Djmohr

@@AMS3188

LOL, not to make you feel worse but that chewing thing really became a problem for me after. I was on Clear Liquids for 1 week followed by full liquids for 1 week followed by the pureed diet for 2 full weeks before I was finally allowed a soft diet where I could begin to chew things like juicy thin sliced chicken or fish.

I remember telling my husband that I could chew the carpet! Those exact words. You just want something to chew!

For me, I thought the pureed diet would at least bring me some release because I could puree meats. Well, pureeing meats did not go well for me. They gagged me. LOL and I am alergic to Beans and legumes.

So it was back to yogurt, cottage cheese, sf pudding, creamed Soups. I will say that I was also craving carrots during the pureed stage and that is the one thing I ate that was not apart of my diet. I cooked up carrots until they were mushy enough, added a bit of salt and pepper. It was the best damn thing I ate for a month.

I don't know why I craved them, prior to surgery I really never ate cooked carrots unless it was in pot roast or corned beef dinner. But now, I love them and could eat them every single day. I often wonder if it my body just craving the certain nutrients that are in carrots.

Anyway, the chewing thing. I still find myself wanting crunchy foods so I use fresh vegetables and fruits to help me with that. It helps with that feeling.

I also want to say that many of us have food funerals. It really is only natural.

My food funeral was Buca's spagetti with meatsauce. My favorite meal ever since I was a little girl has been spagetti and Buca's is as close to my Italian grandmother who is no longer with us. I ate a decent sized portion (I have never been a big eater) for my food funeral. It made me happy that night.

It did not set me up for failure, I have been at goal for nearly 6 months and am currently in maintenance. If I want spagetti now, I will but honestly it is no longer my favorite food. I crave good Protein, veggies and fruits and it is because that is what I eat daily several times a day for the last two years.

Everyone has to do what they know will work for them. If you know that everything in moderation is what will allow you to be successful than do it. If you know that you cannot let certain foods back in, then do that.

Carbs (good carbs) are an important part of your diet. So many confuse that and assume no carbs. They are what makes your brain work and they give you great energy.

Good carbs consist of vegetables, fruits, dairy and whole grains. They are important to ensure proper nutrition.

Wait what? No certain cheeses? I love cheese and can eat it every day. I don't know of a cheese that won't work.

I eat full fat cheese daily with the exception of cottage cheese, that I eat 1% because I eat a larger portion of it. I love an ounce of cheese for a snack. The full fat, keeps me fuller and satisfies me while providing decent Protein.

What's better yet, cheese and fruit together. Or cheese and Peanut Butter.

Here's the thing, people think they will never again eat a certain food (while there may be some things that are trigger foods that you should stay away from) again, most people can and do eat most things at one time or another. Instead of eating them daily or weekly even, they eat them for special occasions once they get closer to goal.

Where we get into trouble is, we start letting things like crackers, Pasta, rices, sugar and bread in too early and we have not built good eating habits yet. Once you get closer to goal you can introduce whole grains back into your diet and you should in order to keep a good balance nutrition.

Just having them early on, makes for lots of stalls and some people can't get past them and give up. So, it's best to not let them in until you can control them better.

The good news is, your new tummy does help with quantity. Also, tastes really change after surgery. Ice cream used to be my vice. I loved ice cream.

Now, I don't care to eat it. It doesn't taste good to me and honestly it sits in my gut like a rock.

I do however still love chocolate but dark chocolate and I have learned that this is one item in which I can lose control. So I really do limit it. Special occasions only so I don't keep it in the house and recently I made my husband promise me that he won't bring it in or if he does, he will hide it from me or keep them in the safe and only give me 3 little dove promises at a time. LOL.

For me, I have learned that if I avoid something I really want I will end up eating more of it more frequently so I believe everything in moderation with the exception of those things that might be considered slider foods for me. I call a slider food something that I could sit and eat without even thinking about it. Like crackers or potato chips. I just rarely if ever let them in.

Other people do cut things out completely and I get it. I just know that I cannot function in the real world like that.

I do realistically believe that I will always worry about my weight. Instead of worrying about losing now, I worry about regain. Because we have lived in a world of obesity for so long that worry will always be there.

I do think once you get to goal (and yes you can and will!), the worry looks and feels much different. It is not that self loathing when you look in the mirror and think, geez I just keep getting bigger and I don't know what to do about it because you do!

I think everyone of us wished it would come off faster but it really doesn't work that way. Just know that if you stick to the plan, you will get there.

Lastly the answer is YES, you will be able to cut up that Lane Bryant card and shop anywhere you like!!!! I know because I can do it and what's even crazier, you will LOVE it!

Keep your goals right in front of you and you will be there before you know it. Just be patient.

