delta_girl

Breakthrough realization on one of my issues with food and eating. It may be one of yours, too. I have a naturally high stress level. It may be anxiety or pressure from work or pressure I place upon myself. I was watching something online about a woman who had lost a lot of weight and she said that she felt a relief from stress when she ate something crunchy that challenged her jaws. She had enjoyed chips, crackers, ..anything crunchy because those things provided a necessary relief from stress. Try rubbing your jaws with your fingertips. Do you feel tension there? She then described how she now always keeps very fresh crunchy things nearby such as celery, carrots, bell peppers, and other low calorie things that gave her that same sensation. I didn't thing much of it until the last week when I found myself slipping into some old habits with crackers. I tried substituting carrots and craisins. It was amazing how much I enjoyed them at a new level. A lightbulb went off in my mind that answered at least one of the questions I had about overeating and impulse eating. Hopefully this will be of value to someone else.

Could be worse. You could not have had the option of vsg and eat all of the nice hot food you can hold.

I gave up a lot of things very willingly. The hardest was carbonated drinks. Especially diet Coke and beer. Sugar was easier. I had no coffee for about 4 weeks, then tried decaf for another 2-3 weeks. Now I'm enjoying 1-2 cups of regular coffee during weekdays. No issues. Love it.

I quit cold turkey. It really wasn't an issue. I haven't had one in 6 months. No cravings, no regrets. Before I drank them constantly.

Satisfied if I'm paying attention and chewing slowly, globby if not. Globby I am not sure how to describe. I often eat too fast so I get full very quickly then have a lot of gas. No complaining, though.

First, I hope you enjoyed the burritos! After surgery you won't be able eat two of those again ...ever. Second, those burritos are now in the past. You acknowledged that it was not the best choice and are reaching out for support. That's good. It signifies that you have a strong desire to be compliant, but had a moment of weakness. We all have so you are in good company. Third, take some time with yourself to reflect on your life, history and the reason you are seeking help with vsg. What do you ultimately want? Only you can help yourself get there by making specific, strategic choices. That doesn't mean you will have to be perfect forever. Nobody is. Self-awareness is a process and you are demonstrating that you are willing to analyze your actions. That is serious mental progress. (And a lot of mental goes on during the vsg journey.) Fourth, feel good that you are taking steps to improve your health. Just be very aware that after surgery you really need to follow your nutrition program because if you don't there are potentially life threatening complications. Be serious about this because it is no joke. No myth there. Fifth, be good to yourself. Love yourself and be your own best friend. Be patient and gentle with yourself. Stop any negative internal dialogue and replace it with positive thoughts and actions.

At 5 months out I eat mostly everything that I want, but I don't want many of the things that I have loved before. Previously I couldn't get enough chocolate, Pasta, beer, fried foods, cake, ice cream, bread, butter, rice, Cookies, candy, steak, potatoes, fries, pizza, chinese food, mac and cheese, fried chicken, casseroles, pie, pastries, muffins, rotel dip and chips, Cheetoes, waffles, pancakes, cupcakes, crab cakes, onion rings, cheese bread sticks, bar b q, milkshakes, dip, sausage, tacos, cheesecake, bacon, doughnuts, snow cones, rolls, corn dogs, Oreos, baked pretzels, gravy, holiday treats, stuffing, pina coladas, hamburgers, ......and on and on. Now my sleeve has taught me many lessons. Some came naturally and some were not fun to experience, though I have never thrown up. I can eat pretty much anything that I enjoyed before, just much smaller portions. The only things that really give me trouble are raw onions and citrus pulp if I try to eat a whole fruit and sugar if I eat too much. Now I do not crave sugar any more. I actually will pass it up without any cravings, with no feeling of denial or regret. If I want something sweet, I eat it. I also know if I eat more than a few bites I will feel extremely sick. And it is an especially no fun kind of sick. The same with fried foods and high fat foods. My weaknesses are cheese and crunchy carbs like crackers, so I try to keep better choices in my cabinet, such as Goldfish crackers or healthier versions of crackers that have whole grains and nuts. (Usually I get them from Whole Foods). I still eat a little bit of bread, rice and pasta upon occasion, but not much. And it is great because I don't really want to eat more than a little bit. I also regularly enjoy red wine, but I gave up beer, which I thought was going to be really difficult because I LOVED beer. Loved. I eat out a lot. Many, many times a week. But now I am smart about choices. I eat fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, salads, grilled fish, sashimi, edamame, roasted or steamed veggies, baked chicken, grilled seafood, etc. If I do indulge, my sleeve only allows just so much, so it requires little effort on my part. I just make sure to eat enough Protein with whatever else I am enjoying. I have explored some foods to see what happened. For example I got an ice cream sundae with hot fudge and nuts. After the third bite I knew I was done, but I ate two more and was very sorry. Now I opt for low fat or sugar free options at the self serve yogurt places. I eat more Soups, more fish, more vegetables, and I actually WANT to eat these things. For someone whose life was focused on foods, especially unhealthy ones, and who used food to reduce stress, to soothe, to ease boredom, for flavor, for control, it is almost unbelievable, a miracle...that I am no longer a slave to huge portions, fat and sugar. Don't get me wrong, I love food. I am a foodie. A food snob. But this life is so far beyond anything that I could have possibly imagined. I have 30 lbs+ to go and I hope to get to my goal. At only 5 months out, I am not feeling as if I'm in a race anymore.

No changes.

