Creekimp13

Give it time. You're likely still dealing with healing and swelling. Hang in there. Restriction is just feeling full faster. To me...it's kinda like how if I eat two packets of oatmeal instead of one packet (with berries and pecans)....I feel stuffed to the gills like I used to feel after Thanksgiving dinner. Good restriction to me means.....one pack of oatmeal with a few raspberries and pecans and I feel incredibly full, super satisfied, and really don't want to eat anything else for hours. Good restriction to me means....you have a few bites and you're done. You don't mind throwing the rest away. A full tank for a quarter the price:)

My back pain sucked so much when I was 270 that it was hard to get through a shopping trip without sitting down. I was always looking for a bench. God, it hurt. Mostly lower back pain and hip pain from arthritis from several nasty equine hobby related injuries. And being fat. I also worried about not having NSAIDs. Bigtime. After losing the weight, my back felt tremendously better. I didn't the first year....but these days if I want to take a dose of ibuprofen, my doctor is ok with it if I take antacids with it to protect my stomach and only use it a couple of times a month. Regular use would be a problem...but the occasional dose is ok with him since I'm over a year out. I have no regrets. I have so little pain now and am so much more active. I've built up muscle in my core again and corrected most of the problems. Have a talk with your doctor about it. What your options would be, what you could expect. Wishing you the best.

Meh. 50% of marriages end in divorce. It's painful, hopefully you learn something, and life goes on. With really good luck, you find someone you want to be with for the duration. Might take a couple tries. Might take just one. Back when we came up with the idea of being married to the same person forever....people lived to be like 38 and died. Marriage used to be a 20 year or so commitment. LOL However it shakes out for your marriage....I hope you both grow as people. I hope you're honest with each other and try to be fair and kind to each other....even if you're not meant to be. Best wishes.

Really, really good points Summerset. Thank you.

Incidentally, the cool thing about walking, is that you can start wherever you're at. When I started walking at 270+ pounds, I was getting maybe 5000 steps a day and it was exhausting. I added 500 steps to my goal every month and worked my way up. You can do it as gradually as you need to. No one has to feel left out or unable. Also remember that cardio is individual. When I was much heavier, I'd get cardio readings....doing the grocery shopping and bringing the bags in. When you're out of shape, it's easier to achieve cardio heart rate, and 15 minutes isn't a huge part of your day. Now, I kinda have to work for my 15 minutes of cardio....but it feels good. Don't get scared off by the word "cardio"....it's much easier to achieve as a very heavy person. And if you're on the road to fitness, it's just a good feeling.

Six days a week, I make sure I'm walking 13,000 steps a day, and I get 15 minutes of aerobic exercise each day. (Most of the time, I'm able to get my 15 minutes of areobic exercise by aggressively walking or jogging...I wear one of those goofy fitbits...and keep track) I'm fairly active in general. I like to ride horses, canoe, bikejour behind my dog, garden, explore nature, go to natural exhibitions, state parks, etc. Sometimes I barely make these goals, sometimes I exceed them by quite a lot. But these are my minimums. Exercise is the least perscribed, and arguably, one of the most effective antidepressants available. Gives your metabolism a good kick in the pants, helps your bone density and encourages muscle retention and fat burning. It's good stuff! Just make sure the exercise you do is something you ENJOY. Don't join a gym unless you really LIKE gyms. Whatever you do, and however you're moving...make sure it's something you look forward to. Oh, and this is funny. I mow my yard with a push mower and I LOVE doing this. It's a weird thing to enjoy, but there is something very satisfying about seeing all those steps laid out as mowed grass. LOL. How many people do I know who have a gym membership and a riding lawn mower? Isn't that weird?

I think absolutely everyone should consider seeing the bariatric therapist. For me...that relationship...has been as beneficial as the surgery in my weight loss effort.

My advice....up your calories and get off the scale for a couple weeks. Which, I realize sounds like blasphomy and utter madness...but it honestly might help.

At 49, I know where all the bathrooms are. I pee my pants when I cough if I don't cross my legs like a vise. LOL I agree with catwoman about the catheter. First few weeks, maybe. This far out, nope. Maybe get checked for a UTI? Or just have a uninalysis done. The difference in mineral supplementation could concievably contribute to a bladder stone situation...so it couldn't hurt to err on the side of caution and get it checked out, no? Best wishes.

I have hypothyroidism and had sleeve. Because of it, exercise is a crucial part of my plan. It helps keep my metabolism more normal. I have my thyroid levels checked to make sure my Levothyroxin doesn't need to be adjusted every six months. This is extremely important while your diet changes and you are losing weight. Make sure to keep up on your bloodwork. Nothing has been as beneficial to my hypothroidism as 6 days a week of moderate exercise. I lost weight much slower than many folks but I have not regained.

