TakingABreak

I’m not a “vet” by any means but I’ve had a lot of success since my surgery and I’ve been on this site for a good 9 months. And I love being a part of this community. So I want to say this first, I posted in Rants & Raves for a reason.... - “I’m 5 day’s post op and it’s not working”. Miracles don’t happen overnight. The amount of people who think that they will wake up from surgery feeling amazing and all their problems solved. SMH - “I haven’t lost anything in 3-4 months and I’m 6 months post op”. I’m all about helping but I hate when people post about how they aren’t loosing and then don’t offer any information on their diet, exercise, vitamin intake, ect. And half the time they drop off the face of the earth when you ask them.....SMH - The pre-op diet sucks, that is all. SMH -“I’m still hungry”. I hate that a common misconception that hunger is going to disappear. It doesn’t happen to everyone. But common sense would tell you that, liquids aren’t filling. Wait until you are on solids again to worry about your hunger levels. SMH Ok I’m done! Thanks guys for letting me get that off my chest. Some days you just have to rant. And PS. I know that people don’t always know the stuff I mentioned above, so when I’m not overly irritated by these gross misunderstandings about the process...I’m happy to help!

I'm having surgery in a month, and I've got a question for all the vets out there. Do any of you dump with artificial sweeteners? I'd prefer stevia, of course, but Water additives are very difficult to find with stevia. My program says crystal light is fine I've found some by crystal light that are sweetened by stevia, but they have added caffeine. . However, the vast majority of crystal light is made with aspartame. Any insight would be helpful.

honestly, I feel like a new person... I think it just depends.

Here's my top 13 tips! Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery. Don't use protein shakes before you absolutely have to! I started supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

^^^^ this... 1000%. My hunger comes and goes. But usually I get hungry like a normal person, and I can eat a lot too at times. This isn't the easy way out for all. And there is a cheat to everything in life... this is no exception.

talk to me after a few thousand posts/replies....

freaking guilty... sometimes I'm not paying close enough attention...

You aren't a rando, Magpie

Gorgeous!

Prior to surgery, I looked into the Tespo. However, I'm sooooo glad I didn't invest in one because within 6 weeks I was cleared to swallow pills and started taking a 1x per day bariatric vitamin that is a capsule that you swallow. I wouldn't invest money in any type of bulk vitamin or machine until you know your body after surgery.

Here's my top 13 tips! Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery. Don't use protein shakes before you absolutely have to! I started supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

One thing that I imagine could be challenging during maintenance phase is to balance eating enough calories, but eating healthy food. I'd assume that you will eat more frequently, especially for folks whose restriction is still good years later.

This is such a great question! You will want to determine your BMR. https://dailyburn.com/life/health/how-to-calculate-bmr/ Talk to your NUT about this. Once you determine what your BMR is you will want to consume the minimum calories your body burns daily in order to maintain your current weight.

You are sooo welcome! I'm glad you are feeling better. I know that some people can't take the extra time, and that's OK too, but just know your limitations and listen to your body. Glad you have the flexibility to work from home if needed.

I def over prepared and bought things I didn't end up using or needing. Even down to liquid Tylenol that I never needed... and I'm not going to take that stuff now, not in liquid form anyway. It's a temporary draw back to the surgery, but perhaps you can donate that stuff to your surgical office to give away to patients starting out? Honestly, as far as food is concerned... I freeze a lot of left-overs but I also don't make as much anymore. I steer away from big crock pot recipes and casserole dishes that I know will go to waste. The only other possibility is to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner multiple days...but who wants to do that lol...

Here's my take on this.... I was the person who bought way too much, and prepared way way too much. I don't regret it because it got me in the right mind set and helped me with pre surgery jitters. However, I bought some things that were not practical, and that I do not use anymore. I found that the best containers that I purchased were these.... The reason being is that they were glass and easily used to freeze foods and for reheating. They also don't stain like plastic Tupperware. They go up to 1 cup, which is the max that I eat in any setting (including 9 months post op). They are versatile and I can use them for anything, not just my dietary needs.

Ok, here are my top tips for this process.... and most of these address your concerns. Here's my top 13 tips! Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery. Don't use protein shakes before you absolutely have to! I started supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

I was also very tired for a long time. I remember leaving a whole cart of groceries in the store because I couldn't figure out how I would push it to the register, unload it onto the belt, and load into the car, MUCH LESS unload it at home. I just left it all together. I was exhausted until I reached the soft food phase and started increasing my calories. Once I started eating a more substantial amount, I felt so much better and even started exercising. This is another reason I advocate longer time off of work, because it truly does take 4-6 weeks to recover from this surgery.

At 3 months post op, you should be able to tolerate most foods. I would focus on lean protein and non starchy veggies. If you have room for other things, you can incorporate a small amount of whole grains and legumes. I would also look for healthy fats such as avocados, whole eggs, nuts, and oils.

Today I went to the doctor and weighed in at 146lbs down since prior to the pre op diet in January. Surgery date of 1/19/18. Original weight was 332lbs at 5’4 and today I’m 186lbs. Initial BMI was 57 and today 31. I started in a size 4X top and a size 26 pants. Today I am a large top and a 10-12 pants. I am six pounds away from the initial goal that the surgeon and I set at my first appointment. Ideally, I’d like to lose another 40lbs on this journey. For those who come to this site to look for validation to do this surgery....let me say this: 1. This process does work IF you put the work in. 2. This has been the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. 3. My only regret is I didn’t do this sooner. I’m truly living my best life now. These are my current pictures. I’m not posting before shots because I’m not interested in the past, only the present and future. This is me today. (There are pictures in an album on my profile if you want to compare where I started)

Thank you all again!

Thank you all!

I used MyFitnessPal app to plug the ingredients in their recipes section.

Thank you. I never want to look back.

Well, I wouldn't go that far, but if you found someone who is passionate about something you are... its a win win.