truck8595

Definitely was a learning process for me, and I dare say it still is... and it's happened much less the more I have learned over time. I know I'm probably not the only one here that's had to learn the hard way too. I would say half the time it's happened, it's been because of WHAT I ate, and half the time, because I would eat TOO FAST. At first, it seemed I'd have problems if not once a day, once every other day. It wasn't much fun. Nowadays (at almost a year out), I might overdo it in terms of eating too quickly once a month, or every other month and pay dearly for it... but slowly I have figured it out. Deep fried foods and sugar are about the only things that still get my tummy in a tizzy. So I tend to avoid them as often as possible (though the rare cheese curd still tastes as great as ever!). Any food can still give me problems if consumed too quickly, though. Still trying to rectify that one.

Yup... we're all different and are going to tolerate (or not) different foods at different times. I'm closing in on a year out from surgery and can pretty much eat anything now, but the very first soft food I tried was a scrambled egg once I got permission from my doc, and it came right back up and was my first (of MANY) experience with the dreaded "slimies". It'll get better, I promise-- wait a while and give it another go! Good luck to you! Cheers, ~Pat

You can see how I am doing numbers-wise in my sig below. But brother, numbers are only a small part of the big picture. Guys and gals will attest, wearing smaller clothes, being more active, the self-esteem boost that comes with, (and fellas: let's all admit we've "improved" in certain other areas as well, amirite??) It's a life changer, and the scale is just a teeny portion of that. Best of luck to you my friend.

I suspect it's something we all can share a story or two on, amirite? I'm certainly no different-- from the first time I tried a scrambled egg about 2-3 weeks post-surgery, to the trial and error of trying to include new foods back into the diet, and learning your lesson on foods that are just plain a bad idea (for me that's fried foods)... I've done more than my share of the "sliming" and vomit thing. It's part of learning what our sleeves can and can't handle, at least in my experience. I can say now that at nearly eight months out, I feel like I have a very good grasp on what I can handle, in what quantities, and more importantly, what to say "no thanks" to. Probably been a good month and a half since my last incident. You'll get there too! It's how we learn... Cheers, ~Pat

Hi all! Pat here, I like to check in from time to time (more of a reader than a poster). I am 7 months post-op now and doing really well, down 132 pounds and about 45 from my goal weight. I have something on my mind that I wasn't sure if it was something some of you deal with as well: trusting others with the preparation of your food. I have a problem with anyone other than myself preparing my meals. My wife likes to cook for the family, but for some reason even if she makes something that is with in my plan (say, a chicken breast with steamed veggies for example), I can't eat it. I need to be the one that makes it. It's a mental hurdle I may need to get over at some point, but I guess for now I just prefer to have as much control over what goes into my body as I possibly can. Especially considering that one of the many reasons I got so big to begin with was me having massive portions of what she used to make all the time. The part that makes it less fun for my wife is that on the rare occasions we do go out to eat and I have a bowl of Soup or something, she gets put off because here I am, eating something I didn't make myself... so I get the gist... but I figure everyone at a restaurant has to eat what someone else made, so yes, I am voluntarily giving up control in these instances. So what say you, all? Is this something you guys deal with or am I on a bit of an island here? Hope all of you are doing great on your respective journeys. Cheers, ~Pat

Been 7 months out and still cannot handle buffalo sauce or anything that's been deep fried (namely boneless wings and tater tots). Probably a good thing at the end of the day, but I do still miss those things... it gets easier though.

The use of the word "control" only pertains to my food choices and portion sizes. I get that it's a buzzword and gets some folks' attention, but it's only used in that context, as in, before my surgery I had zero self-control over anything I ate. Now that I have complete control over it, I feel like I can be successful. It's about controlling myself. Nobody else. I know where that line of thought is going. Let me say, I am not, nor have I ever been, a control freak by any stretch of the imagination. Believe me, I wouldn't still be married if that were the case. I used to do a great deal of cooking before, in fact I enjoyed it very much. However, it was largely very unhealthy things and in massive portions (lasagna, chinese dishes, etc...) I want to be able to handle what's on my own plate first before I try to tackle cooking for everybody (much less her) again. Thank you for your input!

