joatsaint

I"ve got 2. :-) You're laying on your side, feel a sharp pain, reach under to pull out whatever is sticking you AND IT'S YOUR RIB!!!!! I CAN FEEL MY RIBS!! :-) You get in the car, and for the first time in your life, you have to scoot the seat forward! :-)

I have kept most of my meals very simple. During that 1st year post-op, I was so afraid that I would "break the magic" after WLS, that I wanted and still want my meals to be boring and basic. I'm never going to allow food to have so much control over me again! :-)

What if my craving is for human brains? Is that head hunger or am I a zombie? :-P

Head Hunger for me is a craving for sweets or carbohydrates without feeling any physical signs of hunger. My stomach is full or at least not empty and I don't feel the normal sensation of real hunger. Pre-surgery, my Head Hunger came in the form of a craving for a particular flavor... hamburgers, fries, cherry pie, ect. Post-surgery, my Head Hunger is more generic, just a general feeling that I want to eat, no particular flavor though. Get my FREE eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt! Here's what it was like when I had Head Hunger pre-op. :-) https://youtu.be/0WwEU1ddI1k?t=5m37s

I did a quick Google search and found these 2 bariatric friendly cook books from Georgetown Community Hospital. http://georgetowncommunityhospital.com/sites/www_georgetowncommunityhospital_com/Uploads/CookBook.pdf http://georgetowncommunityhospital.com/sites/www_georgetowncommunityhospital_com/Uploads/BARATRIC%20COOKBOOK.pdf

I was very strict my first year and stayed completely on my recommended diet. But that diet included carbs - in the form of vegetables - low glycemic vegetables, high in Fiber. (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts...) Staying away from processed foods/sugar is a good thing, but I still needed carbs for energy and the nutrients that were in those foods. Carbs are not a bad thing and I didn't need to stay completely away from them. I have a couple of recipes that I used A LOT the first year: http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/33646-bbq-sauce-low-carb-my-new-favorite-sauce/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31464-updated-really-cool-recipe-make-spaghetti-noodles-from-chicken-meat/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31170-confession-time-the-spaghetti-monster-almost-got-me/

I started taking tablets as soon as I was released to full foods. I tested Frankensleeve by taking a half tablet the first time. When he had no reaction, I started taking a whole tablet. The hardest part was being able to swallow enough Water to wash it down. At 1 month, I still wasn't able to take in much more than a tablespoon of water per swallow.

I'm 3 years out and gained back 15lbs since March. I'm struggling to lose the weight too. There are 3 things that have worked for me in the last 3 weeks. 1) watch my portion size, go back to using my old bowls and plates - that way I know how much I'm eating. 2) stop eating when I'm satisfied and not over full. Frankensleeve lets me know when hes too full, but I've gotten back into the "clean your plate" club. I've decided, I'd rather put less food on my plate, rather than have too much and feel the need to finish it all. 3) reduce/eliminate sugar, high glycemic vegetables/fruit, processed/canned/frozen foods and meals. I'm cooking as much of my food as possible and eating things "that are the ingredients for other things". :-) My primary diet is pretty simple - roasted/crock pot pork or chicken, vegetables (brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower), high Protein bars, limited fruit (at most 2 of these per day - apples, pears, plums...), and nuts (less than 20 per day - almonds, pecans, ...no peanuts) I have up to 3 cheat meals per week - Tuesday/Friday/Sat night. I don't go crazy, but I do eat a few more of the "bad for me" foods. So far it's working. I've lost 5 lbs in 3 weeks. You can follow my adventure in Battling Regain in this thread: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/352539-ive-regained-weight-what-do-i-do-about-it/

I don't know if you've had an opportunity to read up on the psy eval, but it was pretty easy. The doc only wanted to know that I knew what I was getting myself into. And was mentally prepared to make the changes necessary to be successful at WLS. He wasn't out to disqualify me, after all, it was in his best interest to see that I passed. I'm sure my doc would not refer his patients to a psych. that disqualified his patients for frivolous reasons. Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

In my case, it was a change in job and lifestyle that were the main factors. #1 - I went from a job that allowed me to get off work early enough that I could walk for an hour each evening, to a job that barely allows me enough time to get home, check my email, eat and get to bed. #2 - I went from being single to being in a relationship. And she likes to eat food with more flavor (and more variety) and drink wine. So, I kinda let myself start enjoying a bit more of the higher calorie foods and wine. I've just allowed myself to get too complacent. And I need to get back to my old habits of being more observant of what and how often I'm eating. No snacking out of boredom, no eating out of habit. Adjusting my caloric intake on my non-date nights to take in to account the extra calories I'm eating on date nights. If I hadn't had those changes in my life, I'd still be eating the same foods and exercising like I was last year. In my case, I became alarmed when I gained 5lbs and kept in on for months. I got more worried when I gained 5 more. When the extra weight went to 15lbs (11lbs now.... I've lost 4lbs) :-) I decided it was time to take action before things got out of hand.

Thanks gowalking, I have a plan, but I'm always open to new ideas. :-) I'm sure others would like to hear your ideas too. Because, what may work for me, may not fit the needs of someone else.

I've gained weight!!!!! What do I do about it? Here's my plan to shed the pounds and get back on track! I started 2015 weighing about 205 ~ 208lbs. Now I've gained about 15lbs, as of September 2015. I've had some life changes - new job, new relationship, going on more vacations. All of which I've allowed to slowly get me away from the good habits I was practicing - that kept the weight off. So here's my "adventure" in losing the weight I've regained. I'm making it public for 2 reasons. 1) Watching my progress may help someone else. 2) It holds me accountable. Going public with my "adventure" in the Couch 2 5K jogging program worked for me. This should too! :-) I'm going to be completely transparent and you will see how I deal with the things that are bound to get in the way. I'll be posting video updates once a week to show my progress. Feel free to thumb them up or down. :-) Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt! I've created a spreadsheet that has my daily weigh-ins, plus what I'm eating and when.<br /> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1byhGB7pGMnvS_0L0YtQmjq3bejBPaDESEQVuSibXksM/edit?usp=sharing The Intro: Week 01 Update Week 02 Update: Week 03 Update: I had a long weekend of debauchery at the Texas Renaissance Festival. Even walking 20 thousand steps was not enough to burn off all the calories I ate! :-(

I've had to take Milk of Magnesia in the past. I took a double dose. 3 hours later, it was showtime! :-) Other people have mentioned Smooth Move Tea, but I'm not a tea drinker and have never tried it.

When it comes to how often to weigh yourself, it is very controversial. Some say once a week Others say once a month More say only weigh when you go in to the doctor for your follow-ups. I made a deal with myself. I can weigh as often as I want, but only the morning weigh in counts. The rest are just for my own amusement. After 3 years, I'm still with that system. I need the daily feedback to know I'm on track. There's no right or wrong system, the best choice is the one that works for you. Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!