Prestonandme.... I feel your post completely, and it's part of what I'm talking about. This addiction DOES kill. So yeah...there's that sense that only the best advice should be uttered. Because the stakes are really really high. I get what you're saying. But at the same time, I worry that the humanity gets lost, the comisseration and humor gets lost. Often, we laugh to survive. We share, we comisserate. And I feel like there are times when it's hard to be someone struggling in a place that caters to perfectionism. Can you follow what I'm saying? Maybe I'm saying it badly. It's a tough balance...because I don't want my posts to be a trigger, either, you know? I don't want to promote or romanticize the addiction. I know that some folks here have felt (understandably) afraid of their relationship with food and obesity...and a regimented, highly disciplined approach is their best way to feel safe and in control. But I also know....it's ok to be human. It's ok to share the experience with other people. We don't have to feel so ashamed of the crap we deal with. I'm not saying it's ok to blow your plan on a regular basis or succumb to the addiction and just throw up your hands. But I think there is value in being honest about this process. Sometimes seeing a room full of perfection is soul crushing.

There is nothing I find so secretly gleeful....as getting into my kiddo's cute clothes. I feel your joy:)

By definition...the morbidly obese struggle with disordered eating. This doesn't change because we have our anatomy altered. Takes a while to get our heads figured out. The same folks who bought the supersized shake, fries and triple decker sandwich for lunch.....profess to live on postage stamp sized meals and calories that wouldn't sustain a toddler. It's not a leap of logic to notice these two examples of extreme food thinking/eating are related. Disordered eating is a thing. Surgery doesn't cure it. And it's a big part of the work. My big hope for myself and everyone here....is to learn to eat normally. Normal meals with flexability. Normal calories counts. Good variety. Good nutrition. And spend a normal amount of time thinking about it instead of obsessing hours a day. Wouldn't that be cool? Effortless normal eating. Man, I want that!

I think this is why it gets forbidden forever. Lot of folks are addicted to it and trying to drink it in moderation ..becomes a very slippery slope. I'll be the first to admit....It does nothing for you...it's terrible nutitionwise, and your sleeve won't slow you up much with sugary fluids. Sodas just sabotage the shite out of ya, add terrible empty calories and deplete nutrients. (says the woman who does drink the occasional can of diet soda. Oye....do as I say, not as I do!) Incidentally, ya'll...I'm not saying drinking soda...diet or regular...is a good idea. Just admitting I do it and that the "it will stretch your pouch" thing is largely a myth. "It's a horrible food choice and could sabotage you badly" is NOT a myth. I wouldn't recommend anyone drink soda. But I recognize that you're all adults and that adults can weigh their own risks.

Jaelzion, that's wild! I've been eating airpopped popcorn without issues since about 6 months post op, and I drink a can of diet soda here and there. My dietician was totally on board with the popcorn because it's a good source of fiber. She did mention that many people do not tolerate it well. My doctor does not approve of the diet soda, but he also admits it's not going to "stretch" anything. He says he's more worried about calcium depletion and it being a gateway to transitioning to sugar soda again....which I think are extremely valid concerns. One food I do struggle with...that kinda grieves me....is corn on the cob. Not sure if I don't chew it well enough, or what happens, but it's the one food that will still give me issues if I'm not SUPER careful. (need to chew it thoroughly, eat slow small bites... and have bites of more slippery foods between bites of corn on the cob or I end up getting that stuck feeling...even now)

You really CAN talk to your doctor about this. They're not going to report anything and they will answer your questions honestly. I live in a legal state, and I like pot once in a while. I didn't try it again until two years after surgery (sleeve, not bypass), and I only do it once in a blue moon...but I've had no issues, with one exception....it does make me want to mindlessly snack and chocolate and grapes taste INCREDIBLE while on it (the flavor and satisfaction of certain foods is tremendously amplified)...LOL...so, I really have to watch the snacking! That might be enough of a problem that doctors discourage it? They do make the THC transdermal patches. Maybe something like this could help you even if they don't want it in your digestive tract for the first year? But again...the munchies are not something you want while healing, or during loss phase....so it might be more defeating than helpful. Please talk to your doctor. I'm sure s/he has heard the question before and won't think it's any big deal. Best advice on this will come from professionals.

At 3 weeks out I was eating 1200 calories a day. I could have eaten more, but my dietician said 1200...so that's what I did during all of weight loss phase. I found that soft "slider" foods would go right through and I could eat a lot of them. When I started eating food with more texture, I found that I could only eat a small amount of them at a time.

Brilliant! Art and writing are my self-soothe refuge of choice. Music, too. Any good flow activities that get me out of my head a little and focused on creating something....are tremendously useful to me.

1. Get vaccinated ASAP. 2. Yes, your body is incredibly stressed the first month. You should take extreme caution avoiding Covid exposure. 3. Talk to your doctor about when you should return to work.