Hi all, thank you for the honest answers, I appreciate all of your input! I would say that the issue is more my own need to control my intake as much as possible to achieve success than me not trusting my wife... I KNOW she wants me to succeed, would never sabotage me (on purpose anyway) and my reasoning for not letting her prepare my food is not 100% rational, I recognize this... perhaps when I am at my goal weight and go into more of a maintenance phase, I will be able to relinquish some of that control and find a comfort level. For now, it's a mental thing, as so much of what we are all going through is. The good news is, this isn't a huge source of friction in our house, she has begrudingly accepted my wish to prepare my own meals and only occasionally offers to cook for me. She understands this is what I need right now in order to be successful... she just wishes she could be more of a help I think. I was just wondering if others have the same need for control as I have. It's interesting to me how amazingly different all of our experiences have been with our respective journeys. Mine is just another variation... Thanks all! ~Pat

I went by "Truck" (and continue to)... ever since 10th grade. More people I know call me that than by my real name. I never really minded it too much, learned to embrace it really. Nowadays, though, I often get people that get crative with me and call me "El Camino", "SUV", or even "Minivan"...

Hey there Ryan! First off, congrats for making what I would say is the most brave and important decision of your life! If you don't feel that way about it now, believe me, eventually you will. I'm 39, 5'9"... my pre-surgery high (on Jan 9 of this year) was 377. The very next day, I started my pre-op plan, and on Feb 19, the day of my surgery, I was down to 339. The couple days I spent in the hospital were rough but nothing out of the ordinary: sore as hell on the incision spots and groggy from the anesthesia and pain meds. I was back at my desk job in a week and a half, but it took another week or two after that for my energy level to get back to normal. Pounds melted right off in the first 2-to-3 months, but right now, I'm losing at a 1-2 pound per week clip, which is very comfortable and steady. I'm eating around 1200-1500 calories daily, focusing on Protein rich foods. Right now, just over 6 months out of surgery I am down a total of 126 pounds (88 since surgery) and have never felt better. I'm in a 36 waist pants (used to be a 46-48), wearing an XL size shirt (used to be a 3X-4X), and haven't been this svelte since high school. It's amazing. And I still have work to do and pounds to shed-- it's going to get even BETTER! Can't wait to hear about your progress... believe me when I say you have MUCH to look forward to my friend. I'm excited for you. Best of luck you, Ryan! ~Pat

Unfortunately for me, spicy foods just aren't in the cards.... yet. I used to be able to handle all kinds of heat, even enjoyed the Blazin' Challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings once! Buffalo wings were right up there with my favorite foods of all time, and the hotter the better! Sadly, I have found out the hard way that even a little bit of buffalo or any other pepper-spice, makes my stomach want to do the ol' Texas two-step right to the nearest restroom for a session kneeling before the porcelain god. It took about three or four "I'll never learns" before I finally just decided to give that stuff a rest. I dunno, I hope a few months from now I might be able to handle it... but for now, I'll just stick with the slightly blander stuff. The results I've gotten make me miss it that much less.

Wow! I'm amazed you let yourself plop three of those bad boys down on your plate before you'd realized what you did! Maybe it's just me... but I have learned the hard way so many times (and will continue to...) that doing that is just silliness! Too many impromptu "excuse me's" and darting straight to the porcelain god to count! Cheers to you and your continued efforts toward awesomeness (and learning as we go!) ~Pat

I will admit it-- for a long time, when my wife would try to convince me to consider WLS, I too brushed it away and called it "taking the easy way out". This of course, while I was finding great success with diet and exercise for a while only to fall off that wagon and regain everything I'd lost. Over. And. Over. For years. Once the weight did nasty damage to my knees and sent my bloodwork numbers through the roof, I did a complete 180 and begrudgingly agreed to start the process of WLS. This was July of last year. With every informational meeting, dietician appointment and assorted other hoops, my mindset changed, and I became a believer in the process. Now, at 4 months out, I know it is the best thing I have ever done, not one second have I regretted this. And the best is yet to come, this I know. Why am I saying all of this? Well, mostly because I was once a WLS "hater" and I understand the reason why people look at it that way. Not saying it's right or justified at all. Being on this side of the fence now has really changed my outlook, I just wish I'd done it sooner before my knees were destroyed.

