LipstickLady

Shallow jerk here. I love being called hot, beautiful, cute, etc. I liked it when I was fat and I love it now. I love it so much, I'm going to post my picture so y'all can shower me with shallow jerkiness.

Bougie size:

I didn't like my NUT at all. I refused to work with her after our first two consultations. I worked through the NP at my surgeon's office as she knew a lot more about the surgery than the NUT did.

So this is where we totally differ. My NP and I are of like mind in that I needed to start thinking of food as fuel not as a luxury/pleasure/treat, especially at the very beginning of my weight loss journey. I needed/wanted to break that cycle of feeling deprived if I couldn't eat the same thing as everyone else and I have been very successful. No "mourning" of food was tolerated by her and that was perfect for ME. I am almost 21 months out and I have lost almost all focus on food. I still get hungry, I still crave certain foods from time to time, I still enjoy trying new recipes and tasting new things, but it's different. Holidays no longer center around tasty treats. When I go out to dinner with my friends or family, I no longer care where we go and if there is nothing there that I particularly want, I don't order anything -- no big deal. I'm not disappointed when the last cookie is gone before I had the first one. I am not saying that my thinking is better than yours or vice versa, we are just different.

It amazes me that so many get their panties in a wad when they post their opinion on a public discussion board and someone else disagrees or posts a counter opinion. Seriously! It's OK. In most cases, that counter opinion is just that -- opinion. While I do take issue with those who take themselves very seriously and post their opinion as fact, I am happy to say they are few and far between. We, for the most part, have different surgeons, different NUTs, different metabolisms, different builds, different backgrounds, different thought processes, different psychosis... (JOKING! Kind of.) There are very few doctors or therapists here. There are NO experts on YOU here, with the exception of yourself. No one is qualified to give you *absolute do or die* advice. No one is in a position to tell you that you are !!!WRONG!!! or that everyone else is. Relax. Breathe. Discuss. Share. Vent. Listen. Learn. We all have our hot buttons, we are human. We all have topics we are passionate about. Debate is fun! It's healthy. It's how we learn and grow. It's a positive form of interaction until someone takes it personally. (I'm guilty at times -- I know it!) As long as it's respectful, there is no name calling involved, and there are no personal attacks, there is nothing wrong with it. I'll tell you a few things about me that are "wrong" and I don't give a rat's patoot if you want to tell me so: I drink soda. GASP! Even worse, I drink it through a straw! I would never tell anyone else to do the same. That's between you and your doctor. I graze all day. My sleeve is small, my restriction is fierce. I graze to keep myself from getting too hungry, eating too fast and then vomiting it all back up. I eat while I work, when I drive, when I watch TV. I find that when I do this, I get distracted and I eat slower. Weird, I know. I weigh myself 2-4 times a day. First thing in the morning (usually fully dressed in my PJs as I get up at a ridiculously early time of day to get my kids out of the door.) I weigh myself buck naked after kissing them goodbye when it's time to get myself dressed. I weigh myself before and after a poo (giggle) because I have a middle school boy sense of humor. I weigh myself at night, again buck nekky, just before I get in the shower. I call it my step aerobics. It works for me. I don't get frustrated or upset. I never have, even at my fattest. I eat real chocolate every day. Just a few Hershey Kisses or a Dove Promise (dark!). It quiets the sweet tooth I didn't have pre-op and keeps me from thinking about sweets all day. It's better to feed the beast a nibble and shut it up. FOR ME. I eat full fat everything except the things I don't. I am choosing not to be a WLS advocate. I don't care HOW people think I am losing weight, I don't care who supports me. I don't tell my business to everyone and it's not up to me to save the world from obesity one fatty at a time. I'm not embarrassed, ashamed or a liar. Your personal experience, your advice from your NUT/surgeon/NP may differ completely. You may be of the opinion that I will be the size of a small whale in 5 year's time. You may think that I am failing myself and my surgery. You may think I am a hypocrite. It's OK. You do you, I'll do me. We can talk and share and be opinionated together, even when our opinions don't match. This is a public DISCUSSION board. It's ok to discuss, it's ok to be opinionated. Just expect the same in return.

You've got to find a Protein you can tolerate. chicken, shrimp, pork, eggs, something that will linger with you and keep you full. I eat a lot of seafood salad, shredded chicken with gravy, scrambled eggs with cheese... I do full fat everything because that keeps me satisfied longer as well. Salad isn't filling nor does it "stick". What else are you eating?