Yes! I had one 3 weeks ago and I am so happy I did it! It is worth every penny as well as the pain and for me itching.

I cannot wait to have my next body contouring surgery. My arms look 20 years younger and are well contoured. You can even see my cute little biceps that I knew was under there but never thought i would see them again.

I was interviewing plastic surgeons and absolutely fell in love with mine. I met her on Monday and was in surgery Thursday morning! I was scared I was moving so fast but I definately don't regret it. Now I have to wait 3 months for the next procedure.

You can do this! You just have to keep your goals front and center and realize this is your new lifestyle not a diet to lose weight.

I think that is where so many struggle. I chuckle at my hubby because he lives with me and decides he is ready to go on a diet. LOL I always respond with, it won't last until you realize it is not a diet its a way of life.

Poor guy, has started his "diet" so many times only to go right back to bad behaviors. And yet he lives with me and sees what I actually put on my plate everyday. I am not referring to the quantity because that just would not be fair but I am referring to the quality Proteins, veggies and fruits.

You will do well! You just have to believe it and then put it in action.

@@Armygalbonnie

My Bariatric nurse and nutritionist have told me the same thing. Their rule of thumb is 1 gram of Protein for every 1 inch you are tall.

When I first has surgery, it was confusing to me that my Protein goals were much lower than many on this site some of them well over 100 grams.

I went back many many times asking that specific question and like you was given a goal much closer to 70 daily and for me that is really important because I have a history of chronic kidney disease. I have asked, is that my goal because I have had kidney disease or would that be my goal regardless. I have been told regardless, 1 gram for every 1 inch.

They just reiterated that I should not head above those numbers ever for me but if I was just anyone else without kidney disease I would still be told 70 grams because I am 70 inches tall.

Mine also has from day 1 said. I don't believe in protein first. I believe in balance because it sets you up for maintenance. 2 bites of protein for every 1 bite of good carbs like veggies and fruit.< /p>

I have been eating that way since day 1 and so far it is working for me.

It can all be so confusing!

I agree. Start as if you had surgery yesterday with the liquid diet and follow the 5 day pouch reset. That will help get a lot of the sugar toxins out of your system and it will jump start you.

Then, focus on the rules:

1. No drinking anything 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after you eat.

2. Limit your beverage calories. Try to stay on Water or sugar free non carbonated beverages. Stay away from alcohol. If you can, even limit caffeine as it really does cause you to feel hunger.

3. Mindful eating, remove distractions so you can pay attention to your pouch. Your tool is still there, you just need to retrain it.

4. Eat your meals slowly chewing well in between eat bite. Put the fork down in between but do not go over 30 minutes for your meal as your pouch begins emptying at that point.

5. Drink a minimum of 64oz of Water or SF non carbonated liquids.

6. Ensure you get a minimum of 1 gram of Protein for every inch you are tall. Even a little more is better. Make sure that you get that Protein mostly from dense Proteins like fish, seafood, beef, chicken and pork. These foods will keep your pouch fuller longer and provide you with much needed protein grams.

7. If you have not done this recently, you should have a full Bariatric blood panel drawn to ensure you are not lacking any nutritional elements that could cause you problems.

8. Are you still taking lifelong Vitamins like B12, Calcium Citrate or any other Vitamins your Bariatric Doctor put you on? If not, you will want that nutritional panel to inform those decisions.

9. No grazing.....this is where most people start to have weight gain. Eat your 3 meals a day and try to avoid snacking. If you are one of those people like me who has reactive hypoglycemia, then have 5 smaller meals.

10. Avoid sugar, potatoes, Pasta, rice and bread. Same thing with any prepackaged processed foods. Get rid of the junk and stick to good quality Proteins and veggies and fruits. Once you hit goal again, then you can introduce some whole grains back into your diet slowly until you get to a good maintenance schedule.

11. Try to get some exercise even if it is just walking daily.

These are the things that I will do if I ever start to regain my weight. It really is getting back to the basics.

@@AMS3188

I love that you are working on coping skills because you will need them. This surgery is big time change, it is hard work. I get upset when I hear that people call this the easy way out. I call Bull**** on that.

I had two weeks of liquid only diet. Then had surgery and was on Clear liquids for a whole 7 days. I felt tired and weak and worse yet brain dead. I remember my husband and I working on our bills. I always wrote the checks and balanced the checkbook and then he would do the rest. Well during that month (2 weeks before and 2 weeks post op), I could not even think straight and screwed up writing the checks and even balancing the check book. I was so weak and brain dead. I remember my husband getting really frustrated with me because he really didn't get it.

Then, I popped off and told him if he didn't shut up his griping I was going to take food away from him for a month and he could see how his brain functioned. LOL

Well, twice now he has tried using a Bariatric liquid diet to get started losing weight and both times he could not make it through day 1.

