gal friday

I've spent 13.5 months trying to figure out why eating made me ravenously hungry. I knew my reflux was related, it became very severe after the surgery (I'm on the max dose of protonix, a double dose of zantac, and also take carafate 3x day). I rarely get heartburn, but at lunch or dinner I get hunger pains so severe that inducing vomiting is the only way to relieve them. I have never before experienced hunger like this, not even when I was in labor with my son and had no food or Water for 40+ hours. I rely on saltines and/or vomiting to manage the experience (eating Protein first means at least that stays down). It doesn't happen every meal or even every day (thank god), and my mental state plays a part (I'm bipolar and have OCD, and bad days bring out the hunger pains). It used to be that I would throw up 2-3 times to get the agony to go away (it is very agonizing), but with the addition of the Carafate, that hasn't happened in months. Phantom hunger pains are a documented phenomena, and I know that's what it is because 1) it happens even when I am full and 2) the hunger is coming from where my stomach used to be, not where it is currently. It has taken me 13.5 months to figure out exactly what this is. My therapist (who I see weekly for severe PTSD) was the one who figured it out). At my session the other day, she said that it sounded just like phantom limbs. A quick google search when I got home and I found tons of post-sleeve patients who had it!!! But nobody has had it more than a few months after surgery. I'm guessing it's still happening because my reflux is so bad. And it makes perfect sense - of course saltines help, they're soda crackers and neutralize stomach acids!!! (But they add carbs and calories, so I hate hate HATE that I have to eat them). Milk and cheese help too - they coat my stomach! (But again with the calories). I FINALLY HAVE AN ANSWER!!!!! So now, I move on to what to do. So far I've read about people having a few antacids at the end of a meal. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

It can vary. Now, most of the time, I have vomited up most of my meal prior to consuming something, so it is replacing calories (thankfully, Protein usually stays down, and other than anemia, my malnutrition panels come back great). I used to have one glass of milk, but when I switched from 1% to skim, that stopped working. A few ounces of yogurt will work too, but again, it has to contain some fat. So I switched to saltines. At maximum, it's maybe 10 saltines per day, although that's not the norm. But since my weight loss has stalled, I'm wondering if the nutritional content is a factor - saltines are empty, useless calories. Do you think switching back to low fat milk/yogurt/cheese would be better than saltines? I'm beginning to think so. I've also been just eating more carbs in general, because they don't trigger the phantom hunger. In addition, if I eat out (at a family meal, those are weekly, or just on the go), the phantom hunger is REALLY bad - I can't carry my carafate around since it is liquid (trust me, I've tried). But I hear that Gaviscon, which functions similarly to Carafate, comes in tablets I could keep in my purse. So now that I know what is going on (and psychologically speaking, knowing really is half the battle), I'm hoping I can use tricks to keep the hunger from happening (and it really is severe and miserable). I can go back to less-carby meals. Do you think lowfat dairy is the better option? I just need a little kick in the metabolism and then I can start losing again - and keeping it off.

I'd like to find a way of managing it without food. The calories really can add up. I'd also like to not have to force myself to vomit to get relief when it's bad. I heard that gaviscon after meals can help. I'm wondering if there are any other tricks people have figured out. I've talked about this with my doctor's office (before I had a name for what was happening), my PA (who is useless) has never heard of these symptoms so she blames it on the reflux and tell me to see my GE, he says it's the surgery and to talk to my surgical PA. I haven't gained any weight dealing with this but I suspect it is why my weight loss has stalled. I lose a few pounds, but can't keep them off longer than a week.

I was just wondering if anyone has done weight watchers post op to help their weight loss. I'm halfway to my goal (in just a few months) but I've stalled. I've done WW in the past and found the point system to be a convenient way to keep tabs on what I am eating. I eat significantly less now post op (duh), but I'm wondering if the points system would be helpful in kicking this stall (it might be breaking, but I'm sure yet) and then stay on track once I hit my goal weight. I only hesitate because it costs $, I want to see if anyone else has found it useful before giving it another try.

