ChaosUnlimited

I think you posted about this in another thread, I tried it and now I eat it almost every day! I take it a step further and put a few fresh blue berries, raspberries, or strawberries and switch out the flavor of sugar free preserves to blackberry or raspberry. It gives you the satisfaction of having a dessert type of treat, and it's pretty filling.

Sounds like a great idea but the cost is too much for only two or three items.

This! I completely agree @FluffyChix. Certain things are triggers for certain people, and you have to choose what works best for you. I like Sweet-n-low for my coffee because it has the best flavor (to me) next to sugar. I drink one cup of coffee (decaf) per day on most days, but not all. I do it for the flavor, because I like it, so trying to substitute a sweeter that doesn't give me that flavor I want will just make me crave it until I get it. So I have the sweet-n-low because it's better than the calories from sugar, and then I'm done and don't think about it again until the next morning.

This! I completely agree @FluffyChix. Certain things are triggers for certain people, and you have to choose what works best for you. I like Sweet-n-low for my coffee because it has the best flavor (to me) next to sugar. I drink one cup of coffee (decaf) per day on most days, but not all. I do it for the flavor, because I like it, so trying to substitute a sweeter that doesn't give me that flavor I want will just make me crave it until I get it. So I have the sweet-n-low because it's better than the calories from sugar, and then I'm done and don't think about it again until the next morning.

I just went through this. I'm 3 months post op, and missed one cycle of my monthly, probably just because of all the changes I'm going through. I had bad PMS for about a week and a half before this last one came on, I was truly afraid I was going to have to kill someone before it was over. (Don't worry, my family survived) Not only did I have cravings for all the stuff I can't indulge in right now, I felt hungry all the time. Here are some of the things that helped me: True, exercise does help fight cravings and release anger and bad feelings, but on crampy days, I wasn't feeling it Sugar free ice pops helped with my sweet craving and need to crunch on something Eating a protein bar that I like the flavor of helped my chocolate craving (I like Pure Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate for cravings) If you are watching carbs and calories, you just have to be careful with this as it really adds up. Drinking hot herbal tea helped decrease hunger, peppermint is one of my current favorites Staying well hydrated helps too, I tried to drink extra water even though I really didn't want it And last but not least, going to bed early helps. It seemed like the later I was up, the worse my cravings got, and when sleep deprived, it's easier to give in to impulse eating.

I have a huge list of things I want to do: Buy a new (cute) wardrobe, get matching sexy panties and bras, go on vacation, have cosmetic surgery. But mostly I want to take lots of pictures doing things with friends and family. For so long, I hated to see myself in pictures, because I never realized how awful and big I looked until I would see myself in a picture, and then I would be horrified and embarrassed. As a result, I have hardly any pictures of myself with the people I love. I want to make great memories that I'm not embarrassed to look back on.

Check with your surgeons office but I was allowed to eat well mashed tuna with a bit of light mayo during pureed stage. I also pureed scrambled eggs with some chunky salsa for a "huevos rancheros" puree meal, it was pretty good. And I was able to have lentil soup that I made myself because the lentils are tiny and get so soft. That was my go to yum food for a long time, it was very flavorful. I was able to freeze small containers to save for later.

The gas will get better from the initial post op stage. Now that I'm a few months out, I have noticed that it is definitely worse when I eat too many carbs at one time. There is a product called Devrom chewable pills, I found it online. It makes the gas less smelly, it's a deodorizer for your gut, it really works! It costs about $20 for a bottle but it is so worth it, and I haven't used it all in 3 months, still have plenty left. Also get some chewable Gas-X, it also helps with the frequency.

Wow, what an accomplishment! That is awesome!

Same happened to me, that's so annoying. Definitely won't purchase due to annoyance factor, lol.

13 days out is pretty early, discuss your restrictions with your doc so you don't hurt yourself or bust internal stitches. I found that in the first two months, after I was cleared for exercise, I was taking in so few calories that as much as I wanted to push myself at the gym, I just didn't have the reserve energy. After 30 min or so of a Zumba class I would start to get weak and dizzy. It was all I could do to make it back to my car to go home and lie down. Listen to your body, and consider your intake and ability to re-hydrate when planning exercise. Now at 3 1/2 months out, exercise is much more fun because I can take in more water, I can eat a little more, and my stamina has returned. Another factor was that I was on BP meds, and my BP was likely getting too low, so now I am off them.

I have no regrets on choosing the DS. However, I do count calories, carbs, and protein, and try to stick with low fat foods. That is my surgeons protocol. One of the reasons I chose it is the success it has had with reversing type 2 diabetes and because it keeps the pyloric spinchter intact, lessening the chance of dumping syndrome, though it can still happen. Research both surgeries, there is a lot of info out there, especially on bariatric surgeons sites. I had a hard time deciding, but the more reading I did, the more my choice became clear. Just make sure you use reliable sources. Just an FYI, the SADI/SIPS surgeries are not covered by all insurances because they are considered something different from the proven DS. My insurance would cover the DS for me, but not the modified procedures.

