LadySin

It never fails. You mention you eat carbs...or more than 500 calories a day...and the jealous starvation hangry patrol comes out with torches...frothing and calling for your head.
Well....ya'll enjoy that. I got bigger fish to air fry. With a baked potato:)

Says the woman who "liked" a post of someone rolling their eyes at my perfectly polite post about why I choose to eat carbs.
If you want to preach tolerance, perhaps you should show some and not be a hypocrite? Just sayin...
Would it have hurt you to just ignore a post about eating carbs? Don't people have a right to read it and decide for themselves without you policing it and interjecting your defensiveness about your own diet?
As shocking as this might be....the OP was not about YOU:)
I promise if you want to add to the million other posts here about eating gross quantities of animal protein...I won't say a word. Your diet...your thread....your thing.
Live and let live. You'll live longer.

What I think is awful....is how people here are continually encouraged to do what doesn't work.
How many hundreds of posts have we read that go like this:
"I lost all this weight by self denial and will power and eating a very restricted diet....and I'm so sad and disgusted with myself that I put half of it back on. HELP!"
And what do these people routinely get told here?
Go back on your diet that was unsustainable...and didn't work. Try harder. Deny more.

It's crazy. And it's unhealthy to yo-yo.
There is no harm in illustrating a DIFFERENT path supported by science. No one is forcing anyone to do anything.
There are and always will be a variety of options and opinions.

I think people get confused by good carbs and bad carbs. Nothing you listed above seems unhealthy to me.

My drs advice after surgery was that as long as I get in 60 grams of Protein there was no restrictions on my diet.

Healthy carbs are good and Fiber is good too. Without it I get very stopped up

My medical provider is 100% on board with my diet. My medical provider is also a leading university teaching hospital. If your medical provider does not agree with my medical provider, there's nothing I can do about that.
We've known about the dangers of low carb diets for along time. Here's an American Harvard study of 120,000 people.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989112/

You know- it’s kind of awful to repeatedly come here and encourage folks to go against the advice of their medical providers.

Yep, I eat them all. Love them. They're a daily part of my diet. Sometimes multiple times a day.
OMG, they're carbs!
Yep, they are. But they're not refined, over-processed, or bad.
And you know what else they are?
Excellent sources of plant based Protein and Fiber.
A baked potato has 160 calories. By itself, it has 4g of protein. Throw some vegetarian chili on there and you're in the high teens. Awesome lunch!
Brown rice...half a cup has around 100 calories and 3g of protein. Add some bean or peas and you've got complete amino acids...tons of protein... and a crazy awesome amount of fiber.
Why is dietary fiber important? To grow good gut bugs. Your microbiota and the health of your gut (and metabolism) depend on happy little bacteria. The strains of gut bugs that live in the guts of skinny people....have a favorite food: dietary fiber. Feed your good bugs good things and they'll be good to you.
They like to eat fruit, veggies, Beans, whole wheat bread...
Whole wheat bread? I eat this A LOT:)
For instance.....A lite Thomas English wheat muffin has 5g of protein for 100 calories. This dietary powerhouse has 8g of dietary fiber! Smear that sucker with your favorite nut butter or fruit preserves, and you're in business.
One of my favorite go-to dinners these days...... is fresh homemade wheat bread with 16 veggie soup...and fruit for dessert.
I eat about four servings of fruit a day...and that's not even counting the watermelon I huddle over in the car while hissing "My Precious...." LOL:)
A banana is not "a candy bar" A banana is a wonderful healthy food. I eat lots of them. Hell, I have a Yonanas that makes them into ice cream. They're terrific.


Normal weight does not HAVE to mean giving up carbs. It means being carb smart, balancing, and making mindful choices.
More than one way to do this whole thing.
Weight loss success does not mean ONLY eating meat for the rest of your life with broccoli on the side. That's great once in a while, though!
Not trying to tell anyone they're doing it wrong.....just sayin'....there's more than one way to do it right:)

Extreme thinking, extreme dieting, extreme self denial....is not sustainable.
Work on a forever diet you can live with.
Be mindful, be accountable....but be kind to yourself.

How fast does your hair grow normally? WLS caused "hair loss" isn't really "hair loss" it's just that your way more of your follicles entered their normal rest phase than would typically happen due to the surgery (it can happen with any stress, diets, etc) So now that your hair has started to regrow, those follicles are dropping / shedding the hair they were holding onto during the rest phase. So you'll notice the regrowth in a few weeks as it starts to make it's way out of the follicles.
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/effluviums#1

I start my pre-op diet tomorrow morning. I did "sort of" start it last week, but then had a severe craving for pizza Friday and caved. Tomorrow is the "serious" doctor-ordered start date, though. I felt really ill after eating the pizza. My mom suggested I make a video in that moment, describing to myself just how terrible I felt mentally and physically after eating that junk. I had a huge Taco Bell craving yesterday and watched that video, and it reminded me how terrible I will feel giving in to my cravings. You never really remember how awful some of that stuff makes you feel the next time the next craving comes along. I'm hoping that video will help me through the next two weeks.

