McButterpants

I felt the same way...almost 9 months ago now. I don't regret going thru the surgery and I'm so happy I didn't let my fear get the best of me. The night before surgery, my husband I were driving around and I was thinking things like, "I'll never be able to eat there again" as we passed by some of my favorite places to eat. Other times during that evening I thought "What am I doing?" "Have I tried hard enough?" The morning of my surgery, as I sat in admitting I thought, "I could walk out of here right now and only be out $500." I glanced at my husband who was sitting about 20 feet away. He didn't look at me, he was just sitting there, nervous for me. I decided, I CHOSE to go thru the surgery - I knew at that moment, I needed to do it. I needed to follow the path I laid out for a better life. That was the best decision I have ever made. I didn't let the fear get the best of me. I think it's perfectly normal to feel anxiety, 2nd guessing yourself, etc. This is a life changer. It's also a life saver. My life is so much better today - I'm not saying I don't struggle, because I do. It's still hard some days. But I'm living a better, more active and product life than I was a year ago. My relationships are better. So, hang in there. Keep reading success stories here. You're going to do great!

I went into this hoping my only regret was that I didn't do it sooner...that is so true. I'm almost 9 months out and I have a great life. I'm not at goal weight (have 25-30 more pounds to go) and I've been a slow loser compared to some. I've had really great days and I've had really crappy days during this process. It's hard work - this is not the easy way out. I've worked my a$$ off at the gym to get where I am today. I've had days where mentally I wondered if this was the right thing to do. I can unequivocally say - NO REGRETS! My suggestion is to get your head straight before surgery - I was not prepared for the emotional part of this process. I researched enough about the procedure itself that I probably could have assisted the surgeon. I had to address my emotional eating issues while recovering and not able to eat. It's hard. This surgery is a life changer - life saver! It has changed my relationship with my husband and son. I'm more active. I feel better. I have tons more energy. I'm more productive in my life. I feel good about myself - something that hasn't happened in DECADES.

Every one recovers at a different pace...My recovery was uneventful and easy. I telecommute full time. I was operated on Thursday and worked 1/2 days the following week, working a full day that Tuesday. I was tired. If I had to get up, get dressed and go to an office for a full day, I probably would have been OK 2 weeks after surgery. I got tired easily and needed to take a nap. Remember to be kind to yourself and take care immediately after surgery - this is major surgery!

Congrats on your success so far - you're doing great and making great changes. A couple of suggestions for the next couple of months to prepare you for post-op living... Practice eating slower - there's an app called Eat Slower than you can download on your phone. It will chime when it's time to take another bit. You will be surprised how quickly you feel full on less food. Change to appetizer forks and spoons - this will force you to slow down and take smaller bites, a must post-op. Practice mindful eating - sit down at the table, turn off the TV and eat in peace. Savor your food and concentrate on how you feel. Again, you'll probably eat less. Walk - get in the best shape you can prior to surgery. You'll be able to walk right after surgery and walking, in my opinion, is the best medicine for recovery. Move your body. Start trying out different shakes and experiment with different flavors. Torani sugar-free syrups are a great way to enhance the flavor of shakes. Don't over purchase - your tastes may change post-op, so something you liked before surgery may taste bad post-op. Hope this helps!

I'll tell you what I see in this picture - a man that is spending time with his young child. It's beautiful. Cherish your time you have with your family. Now, close your eyes...Imagine you being able to run down the beach with your son. You can pick him up. You can play ball with him. All without getting tired or saying, "Dad has to rest a minute!" That will be you 6 months to a year after surgery. I ran with my son last night - I can run just shy of a mile without stopping. I don't run fast and I may look funny, but hearing my son say he's proud of me for accomplishing that...PRICELESS!

I couldn't drink plain Water after surgery - in fact at 8 months out, I still can't. It's like liquid sandpaper...Ugh. So, I drink Propel Zero or Vitamin Water Zero. I also add Mio drops or Dasani drops sometimes to change things up. For Protein shakes, I drink unjury - it has the protein isolate. You want a good quality protein. Unjury has a chicken Soup which is pretty good. It's a nice change from the sweet shakes. Also, there are protein hot chocolates (go to www.mybariatricpantry.com) for some options - the hot chocolate I purchased has about 5 grams less protein than a shake, but it's better than avoiding shakes. Unflavored protein is good, too - you can add to just about anything. Best of luck to you!

I loved fat-free refried Beans. Top with some shredded cheddar and a dollop of plain greek yogurt. Yum. I pureed some broccoli florets (just the tops) and cauliflower. I had ground beef with a little brown gravy and a bite of mashed potato. I ate a lot of scrambled eggs, too.

My doc said it best..."If you chart your weight loss it won't show a linear graph. It will be like a stair step." You're doing fine - I have had multiple stalls in my 8 months since surgery...take them in stride, don't drive yourself crazy with the scale. Take measurements and take pictures - they represent what's happening better than the scale!

@@Skywalker, I don't eat Soup - It's not dense enough. I will eat chili (Wendy's chili was a favorite once I was allowed). It's thicker and I don't get hungry quickly after I eat it. Once you're farther out, you will be able to eat soup if you wish, but like I said, it doesn't fill me up, so I stay away from it. I still drink my Protein shakes (not smoothies that you would purchase at the mall or something like that). I mix my Protein Shakes with about 1/4 cup of berries and ice cubes to give them some bulk. I'm 8 months out and still use shakes. Ice cream is not a good thing for me - it's a trigger food for me. I can't eat just a little bit, I'll want more. I may take a bite of my husband's or son's treat, but I rarely get my own - it's not worth it.

