Lyngolean

I would love to hear from others who struggle with eating too much sugar and how you manage that. For now, I'm sticking with abstaining from eating desserts, but I continue to hope for achieving the ability to eat sweets in moderation. I'm wondering if anyone has found it possible to do so, but in light of having been a person who has a long history of sweets being a slippery slope- have some, want more and more and more. It has every feature of alcoholism, but the substance is desserts, not alcohol.

Summerset, you are absolutely correct. That was part of my logic- feeling that part of me was fighting against myself with the proverbial cookie jar on the tippy top shelf and wanting it all the more because of that. I just hope this approach continues to work for me. Intuitive eating is my goal indeed. I used to eat that way for the first 25 years of my life (or so) and manage my weight just fine. I figure if I did it before, I can do it again.

My surgeon relayed that it could be done as same day surgery also, about the same risks as a gall bladder removal which is typically same day as long as it's done laproscopically (and not open). My surgeon prefers patients stay overnight due to feeling that managing the symptoms post op can be tricky, and the nurses do a good job of helping you figure out how to manage your pain and stay hydrated and any other things that might come up that first night. I have to say I had a great experience and was happy to have the watchful eyes of the nursing staff. I am biased though as I am a nurse myself.

Did you try derma rolling? Would love to hear your thoughts about it. Having stretchmarks myself and would love to have another strategy other than "ignore them".

Bearly, How are you doing?

I love hearing what others are doing to manage this issue and also from people who post that they can relate. Makes me feel less alone with this struggle. My latest approach with trying to eat sweets in moderation is that I bought 5 kinds of high quality sweets that I really like and consider worth the calories, and put them in a spot just for me (so as not to have to worry about eating them before others have eaten them). I set out the guideline for myself that I can have a portion size around 100 calories, but only in the evening. I find that if I have sweets earlier in the day, I just keep wanting more. In the evening, I am able to enjoy having the sweet, but my portion is less of a struggle to limit it to one portion. For whatever reason, of the 3 days I've been doing this new approach, 2 nights I haven't even wanted my sweet treat. Crossing my fingers that this approach works...

Megan (and any interested others), the Methodist Bariatric Support Group meetings occur the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month on the second floor of the Meadowbrook Building, in the lobby of the General Surgery Department (which is where bariatric patients are seen). It's free, and runs 5:30-6:30. The group is usually quite large and more of an educational forum on at least half the meetings with a speaker. Meetings are free and comprised of people at all points along the journey (considering surgery to many years post-op). The address for the building is 3931 Louisiana Ave. S. Closest parking is the orange ramp. With validated parking (bring your ticket with you to stamp), is $4. You can park for free and walk from one of the surface lots around the hospital also. I would love to look for you at a meeting and be sure to connect.

jrobin13, I was just reviewing old posts and noticed that after 4 days post op I stopped waking up from pain and was able to start going longer than 4 hours between doses of Tylenol. Every person is different though. What is feeling crummy to you? The first week is definitely the worst, and then advancing to each new food stage I remember being very welcome! (clear liquids to full, to purees, to soft). It all gets better and better, and when you start to feel so good from dropping all that weight behind you, you feel MARVELOUS! My son pointed out to me when I hit 80 pounds of weight loss that that is what an aluminum canoe weighs. So glad my portaging days are done!!!

Kickbutt, Sorry to hear you are feeling so tired. I remember being pretty tired for the first 6 weeks post op. Also, I took 3 weeks off work, and am really glad I had all that time to focus on myself and my healing. It wasn't until after 6 weeks that I had energy to even THINK about doing anything beyond normal self-care (personal hygiene, meals), paid work, and exercise on a daily basis. I remember my sister having had an appendectomy and asking her surgeon at her post op check up why she was so tired. He commented that surgery is surgery, and it's a trauma to the body, and it takes a lot of rest and time for the body to return to normal. Please be gentle with yourself and take good care of you!

How are you doing, Frust8?

Katbad, I don't know how it is that I'm just seeing your post now. How are you doing?! Would love to hear an update. Also, would love to meet up at the Methodist support group if you're interested/able. 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month 5:30-6:30. Meets in the lobby of the clinic. Also, if you have interest, there is a strengthening group that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at the hospital's gym. Let me know if you'd like details. It's a small group, (2-5 people usually) so plenty of attention to making sure form is good to prevent injuries and all are bariatric patients, so lots to talk about as we get stronger.

I'm so glad to meet people from Minnesota on here! I'm a bit more than 5 months post op. Had a sleeve done at Park Nicollet/Methodist by Dr. Grish Luthra. I couldn't be happier. A few thoughts for folks struggling with protein intake early after surgery, my nutritionist recommended Fairlife milk which has 13g protein per 8 oz. It also has fewer carbs than regular milk and tastes the same (at least to me). In any event, I found protein shakes to be more tolerable if I added milk to them. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I have heard of people who mix coffee with their protein shakes. Oikos Triple Zero Greek yogurt has a good amount of protein without a lot of added sugar. It would be a lot of fun to organize a get together. Anyone interested? Maybe meet at a coffee place? I'm in St. Louis Park. Musical Kate is in St. Paul. Where is everyone else?