I think most of the time those comments come from fear and lack of understanding that by the time we reach the point of going for surgery, the majority of us have yo-yo dieted and tried so many different things, only to regain. Hopefully they will come around once the surgery is done and they see how much better you are feeling and how happy you are.

Yes. Just learn to savor those first two bites when it's fresh and hot!

I'm not vegetarian, but after weeks of shakes and puree, I wanted veggies too when I was able to have them. At 4 weeks I was on a soft diet. Cooked carrots and green beans were very good and I tolerated them nicely. Things that didn't agree with me that early were lettuce and broccoli. I don't do any quinoa yet as I can't imagine if I accidentally eat too much and then it expands after it gets to your stomach. Just make sure you focus on getting your protein in first, you probably won't be able to eat very much at one sitting. I'm just past 3 months out and I still supplement with protein shakes or protein bars on a daily basis.

I had a whole range of different size clothes from all the times I lost and gained weight. So as soon as my clothes started getting loose, I started trying on other sizes. I thought I'd be able to just wear a belt when my pants got too big, but I felt frumpy. I want to look as good as I feel, and it helps keep my mood upbeat to like what I'm wearing. Over the weekend, I cleaned out all my clothes that got too big since surgery and brought them to Good Will: 6 bags! I have gone from a size 3x to an XL, Size 22-24 to 16-18. I'm now on my last few items of clothing that I had packed away and will have to start shopping for things that fit. I live in a very rural area and don't have a lot of big stores near me, but had to go to the city today and treated myself to a few shirts from Old Navy. Of course, the two shirts I liked the most weren't on sale, but I went ahead and got them anyway.

I looked at reviews and feedback on the surgeons in the practice before choosing, but what I truly loved was that at all of my appointments, my surgeon was available to me for questions, wasn't hurried, and listened to my concerns. I actually brought a list of questions to my second visit and he sat and went through every question on my paper, lol. I do love my surgeon, he is great. As an FYI, I haven't seen him since my hospital stay after surgery, I usually see one of his PA's for follow up, which is fine with me because there are only two of them and they are both amazing as well.

No problem, maybe BP can do a punch card deal too! On the email, all I received was a notification that my order had shipped, which is why I contacted customer service to see if they can change the flavor before sending it, but by then it was too late to change anything. I did look back at my spam folder and there was nothing else there. But thank you for your concern and for checking.

@Alex Brecher I don't know about anyone else, but I get a BA punch card that gives me a free item when I have accumulated 10 items at my surgeons office, and a validation code to use on the BA website so I know I am getting the vitamins my nutritionist recommends instead of having to compare all the nutritional info on each product. They also have a quantity discount on the web, can't remember what it is, but it is similar to BP's store. Just a side note on BP's store, I had bought some of my vitamins and protein shakes from there, and did a subscribe and save on a couple items. For all other subscribe and save type services I have used, an email is sent prior to the next shipment so you have an opportunity to make any changes. BP's service does not do that, and the last shipment I had intended to change flavors of my calcium but forgot, and now I have a large supply of a flavor I didn't want to get again. Customer service was not helpful and kind of like "oh well", so I discontinued all of my subscribe and save items. I realize that it is my responsibility to change my order if that's what I want to do, but it is nice to get that reminder before shipment. I'm not saying I wouldn't use BP again, I would, just not the subscribe and save service. I think BP has some good sales and deals. When I'm due for more I'll shop around for the best price.

1. Putting myself last on the list of things and people I had to take care of, everything else came first. 2. Poor food choices - fast food, sweets, junk - anything that was convenient because I was too busy to slow down and make healthier meals. 3. Emotional binge eating. I could eat a lot, and rarely did I feel full. All the while I knew I was eating too much, but couldn't seem to help myself, the hunger or need for something to soothe me was always there.

What a great idea, so many yummy things!

That's great! You've got this!

Welcome and good luck with your surgery! I agree with James, especially about the caffeine withdrawal. I went through caffeine withdrawal when I had surgery on a kidney several years ago, and I didn't want to repeat that, so I cut back before surgery.

Well, I hope you get to beta test the new one so you can identify improvements before they put it out. Glad you spoke up! While they're making improvements, maybe they can fix the notification sound. It has always sounded like it gets cut off abruptly, like it's half a sound. Does that happen to you? It was like that on the mobile app, and it's still like that on the website. Not a big issue, just a minor annoyance.

I had the iPhone mobile app but it was nothing but frustration when I used it, so I deleted it. I'd try a new one if it was improved.