LisaLouBop

Hormones, you gotta love em.
The first 4 weeks after surgery I froze. Then the hot flashes started, they lasted about 2 months, and have since stopped. I'll have one every once in a while now, about once a week.
Hope this helps.

@@Essence46
hmmmm, hmmmmm, clearing my throat - sing with me
happy surgiversary, happy surgiversary, happy surgiversary - happpppy surgiversary
yep, you've come a lllllong way baby!!!
very happy for you
"smiling, crying at the same time"
can you add rubbing your tummy/chewing gum/jumping up and down with joy for 10 minutes
woo hoo
i am closing my eyes and i can see you doing it!!!
i always knew you could do any/everything!!!
you are looking wonderful, fit as a fiddle too!!
if you MUST cry be sure to have enough kleenex
now that you are a one year "survivor" of WLS
please don't forget us "little" people on the board
visit more with your words of wisdom for newbies et al
keep up the great job for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life
I know you will!!!
who deserves it more
huggggs
kathy
congrats

@@Essence46
If there was a "love this" button instead of a "like this" button - I would have pushed it.
I reached 6 months yesterday and you so eloquently articulated exactly how I feel as well. I can only hope when I reach one year that I've done as well as you.
Once again I find myself thanking you for your post.
LisaLou

I have been a daily weigher since day one. When I had my 18 month follow-up last week, I took my food diary with me. The doctor noticed that I was recording my weight every day and putting a smiley face or a frowny face next to the numbers.
She told me that I was attaching too much emotional importance to the numbers and oredered me to have my boyfriend hide the scale from me and only bring it out once a month until my two year appointment in December.
Oh, man...talk about withdrawal! I want to gravitate to that bare space every day and step on the invisible scale. It has taken me all week to adjust to no morning weigh-in.

The scale, aka 'the lying bastard'

The scale is a love hate relationship. I am a daily weigher and have been since before my surgery.
Sometimes I will have a week go by and not lose anything or I will hop on and show that I have gained a pound.
But on days like today when I lose two pounds in a day, it motivates the heck out of me.
I use my scale as one metric only to see how I am doing. The other most important thing I use is my clothing. I can tell if I am gaining or losing by how my clothes are fitting.
In terms of measurement I use just my Bariatric team for that and I keep the little note cards they give me at check in to compare.
If the scale actually made me crazy, I definately would not get on it everyday.

@@Essence46
If there was a "love this" button instead of a "like this" button - I would have pushed it.
I reached 6 months yesterday and you so eloquently articulated exactly how I feel as well. I can only hope when I reach one year that I've done as well as you.
Once again I find myself thanking you for your post.
LisaLou

You're getting 1200 calories at 8 weeks out?? I'm 10 months out and am getting 1200 calories!? You should only be getting around 800 calories at 8 weeks out. You're eating too many calories. Also, lay off the carbs. If you want to lose, you need to only get your carbs from dairy, fruits and veggies right now. Stay away from the cupcakes and pretzels. snack on cheese sticks and nuts instead.
Keep your diet clean. meat and veggies with every meal and lots of Water. Track your calories on Myfitnesspal. You'll have plenty of time to increase your calories and incorporate carbs the closer you get to goal. Good luck! Don't get discouraged, just be proactive!

I sit here in tears thinking about how far I have come... how my life has changed for the better... how I have struggled emotionally to adjust... how I have had to learn to love me (good, bad and ugly)... how hard I have worked and continue to work in the gym 5 days a week... how good I feel... how good I look... I saved my life and I am so glad for the second chance. I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and I smiled and cried.

I had a headache for the first 3 days. That finally went away, but I never "got used to" the liquid diet. I was hungry the whole time, and got pretty cranky by the end of the 16 days. But I never cheated once, I lost 22 pounds and had a safe, complication-free surgery and recovery. (And then another 18 days of liquids).
I say just suck it up and keep doing it. It's just part of the process. Stay focused on why you are doing this, look towards your final goal and don't get wallowed down in the "now". It's all just temporary. There's a reason they say this isn't the easy way out, and you need to be committed to the WHOLE journey, even the bad parts.

