MrsSugarbabe

March 20, 2015 - Friday Weekend Warm-up Reminder: If you were driving on the highway and missed your exit, would you say, “Forget it” and keep driving? No! You’d get off at the very next exit and turn around. If you make a mistake this weekend, immediately turn yourself around and get right back on track. From Beck Daily Diet Solutions - http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

From The Beck Diet Solution website for today. March 19, 2015 - Think Thin Thursday -- If you think, “I can’t say no when [my friend] offers me food because I’ll disappoint her,” remind yourself that if you had a peanut allergy and she offered you something with nuts in it, you would never consider giving in. Losing weight/being healthier is just as legitimate a reason to say no!

What about Iron? Are you getting enough iron in your multi-Vitamin, or do you need to supplement? I tend to be borderline anemic and when I don't supplement my iron intake, I feel very run down and tired. I agree with the others about the Water intake, B12, exercise, and checking with your surgeon/bariatric group and NUT. Something else may be going on that supplements can't fix.

I use the SF vanilla and SF caramel in my coffee and love them. Haven't tried any of the fruit flavors, but plan to buy 1 or 2 to change up my Protein shake options a bit. I buy the Torani at World Market who carries a large selection. I like using flavorings like banana and strawberry in my vanilla Protein shakes and would love to find pineapple flavoring, but haven't been successful yet.

Great post, @@alwaysvegas!!! I totally agree with what you said about appreciating the portion control "stop" that the sleeve affords us, and how it's possible to be satisfied with just a few ounces of food vs. our previous serving sizes. One thing I've learned, and was warned about by another sleever, is to be very careful not to let old habits come back into our lives. That part can be a struggle at times. As a co-worker told me about a year ago as I was researching and considering the sleeve (she was sleeved about 3 years ago), having the "hard stop" of the smaller stomach is very helpful in detering eating large portions. May we all succeed in our individual journeys!

Get up and move around!! It will help that gas dissipate much more quickly.

@@Califlower83 - Good luck to you on your sleeve journey!!! Hopefully after your surgery and when you're able to start eating regular foods you will be able to eat BBQ again, but in a MUCH smaller portion. I recently had smoked BBQ ribs for the first time (I'm 4 mos. post-op). Initially, I did not have a tummy problem because I stopped after eating what is now my normal portion size - 1/2 cup or 2-3 ozs. total depending on the food. It was 2 hours later when I ate some more of the ribs. I still did not eat a lot, but it was still too much for my new tummy and I felt miserable for 30+ mins. The food created a lot of gas which I was belching constantly. After about 20 mins. I was able to chew a couple of Tums which helped immensely. I attributed all the discomfort to eating too much in too short a time, but a friend told me that SMOKED foods can make GERD a whole lot worse for some folks. For me, it may have been a combination of the two. I don't suffer from GERD constantly so that's why I think the discomfort/gas may have been more related to volume. I do eat one piece of bacon with an egg sometimes and it doesn't bother me at all. All this said, take your time when returning to regular foods and, whatever you do, DON'T OVERDO IT. The price you pay is not worth it!

Current favorite for lunch: Seasoned black Beans combined with some browned Jimmy Dean sausage (regular), petite diced tomatoes, onions & green peppers. 1/2 cup portion Other choices: unjury Protein shake anytime, or their chicken soup Rotisseri chicken cheese sticks or mini babybell 2% small curd cottage cheese, Breakstone, 4 oz. eggs - boiled or fried California Rolls w/ imitation crab & avocado Browned pork chops, boneless, from the loin Beef Jerky (usually a snack)

Very well said, @@vincereautmori! I joined BP in my research phase prior to deciding to have the sleeve surgery. Like many others here, my decision to have sleeve surgery was not for the sole purpose of losing weight; it was because of my health, i.e. non-alcoholic liver, diabetes, high blood pressure. My PCP recommended WLS to me since I had 100+ lbs. to lose and considering my age, history, etc. he felt it was my best option and I would be successful following surgery. For those of you still researching and deciding whether or not to have WLS, leave this subject thread and go to another, more positive forum that can provide you with the information and support you are seeking.

@@JamieLogical and @@AvaFern have made some good points above which I agree with. @@jadama22, glad to hear you have a great nutritionist as she will be a huge help along the road of your journey. Hopefully, you will find, as I have, that you can still enjoy your favorite foods, just in MUCH smaller portions, but also that you won't necessarily want the same things as you did pre-surgery. Once I transitioned to regular foods and began reintroducing some favorites (no necessarily unhealthy), I found my new tummy to be very tolerate of what I ate as long as I took VERY SMALL BITES, ate VERY SLOWLY, and CHEWED THE food until it was "puree" consistency in my mouth. Since post-surgery we're instructed to EAT Protein FIRST, I'm finding I'm not interested in the carb heavy foods anymore. If I do get a "taste" for something that's not high protein, then a bite or two is sufficient to satisfy my "taste" for it. Just remember - even though weight loss is a huge result of sleeve surgery, I believe the most important reason we do/did this is for our health, to improve our conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver, etc. You'll find your way post-surgery with the help of your surgeon, nutritionist, and all the great folks on BP. Good luck on your journey!!!

