Creekimp13

The first year I was frozen all the time. Had an electric blanket on my bed and turned it on for half an hour before I got into it even in the summer. LOL. Am not cold sensitive like that any longer. It gets better:)

I woke up from surgery with a little nagging shoulder pain (had a hiatal hernia repair with sleeve), but I felt great. Hit the ground running...literally put over a mile of steps on my fitbit same day of my surgery wandering the halls afterward. I could have easily done this surgery as an outpatient and gone home the same day. Many people have a rougher time of it. The starvation level calories for the next month is a little tougher (was for me, anywho)...but this passes and you eventually eat reasonable calories again. It was a very easy surgery for me. I was incredibly surprised. Interesting to note...I have never vomited, not once, since surgery over three years ago. I was so worried about vomiting with an injured stomach. Never happened. Never felt nauseated.

I was starving days after my surgery, too. And literally...we are starving. Our bodies are consuming a tremendous amount of calories healing and we've been on extremely restrictive diets and will continue to be. No way to sugar coat it....it's kind of miserable and you've just gotta survive it. Eventually, you do eat reasonable amounts of calories again and start to feel better. You'll be tempted to jump ahead and taste things....don't do it, it's not safe. Let your stomach heal properly. Hang in there. I had insane food dreams, felt weak, and absolutely hated the first month after surgery. Minding the rules is so important for your safety right after surgery. I swear it gets better.

OMG, food porn. LOL! Looking fantastic and so healthy! Great work!

Diaphragmatic irritation can result in pain that radiates to the shoulder. When they do a sleeve surgery, they routinely correct the opening through your diaphragm so the new tube stomach won't slip up into your chest. It is very common to feel pain in the back of the shoulder after a surgery involving the diaphragm like sleeve surgery. It will be better in a few days as it heals. I had a big ole hiatal hernia fixed with my sleeve surgery...and I feel your pain.

