jackbh

I'm in my second week since surgery and I'm on whole liquids now. I'm following directions and eating a little bite at a time and waiting for any stomach responses but I'm a little concerned that the yogurt and cottage cheese is going down so easily. I get a little tiny " don't put no more in here just yet" signal but after I wait I can finish 3 oz. easy of this stuff. After reading about how so many others have had problems at this stage of getting stuff down or not being able to eat more than 1-2 oz. I'm slightly concerned that it's going down as easily as it is. I'm not complaining at all about being able to get the Protein shakes, Water and all in like I'm supposed to but I guess from reading so many posts I was expecting this to be a lot more difficult. This surgery does make you a little nuts don't it? Like I wasn't before. Lol.

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. If we don't set them up and keep them up some people will step in where they don't belong because they can. If we let them. I'd hold a damned meeting at work and call her ass out in front of everyone else and then ask her what she is trying to accomplish by talking to me about this in the first place. I work as a counselor and I often piss people off when I ask them what are you trying to accomplish with what you are saying. People don't like being called out especially in front of others and their true colors will fly for all to see when you do. And if she's just a co-worker and not a friend then who cares what the heck she thinks? And where was all her concern and help before you had the surgery? Those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter. If she don't sleep in your bed then she don't matter.

I was sleeved on May 17th. Doing great by the way, no pain, no problems getting my Protein and liquids in, just missing being able to eat like I used to but I'm trying to put everything about this in it's proper perspective. For instance the hunger issue. Before my surgery I read Dr. Duc. C. Vuong's Ultimtate Gastric Sleeve Success book food now and I am seeing now that real hunger is a good thing! It is a natural normal thing that I've had little experience with. Since this seems to be one of the biggest issues with people trying to be successful with WLS I'm wondering what you guys think and what psychologically has helped you to be successful and what has hindered success mentally in your WLS journey's.

Day 7 of liquid pre op diet. so far so good. Scared to have a bite of anything not on my list and have not had one bite of anything that I shouldn't. Not weighing myself until surgery day (17th) but I feel like if lost some weight. There have been moments (just moments) where I'd like to have a chunk of chicken or something but the moments pass. I get to have greek yogurt (which in the evening is like manna from heaven). Other than that it's the Protein Shakes, low fat cottage cheese, creamed Soups and lots of liquids. I've been getting in about 110 oz of liquid a day, some days a little more, some a little less. The first 4 days I was only getting about 500-550 calories a day and by day 5 the weakness and irritability was hitting me so I upped the cals that day (I'm allowed 800-1000) and that made a big difference. Feeling great today. Much better. I was at my mother in laws yesterday for Mothers Day and they had tons of food there and I have two little ones that I have to feed so I have had to be around food and deal with it. I am finding that keeping a good mindset is making such a difference. Instead of feeling deprived I'm feeling alive with the excitement over what this all means. I told my kids with confidence that next year around this time were going to Disneyworld (probably more for me than them!). I am so looking forward to being ALIVE for a change. Not that I haven't been alive obviously but there's different ways of being alive and I'm sick of this so called way of life. As a good friend said years ago, everything we do is either life giving or life taking. Every bite of food can be looked at this way too. Being on a liquid pre op diet, getting the surgery, dealing with the difficulties ahead, eating differently are all life giving things. And that sounds like a win-win to me.

My surgery date is for the same day. Personally I'm sacred of having a bite of anything thats not on my pre-op list. I have to keep my mental focus right or else I might be going through what your going through now. From everything I'm reading thats what I keep seeing with the folks who are successful long term with this is that you have to get your head right about this or else why even do it. But like Dub said you might want to talk about this with your surgeon because who here is actually qualified to make that call? This is a helluva commitment to be made and you have to be sure that your ready to do whats required to be successful at this. It's not a matter of whether you can do it or not but are you truly willing to do it? These are some of the questions I had to ask myself about this. And yes there are going to be moments of temptation (everyday moments) but the way we think about all of this is going to make all the difference in whether we derail or sabotage ourselves.

