! Let's hope this thing never makes it off the cutting room floor.

Probaby got your attention just by using the word 'porn' on here, heh heh...but I call food related tv - food porn! And it's gotta go in 2013, cause it's not doing me any favors. But really. As I enter the pre-op weight loss phase, I realize there's no easier way to trigger a raging case of head hunger than to watch the food network, cooking channel, etc. Here in Boston we also have a show called the Phantom Gourmet and it airs for like 2 hours on BOTH Sat & Sun mornings, and shows you anywhere and everywhere to find the most awful food!! (And by 'awful', I mean ridiculously wonderful.) While I'm a self-admitted foodie, (surprised?) and I enjoy finding new healthy recipes: Do I really need to tune in to find out where to get a sandwich that boasts a full pound of bacon?...Or a burger that's coated in beer batter, stuffed with mac n' cheese, and deep fried to perfection?? No. I'm really trying to focus in on my pre-op diet, because my doctor requires patients to lose 5% of our body weight before she'll even offer a surgical date. And so....the conclusion to this rant is, that food porn's gotta go. It's one of many head hunger triggers, and serves no purpose other than to show me how to make my own deep fried butter! Anyone else think the food porn thing is a slippery slope? Or, even a mild form of torture? lol.

This page had some great ideas. Thanks!

Thanks for posting this question...I don't have much feedback since I'm pre-op, and still struggle a bit with binge eating (and have a greater capacity to binge). But...I just signed up for a course on "Mindful Eating" strategies. I think it might help to research this topic as a means of centering myself while eating -- and to strengthen my ability to either prevent a binge, or stop one in it's tracks and move on. We'll see how this class goes! But I think there are also a lot of books on the topic in case it's something of interest.

I just saw this idea in a post on FB, and thought it was a great idea for 2013. For me, I'm going to call it a Gratitude Jar -- and I think it'll be amazing to start putting thoughts in it now...and then look at everything a year from now once I'm hopefully sleeved and down a whole lot of pounds! Just wanted to share Starting January 1st, write down good things that happen to you on little bits of paper and put them in a jar. Things such as: - surprise gifts - accomplished goals - the beauty of nature - "LOL" moments - memories worth saving - daily blessings that come your way Then...on December 31st, open the jar and read all the amazing things that happened to you in 2013! We often lose sight of all the 'little' wins in life...Well, not this year because they'll sure add up!

I know, the jar would be a total memory maker! Great things to look at on a rainy day too

I love my Fitbit! Def worth the money. All I have to do is slip it into my pocket, and it tracks my steps, # flights of stairs per day, calories burned, etc. Really accurate too. But I like that it's small, and not a bulky thing I have to clip on to the waist of my pants, digging into me and falling off. It still has a clip though, if you want to do it that way and it holds on tight. What I really like though is that it automatically shoots the daily exercise info over to an online account so you can keep logging in and see your progress throughout the day. (it gets addictive!) Anooother cool thing is you can connect your Fitbit account to your MyFitness Pal acct...So if you use MFP, it shoots all that info over to Fitbit and you can see the whole picture of your exercise & food it one place. P.S. Oh and the sleep tracker does work! The first night I wore it I found out I woke up 17 times!!! No wonder I was groggy

Hmm, never thought of giving Starbucks some protein powder to put in a drink. Good idea! So what do you do, just give it to the cashier in a little baggie when you order?

HaHA! Football friends: "What the hell are you doing??" You: "Oh, nothing just eating floss." lol.

Oh, and the psych also said to STOP eating meals in front of the tv to break the ties between tv and food. Whaa???

Preaching to the choir, girl! heh heh. I know in the support groups, the psych told us that a part of the challenge is getting over the 'trigger' moments to eat. He said one of our ingrained triggers is actually tv! We're so used to associating them with each other, it's now unconscious. Grrreat... Woah, just thought of an idea though (I should really try it before becoming a hypocrite haha): maybe when we feel the urge to snack on something, just get up and walk away from the tv and do something else till it "hopefully" passes. Or maybe make a cup of tea, or heck -- chew a freakin' pen cap to keep our hands and mouths busy till it passes! lol. But um yeah, I really need this surgery too man.

Hate to be a Debbie Downer...but unfortunately there's only so much weights and toning exercises can do. Bummer. When I struggled before with excess skin, my doctor said you can totally tone and strengthen the muscle behind the skin, which can improve the looks of it (in some people it's enough to make it all come out fine)...but the skin itself can't change with exercise. But...the younger a person is, the better the odds -- there's still a good deal of elasticity in the skin which allows it to bounce back easier. Another thing my doctor told me is that part of skin elasticity is actually in the genes! Here's hoping the gene pool is on your side! (Genes weren't on my side for my tummy and legs...but oddly enough it WAS for my face and neck! heh heh.)

I can relate...thanks for sharing. I feel like for me, I struggle with 'self-sabotage' at moments like this because I feel pressure to lose. I also feel the urge to have food funerals in case I can never tolerate certain foods again...and also because it's my last chance to be able to eat the foods I craaave in large volumes. (although after surgery I'll bet I'll be toootally over it when it comes to bingeing.) It's good to know there are others struggling with this stage in the game...but it still stinks that we're going through it! Don't know if I'm much help here...but at least know you're not alone. Hang in there. Each day...heck, each HOUR is another chance to try again. Hour by hour: babysteps!

Along the same lines as this....The way I try to see it is that sure -- it's not 'ideal' for me to eat fast food...and I should definitely work hard not to make it a habit, and plan my meals and Snacks and pack stuff. But sometimes unexpected twists & turns in daily life are less than 'ideal' themselves - and it becomes neccessary to look to a quick dine out option. I just know in the past, saying: I will never eat fast food no matter what, caused me to ignore thinking about ways to handle an unplanned fast food situation...and then either: a) starve till I could get back to my controlled food environment...or get stressed and make a stressed decision at a fast food joint, and then feel guilty about it later, thinking "was that ok just then?"...or even still feel deprived cause I was afraid to eat much of anything. (Orrr...just have an all-out crash and burn food session cause it's an 'all or nothing' thing, right? Wrong!! ) Anywhoo, don't know if anyone else can relate - but that's just been my experience. Gladly I'm learning not to be so rigid with myself, and to take it in stride if the situation happens. It's also helped me to make a 'master list' of all fast food joints I might go to, and what options would be ok for me based on their nutritional guide info. <end of good intentioned rant>