joatsaint

In my case, the food cravings and overwhelming compulsion for certain flavors disappeared the day after surgery and have never returned at the same level. I don't know if it was because of the reduction in the hormone Ghrelin or if it was psychosomatic? But I was ready to take advantage of this opportunity to get my life back. For the 1st year, my new Frankensleeve restricted the amount and the kinds of foods I could eat. After that, it was up to me to make the right choices. I made small changes in my diet that added up over time. For example; If I started craving a sugary food, I'd fill up on Protein, then if I still had to have it, I'd eat a small portion. Eventually, I was able to completely resist all temptations. And now I can take or leave any food... it's my choice if I eat it or not, not an overwhelming compulsion as it was pre-op. So to answer your question, yes, the surgery did make it easier for me to make the right lifestyle changes to lose weight and keep it off.

I wish you could see what life is like on the other side after losing the weight and gaining control over food. There's just no way to describe it. So all I can do is tell you, it is ssoooooooo worth it. The pre-op diet was the hardest part of the whole WLS adventure. Nothing I went through - All the tests, multiple 4 hour drives to meet the doctor and have the tests, the anxiety of taking such a huge step, and the gas pains after surgery - was as difficult as the pre-op diet. Food had that much control over my life. Don't give up. No one will do the work for you. You cannot depend on anyone else. Your success starts and ends with you. Personal responsibility is #1. You cannot have self­-doubt. Do not let self­limiting beliefs hold you back. Create your plan. Get support. Set a deadline. Crush it. If you want to change here's the truth YES, you can. Yes, you can eat better. Yes, you can get up earlier. Yes, you can get back in shape at any age. Yes, you can change your attitude about life. Yes, you can achieve your big goals & dreams.

That was my normal for the 1st couple of months. liquids were and still are a slider food for me. I barely felt filled up when drinking my meals. But 1/2 teaspoon of food would feel like a rock in my new sleeve. Most of my meals were 1/2 cup in size and it would take 20 - 30 minutes to eat that little bit. eggs and chicken were the hardest things on Frankensleeve. The easiest food on him was ground turkey hamburger mixed with refried Beans. I made my own concoction that I lived on for months and never got tired of eating. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/ Take advantage of this time to change bad eating habits. I tried to eliminate all processed foods/sugar/pasta from my diet during the 1st year and I believe it really changed the flavors I like for the better. Where I used to crave a certain food when I saw it, now I can take or leave it. No more obsessing until I finally gave in and ate 1 or 2 or 10. :-) Getting detoxed from my sugar addiction made it easier to choose the right foods and stay away from the wrong foods easier later on. And all that mental energy I was using to battle my head hunger can be redirected for better uses.

5 Steps to Cool Down Quickly After a Hot Workout . 1) Pre-cool before the workout To pre-cool, begin hydrating at least two hours before your workout with cold drinks, sit in an air-conditioned room, or have some cooling packs on hand. 2) Stretch it out post-workout Walk and stretch for at least ten minutes until your heart rate slows down. 3) Take a hot-and-cold shower A Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport study found that athletes who alternated soaking in hot and cold water after exercising experienced a significant reduction in their heart rate and blood lactate levels. 4) Smooth on skin-cooling lotion After a shower, hydrate your skin with a lotion that contains cooling properties like menthol. 5) Drink peppermint tea—hot or cold Research shows that in dry, hot climates, having a hot drink actually helps us cool off, since the heat from the drink triggers a sweating response. read the entire article: http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/wellbeing/fitness/5-steps-to-cool-down-quickly-after-a-hot-workout.php

Thanks for the reminder. I had completely forgotten about Quest Cravings. They are a pretty good substitute for Reece's Cups, but they are a bit on the dry side - they seem to have a powdered Peanut Butter center. The only down side is the expense. I think I had to pay $2.00 for a pack of 2 cups.

Is it possible to carry protein bars with you to work? I keep a stash of bottled water and Premier Protein, Quest, and Oh Yeah Victory bars in my desk. If I'm in a hurry, I take a few bites and keep going.

Yes, you will be able to eat anything you want, probably as soon as your doctor releases you back on full foods. But if you are like me, my taste buds changed after not having any processed sugar for over a month. The old favorites just didn't taste as good and in my opinion, weren't worth eating anymore, because the taste wasn't good enough to justify eating the empty calories. You may find new favorite flavors like I did. Brussel sprouts are something I never ate pre-op, now I love them and can eat them as a meal in themselves.