I'll be 4 months out tomorrow, and if I've lost any hair, it's not noticeable at all (then again, I cut mine really really short in the summer anyway)... that said, I don't know if that works differently for us fellas or what the normal window of time is for this phenomenon to occur. A lot of help I am, huh???

I just recently had my 3 month post-op checkup with the surgeon and got the thumbs-up across the board. Even got cleared to eat raw fruits & veggies, and nuts and seeds, and breads, rice & pasta! Woohoo! 3+ months out, I can say this is easily the best thing I have ever done for myself. I have no doubt you all feel the same way as well. Congrats to all of you for your current and future successes! We deserve it. Cheers, ~Pat

If something doesn't agree or even if I eat a little too quickly, it's not so much pain for me but an intense bloaty feeling... then the fun slimies that seem to want to come back up over 'n over again. Sometimes the best/only way to relieve it is to just go and hork. TMI, maybe, but 'tis my reality.

I had read several times in the forums here in last few months about PB2. Well, today I finally got a chance to try the stuff out. For those who don't know, it's basically powdered Peanut Butter made from peanuts. You can add Water to it to make it like real peanut butter or add it to protien shakes, etc... 45 calories and 5g of protien per serving. Good stats right there! Well let me tell ya, I added 2 tablespoons of it (1 serving) to my chocolate protien shake this morning... whoa nelly! It was like drinking a Reese's peanut butter cup (or something close to it)! The Verdict: Awesome. Highly recommended by this big fella!!

I was told by my surgeon best to wait a year-- more out of fear of transfer addiction than it damaging the sleeve really. That said, I have indulged in some red wine or even a white russian here or there, I'm just over 3 months out now. No adverse effects that I encountered, but the buzz does hit the head just a little bit quicker than it used to. Not that being a cheap date is a bad thing! Like many others have said, though-- just be real careful whatever you decide to do. Pay attention to what your sleeve tells you! (even I have trouble heeding that one on occasion...)

I had one of those once-- just last week in fact. Was pretty good, very filling. Only ate half of the bread part of the wrap but ate all of the meat and cheese. I had the ham and swiss one. Pretty tasty and gets the job done on the go!

Well, I kept my promise and went out and tried these bad boys. First off-- let me tell you, I really liked them! I let them drain for a while first, then par boiled them for a couple minutes before stir-frying them in with some cut up chicken and a mixture of soy sauce, agave nectar and a hit of sriracha (love that heat). Now, my guess is I may have eaten a tad too quick (wouldn't be the first time), because they did not stay down for very long. I paid the price for that one methinks! I will wait a little while before I try these again, but the verdict: DELICIOUS.

Hey all, I'm just about 10 weeks post-op and doing extremely well. A few of you have even gone out of your way to send me private notes of encouragement, kudos, and well-wishes. This means a lot to me, so thank you for that! I wanted to find out from you about your experiences with sleep post-surgery. I would say that before surgery I probably did have bouts of sleep apnea, though I never got tested for it or diagnosed with it. (Wife used to tell me I'd stop breathing in the middle of the night in between loud snoring, though...) Despite this, I was able to function pretty well on about 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night. Sometimes I'd even get 7 or 8 hours of sleep and be ok too. Now, post-operatively, I have found that it seems like I can never get enough sleep, and I have a real hard time getting out of bed in the morning. Any sign I had of the apnea went away shortly after surgery, so I know it isn't that. I have been getting 8 hours of sleep at a minimum and often find myself hitting the snooze button and even coming in to work late because I grab more sleep where I can. It's frustrating. Has this happened to anyone else? Does it ever change or return to normal? What causes this? Theories? Ideas? Suggestions? I hope all is well with you in your respective journeys, I'm humbled to be fighting the good fight alongside all of you and value your input. Cheers, ~Pat

I'm gunna try this tonight and report back to you here. Happy to be a guinea pig!

I've dabbled with Pasta a couple times, but usually it's the noodles that come in a can of soup. No problems at all in tolerating it. That said, I'm curious about whipping up some sort of chicken stir fry with those shirataki noodles myself... perhaps I will try this for dinner tonight and report back?