Yeah, pretty much anytime anybody throws up their stomach gets at least a little swollen, but it's not really noticeable when you still have the stretchiest part of you stomach, and your stomach is not located entirely behind your sternum. It's less noticeable the less you throw up and it also relates to how violently you throw up. I rarely throw up violently. I can't remember the last time I threw up an entire meal, usually it's a few tablespoons or some liquid, and it's a bit more like coughing food up than actually vomiting - I would have to try to empty my whole stomach, and I would not do that voluntarily. It' still unpleasant though. Let's see, the last time I threw up was Tuesday night - raw sugar snap peas were SOOOO delicious but I ate them too fast, so back up a tablespoon or two they came. Eating my Protein first means I almost never throw up much protein. I am due for my period, so my body is on inflammatory high alert, which means that the swelling was worse than normal, it stuck around at least a little bit through last night. This morning seems okay though. Laying flat for long periods of time (ie sleeping) makes it worse, so I sleep propped up.

Miralax is what my doc recommended and it works really well.

One bite too much and I am miserable for an hour. I can't do anything. I have to lay on the couch with my eyes closed, or bring up the last few bites, and that is not an ideal option. I get nauseous, but can't take an anti-nausea pill - there is no room. Drinking Water makes me puke, and because I have an endocrine-kidney disorder, this is bad news. (I actually have permission to drink water during meals). Too much fat too fast? It feels like I am dying. I get hot, sweaty, shaky, nauseous. I can't function, and there is nothing I can do. I have to lay down and rest. I tried ice cream on my birthday and I was sick for 2 hours. My doctor says it's not dumping syndrome - it's just that my body is not used to fat anymore and freaks out when it gets too much. This developed slowly over time (4 months out), but now I can't drink milk that isn't skim. I'm a pukey person in general, so even 4 months out, I puke a lot (yes my surgeon knows). And all it takes is one, brief session of puking, and my stomach swells up, making me very uncomfortable. It then becomes hard to eat and sometimes even swallow, leading to a cycle of throwing up meals that I then have to break. You do NOT want to get your sleeve swollen. It feels awful when you eat your next few meals. The only thing that helps besides ibuprofen (which is not allowed) is drinking hot water. I just sit there and slowly drink mug after mug of hot water. This helps with my hydration issues, sure, but is a slow method. A swollen stomach reduces me to teeny tiny sips, just like the early days. It sucks.

That's body image distortion for you. On the extreme end, you have an actual mental disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, which can wreak havoc in your life, but people with weight problems can just deal with body image distortion - we've seen ourselves overweight for so long that it takes time to unsee. I can tell I've lost weight, I can see it various places, and I'm down 4 sizes. But I don't see it the way other people see it. To my family and friends, it is a HUGE change. They tell me all the time how great I look, how much I have clearly lost, how great I look. But, my waistline, it still gets in the way all the time. My chin, I can still see how fat it is in pictures. The fat on my thighs, it's still there. I saw the thin me, once. I was 3 months out, and I saw her there, under the flab, the hanging skin. But the weight is what my brain will choose to focus on. I've been overweight for 15 years, and it's going to take time to for me to see the new me.

I don't know if you are a woman, but we often pick up Water weight in the week leading up to our periods, and it doesn't flush out until our period actually starts. I will gain 2-3 pounds overnight (after spending the day desperately thirsty and drinking a ton) and then a week later, my period will start and those 2-3 pounds will then disappear overnight - I'll wake up 2-3 times a night to pee! oh, and I will only weigh myself first thing in the morning, right after I pee, before I drink anything. once I've started eating and drinking for the day, I can't get a consistent weight measurement. Being a chick really sucks sometimes.

Same here. It is Premier or nothing. I'll drink Isopure protein Water, but won't touch any shakes that aren't Premier.

Thank you . If you are going watch the show, I'd go for the earlier episodes. Much less melodrama.

Melissa, the first patient featured on My 600lb Life, is my personal friend. We met in an alone mom group. Her daughter and my son were born a few days apart. We all joined the group as soon as we got pregnant. We supported each other through pregnancy, life with an infant, and beyond. We have been friends for 6 years now. I didn't know her when she had her surgery. But she was open and honest about it, telling the group what it was like, and how the surgery had made it possible for to have her daughter. How she lost her baby weight. We all watched her national tv appearances. We watched how hard her journey was, that the surgery was not a magic pill. Then I decided to take the plunge myself. My lap-band was a joke. I lost no weight. It caused GERD so bad that it damaged my vocal chords - for years. I thought nothing would work. I had lost most of my baby weight, but I had given up. Melissa didn't let me. We were busy with our kids and didn't talk as much, but after my dad started telling me that his friends had done well with the conversion to a sleeve (his band worked like a charm), I got some hope. Melissa fought her weight problem and won. Why couldn't I? So I did it. When my surgeon told me he absolutely wanted me to have the sleeve, that the clinic application was just a formality, that the second my insurance approved it, he'd do the surgery, I said yes. And Melissa became my cheerleader. When my OCD picked up and I obsessively worried that I would fail again (because I thought I was the failure, no matter what my surgeon said), I knew that if Melissa could do it, so could I. And I did. I am down 35 pounds. My BMI has gone from over 38 to 33. I have lost 40% of my excess weight. Twelve more pounds and I have officially succeeded (made national average). Another 3 pounds and I am under 200 again. Fourteen after that, and I am at goal. I know people say the show is sensationalized. Maybe it is now. But watching Melissa, it's real. It's inspiring. I'm proud to cal her my friend

