Daisee68

@@cindyw41 - do you have thyroid issues? Could you be hypothyroid? Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

I agree with @@Inner Surfer Girl. You need to see a nutritionist ASAP. You seem to be missing her point. You have to have Protein to heal and the post-op diet is high protein and relatively low carb (at least in the early stages). FYI, the Premier Protein ready made drink is 11 oz and you should be able to drink 2 of these per day in addition to the food you are getting. Please do not try to sustain yourself on less than 1 protein shake per day and a bowl of soup. it is not healthy. The goal of this is to get HEALTHY not just lose weight and maintain that for a lifetime. You cannot maintain on 500 calories a day for lifetime.

So sorry you are having this trouble but so glad you listened to your body! Drs dismiss us all too often and I too am glad you persisted and insisted something be done.

So every once in a while, my therapist says something that really hits home with me and she said something yesterday that has been rumbling around in my head since then and thought I would share. I have a food addiction. Specifically to crunchy salty treats - Cheezits, Cheetos, Ruffles Potato chips, etc. I still on occasion binge on these items (and yes it is possible because these things crunch up in to tiny pieces). I lie to myself and say I will portion them out and eat them in reasonable portions and I always start that way, but in the end, I always grab the bag/box and finish them off. Sometimes I feel sick from it. Sometimes I don't. I don't want to do this, but yet probably once every 2 or 3 weeks, I do this. (I am 11 months post-op for those curious.) (Please don't post and lecture me about this. I know it is an issue and I am working on it. That is not the purpose of this post.) Anyway, as my therapist and I were talking about this, she asked me to describe how I felt when I am approaching the snack aisle at the grocery store or the snack aisle at the gas station (when I am on a road trip for example) and after thinking about it, I answered "anxiety". What I mean is, I start feeling how much I want those Snacks and yet how much I don't need them and how I am going to be strong enough to avoid them. She said "Think of the addiction as an outside force. This is something coming from outside of you and you need a strategy to overcome that voice. Some people come to me who have worked for months and months on just sheer willpower and come in completely exhausted. They just cannot fight with sheer willpower anymore." The exhaustion part of that statement is something I keep thinking about. How many of us did Weight Watchers or Atkins or South Beach or whatever diet and we did SO well but one day, we were just so exhausted with counting our points or our carbs and just gave in to the exhaustion and grabbed what we wanted, and then the next day and the next day and the next thing we knew we couldn't get back on track? All along in this journey, I have feared maintenance. I mean I have lost weight before only to gain it back and then some. But she said to me I needed a mind shift. Don't live in this sheer willpower stage. It won't work. Understand that I have an addiction which comes from outside of me and figure out how to defeat it. My specific plan we came up with - when I am approaching that aisle and hear (or feel) that desire for the food, OUTLOUD say NO! (Ok, not so loud that others stare at me, but you see what I am saying) And then replace the thoughts with music - something to drown out the voice until the urge passes. She said to turn around and leave if I had to. I said "leave the grocery store if I am not through shopping?" and she said "absolutely - if you just cannot deal with it at that time, then leave. Leave your cart there or just checkout with what you have. You can come back later." I haven't had to put this in to practice yet, but I have been thinking about music to put on my phone to get me through that (or that I can sing in my head). A theme song if you will to get me past it. Eventually this will all become a little easier - a little farther between the cravings. It already has - otherwise I wouldn't be down 141 pounds. I hope I defeat him completely someday. I am not sure if I will. For now the addict monster is still there and I am learning how to defeat him and wear him down a little at a time....

@@Beck90 LOL! You need to get remeasured. The bra hurts because you are wearing the wrong size.... Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@lorelai - drs and NUTs aren't very clear on this but they do not expect you to get in all your fluids and Protein on day 1. It takes time because of the swelling. I think I was lucky to get 40oz of Fluid and 40g protein for the first week and then it gets easier. Do the best you can. Concentrate on fluids the most (and if you can get fluids with protein , you knock out 2 birds with 2 stones). Hang in there! Set a timer to remind you to sip every 5 minutes and then take tiny sips. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

7 days and 12 pounds Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

I did the same at work and was lucky to receive nothing but support and compliments. I wish the same for you! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@lhorenblas - I am in DFW area. I had bypass 11 months ago (not sleeve) but happy to help as much as I can. Feel free to PM me but definitely hang around this site. There is a lot if great info here. And most of us had the "what have I done" feeling early on so don't panic. It is a totally normal feeling. Hang in there! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@lhorenblas - I am in DFW area. I had bypass 11 months ago (not sleeve) but happy to help as much as I can. Feel free to PM me but definitely hang around this site. There is a lot if great info here. And most of us had the "what have I done" feeling early on so don't panic. It is a totally normal feeling. Hang in there! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@LisaMergs - Congrats! I am looking forward (well sort of) to hauling mulch myself this year. I did it a few years ago and seriously nearly passed out many times. And had to do it over several days (it was about 50 bags). Hoping it will be much easier this time around! Mowing the lawn certainly is!

