Djmohr

I could not believe how wonderful this pot made BBQ ribs for me yesterday. Literally 30 minutes and they were fall off the bone tender, finished them on the grill with homemade peach BBQ Sauce that was incredible.

Tomorrow I will make chicken cacciatore in it. I won't be making Pasta with it, just a salad and green Beans.

My vote is the pot is going to replace several kitchen appliances for me.

@@pr_pitbullgrl

This last weekend I made homemade skinny enchiladas. I had 3/4 of one for dinner with fresh Tomato, black olives and a dab of sour cream.

I had one for lunch the next day and it was fine. I barely ate 1/2 one yesterday for lunch and I had terrible pain in my chest right where my pouch is. I think I ate it too fast and that is usually what happens.

The only food I am near giving up, is eggs by themselves because no matter what I get sick from them.

I do think you are likely too worried about it at this stage. Mostly because you are worried about disappointing them. It should be about you. You are the one working very hard to get yourself healthy.

Sometimes worrying about things like that actually triggers the need to run to food. I would suggest maybe talking to a therapist about your feelings because if they are getting to you now, they will certainly get to you once your body changes and you have to deal with that and head hunger.

Most people do not realize exactly how much change you go through after Bariatric surgery. It is a significant change and it impacts everyone around you.

For example my husband tends to still eat like crap stopping at fast food restaurants for meals. I never ever ever eat fast food. I cannot stomach it, the idea of it is gross. That makes it difficult when we are on the road and need to grab something to eat.

Because I chose this for myself, I tend to make sure that I am careful about inconveniencing others so I will always find something to eat regardless of where we go. I am also careful to have a Protein bar on me.

Hopefully you get the idea. I chose this for me an honest it is ok to be selfish for a while.

Lose the 10lbs for yourself because it will make your surgery safer for you. If you are hungry there are lots of options for a small Protein healthy snack. Have a Greek yogurt or an ounce of nuts. Just measure and track so you know where you are at any given time.

Tracking helps to hold yourself accountable and most of all it helps in making better choices.

I use Myfitnesspal and it works great.

Best of luck to you!

@@pr_pitbullgrl

I wish I could I miss them. I used to love poached eggs the best and ate them almost every morning for Breakfast. Now, I gag and they weigh really heavy in my stomach. I keep trying thinking maybe but the answer is always no way!

That important to understand too. Just because something don't work today doesn't mean it won't tomorrow so if there is a food you want to eat keep trying. I had a heck of a time with raw salad vegetables especially lettuce. It was nearly 6 months before I could tolerate them.

There are also times when a food doesn't bother me and then the next week it doesn't work.

I was able to eat steak (beef tenderloin only) at 3 months but I had to be very careful about chewing. Even ground beef took a long time but now I have no problem. Pork for me has always been a problem, I still struggle but will eat pork tenderloin or sometimes pulled pork if it is not too dry.

chicken and fish from the beginning, shrimp I had a hard time with for quite a while. I want to say somewhere around 4 or 5 months post op.

And eggs, I still cannot do.

@@LittleMissCopular

You have done fantastic! You look great and Happy Birthday!

@@evy17

Well the good news if it is Portion Control issue for you and not what you are eating the surgery will definately help you! It will be a great tool.

I had the opposite, I ate very little but I ate too much crap. I had a sweet tooth so I was literally malnourished at 310lbs.

It is crazy what that does to a persons body. I was anemic, high BP, high cholesterol, severe gerd, diabetes, sleep apnea and stage 3 chronic kidney disease all from being morbidly obese.

Now all that stuff is in remission and I am dealing with the damage that being overweight for all those years caused on my spine. I am glad however that I don't have all the other crap above to deal with too because I really think I was not long for this world in the condition i was in.

Best of luck to you. Feel free to reach out if you have further questions.

Have you thought about which surgery you are considering or will you use the surgeon to help you determine?

@@Seastars

I think you are doing a tremendous job and I tend to agree with your nut given everything that you have told us. Honestly the best thing you can do is get off the scale and continue your plan but ask about reflux because that really could be having an impact your feeling of hunger.

I commend you on your exercise routine. I am unfortunately disabled and yet I try hard to swim, walk and do PT exercises. I am young, only 53 but have severe arthritis of the spine. I have so much energy after losing all of my weight that I seriously want to get back to my hour cardio routine per day. Unfortuntely my back just wont let me......the good news about all of this is this increased energy and want to do more.