I had my sleeve surgery December 5th of 2017, and its been ages since I've checked in here. I'll be honest....after a while, this became an unhelpful environment for me and I needed to leave. Too many experts. Too many people who had "found the answer" and judged others who were following a different path. Sometimes ya'll were really helpful and sometimes you just made things worse. I'm not saying that to be critical of this place (there were times it was sincerely helpful and I think it's a great site, particularly for those starting out)....but I wanted to share my experience that there are times when it's better to walk away, take breaks, or escape relationships formed here that end up being unhealthy. I'm gonna talk about my experience with the disclaimer that this is MY experience. I'm not judgeing anyone else's experience. If it works for you...that's great. I'm not giving advice here....nothing I say will be "right or wrong" for anyone but me. It's your job to find your best path. This is just my experience. I had a terrific surgery. Either i'm really tough or was too excited to feel much pain, but I woke up from surgery feeling great and walked every chance I got. It helped. I had an easy recovery. I followed directions to the letter with the bazillion little ouce cups spaced out across the day. Got my fluids in, hit my protien targets, walked constantly. The two most difficult things I remember....were the liquid diet leading up to surgery. Mine was over Thanksgiving and wow, did that suck, because I was cooking dinner for everyone else. Crazy difficult. The other really tough part for me....were the first few months after surgery when my weightloss slowed and I was like....what in the world? I expected this big fast drop, and it wasn't like that at all. It was a slow weightloss with long plateaus. I also remember being angry because I was insanely hungry ALL THE TIME the first three weeks. Harsh! And here I thought all the little "hungry sensors" in my stomach would eliminate this issue....nope. My doctor had a different approach to what many people were doing on this site. I was told to eat more calories faster than many other plans, and my diet included a lot of carbs....which melted the brains of many of the protien police. LOL. Granted, the carbs I was allowed were high fiber, high protien and unrefined. (Potatoes were one of my first foods, I ate chickpea pasta, whole grain high fiber English muffins, sweet potatoes, beans, etc.) So yeah....I was clearly doomed to failure and killing myself in the minds of many here. LOL. And it's true...I lost weight slower than most....BUT! I continued to lose weight, and weirdly, my tastes changed. And I've gotta tell you....no one is more suprised than me about this....but better food choices are much much easier for me now. I stay away from refined sugar, refined flour and animal fat. I like plant based protien and fiber is my go to. My doctor stressed the importance of fiber and fermented foods in creating the right kind of gut bugs...and I really think he's on to something. Couple of things I've learned that apply to me: * I'm a food addict. I will always be a food addict. I have never met an emotion I couldn't eat. I need to think about that every day, and when things get tough....I need to go to therapy, because it helps. I don't go nonstop...but when really tough situations come up in my life (big changes, deaths, etc.) having an extra set of eyes and ears from a bariatric-familiar therapist really helps me keep the addiction in check. *At some point, you regain a little. In fact, statistically, most people will regain about 20% of what they lose the first year. I didn't. I regained ten pounds and joined Weight Watchers until I lost it, again. I didn't follow their diet, but found that going in to be weighed once a week and attending the meetings with a fun coach really helped keep me on track. (Therapy also helped, bigtime. If I gain five pounds, I schedule a therapist appointment...I know something is going on and I need to act) *I need to exercise if I want to eat the number of calories I find satisfying. I love my Fitbit. I wear it on my foot. In the summer, people think I'm a criminal with an ankle monitor. LOL. *I hate logging my food with a purple passion. But if I start to gain weight, I know it's absolutely necessary if I want to reverse it. *Menopause sucks. Particularly with your metabolism. You might need to make calorie adjustments. *No matter what life throws at you...no excuse is good enough to destroy your health with food addiction. Find better ways of dealing with anxiety, pain, grief, fear, boredom, worry, stress. *Weighing myself once a week reduces stress. I have been a lunatic with the scale most of my life. Get on every morning (or several times a day)...if the number is good, I'd go...heck, I'm doing great, I deserve a treat! If the number was bad, I'd get depressed and stress eat....it was no win. Weighing once a week is much saner for me! *I grieved foods when their taste changed and I didn't like them as much anymore. I used to love Egg McMuffins and Chilli Cheese Dogs. I can take or leave an Egg McMuffin now...it's ok, but kinda meh. Chilli Cheese Dogs just taste like salt and I don't like them at all. Have tried eating them a few times and each time...have grossed myself out. I genuinely miss and feel sad about how good they used to taste. This isn't a perception I've talked myself into...other naughty things still taste great...but your tastes honestly do change and some things get ruined for you and even though this is probably a VERY good thing, it can make you feel kinda sad. And here are some CONFESSIONS! I eat 1400-1600 calories a day now and maintain my weight at 168-172 Eventually, you really can eat almost anything. And I have. I've eaten all my old favorites and overdone it. And felt guilty and stupid. And I've also saved calories and eaten an appropriate amount of my old favorites and felt pretty damned satisfied with my discipline. There might be a few things that give you trouble forever. Last week I ate dry chicken with corn on the cob...did not get backed up saliva stuck...but felt that horrible stuck feeling for about twenty minutes and sipped water until it passed. Corn is my big one to watch...which stinks...because I really like corn. I drink diet pop. Yep. I do. A can a day most days. My restriction is still great...as evidenced by my corn issue. I take ibuprofen now. Never more than a dose or two in a week's time and always take it with antacids....but I do use it once in a while and my doctor is ok with this. (he said not advised for the first year after surgery) My maintenance diet has a ton of carbs. I still get about 60g of protein a day, but I try to get at least half of it from plant based foods. I eat fast food once in a while, when necessary. Usually, I cut a sandwich in half and eat half. No fries. Coffee with cream and splenda. I don't like it very much anymore. Honestly...it doesn't taste like it used to. My idea of naughty junk food now...is hitting the specialty deli for four pieces of sushi and one of those cups of watermelon chunks. LOL. Here is a current picture of myself. I'm not perfect, but not bad for turning 49 this year! Beats the hell out of weighing 270 pounds. I have no regrets. Wishing you all the very best.

