jessgnc

Hey everyone! I'm about a year out from surgery. The past year has been a pretty steady increase in my capacity for food. I know that that's normal, you're stretching your pouch out. For the past year, I'd joke with my husband that my capacity was "enough to eat until I felt like I could explode, but I could still send a meal back in a restaurant under the pretense of not liking it"* The past month or so, I feel like I've reached a slightly larger portion size. I always measure my food out before the meal and lately I feel like I'm able to eat more off my plate. I went from being full after half of a small chicken breast to being able to do the full 4oz and then some of my sides. I'm curious how far out from your surgery you are, and how much you can eat now. Care to share? *For the record, I'd never do that! I just had to frequently explain to waitstaff that I didn't eat much when they commented on how little I ate

Bwahaha! Are we married to the same person? Mine's 6'4 and tries to act tough, but can barely boil water. Don't get me started on when he's sick, it's comical! I'm a year out so I'm back to a normal routine. He's very grateful for that.

I don't have kids, but I told my husband point blank during my liquid stage that he was on his own. I'd sit down with him for meals (we always eat dinner together) but he was responsible for putting something together. He's not a cook, so we put together a menu of things he could make. A lot of pre-made frozen things and fast food were in rotation until I was back on mushies. He didn't like eating unhealthy, but I think he enjoyed his 3 weeks of eating like a bachelor.

I logged onto the forum today just to plug this site. http://shop.kaysnaturals.com They're crunchy! They're lowish in carbs and calories. Each serving is 12g of protein. And best of all: THEY TASTE GOOD. I placed an order and requested they send me a few samples. They sent me one of everything in addition to my order! I've tried the cheddar puffs (delicious) and the mocha espresso cookie bites (currently eating those now and they're good. Not the best but they scratch my itch for sweets). I was hesitant to buy anything without sampling, but these are genuinely good. Pro tip: Sign up for their newsletter. They send out 30% off coupons every week for different products.

I'm about a year out and still lactose intolerant. I've found that in addition to making my already terrible poops even worse, it causes painful bloating. On the plus side, check out Fairlife Milk if you don't use it already! In addition to being a high protein milk, it's lactose free. It has made a world of difference when cooking and eating.

My mother in law keeps saying "you're getting so skinny!" I thank her, but I still have between 20-40lbs left to go. I think she just thinks that because I had so much to start with!

Do you think you'll be able to break up with food? Post-op, you're going to need to go back to being just friends instead of lifelong companions and a crutch. Surgery is a tool, not a magical fix. If you're still going to be addicted to food, you might have initial success, but you'll end up where you started if you can't practice self control and direct those energies elsewhere. If you don't think you're there yet, you should postpone the surgery. On the other hand, if you're just getting cold feet and looking for someone to validate your decision - DO IT! I was in the same boat pre-op. I was freaking out over every possibility, questioning if it was really necessary and second guessing my well researched choices. My surgery was one of the best decisions I ever made and I suspect you'll feel the way once the initial post-op gloom goes away.

I travel a lot for work. One of the most mortifying moments of my life was getting on a tiny plane (~16 seats) and the seatbelt not fitting. I covered my lap with a blanket and pretended to be asleep. The stewardess actually "woke" me up to check the seatbelt and I shamefully had to get an extender. I can't pinpoint the exact moment I decided on surgery, but this was definitely one of the major factors that helped push me over the line. Since surgery, I've been on around 2 dozen flights. I stole that extender so I would never need to ask for one again, but it has been collecting dust. Last month, I proudly took a picture on that same 16 seater plane with about 8 inches of extra room on the belt!

@Creekimp13 - Thank your daughter for me! This is excellent advice. My body seems to have self corrected finally. I've been eating greek yogurt and probiotics, taking meds and added a little more of the BRAT diet (basic foods for the body to breakdown - Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast - so basic carbs) and it seems to be helping.

WARNING: This post talks a lot about poop!! Hi everyone! I'm almost a year out from surgery and I've been having issues. I want to know if anyone else has experienced this or if I'm a special snowflake. Disclaimer: I am working with my doctor for a solution. We've drawn blood and taken a stool sample. I'm just hoping to possibly narrow down the list of issues through you fine folks! I had the DS. After surgery, I was one of the small percentage of people who instead of being constipated, couldn't stop pooping. It got to the point I was worried I'd have to be readmitted for dehydration since I couldn't keep up with fluid intake. My doctor prescribed me Cholestyramine and it helped with the issue. This past February, I started getting terrible gas. Peel the paint off of the wall, make your husband sleep in a separate room levels of stench (note: I discovered the Devrom already. It doesn't make much of a difference but I'm taking it!) My poop schedule also started becoming irregular. Instead of 1-2 times a day, I would have awful diarrhea throughout the day. As the month progressed, it became a constant. I was afraid to fart for fear of gambling and losing. Every trip to the bathroom was an adventure. It wasn't until mid-March I realized that I was experiencing the same issue as I did post-op. (If you're wondering why it took so long, I actually had real food in my diet, and I was able to keep up with my liquids enough to not panic. So I just thought it was weird stomach issues). This time I took Cholestyramine and it barely helped the issue. I went to my primary doctor to try to figure out what was going on. He ordered a bunch of blood tests and a stool sample to test for IBS, Celiacs (which apparently can be triggered by a major surgery) and a few other things. I was fasting at the time of the tests, so I'm not sure how accurate my results are. He also gave me heavy duty anti-diarrhea medication which took almost 4 days to kick in, but once it did, the opposite problem came into effect. He prescribed the medication 2 weeks ago. I last took it last Monday (it is the following Wednesday now). I've been able to poop twice. I feel like a bloated balloon. I know it is in there but all I can get out is gas. Each time I poop now, I weigh myself before/after for a laugh and I'm losing 2-3lbs per poop (which, while hilarious, is obviously not healthy). Then I go a few days without pooping and it obviously comes right back. I'm suffering from awful stomach pains related to gas and constipation, to the point that standing is sometimes painful. Has anyone else gone through this? I'd love to know what they found out was wrong with you, what you did/used to resolve the problem or just how you coped. tl;dr: Bad diarrhea. Overcorrected via medication, now awful constipation and bloating. Anyone else go through this see saw of GI issues? What was the cause? Any tips or tricks?

