Mattymatt

I will say this: protein is incredibly filling. I just tried my first protein shake, an 11 oz. Premiere Protein Vanilla, and I drank it over a period of about an hour. I am full to the brim. I was feeling good on clear liquids so I decided, even though it is a just a little bit early, to try some protein. Yeah, I be full .... I don't think I could get any more water down at the moment so it is a good thing I am at my water goal for the day. Tomorrow when I officially go on protein, I am going to have to be extra careful. I really don't want to puke. The next several months are going to be a learning experience.

Isn't it crazy? Aside from the pain in one incision, I actually feel better than I did pre-op. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

That boneless, skinless chicken has a negligible amount of carbs. It is mostly fat and protein. Did you eat it too fast and not give your body time to detect satiety?

Are you tracking your food, protein, and liquids? If you have not, you might want to start that again. This will help you answer your questions.

This is very understandable. I don't like mushy texture either. Before surgery I once tried some canned chicken mixed with brown mustard. That was good. I think I could easily handle that once it's time for puree. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

That's a brilliant idea! I'll keep a pillow handy in case this happens again. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Your doctor has good advice and you probably want to follow it. It's also about getting healthy by developing a healthy relationship to food. It is also about developing good physical activity having as well. It's not only about getting healthy by losing weight, but so much more. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was surprised that I basically did not have any trouble drinking after surgery. Each person is going to be a little different and have a problem area specific to them. I know I should be up and walking but the incision pain is too great right now. At least I don't have gas pain. Good lord, I had to sneeze and nearly screamed. However, I'll take pain over nausea and vomiting. I don't feel like walking right now. I tried but couldn't get my shoes on. I'll try again later today.

It's all good. This is a learning experience and it will continue to be for quite some time. How do feel when you eat food without the breads?

Hey @frust8! Yeah, I am doing okay. First night home was rough because my bed is low and isn't as nice as the adjustable hospital one. I don't have a recliner so the bed was the only option. Now that the anesthetic has completely worn off, yep, I got pain but it's manageable without narcotics. Kept waking up to use the bathroom and then stayed up for 30 minutes to drink an 8oz bottle of water because I don't want to get behind on hydration. Matty is NOT going back to the hospital if he can avoid it.

Welcome to the losers bench. Perhaps you will start on clear liquids and go home today?

I am not a trained medical professional but, if I had to guess, you're retaining fluid. You need to relax and stop agonizing over the scale. I am not even going to weigh myself until I am fully two weeks post-op because I know I won't get an accurate number. You will lose weight if you follow the rules of the program. But bear in mind that there will be stalls and sometimes the stalls can last a long time. The important thing is to persevere.

I wonder why there is such a variation between programs. To me, it makes sense to have a pre-op diet plan to ensure the safest surgery. The idea behind the pre-op diet is to reduce the size of the liver. I think I would honestly be a little concerned that a surgeon wouldn't require it.

This is a good question for the registered dietitian or your doctor. It's not like you've gone crazy over.

Did you get any handouts to review?

You made the correct decision to not put pressure on your son to get the surgery. The decision is a very personal one and by berating and badgering, you will only push him further away. Sadly, it took me developing Type 2 Diabetes to finally begin serious and sober consideration of it. I was diagnosed with diabetes in January of 2017. Finally, in September of 2017, at the urging of my primary care doctor, I attended a seminar. After completing all of the pre-requisites by the end of this January, I had surgery on March 12th. My only regret is not doing this sooner. I am 41 years old. Yes, there is some pain and discomfort after surgery but I know I am alive and getting healthier.

I think the end result is going to be an amazing amount of opportunity opens for you! You will look and feel your best and this is what you deserve

You got this @melsabells. You're doing the easy part now. The fun begins when your post-op. In the mean time, try and relax and go with the flow.

Ugh, yeah that ain't no fun nohow.

Hey @BeautyQueen218, I am sorry that your first bite of food was so difficult. I wish I could offer some advice but I am just out of the hospital today. Let me just ask you one question: Could it be that the two crackers caused the difficulty? Perhaps try just eating the 2oz of tuna with mayo only?

Sorry man. Crossing my fingers for you.

Today I discovered just how bad it feels to drink even a little too fast. Yes, it sucks and sucks bad. Took almost an hour and a half for it to subside. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

As the subject says, I think my sweet tooth has been pulled. I really didn't do well with the diet cranberry juice. I'm doing so much better with the chicken broth. It's easier going down and has a better mouth feel. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was wholly unprepared for the psychological aspects of the journey to bariatric surgery so I sit down to write this in the hopes that you might not make the same mistake that I did in taking this so lightly. When I first started out, I thought this would be similar to the journeys of the other weight loss attempts in my life so I totally discounted the psychology. In fact, I did not even want to think about matters related to the mind. It was the pre-op diet that forced me to take a very long and deep-seated look at the exact cause of my obesity; food is love, relief from clinical depression, and medicine. The realization hit me a week and a half into this pre-op diet that I am no longer going to be able to use the medicine that worked so well. I am a survivor of almost twenty years of verbal and psychological abuse from peers, teachers, parents, and co-workers. Food was what was simultaneous keeping me from suicide and basically killing me. If ever more morbid a paradox existed, I am at a loss for thinking of any. Even the times when I was thin, I always knew if things went downhill, food was merely walking distance away. I have had a range of emotions from anger and hatred towards those whom abused me, to hope and forgiveness. I write this a day and a half before my surgery as I go through a treasure trove of old digital photos of me in different stages of my life. I also went through and organized all of my music. It was something that necessarily had to be done because it's an important part of closure that I never did. I looked at the albums of photos with the two women whom ever had the courage to love me at one point in time or another. I kept them because I was grasping at straws to keep from going over a cliff. I hoped that one day one of them might be a part of my life again. However both are married now, and hindsight being 20/20, they would not be ideal mates for me nor I for them. I looked back on those photos with a mixture of pride, happiness, and sadness. Purging the photos gave me the closure that I needed. Love was possible twice, it will be possible again. I want to stop the cycle of self-loathing. I am not going into the operating room out of self-disgust, I am going out of self-compassion.