My hair fell out like crazy. I never got bald patches, but my pony tail went from being the diameter of a quarter to the diamater of a dime. It was super scary! Over three years later now, and my hair is super thick again. AND THIS IS WEIRD! It grew back much more curly than before! Maybe has to do with the vitamins or something? But my hair is MUCH more curly now, and my skin is better. Used to get little red bumps on my upper arms and legs and they're all smooth and soft now. Again, maybe a vitamin thing? Give it time. Let the butterfly come out of the cocoon:)

You should see the psychiatrist. It's important. There are folks who trade food addiction for worse addictions with potentially fatal results. There are folks whose relationships fall apart. There are folks who have mental health issues that need to be addressed before surgery can be approved. Most insurance plans will require you to be cleared by a psychiatrist to approve the surgery. Most surgeons will, too. Don't wait....call your doctor's office and check if it's required. I think there's a strong chance it will be, and it would be really irritating to have your surgery date delayed while you wait to get in to see the psychiatrist. I didn't want to see the therapist...thought it was unnecissary and a waste of time/money. Boy, was I wrong! I didn't need my therapist until a few months after surgery, but I was sure glad that relationship was established when the time came. Therapy has been an integral part of my success. Food addiction is sneaky!

I'm a little over three years out. If i'm getting 10,000 steps a day (I usually do) I can eat 1600 calories a day easily and maintain. If I want to lose weight I go down to 1200-1400. Volume is still pretty restricted.. I don't think I could eat more than a cup of food in a sitting.....but I can eat about every two hours...so I can still get into trouble if I'm not making good choices, eating too frequently, not counting calories.

Was looking through old posts here and figured I'd repost my old "Chunky Monkey" pic. This is me in spring of 2017...feels like a lifetime ago.

Stopping in for a minute to update with information others might find useful:) Don't intend to stay cause leaving the forum was a REALLY good idea for me:) It had become a daily habit that was sort of obsessive and weird...too much time spent here. It was time to refocus on other things, and I'm glad to have done so. I'm rooting for all of you in the trenches, though, and wish you every success! Hit goal at the end of July, 170 lean mean pounds, eating Mayo Clinic Diet around 1400 calories per day. Yep, I eat carbs. Tons of them. LOL. Mostly good carbs, though. I avoid refined stuff for the most part, but I do eat a lot of whole grain bread, protein pasta, whole fruit, and beans. Went on an amazing cross country camping trip with my daughter in August and continued to lose weight...which didn't make me particularly happy. (the trip, however, was amazing and I loved every minute!) I look a little like Skeletor past 165 and I'd gotten down to 162...I was not feeling the love for that aesthetic at all....so I upped my calories to 1600. Couldn't gain, so started doing 1800 every other day...and that seems to have worked. I'd rather be 170....but I'm at 166 and holding...and I'm ok with that:) This weekend I did my first community bike ride. Twelve miles! Hubby rode, too, and was insanely proud of me for finishing with the group. My hips and calves are feeling it today, but getting out in the sunshine and being physically ABLE to do that pretty comfortably was such a fantastic victory. Total freedom. God, it felt good! Also rediscovered my love of canoe river camping with my daughter last month. Sometimes I feel like losing 100 pounds has been comparable to getting out of a wheel chair. There are so many things I can do again. My favorite thing about the surgery has been the physical freedom and health benefits. The smaller clothes and aesthetics are great, but nothing compares to being able to move as much as I want for as long as I want. It's pure freedom and I'm so grateful. My walking obsession has recently turned into a running obsession and even with 46 year old aches and pains....it feels so damned good. Best advice I can give on this whole adventure..... I think diet is a small part of this equation. What diet you prefer isn't particularly important. The bottom lines is fewer calories in, more calories out. Any balanced healthy diet works. Limit junk. I think most of the challenge is in our heads......figuring out the crazy shite that made you hurt emotionally and made you eat. Figuring out what makes you ignore your portion control and eat when you're not hungry. Figuring out how to fix this stuff and redirect your psychological needs without ending up with another addiction. No one talks about it...and it's the core injury. It's what's wrong. It's what needs to be fixed. All this psychological crap that manifests in self destructive habits...the stuff we love to deny. I hit a bad stall about month three after surgery. Best thing I did....was start to see the psychologist about the causes of my lifelong overeating. I credit my psychologist with my success almost as much as my surgeon. But mostly, I give myself the credit, because dammit, I worked really hard to figure this out. I'm grateful for all the help and support I was given, but in the end....I earned this:) I did the work. Yay, me, dammit! LOL:) Will update with pics after the Bariatric Formal Event (as I lovingly call it...the Fat Prom...put on by my group). LOL:) Best wishes to everyone! There are gonna be victories and stubborn spots.... and times your head pulls some absolute crap on you. Hang in there. Go to your appointments. Get mental health support even if you don't feel like you need it. Don't do exercise you hate...find things you love and enjoy. Don't eat food you hate. Eat stuff you love that is balance and healthy. Eat less. Move more. Gratitude is good medicine. Love your life. You deserve a life you love:)

