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This is just my opinion so take it for what it is worth. I have a slice of pizza every once in a while, but I choose pizza that has a super thin crispy crust. I can only eat a very small amount but it is delicious and so far hasn't caused me to have any crazy cravings. I eat potatoes maybe once a week and have no problems gaining weight or cravings. I also eat sweet potatoes and have since almost the beginning, again maybe once a week. Bread for me is very difficult. My tummy will only tolerate it if is toasted well. I cannot eat bread, buns or anything like it. Cake.....these items almost feel like they get all gummy in my tummy and once I have even a bite or two I am done and cannot eat anything further which meNs my Protein gets lost along the way. I simply stay away from bread and bread like products such as cake or quick breads. Pasta, I have had twice in the last year. This too does not sit well in my tummy, it used to be my very favorite dish. I am Italian so pasta was a twice weekly meal at my house before surgery. Now, I could care less if I ever have it again. Rice, every once in a while I will eat one or two bites of rice because I love rice. I do ok with rice but honestly I try to limit my carbs to veggies and fruit. I think your tummy will tell you what will or won't work. As far as timing, I was probably 8 months post op before I even thought about trying these foods. I am a bypass patient though so the sleeve might be different Good luck!

@@CowgirlJane, I really enjoyed this post, I wish that I had kept a journal such as this. I was at rock bottom before my surgery and I have to say 1 year later, I am a completely different person! No everything is not perfect but it is 90 percent better than the life I led 1 year ago. I waited too long to have my surgery and have severe arthritis in my spine. Thankfully all the other medical issues I had are now gone. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe Gerd and stage 3 kidney disease. - all in remission! Tomorrow is my 1 year surgiversary! Anyway, your posts are always refreshing and inspirational and I appreciate having pals like you to get advice from. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Yup, the clothes thing can be challenging. If you plan to lose a certain amount or be in a certain size by a certain time and you are not there, the disappointment can derail you. I learned very quickly to buy 2 pairs of pants and a few tops in one size smaller at a time. I would buy them tight and then my goal would be to get into them, and be comfortable before I switched to the next size. I have yet to skip a size so my strategy worked as after the 4th month my weight loss slowed to a crawl. Still losing but very very slowly. The best feeling in the world is to go clothes shopping thinking you are a size 14 only to find you can wear a size 12 and in some cases a 10. I have not been in those sizes for more than 30 years! I personally would not plan for after the holidays now. There are always the clearance racks that have last seasons clothes on them. I lived in Minnesota when I had my surgery in Sept. Tomorrow will be my one year surgiversary. I have been able to find all of my clothes in stores when I was ready to swap my closet out again. I will say that I have loved being able to shop off the rack everywhere now. I don't have to go to specialty stores like lane Bryant or find the plus size sections. Every time I try something on, I get so excited about how I look in clothes now. I had to shop for a nice outfit to wear to a wedding tonight. I got the cutest outfit and am excited to wear it as I know that I will get comments about how great I look and how thin I am getting. Oh, and if you wear wide width shoes get ready because my shoes were the first to have to be changed to normal widths. I was an 11w. Now I wear a 10.5. I had to switch all my shoes out.

Woo hoo! Congratulations!

I have had both cake and ice cream! The best part is a bite or two satisfies you and you are full. You will feel differently about food, I have found that the taste and feel of cake is no longer appealing. It's just too sweet. Ice cream on the other hand I love but I can only eat a very small amount. Try not to worry about those things, it is not like you can never have it again. It just may be a while and chances are you may not even like it and it may not like you. Best wishes for a safe and speedy recovery!

Congratulations! I am excited for you! Wishing you a safe surgery and speedy recovery!

I love grabbing cheese, jerkey and pistachios when I am running and don't have time. Also Protein bars can do the trick for some, I find they are still a bit sweet for me so I can only eat a bite ir two and it really doesn't make me very satisfied. If you have a chick fila near you you can order the kids size grilled chicken nuggets with a fruit cup for the side. It is delicious and just the right size. In fact you might even have a nugget left over. Noodles and company have a great choice for us called the buff bowl. They have 4 different favors but my favorite is the pan Asian made with chicken instead of beef. It is basically a hot stir fry on a bed of fresh spinach. I take the leftovers the next day and simply stir fry them in a pan. It is divine and very healthy! Panera has their Soup and salad combos, these are great solutions as well. I stay completely out of fast food places with the exception of chick fila and that has been 3 times in the last year. , I just cannot and will not eat things like McDonald's or Wendy's anymore. I have gotten so used to eating fresh home cooked food that eating out has become a chore that does not make me happy. The other thing I do if I am out and need something is grab a carton of fat free milk. It fills me up gives me protein and I am good until my next meal.

Congratulations on taking steps to get healthier! I think your plan to add more Protein is a good one especially as the meal replacement. Protein drinks are tricky because everyone has their own taste and that can change drastically after this surgery so I would not invest a fortune in powders and such. Also if you are a busy person and do not want to fool around with blender cups or actual blenders I would recommend giving Premier Protein ready made shakes a try. They are excellent for post surgery as well. There is no grit, no nasty taste, in fact they are actually very good. They have 30 grams of protein in 1 shake, 1 gram of sugar and are 160 calories. I turned to them post surgery when I could not tolerate most of the whey protein powders. My nut suggested them and I am thrilled she did. You can get them in smaller packs at Walmart and Walgreens or you can buy them at a higher discounted rate and larger quantities at Sam's and costco. Some of the others that are more tolerable is the syntax nectars. These are a powder and you need to use a blender cup to ensure you don't end up with that grit. Leverage things like yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts and seeds to help boost your protein as well. Focus your meals on lower carb, high protein. Leverage good carbs like fruit and vegetables. Stay away from bread, Pasta, rice, white potatoes. Leverage Beans, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, cauliflower.....pretty much any vegetables you love. Salads with some protein make an excellent well balanced meal, just watch your dressing to make sure it is not loaded with too much sugar. The goal is to remove as much sugar and bad carbs from your diet. Remove all processed foods from your house. They are not something you will be able to eat after surgery. Honestly they are so very bad for us. If you drink caffeine or alcohol you might want to stop that now because you will be required to at pre op diet and beyond. My nut had me practicing mindful eating, getting my Water intake up to 64oz. Per day, eating slowly, not drinking anything when you eat and removing all distractions. I hope some of this is helpful to you! Please keep us posted on your progress!