I had undiagnosed sleep apnea since childhood. Even at 48, I can still remember how tired I'd be - all day - in elem. school. My dad thought I was just lazy when I'd sleep 12 - 15 hours on the weekend. For most of my 20's and 30's I'd been hovering around 250 lbs, at 45, I'd packed on an additional 100 lbs. And that extra weight must have been the tipping point for my apnea. It got to the point where I could not function at work because of my apnea and I was spending all my time at home sleeping. Finally, I went and had a sleep study and got a CPAP machine. My sleep improve sooooo much after using the CPAP, it's hard to describe. After a few weeks, I could not sleep without the machine. A 10 months post-op and 100 lbs less, I was able to stop using the CPAP. And have not used it since. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31195-blow-is-just-an-expression-cpap-and-sterilized-water/

I brought only: Cell phone CPAP machine and Water Comfy clothes to wear home I wish I had brought my favorite pillow. It would have made sleeping and the ride home much easier. The hospital supplied everything else.

Pre-surgery, my feet would randomly swell and shrink. So I could be a size 10 1/2 one day and an 11 the next. Post-op my feet have stayed the same size - 10 1/2. I'd been a 10 1/2 since high school and it was only after becoming morbidly obese that my foot size changed. Now, I have the feet of a bodybuilder!!!!! Talk about ripped, my feet have their own version of a six-pack! Now if only the rest of me would follow my foot's example. :-P

I liked my own mixture of Taco seasoning, turkey hamburger and refried beans. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

Hi Psychowriter, Welcome to the board. I too am fighting weight regain. But I think I caught it early and have it under control. :-) If I can be of any help, feel free to PM me. I started dating about 4 months ago and SHE likes to eat well and drink a bit of wine. Needless to say, I too started eating higher calorie foods and drinking along with meals and while watching TV with her. I added about 17 lbs. I combat the extra weight by being more careful on the non-dating days. I've cut back a bit on how much I eat for Breakfast, watch the snack calories I'm eating and have switched from eating sugar coated Raisin bran for a snack to eating fruits like apples, nectarines, and pineapple. My biggest hurdle is eating at night. I haven't cut back on my night time eating, but I have made a major substitution. I was eating 2 (1 cup size) meals and having a Protein bar as a snack. I've since switched to eating a smaller portion of my normal food and eating sugar free jell-o as a replacement. Jell-O is incredibly filling. When I get home, I normally eat 1/2 cup of Jell-O, wait an hour, eat my meal, wait an hour, eat 1/2 cup of Jell-O. So far it's working for me. I've dropped 4 lbs in 2 weeks after substituting for 1 meal, with this sugar free Jell-O recipe. The recipe is simple: 8 ounces of cream cheese 4 small boxes or 2 large boxes of your favorite sugar free Jell-O (enough to make 8 cups of Jell-O) Mix the Jell-O with 4 cups of WARM Water, add in the cream cheese, mix until the cream cheese is completely and smoothly blended into the water, add the remaining 4 cups of COLD water, let it set up in the refrigerator. I sometimes put it in the freezer for an hour or so to speed up the setting process.

If you have to physically pick her up, I would not plan on being able to do that for the 1st 2 weeks. I didn't feel I was ready to drive until the 5th day post-op. And that was just a short 2 mile drive to the convenience store for some sugar free popsicles. :-) I had a very painful recovery and it was about 2 weeks before I could safely and comfortably lift more than about 10 lbs. At the end of the 8th or 9th day, 99% of my pain had faded, but before that, I didn't feel like doing much more than moving from my chair to the bed and to the bathroom. I say, plan for the unexpected and try to plan for someone else to take your daughter to school. Then, you won't have any unexpected surprises or emergencies.

I can't tell from your post, that you can't stomach food or if you are just tired of eating the same old thing? But here's my experience. My first 10 days post-op, I literally couldn't eat a single teaspoon of food without Frankensleeve twisting into knots. I didn't like the pain, but I tried look at it this way; I had thousands and thousands of calories stored in my fat. I wasn't going to starve for months! As long as I stayed hydrated and felt okay, I wasn't worried. I didn't worry about getting enough Protein, I didn't worry about anything except Water. I knew that eventually, I'd be able to eat normally again.

Pre-op, I didn't want to tell anyone. But there were a few I had to tell. My parents - I eat Sunday lunch with them ever other Sunday... there was no way way I could gracefully bow out of eating with them, without mom feeling rejected. And my best friend.... I share everything with him, plus I needed a driver to get me home from the hospital. :-P I had seriously thought about hiring a limo or medical transportation to get me to and from the hospital.