1. Remember that Bariatric Pal is a business. If you appreciate the boards, throw Alex a bone and actually BUY something to support his business. It's a pain in the arse to run a board like this. Open your wallet once in a while...the products are awesome and it's the least you can do. 2. Don't stay too long. One day you're gonna come to this place and it's gonna be more negative than positive for you. In the beginning, it's a lifeline. By the time you've read the board for a year and seen the full cycle of repetition and mental health issues here.....it's not a lifeline anymore. It can become a kinda toxic habit. Part of recovery is leaving the hospital. Know when it's time to pack your bag and go! 3. Remember that intimacy moves at light speed on the internet....but real trust is nearly impossible until you take your relationship real world. Message board friendships are real friendships...but they're different. Don't expect more than what's realistic, and be careful out there! 4. Everyone is going to have their own recipe for and perception of success. Lotta ways up this mountain. Live and let live....you'll live longer. 5. No person on here is an expert in how to do this...for anyone but themselves. No one can save anyone else...and they shouldn't try. 6. If you're happy with your results, you're doing it right for you. 7. Never lose your sense of humor. If you can't laugh at this board...even when some dork is heckling you....you're taking it way to seriously. 8. "but the vets needs to staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!" No, they don't. Really...they don't. They have lives (we can hope!) and mentoring others is an unpaid job. And again, even your most successful vet....who is an expert at making this whole thing work for themselves.....does not know what is best for you. They don't. You do. Vets are people, too....some are awesome, some are toxic. Trust yourself. You can do this. 9. But there's so much contradictory information...what's the best way to go? That's up to you. And will be different for each of us. Keep trying. if something doesn't work, try something else. Just don't give up! 10. Wishing you all the very best. Adios!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/03/04/the-protein-puzzle-meat-and-dairy-may-significantly-increase-cancer-risk/#39c8a2bc58b7 Note that in this article: A high-protein diet was defined as getting 20% of one’s daily calories coming from protein, a moderate-protein diet is made up of 10-19% calories from protein, and a low-protein diet consists of less than 10% protein.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24606898 If you're going to eat high protein, plant protein is the safer way to go.

So good, you have to try it. 1/2 cup quick oats 1/4 cup cottage cheese two egg whites teaspoon of baking powder splash of milk (I use almond) Zap this in your friendly smoothie maker or blender Dump a few frozen or fresh blueberries in a pan Pour batter over them and cook just like you'd cook pancakes. Flip when they bubble. These are incredible. Maple Grove Farms Sugar free maple syrup is 15 calories for a quarter cup....tastes fantastic! Add some berries and walnuts on top. Enjoy!