Now, I think he gets it.

In terms of things to do to keep your mind off of it. Take one hour at a time, stay focused on all the reasons you are doing this in the first place. Then, be good to yourself. I used my bathtub, a good book and my headphones with some relaxing music almost everyday.

Then when I thought I could not do it for one more minute I went to bed and slept. When I would wake up, I would take a whole new look at on and refocus on my goals.

I was proud of myself that I never cheated, not even once. I lost 14lbs in the 2 weeks prior to surgery. Of course I gained it all back in the hospital but that was just Water weight from all the IV fluids they pump into you. That goes away after a week or two and then the weight starts coming off consistently,.

You will do great! Just keep your eye on that prize. 7lbs is not a lot given the clear liquid diet they have you on. You should see that easily.

I saw this one on Facebook today and thought of all of us. LOL

@@#9grammy

I have trouble with pork ribs of any kind. I used to love love love them and honestly other than pork tenderloin, I don't eat it. I want to love it I just simply don't. I am hoping the instant pot will make sure great pork chops. I have a recipe I found on Pinterest for merlot mushroom pork chops in the pot. I will try those because they definately will have a gravy or sauce making it easier to eat but even baby backs don't make me happy.

I would much rather eat beef, chicken, shrimp or fish. The most lean cuts. I think it might be all the fat in pork ribs and if you don't have it, the meat turns out too dry. I cook my pork tenderloin to where it is very slightly pink and still juicy. Same thing with center cut pork chops but they don't make me as happy.

I chuckle a bit at this rant. I personally have always been really uncomfortable at the gym whether it was the gym we had at work or the gym I paid for monthly. In many cases I just avoided it period mostly because all the young hot people were there picking up members of the opposite sex. At least that is what it felt like to me.

Now, I found a really great gym at my local Pro Health center which has a full blown gym, warm Water therapy pool, lap pool and it also has PT there.

So, because I have severe arthritis I knew the pools, whirlpools and saunas would be great for me but I would also get benefit in the gym.

I went to the pool the first day and all was good. I should note that I am the youngest most fit person there which is funny because I am 53 and I have lost 152lbs and currently only weigh 158. So you can imagine the lose skin. LOL The second day I went to the pool I got hit on by every elderly person in the pool. I was literally backed into a corner of the pool by 2 guys and I was so uncomfortable. The other ladies in the pool were older than me and about as obese as I was before surgery. They were shooting daggers at me and here I was feeling very out of place and uncomfortable by these women and the guys hitting on me.

How everything has changed. LOL.

It also did not help that my boobies like to float up and out of my size 8 swimsuit. I do need a new one in which they cannot escape at least until I get them lifted and augmented. They are simply lighter than anything else but I found myself laughing with my husband about this whole scene.

if you didn't know it, all this loose skin floats up in the Water and I clearly haven't learned how to keep it from doing that.

I have Cigna and so far the only thing that would be covered is if I had breast cancer then reconstruction is covered.

Even in cases where people have gotten some procedures covered it is usually the pannilectomy (not sure that I spelled that correctly) and you really have to have a lot of proof that your panni is causing rashes and infections.

So far, I have not had anything covered. My Brachioplasty cost 5950.00 and my Abdominalplasty and breast lift with augmentation will cost 17K. All of it comes out of my pocket. The scariest part is if I were to get an infection from these procedures, that too would be out of my pocket because it was caused by an elective plastic surgery.

This is my personal opinion but obesity is a metabolic disease and should be considered that way when dealing with reconstruction. This disease leaves us with deformities that should be covered.

Unfortunately that is not the case right now, maybe some day.

Not a DSer here. I just wanted to say that stalls really do suck and I felt your pain.

It will end at some point soon!

Good luck

@@DeeryLou

You should have no problem swallowing the levothryoxine as it is smaller than an eraser head. I also took toprimate but mine where smaller as well and I had no problem swallowing those.

The rule of thumb I was given was: as long as the pill is no bigger than an eraser head you can swallow it. If it is bigger then cut them in half or if it is a capsule, open the capsule and swallow the little stuff inside. I had to do that with Nexium but only for a month after surgery and tasted awful.

They had me use a spoonful of applesauce to take it.

@@Jessica Smith_270718

Congratulations! Welcome to the losers bench. Remember once you get home to keep yourself hydrated. It really is the single most important thing followed by walking and ultimately Protein. The rest will come.

@@#9grammy

I have always loved cooking. I learned as a very young girl from my grandmother and my mother. I can remember standing on a chair next to the stove learning to make homemade Pasta and gnocchi.

Then when my granddaughter Aja was born, she lived very close. I started teaching her to cook and bake. Her Mom doesn't cook at all so Aja is the primary cook in the family, she is 12 now and because I taught her to use recipes and change them she is doing that quite regularly.