I lost 160+ post sleeve and about 185 from my lifetime high.
WEight loss didn't make me happy. In fact, losing the fatsuit, losing eating as a soothing and emotional numbing tool has caused some angst. What weight loss did was quite literally take a huge weight off my daily existance. I can move better, I have less pain, I feel more socially comfortable, i feel more normal.
Weight loss doesn't solve a darn thing in life, but it removes one of the obstacles to enjoying life to the max.
I don't think I was a food addict (whatever that even means) but I surely used obesity and overeating as a way to regulate moods and numb myself. It has been shocking to live in a world where i experience and feel so much more... almost like bright lights shining in my eyes or something - kind of overwhelming at first. I am 3.5 years post op and it is getting better. I didn't realize it before - but this emotional state is EXACTLY what triggered regains in the past. Like I just couldn't tolerate the intensity.
I had a helpful counselor who taught me some things but one of the most valuable was to learn that it is "okay" to feel... sometimes that means feeling bad. That sounds completely nuts, but one of my issues was I always felt the need to fill the hole in my heart. I am really learning that sometimes your wounds need to be felt, sadness and worries do need to be experienced and that is when healing begins. It is working, but it is a slower process than I expected.
Another thing I have learned is there are lots of people who are WAY more unhappy then me... I don't mean to make it seem like a race to the bottom or anything, but truth is I am MOSTLY very happy. I am grateful for it. I am grateful for another chance at life. When I get anxious or defensive or any of those "bad" feelings I remind myself that this is the human condition and it is normal to feel that way sometimes but the main thing is to not let it hurt relationships or interfere with my enjoyment of life.

As I'm getting closer to goal, I just can't bring myself to splurge right now. I just don't feel like spending another week working off the half a pound or pound I may gain from it. I want to keep moving forward, not backwards.
I figure once I get to goal, and am allowed a few more calories to maintain, then I can experiment with little splurges here and there. But they will still be tracked and accounted for in my daily calories.
Jeez, what a bore I've become. Lol.

I think the best advice is to stay on plan as close to 100% as you can during the weight loss phase. However, I did eat a couple of off plan things during celebrations after I passed the 5 month post-op mark, and I was able to get right back on track the next day. For some people, one indulgence turns into a diet disaster that can last for days or weeks. You have to know yourself and your history to decide what the likely outcome of eating off plan will be.

I remember a time I could eat a whole plate of food, finish my daughter's food, and still have room for desert. But since the surgery I take a few bites and I'm done. I used to get frustrated but now I enjoy it because I feel like a normal person that knows their limits. I know that this isn't a NSV but to me it seems like it. Just wanted to share. Oh, and now my daughter finishes my plate...NICE!!!????

Isn't it GREAT??
Sometimes when I look around at the amounts that other people are eating, I am astounded that I used to eat that much and then some. It just goes to show how little food we need to actually survive and thrive on!

If someone showed me just how little food I would eating per day, everyday, and foods I will never eat again, and still be healthy and full of energy, I would have dismissed this entire WLS project altogether because the red flags would have gone up telling me this was just another gimmick......but yet, here I am. And if I add up what I ate today in total, it really is astounding....

I need to take a full body shot. I look like I need to blink but I'm 95 lbs lighter than the 1st photo still have more to go.

Yeah, I regretted the surgery for about a month after I admitted to myself that WLS was not magic that would cause me to lose weight without effort. When I truly accepted that I would have to make real changes in my lifestyle in order to be successful, I was as petulant as a thwarted 2 year old. But now I actually like my new way of eating. I now tend to make healthy food choices as a matter of habit, with no thought or effort required. I am so glad I decided to have the VSG. It has given me back my health.