I am hoping and praying that with time this nerve pain from my previous back surgery will go away sooner vs. later.

I tell you all this because I swear I would love to be right next to you exercising.

You are going to do great! I know it based on your eating and exercise routine. You just have to be patient and let it happen for you.

All that exercise should help with lose skin too. I have lost 151lbs and I look like a sharpei dog! LOL all except for my arms which I had Brachioplasty 2 1/2 weeks ago and my cute little muscular arms look fabulous although still a bit swollen and bruised.

Ok then, I just ran the instant pot steam test, cleaned the pot and I have Baby back ribs in the pot. 30 minutes from now they should be fall off the bone tender.

I am going to have play with this thing all week!

Incidentally I remained on a 900 to 1000 calorie diet until I reached goal. Once I reached goal we bumped me to between 1200 and 1300 calories by adding some whole grains to my diet.

I began maintenance and have been maintaining between 158 and 162 since March.

Just my two cents.....

I hate to say this because I might get boo'd right out of here. LOL

You may actually be exercising too much and eating too much right now. It is a reality that 90% of weight lost post WLS is from diet alone. The other 10% or so from exercise.

You should NOT have to kill yourself with exercise to lose weight. I suspect your diet has too many calories for this early of a stage.

At 4 months post op I had nearly a month long stall. I was exercising an hour a day cardio. I was consuming about 500 calories because that was all I could eat back then. I was told by my surgeon to exercise less (go to 30 minutes per day of cardio) and maybe 15 of my PT exercises. He also told me that I needed to eat more, that is when we raised my intake to around 900 calories of course high Protein lower carb. I have always had a balanced diet post it is what my nutritionist requires.

Anyway within a few days of slowing my exercise and adding some calories the scale began to move again.

With you I think you are actually exercising too much which might be driving some of the idea that your hungry. Honestly you should not feel real hunger post sleeve this early on. That leads me to believe you might have some reflux going on which can cause your exact same symptoms.

Try backing off the exercise a little each day and reduce your calorie intake (check with doctor or nut first), then also ask about reflux and if you need to be taking something for that.

Most insurance companies and Bariatric centers of excellence require a 3,6 or 12 month program. They want to make sure you are truly ready for all the changes required to be successful.

This time requires that you go to monthly appts with a nutritionist that monitors and coaches your progress, a physcologist to ensure you really are ready, a fitness specialist who helps you build a plan to get moving, a Bariatric surgeon who examines you and works with you to determine the best WLS surgery given your health issues. Some programs even require you to go to classes and support group meetings. It is because this is not easy, and they want to ensure if you have the surgery you will put the time in.

I will tell you, it is so worth it and today I am thankful for the 9 months my program took because it really did help me get ready in my head and take the right actions ahead of time. If you smoke, you will have to quit. If you drink caffeine or soda, you will have to quit, you will also learn mindful eating habits and the rules of WLS. There are a few that will ensure you are successful.

In terms of the checklist it is mostly checking off if you qualify under the program. Some checklists require you have met with your PCP, they look for information if you have sleep apnea, if you have not been tested they will likely request that you have a sleep study which by the way helps get insurance to approve you. You will likely need to have a BMI over 40 or have a BMI over 35 with comorbitities like sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, reflux to get approved through insurance.

All this stuff is on the checklist. Also on mine I had to write a diary of my weight gain and loss and all the diets I ever tried. I also had to write a paragraph on why I thought WLS was the solution for me.....

I know it sounds like a lot but again it is worth it.

It is crazy what these doctors and hospitals charge insurance companies. Mine was right around 55K two years ago but thankfully my out of pocket for the year had been met earlier in the year so it cost me nothing.

I am learning quickly having just had plastics how badly these hospitals gouge insurance companies. I don't understand how it works so this is just my perception.

In a few months I am having a TT and Breast lift with augmentation. The cost will come out of pocket 17,000. My doctor does not require a night or two in the hospital but recommends it. She got me a deal for $500.00 per night. That is cheap compared to what would be charged to my insurance.

Whoever said self pay for WLS can sometimes be a better option is not wrong if their max out of pocket is really high. I know ours is 6K. Doctors can get you a deal.

Crazy!

@@CowgirlJane

I am a chocolate girl too. The other flavors seem too sweet to me. By the way, I got my instant pot today and am excited to use it for the first time.