My pre-op diet consisted of 2 shakes and one lean and green meal (4-6 ounces of lean meat and a veggie) for two weeks. I was allowed to use milk in my shakes, so I opted to mix them with Water instead, so I could use the milk in my decaf coffee (I was required to be caffeine free 2 weeks before surgery). I was allowed 2-3 strawberries in my shakes or about 1/8 cup of blueberries - seriously, that's not much, but it helps bulk them up. Also, add some ice - that helps bulk them up as well. I purchased different kinds of Torani sugar-free syrups to mix up the flavors...one of my favorites was unjury chocolate Splendor, 1 teaspoon of Hershey's cocoa powder, 4-5 ice cubes, Torani sugar free Peppermint syrup. Tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie! (I always mix all the ingredients together except for the Protein powder - once everything is mixed, I add the powder and whiz for 10-15 seconds - it's less frothy that way). I also drank copious amounts of decaf green tea sweetened with Splenda. It was a life saver! It helped with the hunger.

Giggling!

I found it difficult at first, but like everything else in this process, practice helps. Looks like you have a little bit of time before your surgery, so practice in your mealtime now. Practice taking smaller bites (I started using appetizer forks and spoons before surgery - this helps you slow down and take smaller bites). Also practice chewing your food - 20-25 times per bite. Doing these things may lessen your need for water/drink during your meal. I will take a SIP now and then if I need to, but it's rare. I stop drinking 20-30 minutes before eating and will wait 30 minutes after. It's one of the rules we agree to when we go into having the surgery! (If I don't wait 30 minutes, I get hungry faster...thus eating more calories)

HI there. At 4 weeks, you're body is still recovering - I felt tired at times up to about 12 weeks. It wasn't every day and my energy level was certainly better than before surgery. Let your body heal - rest when your body tells you to rest. You'll enjoy the days where you have a lot of energy!

Yes! I had my husband do the same thing. There are other ways to judge if you're losing weight - take pictures and take your measurements. That's a good indicator when you're not seeing the scale move! Best of luck to you

Sending my thoughts and prayers your way - that's a lot to deal with!

I can't imagine how betrayed you feel. I would, too. I'm sure your mother's intent was not to hurt you, but it did, nonetheless. Know that her actions came from a place of love and concern. I was one of those people that told very few people (my mom, dad, husband, son and best friend). I'm fortunate that they have kept my secret. You have to move on - be angry today and vent. Tomorrow is a new day - live your new life and focus on your progress.

Early on, I felt the same way - I was either drinking a shake, drinking Water, fixing a meal, eating a meal (scrambled egg would take 20-25 minutes to eat). It became a chore. That stopped about the 3 month mark. Be patient!

I am 8 months out and still struggle with fruits and raw veggies. I would follow your doctor's/surgeon's orders and if you feel like you need more substance, check with them or the NUT for guidance. You're only 2 weeks out - you're still healing. Trying unapproved foods could result in popped staples, creating a leak. You don't want that.

You can order them from Amazon or directly from Torani. World Market has a great selection as well - you can purchase at the store or order on line.

If you're worried, call your doc. My doc said that pain in your left shoulder is normal (one of his nurses said that's where the gas can settle) - for me it was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Walking was the only thing that helped. It went away after the first week.

I would not suggest stocking up on Protein powder for post-op - your tastes may change and what tastes good now, may not taste good post op. I loved plain Water prior to surgery and now, can't drink it (it's like drinking liquid sandpaper for some reason, so I drink flavored waters). For my pre-op diet I was allowed 2 strawberries and a couple of blueberries in my shakes - truly, no more than that. It was enough to give it a slightly different texture and bulks it up. I purchase a lot of strawberries and blueberries when they are on sale, then cut them up and put them in storage bags in individual sized servings. Torani sugar free syrups are also a great way to change the flavor of your shakes. Adding peppermint and ice cubes to the chocolate shake - tastes like a Girl Scout thin mint cookie! Also, you can try your shakes hot - like hot chocolate. (Be careful of the temperature you serve it at - a high temp will damage the protein) There are also Protein Soups - I got some at www.mybariatricpantry.com They are a nice change from the vanilla, chocolate or strawberry shake mixes. Best of luck to you!

I introduced foods very slowly - I would try a couple of (small) bites with each new food, then finish the meal with foods I had already incorporated. As far as raw veggies, I'm 8 months out and still struggle with them. I know some can sit down to a big salad, but not me. I can eat about 1/4 cup of lettuce.

Hi there. Getting in your Protein and Water minimums will be challenging in the beginning. Immediately after post-op, you do the best you can do. Water is really important right after surgery. My doc wanted 85 grams of protein minimum and said "try to do more". I did the best I could - somedays achieving it, some days not. In order to get the minimum in, even 6 months after surgery, I supplement with shakes - they are a good bang for your buck. They get old, but they are necessary sometimes for my diet. The reason you're going to a high protein diet is to ensure you do not lose your lean muscle mass. You want to burn fat, not lose your muscle during this process. I was told the average weight loss with the gastric sleeve is 60% of your excess weight. If you follow the plan, work hard and exercise, I would think that % would go up.