Inner Surfer Girl

If you haven't yet discovered Geneen Roth, I thought I would share some of her quotes. She has several excellent books related to emotional eating. Here is one more:

Which is very normal.

I was told once my incisions had healed over, with no holes and no scabs. It was about four weeks for me.

I don't know. You do need to wear a bathing suit. There are so many to choose from. I prefer a two-piece tankini. I get mine from Woman Within. They have some where you can choose the tops and bottoms separately. They also have swim shorts and cover ups. I haven't been buying many new clothes but I have bought two new bathing suits since my surgery. One size smaller than pre-surgery and one size smaller than that waiting in the wings. The most important thing to do is swim. I wore a bathing suit at my highest weight of 565 pounds. For me, I personally don't care what other people think about how I look. I won't die of embarrassment, but it is a very real possibility that I could die of obesity. Hopefully, once you realize how good it feels and how much you can move in the Water you will either forget about or not care about feeling like you look like a fool.

At three weeks out, getting in enough protein is much more important than sticking to three meals. For me, to get 100 grams of protein a day I have to eat more than three times a day.

I don't think you are out of luck. For me, once I eat carbs, I crave carbs. The best way not to crave them is not to eat them. Try cutting out all starches for a few days and you may find you no longer crave them. You have come so far and done so well, I hate to see you so discouraged and fatalistic. Why not make an appointment with your NUT? In the meantime, try going back to basics. Are you getting in all your Protein and Fluid every day? Are you eating protein first? Are you exercising. Rather than focus on whether or not your sleeve may or may not have stretched, try focusing on your choices. Best of luck.

I would just enjoy the time you have left (within reason). You could replace a meal here and there with a different Protein shake if you want to test out some ahead of time, but unless your surgeon requires it, there is really no reason to follow a strict diet longer than you have to. If you haven't yet weaned yourself off of carbonation or caffeine, maybe you could focus on that.

Even if it doesn't stretch your stomach, it still isn't a good idea to eat too fast for many reasons. Try practicing mindful eating. You may find it is really helpful.

One thing I learned through this process is that obesity is a disease. It is not a moral failing or a character flaw. Our bodies were not designed to survive in a time of constant abundance but for cycles of feast and famine. Trying to diet and lose weight is actually fighting against biology and our bodies are very good at fighting back. Once I decided to have surgery, I started to feel, for the first time, that I wasn't somehow defective for not being able to lose weight and maintain that loss.

I started at a higher BMI than you when I was sleeved April 20 so am still early in the process, but I couldn't be happier with my progress so far.

If you have a sleeve then you don't have a pouch. With the sleeve, the stretchy part of the stomach was cut away. If you eat too fast you may become very uncomfortable, but you won't stretch your stomach.

I am so sorry you have had such a difficult time. It will get better. I am guessing at least part of what you are going through is because of the fluctuating hormones that many of us experience as we lose fat. Also, since we no longer have the option of using food to self-soothe, our emotions can be very raw. As you are able to get more nourishment, things will improve. Just stay hydrated, get in your Protein, and try to walk/exercise. Exercise and sunlight both help me with improving my mood.

When I was allowed tuna I could also have canned chicken. Are you allowed meatloaf or meatballs? You could try salmon, tilapia and other soft fish.

If you are eating tuna then it sounds like you are allowed soft foods. Can you eat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese?

Congratulations! You are doing great.

I started noticing some physical changes right away. Since I only weighed at my doctor's appointments, the first time I weighed post-op was one week out. I showed a good loss on the scale then and at my one-month follow-up.

My surgeon allowed ProtiDiet tomato basil soup when I was on clear liquids. I drank V8 when I got to full liquids.

My surgeon does almost all sleeves. Why? Probably because the sleeve is extremely effective and has fewer complications. Definitely learn as much as you can about all the procedures and talk with your surgeon about what is best for you.

The difference is that with the sleeve we still have our pyloric valve. Fluid doesn't wash food out of our stomach like with the pouch. With the sleeve, the functioning of the stomach doesn't change as it does with bypass. If you are instructed not to drink then by all means don't do it. I was told by my team that these rules don't apply.

According to my NUT this only applies to bypass. For me, I can drink right up until the time I eat. I try to eat pretty slowly anyway so even if I take a sip or two while eating it doesn't interfere with my being able to have room for my food.

Actually, that is my understanding of why the sleeve was developed. It was initially used to help people lose enough weight to have a second procedure safely (the duodenal switch). The results were so good with the sleeve that many people didn't require the second procedure. Now, it is the most common because it works so well but with fewer drawbacks (except for those with GERD).

Try to make sure all of your fluids contain protein. Immediately post-op I used the ProtiDiet liquid beverage concentrates, undiluted over crushed ice. It's what they have me in the hospital and they really helped me to get in my protein. You have to keep working on it.

I started with an extremely high BMI and chose the sleeve. I was sleeved April 20 and am very happy with my results so far. Unless you suffer from GERD, the sleeve is definitely an option.