WishMeSmaller

Body dysmorphia after surgery is real and requires some adjustments every time you look in the mirror. Mine is mild compared to others, but occasionally I am shocked and dismayed by the weird lumps and bumps of fat as I lose weight. I also have some extra wrinkles in my neck that suddenly make me feel old. With that said, I would not trade my dramatically improved health and energy for anything. I can’t recall any specific fears prior to surgery, although I did have the standard bit of nerves about surgery. Now, I am just afraid of falling off the wagon at some point and regaining all of the weight I have lost. Wishing you the best as you make life changing decisions!

One more for Baritastic app. Welcome!

It was the Crispbread shown below. I ❤️ the Finn crisps. The are low cal, but not low carb. Worth it in my opinion, although I rarely have one. ps. The Crispbread tasted better without toppings. IMO

Dinner. 2 oz grilled pork tenderloin and roasted Brussels sprouts. I only ate about half of the sprouts.

Lunch. Looks better than it tasted. Low carb, gluten free cracker with cream cheese, tomato, and micro greens. I did not like the cracker and it was 130 kcals for just the cracker. Total kcals 200. Totally not worth it, but I was in a hurry and didn’t want to redo on my favorite crackers, which are much lower calorie. 😕

I have felt hunger since day one. It doesn’t take much to fill me up though (protein is my go to for hunger). I don’t feel hunger like I used to though, which was all day, everyday, but I typically feel hungry at least once per day. I wish I didn’t get hungry, but like I said, it is easy to fix with a bit of dense protein. Hope all goes well with you!

Sounds like my pre-op was the same as yours. 14 days of Bariatric Advantage HPMR of 3.5 shakes per day. I also struggled with the texture. I had the vanilla flavor and mixed the powder in 16 oz crystal light lemonade with lots of ice. To me, it is worse with any milk or alternative milk products. That is basically what got me through, lemonade. I tried different flavors of crystal light with it, but liked the lemonade the best. I have one bag of the shake mix left post op and am forcing myself to use it up since it is so expensive. I could not tolerate any protein shakes immediately post op, but drink at least one per day now, at 3.5 months out. Can’t say I enjoy them, but they do get the job done. Hang in there! You are almost to the losers bench! ps. It is still disgusting with the lemonade, but a slightly lower level of disgusting. 😂 Just power through this.

Seriously wish I could have breakfast at your house. I know you said it’s hit and miss, but clearly this is another one in the hit column😋🤤 (said as I drink my protein shake 🤢)

Cheese quesadilla on a low carb tortilla (3 g net carbs for one). Ate the whole thing. 200 kcals.

@ms.sss I ❤️❤️❤️ Swimming! Unfortunately, my gym does not have a pool and I don’t think there are any public pools left in my community. I’ll have to check. I like the idea of trying to learn to swim “properly.” I am basically terrible at all the strokes, but still manage to make good progress in the water. Someday, I would love to put a swim spa in my backyard! My Achilles’ tendon and all the way up my calf really hurts, but I NEED to go to the gym, so I did. For two hours🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ And then I came home and iced while I sat at the computer and worked, also for two hours (on call this weekend). Good news is my bruised foot doesn’t hurt. 😂😬

Long post ahead. Putting it out there in hopes of being able to let go of it all. I am feeling blue this week. I know it is a combination of things, some related to being post-op and some not. It all has me feeling very vulnerable. Last Sunday I dropped a 25 pound weight on my foot at the gym. Thankfully I didn’t break anything, but the bruising has caused me pain all week and I haven’t been able to work out much. Oh endorphins, how I miss you. 😢 Now it seems I have a flare of Achilles tendinitis on the other leg, and can’t take nsaids. Icing it now. I know I should rest both the tendon and the foot, but I feel like I desperately need the endorphin fix as I have been so tearful and down. I am also missing the feeling of meaningful connections with friends right now too. We all live such busy lives it is really hard to find time to connect. I end up spending most of my free time with my husband, and he is awesome, but I think I am just needing to spend some time with female friends. Related to being post-op, I am struggling with not having anything to wear that fits me. I feel dumpy in anything I pull from my closet, and at the same time feel bad for feeling that way, as I know in my head how much better I look 65-ish pounds lighter. I definitely need to buy a few new items of clothing at this point, but don’t want waste money on stuff I can only wear for a month or two. I don’t do used clothing. It gives me the creeps for some stupid reason 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ To top it all off, yesterday my boss asked me to go back to working at home starting next week. I worked at home April-August doing a particularly unpleasant task on phone and computer. I got very good at doing it. In August I asked to come back to working in the clinic and my at home task was divided up amongst me and the other nurses I work with. Things have not gone nearly as smoothly with the task split up and the clinic where I work needs me to go back into my previous role. I know it is the best thing for the clinic where I work, but I am burned out on working in that role. My boss has promised me more support in my role and I really hope it happens. As of next Monday, I am back to working at home, Monday -Thursday for 10 hours days. I literally cried when I left the clinic yesterday knowing it would be a few months before I would be back. Dang...I am all teary-eyed again just writing all this down. Now inhale, exhale, let go.