I still love these as a treat. The ones that I buy are 15 calories each and are fruit flavored. I never liked them before vsg but now I always keep them in the freezer. They are a perfect early evening treat.

Sheesh..we all design our own limits. At 5+ months out I drink nothing carbonated. I don't eat much sugar. I don't eat anything fried. I pretty much eat fairly healthy...but I am no carb Nazi. Bread and rice and pasta still have a profile in my daily diet. I drink wine on the weekends. I enjoy popcorn as a rare treat. YOU decide your own tolerances and limits. Nobody else can really advise you on what will work best for you. I'm down 66 lbs in 5 months with 30 or so lbs to go. There is no one size fits all. No magic formula that generates the ideal outcome for all. You are the only factor that designs your success.

Nah..just keep drinking that. Put a scoop of ice cream in it. Don't forget to enjoy a cigarette afterwards.

I had a long discussion with my surgeon about bougie size. It has little to do with the final size of your sleeve. The bougie is simply a tool to allow the surgeon to see inside of your stomach. The seal can be made very tight or loose in relation to the bougie. The surgeon makes a judgement on that based on the size and shape of your stomach as well as other criteria. There is so much misinformation passed around here as fact.

I didn't even want to eat anything at that point, and was extremely conscious of my stomach just having been butchered. ...so I had nothing that was not in my plan. I even avoided some things that were.

I ate a lot of baby food at this stage. The only two downsides were that they don't have much protein and needed salt. However, they provided much needed variety. My favs were peas and carrots.

The first 2-6 weeks of post op are not easy. You will feel (possibly) hunger, depression, exhaustion, confusion, regret, panic, defeat ...along with energy, exhilaration, focus. The better your "head space" and commitment, the better your results will be. And early compliance is key.

My surgeon told me that he provided NO RESTRICTIONS. That means that after surgery, there are no restrictions. Immediately resume normal activities. Drive, go back to work, exercise. The ONLY accommodations dealt with nutrition. But you need to follow whatever your surgeon told you. I was back at work within 5 days post op and resumed all normal activities.

Quit doing that. If you continue to then you aren't serious enough for what comes next,

I'll testify.... I'm 5 months out. Protein is not my favorite. I do try to do protein first, but that doesn't always happen. The impact? random bruising accelerated hair loss by the fistfulls instead of strands hunger slow down of weight loss Sounds good? Keep doing what you are doing and don't make protein a priority.

When I go to Whole Foods I always pick up a salad bar box with edamame, quinoa, tofu, and various other tasty treats. I usually have it for several meals. I'm not a vegetarian, but the selection is always so fresh and delicious. I crave different things than pre vsg when I preferred chips and chocolate. Now I would much rather have cheese, green things, whole grains, fresh veggies and low fat dressings.

I guess it all averages out. But with 30+ more lbs to go my weight loss has absolutely slowed down after 5 months. My surgeon, who is VERY STRICT, has been supportive and not critical of my loss so far. I am not as compliant as I should be. If I want some chocolate I eat it, though it may not be much. If I want wine, I drink it. If I feel especially hungry, I eat until I am not hungry anymore. But I do try to be relatively conscious of what I eat. I don't eat fried foods. I don't drink carbonated beverages. I rarely eat foods that have much fat. I do eat bread, crackers, rice, etc. when I want, just not much. I envy others who are much more disciplined. If I have lost around 65 lbs in 4.5 months and only have 30+ to go, I am guessing that I will continue to lose, just more slowly. And I'm very good with that.

Some days I can barely eat. Other days I can't stop eating. It comes and goes. (5 months out)

I'm 5 months now and for the last 2 weeks have had random bruising from so many things. If I pick up something heavy and rest it on my legs, if someone grabs my arm firmly, if I'm clumsy .... these are mostly on my arms and legs. I read up on what might cause this and it looks like possibly lack of Iron. I take a Multivitamin with iron, but sometimes I miss days (maybe I take it 4 out of 7 days). Just a caution for those of you who are experiencing something similar. If you are aware of another cause, please share.

1. She's jealous. 2. She's being a shitty "friend." 3. You need support and encouragement. If she's not on board, cut that anchor loose.

I did a search for this type of topic because I know I've read something here before on skipping a size in clothing, but my search didn't show any results. I've thought...surely not. There is no way that you can skip a size in clothing. That makes no sense at all. I would not have believed it if it hadn't happend to me. After several months of fairly decent weight loss I was down about 54 lbs, then I hit a long stall. For about 6 weeks my weight would go up and down 1-2 lbs over and over again. It was slightly frustrating, but nothing to cry about. I tried a few things but nothing worked. Then I read a post about D3 and Calcium, so I started taking 6000 IUs a day two weeks ago. Out of nowhere the scale started moving again and my clothes started fitting slightly looser. I was down to about 6 pairs of dress pants that fit tight and I couldn't wear yet and one pair of Gap jeans I picked up at Goodwill for $4. Last night I was rearranging my closet and tried on all 6 pair of pants. Only one fits. The rest had to go. They weren't just loose, they were silly looking. I could pull them off without unbuttoning them. The $4 jeans just hang off of my hiney now. This is just weird. I'm not really sure what happened...... if taking D3/Calcium did something to get things moving again or if my body just had some crazy metamorphosis overnight. Whichever, 40 lbs from goal I am going to have to buy some pants. Yeah, that is kinda good news, but I hate wasting money. Suppose it will be back to Goodwill this afternoon. Skipping a whole clothing size is entirely possible.