Staying hydrated the first couple of weeks is a full time job. You have to watch the clock and sip sip sip all those little cups to get your 60 ounces in. If you drink one ounce every 15 minutes while you're awake....you will hit your goals. Pour a teenie little once ounce medicine cup. Sip it over 15 minutes. If you do this every 15 minutes, you will be able to drink 4 ounces an hour. Most people are awake 16+ hours a day. 4 ounces x 16 hours = 64 ounces You can stay hydrated, but you have to be incredibly diligent. Drinking WILL become easier as you go....but the first week it's tough. Sip. Sip. Sip.

Nothing is impossible to eat after sleeve. I have tried literally everything I ate before surgery....but my daily diet has changed significantly. Things I've eliminated from my diet: white sugar and white flour. I do eat a small piece of birthday cake on a very rare occasion....but I keep treats like this super rare, and try to limit the serving to about 200 calories. Over about 200 calories of refined carbs at a time makes me a little nauseated, so I avoid it. It's also a poor food choice. I don't do it often. Special occasions only. (and NOT during loss phase....in maintenance phase) I love sugary things, but a little goes a long way. Once in a blue moon I'll really want something enough to have it....and I have an incredibly small amount and I'm done. A little one inch piece of donut. A Tablespoon or two of ice cream. As a rare treat...it's great, but it takes very little of these to feel satisfied now. And again, it's not a regular part of my diet. For sweet stuff, I love fruit. I eat a lot of frozen banana smoothies when I have a sweet tooth craving. My surgeon's diet had potatoes and beans on the post surgical diet in the first month. In fact, thin mashed potatoes were one of my first foods after surgery. I eat a ton of carbs, but they are not processed carbs. Whole grains, oatmeal, regular and sweet potatoes, beans, legumes. I get half of my protien from plant sources, and these unrefined carbs are a big part of that. Beans and potatoes and whole grains have quite a bit of protien and fiber. (I know a lot of surgeons do keto based diets...I'm thankful mine is NOT one of them) I do eat 60+ grams of protien a day. Tons of fruits and veggies. If I eat rice, it's brown rice for the extra protien and fiber. I do eat 25g of fiber a day, which is tougher than it sounds! There are plent of things you shouldn't eat. You shouldn't eat very fatty foods, or highly refined carbs, white flour, sugar, etc. You know what you shouldn't eat. You shouldn't eat too many calories. Figure out a good calorie target with your nutritionist and balance your day. There will be a million opinions about what you should and shouldn't eat. Talk to your dietician. Eat foods you enjoy. Balance your diet for good nutition and energy. But yep...I can sneak a little of anything in that I really want to try again.....I just don't really have the need to do it. You just need to stay aware of what you're eating...balance it...get the nutrition you need...and keep your calories reasonable. (I eat 1600 a day in maintenance)

This description of the dangers of Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD) from the University of Michigan describes some of the metabolic issues that are associated with sustained diets under 1000 calories a day. https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/aa144561 (from the above link) The following are the changes your body goes through during a VLCD: Your metabolism slows to conserve energy because the body thinks it is starving. A slower metabolism burns fewer calories. To get the carbohydrate it needs, your body breaks down protein. You lose lean body tissues (muscle and organ tissue). It is important to preserve lean tissue, because it increases your basal metabolic rate. Losing too much lean tissue increases the percentage of fat in your body. The result is a reduced metabolism. This is one reason why it is so easy to regain weight after you lose weight quickly. In a VLCD (or during starvation), about half the weight you lose is fat and the other half is lean tissue, such as muscle. On a more moderate diet, you lose 3 times more fat than lean tissue. It is important to preserve lean tissue, since it increases your resting metabolic rate. Mineral and electrolyte imbalances can occur. These imbalances can be life-threatening. This is the reason these VLCDs must only be used under a health professional's supervision. Bone mass is lost. This is more risky for women, because they diet more often than men, and they are also at higher risk for osteoporosis.

Yasso bars and whipped greek yogurt helped me. Soups made with bone broth could be a nice change. Two weeks out, my favorite things were cream of wheat and thinned refried beans or thinned mashed potatoes or pureed potatoe soup. Plant protien in beans and potatoes made a nice break from all the milk protien in the shakes. Some nutritionists will frown on carbs, however. Mine did not. Wishing you the best.

Woot! Nice work:)

Gotta replace the comfort habit....with a new comfort habit....while avoiding crossover addiction. Very easy to get in trouble with spending, intimacy addiction, gambling, alcohol, drugs, (obsessive dieting, obsessive exercize, obsessive internet use) Jaelzion has an awesome comfort habit...coffee, and a little alone time to think/relax/refocus. I like baths, walks, light funny TV, calling my bestie, playing with my pooch, gardening. I also love a cup of coffee and a sit on the porch. OP...it's a terrific question and the root of regain. It's a huge part of the work. Thanks for bringing it up.