I dont know how healthy it was but I made it through the last week with Pickle Juice and sugar free hard candy (Dollar Tree has Werther's and butterscotch hard candy!) I also used the candy during the liquid weeks after surgery. Good luck it''s difficult but You Got This! and just to make you smile at work before surgery one of the girls was eating sesame chicken and I was like please just let me suck the flavoring off...... she wouldnt let me have it...havent decided if she is a real friend or not lol

So last month (7 Sept 2018) I had an emergency surgery because I had a blocked bowel. It happens (not sure how it took almost two years after my gastric bypass, but), not to everyone, but it happened to me. So they took me to one hospital ER that was close by my work. It took them an hour to get me into a bed and they finally took me to get a CT Scan. It took two hours to get any type of information from the CT Scan and I was told that I "may possibly" have a blocked bowel. They needed to consult with a surgeon. About an hour later they came back and said that I had a blocked bowel but that the hospital I was at didn't do any type of bariatric surgery. So they said they would transfer me to their sister hospital that does this type of surgery. They called for an ambulance and my wife drove over to the other hospital (about 5 or 6 miles away). Three hours later the ambulance came for me. The other hospital kept calling because they had a surgical team waiting for me. Surgery went well (although I am not bouncing back as fast from this surgery) and I was doing ok. I was trying to get the surgical notes for my bariatric surgeon (just so he could have a record of what was done) and I ran across the CT Scan notes. It turns out I have a possible IPMN (Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm) (or possibly pancreatic cancer) in the head of my pancreas. Nobody from the hospital told me about this and if I hadn't of been looking for the reports for my surgeon I would never have known. Now I have to wait until 13 Nov 2018 to go to a specialist and see what is going on. Needless to say, I have googled this and am now pretty shaken up. I don't blame the surgeon (he was just there to unblock the bowel, (which they said if I would have waited any longer the bowel would have started to die) but I really think that some doctor from either one of the hospitals would have said, "Hey, you might want to get this checked out." Sorry for rambling on about this, just worried.

@CashmereAndBones I think it's a real sign of maturity to decide to wait. I've had friends who have gone through with marriages just because the wedding was planned. It's a lot easier and cheaper to wait until you are sure for either decision, even if other people think you are doing it now. The other people don't matter. Even more than a marriage, WLS is something you do for YOU.

I absolutely agree with everything the others have said. I will say that I am 8 weeks post-op at age 22 and I'm doing amazing. But then again I was ready. I most definitely felt the need to mourn a few things like the ability to just pig out. Or gulp Water when thirsty. Or any number of weird food habits I had before. But it's a good thing to break them. I've discovered a multitude of positive things that I didn't expect. The actual serving amount of many foods doesn't look ridiculously small to me. I now have the energy and genuine drive to exercise so I take full advantage. I'm completely satisfied with my 5 cajun shrimp. I've discovered new favorite foods (boiled cajun shrimp is to die for) and gotten to play around with cooking for one and having leftovers.

And just because I had surgery doesn't mean I have to give up absolutely everything forever that is on my avoid list. Because both my surgeon and my dietician want me to be able to enjoy what I eat, just far less and modified. My point is this, I knew before I had the surgery that this was a life change for the better. And sometimes the things you need don't feel good. Like a shot in the ass, sometimes it's what you need. And although I could have spent another decade trying and failing to lose on my own. Because I'd been trying since I was 12 (quick weight loss, Curves, Weight Watchers, the list goes on) and done nothing but continue to gain. But again I felt that I was ready. And so far, it's been the best thing I've done in my life. My advice would be to talk to your surgical team and maybe make a therapy appointment if you don't already see someone. You may not be ready and that's okay. Ultimately this isn't something you can take back so I would make doubly sure that you are ready.

I would definitely not get the surgery now if you are feeling this way. To be honest, I had no idea how restricting the surgery would be. I thought I was going to have no cravings or hunger. Therefore, I was so excited and ready. I am 25 years old. I got the surgery on 08/17/2018. Let me just tell you, I am still dealing with food depression. I have no way to comfort myself now. I used to do it with food and alcohol after a long week of work. Now I cannot do that. Therefore, this tells myself I was not mentally prepared for the surgery. It’s too late now. I am stuck with the exhaustion and depression and boring life. I am stuck with this fear of food and fear or of gaining weight back. Still have an unhealthy relationship with food, but now it’s not eating. Ugh just terrible. I was a binge eater, though. Good luck. It is your choice. I am happy I got it because I am losing weight and feeling more confident. I hated being super fat. I felt disgusting after the fact I ate. So yes I am happy I did this, but it sucks at the same time. I think surgery is harder than actually dieting because you have no choice on how much to eat and you can’t have your cheat day because it all just hurts the little sleeve. I am just ranting now Bc I’m tired. Best of luck!!!

