JamieLogical

I managed to avoid purees altogether in my "pureed" stage, because I found the texture disgusting as well. I just stuck to my Protein shakes, strained Soups, yogurt, and soft cheeses until I was allowed to start my "soft foods" stage. It's great that you are getting in your protein and Water. That is what you should REALLY be focusing on. Also, here's a good website that has some ideas for the "pureed" stage that are almost like real food. I *loved* the baked ricotta recipe: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

Definitely sounds like stricture to me. You should call your Surgeon's office immediately, not wait 12 days for your next appointment. I had the painful esophageal contractions after every single sip in my first couple of weeks, but it was just due to the swelling and once that went down, I didn't have problems anymore. If you are still having that constriction at 6 weeks out, it is definitely a more serious issue and you should seek medical attention.

@@Indieflickers Sorry for not responding sooner. Definitely a challenge being relegated to just one room of my whole house after all these years of it being just me and my husband there. I was actually in the market for a new treadmill around the time they all moved in. So glad I didn't buy one then and very excited to buy one after they move out. They've already managed to break one of the hand-grip heart rate monitors off my old one. I don't mind, since I wear a chest strap heart rate monitor, but I definitely wound's want them damaging a new machine. And every time I get on my recumbent exercise bike, the handlebars are out of position from the little ones hanging on them like a jungle gym! It will be such a relief to have my house back and not live in constant fear of the children either breaking something or killing themselves! Nothing about my house was child-proof or intended for small children. I hope that strength training plan I provided is a good start for you. The nice thing about it is it's only 5-6 exercises at a time, so it really doesn't take that long and it's all stuff you can do with a pair of free weights. When I first started out, I was only doing two sets of 12 reps with very light weight. I actually have a set of adjustable weights, so I was able to gradually work my way up to 15 reps and heavier weights. The set I have is something like this. It's pricey, but the nice thing is it takes up WAY less space than having multiple pairs of weights: http://www.amazon.com/ProForm-SpaceSaver-Dumbbell-25-Double/dp/B00MS36EW0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1439395346&sr=8-6&keywords=adjustable+weight+set

1. True/False: My doctor says my taste buds may change after surgery and foods I love now I may not like. True. I have heard of it happening to many people on these forums. It didn't happen to me. 2. Will my appetite REALLY go away? Will the feeling of being hungry all the time disappear? Your head hunger won't go away. Not at first anyway. If you are an emotional eater, then emotions are still going to trigger the desire to eat. You will also still have food cravings. The good news is, your WLS is a great tool for resisting these temptations and sooner or later you will mostly adapt. I'm 11 months post-op and I do still occasionally want to emotionally eat and I do still see commercials for food and think "ooh! I want that!". But I can't binge anymore even if I wanted to and when I think about the reality of actually eating the food in those commercials, I quickly realize I don't actually want/need it. 3. I'm totally addicted to food. While I have been able to mostly control it over the past 3 months, there are times when I have NO WILLPOWER and stop at Culver's on the way home from work for a big, greasy double cheeseburger and a soda! Will I be able to break this after the surgery? See my answer to #2.

So glad things are going well for you so far! Sounds like you have your head in the right place too. As long as you follow the plan, put Protein first, get your Water in, and gradually ramp up your activity level, you will do great! I find that hanging out on these forums helps keep me focused and accountable. Every time I've stopped spending as much time here, I've noticed that I tend to start straying a little with my food and exercise. Or maybe it's that straying a little with food and exercise makes me ashamed and I take time off from the forums? Either way, getting and giving support and information on these forums really helps me stay on track with everything else!

Are we talking solid foods or liquids? I wasn't allowed solid foods at 20 days post-op. I had just started soft foods, like cottage cheese on day 18. At that time I was told no more than 2 oz. at a time, so I measured everything out before I ate it. Some people don't get proper "full" signals from their swollen/damaged stomachs in the early weeks, so it's important to measure your food and not rely on a "full" feeling this early on. As for liquids, the move through your stomach in a matter of seconds, so unless you are really CHUGGING or drinking right after eating, it's not possible for you to fill your sleeve with liquids.

I wouldn't say "overreacted". In the moment, your reaction was very understandable and human. I hope that a little time will just help you to get a littler perspective.

I'm always disappointed when I hear about surgeons setting time-based weight goals for their patients. They of all people should know that every BODY is different and everyone loses at different rates post-op. I feel so fortunate that my surgeon's office didn't set any sort of time-based goals for me. They set an ultimate goal weight of 165 for me, but put MUCH more emphasis on their body fat percentage goal for me. They wanted me to be under 25% body fat. I've already achieved that goal and now I have 3.8 pounds to the weight goal they set. But I never felt pressure to lose it FAST from them. Every follow-up I've had has just been encouraging and making sure that I'm getting my exercise and Protein in.