Ugh, nevermind. I clicked to a different page and it magically reappeared. This was after trying to find it on 3 different browsers and multiple pages.

Will someone please show me where to go to update my weight? It used to be the side bar thing ("together we have lost X lbs") but I don't see it anymore and for the life of me, I cannot find the place to adjust it in my profile!

So 3 weeks ago, I threw my back out. I don't even have a fun story. I pulled my chair in to a table and my back said "nah, I'm going to stay here." Cue agonizing pain. The worst part was that I was on a 3rd story rooftop bar with my friend, 9 hours from home. I learned the bar didn't have a service elevator, so I had to take a few shots to get downstairs. I could barely stand up, I needed something to dull the pain! The 9 hour drive home wasn't much better either. Fun times! ANYWAYS. I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week like clockwork. I'll do Zumba, yoga and/or step class usually. I have now been unable to go for the past 3 weeks. Once upon a time, I would have been thrilled for an excuse not to go. Now though? I'm getting antsy. I want to go get my heart rate up. I want to go relax while doing yoga. Relax? Exercise? What madness is this? I never thought I'd be that person that MISSES working out. Hell, I still barely am. But it became part of my routine and I am getting stir crazy being unable to unwind in a nice childs pose. Seriously though, who am I?

I wanted to pop in and share my frustration here! My back finally was good enough to work out again in the beginning of December. About a week later, I broke my foot. I SWEAR TO GOD I JUST WANT TO DO YOGA GIVE ME A BREAK! <muppet flail>

UGH. I read your post and got irrationally mad. It's the reason I didn't tell most people about my surgery beforehand. I don't need your unsolicited opinion on how *I* should handle *MY* body. Maybe for them eating small portions and exercise worked. For me, I had a medical condition which wouldn't let my body lose weight. So despite eating right and exercising, it wasn't enough. Next, it isn't about being skinny. It is about being healthy. My body is a car. I want what is under the hood to work well so I can drive it around for years to come. If good maintenance results in a good looking exterior, awesome. But that isn't the main goal. Finally, f**k her for thinking it is the easy way out. The easy way out is doing nothing. The hard way is: * Accepting you need help. This one may sound easy but I know that for me, this was admitting that I couldn't handle this myself. It was admitting defeat. * Saving money for the doctor. Going to classes and education sessions for months to qualify for a major surgery. * Going on a strict diet prior to surgery. *Staying on a strict diet after surgery. *Staying on a strict diet and vitamin routine for the rest of your life. So the "easy" way out is an insanely strict diet and major surgery to get a tool installed? Screw her. Sorry, you touched a nerve here. One of my husband's friends lived with us for about 6 months. He had gone from 350lbs to about 150 after getting diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. How did he do this? He switched from drinking a 12 pack of regular soda daily to a 12 pack of diet soda. Seriously, that was it and the weight evaporated off of him. I had to live with 6 months of watching him drink a gallon of milk a day, 12+ sodas daily and nothing but fast food, while he'd preach to me about how easy it was to lose weight if I just put in some effort. Meanwhile, I was weighing all of my meals, not touching carbs (or soda) and working out with no results.

Yesterday I went out in public in skinny jeans. Size 14 skinny jeans which were honestly a bit loose*. For context here, I am the person who, even in my 20's wore mom-jeans. Big and loose, size 18/20s with a waistband over my bellybutton. Truly sexy, I know. I have a stitchfix subscription and one of my notes on things I want/don't want is "NEVER SEND ME SKINNY JEANS - It is never going to happen." I feel like I'm having an identity crisis! I went from hiding everything to going out in jeans which are clinging tightly to me and making my butt look fantastic. I sent my husband a text when I went out yesterday that said: "I AM WEARING SKINNY JEANS IN PUBLIC WILLINGLY. I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE." His reply was "A skinny mini with self confidence. " Anyway, this is a big deal for me. My scale has been saying 200.00 for the past week, but my NSV seemed almost as wonderful as entering Onederland! *I bought them last week. I went in thinking "maybe a 16 will work" and 14 did. 14 might be loose but I didn't want to press my luck and ruin my happy mood!

@Nancy MBGC - LOL! That certainly helps. Mine looks like Andre from The League!

Chaos and I had the same surgeon and I agree with her assessment 100%. I personally adore my surgeon. I did a lot of research beforehand and picked mine over the other 2 in the practice simply because he mentioned something that I had a passion for. He was wonderful though. This was a non-mandatory surgery for me. I've had surgery in the past and I was indifferent to my doctor. I just wanted someone competent to cut me open, since I'd probably never see them once I was healed. For this, it is a long term relationship with a doctor and a practice. I wanted to make sure I didn't dread going to the office. So tl;dr, I do love my doctor! He is professional, one of the top surgeons in his field and really took the time to get to know me and provide me with personalized medical treatment. The same applies to his PA's, who are both outstanding.

(Sorry, website hiccuped and it posted this 3 times!)