TakingABreak

In the few months before surgery I fit in all my favorite foods from all my favorite restaurants. But I will say that I promised myself not to think of it as a food funeral because one day I’d eat these things again, but in moderation. All I know now is my taste buds have changed tremendously. I don’t crave hardly anything anymore. I don’t think of food in between meals. Now, this could change but I don’t miss the things I loved before.

I feel the same way 80% of the time. I seriously struggle to grocery shop because there are times that all food just makes me nauseous. It seems like it’s going away now, but I had this severe problem about 4 weeks post op. I didn’t eat much of anything for several days. I still struggle with food choices, nothing sounds good. When something finally does taste good, it’s only a few momentary bites and I’m full. There is ZERO comfort in food any longer.

@1Mila You can follow me on here by clicking on my profile. That way you can see when I post on certain topics. I also have an Instagram- ashley_lynn_ash. I will say that, I don't post on social media about my journey. I have decided to keep my decision for WLS very private. However, I do belong to a closed group, private FB support group that is great. You can always friend me there and I can send you an invite. Feel free to message me on Instagram or here, whatever works! I did the same thing as you, I cut out caffeine and soda early on and I'm so thankful that I did. There is no way I could have dealt with those addictions, as well as, food at the same time. So you are doing the right thing! After WLS sometimes your body has an intolerance to straight water. Its has to do with the texture of water (according to my surgeon), so I would start searching now for something to add to your water. Obviously, something that is calorie free. I started drinking caffeine free fruit teas with liquid stevia. However, some people do crystal light or other water additives. There is also an app you can download on your phone called WaterLogged. On that note, another apps that are great to use is Baritastic and MyFitnessPal. I started extra biotin (10,000u per day) 3 months before my WLS. I don't know if it will help for hair loss, but I did it anyway. I take Bariatric Fusion vitamins. I compared the values to what the ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) recommends for daily vitamins. I uploaded a document that shows what they recommend. It is through a different vitamin company, but information is information! Bariatric Fusion checks all the boxes, except for slightly low on the Vitamin D. Bariatric Fusion is fairly cheap as well. I take 4 pills per day and a monthly supply costs me $27.99. So I take an extra supplement of Vitamin D/Calcium from Caltrate and I take biotin. It doesn't matter which bariatric vitamin you take, it will NEVER have enough biotin. BariLifeVitaminGuidesm.pdf

@jenn1 is so right! @honeyedlife Everyone is going through this journey because they are overweight. No bariatric surgeon would preform this on someone who isn't. That being said, people with low BMI's also have their own struggles.. Low BMI's will see smaller weight loss numbers, which can really affect their emotional journeys. For someone like you and I who started off high, we will see BIG loss and right away. However, that being said.. I've lost 58lbs, 7 weeks post op and I've BARELY gotten anyone to notice who didn't know I was having weight loss surgery. It takes a lot for us to get to the phase where it shows. Needless to say, everyone's journey is different. Stay strong. Stay positive. We are always here for your rants

What you are saying makes sense but, I'm confused as to why people have stalls when they are 3 weeks post op, I had a 2 week long stall. I was only eating 300-500 calories per day. If by logic, I should have lost. But my body had adjusted to that amount of caloric intake and said nope, no more. It wasn't until I increased my calories and started working out that my stall stopped.

Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of wisdom to be said. The only thing I can say is that once you move onto soft foods this will change. Liquids do not have what they call "residue". Once you start eating more solid foods you will feel satisfied. For me, it was almost sad how fast it happens. I would finally find something enjoyable to eat and 5-6 bites in I would be full. This is why its equally important to eat slow as well. I find that I trick my mind by eating slowly because I think I'm eating more LOL.

Also, do any of you watch Shark Tank? They had an episode where they premiered their "Palmini" pasta. It looks like real pasta noodles, but it is made from hearts of palm. I looked it up on Amazon and it has great reviews. I'm interested in ordering a case.

I eat brown rice occasionally. I also eat a half of 100% whole wheat English muffin or bagel as a breakfast choice once per week. I will tell you that the mornings where I do eat this for breakfast, I feel full all morning and into the afternoon. I think its because its so fiber rich, I'm not sure. I haven't tried pasta, but I usually eat "zoodles", zucchini noodles, instead.

What is protein pasta? I'm very intrigued.

That is amazing! Congrats. I'm also in the same boat. I just ordered my first pair of size 18 pants. I'm hoping they fit. Crossing my fingers! It is awesome that your weight management center has clothes. I am struggling with what to do with my clothes. Clothes are so expensive, so I'd like to try and sell them for something. I'll be buying clothes consistently for the next year or more. But at the same time I wish I knew someone who really needed them and would appreciate them. I'm torn!

Unfortunately, nearly everyone has to go through this reckoning of sorts. I know I chewed up a bit of pizza toppings during my pre op diet, and then spit it into the garbage can. I thought to myself, "What if I just enjoy the taste, but I don't swallow". I realized how pathetic I was acting. For something like pizza toppings to be controlling my life. Stay strong, it only gets better from here. I craved weird things, I know specifically I posted on here that I dreamed of rotisserie chicken during pre op. The one thing I can say that is encouraging is that after your surgery, your taste buds will change. And when you try things that you thought you'd enjoy and you get an IMMEDIATE nausea from it hitting your stomach, that will be the end of those cravings.