I have been watching UTube videos. LOL

I blame you.....when my husband asked what the heck did I order. I will also give you credit if my life becomes easier which it certainly looks like it will.

Thanks!

I am not a sleeve patient but I know many of them. I am a bypass patient.

I can tell you that this process is absolutely not magic so if you were promised that, yikes. You will have to work hard and it sounds like you are already doing that.

I am a little shocked at how many calories you are eating this early out. As I said, I am a bypass patient and if I eat 1200 to 1300 calories I maintain and do not lose. If I am closer to 1000 calories, I lose consistently.

That being said, you are a lower BMI patient and I would not expect huge drops in weight. You will likely lose much slower than some. That is not a bad thing even though it feels that way. The slower you lose the better you work at building good long term habits.

You did not put on this weight overnight and it will not come off that way either. Also I would just say, this really is not a diet, it is a lifestyle and your body needs time to get used to it.

When is the last time you lost 3lbs per week? That is great progress and you should be very proud of it.

Other than my first 2 months I averaged between 5 and 10lbs per month. It took me 18 months to lose 151lbs and get to goal. The good news is, this is my new life and I have and my body has had time to adjust.

Please be patient and if it makes you crazy put the scale away and stick to your plan. You will get there!

Best of luck to all of you.

You might have gotten jarred during surgery. That has happened to me more than once. Try using ice first and then after a heating pad. It should get better on its own but if it is not better in the next couple of weeks I would call your doctor.

You might want to call your surgeon and make them aware of it anyway....

@@purpleangel3381

I know! I felt the same way. My 6 month process took 9 months and I was very sick at the time. In the beginning things went so fast and before I knew it the team was submitting for approval, then I found out 3 weeks later they never submitted and I was literally bawling like a big ole baby.

I think I scared the heck out of the nurse because she immediately submitted my paperwork and within 2 hours I received an approval and was scheduled for surgery. Then I started crying again because I was so happy.

Like you I was beyond ready and had done a lot to set myself up for success and even though I was working hard to lose weight I wasn't losing and I was frustrated.

The good news is, you have time to work on all of the things you need to. If you smoke, quit now. If you drink soda, quit as soon as you are done getting past smoking. If you drink caffeine have a plan to quit long before surgery and you may find you don't go back and that helps with weight loss.

Start removing the distractions while you eat. This one was the hardest for me and even now there are times when I find myself distracted. When I get distracted now however I find that i don't eat and that's a problem because then I am hungry and will find myself snacking when I don't really need to do that.

Slowly start to think about not drinking while you eat. It's another hard one and at least for bypass it is for life. Drinking while you eat causes you to push food through your system faster making you hungrier. If you do it early on post op you can push food into the stoma that is too big and that can cause a blockage or stricture.

If you are not exercising today, start by walking a little each day. If you are immobile start doing chair excercises. This helps get things moving.

If you have junk like prepackaged foods in your cabinets get rid of them. You will have the best success by cooking your own food. If you don't cook think about taking a basic class. You can take a lot of them on line these days.

There is a lot you can do to ready yourself for long term success now and it will keep your mind occupied while you wait.

Congratulations on making the decision to get healthy! Life is grand for me on the other side. I am so much more healthy and mobile compared to life at 310lbs. All my comorbitities are in remission.

Best of luck and feel free to reach out!

@@cuddletime

I believe you are correct. I was referring to bypass which is what I had.

I was one of the folks that didn't worry about sharing this information with people.

If I had to do it over again, I would have limited that just to my best friends and family. There were a few coworkers I told and I worked at a big corporate office in Minneapolis. Well, you know how that works, the rumors then spread. Funny thing was, after 25 years there, I actually was layed off 4 months before my surgery but I had been working on it for 5 months before that.

Anyway, I am still friends with over 100 previous co workers and I stop in there when I am in town to see some of my closer friends. I will get little snarky comments from people that I didn't hang with but heard about my having surgery. It's almost like they are waiting for you to fail or something.

For me, I would tell only my family and my very best friends and I would not share my story with coworkers.

When people ask now, I tell them the truth. I lost my weight by changing the way that I eat and getting more exercise. That is not a lie, it is the truth and honestly after the honeymoon period is over it becomes your reality.

You want to maintain? You have to be even more careful about your food and beverage choices and you better be moving your body some.