She now lives 6 hours away in Minnesota so I don't get to see her as often.

A week from Monday she is coming to stay with us for two weeks before school starts. We will be baking and cooking. Already she is sending me recipes she wants to try. Many of them things that I cannot eat but she wants to learn how to make raised donuts and bread so I will teach her how.

I am making a pot roast for dinner Monday night in my instant pot. If it goes well, I will share the recipe or my learnings.

I am sorry this is happening to you. I am guessing you are younger and not post menopausal.

I did not reading about this issue early on and honestly you can adjust your diet but the deficiency may not be overcome solely through diet and supplements or infusions may be your only option outside of having a revision that changes your surgery so that more of the Iron from the food you eat is absorbed.

So many think that malabsorbtion in bypass ends after a period time. I cannot find anything that confirms that, everything I have read states it will continue and that is why we are on Vitamins for the rest of our lives.

I really hope that your doctor can find a solution that works for you and I hope that you feel better soon!

I pretty much followed the guidelines set by my nut. There were times when I knew I could eat more but it is not necessary. That is what is most critical for us to learn. (Just because we can, doesn't mean we should)

Feeling full now is different too. You should never feel stuffed, it should simply be that you don't feel hungry. That is why measurement in the first year is so critical. Because we did not know what a portion size was before surgery.

If you stick to whatever measurements your nut has set for you, then I wouldn't worry.

As for eating 2 full eggs plus bacon that seems like a lot of food at this stage. Very good Protein but as I look at my book that the nut gave me, 1 egg and a slice of turkey bacon should be enough to satiate your hunger.

I hope this makes sense, it can be confusing and can cause stress when you don't know and you are learning.

You should definately follow up with your nut as every body's program is different.

I was allowed no more than 1/4 cup of food nor could I handle any more until I was nearly 4 months post op. At about 4 months post op I was able to eat about 1/2 cup.

Keep in mind the way to think about that is chewed up food. That means with Soup and salads, you can usually eat more than 1/4 cup because of the liquid in the Soup and salad chewed up means you can eat quite a bit more depending on which Protein you use.

Once I got to the year mark I was able to eat about a cup of food and that is where I have remained. I am 22 months post op.

Many people go back to work in a week. From a pain perspective it should be no problem. The toughest part of having WLS is getting used to having to sip liquids like crazy. Every few minutes you are sipping on something.

Me personally, I would not put off surgery. I would try to do both. You will just need to make sure that you always have liquids on you such as Water.

Even now 22 months post op I carry my water bottle every where I go.

This is just my opinion, you might want to ask your surgical team what they think.

@@Elyse519

I am not sure how you are trying Water but temperature really matters as well. I still to this day have a hard time drinking my Water icy cold. It has to be at room temperature. The cold actually causes my pouch to almost clench.

I learned this from my Bariatric team when I could not get enough liquids in. This happens especially in the am. My nut told me to try a warm water in the morning so in the beginning I did that. Now I am perfectly ok with room temperature water. For my all the flavored stuff don't work because it has to be icy cold and my tummy just don't like it.

@@Tonya83

Hi Tonya! Welcome! This process can be somewhat confusing as you are getting started.

Most insurance companies and Bariatric programs are more concerned with showing that you will put the effort in to lose weight.

For me, I didn't have to lose a set amount, I simply had to show that I was following the program which meant not gaining.

You jump through all these hoops that seem a bit crazy when you are going through it but honestly they all make sense. Insurance companies and Bariatric team want to make sure if you get the surgery you will follow the program because it is the program that helps you become successful, not the surgery.

The surgery is simply a tool. You have to fuel the weight loss by what you put into the tool. A high Protein, low carb diet is critical to long term success. I can honestly tell you that once you lose all the weight and get to goal, maintenance is even harder! If you go back to old behaviors at any point you are likely to gain back your weight. So, they are working with you to build a lifetime of good behaviors now.

Hopefully this makes a lot of sense. I remember being so frustrated because I needed this surgery so bad but it took 9 months to get through it. Now, I totally get it! It was all about giving me time to get my head and heart in the right place and I am thankful for everything I learned in the process.

I never want to go back to weighing 310lbs.

@@Terri70

Explain that between now and May, you certainly don't want to gain weight and need some help trying to actually lose.

The bad part about appetite suppressants is that the minute you stop them everything comes right back but in your case, you are simply ensuring you don't gain and may even be able to lose a little before hand.

It is always a risk telling people outside of your immediate family. I made the mistake of telling a couple of my coworkers that I thought I was close to. You find out who your friends are after this type of life change that is for sure.

Best of luck to you and I hope the suppressant work for you!

Yay! Glad things are going well. Welcome to the losers bench!