It depends on what stage you are at in your journey. If you are pre-op now, I wouldn't worry about using protein shakes. Trust me, you will get sick of them soon after surgery, so you don't want to exacerbate the problem by drinking protein shakes before you need to. Best protein sources pre surgery and post surgery are fish and lean meats. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese help as well (just keep the carbs below 20g per yogurt). You can get plant based proteins, as well, but I found it is a lot harder until you get further along. In my first few weeks, I mixed the protein powder with broth, diluted 100% juice, FairLife milk, and I actually made these 2 once jello cups and mixed in the Genepro. Each Jello cup gave me 12.5 grams of protein. As I went into pureed foods, I did a lot of soups. Mostly of my own making, because so many of the store bought soups have too much sodium in them. The recipe for the jello cups: 1 box of sugar free Jello with 5 scoops of GenePro protein. Makes 14, 2oz cups. I bought the cups from the dollar tree. They are plastic with lids that restaurants will send home condiments in.

After 6 weeks in my program you are free to eat mostly anything. With the exception of fried foods, sweets (processed sugar), white bread, alcohol, caloric beverages, and pasta. I eat fruit in moderation. My nutritionist said that you can have either a starch or fruit per day. I usually choose fruit. I love fruit.

Exactly! Perfectly said. In fact, as gross as this is... I know I've lost 3lbs after I was backed up for a few days! I wouldn't be concerned unless you retain that 6lbs for more than a week or two.

I was told the same thing as James mentioned. Until you get to pureed food, don't worry about when you are drinking. Just drink

I think that part of what @FluffyChix was trying to say is that as you progress into more solid foods you will feel satisfied longer. I know for myself, things like chicken fill me up and I stay full a lot longer. The liquids you are probably ingesting are running right through you, so to speak. That is why you feel hungry a lot right now. Honestly, I had a really hard time distinguishing between real hunger and head hunger. Even yesterday, (I'm six weeks post op) I had the day off of work and I found myself grazing all day. It was just bad habits creeping back up. Hang in there, there are meals that leave me satisfied and others that don't. I just try and eat at "regular" times and try not to snack.

I mean, I agree that you are going to loose the most weight by what you are consuming, vs. burning. But I don't think that is all the right advice. Because eventually, your body will adjust to your calorie and nutritional input and it won't be enough to sustain weight loss. @Rose400491 I'd say that you need to have at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. Getting your heart rate within reason. Age Target HR Zone 50-85% Average Maximum Heart Rate, 100% 20 years 100-170 beats per minute (bpm) 200 bpm 30 years 95-162 bpm 190 bpm 35 years 93-157 bpm 185 bpm 40 years 90-153 bpm 180 bpm 45 years 88-149 bpm 175 bpm 50 years 85-145 bpm 170 bpm 55 years 83-140 bpm 165 bpm 60 years 80-136 bpm 160 bpm 65 years 78-132 bpm 155 bpm 70 years 75-128 bpm 150 bpm

Oh yea, I'd be upset too. Doctor's get crazy when diagnosing patients. I'm lucky to have a doctor who looks at things over a longer period of time. You don't just come in for one appointment, your blood pressure is elevated, and they prescribe blood pressure medication. Obviously, you are overweight, but I don't think everyone who is overweight has an eating disorder. I've had the same problem with having "depression and anxiety" slapped on my medical record. Now every time I see a healthcare provider I think this is the first thing think about.

I'd highly recommend GenePro. It's pretty expensive but, it is worth it 100%. On amazon it is $47 for 47 servings. BUT the key is that the scoop amount is so much smaller, approx. 2 tablespoons for 30grams of protein. I found that when I was only a few weeks post op, I couldn't consume that much liquid. So when I went to mix in unflavored protein powder, the amount of powder wouldn't mix in right. It would be chunky or "grainy". With Genepro, I could still get in my protein requirements with less powder and less liquid. Plus it mixes well with hot and cold liquids.

The home wear is so much easier, leggings work for a LONG time. But I can't get away with that at work. *sigh* Honestly, I'm just happy to not have anxiety about NOT being able to find something that fits.

I was wearing a 24/26 prior to my pre op diet. When I came back to work, I put on my size 22 dress pants, and they have a pretty large gap. I'm not sure what size I am now, but I ordered 18's yesterday. I hope they fit. But I'm going to stay positive and say that if they don't right away, THEY WILL SOON!

I have a feeling that this is why I'm not getting the reaction I was hoping for from friends and coworkers. My clothes are so baggy right now. I'm masking my true size. I did order some pants last night. I wasn't brave enough to go try any on in the store, but its baby steps.

I have quite a bit of stuff that I held onto that was way too small. Just mostly shirts, not a lot of pants. I have gradually been getting into them. The last two days, in fact, I grabbed shirts I had bought probably a year ago or more that still have tags on them. I bought them, they were too small and never returned them. So it is very much like shopping in my own closet. But I don't have this option with pants. I ordered some last night. I hope they fit and I guessed the right size.

Its a great question. I took FMLA, Family and Medical Leave Act. Which protects my job during my leave. My company also pays for us to have 3 months per calendar year of short term disability. Therefore, FMLA was job security, and my short term disability paid for my time off. So I was fortunate to not have to worry about my recovery period. Anyway, I was in the hospital longer than most, 5 days. I had a small complication where my bowels didn't wake up right away. Which means that I couldn't pass gas. It caused my extended stay. But my surgeon's office was pretty clear that they want their patients taking minimum of 4 weeks off after surgery. 4-6 weeks is standard for their office. Your stomach is not fully healed until 6 weeks. And boy, am I glad I did! My energy level didn't return until about 5 weeks post op.

I'm going to do it! I'll report back.