Hey thanks for the invite. My surgery is on the 17th and I'm on day 4 of the pre op diet. Mine too is all liquid but I am allowed lowfat greek yogurt that after a day full of Protein shakes is like freaking manna! Mentally I'm doing pretty well with all of this. I had to feed the kids some meatballs last night that my wife made and they smelled awesome but I only touched them to feed to the kids. Tuesday was my first day which was also my wifes birthday so there was dinner with family at an all you can eat chinese buffet and then cake and ice cream at home afterwards.The temptations weren't that overwhelming, so far. I've only been getting in like 500-550 cals a day so far but I'm not really that overwhelmingly hungry. My mindset is psyched about this whole thing and I'm focusing on what I have to do a day at a time instead of thinking too much about how long I'll have to do this. I also focus on the goals of being able to take the kids to Disneyworld next year and all the other activities that I'll be able to do with them. Like being able to fit in an airplane seat, not getting winded playing with them, being able to buy and wear nice clothes. Being able to get in good work outs, maybe getting back to running. Being able to have a better life with my wife than this weight allows. And so much more. I think focusing on this stuff is what is helping to make this pre op diet a little easier to deal with. So God bless all of ya and good luck on your surgery.

Hey Bmo094, no apology necessary brother! I can be downright snappy sometimes too. Just ask my wife. It's all cool and good in the hood. I wish you all the luck and blessings that are going to come from your surgery and this new way of life were all blessed to have a chance at. Hey if we cant take out our frustrations to one another on here then who else can we take it out on? If I tried that with my wife she'd kick my ass! You take care and keep up the good work.

Hi Gina, This is jackh in a different account. I apologize if my post upset (as it obviously did) you. I'm sorry for the medical struggles you are going through. My post wasn't directed at someone whose obesity was caused by the kind of medical issues you have. I too am weak but I'm really trying to psych myself in a positive direction with this whole thing. I'm sorry for not being as supportive as you might need because that is what should be going on here is all of us trying to be supportive. I'm a drug and alcohol addiction counselor who runs into a lot of excuse making in my clients and I've run into tons of it in myself as well and I've been conditioned to confront it in myself and in others. So I'm sorry for being too blunt and harsh without knowing the real struggles that people are going through on here. I don't want to be a source of distress for you or anyone else and really want to be supportive. But I also know that sometimes the best support comes from not what we want to hear but what we need to hear. And just venting to vent without looking for solutions and then becoming willing to apply those solutions will get us nowhere because if nothing changes, nothing changes. And for me I know that change I must or die I will. So most of what I post is really directed at my own tendency to bs myself. And if it applies to anyone else then cool but if not then take what you need and leave the rest. I wish you well and I hope and pray that the surgery really helps you with these medical issues and whatever else you need help with.

Hi all. Just posting my few cents in here as someone who is (finally) getting the sleeve on the 17th of this month. This is my first day of the 2 weeks pre op diet. Boy I am peeing a lot! I am having a Lap Band to Sleeve revision. Got turned down by my insurance company and it went to the 2nd stage of appeal where with the help of Lindstrom Obesity Advocacy they reversed the denial. This happened about 2 weeks ago so everything is happening very quickly which I am thankful for. I'm really excited about this and from reading so many posts on here I feel like I have a better idea of the challenges ahead. Especially those psychological ones in the first month or so. But as of right now I'm not freaked out about it I'm, just looking so forward to the outcome after the initial challenges and then the ongoing challenges of having to actually do the work required. But I'm excited about that too. I'll be 59 in July; have adopted 2 grandkids (3 and 5 year olds) and I simply need to be there for them. I'm doing this for me and for them, which is for me too! I need to be around a lot longer than all this weight will allow. And I want to have a life with them that this weight won't allow either. Plus I have an awesome wife who has been with me for 14 years and she needs me around too and needs to experience a much better life than this weight will allow. SO THE WEIGHT HAS GOT TA GO!!! Thanks for all of you who post your experiences on here as it is very inspirational and supportive; even hearing the real life struggles many of you are having. But with the help of God; these and other supports we can all do this thing. Jack