blizair09

Day 3 was when everything started to turn around for me, and the recovery was swift. Every day got better and better after that. Good luck!

If you are craving sweets, try 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 tablespoon of sugar free strawberry preserves stirred into it. It has 120 calories, 13 grams of Protein, and 6 carbs -- and it tastes great, too! I only have 20 carbs (or less) per day, and they all come from green vegetables and the cottage cheese mixture. When you are hungry, just have some protein. I eat 8 times a day, about 90 minutes apart, so I am eating all day basically. In between, I have to get the fluids in. (I take a longer break between the first and second times I eat in the morning to spend about an hour each time drinking Water.) If you do all of that, there isn't time to be hungry! Good luck.

I am keeping my carbs below 20 per day. But I have followed a low carb lifestyle pre-op and I have continued that post-op. In general, it's good to keep carbs low, but a lot of people don't keep them as low as I do. (And others don't do low/lower carb at all. It is a decision you'll have to make.)

I have been completely open and transparent about my entire journey, surgery and all, with everyone I know and don't know, so that makes eating out pretty simple since people know I'll eat a very small amount. My partner and I usually order some kind of grilled protein and I take about 2 oz of it while he eats the rest, and that's it for me. If the place has a side I can eat, I'll take about 1 oz and eat that as well. If not, I just eat the protein. I order water to appease the server, but I don't touch it (outside of one time when 30 minutes elapsed after I finished eating and we were still sitting there). Even pre-op during my six-month diet program, I hauled my salad dressing all over the United States where I was going for work and all over New Orleans when I was at home. No one really thought anything of it. I have tried to embrace the idea that food shouldn't and doesn't define a social setting or a good time. It took a little bit to get there, but now it is no big deal. Everyone pretty much eats and drinks different things anyway.

At my 1 week post-op follow-up appointment, the NP told me to wait 2 additional weeks before doing hydration therapy at my spa.

I followed a strict low carb/high protein/high healthy fat lifestyle throughout the duration of the six month diet program that my insurance required. I lost 99 pounds (from 397 to 298) during that time, re-established my relationship with food, and optimally prepared myself for the surgery and post-op life. I have continued to follow the low carb/high protein/high healthy fat way of eating post-op (even throughout the food stages), and I have had continued success in the 2 months since my surgery (I weighed 259 this morning). You'll do yourself a favor by getting started now. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. I look at the surgery as a tool that plays a major supporting role in the second half of my journey, not as a destination or as the journey itself. Good luck!

That's pretty awesome. Especially losing that much weight before surgery. Sent from my LGUS991 using the BariatricPal App The pre-op diet was the best thing that ever happened to me. I am convinced that it is largely responsible for the easy time I had during surgery, my near seamless recovery, and my continued success post-op. I re-established with my relationship with food long before the surgery, so I didn't have to do that as I was healing and generally felt yucky in the days and weeks right after the procedure. I would never have had the mindset I had on surgery day had I not lost all of that pre-op weight, and when that first stall hit at week 3 post-op, it was MUCH easier to handle having lost 120 pounds rather than just 20 pounds!!

It's funny that you say that about the skinny Manhattan chicks you're around. I've been watching a lot more tv than I usually do bc I've been tired and weak post op, and I've noticed all the real housewives of OC are super into low carb and barely eat. See? We're just fancy now Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I specifically remember a work dinner a couple of years ago when one of the sales ladies from New York was analyzing the menu looking for something under 300 or 400 calories. I thought to myself what a horrible life as I proceeded to order and scarf down buffalo chicken tenders, french fries, and 3 glasses of red wine. Now, I see how much better life can be by making those choices as she did. It is amazing the mental shift that this journey requires and insists that you cultivate over time!

I started my journey (with my PCP appointment for referral on February 2) at 397 pounds. At my first of six appointments with the surgeon's staff (March 3), I weighed 392 pounds. I lost 99 pounds during my six month pre-op diet program, and weighed 298 pounds on the day of surgery (September 28). Today (Day 64 post-op), I weighed 259 pounds. It is an amazing journey, and if you commit yourself to it fully, you will be successful. Good luck!