Before surgery, I was pretty frugal about how much I spent each day on food. I estimated that I was spending about $15 a day on my meals. After surgery, my costs have gone down to around $6 a day. I figured my food bill savings would recoup my out of pocket expense for surgery sometime around year 4 post-op. :-P

My 1st week post-op, it was a cold and rainy December and I was trapped in the house. So, I needed entertainment. I'd weigh right when I got up, then before a pee, after a pee, before a poop, after a poop, in the evening and again before bed. I just didn't let myself take it too serious. I started out with the ground rule that only the 1st weigh in (when I woke up) counted. The rest had too many variables that could affect my weight - intake of solid food, Water, salt content, how much I sweated.... ect. Have a good time with it.

I usually eat between 1500 and 2000 calories a day. I don't really have a carb limit. I try to eat 75% Protein and the rest in carbs (from vegetables and fruit). I choose not to eat processed foods and pure sugar. I do eat things like Raisin Bran, the occasional do-nut, and "fun size" candy bars (but not on a daily basis). I don't keep a running carb count in my head. I just watch the scale and if I see it going up, I stop eating the processed carbs and sugar for a while. That works for keeping my weight in check.

I am an all or nothing person too. I can give you 2 reasons why the Sleeve worked for me and how it's different from any diet, pill or weight loss program I've ever tried and failed to keep the weight off. 1) My stomach is about 20% of the size it used to be. It will not stretch, and it hurts like hell when I try to eat too much. Kind of a deterrent to overeating. :-P 2) With the removal of 80% of my stomach, the production of Ghrelin (the hunger hormone) has been almost eliminated. My head hunger and uncontrollable food cravings have almost completely stopped. I eat by choice now, not by having my willpower wore down by the little nagging voice that was telling me to eat when I was not hungry. But I have to add, YOU have to be ready to give up every food you love. I had to be at that point in my life. You will be able to eat EVERY food you love at some point post-op (for me it was after 1 year), it will be up to you to make the right choices after about the first 6 months (known as the honeymoon period) post-op.

My 1st doc visit was purely informational. I had to fill out pages and pages of my medical history, then I consulted with the doc for about 30 minutes. He interviewed me as a WLS candidate and explained the procedure and the tests and nutritional classes I would have to attend. It took a good 2 hours to do the whole thing. My surgery was fast tracked, I had met one of the insurance co-morbidity requirements - sleep apnea - so I was already pre-approved by my ins. company. I did the 1st doc visit on Dec 7 and was Sleeved and released from the hospital on Dec 28th. I had to make multiple trips during the weeks leading up to surgery to get all the tests done. So I was driving my butt off to get everything done quickly. From what I understand, this is much faster than the typical process. Get there early and bring your carpal tunnel wrist brace for all the writing you're going to have to do. :-P

Wow, that is a big restriction, compared to mine. I can easily eat 8 ounces or about 17 Brussel sprouts, wait an hour or so and eat another 8 ounces. For at least the 1st year post-op, I had trouble staying regular. With the high Protein diet, I wasn't getting in enough fiber to move things along. Sometimes I'd have to do what I call, "Priming the pump." Go to the bathroom as normal, strain really hard and then get up and go away. That sometimes seemed to get things started and I'd come back later to complete the task. :-P I did notice that after soon after eating a Quest bar or an Oh Yeah! Victory bar, the next day, I'd poop a rope! :-P They are sweetened with a prebiotic fiber that is made from vegetable sources (not exaclty sure which vegetables) But they both claim to have lots of fiber and I think they taste pretty good. I wish veggies worked for me, but they don't. I typically eat quite a bit of cauliflower, broccoli, green peppers, spinach, and lettuce but it doesn't seem to help. I even took a fiber supplement at one point and it did nothing but make it worse. My nutritionist told me I'm probably just not eating enough in volume to really go very often. Even at almost 2 years out, I have a lot of restriction so my portion sizes are rarely over 1/2 cup.

I'm 31 months out, and I eat a lot of fibrous vegetables, especially brussell sprouts (for no other reason than I like them) I haven't had to take a laxative in over a year. I found that adding lots of fibrous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts added enough fiber to my diet that I stay pretty regular - going about once every 3 days.

This quote is from the Amazon sales page (the bold/underline is my edit) : "The combination of the Tri-Protein and the way it is processed along with the addition of protease enzymes, allows for the equivalent of a 30gram serving of protein with only a 1 TBSP serving size." http://www.amazon.com/Musclegen-Research-Genepro-Protein-Powder/dp/B00K6OSDYA

I did notice that it was harder to digest milk and cheese and yogurt post-op. But it seemed to clear up. It never occurred to me that I might become lactose intolerant.

"Why are you at the restaurant?" As the date of my WLS drew near, my best friend offered to stop our habit of eating out each Sat night. We had been going out to buffets every Sat. night for years. I told him there was no need to stop. I was going there to hang out with him and socialize, not for the food. 31 months later, we are still eating out on Sat nights. I just eat a WHOLE LOT less and do a lot more people watching. :-)