This is a fascinating topic to me. I have a friend who seems to be distancing herself from me since surgery. She won't talk about what's bothering her, but I can only imagine my WLS is an issue as it is one of the things we used to commiserate about regularly. I have another friend who was unsupportive of WLS who hasnt asked a thing about it nor seen me since surgery. Not much of a friend apparently, so better off knowing that now. I think it's interesting when people won't acknowledge the huge amount of weight I've lost in the past 5 months. It is freaking obvious, but I suspect some people just don't know how to broach the subject and/or are fearful of saying something to hurt my feelings or make things awkward, so they just don't. I have a sister who lost a good amount of weight in her 30's who said she had unwelcome attention from men when she became thinner. She was no longer invisible. Glad I'm not the only one.

No strange smells or injections here. Very interesting all the variations of peoples' experiences you learn about here. You just don't know what your path will hold in store until you get there...

I see my nutritionist tomorrow. It's clear they don't really get it. One told me that eating sugar in moderation is a skill, and to practice having one bite. That worked when I was pretty fresh after surgery. More than a bite made me feel pretty sick, but that has passed. If I eat sweets, my weight loss stops. I have been around and around on this subject so many times it makes me ill! I figure one of these days I will figure it out. I keep praying the serenity prayer.

52 Minnesotan married mother of 3, but currently empty nester. Registered nurse. Former social worker. Love outdoor activities, reading, board games. Happy to have my life back! Oh! Gotta update my ticker! I hit 90 pounds down over the weekend! Whoopee!

I AM tempted to eat my baked items, so I have found it to be a problem. I'm working on finding other things to include in my care packages to my college aged kids, and still need to think of something other than baked goods to welcome a new neighbor to the block. But if you aren't tempted to eat your creations, more power to you! I know what you mean about enjoying the process. Especially in the winter- it's a cozy activity.

I, too, just love the Oikos Triple Zero yogurt. I have half a tub of that with a small amount of fruit most breakfasts. Otherwise a scrambled egg, sometimes with a touch of shredded parmesan cheese. I have also had slices of apple with natural peanut butter. I would love to branch out with new breakfast ideas too. I've never loved oatmeal, but maybe it's time to try it again.

What is FOMO? How are you doing, Topher B? I haven't had lengthy vacations yet- I did have 6 days at a camp where I was the camp nurse. I brought plenty of my own protein due to fear of what would happen if I didn't have enough, and I'm so glad I did! The camp totally skimped on protein!

I have not tried this. I just focus on getting in enough protein, veggies and fruit as much as I have room for, and pretty much zero carbs. It's so simple I don't feel the need to track. That may change as I get further out from surgery though. Did you end up buying the app? If so, how do you like it?

It sounds like your new job has helped a lot- 7000 steps daily is nothing to sneeze at in and of itself! Woot! Woot! How you get there is nothing compared to the determination to get there. I remember in my pre op prep, we met with a physical therapist who reviewed all kinds of research about exercise and its role in long term weight management. The piece of research I have seared in my brain is that research of large number of people who lost a considerable amount of weight and kept it off at least 5 years, they averaged 250-300 minutes of physical exercise per week. There are as many types of exercise and combinations of exercise as there are people, so I'm glad you are experimenting to find the ones YOU enjoy! For me, I LOVE exercising outdoors. Living in Minnesota makes that challenging during some months of the year. I am very iffy about going outside for any length of time if the mercury doesn't hit at least 10 degrees, and of course it requires proper clothing. I have to laugh thought that now I have not one, but two gym memberships (both inexpensive, thankfully, and one reimbursed by health insurance as long as I got at least 8 times per month)), a full wardrobe of work out gear, 2 different gym bags- one stocked for morning workouts (all the gear I need to get ready for work), and one that is smaller, more lightweight, in case I am exercising AFTER work. Most recently, I purchased 10 lb dumb bells for use at home for when I just don't feel like going to the gym. Years ago I had picked up one of those big exercise balls for use sitting at my desk at home, and I'm going to bring it upstairs from the basement for use doing abdominal strengthening exercises at home. You will find what works for you! Way to stick with it!

I agree with so much of what's been said. If you have another option for a surgeon without having to start over, I think I'd take it, just on principle. That said, I think this attitude about muscle might be kind of common among the WLS/bariatric community. My insurance company has WLS patients have health coaching by phone, and one session with someone with a background in exercise had a comment that "they" (meaning at the clinic) won't like it if I build too much muscle because it weighs more. I was really put out thinking it's MY body, and I'll have as much muscle as I want thank you very much. I suspect that clinics keep stats and maybe they are worried about what percentage of weight lost they can tout as their average. Regardless, my clinic also offers a post-op exercise program, and I mentioned it to the instructor, and she dismissed the concern completely stating that as a woman, we are naturally not going to build too much muscle due to the nature of our hormones, and that people who exercise, including lifting weights, are shown to do much better in terms of overall weight loss. She cited an example of a doc who recommended she stop exercising due to high blood pressure. She offered the opinion that there are a lot of medical professionals who know precious little about exercise.

The first week is definitely the most difficult. Hang in there! I used protein shakes for my protein. Sips just like fluids. All best wishes to you!

Wow, Christian! You have already accomplished so much! Hooray! I too decided to give up soda pre-op. I am occasionally tempted to try it again and I am always sorry. Like sugar, for me, some ALWAYS leads to MORE. I am learning, slowly but surely. All best wishes to you as you continue to move toward improved health! May your happiness know no bounds!

So glad you survived your heart attack to continue on with better health! Looking good! Got your life back with tennis too. Hooray!