Yep! I agree with you there.

Only if you are adding Protein. I was instructed to NEVER EVER eat carb-only meals or Snacks. I could have some carbs with my protein, but never carbs by themselves. Remember, protein is priority number one for the rest of your life.

Not just the change in diet, but the rapid weight loss. There are a lot of hormones stored in fat and when it breaks down, those get released back into the body. It's one of the reasons pre-menopausal women experience a spike in fertility post-op.

Amazing! Congratulations on all your progress and success!

It sounds to me like she had good intentions with that email, though I do think the joke about your hair weighing 30 pounds was probably in poor taste. I agree with the others. She probably just never saw you as big. Especially if she's known you your whole life and your weight has fluctuated gradually over the years. Don't give up on here. She definitely didn't handle that the best way, but it sounds like she does want to support you and recognizes what a big step you've taken towards a healthier you.

Sounds like you are doing great. Focus on meeting those protein and water goals. And remember to walk, walk, walk!

Wait what? You are disappointed to have "only" lost 60 pounds in 4 months?!?!?! That's an average of 15 pounds a month! I didn't even lose 15 pounds my first month post-op. And after that I averaged about 6 pounds per month for the next several months. Now I'm happy with TWO pounds a month! Sounds to me like you set some very unrealistic expectations for yourself. Can I ask you a very serious question? Why do you feel you need to lose the weight so quickly? I lost weight MUCH more slowly than you have and now I'm only 3.6 pounds from goal. Even though I lost weight "slowly", I'm still reaching my goal. I'm still way happier and healthier than I've ever been. Why does it matter how long it takes you to get there, as long as you get there eventually? This isn't a diet. Once you are at goal, you won't be "done". Your WLS is forever. Ten years from now when you are enjoying your happy, healthy life, is it going to matter that it took you 18 months to reach your goal weight instead of 12? NOPE! PS: Just did the math. It took me 10 months to lose 60 pounds....

Yay for you! It's never too late to take control of your life and it sounds like you are headed toward some truly wonderful years ahead!

Congratulations! Sounds like you are doing well. Hang in there through these first few weeks.

While it's true that you can lose weight through calorie restriction alone, it is still important to incorporate regular exercise. Otherwise you risk losing significant amounts of muscle along with your fat. Then you end up being "skinny fat". A low weight, but with a poor body composition. My nutritionist actually emphasized a goal body fat percentage for me (under 25%) more so than a goal weight for this very reason.

Trust in the decision that you and your doctors have made. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. If you've done your research and you know all the things you will have to do to be successful post-op, there is no reason to question yourself now. Thanks you are right .. Everyone is different. Off to surgery I do Hope all goes well!

Do the sugar-free products you are trying have sugar alcohols in them? A lot of people experience a laxative effect from those. I'd say, start reading ingredient lists and paying close attention to how you feel after eating specific types of artificial sweeteners to try to figure out if it's all sugar substitutes or only specific types that are causing the problem.

Trust in the decision that you and your doctors have made. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. If you've done your research and you know all the things you will have to do to be successful post-op, there is no reason to question yourself now.

That's very unfortunate. Most of what the OP says is complete BS. Her "facts" are woefully inaccurate and I hope you've read through the rest of the posts in this thread to get a clearer picture. WLS is simply a tool and if you don't use it correctly, you will not be successful. That is the TRUTH. But if you go into it with your eyes open, you follow the plan, and you use your tool correctly, you can have tremendous success and much-improved health. So please please please, read through all the posts in this thread and as many posts as you can on this entire site. Make sure you've read and understand any/all materials that your surgeon and nutritionist have provided for you.

I couldn't/wouldn't do bread/toast every day. I do have it from time to time now that I'm 11 months out, but I worry about that many carbs every single day.

I think you might have a little more luck getting this answered if you start a new thread about it. I don't think you can exercise "too much", so long as you aren't risking injury and you are eating enough to sustain your exercise. It is possible that you are gaining muscle and that some of your weight gain is due to that. If you are eating on plan and exercising regularly, you should be seeing some results. Even if the scale isn't moving, your clothes should fit better, you should feel better, and you would probably look better.

I really hope it all works out for you. I guess worst case is that they aren't allowed to cross back into the US smoothly and then they have to deal with the US embassy or something?