Circus321

I’ve heard that stomach growling is normal after the surgery and does not mean you are hungry. Are you getting your protein in? If you really are hungry protein shakes can help fill you up so you don’t want food as badly. Also distractions are great. Find an interesting tv show, play games with friends/family, go for a walk, read a book, or just take a nap. Keep yourself busy and it’ll be easier to ignore the hunger and not give in and eat food. I am honestly not trying to be mean but I do not know how the doctor approved your surgery when you clearly have a lot of psychological issues with eating that you really should have addressed first. But since you can’t undo it now you need to talk to a psychologist as soon as possible who can help you work through your problems. You can really hurt yourself by eating food that soon after surgery. You can die from doing that. It has happened, that’s why the doctors stress not to eat food that soon. See a therapist, talk to a friend, but please follow the diet from now on so you do not hurt or kill yourself. You did this to be healthy. Good luck sweetheart, I know you can do it

That’s good to know. Even though they can’t legally require a reason for my leave, the company I work for is pretty close knit so it would’ve been weird if I had flat-out refused to give my boss or coworkers an answer. I get the vibe that most people on here have a similar working environment so the problem isn’t legal but social. But it’s good to know the legal aspect too!

I’ve been told that we’re not supposed to drink within 30 minutes before or after a meal after surgery to help prevent accidental overeating and digestion problems. Does soup count as drinking? Like can you have a broth-based soup as a meal or would that cause problems? I know it counts as a liquid for the liquid diet so I assume it’s best to stay away but I’ve never heard anyone mention anything about it afterwards

Thanks for the information. I’ll ask my doctor but it seems like I’ll have to see how my body handles it. I’m not a big soup person anyway but the thought came up so I wanted to ask lol. Thanks!

I totally get what you’re saying. Personally I’d tell them that I found out I had a hormone problem that was prohibiting weight loss so I took steps to fix it and now the healthy diet and exercise routine that I’ve been doing for years is finally helping me lose weight. It’s not a lie, wls does correct hormonal imbalances that prevent us from losing weight and if you’ve already been eating healthy then your diet won’t have changed much (except smaller portions of course). Just a suggestion. I’m sorry they’re like that. It’s awful when people project their own insecurities onto others

If you don’t like artificial sweeteners maybe go with natural? Adding fresh fruit to your water? They sell defuser water bottles on Amazon for like $10

My surgery was canceled due to weather 😣. I’m trying to get it rescheduled for March 8th but their office has been closed since they cancelled my surgery 2 weeks ago so I can’t reschedule it or ask them any questions. If I can’t get it done March 8th I’ll have to wait until July because of work and I’d hate to have to do that. I’m scared that’s what’ll happen though because that’s barely 2 weeks away from now and I won’t have time to finish the preop diet if they require the 2 week liquid diet like many I’ve seen on here. Anyway... how far in advance did you schedule your surgery? How long did you have to do the preop diet? Thanks!

They didn’t give me a preop diet, just “lose as much weight as you can before surgery” and I was supposed to talk with a dietitian 2 weeks before surgery for specifics before and after the surgery but they never called and then cancelled the surgery. So I’m not sure what they’ll want me to do

I’m an educator too so I’m in the same position. March 8th is the start of spring break. I don’t want to take sick days so if I don’t get it then I’ll have to wait until summer break :/

I haven’t had surgery yet but I’ve heard on here, other sites, and from my surgeon that hair loss from surgery is usually temporary and it comes back around 12-18 months after surgery when your metabolism stabilizes. It’s different for everyone but you might not even need the transplant! Either way I’d wait at least a year. Good luck!

If you don’t want to tell them about having surgery you could say you had hernia/gallbladder surgery and then started the keto diet? People usually lose weight fast on keto too and it’s a fad right now

I’m getting a sleeve and haven’t had surgery yet but when I put in for leave at work I told my boss and coworkers that I was having part of my stomach removed due to ulcers (not entirely a lie, I do need it for that reason as well). I joked about how “at least I’ll lose weight as a side effect” and everyone was supportive and called me “lucky” to be losing weight as a side effect of a “legitimate medical procedure”. And then they all trash talked getting a bariatric procedure solely for weight loss 🙄. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing with anyone you certainly don’t have to, but if you want to maybe stretching the truth a bit will help it be easier to swallow for others. It’s so sad that weight loss procedures are shamed. We’re looked down on for being fat and then looked down on for doing the things we have to do to lose weight. It’s not fair

I’ll have to self-pay for my gastric bypass so obviously I’ve been drawn to getting it done in Mexico instead of the US because of price. I’ve also been interested in it because the follow-up care of the place I’m looking at is more extensive than it would be in the US. However, I know that some places in Mexico aren’t as reputable as in the US. How did you choose your location? How could you tell that your care would be good there? I don’t want to die on the operating table because I tried to save money on my surgery.

That’s where I’m getting mine done as well!

