bellabloom

I'm three years out from surgery. Today I ate: Breakfast: Avocado turkey sandwich Snack: Light frappacinno Beef jerky Lunch: Veggie sandwich Salad with dressing and blue cheese Glass of wine Snack: Few pieces of cheese and crackers Dinner: Bread roll Mashed potatoes Little bit of pulled pork Salad with ranch and sunflower seeds Snack: Chocolate cake A regular coke Late night snack: Microwave pizza Hot pocket Sour Licorice Some m and ms candy This is pretty typical for me on days I work during which I'm on my feet about 12 hours non stop almost running the whole time. On a normal day I would eat this minus the late night snack... I wouldn't be quite that hungry but maybe... it just depends. I eat to my hunger cues now and don't count calories or weigh myself. I simply eat if and when I am hungry and whatever appeals to me. I 100% reject dieting ever again and I will never try and restrict my intake to lose weight again. I'm skinny as a rail and have been that way for over 2 years. I don't frankly care much anymore though. Life is better when you are free to eat and self worth isn't based on weight or some stupid number on a scale. I enjoy my life. Here I am today enjoying all that yummy food.

I agree you look beautiful as you are. If you're done losing, be done!! There is nothing to say where and when you are content- only how you feel.

The beginning is tough. It's hard to relax but not eat. I mourned food a lot. My suggestion is to get up and go do whatever you can do to take your mind off things. Go out with your friends if you can, call a friend, watch a good show.... Hang in there. It will Pass

I used to miss subway sandwiches. Lol

Yes of course. Everyone has a set point that their body wants to be. People are made in a wide variety and there is no reason to try and be super skinny!!! Focus on getting to a place you are comfortable. Then again people will say all sorts of stupid ****. My mom once told me I'm not meant to have thin thighs. Well, now I have a thigh gap! So there mom. Our bodies can change dramatically through weight loss. Everyone, and I mean everyone, can get skinny under the right conditions. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are healthy. Your ideal set point weight is probably whatever weight you were BEFORE you began dieting and most effortlessly in your life. For many that is your weight in your late teens. For me this was about 130. I'm 5'6.

I would most definitely consider surgery in Mexico. In Tijuana there is hospital CER that specializes in bariatric surgery!! It's beautiful!!!

We are? Lol

Do it!!!!!!!! She is awesome.

Maybe you could start your own thread? For people to give you dating advice? This was a thread about food on dates...

Kinda sucks how the OPs post got hijacked.

I prefer tinder also.

When out on a date tonight and he didn't open his truck door for me. Bothered me. A lot. Yup. I want a man also. Most women do!!

Then again- women have to deal with things like date rape, getting roofeed, serial murderers ,cat calls, bikini waxes, underwire bras, menstrual flow, control top panties, having assholes try and grope them on a date, jerks that "forget"Their wallet, being hit on in disgusting ways, cheating husbands, etc etc etc. So. I'd say it's about even. It's a war out there baby cakes.

I started dating 6 months post op. I wish it could have been sooner but I was still really sick with complications. Sex after WLS was the best moment imaginable. Yasssssssssss girl. Hey now.

True. What is a mans advantage? I think women have the advantage but that's just me.... lol

Absolutely. Revealing too much on the first few dates is not a great idea. For one thing, you don't even know if you are interested in them. Then some ****** is going around with private information about you. Wait until the relationship deserves that kind of personal information investment. It can also be overwhelming for people to know too much too soon. Get to know each other without all the past there hanging over everything. Not to mention all the dung brains out there who don't know anything about this surgery or what it's like to struggle with weight. You cannot just trust everyone. Get to know someone and go slow. Reveal as deserved and desired. In dating, go slow. Plus, when I date a guy I want to know if he is s superficial a*****e. I've had so many guys start talking trash on over weight women in front of me now that I am thin. I hate that and it helps me see their true colors of they do it, assuming I've always been thin. Jerks.

I like your style. I should do this more. Very good points here.

Sushi is a f**king b***h to eat. Rice- no!!! Ahhh. I always end up puking. So if I have to do sushi on a date I do miso soup, a small salad, and tempura. You'll figure out things that work after awhile. I don't blame you for wanting your privacy. It's a very private thing to reveal. I went through a time I told everyone but now I don't elk anyone. I like that better. People don't deserve to know everything about me right away.

I've been on lots of dates since my surgery. I've been completely honest on some of them- the guys didn't care at all. Others I've tried to hide it- they thought I was anorexic or something. These days - 2.75 years later, I just try and order something small I can eat. I just say I don't eat a lot. Mostly have appetizers. No one seems to notice. Foods that work for me eating out: Clam chowder Soups Salads Fried calamari Sharing their entree Smaller entrees

Just pm me. I'll tell you all about it.