I try to keep Protein Snacks with me, but not for hunger - I will for get to eat snacks! But I need fast food tips too, because I have a five year old, and we sometimes treat him to fast food, and once I smell it, I want a bite too. My two tips consist of this - chicken nugget happy meals with fruit instead of fries, and a bottle of Water, or at taco bell, they have a 'light' menu, with chicken tacos that aren't too bad. Having a healthy snack with me helps, I can eat that first and not fill up on junk. I have to be careful, my body has begun to reject high fat foods, if the fat can be absorbed quickly. My body is so used to low fat that it flips out at high fat. I'll never be able to eat non-low fat ice cream again. Oh, I almost forgot - Arby's has turkey sandwiches, you can just get turkey and lettuce, and even skip the bread. coffee and one chocolate munchkin are enough for me at Dunkin Donuts, but I have really scaled back on DD. My son prefers it to Starbucks, but the bad-for-you baked goods at Starbucks are soooo much easier to resist, so that's where we'll go, if we go for a treat after school or gymnastics. I can be satisfied by a gigantic coffee or Teavana tea with splenda. Honestly, given the option, I'll go for sushi over fast food every time, but my son isn't ready to eat raw fish yet (we'd let him, but he just says YUCK), so I do end up at fast food restaurants occasionally. Any other ideas?

I live near a Trader Joes and I love it. I'll bet a lot of you do too. I thought we could swap meal and snack ideas from TJ's - I am not a patient cook and have severe fatigue from MS, so fast meals from TJ's are the best. Here are my contributions: Shepherd's Pie - the serving sizes are more generous than any of us could eat in one sitting, and the nutritional content is pretty good for a pre-packaged meal. TJ's brand spaghetti O's and microwaveable turkey meatballs - these are separate products that I mix together. It's a high Protein lunch that, unlike actual spaghetti-o's, is decent calorie, carb, and fat-wise Turkey meatballs - microwaveable, these can be added to any dish Reduced guilt mac and cheese - the name says it all, and it doesn't taste like cardboard. Frozen fruit (mangoes in my case) - great for ice cold smoothies Yogurt with almonds - a bit high in sugar, but it's a great source of protein Pre-sliced fruit - cantaloupes are hard for me to slice because of the MS, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to slice a mango, so these are great Cheese! - they have a million kinds to choose from chicken tikka masala- keeps me from going to the Indian place down the street Pre-packaged sliced grilled chicken + salad veggies - great dinner salad So - anybody else have any TJ's meal ideas?

Man, I'll be honest, i hate stevia with a passion. It tastes so weird. But I stumbled upon Monk Fruit - I'd had lo-han fruit based sweetener when I was in China, so I'm psyched it's here in the states. They also have non-turkey meatballs, but they were too high in fat for me. The turkey meatballs are great because I have a five year old, and their nice and familiar to them so he eats them without a fight. Veggie burgers? Not so much (although TJ's veggie burgers are great.) I just looked up the fat on the Shepherd's Pie, and it's 3.5 grams per serving, which is quite low, and I don't think anybody with a sleeve could eat a whole serving, unless the split it into two meals. The carbs were reasonable too. Has anybody used fish from TJs?

I'll be honest, I wouldn't have called for diarrhea, although I was still in the hospital at that point. As a former medical practitioner (psychotherapist), I'm guessing that it is your mom's call that triggered his reaction, that is excessive (but you can't be blamed, since you didn't know). I would tell your mom to reign it in from now on. Beyond that, I would not worry too much. It is possible that he was having a bad day and snapped. That's not an excuse, but doctors are human and surgeons in general can be a little prickly. Don't allow his behavior to make you feel worthless.