I thought ketos were bad for us - all those empty carbs and fake cheese.

Congratulations!! Your hard work has most definitely paid off!!!

I took six weeks off of work. It was the best decision I could have made in terms of recovery and adjusting to post-op life. Good luck!

I actually did my psych eval and my one nutritionist appointment pretty early in the process. My insurance required six monthly diet visits, and I did the psych eval and nutritionist in the same week during month 2. I was no where near having a surgery date at that point. (I had those appointments in late April and my surgery didn't get scheduled until the end of August for a September 28 surgery date.)

I am two months post-op, and I drink semi-normally. I wouldn't say that I can guzzle, but I can take pretty big gulps at this point. (But, to be honest, I was able to drink easily very quickly post-op. I have always exceeded the Water goals, and I never had to sip too much...)

I was sleeved on September 28, so I hit the 8 week mark last Wednesday and the 2 month mark yesterday. HW: 397 SW: 298 (99 pounds lost during six month pre-op diet) CW: 260 (38 additional pounds lost since surgery) I put some new pictures into my profile earlier today. It has been quite a journey so far. I still have a way to go, but I am thrilled with the progress so far. Best wishes to all as you continue your journey.

Save one day that I was flying all day, I haven't had to use Protein powder or shakes in several weeks now that I can get all of my protein from real food. The funny thing is that I occasionally get a hankering for a Premier Protein chocolate. I have no idea why. But then I think about it, and I'd much rather have salmon or chicken or cottage cheese, and then the moment passes. I'll have to have them on travel days, but hopefully, that's about the only time...

I had a huge caffeine and diet coke addiction for most of my life. I drank it all up until 3 days before my surgery, but I have now been without it for over 2 months, and my plan is to never go back. I can't say that I don't miss it -- I do and I'd be lying if I said that I don't -- but I think it is in my best interest to capitalize on my hard work of ridding myself of it. I mostly drink Water, but I usually have 16 oz of decaf iced tea with 1 stevia packet in the evenings. That's about it. (I never was a coffee drinker...)

I take Melatonin every night to help regulate my sleep. It has worked very well for me.

I'm scheduled for surgery on 12/19 and I've found these posts (and the subsequent encouragement by the community) invaluable during my prep. I'm expecting to feel miserable emotionally and physically and have prepared myself and my support team (husband, family, friends, etc) to just keep telling me that feeling terrible is normal and I can get through it. Also I know that if I have complications or just normal emotional freak outs, I can come here and the community understands and will hold my hand. These posts are great and no one should feel bad about making them. I had hoped that the initial words of my post made it clear that people DO have legitimate issues sometimes. I never said that they should not post about them; I just said that no one should make a decision about his/her own health based on the experience (positive or negative) of any one individual person. I'm scheduled for surgery on 12/19 and I've found these posts (and the subsequent encouragement by the community) invaluable during my prep. I'm expecting to feel miserable emotionally and physically and have prepared myself and my support team (husband, family, friends, etc) to just keep telling me that feeling terrible is normal and I can get through it. Also I know that if I have complications or just normal emotional freak outs, I can come here and the community understands and will hold my hand. These posts are great and no one should feel bad about making them. I had hoped that the initial words of my post made it clear that people DO have legitimate issues sometimes. I never said that they should not post about them; I just said that no one should make a decision about his/her own health based on the experience (positive or negative) of any one individual person.

This is what makes these kinds of posts so dangerous sometimes. This isn't to take away from anyone who has had legitimate medical issues post-op that have nothing to do with them making poor choices. Some people will have issues, but others will not. I can tell you that I had a practically seamless surgery and recovery. I had one little infection with the incision inside of my belly button. I took antibiotics for a week and it cleared right up. Other than that, everything has been routine. I encourage you to think about the facts. Eating and drinking, as you have known them, will change forever; you will have to follow the guidelines of your plan to be healthy and successful; any positive change in your life requires sacrifice, perseverance, and grit. If you are willing to rise to the challenge, you should be fine. Please don't let anyone's particular experience derail you from what could be a life-changing experience for YOU. Good luck.

Yay! Congratulations!