Inner Surfer Girl

I just posted this on your other thread: Embrace the Stall! Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

One of the biggest lessons of this process for me was to learn that stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process. None of us lose at a constant or steady rate, and periodic stalls are to be expected. Once I got my head around this concept, I had a lot of peace. Embrace the Stall! Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Not great I can only drink half a glass really and makes me feel sick.. that's with milk but I don't know if to just try Water with the powder :/ Sent from my SM-A500FU using the BariatricPal App I don't mean just Protein shakes. I mean overall protein intake from real food as well. How many grams of protein are you getting a day? I'm not totally sure.. I'm bad at this lol I need to start watching my protein intake really Sent from my SM-A500FU using the BariatricPal App I HIGHLY recommend you track your food. There is no way I would know whether or not I was getting enough protein if I didn't track.

What phase are you on? Full liquids?

Thank you! I will definitely let you know. I first need to be confident enough I can get off the ground to take a "real" yoga class before I commit to something this intense. But, it sounds heavenly.

Or, alternatively, sleep apnea is deadly and under diagnosed and under treated and insurance companies want to make sure that if they are paying for WLS surgery they want to make sure you have the biggest chance of successfully coming through the surgery alive. Just a thought.

Congratulations!

@@jaxmom, you have me intrigued. Is there a website or other info on this ashram? I think I might have found something else to put on my bucket list!

Soft foods for me were things like: tuna, soft fish, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, refried beans, chili, canned chicken, etc.

Welcome! Look for a Bariatric Center of Excellence near you and go to one of their seminars. They can help you figure out if your insurance covers the surgery and what their requirements are. I was fortunate in that my PCP was who encouraged me to consider WLS and referred me to an outstanding program, but, it isn't necessarily required. If your insurance needs a letter from your PCP then the bariatric program can help you figure that part out.

Dub, next time you break out the grill, throw on some veggies (not corn).

The best advice I can give is to trust your team. Do everything they ask you to do even if you think you can't like getting up to walk as soon as you can. You can do this!

But as part of our new eating habits - shouldn't we learn and understand moderation? Shouldn't we learn to be able to have a handful of chips or a cookie or two and that's satisfying enough? Are we really changing our food habits by simply avoiding foods. Sooner or later, we are going to be invited to a birthday party for example and I think it's important that we learn to have a small sliver of cake and be satisfied with that as opposed to what we would have normally eaten at a birthday party or Christmas dinner or whatever. If this works for you - great. But wouldn't you like to have your cake and eat it too so speak. Be able to treat yourself once in a while and be satisfied with a paper thin slice as opposed to half of the cake. Do you really think eating a cookie or two will result into you eating 30 Cookies at one time or do you think that you can probably stop at 2 cookies, because you are happy with the weight you have lost? I guess I just have a big problem wrapping my head around avoiding foods out of fear. I want to eat healthier, but I also want to learn how to eat in moderation. It is so hard to communicate the difference between pre-op and post-op life. I am glad to see you are trying to understand, but in a lot of ways it is a leap of faith. You want reassurance that you can "have your cake and eat it too". I can't give you that assurance. I can just share my experience. My first birthday party after surgery was my nephews'. I sat next to a birthday cake and did not want it. I didn't even want a sliver. If I had eaten a sliver out of politeness, I might have gotten sick, I might have awakened the sugar addiction and wanted more or, I might have been satisfied with that one small piece. I do not know. But, the miracle was that I didn't care to try. I am one year out. I don't fear food. But, I have chosen to be picky. I choose quality over quantity. If I eat bread or starches or sugars, it better be the best: one slice of toasted fresh baked whole grain bread once in a blue moon is one example. I highly recommend that you keep reading, keep asking questions, and keep examining your relationship with food. This is a process. None of us, your wife included, can make this decision for you. Have you talked with a counselor or therapist? They can be a great resource. Have you attended any bariatric support group meetings? Have you considered exploring a 12-step recover group like OA (OA.org)? Have you read books about food addiction, etc.? A couple of books I recommend are: Eat it Up! by Connie Stapleton and When Food is Love by Geneen Roth. Journaling is also a great way to process this decision. It was a long process, but I went from 150% against this surgery with many of the same questions that you have to ready and eager to do it along with any of the "sacrifices" it entails. I was a healthy fat person until I wasn't: almost 600 pounds, disabled, practically bedbound, and without hope. A year after my sleeve surgery I am over half-way to goal and am getting my life back. I haven't eaten birthday cake since before surgery and I don't miss it, but I get to look forward to many more birthday parties and my own birthdays which I am thrilled about.

Mine was more discomfort and soreness than pain.

When was the last time you met with your NUT? It sounds like now is a good time to make an appointment.

When was the last time you talked to your NUT? It sounds like you may need to make an appointment.

Swimming! Swimming is the best all around exercise as far as I am concerned. I swim laps, do Water aerobics, use water weights, work my abs (crunches, etc.), and stretch.

I was given a prescription for something (can't remember what it was) but I didn't use it. The strongest thing I took at home was Tylenol.

You definitely don't need to go. You need to stay home, rest, walk, and sip, sip, sip. You will still be using an incentive spirometer (if your surgeon has you use one). I also had massage thingies (don't remember what they were called) for my legs to prevent blood clots. Your primary focus needs to be in healing, getting in your fluids, and Protein, and moving around. You definitely don't need to go. You need to stay home, rest, walk, and sip, sip, sip. You will still be using an incentive spirometer (if your surgeon has you use one). I also had massage thingies (don't remember what they were called) for my legs to prevent blood clots. Your primary focus needs to be in healing, getting in your fluids, and protein, and moving around.

Are you drinking enough Water? How much Fluid are you consuming? Definitely give your surgeon's office a call.

Are you drinking a lot of Water? Try drinking more. I agree that you could try to do something to distract yourself. Try taking a bath or shower, taking a walk, coloring in a coloring book, cleaning the bathroom, knitting or crocheting. Basically, something to keep your hands busy. Are you allowed sugar-free Popsicles? An extra Protein shake?

Awesome!

I found it helpful to pick one habit to focus on at a time. For instance, I slowly weaned myself off of carbonation (mostly by switching to tea, crystal light, etc.), then weaning myself off of caffeine, increasing Water, eating mindfully, etc. It can be overwhelming, but by breaking things down into smaller, more manageable tasks then it isn't as overwhelming. It sounds like you are off to a great start!

I LOVE Sonic ice.

I agree. You have already received some great feedback. I will just add a bit about my experience. I had a serious Diet Coke/diet soda addiction pre-op. Now, I truly believe it was one of the main dieting behaviors that at the very least aggravated my obesity. I didn't really believe I could give up the caffeine/carbonation. I had done so in the past for a short time but ultimately, at the first sign of stress, jumped right back on the addiction with a vengeance. I committed to trying to warn myself off of carbonation and caffeine pre-op to see if I could even do it. I slowly weaned myself off of carbonation, then caffeine, over a summer. It worked. The good news! Is that I am over a year post-op and don't miss either. I have very little caffeine (an occasional cup of green or other stronger tea is my limit). I have no desire to even try carbonation. I drink a lot of Water, enhanced water (Mio drops, crystal light, etc.), infused water, decaf tea, v8, etc. You may surprise yourself about what you can and can't do and more importantly, that some things you can do you really won't have a desire to do. This surgery is a tool, but it is a powerful tool that for me does so much more than restrict volume. It has helped me retrain my palate and practice new, healthy habits.