Any surgeon who uses the term 'crying wolf' sends up a HUGE red flag for me. I have extensive mental health problems and my post-surgical team was there to help anytime I had a question. My surgeon was an ass about the treatment of an unrelated kidney disorder that became apparent during my recovery (I had to stay an extra week to sort that out), but for bariatric stuff he was fine. His head nurse was a little histrionic, but she's been caring for me for 10 years (I used to have a lap band), so I know she tends to be dramatic, she just worries.

If you take your anxiety meds at night on an empty stomach you may end up nauseous or queasy in the morning.

I think you'd be surprised - like I was! I think TJ's is staffed by ninjas, who, late at night when we are sleeping, sneak into grocery stores, suck fat/carbs/calories out of normal products, and sells them the next day in their stores. Don't get me wrong, it can be tricky to shop there because they have PLENTY of food that looks so yummy but is SO bad for you, but if you can resist temptation, you can make it out of there with success. Just steer clear of the bakery and dessert aisle! You'll gain weight just LOOKING at that stuff.

There are actually TJ's cookbooks - official and unofficial - that focus on healthy meals.

I love the honesty in this thread! Yesterday I had a low-cal but NOT calorie free gatorade and a chocolate munchkin. But I nailed it on all of my meals, and upped my steps to try and burn off the munchkin. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, but now I'm not going to be tempted to stop off for a donut or three when I take my son to school, and the pastries at Starbucks won't be calling my name when I get my iced coffee today (those muffins are nearly 400 calories - what are they putting in those things?!) I'm not perfect, and never will be. And I'm willing to own that. Sometimes I have pizza. On Easter I'll probably have chocolate (no cake or pie though, I'm Jewish and it's Passover then, so no leavened products). There is a microwave truffle mac and cheese waiting in my freezer for the right day, though I don't think I can eat all of it. But last night was 1/2 a slice of meatloaf (95% lean beef), quinoa, and bell pepper slices with no dip. lunch was low-call Trader Joes spaghetti-o's (150 cal per serving) with 1 turkey meatball. I really believe that allowing myself that occasional gatorade and munchkin keeps me on track when it really counts!

Oh she does. I used to be a therapist before my MS got bad, and watching her makes therapy techniques dance through my head.

Okay, so I'm watching the full episode now (I saw a clip show previously). First of all, she's from my neck of the woods! I shop at the same grocery store sometimes. Second, she didn't have a band, she had a sleeve, and OMG the size of the stomach they took out was INSANE! Also, Dr. Now said BEFORE her surgery that she liked to play the victim - she was on oxygen she didn't even need! She won't do a soft diet - does she want a rupture! And someone is sneaking her food . . . I hate her husband so bad right now. She's even worse.

I had some food funerals. I had no pre-op diet because my BMI was right on the edge of insurance saying no to the surgery. After the surgery, I discovered something wonderful - there are almost no foods I am unable to eat. I'm just unable to eat large (or even normal) amounts of them! I didn't have to say goodbye to bagel's from Goldbergs - I just had to say goodbye to two at a time! (I can currently eat 1/2 a bagel, I have it about every 10 days or so). Sushi, even with rice? Yeah, I can have that! I mostly eat sashimi, but I have nigiri every so often. What can't I eat? Grapes: I can only have a few at a time, the grape skins irritate my stomach and I am not peeling grapes! Grape tomatoes: see above Ice cream, whole and 2% milk, full fat yogurt: I've been low fat for 4 months now, so any high fat food in rapidly absorbable form (dairy), and I get REALLY REALLY sick. I had 'real' ice cream for the first time last week (it was my birthday, I got Ben and Jerry's even though I'm not much of an ice cream person) and holy f*ing sh*t I was so sick after 1/3 of a serving. My nutritionist says my body is just not used to that much fat that quickly and freaks out when it gets it. That's it. I only put on a few pounds with food funerals, but it turns out I didn't even need to have them! And as for the high fat dairy foods - after getting sick the two times I had them (I had 2% milk at my mom's house and got sick then too) - I don't even WANT them. The container of ice cream is in my freezer right now (hubby is slowly working on it) and I had to hide it in the back because even looking at it makes me queasy.

I have major food aversions right now because of the post surgery complications and sensory issues, so protein drinks are out, and I am SOOOO sick of yogurt, cottage cheese, and other typical breakfast foods. I could do a protein bar and almond milk while driving my son to school. I know I like the Luna bar that is peppermint chocolate. Can you guys recommend some other brands?