Most have regrets very soon after surgery. You're dealing with some pain (honestly not too much), you miss food, your tummy feels funny, you're tired, it's a damn full time job the first few weeks just to get your fluids and protien in....I could go on.
Fast forward a couple months. You are starting to feel normal, you can ALMOST eat everything again, and you've lost weight! And more than likely you have been taken off your meds for diabetes and high blood pressure. Score!
Fast forward a year or 2. You have lost so much weight that people don't recognize you! You actually exercise, and you love it! ( Well, maybe) You've had to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, and you look and feel better than you have in years! Except for some much needed restriction that helps you to not overeat, especially in situations where you're tempted, you feel completely normal. And you LOOK normal. You're finally not the fattest person in the room. You FINALLY feel in control.
What's there to regret??

My surgeon and nutritionist suggested low fat too, but I think as more of a "general rule". I mean, you have to be able to use your brain. They probably put things in absolutes in your instructions because they expect that most patients aren't going to read nutrition labels. But if you use your brain and see that the low fat version is full of sugar and has just as many calories as the low fat version, then there is no reason to choose the low fat version.
I read labels. I eat low fat string cheese and low fat greek yogurt, because when I compare them to the full fat versions, they are better nutritionally all the way down the list. But that isn't the case for everything. Guidelines are good, but we have to be allowed to use our brains as well.

I too have struggled with overeating at times....I'd like to blame it on stress but I know it is a choice. I don't have the "waste food" issue though because I think it is kind a cool that I can order something healthy that I like and then have it for lunch the next day....and maybe the next....it's all in perspective people!

@@Babbs
Just because you can eat more, doesn't mean you should.
I am able to over eat - meaning I'm not one of those that feels full on 3 or 4 ounces. I also eat too fast, which is probably why I don't feel full with 3 or 4 ounces.
EVERY SINGLE meal is a choice, I choose to limit/measure my portions and I choose to put my fork down and force myself to eat slower. This is me for the rest of my life, one meal at a time.

@@Babbs
Just because you can eat more, doesn't mean you should.
I am able to over eat - meaning I'm not one of those that feels full on 3 or 4 ounces. I also eat too fast, which is probably why I don't feel full with 3 or 4 ounces.
EVERY SINGLE meal is a choice, I choose to limit/measure my portions and I choose to put my fork down and force myself to eat slower. This is me for the rest of my life, one meal at a time.

I get frustrated by it sometimes too, but I try to be empathetic. Lord knows if I ate perfectly all the time and always did what I am "supposed" to do, I would never have needed WLS in the first place. People in glass houses and all that....
However, I do believe that when you are seriously committed to WLS you should do your absolute best (not be perfect, mind you, just put in the effort). There is a lot of money on the line for one thing. Whether you are self-pay or not, the cost of this surgery is not insignificant. People who have their insurance pay for the procedure shouldn't take it for granted. After all, you presumably pay for your insurance or your employer does, so it's indirectly costing you or your coworkers in the long run.
But, more importantly, we are talking about serious health risks associated with not sticking to the plan. Eating off-plan on your pre-op diet means your liver might be an issue for your surgeon when they are trying to perform your surgery. Eating off-plan post-op can lead to leaks or tears along your staple line, food getting stuck, or all sorts of potential LIFE THREATENING scenarios. And even if you just aren't working to get all your Protein and Water in, that can have serious health consequences for you.
SO if you commit to having this surgery, you should commit to doing your absolute best to make the most of it. No one is going to be perfect 100% of the time and I definitely don't encourage people to go off-plan, but I do think people need to have the capacity to forgive themselves and move on when they slip up. Beating yourself up isn't going to accomplish a whole lot either. You have to find a balance. You can't make excuses and let old habits creep back in, but you can't live a life of deprivation and misery and self-punishment either.

@@Babbs
Just because you can eat more, doesn't mean you should.
I am able to over eat - meaning I'm not one of those that feels full on 3 or 4 ounces. I also eat too fast, which is probably why I don't feel full with 3 or 4 ounces.
EVERY SINGLE meal is a choice, I choose to limit/measure my portions and I choose to put my fork down and force myself to eat slower. This is me for the rest of my life, one meal at a time.