I totally do the teaspoon of natural peanut butter too. 😋 I can stretch that tiny amount out to last 5 minutes or so. I only indulge once or twice a month as well. Berries are a favorite of mine for an occasional sweet treat (I have usually include as part of a meal). My plan includes snacks, although I rarely have them. When I do, it is typically a serving of cheese or some sort of meat so I get protein.

I would like to sample that gorgeous tart! Impressive!

+1 on stigma

Yummy salad with chicken while out for lunch with Mom. First pic is after a couple of bites and second pic is after I finished eating. In the after pic I had separated out what I wanted to take home. The tomato wasn’t ripe so I ditched it along with the croutons. Hubby ate the leftovers as soon as I got them home. 😋

Thank you @ChubRub and @ms.sss! Your kind words and suggestions were balm to my blue mood. I ended up having a pretty great day. I got my hair cut and colored this morning, followed by lunch and a bit of shopping with Mom. Mom is one of my BFF’s, so we had fun together. I did get a few new clothing items so I don’t have to hate going into my closet and I might even feel attractive next time I leave the house. Confession: I went to the gym. My bruised foot felt pretty good, but the inflammation on my tendon is very unpleasant. Hubby wrapped it with an ice pack for me after the gym. With all of that said, if someone looked at me funny, I would still probably burst into tears. I must be a bit hormonal right now 🤦🏼‍♀️ Thanks again for being here and giving me some much appreciated connection with people who understand! ❤️

I LOVE that you actually tried this! 😂 Sorry it didn’t work. 😭

To add to Tek’s cliches: “When you are going through hell, keep going.” ”The first few days are the worst, and then it gets better.” “This too, will pass.” 😂😂 I will be sending good vibes and hopes for a speedy two weeks!

+1 All of the above!

I was in the hospital for less than 24 hours, so I really did not need much. My number one thing was pajama pants to wear with my hospital gown so my backside was not hanging out while I walked the halls. I also used the previously mentioned chapstick, biotin mouth spray, phone, iPad, and charger. The hospital had toothbrush and toothpaste. I did not shower during my short stay. I wore the same comfy clothes home that I had worn to the hospital. Hope your surgery and hospital stay are boring and short!

Welcome! The next few months will fly by. Spend some time on this forum and you will learn a ton about what to expect. 😊😊

Also, I think I had to change my profile in the app, rather than just online. Please keep us posted on what the doc says. Good thoughts for you today!

Feeling this to some extent. I have had a loaf of Ezekiel bread in the fridge for several weeks. I think I ate one slice of it. It was nice knowing I “could” have it occasionally, but it just has not been a priority. I think it just takes up too much space in my pouch to be worth it on a regular basis. It was tossed last night to make room for leftovers for lunches this week. 😊

Pizza craving satisfied! Cali’flour crust, pepperoni I pre-cooked to render as much fat out as possible, and some pizza blend cheese. My serving was 250 kcals, 18 grams protein. I ate all of it 😋

First, your pain and swelling worsening at this point is worth a call to your surgeon. Second, pretty much everyone had some sort of pre-op diet, but there are huge variations from surgeon to surgeon, and even for different bmi’s. I had no energy on my 2 week pre-op diet (shakes and plain, low carb veggies only), but I did lose 15 pounds. I have had loads of energy since surgery and consider myself lucky for this. I hope everyone here gets some energy back soon. It has literally been my favorite thing about having this surgery 3-ish months ago. I wish it for everyone here! Good luck!