@@Wannabeskinnie - Everybody's body will behave a bit differently following surgery. My surgeon stopped my diabetes medication and high blood pressure medicine immediately after surgery. I'm 4 months out and no longer need the diabetes medication. My current A1C is 5.7 which is well-controlled . At my annual physical last month, my PCP did not feel like I needed to continue taking my HBP meds, even with diastolic dysfunction, but was okay with me restarting Lasix 3-4 days/weeks for edema. Most of the pills I take each day now are OTC supplements as directed by my surgeon and PCP. Enjoy your new tummy and the benefits of becoming healthier as your weight decreases!

@Iclemur - There's a lot of great suggestions in all these responses as well as some tough love. Below is a link to a website I found after the medical doctor I worked with prior to deciding to have surgery told me about a book called The Beck Diet Solution. When I checked out the book at the library (yes, I still use the library ) I discovered that it dealt mainly with the psychological retraining of the mind. There are some new ways to think about food and our weight loss journey on this website so I hope you'll check it out - http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/. In the hope you'll find it encouraging, you can go out to eat, you'll just have to find what works for you when you do. For me, my husband and I share a meal since I get full after just a few bites. Sometimes I order the kids meal or order an appetizer as my meal (even doing that I take leftovers home). Keep doing what you know you're supposed to be doing with regard to food and exercise. This journey isn't just about the food or losing weight, but about getting you healthier than you were before you had surgery. @@VSGAnn2014 made some great suggestions which I hope you'll take to heart. From The Beck Diet Solution website for today: March 16, 2015 - Monday Motivation Dieting can be hard but the benefits that come as a result of gaining control and losing weight are totally and completely worth it. If you’re having a hard time, make a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight and read it at least once a day. Doing so will remind you exactly why you’re doing this and give you motivation to keep going.

I concur with everything everyone has said on the subject of the original post started by @@kndoster. Whatever name you want to call it, my body has experienced it. I will go days, as well as a week or two, with the scale fluctuating up, then down, then up again, then down again, then one day it will go down 2 lbs. and stay, and the cycle begins again. As long as my weight continues to go down from my starting point months ago, I'm a happy camper. My decision to have the surgery wasn't just about losing weight, more importantly, it was about improving my health and the state of my fatty liver, diabetes, and hypertension. Hang in there, @@kndoster!! Take your surgeon's stall statement with a grain of salt and move on to the business of taking care of yourself.

I've always loved Beans, especially black beans. My favorite thing right now is to combine 2 cans seasoned beans plus I add more seasoning-garlic, pepper, cumin, bay leaf if I think about it, 1 can petite diced tomatoes, some sautéed onions and green peppers, about 1/2 lb. of browned sausage, add a little Water so that it's not too dry, but not soupy. I portion it out into 1/2 cup plastic containers, freeze, and take to work for lunch. It's very satisfying @@CanyonBaby - Grits are a favorite food, too, but I've been working more on getting plenty of Protein that I have not experimented with something like this. Trying to keep my daily carbs to <100 grams/day. I need some more meal options so I'll give grits+ another look

With the exception of one piece of birthday cake (mine ), which I told my nurse about the day she called to change my surgery date, I followed the pre-op diet (full liquids) to a T. My pre-op diet was for 13 days rather than 14 only because my surgery date was moved up sooner and 13 days was all I had. About 5 months earlier I had started using unjury Protein shakes for my breakfast and lunch, Monday-Friday, so adding one (or two) more to my day and on the weekends wasn't a big deal. It was more of a challenge to my husband because he really did not want to eat in front of me, but it truly was okay if he did. Even though I behaved during the pre-op liquid diet, and the purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver, my liver did not shrink as much as my doctor was expecting it to. He said after surgery that it was larger than he was expecting to find it which really surprised me considering. Different surgeons have different pre-op plans for their patients for a reason, so do what your surgeon tells you to do. You'll be better off for it.

Vanilla unjury Protein Powder mixed with Great Value (Walmart) Orange Sunrise drink - kind of like an orange dreamsicle - a nice change from vanilla or chocolate flavors. Also, the Unjury chicken Soup is a great option for something hot and not sweet.

4 months out - No problem with dumping at all. What I have encountered is either eating too much and/or eating too fast and then I get very uncomfortable and a lot of gas builds up and I start belching. Once I get to the point when the belching subsides a little, I'll chew a couple of Tums and the horrible discomfort is eventually alleviated. Key for me: very small bites, very slowly, and no more than about 1/2 cup per meal.

Welcome Jadama22! Sounds like you're on the right path in your journey to have a sleeve. Good luck!! @@bncbabe2015 -- When you have a sleep study, not only do you learn if you stop breathing while sleeping, but also if you're getting enough oxygen when you breathe. Even though I did not snore, my husband encouraged me to have a sleep study done a few years ago. What I learned was not only do I have sleep apnea (fortunately not severe), I also have hypopnea which involves episodes of overly shallow breathing or an abnormally low respiratory rate meaning I was not getting enough oxygen during the night. I had more episodes of the hypopnea than apnea. Once I started using a CPAP, I slept better and felt better overall. Granted, using CPAP isn't sexy at all, but this is about my health and not whether or not I look sexy. My husband loves me regardless . He uses a CPAP machine, too. It can literally save your life.

