blizair09

I'm not trying to be unkind, but who did your surgery? If he/she sent you home this unprepared to live your post-op life, I would seriously consider that to be bordering on malpractice. Every bariatric patient should know how important protein is post-op. I can't even imagine anyone not knowing that before they had the procedure done. I never cease to be amazed by the things I read on these forums anymore. Good luck. If your doctor is really this terrible, I recommend that you seek out and hire an independent PCP (with experience with bariatric patients) and a nutritionist the same background.

If you are struggling with the mental part of the game this much, I recommend that you work with a professional on a regular basis -- a nutritionist with regular appointments to keep you accountable, and, most importantly, a psychologist with experience with bariatric patients -- again with regular appointments to keep you accountable. I know that it might be a financial investment, but your health and success are worth it. I would hate to see anyone waste the opportunity to lose the excess weight and lead a more healthy life. You might also consider Overeaters Anonymous. Again, if for nothing else, for the accountability. Good luck!

I have been following a low carb/high healthy fat/moderate-to-high Protein way of eating since the beginning of my journey (six month pre-op, food stages, and after). You've seen my posts over the past many months, so you know that I have been super successful (100 pounds lost pre-op, almost 75 more in the 5 months post-op). Other than the early days of settling into ketosis, I have had no issues. The food is satisfying (even pre-op), my labs are great, and this way of life is easily accommodated for travel and other disruptions to normalcy. I highly recommend it!

I love passing certain milestones in my journey. It makes the process much more meaningful. I made a list of about 25 milestones when I first began, and I still get excited when I am able to check one off!

I took off 6 weeks after my surgery. This allowed me to recover physically, progress through the majority of the food stages, and adjust to post-op life. I am so glad that I did it. Just keeping up with the Protein and Water requirements in the early days is a full-time job, and I could never have done as well with it as I did had I gone back to work any sooner. The bottom line is that I would take off for as long as your financial, work, and personal situations will allow. Good luck!

Just take it one day at a time. Nothing about this journey is easy, but it is so worth all of the effort!

Strained Campbell's Cream of chicken soup was my go-to back then. Even a small portion still had about 6 carbs if I remember correctly, so I ate it pretty sparingly.

I have weighed daily since I began my six-month pre-op diet program last March. I am trying to transition to weighing only once per week, but I still get on the scale more mornings that I do not.

I was on liquids for 3 weeks post-op, and I couldn't bring chicken in (in any form) until Week 7, I believe. I eat chicken pretty routinely now (5 months post-op tomorrow), but there is no way in the world I could have eaten it at 11 days. Your capacity will grow as time goes on, but it will still be relatively small. I can eat about 3 oz of meat and 1 oz of green Beans at a time now, but that's the maximum.

I lost 99 pounds (from 397 to 298) during my six-month, insurance-required diet program. I still had the surgery. I've lost almost 75 more pounds since then (surgery was September 28). I have lost and gained 100+ pounds numerous times in my life. The sleeve is a tool that will help me stop that cycle. It was the best thing that I have done for myself. The pre-op fear is a powerful emotion. I'd suggest thinking long and hard about how you want to proceed. Good luck.

I am five months post-op tomorrow, and I drink fairly normally at this point. I still avoid anything carbonated, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Fish, eggs, and cottage cheese are staples of my diet. I don't know what I would do without them. That being said, I'd say you need to eat grilled chicken and green vegetables, cheese, maybe some lean red meat. By eliminating fish, eggs, and cottage cheese, you'll probably have to eat the same thing over and over again. (That doesn't bother me, but some people can't live like that.) You also might notice that your tastes begin to change. While I never hated cottage cheese pre-op, I didn't really like it, but I love it now. I mix 1/2 cup with 1 T of sugar free strawberry preserves and I have it 2 times per day. Good luck.

What a lovely post!

Congratulations! Keep up the good work!

I abstained for about 9 months (my 6 month pre-op diet program and 3 months post-op). Now, I have some red wine or whiskey and Water occasionally. It hasn't hampered my progress in the least bit. I talked with my NP about it before I had any alcohol. On days where I know I will have drinks, I usually have Protein shakes to meet my protein goal while keeping the calories low to accommodate the alcohol. I don't like not eating, so I don't do this often. Right now, we are in the middle of carnival in New Orleans, so I'm having a little more, but I've still lost half a pound since Thursday, so everything is going as it should. Good luck!

I get that, but changing your relationship with food and not letting food drive you to bad decisions is the most important part of this journey. If you want to be successful, you'll quit letting food dictate your every move. Honestly, if you make these kinds of decisions at 3 days out, what makes you think you'll make the right decisions at 3 months out or 3 years out? If you can't do this on your own, I recommend seeking out a psychologist to help you. You are worth the effort. Good luck.

Please follow the plan given to you by your surgeon. Your stomach is healing, and it is VERY important.

I eat 7-8 times per day, about 2 hours apart. This has served me well in my almost 5 months post-op.

Fight the cravings! I smoked for 15 years, and quit October 6, 2015. While I will never judge smokers (I certainly don't want to be a hypocrite), I really am thankful that I got to a place to let that go before I began this entire weightloss journey!

I lost 99 pounds (from 397 to 298) during my six month insurance-required pre-op diet program. It was the best thing I did for myself. I redefined my relationship with food, prepared myself for the surgery and life post-op, and set myself up to be successful long term. I've lost almost 75 more since my September surgery. Only 40ish to go!

DISCLAIMER: I believe that everyone has a right to privacy, and this includes whether or not to tell anyone about having WLS. My question below is merely for debate and discussion. Now that I have that out of the way, I want to pose a question. In situations where someone wants to keep their surgery a "secret," does that support some people's belief that WLS is something to be ashamed of? I'm just curious. I, of course, don't believe that it is anything to be ashamed of, but I could see how someone narrow-minded enough to believe that WLS is a "quick fix" or "easy way out" could leap to that conclusion in that situation. I'm just curious about what others think about this situation. And again, tell or don't tell -- that is each person's personal prerogative.

I agree that no person has or needs to tell everyone or anyone anything particular thing about his/her personal life. But over the past many months, I have read countless posts about people concocting elaborate stories to conceal the fact that they had WLS. My question was born out of wondering if this kind of behavior supports an uninformed and incorrect belief of some that the surgery is something to be ashamed of.

That seems like a pretty long stall at 3 months post-op. How many calories are you taking in each day? Carbs? Protein? Water? What are you doing for exercise?