I had considered sleeve 8 years ago. Took the program and decided to not to have the surgery.
I realized 2 truths between then and now:
I should have had surgery then, seeing the benefit of it now, except; I'm glad I didn't because mentally and maturity wise I was not ready for some of the changes as you have stated in the first post You need to really be committed to yourself. It's hard to change and let go. Don't do it until you come to terms with you and are ready.
Good luck!

I agree with you, from this and previous posts, you're not ready.
You are focused on what you will give up, instead of what you will gain.
No one can make you want your health, weight loss, mobility, etc., more than you want a pastry. Hopefully you will get there one day.

Yeah, it seems normal to me that you're second guessing this, as it is a major decision. What I will say is that I really haven't had to give up much of anything. I can't eat as much as I used to be able to, of course, but I don't stop myself from having something if I REALLY want it. If I want chocolate, I have a small piece. If I want pancakes, I have half of one, which ends up being more than enough....I could go on. No, I don't eat these things all day, every day, but I do let myself have them occasionally.
I do drink coffee everyday; I do better with the cold brew variety, as it's less acidic, and I use a non-sugary flavoring with stevia for sweetener, so I'm not adding a bunch of calories or carbs, but I DO get my caffeine fix daily. I wasn't able to have it for a while, while I was healing, but I'm now 7 months post-op and can enjoy my glass a day.
I also drink alcohol now. Do I do it a lot? No. But I do allow myself to drink occasionally. I don't keep liquor at the house, because I don't need it that often, but when I go out with friends, I may have a drink. I do vodka and Water, and I bring Mio to but in it, so I'm still getting a yummy drink, without adding calories and carbs.
I really wasn't a soda or sparkling water drinker before, so I don't miss that.
I'm 32, and I wish that I would have done the surgery when I was your age, instead of waiting.

It's completely normal to second guess any major life changing thing you go through; marriage, weight loss surgery, cosmetic surgery, buying a first home, even kids. I know once you're pregnant and about to go into labor, there's nothing you can do. But I seriously questioned am I ready? And many other questions. Some of the things you are worrying about can still be enjoyed after surgery just not in huge quantities. I'm a vape person and no longer smoke cigs but every now and then. I drink a pot of coffee every day. Sometimes (mostly) it's Decaf. I will drink a diet coke here and there. I don't drink alcohol because I'm an alcoholic, but I have friends that do.

But also remember time and health is not infinite. Don't take it for granted.

Many people have nervous feelings about surgery and life after, however the length of your mixed emotions should be a clue to you. When you are really ready you will know.

Honestly I deserve the unkindness. I am going to look into the therapist as I know my relationship with food isn’t good. My first surgery was botched they only removed less than a 1/4th of my surgery. I lived with thinking I messed up the surgery for 3 years. I did everything by the book the first time lost about 40lbs and gained it all back never had any restriction.

I appreciate your frankness.

I'm not trying to be unkind, but why in the world would you drink sugary juice (I am assuming from the tone of your post that this is what you meant by juice) and eat potato chips when you have had not one but TWO weight loss surgeries?
At some point, you have to muster the grit and perseverance you need to be successful and rise to the occasion. Otherwise, all of this trauma to your body will be for nothing.
Are you working with a therapist who specializes in bariatric patients? It would probably be helpful. You HAVE to change your relationship with food and embrace the kind of eating that will make you successful (protein rich).
I wish you the best, but only you can make this happen. As you know, the surgery will not do it on its own...

Yes, indeed surgery is the key factor. One of the things that I have recognized over the years of being in this game is how little dietary style influences ones weight loss after surgery. Back in the good ol' days 20-30 years ago WLS patients were often advised to just "eat like you always have, just less...." and that generally worked quite well - for the year or so, give or take, that they were losing. Maintaining that loss was not so successful with that approach, obviously, as they never changed what got them into trouble in the first place, and they often regained just as they did when doing diets in the past, though usually somewhat more slowly owing to the restriction that they had.
Back when low fat diets were "in", people did just as well with their WLS as they do today with low carb and Keto diets being the big thing. The important thing is developing good long term eating habits that one can maintain forever, and none of the popular fad diets do that for most people, and they tend to regain when they get tired of the diet.

I'm 29, again.

So I assume you were stable on one medication a year ago at the time you had surgery and now you need two additional medications to be stabilized and your BS is giving you phentermine to counteract the weight gain. There has got to be a better option than taking all these drugs. Besides weight loss, has anything else happened to make you more emotionally unstable in the last year? If so, maybe that needs to be addressed.
IMHO, you need a good therapist, good support in your life, good sleep and daily exercise. Psychiatrists are trained that the only way to manage mental illness is via medication and I agree with this for people that are psychotic, schizophrenic, bipolar etc. but people need more than drugs to become emotionally stable.
I urge you to take control of your situation and not to believe that you have to take every medication a doctor prescribes. I am not saying you don't need any medication but it can not do the whole job by itself.