Yup... we will have to agree to disagree. I find your messages a bit mixed/confusing. You said all plans are basically the same. You also said we should negotiate with our surgeons to make sure our needs are being met to in an effort for them to be more individualized. Then you said you rarely see individualized plans... Perhaps I am missing something. As for sucking it up? I would never tell someone who is risking their health to suck it up. That's craziness and I was obviously unclear in my wording. My apologies. *I* had to suck it up because what I was told to consume was disgusting to me -- all the sweet stuff was making me gag and feel nauseated. It was mental for me, not physical (until the soft foods came in, that was a stricture). Most of the problems discussed on these boards as far as "I CAN'T" are mental, not physical. That's where I am more apt to think "suck it up" is entirely appropriate. Smoooch!

I'm not sure why you would assume that people don't "negotiate", ask questions or do their research. I certainly didn't lie down and accept everything that was told to me without question -- I am far too intelligent for that. And you hit the nail on the head. INDIVIDUALIZED care. That's exactly why I would never suggest that someone go against their doctor's orders. What MY surgeon told me based on MY body, MY questions, MY research, MY procedure bears little on what applies to anyone else.

Mmmmmm... I disagree and the words you quoted from me were a bit tongue in cheek. I am NOT at all sorry my doctor said that to me, he was right. I got fat because I ate too much crap. I then chose to cut out most of my stomach in order to lose weight. That staple line is fragile and my surgeon has an excellent track record of successful surgeries. I chose HIM because my research said he was the best in my area and I entrusted him with my life. I didn't chose YOUR surgeon or Betty Sue's or Bobby Ray's. By choosing MY surgeon, I chose to go along with his diet plan and food progression. Following the plan your surgeon prescribed to you and then you describe to me (you being general/plural) isn't a smart choice in MY OPINION. Living on sweet shakes for a couple of weeks wasn't going to kill me. When I couldn't tolerate shakes, I subsisted on watered down Gatorade. My doctor was pretty insistent that liquid was more important than Protein and as long as I was drinking, he was fine. He didn't want me eating and while it was a long sucky 19 days, I had no doubt I could do it. And I did.

Mmmmm.... if that was the case, why do so many of us have such different pre-op and post-op diets? Oddly, that's exactly what my doctor told me to do.

I don't think so, personally. I eat a LOT of cheese, though.

They have sock-eye, too!

Did anyone say why they were quitting cheese?

First and foremost, I love the Tequila Lime Shrimp back in the prepared foods section (near the rotisserie chickens). They are delicious. Very tender and flavorful and because they come in one poundish increments, I can finish them off over a few days. I do add a sliced up ripe avocado and a bit of extra lemon juice. Their chicken salad is good, but the package is too big, IMO. Same with the mayo based shrimp salad. I will bring these dishes to parties, though. I also keep the dutch Gouda (unsmoked) in my house at all times. If you wrap it well, it will keep for months. I just hack off a hunk for a snack. Here's a picture: https://www.flickr.com/photos/touch_of_dutch/4245222038/?rb=1 Babybels are great. Almonds Avocados I like the flash frozen salmon portions. They are whole salmon fillets but only a few ounces per piece. They are vacuum sealed, so you can thaw them individually. http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=10253394&whse=BD_823&topnav=bdoff Phillips Crab Cake Minis. And Kirkland's coffee. It's Starbucks brand in a far cheaper package.

Oh, gotcha! I'd find another NUT. That's crazy.

What step are you on and what step is next? I didn't realize that some people weren't released to eat anything by 6 months.

If you are talking about the gas that comes from the surgery itself, it's in your body cavity, it is not the kind of gas that is caused by food. GasX is popular, but the only thing that really works is walking it out. Gas from food post op? GasX fo'shizzle.

Every surgeon is different. What my doctor tells me to do is based on HIS surgery and HIS practice. His advice has no relation to your procedure. I was on full liquids for a two weeks. I wasn't allowed to have purees until I saw the NP at my two week check up. Unfortunately for me, that appointment was 19 days out, not 14. I am not a sweets person, and almost everything on my OK list was sweet. Couldn't tolerate my shakes, I hate yogurt, pudding cups are ewww, Jello makes me gag and a girl can only have so many SF popsicles. What did *I* do? I sucked it up. I had no choice. I concentrated on what I could drink and the little Protein I could get down. I'm strong. I can do anything for a few weeks. So are you. Seriously.

I'm not joking.

I'm really not sure what type of reply you want. You want to know what you can eat but you don't want to be advised to stick to your Doc's plan. Do you want people here to give you permission to go against your doctor's orders? Edit: I am not trying to be snarky, I am seriously not sure what you are looking for here.

Wait. I didn't lose weight naturally?

Only if you agree with me!

Yup. Why try bread (and worse, biscuits) at all? They do nothing for you nutritionally. Edit to add: I don't mean forever, but why rush it? You don't need bread or biscuits and eventually you may be able to eat them comfortably. I can't at 20 months out but many can. Don't rush the less nutritious choices. They will still be there next month, next year...

No videos, please. Discussion yes, visual, no.