LindafromFlorida

Surgery date April? I would beware. We were 3 months post op before starting vegetables, so please make sure that it is soft like the zucchini. I would not be trying carrots or broccoli unless it was cooked to death. Try a little bit of sweet potato. My first taste of veggies was a little can of LeSuer peas. Delicious and small, with a little spray margarine for taste. Chewed very slowly. You can slice zucchini into a small teflon skillet with a little spray of margarine until soft. Microwave a little cauliflower in about 3 Tbsp. Water until soft. The spray margarine is great. We waited 4 months before salad, now eating lots of salad and loving it. Canned green Beans you can eat slowly and chew very well. A zillion chews lol. At five months post op my favorite vegetable is fresh green beans, tossed in a little olive oil , sea salt and pepper, and baked about 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. So delicious! But you cannot eat very much at one sitting.

Well darn, just pat you on the back! Awesome job and I am so proud for you!!!!!

The support is unbelievable Meg. I was on here every day prior to surgery, researching, listening and watching the posts. Since surgery, we all share our experience. I believe this is why we can be more successful. If your husband has not be overweight he may never understand (mine certainly does), but from what I see and hear men or women can feel very threatened (afraid, or whatever the word is) of their partner changing....... You will know us all better, and good luck. Linda

Too much b.s for me dealing with these obnoxious people you all have run into. I have not lied ever. I am on a low-fat diet and eating healthy to save our lives because of diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure. Quit drinking alcohol, quit drinking soda, quit carbs, no Desserts. Life is much better. Sigh. Life is sweet. No drama.

I am older than a lot of you and I know a lot more than most of you. For sure, working 47 years I am not naive. Even today, when I ask my husband something in regards to diabetes to help someone here, my husband questions my posting. I resist the urge not to share, because this is our lives we are dealing with and I want to help anyone I can, irregardless of the fact that we had surgery and he decided it is no one's business but ours. We do have a right to our privacy, but I am trying to help anyone I can here. People can be terribly cruel, especially co-workers. Not worth telling them my business, in my opinion. Go talk about someone else LOL!

Have you tried the fat free PB2 powder you mix with Water? Check it out, Peanut butter that tastes like regular. Walmart has it.

Tonight we played Trivia and shared a Greek salad. Trust me, you will adjust! You will not be starving to death. The pizza around us looked awfully appetizing, but, not going there! We are not suffering one bit!

Amanda, I seriously wish you would talk to someone, some counselling. Also, I agree our surgeon has not been proactive once surgery was done, which I don't think is right. My husband and I have each other for support, and our primary Internist is a Godsend and he has taken over our care. He is really on top of this. We are 67. Once surgery was done I realized we were on our own. Find the right doctor who is supportive when you need him. Plus a support group or someone in your city. It is what it is and the bariatric surgeon did his job but doesn't hold our hand. I expected a little more from his staff though. You are doing fantastic Amanda, and you will get to that happy place. If you were my age and you knew this surgery were going to give you a few more years on earth (I so hope), then you would see things so differently. God Bless and count those every blessings and most importantly, take care of your body and your health. Linda

Welcome Meg. There is a ton of information for you to research here. Just seek and you shall find. Wonderful site, so unlike FB. Genuine help. We have most of us been where you are, which you will read. We cannot HHHHEEEEELLLLLPPP! LOL but we can commiserate because we have felt that post op and preop diet. My husband and I missed Thanksgiving dinner back in November 2013, and survived. Christmas we had pureed lowfat turkey chili I made. Good luck everyone, this sleeve is awesome, I feel so wonderful 5 months out. Linda

Have you tried the fat free PB2 powder you mix with Water? Check it out, Peanut butter that tastes like regular.

You have to be ready to make a commitment to do this if you want a lifestyle and weight change. pizza is temporary goodness, your health is permanent. It is a choice in life. For me and my husband, our health problems were more important, and quality of life. Good luck with your decision. Only you can decide. There is a ton of information here, and may people have WLS and a lot of people have the first questions: When can I have pizza? Fried chicken? Won Tons? This sleeve will give you the help you need to get healthy but it is not magic for sure! You will still want that food you love.