@@tmlawson - The hair loss can be a bit worrisome, but it will grow back. My experience is similar to @JamieLogical. No one else seems to notice that my hair is considerably thinner than it was 4 months ago, but I do and my husband does. Just know that YOU WILL NOT GO BALD...lol!!

@@ChaiTea - I have no regrets about having the surgery. @@alwaysvegas made some excellent points, as did everyone else who has commented on your post. And, I agree with them. Traveling should be about the destination you'll be visiting, the food is a bonus. Will you be traveling with a friend? It helps to have someone along with you because you can share a meal. When my husband and I go out to eat now, I eat off of his plate because it takes so little to fill me up now. My taste buds did not change after surgery, I still eat the same foods as I did before surgery, some more highly seasoned than before. Fortunately, my new tummy has tolerated everything I've eaten, i.e. spicy foods, beef Jerky , etc. This past weekend my husband and I wanted to eat at The Dillard House in Dillard, GA, while on a weekend trip. They serve family style and it's not cheap - $20+/person. Before being seated I told the hostess about my surgery and that I ate very little anymore and wondered if they could maybe charge me for a child's portion. She called over a manager who totally understood and said they've accommodated others who have had the surgery and then asked if $X.xx was okay, which it truly was because it was a much bigger discount than I was expecting. It wasn't about the $$, but about the amount I knew I could and would eat. Once you're past the earliest part of your recovery and starting to eat regular foods, you will find your way. Initially you'll be thinking about food a lot because you'll be planning what you eat, when, and how much. Your new tummy will definitely be your guide. Just be sure to listen to your surgeon and nutritionist.

Don't worry about whether or not you lose weight on the pre-op liquid diet--losing weight is not the goal. I only lost a couple pounds during that phase, although I had lost about 12 lbs. prior to starting the pre-op liquid diet. Even though I did what I was supposed to do during that time, my surgeon told me after my surgery that my liver was "fattier" than he was expecting it to be. Just keep doing what your surgeon and NUT tell you to do and you'll be fine.

@@donnag53 - Congratulations on your upcoming sleeve!! I'm 59 (turning 60 in October) and I'm 4 months post-op as of yesterday. So glad I made the decision to have this surgery to help improve my health (not just for weight loss). When I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver, my PCP strongly recommended I have the RNY. I spent about a year researching the surgery, learned about the sleeve, talked with everyone I work with who has had either of these procedures, and decided the sleeve made the most sense to me. Despite having complications several days after surgery, I'm glad I had the surgery. Complications are NOT common for this surgery so please DO NOT WORRY about that. Some things I've learned along the way -- and, as others have mentioned, after surgery you will have to (and need to) SIP your water/liquids because taking too much in at one time can cause some momentary discomfort. That's been the hardest change for me because I like taking a big, long drink of cold Water at times. Also, once you transition to solid foods, be gentle with your new tummy - eating too much or too fast can cause some discomfort that last more than just a few seconds like the drinking too much lasts. I was a slow eater before surgery, but now I have to eat even slower so as to not cause discomfort. Needless to say, your hot food doesn't stay pipping hot long enough to get it all eaten (even though we're talking about just one egg, or 1/4-1/2 cup of something. Take your time eating!!! Very small bites, too. Also, your new tummy will make all kinds of gurgling sounds whether it's empty or full. It's funny to listen to, but a little embarrassing when others are around - my tummy gurgles are so loud sometimes. Don't overstock on Protein shakes or Meal Replacements pre-surgery as your tastes may change afterwards. I use unjury shakes to supplement my protein intake because without them I can't get to the daily minimum. I started using Unjury about 6 months prior to surgery and found that after about 2 weeks my craving for carbs, i.e. Pasta, etc., had decreased considerably. I bought some 1/2 cup containers to use for my lunch at work and they are the perfect size since that's about all I can eat at a meal. Know that you will lose hair with significant weight loss - this in only temporary as it will grow back. It was about week 12-14 when significant clumps came out while shampooing. The clumps have decreased in the past 2 weeks. My hair is much thinner now, but it will grow back. Increasing my exercise has helped a lot, too. I was exercising before surgery (walking on my lunch break), but that wasn't enough to really help facilitate the weight loss which is the only thing that will help reverse/stop my fatty liver condition. Another huge benefit of the surgery - I no longer have to take my diabetes or blood pressure medicine - immediate results following surgery. You will do great after surgery as long as you do everything your surgeon and nutritionist tell you to do. Each person's journey is different although there are a lot of similarities. @livingfree! made some great points which prompted me to contribute to this thread. This journey is about improving your health, not just the weight loss. Good luck!!!

Yep. Been there, still there. Aggravating. BUT....last week after being there all week, all of a sudden 2 lbs. are gone; now I'm doing this dance at the current weight. It has to be fluids more than anything else causing the fluctuations, because I'm sure not eating the calories to gain it.