CanyonBaby

I LOVE when the newbies have SO MUCH JOY! I am thrilled for you! Now, read the hundreds of posts on here, so you can be truly prepared for your new adventure! Good luck to you all!

Fish. It's hard to screw up fish. And just about everywhere has it now. And my tummy LOVES fish! Easy to digest, lots of options. I never have room for the sides. Kids' meals are a great option. And you can always ask (if you are not a senior) for a senior portion. Most don't argue about it, especially if you tell them you had surgery recently. Why would they care, anyway? Stupid to me! Stay away from the bread that comes first, so easy to fall into that trap. Same with chips and salsa. Plan to get many meals out of your course, something that reheats easily, and focus on protein. Sides. I HATE THEM! Because I can't enjoy them like I used to. So I hate them instead of ME! I give them all to my husband, who eats them, then saves his protein for me for tomorrow!!!!! LOVE HIM!!!!

I don't know about everyone else, but the LAST thing I wanted to do coming out of surgery was to have to COOK! And I LOVE to cook! So I loaded up on baby food. All three stages (and they were used in such stages). The prunes were the best, to keep me regular, and I loved the bananas, pears, peaches. The meat was acceptable when I seasoned it (remember, baby food has NO seasoning at all, so plan for that!). Same thing for the veggies and casserole-type foods. When I was all done with that, I donated the remaining jars to the food bank, which was very grateful for it. The best part about it was if I was in a hurry, it was ready for me! And it was easy to take with me on the go. Good luck to you!

No, I don't think Vitamins help with cravings so much, but you still need to take them forever. You probably already know that. Are you taking an acid reducer? That will probably help with the hunger issue. But then again, it is an issue you will have to eventually come to terms with. Stop, think about your tummy when you're hungry. Is it full? Is it sated? Sated is what you want. Full is too full. Full is when food is in your esophagus...not good. If you are sated, then tell your brain to shut up. You have head-hunger. Go about your business, keep your hands busy, do anything but make sure it doesn't have to do with food. KEEP BUSY! Find a new hobby, something you really like, so when you know your tummy is full, go to your hobby. TRAIN your brain! It takes hard work to retrain the brain, but you have to do it. Try planning your meals and Snacks, and as some do, maybe write down all you are eating and when. Be accountable to this plan. You may not be ready yet for a full day of regular foods, so go back to what is comfortable, for now. Slowly progress, as YOUR body dictates. You really have to think about every part of this program, and think ahead of time, so you are not left without a proper meal/snack when you do get hungry. Also, you may be just thirsty. Thirst often presents itself as hunger. Think of when you last had liquid, when you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Thirst is a SYMPTOM of dehydration. Keep drinking throughout the day, to keep ahead of thirst AND hunger! Good luck to you on your new adventure!

My nurse suggested not coloring or perming during the "fall-out" stage, for the fact it might stress hair more so, in it's more fragile state. I never have colored my hair, and it's been over a decade since I last permed it. I am now really noticing a reduction in hair loss (I'm almost 5 months out), after losing about a third of it. I've been using Nioxin shampoo, and even though I can't attribute the reduction of hair loss to it, the loss started to ease up right after I did start using that shampoo. I'd say do what works for you, who knows, maybe you will like your natural color and want to stay with it!

I am actually quite surprised by what your doctor said. On my plan, I was not allowed to eat regular (solid) food for 8 weeks, and I now know why! Just from what you said. Now, I know that every doctor has a different philosophy on this, some eat regular foods almost straight away, others, like me, have to wait 8 weeks. I'm thinking the extra healing time really pays off, with little if any digestion issues. Since you didn't appear to have any issues noted in your endoscopy, you just may need a little extra time to heal! So even though you may FEEL ready to eat regular foods, your new tummy may just be saying..."hold on! Let's not rush this!" Maybe take some time to advance, giving it a couple of extra weeks. And progress slowly, trying little tiny bits of different things. Slowly progress to harder, chewier things, and only small portions of those. CHEW CHEW CHEW!!! It can't be stressed enough! Good luck to you!

@@miaxx No, they have no idea how hard it really is. That's why we can smile, hold our heads up high, and just brush off negative comments and the inevitable "you took the easy way out". Our strength saw us through this surgery, through the incredibly difficult afterwards, and onto success! It's definitely NOT for everyone!

YAY! Now go and SPOIL each other!!!! Baby and cuddle, and just give each other all the support you need! It is so cool you did this together!

Congratulations on your decision to start your new life!!! It is not an easy thing to do, let alone doing it alone. I'm glad you found this site, too, it will help get you through the harder times. And there will be hard times, part of the deal. But always try to look past those times while you are in them, so you can focus on the positive. It will truly help. Have a list of things you want to do, that you may never have done before, to help you on your way. It will give you a purpose for that particular moment. A PURPOSE! Some lose track of why they did this surgery, a PURPOSE to focus on will help you get back on track. These little "grippers" will help you get a hand-hold on your real mission for WLS, and keep your head above the waters of the blues. You can message me anytime, just click on my logo. I am so proud of you and you efforts...good luck to you!