Just my two cents. I think you are right to be concerned and in the beginning less is more.

I'm typically very open about everything with mostly everyone. I don't have anything to hide really. I'm just over sensitive about this because one time one of the girls that used to work here took time off to get a boob job. She was in her mid 40s and went from a size A to a D. She never told anyone why she was taking a vacation she just did. And then she came back with breasts. It was the freaking talk of the century. Like who cares? It's her body, but you know people can be so petty.

I am such a horrible liar! But at least I have time to think about it...

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Another thing to think about is if you need or plan on doing plastics after you reach your goal.

I am at that stage now. I have not seen a lot of my exe coworkers since last August but I am sure they are going to notice my newly beautifully contoured arms given how bad mine were to begin with. I also plan on a TT and Breast lift with augmentation but that won't be at least for another 3 to 4 months.

I am sure some of the jerks once they see me will figure out that I had plastics. I really don't care. I don't work there anymore and I know who my real friends are.

From August 4th to August 28th costco is running their 5.00 off per case. Time to stock up if you use this!

I was one of the folks that didn't worry about sharing this information with people.

If I had to do it over again, I would have limited that just to my best friends and family. There were a few coworkers I told and I worked at a big corporate office in Minneapolis. Well, you know how that works, the rumors then spread. Funny thing was, after 25 years there, I actually was layed off 4 months before my surgery but I had been working on it for 5 months before that.

Anyway, I am still friends with over 100 previous co workers and I stop in there when I am in town to see some of my closer friends. I will get little snarky comments from people that I didn't hang with but heard about my having surgery. It's almost like they are waiting for you to fail or something.

For me, I would tell only my family and my very best friends and I would not share my story with coworkers.

When people ask now, I tell them the truth. I lost my weight by changing the way that I eat and getting more exercise. That is not a lie, it is the truth and honestly after the honeymoon period is over it becomes your reality.

You want to maintain? You have to be even more careful about your food and beverage choices and you better be moving your body some.

Just my two cents. I think you are right to be concerned and in the beginning less is more.

@@amandasc218

That is a good strategy to go back to the last phase until you see your doctor. You might have a lactose intolerance which is usually temporary.

If cottage cheese is bothering you and feels heaving that is likely. I use a 1% cottage cheese so it doesn't have as much fat. The fat could cause you to feel sick as well.

Your best bet is definately to take it slower and see your doctor to rule out a stricture.

Congratulations! Things will get exciting now for you!

Keep us posted.

Wow, I am exhausted just going though all of these responses. I wasn't sure I even wanted to get involved in this trending topic.

I work hard to try to make sure that I speak from my own personal experiences and I try hard to watch my tone while at the same time trying to be straight forward with people.

I tend to be very outspoken in the non virtual world and I know there are times when people read tone when tone is not intended on line. I have always tried hard not to be mean nor a bully but up front and honest. When you are asking for help and wondering why you are gaining and not following the rules, I am going to call you out.

It is getting harder and harder to be real on this site. I spend a lot of my free time on here trying to give back and help people because I personally got so much out of this site. I know how important it is to have people that are experienced to reach out to and I also relish our newbies because they are so excited that it is contagious! I personally get caught up in what their new reality can be, this is what brought be back when I stepped away a few months ago.

That being said the issue becomes, if I have to really go back and read every post that I make to ensure no one will be hurt by what I have to say, that will stop me from posting nearly as much.

There have been times when I have been involved in posts in which someone is calling out that "we" are mean or bullies because they simply do not want to hear the truth. I think the truth needs to be told and I personally try my best to be kind while still being straight forward. That is hard for me to do sometimes.

I will continue to post on Bariatric Pal and do my best to be kind while still being real. If I have personally made anyone feel butt hurt, you have my sincere apology. It certainly was never intentional.

What I won't do is sugar coat or coddle. It helps no one.

I think James is probably right. We miss chewing in those first few month and it really makes us think we need food when in fact we don't.

Are you pureeing Soup? I know when I first started eating Soups that were not pureed I really had to beef them up with lots of chicken/beef and vegetables. It's the meat that will actually fill you up and keep you satisfied. Try ensuring there is a lot of meat in your soup.

I made things like hamburger soup, chicken tortilla soup sans tortilla, chicken and vegetables, my favorite was beef barley and I doubled up on the beef and used half the barley which is a whole grain. That is my favorite most filling soup.