OpsMatt

I think one of the big things you have to do is look at small steps with more focus than the big picture to get you through that first month. For me it was counting the days till I was on pureed foods. When I first got out of post op it seemed like 2 weeks would be FOREVER but it was here before I knew it. Even just getting to full liquids and having a few more options over clear was a huge step in having a positive attitude for me. And then once you get to purees just tell yourself "only a week to soft foods". It goes by faster than you think, especially if you find other ways to keep yourself occupied.

If you want to try something a little more natural this Smooth Move Herbal Tea has given me some success as well. I used it prior to being given the OK for a stool softener from my surgeon and it seemed to help. Both the peppermint and chamomile versions of the tea have fennel which does give it a slightly licorice-y flavor which I wasn't a big fan of but powered through because the need to have a BM was far greater than if I found the tea palatable.

I didn't go until 10 days after and even that wasn't very much. Talk to your surgeon. Mine said I could take milk of magnesia or a stool softener like Colace once every few days to help promote regularity but your mileage may vary and your surgeon might have different advice. Go with whatever they tell you.

Here's a bariatric-friendly recipe you could try at home! One of the things I've been really proactive about doing while I'm still on liquids is trying to find recipes NOW that mimic foods I used to have but are healthier swaps. These are things that my whole family could enjoy in their portion size but at the same time allow me to eat without fear of weight gain. There's lots of great books and websites out there! Spend an hour or two just browsing google and amazon and you're sure to find some awesome stuff.

The only things I know of that tend to resolve pretty rapidly with the surgery are diabetes and sleep apnea. I was not diabetic, but I was borderline pre-diabetic. I'm interested to see how my next full lab comes back.

Agreed on getting the bad food out of the house. You won't be tempted to eat it if you keep it on hand. Think back to when you first got back on solid foods, what were your typical snacks like within the bounds of your new lifestyle? Were there ones you enjoyed that are also healthy? Try to keep those on hand instead. But also try to find an outlet for your stress that isn't food related. My personal thing is video games. It's how I unwind when I've had a rough day (it's also REALLY helpful in distracting you from head hunger). Get absorbed in a book, watch a movie or a tv show that you like, listen to music and dance like a maniac in the bathroom. Most of us got to where we are because we turned to food to heal our bad feelings and it is very much an addiction just like alcoholism. Breaking that cycle is a huge part of being successful with this surgery.

I started my journey in June and before I knew it, it was 10/17 and I was at the hospital at 6:00 am to get prepped for my surgery. It's a learning experience every day after that but trust me, even the preop diet is going to get you into the right mindset.

From what I've been reading on here constipation is a very common issue to encounter with this surgery. I tried this Smooth Move Herbal Tea and had quite a bit of success with it. Might be something to consider before going on an actual OTC laxative, which I would definitely talk to your surgeon about before doing.

Silly question but is cottage cheese measured by weight or volume? My guide says I can have 4oz of cottage cheese but I'm not sure how to measure it.

That's why you put your cell phone in a glass of rice when you drop it in water accidentally 😋

Keep in mind that there are plenty of things you enjoy that you'll still be able to eat. You might just have to modify how it's prepared or swap out lower calorie/fat/sugar/etc. ingredients for the full versions. I recommend google searching various recipes to kind of get an idea of how easy it is to prepare foods that are perfectly fine for you to eat but can also be enjoyed in larger portion sizes by other people. That way you and your husband aren't having to prepare different meals. Two books I recommend are: The Gastric Sleeve Bariatric Cookbook and The Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Guide. Especially with your surgery being so close to the holidays you wanna make sure you have a plan to get yourself through a time period that is so food-centric. Alcohol is never a complete no-no. You could always do A shot or have A beer (although I wouldn't recommend the latter due to the carbonation), but maybe not so close to your surgery. A lot of people I've spoken to recommend waiting a year after surgery before reintroducing alcohol and only having 1-2 drinks a month because of how it affects you. It is not at all uncommon for WLS patients to become alcoholics as they replace their food addiction with alcohol, so be wary. I'm 1 week post-op as of tomorrow and the only issue I'm having is boredom with the limited options of clear liquids. I start full liquids tomorrow so that will open up a few more choices for me and pureed foods start on Halloween (so that'll be my little treat). It's definitely gonna be a life changer for you so don't stress too much. Get it done and take each day as it comes as a new learning experience.

I'm surprised no one here has mentioned Mio. It's a liquid enhancer that you add to water and it comes in a variety of flavors. It's zero calorie, sugar, and carbs and most stores now have a generic version of it. I can usually get away with 2 squirts in a 16 oz bottle of water for a fairly strong flavor.