Everyone has different reasons for wanting weight loss surgery. Here are a few common reasons. Rank them in order of importance to you, personally. (There are no right or wrong answers) Just thought it would be interesting to see what motivates folks here on BP. Looks...feeling attractive and confident Health...resolving health issues, getting off meds, decreasing risk for illness Mobility...gaining new opportunities provided by more athleticism and mobility Longevity...adding years to your life with decreased risk of illness and healthier lifestyle Romance....wanting to be attractive for your partner or in pursuit of a partner Family.....motivation to do the surgery for the people you love. Decrease their worry, set an example for kids, ability to be more active and involved with loved ones. Others I forgot....add any others you think are important!

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.

Whoops:)

I'm not sure Einstein actually said that, Buzz, but your point is heartfelt. Personally, I have a different strategy this time around. I have blocked Mizz and Fluffy and intend to concentrate on simply sharing studies I find of value with those interested in reading them. Good advice from those of you who have encouraged me to do this. Those who decide to stop by purely to scoff and attempt to control the narrative can simply bump my posts. Or, they can make their own posts. Adults can make up their own minds. Win-win. It's all good:)

PhD post doc from UCLA Professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology with a joint appointment in the department of Biological Sciences as well as serving as the director of the USC Longevity Institute. Dr. Longo is an impressive guy. https://news.usc.edu/135551/fasting-aging-dieting-and-when-you-should-eat-valter-longo/

Most people here are getting at least 20% of their calories from protein....much of it animal protein, particularly all the whey in protein supplements. In this research, a diet comprised of 20%+ protein was associated with these bad outcomes. Particularly if nearly all protein is coming from animal sources. I'm not suggesting anyone go against their doctor's advice. It's important to work with your dietitian and meeting early protein goals is essential no matter how you have to do it. I'm suggesting that as we move to maintenance, it is extremely important to consider the benefit of plant-protein rich carbs, nuts, beans, etc. Eating a diet with a high percentage of animal protein LONG TERM....is potentially moving from the frying pan (obesity) into the fire (cancer). We work too hard to get healthy. We deserve long healthy lives after winning this battle:)

Authoritarianism and punishment seems to be the way people cope....who feel powerless.

Drives me nuts to read over and over about people who don't think they're doing this process right......unless they're starving (I must have "head hunger" because I'm eating 400 calories a day and that should be enough right? Why am I exhausted and not feeling full?), pushing exercise to the limit, lamenting their lack of restriction, suffering for....well....suffering. WTF? Seriously? What gives with this? You know, I started thinking about this today, and it occurred to me that people talk about over-eating feeling like comfort. A comfort habit. A way to sooth pain, cope with stress, Etc. Food=love, kindness. Is there a psychological underpinning to this syndrome that Loving yourself=food and obesity and Hating yourself=thinness and heath? Do we HAVE to suffer? Do we HAVE to hate ourselves to feel like we're doing a 180 from that naughty shameful indulgent eating? Must bad children be punished? There is an authoritarian ickiness to this that completely weirds me out.....that I see over and over and over on weight loss support boards. Where does self hatred and self punishment lead? What happens when the punishment is over? I can't help but think this is a psychological disaster waiting to happen....that ends in a return to comfort habits and a sense of personal failure. The all or nothing thinking goes hand in hand. I MUST be 118 pounds at the end, or I have FAILED! I will punish myself to get to that magical number where the world is suddenly right. Sometimes I feel like fat people are their own worst enemies. Self love...self compassion...slow and steady modification of behaviors...win the race. It took years and years for most of us to become morbidly obese. Why on earth do we think we're going to achieve perfect behavior changes in just a few months? I'm not saying we don't need to work like hell. I'm not saying we don't need to recognize and correct the behaviors that are unhealthy and get us into trouble. But why do we have to be so damned cruel to ourselves? What is the advantage of that? I'm just having one of those moments today where the extremes bother me. I don't want to be that way anymore. I don't want to be someone who eats with no sense of accountability or balance....but I don't want to be a food nazi, either. I want balance. I want self love. I want sanity and tolerance. I'm ok with imperfection. Have I screwed up? Yep. Dozens of times. OMG, you mean I'm human after all? Who knew? But as long as I stay committed...as long as I keep working on good habits, and wake up every day and try hard....it's enough. And so far, it's working out pretty good:)