Oh, you are NOT alone!!!!! We all have these incredible emotional episodes, some say it is the fat releasing hormones. It is normal! SO, the walk you are going to take is an excellent way to get rid of some of these feelings, and I like to give myself a "treat" by doing something new, or going window shopping, or starting a new hobby....something to get my mind off the sad. But it is NOT sad! This is a temporary thing you must look past, so try to focus on things you like, go someplace where there are lots of people (maybe a book store or something like that), or do something totally new - that you maybe have wanted to try for awhile, but never had the nerve...NOW you have the nerve! You just had WLS!!!! Reward yourself with GOOD, HEALTHY treats! Not to eat, but things to do...make a list of these things, then when you feel sad, immediately go to that list and implement your plan!!! ONTO THE NEW YOU!!!!! And HUGS to you, too!!!!

Taking the first step is the most important, for if you don't, you go nowhere. Congratulations on your decision!

@@JM1997 I don't have the numbers, but she said that the good cholesterol was perfect, as was the triglycerides. It is the bad cholesterol that was so off, and what was strange was it was soooooo much higher than at my worst. She is very concerned as I am diabetic (although in remission), and have a strong family history of heart disease (most of people die between 33-65 years old), and my sis just passed at 56. Mom was 64. Cousin 33..... so I understand her concern for that. She and I both felt it was so strange that the one number (and not all of them) was so out of whack. She is supposedly going to chat with my NUT to see what her take on it is. It is a mystery, indeed! BTW, The reasoning for the delay in the stress test is (of course) insurance approval. I have to have it approved before I can get it done. Once approved, it'll get done.

@@lynneanne Best wishes and safe surgery for you!!! I'm sure you'll do great! Let me know how you do....Your in my prayers....

Adding to what Just Watch Me said, I like to put a "treasure", a true find (such as a cute sweater....) kind of a trophy out on my dresser to "encourage" me to either fit in it, or wear it (depending on it's size) as a little "spur" to keep me going! Nothing like looking good to prod you on!

My dietician recommends no more than 1 or 2 a WEEK. Apparently caffeine can really make you hungry, and none of us needs that!!! When I do have coffee, I try for decaf. Now that my carb intake is so low, I don't find myself as sleepy, so I don't NEED the caffeine. Good luck with the craving! Also, I had to wait 8 weeks to have it.

Everyone's plan will be different, so I suggest you ask your dietician. You may have different needs than others, so it's best to have a plan developed for you, in particular. Good luck to you.

Maybe a carb overload. I suggest maybe cutting way back...carbs are NOT our friends! Also, ask your NUT about this. Good luck to you.

That I hadn't had a heart attack then, but maybe prior to. Uncertain. An "episode of some type". Enough of a concern to do a stress test, and if I had another "episode", I need to go to the ER (after taking 2 aspirin). I've had the "flutter"-thing for years (possibly my MVP), but I never had the pressure with it before, and it (flutter) had never lasted that long (and it wasn't even a stressful day!). It's not so much the "episode" that concerns us, it's the cholesterol thing. Just really strange. No explaining it, so I wondered if anyone else had experienced this after WLS. So back to Lipitor I go, for the time-being. I wonder if, since my WLS was done in December-last, if this particular cholesterol just hasn't "caught-up" with the other numbers, and may take longer to do so. What do you think?

I do not know if you're a lady of faith or not, but I will tell you this; you are now one day closer to being with your mama again. ALWAYS look forward, ALWAYS...........bless you, my dear.....

I wonder if she'd say "You'd look so much prettier....." if you were, say, 5lbs THINNER than her? "EMPTY VESSELS MAKE THE LOUDEST NOISE"

Hopefully this will help: I am on the 2-3-2 plan: I eat within 2 hours of waking. I eat every 3 hours (this helps avoid getting hungry), then I eat within 2 hours of going to bed. This plan, devised by my NUT, really helps stay me within the nutritional guidelines, while keeping me sated. What I eat later in the evening tends to be dairy, either cottage cheese, milk, or cheese sticks. Kind of a "comfort food" feel. Also, with the density of the dairy, I am totally content until Breakfast. Good luck to you!

Use a heating pad (on the lowest setting) to comfort you, especially around your incision site (put a towel between you and the pad). Some actually prefer an ice pack, but warmth did it for me. Also, if you have a heated mattress pad, that helps. Especially if you start to feel icy, which a lot of us do. I was in the regular bed the first night. You could try propping yourself up a little with extra pillows. All the best to you....

And soon you'll be on the "other" side of this site! You should do great, safe surgery!!!!

20 grams.

It can be challenging to do, but my NUT recommended staying under 20g of carbs per day. Seems to be the biggest "danger" for weight regain.