I had a neck lift with muscle tightening, I had a tummy tuck with muscle repair, and a breast lift without an implant. In the end it was about 13,500... I also had filler put in my lips which I love. I'm going back in sept for fat to my cheeks and buttocks.

It took me about 9 months

I'm want to share my story so that any of you who are in the fence about this can have a full picture of what can happen both bad and good. I had gastric bypass dec 2014. My surgery was very very painful. The first two days I vomited a lot of blood and they had trouble getting my pain under control. They gave me a lot of narcotics. My dr, dr Thoman from Santa Barbara, barely checked on me. I was at cottage hospital in SB. I went home after five days in the hospital. I was going okay but then. The mental challenge of not eating was no joke. It was something I was so used to. They had given me a ton of narcotics and I kinda used those to cope with the emotions of not being able to eat. About a week later I started to have major pain in my upper stomach. I went back to cottage and they found stones in my gallbladder so out it came. I went home but the pain remained. My doctor was very absent during this time. I told him about the pain and I kept taking more and more narcotics to deal with it. He blamed my pain on the narcotics but I felt trapped in a catch 22. Take them or not take them.. either way.. pain. Finally after several exploratory surgeries my dr decided to revert my surgery and make it into a gastric sleeve. After that my pain was gone but I was by now hooked on narcotics. I ended up having to go to a detox facility to get off of them. Worst week of my life. I could barely eat anything during this time and dropped weight rapidly. After I was free of the narcs and started to try and eat. But I could not get anything solid to pass through my stomach. Months went by and finally I said- okay something is wrong. Every time I ate solids I threw up. I elected to go to a new doctor after my bad experience with dr Thoman. I just felt he didn't care and no loner trusted him and his bedside manner was terrible. I went with dr Swartz in Fresno and he was great. I diagnosed me with a sever structure and did an endoscopy which opened it up. He said I had a ton of scar tissue from dr Thomans style of revision. After that I gradually began to eat some solids and after many months is continued to approve. Needless to say I lost a huge amount of weight very fast and was loving that. However I had severe malnutrition. My hair fell out in clumps and my legs went numb. I have dumping syndrome and I also still Sometimes vomit if I don't chew enough of just having a bad day or mix liquids with solids etc. I feel the American health care system to be very lacking in post operative care. Also they pass out narcotics like they are candy which had a lot to do with my issues. It's been over 2 years. I went from 240 to 115. I've since gained back to 129 and am holding there. I no longer diet, I just eat to fullness and try not to think about food very much. I run and lift weights daily and that has been the key for me to feel comfortable without having to stay on a diet forever which is impossible to do. Reaching maintenance was the hardest part of this process and I had very little advice to help me besides to stay on a diet forever. Ones appetite does return and one is able to eat much larger quantities that early on. For instance, now I can eat almost a whole chipotle burrito. I decided dieting wasn't for me and embraced intuitive eating philosophies instead which help me maintain in a place I am happy with. I still live with this surgery in a daily basis. Food gets stuck at least a couple times a week and I have to throw up do to the pain. I can't eat too much or eat with liquids or I will have dumping syndrome. (Yes you can dump with a sleeve). I am happy but good is always an issue. I feel quite sick after I eat sometimes. It's always a struggle for me. I'm not sure if this is due to my complications or just the surgery itself. My best friend had bypass and she says the same thing. On a positive note I have an amazing body. I really really enjoy my body and my energy and health and I would do it all again even though it was hard. I can run, chase my kids, work my active job, wear any clothes I desire. I feel very attractive. If you are considering this surgery because you aren't able to live a healthy and energetic life at your current weight, than do it. It won't change how you feel about yourself on the inside and it could end up being replaced by other dependency issues... but at least you will be physically stronger and healthier. I suggest therapy for anyone that is going to do this. Healing comes from within. Remember you will never again be able to eat to your hearts content. You won't be able to feel like you do now when you eat. This surgery will not help you maintain your weight loss forever and it's vital that you have realistic expectations. Try and make peace with food. Don't see it as an enemy but as a vital component to health. I dealt with very little loose skin. Mostly on my neck and tummy. I am now having plastic surgery for it in Mexico which I will post about in the plastic surgery section. On a side note, I you are considering vsg surgery in Mexico, I would highly recommend it. My care here has been extraordinary.

No way that review was true. Dr Cardenas has the most beautiful clinic and I've never been in a nicer hospital in my whole life. She is amazing and I am so happy I found her. She is the absolute best of the best of the damn best!!!!!!!! Love her

You should. She is amazing. I would never go anywhere else