I don't think those patients go through insurance for the WLS and barely any insurance covers skin removal so there would be no need to go through insurance if they don't cover it. (Most folks on this board do plastics as self-pay.) And yes, I think the production (or someone) pays for this. One of them said on one I was watching today that "Dr. Now put us up in an apartment". Unlikely that it was Dr. Now himself but it appears to be the same apartment that many of these patients go to. I don't think I have seen one yet that actually lived in Houston, TX where the show was filmed (before coming to Dr. Now that is). I could be wrong, but it appears many of these folks (if they have insurance) are on medicare,, medicade and/or on disability.

I did not use Dr. Nick but had a friend who did with same route as you. He is an excellent surgeon; HOWEVER, just because you do not HAVE to go through nutrition and therapy, you really should do it. My friend did not - successfully lost about 30 pounds in the first 4 or 5 months and then that was it and she has been eating normal foods since then and of course no loss (and she is about 13 months out). I strongly encourage you to seek out all the resources that go with the surgery. This isn't like getting your gallbladder (or other body part) removed. It is something that helps you but is only a tool (as you will read here many times) and without the other tools, you are less likely to succeed. Just my 2 cents....

Well, I think I must have been wearing the wrong size pre-op because I was a 46C but now that the band size has gone down, the cup size has gone up. The girls have definitely gotten smaller and longer, and I have to "stuff" the bra to try and fill in the gapping / loss of volume at the top but going down in cup size (or even different types of bras) does not work. I am now in a 36DD.

Congrats!!

There is an ad on this site for Insure Nutrition. I haven't used them but I believe some on here have. You might contact them and see what help they can offer.

@@Babbs - I did notice that and wondered exactly what he meant.

@@CharlotteKat - Interesting information. Sorry you are going through this though. Hope this all clears your problem quickly!!

I think I tried to do 4 ounces at a time only for maybe twice a day? If you are drinking it really slowly, any more than 4 ounces gets cold (and it would take me 30 minutes to an hour to get down those 4 ounces).

That is what I was going to say @@Inner Surfer Girl - we aren't talking about cosmetic procedures (just look at the stitches he does - nothing cosmetic or pretty about that!). Looks like Dr. Now agrees to do some on people with very serious skin (as you say in the form of masses) so that they can be more active. It's not like a tummy tuck or arm lift - at least not the early stages he is talking about.

It seems to be different for everyone. Sometimes I get hiccups. Sometimes I burp. Sometimes I get a runny nose. But mostly I just try to stop when I start to feel a little pressure just below my breasts. NOT sharp pain (that is too far). Just a tiny bit of pressure. I too had complications early on (stricture), so I progressed with foods slower as you did @@Mrs. Lincoln so I understand the hesitancy. Best thing you can do is measure it out and stick to the 30 minute max rule. In the beginning, I stopped after 20 minutes. You will learn. I promise. it just takes time to understand the new feelings (and frankly a little trial and error of going too far will keep you from doin it in the future - sometimes - I did it again just last week and I am 11 months post-op....)

@@shamale - Pain meds can often make you nauseous (even non-WLS patients). Couple of suggestions - make sure you have a little Protein shake (or whatever food you are allowed to consume) and maybe try only taking 1/2 the dose? You can even take 1/2 the dose with a small dose of children's liquid Tylenol. (ONLY do this if you only take 1/2 of the Norco dose as Norco also has Tylenol in it and you don't want too much Tylenol). If that still makes you nauseas, ask your dr to prescribe Zofran (sublinqual so it melts under your tongue) and you can take the Zofran with or slightly before the pain med to prevent the nausea. If all of that doesn't work, you can try different pain meds like Tramadol (not near as strong though). Good luck! Don't be afraid to call the dr if you need to!

@@cal2okl - Glad my post gave you hope. 57 pounds in 7 months is really good! Also note that I am considerably taller (5'10") and had bypass (instead of sleeve - and bypass patients sometimes lose a little faster). I promise it will all add up! Just stay on task and keep your eye on the prize!

@@NikkiDoc - that is actually a pretty good idea! That is what I do when I get a diet soda (yea, yea, I know....) A few sips to satisfy then I throw it in the trash.

@@Beck90 - Aren't you so glad you started this topic? I certainly am! It makes me feel less guilty about occasionally choosing carbonation (and straws...) Personally I stick with iced tea (unsweet) most of the time which may also be a no-no given the caffeine but it is the only caffeine I have all day, so I justify it.... But there is nothing like that occasional first sip of those ice cold bubbles!