ShelterDog64

Two things: a) this is Rants and Raves...hard to see from a cell phone. I'd offer to you that instead of being disappointed in my opinion, that you look at yourself, see if it applies and either think about what I wrote or move along if it doesn't concern you. Your choice. And welcome to the forum

I do miss it sometimes, mostly when I'm out and eating with others. I joke with my husband that one big bite for him is often the same size as my entire meal...it mostly kind of grosses me out, but at the same time, I'm a little jealous. BUT, losing weight has been more satisfying than any huge mouthful of mashed potatoes ever was, and I just focus on that. The old way of eating is impossible now and I'm grateful for the support my sleeve surgery has given me.

@@kjones1 I'm in my 5th month post-op and my stomach has been rejecting meat for weeks now, and I've never really been able to tolerate eggs. I'm on mostly dairy and Beans for Protein, plus using unflavored Protein powder in my morning coffee and sometimes other things if I need it during the day. I don't really limit fat, I'm eating an Atkins-ish diet, and I do lots of cheese, refried beans, lentils, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. Like last night, I grilled a piece of flank steak for my husband and son, to make soft tacos, grilled onions and poblanos to go along with it and made some brown rice. I had leftover lentils in the fridge, so I spiced some of them with ancho chili powder and cumin, which is what I rubbed on the meat for the guys. I mashed them a little, then put them in a high-Fiber tortilla with the onions and peppers, some sour cream and some salsa. It was delicious and I didn't miss the meat at all. I skipped the rice entirely.

I haven't eaten rice (I'm almost 5 months post-op), it's pretty worthless nutrition-wise right now. When I get to maintenance, I may add it back in on occasion, but it won't be a mainstay of my diet ever again. I'd caution you to be very careful eating foods you're willing to admit you've been 'addicted to' in the past. WLS isn't a magic bullet that protects you from the same food problems you had previously.

@@OutsideMatchInside I agree wholeheartedly...the more I drink RTD shakes, the more I hate them. So I mostly don't. And what I liked pre-op, I hated post-op and vice versa. Real food appeals, and only some of it, but I never thought to myself 'oooh, I can't WAIT to have a Premier shake!!". Today was a tough food day, I craved fruit but needed protein; tried a Protein bar, one bite left my stomach churning, so I ate half an apple and drank a glass of Fairlife milk.

My .02 on this topic, it's mostly mental. Seeing a therapist will help you a great deal, I'd think. It's helpful to learn what triggers you and to get some help with coping mechanisms and some ways to re-train yourself to new, better habits. But keep in mind that things will be markedly different after surgery...at first, quite honestly, you're going to feel crappy and not want to eat at all. Then you'll gradually start introducing foods back into your diet and I found it easy to just not allow the bad foods back in. When you're going to have a 'meal' and it's 3T of food, it's a LOT easier to pick something that will fuel your body and healing vs being able to cram in cups of food so that you can eat a ton of carbs and still get Protein in. I'm not a saint, and I'm only in my 5th month post-op, but it's been easier than I anticipated to NOT eat the crap that contributed to my fat state. Most of those foods aren't even remotely appealing and if I DO eat a bit of them, I usually have a negative physical reaction that inhibits me the next time I think about it. I make sure I've always got good choices in the house....cheese, lean deli meats, yogurt, cottage cheese, canned Beans, tuna, etc. I'm going through a phase right now where meats are NOT sitting well, so I'm on a heavy dairy/legume diet for the time being, and have gone back to using Protein powder twice a day. It's not a linear movement forward at all times, it's a back-and-forth/up-and-down as you retrain your stomach and your head. I say this often, but half of the battle is being ready for the battle and thinking ahead to what you'll need to conquer in order to come out on top. You're doing that now and that alone makes you more ready for your new post-op life than many people. Good luck!

@summerset@Bufflehead I'm not going to get into a battle about GENEPRO, they do refine the Protein to some degree through electophoresis but I count a scoop as 20g vs 30g of protein. The bottom line for me is that I can't detect it in my food...that's not been the case for the other 10 protein powders I've tried, so I use the Genepro.