I think it varies from surgeon to surgeon. My preop diet was only 8 days before surgery and the first 5 were solid food but no more than 1,000 calories a day. The last 3 were clear liquids totaling at or below 1,000 calories. Post op it was clear liquids only for the first 3 days, clear liquids plus protein shakes (which could be mixed with milk) for the next 3, then full liquids for a week, pureed foods for a week, soft foods for a week and then finally slowly back onto solid food.

Cedar Point is very close to me as well and they are known for having restrictive seating on most rides. While the majority of this is for safety reasons, I feel at least part of it is that most modern roller coasters are designed by companies in Switzerland and the Netherlands. As we all know obesity is much more of an epidemic in America than it is in other parts of the world so most of these Coaster designers do not build restraints with the average American in mind.

For Disney you should be fine on pretty much everything even over 300lbs except maybe Rock n Roller Coaster and definitely Flight of Passage in the Avatar area of Animal Kingdom. Most other traditional amusement parks you can't be much larger than 220-230 with the right body proportions to fit on the most intense rides. Many of them have seat belts in addition to lap bars and you have to be able to buckle the belt and lock the lap bars in the correct position to ride. The nice thing is that many parks offer test seats at the entrance for you to try out before you wait in line. Some of them even have indicator lights for how close you are. The key thing about many of these is that it's not strictly about how much you weigh but where you carry your weight. If you carry it more in your butt and thighs you will have trouble with seats that have any sort of side edge to them. If you have a larger chest or abdominal area you will have trouble with over the shoulder restraints and seatbelts. Generally as a rule of thumb if your waist size is less than 40" and your chest is less than 54" you can fit on pretty much anything.

So I had my surgery yesterday at 7:30 in the morning! Woke up a little nauseous and sore but I had told them before surgery that anesthesia has a tendency to make me vomit so they had given me a cocktail of drugs to combat the worst of the nausea. Spent a good chunk of the day in bed sleeping or watching TV but I managed to get up to go to the bathroom and walk down the hall twice. Today I've already done two laps down the hall and am now sitting in the recliner instead of the bed which my nurse was ecstatic about. Hubby has been with me the whole time and has been a huge help. Have had no trouble with ice chips or liquids other than the occasional pressure in my stomach but I'm just taking it one small sip at a time. My surgeon thinks I'm bouncing back quite well so I should be discharged this afternoon! Ready to begin this new chapter of my life back at home!

Hi all! I'm a 32 year old guy from Michigan who has struggled immensely with weight all of his life. In my adult life I've been as low as 190 at times and as high as 379 which is my current highest. I spent the last eight years living in Florida working a hectic job with a chaotic schedule that did not lend itself well to a healthy, active lifestyle and before I knew it between 2015 and 2018 I had ballooned up to my current weight. I knew that my previous methods had not been met with success and I decided it was time for a real change. After my husband got a new job in Michigan we relocated and moved in with my parents (who had acquired a much much larger house than the one I grew up in) so we could save up to buy a house and pay down some of our student loan debt without as much stress involved. This also gave me a chance to really focus on my health and take care of all this weight. Thankfully I have really solid medical insurance and due to my BMI I only needed to have a psych evaluation and PCP approval before I could have the surgery. I opted to go with gastric sleeve as I find the fact that it doesn't completely change the route of my digestive system appealing, I have multiple friends who have gone through the surgery and have had great success with it, and the fact that it helps reduce the hunger hormone in your system as constant cravings even when I know I'm not actually hungry (as in like I just ate an hour ago) is one of my biggest issues. I had my initial consultation in June followed by a psych evaluation in July. I attend my 3 hour pre-surgical class next Tuesday and my surgery is set for October 17th. I would have liked to have had it a little sooner but I also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and just recently obtained a CPAP and I need to be on it at least a month before I can have surgery per my surgeon. I'm looking very forward to my life post surgery: being able to fit into smaller sizes and have more clothing options, being able to fit on all my favorite rides at theme parks again (I'm a coaster and adrenaline junkie), being light enough to sustain a solid workout again, and adding as many years as I can on to my life to spend more time with my friends and family. My only big fear is that I have not handled anesthesia well in the past and have a tendency to vomit immediately after waking up. I've told them this and they just recently did an upper endoscopy on me that I woke up from just fine, but I still have the fear that whatever they give me to combat the nausea and vomiting after the anesthesia will not be enough and the vomiting spasms will do damage to my stomach. Some questions I have for you all: 1. Is dumping syndrome a thing as much for gastric sleeve patients versus gastric bypass? I'm in the process of weaning myself off of soda but I would like to use Mio in my water to add some variety but it contains sucralose (Splenda) and I've heard that artifical sweeteners can still cause dumping syndrome. 2. Was loose skin a thing? 3. What was your first holiday season like post surgery? Was it rough having all those high-carb high-fat foods around? What kind of strategies did you use to work around that? Looking forward to chatting with you all and continuing to use this forum as a support group!

VSG on October 17th for me!