@@rmarylee09 RNY - Roux-en-y is the name for gastric bypass surgery. You can google it to get the details but if you are having bypass you are likely having this procedure.

Everyone is different in their recovery. For me that first week was the toughest, not because of pain but I was on a clear liquid diet which did not include Protein. I remember how tired I was. After the first week, I began full liquids including protein shakes. I remember very clearly feeling better but still tired. The biggest thing for you will be to ensure you are getting your fluids in which is harder than you think it will be. The sooner you can get to goal with liquids the faster you will begin to feel better. For me that meant constantly sipping. You cannot gulp or take big swallows for quite sometime which means to even come close to 48-64 ounces that cup needs to be in your hands contantly. I think that could be your biggest hurdle. Also every doctor is different, I did not have to do blood thinner injections at home at all but some doctors require it. As long as I was up and moving it was not required. Good luck to you and congratulations on getting your surgery. Having bypass was the best thing that I have ever done for myself. Oh, and I too originally planned for the sleeve. Now I am very thankful I ended up having RNY.

@ The brand name of mine is Natures Bounty

Yes, you are worried for nothing. They want to make sure you are ready for what you are about to go through. They offer advice on how to deal with issues. For example I tend to eat when I am bored. So they have taught me to recognize this and stop this behavior. You will do fine I am sure. Just be yourself. It is the people that try to trick the doctor that end up with delays. Just be true to yourself and honest with them and everything will work out.

Be patient! The entire process takes time but it is so worth the end result. There are times when just jumping through all the hoops required seem insurmountable but they are not. I would do it again in a heart beat!

Don't have that insurance. I would suggest you call them and ask what is required for weight loss surgery. They will be you're best bet in determining the requirements. Prepare yourself because most insurance companies require a lengthy supervised diet before approving. I will say that all the hoops you may have to jump through will be well worth the effort. I had medica insurance. It took 9 months to get through the whole process. My insurance required a 6 month supervised diet but it took longer to get through everything. Good luck to you!

Best wishes for a safe surgery and speedy recovery!

Hi Shotzy and welcome! I hope all goes well with your surgery. You sound like you are well on your way!

You look fantastic! Congratulations!

No coffee, no creamer is what I was told but every doctor seems to be different. Most require no caffeine at all for some time. The caffeine causes dehydration which can be very bad for us. If you can detox off of coffee now I would do it.

@ I actually got Biotin from Walgreens that melts on your tongue. Just ask them to help you find it. It works great and no swallowing pills.

Best wishes for a safe surgery and speedy recovery! Keep us posted on your progress when you are up to it.

Head hunger can get the best of everyone. I think it is the single most difficult thing to learn to deal with. You cannot possibly be feeling real hunger at this point so it's one of two things: 1. You are letting yourself get dehydrated which carries similiar symptoms as hunger. Make sure you are getting 48 to 64 ounces of Water a day. 2. Head hunger. Thinking about those things you used to love or watching cooking shows can make this worse. You will have to learn tricks to help you. My trick is to go do something else to get my mind off of it. I will go crochet, read a book, take a shower, go for a walk, literally anything to help me not think about it.

I believe I got it for the very first time 2 nights ago and let me tell you, it sucked if that is what it was. I had a small scoop of ice cream at my father n laws. Butter pecan to be exact. Now I have had ice cream since my surgery in small amounts and usually I just get a heavy feeling in my stomach but no big deal. Within 10 minutes of eating that ice cream my lower intestines began cramping up to the point where I was doubled over. It felt like my insides were actually twisting. I thought oh my goodness do I have a bowel obstruction because it was excruciating. This went on for 3 hours before it finally calmed down. I did not throw up nor did I get diarrhea. Either it was a form of dumping or it was a severe lactose intolerance issue but I can tell you, I won't be eating ice cream again. In the beginning I had a lactose problem but it went away. I have never dumped and I am glad if is anything like this.

I started to notice mine returning around 4.5 months during certain situations like working out. Then at 6 months it came back fully. The good news is, it's not that same gnawing hunger and it takes very little food or a cup of milk to make it go away. I still deal with more head hunger which in my opinion is much worse. At least with real hunger its there for a reason.

I know the feeling, I have found I am thrilled with where I am but find myself constantly criticizing myself. I went shopping to find dress clothes for a wedding I have to go to on Friday. I was absolutely thrilled that I was fitting into larges and size 12s. My body looks fantastically normal in clothes. My biggest issue now is all the extra skin which makes me feel fatter than I really am. I would easily be able to get into a size 10 if not for my tummy and arms. I still have 25 to go, I am guessing this feeling won't change until I do some plastics to address my tummy, arms and boobs.

Honestly that full fat cheeses are better for you in the long run. They are good Protein and keep you fuller longer. I do not bother with lite cheese, mayo or sour cream. I hardly ever use mayo as there are no sandwiches in this girls life any longer so no real need for mayo but if I do, I will go full fat.