@@summerset **One can always use a neutral powder.** This is what I do...no chocolate Splendor or Cheesecake delight for me, blech. Just not-very-sexy GENEPRO

@@Didjit I detest the flavored Protein powders, other than a coffee/protein combo I get from Click. I have that one and a canister of GENEPRO and that's it. I've given all the flavored ones (chocolate Splendor, for real???) to others in my support group. I find the belief, by the companies that make this stuff, that cramming in Desserts is what WLS patients are looking for almost offensive.

@@Hammer_Down I don't think sugar-free Jello or popsicles are considered to be protein-rich foods in any way, but when I was newly sleeved and had a hard time ingesting *anything*, they were ways to get something into my stomach and they're Fluid so helped hydrate me. My stomach disliked anything warm, so it was great to get a break from Water and Isopure! I don't touch Jello now, but I do still love a sugar-free popsicle, something I wouldn't have considered eating pre-op. I treat it as a vice, know it's not contributing to my health and well-being but I count the 15 calories and am on watch to ensure I'm not craving more sugars because I'm eating it.

I ran into my surgeon at a social event last night and he remarked that I wasn't eating off plan even at a cocktail event, which led the discussion to this very topic. He told me that he turns away probably 30% of the people who enter our bariatric pathway, one reason being that they never seem to grasp the severity of the surgery and he literally doesn't trust that they'll not injure themselves post-op. I was flabbergasted, then I thought of this board and the large percentage of people who've either eaten fried chicken at one week or who are in the 'oh, everyone cheats' group coddling the fried chicken eaters.

@@Hammer_Down I agree to a degree...the sweet thing you eat has to cause some sort of a glycemic response to trigger further cravings. I can eat 'sweet' foods that aren't full of carbs and have no glycemic response thus no accompanying desire for more carbs. I'm less concerned with whether or not something is 'sweet' and more concerned with the carb load. Rice will send me into a bad loop a lot faster than a cup of coffee with a little stevia or monkfruit in it.

I dislike artificial sweeteners, too, but the only one I react badly to is aspartame. Sucralose doesn't seem to have the same negative effect, so I was able to tolerate while I was in need of liquid RTD Protein. Now, I only take it in occasionally, in a Protein Bar or a sugar-free popsicle. Otherwise, I'm using stevia on occasion but mostly monkfruit powder, in my morning coffee. Monkfruit is not as sweet as refined sugar, but it has none of the chemical yuckiness of sucralose. I disliked stevia in the past, finding Stevia-in-the-Raw and Truvia to be unbearably bitter, but I discovered SweetLeaf Stevia and I don't detect any bitterness from it AND it comes in flavors, so I can have a pumpkin spice coffee or a caramel latte or whatever I want. Mostly, I get my protein from savory sources or I mix it in my coffee, so sweetners aren't a big deal. Unflavored protein powder is the only one I use any longer.

Which lemon powder? Such a great idea!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I bake a lot, so I had lemon juice powder from King Arthur Flour in my pantry. True Lemon is a common brand that's easy to find. It really made a big difference, combined with the ice especially.

I have a mini pinscher (my profile pic) and a Manchester terrier They're such big dogs in little bodies, aren't they?

I was on Clear Liquids for a week post-op and I lived on the Isopure RTD lemonade flavor. It was less sweet than the blue and red flavors, I added a bit of lemon powder to cut the sweetness even more and blended it with ice, making a sort of slushie. That took care of the weird viscosity. My stomach then and still likes cold drinks, luckily. I didn't mind the Isopure then, not sure I could put it in my mouth now

@@Hammer_Down Terms like 'bullying' and 'judgmental' are used so often, and again, used in the context of 'you're doing this to me' instead of owning the feeling and saying 'I feel bullied' or 'I feel judged'. Saying 'I cheated, I couldn't help it' instead of 'I decided to eat that pork chop' puts the responsibility for their behavior on someone else, the person who created the 'rule' instead of where it belongs, which is on themselves. How you frame your response to others is SO important, and there are a lot of people in the WLS community who are still sitting around being victims rather than taking control of their emotions and responses to those emotions. I'm a compassionate, empathetic person, but I draw the line at becoming an enabler.