I know, I meant my boyfriend would have to take off work for an extra 2 weeks if we did it in Mexico and wouldn’t if we did it here. My job is very physical so I plan to take off for a month

There’s a 0% chance they would cover it if it’s not in your plan. Insurance companies don’t actually care about their clients’ health. My insurance won’t cover it either (my secondary actually covers 100% but won’t pay unless my primary covers it which it doesn’t 😣) so I’m paying out of pocket for mine. I did some searching for clinics in my area and found one that does it for $11,000 or $250 a month for 5 years. That’s about what I’ve spent on diet food and diet plans per month in the past so it’s not too bad. They also have programs in Mexico for like $5,000 which have good reviews, I’d do that if my boyfriend and I wouldn’t have to quarantine and miss work for 2 weeks afterwards. How much do you pay in medication and doctor bills now? Even if you have to pay for the surgery it will negate some of those costs which will make it worth it too. Good luck!

I’ve been researching wls for years and am finally scheduled to get a sleeve next month. Today I had a checkup with my PCP and mentioned I was having the surgery and he told me I absolutely shouldn’t. He said that while I would lose weight initially my stomach would stretch back and undo the surgery because I would keep eating how I’m eating (I actually eat very healthy, he has no idea about my diet, he was just guessing because I’m obese). I said well yeah, that’s why I’d adjust and start eating smaller portion sizes etc., and he said “If you think you can do that, why aren’t you doing that already?” Well because I’ve done that before and my weight doesn’t change no matter what I eat so I might as well eat what I want instead of starving myself all the time and slowing my metabolism even more. He then continued to talk about how if I would eat more vegetables and walk for 30 minutes 5 days a week my weight would fall right off, even though I trained for and completed a triathlon last year without dropping a single pound and, like I said before, actually already eat a lot of vegetables. He finished by listing all of the possible complications of the surgery as if they were all guaranteed to happen to me and strongly suggested that he was going to drop me as a patient if I got the surgery: “If you decide to do it anyway, I’m not picking up the pieces of that mess.” I’m still getting the surgery, and I’m used to this attitude from family and coworkers but this was upsetting because I had expected my doctor to be more knowledgeable about how weight loss actually works. Guess I’ll have to find a new PCP. Thanks for listening to my rant lol

Thanks! Congratulations on your surgery! I’m definitely still doing the surgery as I know it’ll be the best thing for me. I know it’s not the easy way out-it’s a tool and I’ll only lose weight if I put in the work afterwards, it’s just disheartening that even the best doctors still have misconceptions about it

I’m sorry, I hope you figure out what’s wrong. I’ve heard that POTS isn’t fun to deal with I can’t imagine a spinal fluid leak is any easier so I wish you luck with your recovery. I’m glad you have a great PCP to help you though

The funny thing is I HAVE done that without surgery and they called it an eating disorder and made me go to rehab to get better. So I got better, learned to love myself, and gained weight back (albeit too much) but now it feels like they’re telling me to go back to that. I was still in therapy recovering from my anorexia/bulimia and my doctor told me that I needed to try to lose weight again. I refuse to do that without surgery and the resultant metabolic shift again because I know it’ll just be harmful to my health and I’m trying to improve my health. This doctor acted like I haven’t tried literally everything else to lose weight, like removing most of my stomach came to mind before eating better and exercising 🙄

I’m so sorry that happened to you. Did you eventually figure out what was wrong? The problem with this doctor is that he’s been so great about everything in the past, he’s a really nice guy and one of my favorite doctors I’ve ever seen. But I guess nice guys with intelligence on other areas can still be ignorant in obesity problems

I’m getting a sleeve in a few weeks. I know we’re supposed to be low carb while losing weight but once you’re in maintenance can you have pasta at all? I have celiac disease so I don’t eat any kind of bread, I’m not a big rice or potatoes person in general, but since my celiac diagnosis a year ago I’ve loved making homemade pasta from brown rice flour and chickpeas. It’s soooo good and I don’t want to give it up, especially since it took me so long to find a recipe I liked. Right now I probably have it once maybe twice a week. If I make sure I stay under my carbs/calorie limit for the day is there a problem with having pasta regularly? I just feel guilty since it’s a food we’re not supposed to eat traditionally

Thanks for your advice everyone! I’ve had to give up a lot of favorite foods in the past year since my celiac diagnosis and I’m reluctant to give up one more. I’ll have to see how it feels after my surgery. If I have to give it up it’s worth the trade but I hope I can stomach a little bit

That’s good to know. I thought they just told you not to because it’s a carb. Thanks

I have found in previous diets and lifestyle changes that I do better if I have something else new to focus on as well that’s not stressful for me. For example, I was able to lose 50lbs and do a triathlon a year after I had my son because weight loss wasn’t my primary thought at that time, my new baby was. But things that are too stressful and occupy too much time sabotage me. For example, I gained back the 50lbs and then some after I started back to college full time. So I was thinking of adopting a puppy after my surgery (like 6 weeks after so I’ve healed) to keep me occupied but not stressed out. It’d also give me a reason to be more active. I think it’d also be good for my kids because I know that it can be scary watching a parent go through surgery, especially at a young age, and it’ll help them feel better. Is this a good idea or no? Has anyone else done something like this?