Your doctor will explain it. Make a list of questions to ask him. Plus there are many topics posted here on straws. Anything you need to know it has been discussed here so there is a wealth of information for you. Good luck!

Hello Linda, I cannot begin to express just how much this email encouraged me! This helped me so very much. As I previously mentioned I have been excited and counting down to my surgery, which hopefully will be in July *depending on how fast the insurance stuff goes through*. The recent bump in the road was my recent findings regarding my type 2 diabetes also having traits of type 1... that truly got me fearing that it may interfere.... Hearing your story truly helped, I have many different health issues along with diabetes.... I am currently on 55units of long acting insulin twice a day, and my meal-time insulin is 30-35 units, with also using the sliding scale if/as needed. I have been on and off of metformin... *recently weened off of it as I have been having a lot of stomach issues and various doctor appointments that it would effect (by creating difficulty) Now on tuesday, I will be at st.vincents riverside for the removal of the left lobe of my thyroid as it is enlarged and concerning, so I have kept off the metformin for that too. I am so happy to hear your and your husband's progress on your journey and I truly look forward to my days ahead.... I am truly doing this for my health, as I know that if I did not make this decision my health and life would suffer severely. Hope you have a great week. I will talk to you soon. Sincerely, Angi Private message me and when you feel up to it please call or we can meet for lunch before you have the sleeve in July. God be with you during this surgery. I am glad you are taking positive steps in your life. We are very thankful we finally got the courage for the WLS. I hope it will profoundly change your life. Linda (you hang in there Angi!)

Lowfat homemade turkey chili eaten at Christmas lol at about 5 weeks post op. Eaten very slowly.

I started recipes and have not used any. Five months post op and we keep it simple. Fresh grilled or baked fish, turkey meatballs with a little marinara sauce, crockpot meals, fresh smoked salmon, chicken salad, tuna salad, cole slaw, tossed salads, deli sliced roast beef and turkey, refried Beans, turkey burgers, pureed (at first) chili made with ground turkey, fresh steamed veggies, and so forth. We eat no fast food. I do not cook very much because you will learn you will be throwing out a lot of food unless you cook and freeze it, unless you have a big family to cook for. I had someone recommend Atkins meals and I bought, tried and trashed. Awful.

I am told no more Excedrin which was my go to. Tylenol has not worked for me either. Maybe sleep will help Good luck and feel better!

Protein alone is not good. You must eat some veggies. I was having problems with gout, constipation and slow weight loss, and our NUT said it was all because I ate too much protein. I was afraid to eat veggies. Once I started the zucchini and salads, etc., it was awesome. I can now tolerate any steamed veggies. I have heard bad things since about eating too much protein, but I am not educated enough to discuss it. Maybe someone else can help here.

Surgeons say no gum, mints and hard candy. If you were to inadvertently swallow something you would find out why very quickly. I did not properly chew a small piece of soft chicken about 4 weeks after the sleeve and I thought I was having a heart attack.

We were both taken off Metformin a week before surgery. Never had any problem with adjusting to it though. I take the Omeprazone daily since surgery 5 months ago, and my labwork has been excellent. I think different doctors just go different routes, some are better than others. So long as my body is working right I am good lol!

I found the FB groups a waste also. This is where the information is. I am probably here daily since last year. There is so much to absorb. My husband and I are both off Metformin. He has been a ?35 year diabetic type 2, and he is still on insulin, long acting insulin at night now, having dropped from 100 units to 35 units. His A1C went from around 12 to 6.5. We are each off l BP medicine (he was taking 3 a day). Our Internist said we will be coming off more meds. I am off my asthma inhalers as I no longer am gasping for breath. My husband needed the cpap a long time ago but he would not go for it, so the surgeon required him to do the sleep study. He has used the cpap since surgery, until about 2 weeks ago. He has lost 80 lbs and breathes normally when sleeping now. Please feel free to ask me anything further!

Yes, do not overbuy. Your tastes will change! Try a few things, not just one. Drink lots of fluids so you do not get dehydrated. Good luck!

We drink coffee without any problem whatsoever but everyone has to make their own decision. It does not bother us at all.

Good luck!

Welcome and good luck with your decision. There are wonderful people here and you can search any past topic or ask a question!