Definitely ask your surgeon if she/he routinely places urinary catheters. Many docs don't use them anymore for shorter procedures like VSG...the risk of introducing infection is high enough that it's not always considered worthwhile. And you can always request that no catheter be placed, it's a perfectly reasonable request. Post-op, you'll have a timeline in which you'll need to produce urine but it was no problem for me and isn't for most patients. Good luck!

So, there's hunger and there's 'head hunger'. At 17 days, you likely aren't having real hunger with what you're consuming...that's more than I was able to take it 3 weeks post-op. Head hunger is HARD to deal with, you have to find other things to occupy you when you're feeling it. Go for a walk, do something, anything but eat... You'll start feeling the restriction of your sleeve once you're on solids, then you won't have to wonder if you're truly hungry or just fighting your head. When the restriction hits, there's no wondering if you should eat more or not!

I think you've got the hard part beat...you KNOW you have the self-sabotage gene and are wary of it. You're already ahead in this game, just by knowing and admitting it to yourself. I'm only 4.5 mos out, so no expert, but I am a champion "bored eater" and I've had to come up with ways to combat that tendency. First, I get a glass of Water and drink it. I often ate, thinking I was hungry, instead of recognizing that I was actually thirsty. Second, commit to an activity that you can do in lieu of eating. I'm lucky that I have a treadmill in my basement, so after I drink the water and I still think I need food, I go walk a mile on the treadmill. At that point, I'm near the laundry, so that burns up a bit more time...I try to occupy myself and wait for the urge to pass. If the above fail, I have sugar-free popsicles in my freezer at all times (the tropical flavors are MUCH better than the regular ones). 15 calories for one pop, it's cold and sweet and generally finishes off my cravings. And btw, I have no REAL hunger yet, this is all head hunger. It's a bear sometimes. The key is being cognizant and then being mindful in your subsequent behavior. And you've got that halfway nailed Good luck with your surgery, I'll be looking for your posts once you're on the Loser's Bench with us!

@@Hammer_Down I agree with everything you wrote, and you said it so well. Indeed, why should WLS patients be treated as though they're fragile butterflies, unable to hear that they need to learn to OWN their self-destructive behaviors? You're right in that I'd kick the living shit out of someone for indulging in one little rock of crack, so why indulge someone who eats chicken 3 days post op then declares "I don't have a problem with food"?? The bias goes both ways...if we want obesity treated like a dangerous disease, then the seriousness needs to convey when people talk about 'cheating' and 'indulging' in things that are clearly dangerous to them.

@@shedo82773 Ugh, I can only imagine how hard it is to have a 'prissy pouch'!! Love that term, btw

@@Diva Taunia **I guess what I'm trying to understand is why there's so much anger and vitriol instead of compassion and more understanding.** I should have combined the 2 posts, sorry. I want to make sure that you understand there's no anger or vitriol coming from me. You're reading it into what I write and making assumptions that I'm not kind and/or compassionate. I'm both, and I feel pretty confident that I demonstrate that over and over on these boards, answering questions, encouraging people who are discouraged, messaging with people who don't feel comfortable posting their problems, sharing my problems and thoughts and trying to be a productive member of the community. BUT, I'm not perfect and I have a serious peeve with people who refuse to own their own actions. So I'm here in Rants and Raves, doing just that, instead of giving in to the temptation to be unkind to someone on the main boards. I do have to say, I'm impressed by you calling Lipstick Lady's post a huge leap, then invoking Ghandi and the Dalai Lama to support your own

@@shedo82773 Anyone who says strictures are of your own doing is an idiot, end of story.

@@Diva Taunia **Being judgemental with each other NEVER helps. Support is not judgemental. Support is support. You're there through the good times and the bad listening, lending an ear, giving the best advice you can through a supportive and encouraging lens that won't further damage someone(s) already struggling.** Yep, which is why I'm VERY supportive in the regular forums. I seldom say much more than 'no, you should not do that'. But this is Rants and Raves, and I'm ranting and raving