SummerTimeGirl

Well my "why" was NOT due to over eating. I had several health issues that contributed to me not being able to lose easily or normally. I also had a bad habit of ONLY eating once a day (just dinner) and while it may not have been the best choices (my one meal would be stuff like pasta or include bad starches with my lean meat), I did not go hog wild with second/triple helpings/etc. Just my one and done. But many times I also would never eat veggies. Not that I don't like them just I would never cook them. No clue why. But yeah, I think my problem was not eating enough throughout the day or at the correct times. My metabolism is/was ****! I'm also not one to eat sweets or even salty snacks. Just not my thing. On a special occasion/party, yeah. But not on the regular. If anything I'd get a craving for stuff like lunchmeat or cheeses periodically. I don't know, several of my docs had me keep food journals and logs over the years and most times their comments would be stuff like, "You obviously know what you should be eating. Your logs looks good. You're just not eating enough or the correct amount of times throughout the day." Or "Cut back on some of these fruits." Or "You need to start eating breakfast." Or "You really shouldn't skip breakfast and lunch." Stuff like that. It's definitely been challenging though trying to think differently when it comes to eating and when to eat. Especially after surgery since you're not always hungry. And now, since I'm trying to break my old habit of NOT eating cause I'm not hungry, I try to anyway just to fuel myself correctly. Even if it's just a little something.

UPDATE: So I had my first post op meeting with my dietician this morning. And in our talks I found out that I've actually lost MORE than what I thought. LOL I was thinking I had weight in at 300.6 on surgery day but she told me no, I weighed in at 309.9! I now weigh 276.2 so that's a total of 33.7 not 24.4 like I thought!! YAY! Nice little thing to find out.

That really sucks. Can't understand how they can send someone on their way with no further info. For what it's worth my program outlined the following: FOR LIFE: 64 ounces of water a day FOR LIFE: 60-70 grams of protein a day FOR LIFE: All required vitamins (multi vitamin, B12, B1, Calcium) 30-30-30 Rule And since you most likely won't be able to eat everything as suggested, you should eat protein first, then veggies, then starch, etc. AFTER SURGERY: FULL LIQUIDS for TWO WEEKS PUREE STAGE for ONE WEEK SOFT FOOD STAGE for TWO WEEKS (suggested 5 servings protein, 2 fruits/veggies, 1 starch, 1 healthy fat) REGULAR FOOD for LIFE (suggested 7 servings protein, 1 dairy, 3 starch, 2 fruit, 2 veggies,, 2 healthy fat) I was not given calorie goals for any stage. Just the REGULAR FOOD stage at which point I am to stay UNDER 1000 as long as I'm still losing/trying to reach my goal weight. There is so much more info I have and it's more detailed but that's the basics.

I would check with your office because I know for me I was NOT allowed (and now being on regular food they still don't suggest it) fruit juices. Not even diluted and yet others here were allowed to have it. Depends on your doc.

Was gonna say much that was mentioned above, skewers with various meats and veggies, (sugar free) BBQ chicken, Italian Sausages & Peppers, Kielbasa, burgers and hot dogs should be fine too. Aldi has some great Keto bun options if you want to have buns for others and yourself. There is pasta made of lentils, chickpeas etc. that you could use to make a macaroni salad. Fruit tray. Veggie tray. Lots of options.

How about you both get the same coloring book, Mandala ones are great, that you both could color in while chatting then show off the finished product/picture at the end of the call to see how different and creative each of you are? Not sure how long your conversations last but that could be worth it. Then you don't need to buy anything new each week. Only once in a while when the book is full. Mad Libs? LOVED them as a kid and now do the with my oldest granddaughter. You could each purchase a Mad Lib Book. Would also last a long time without the need to buy something each week. You talked about books but didn't want a deadline. What if you each just took turns reading a chapter or page to one another? This could also span over several weeks until complete. Karaoke? LOL Could be fun. Freeze dance. Memory game. Put a bunch of stuff on a tray and give them so many seconds to memorize them remove something and have them guess what was missing? Or have the write down what they remember.

Best of luck to you. I was on my pre op for 11 days and only lost 7 lbs. I think many of us have that same worry. Totally normal. I'm like 5 weeks out and lost like 22lbs only. I say only but others say that's a good amount. So, we'll see. But anyway, best of luck. Remember to walk a lot after surgery. Best thing for all that gas.

To JDLane and Sheslittle, not sure how I missed it but, YES, straight from surgery I thought, oh no, I have THE worst heartburn ever. And even said to my husband that I worried I was gonna regret the surgery if this is what I would be left with. I even complained to the nurse and asked for something for it. She however gave me something for gas. Didn't seem to work. BUT, I did noticed that, once I got up and moving around, that feeling went away. I was so glad to find that it was NOT heartburn and just a side affect of the gas. It should go away soon, I would think. Mine was gone by the next day or maybe even late the day of surgery.

I'm sure there are plenty of bars out there that fit the criteria. I just have never been a big fan of those so I have no suggestions for you. Someone else probably will.

I'm still new in this game but when I get around to being more regular with my diet I'm sure I will prepare myself (when out and about or on road trips) much like I did when I was doing Keto and have individual servings sizes of nuts/seeds, a package of Dukes Meat Sticks (I think only has 1 gram of sugar), keep a few bags of stuff like Cheese Whisps, cheese sticks (gotta bring as you go), spicy salami slices (gotta bring as you go), Quest Chips, celery with some natural peanut butter, cucumber slices with some cream cheese and Everything But The Bagel seasoning, pickle chips, pork rinds, etc.

Awesome!!! So happy for you!!!

I posted this on your other post and gonna post it here as well. One of the reasons why I didn't want to tell people, and didn't, beforehand was because of what happened to you. I knew that there could be a multitude of reasons why the surgery wouldn't take place once inside (or even before that) and I didn't want to have to explain myself to anyone if something like that should happen. So, I get it. I totally get your frustration and anger. I know I would have been too. But I'm happy to hear that you both had a cooling off period and MORE IMPORTANTLY, that you both were more pleasant with each other afterwards and that you now feel comfortable going forward. You may not be as excited now but stay strong, and do what you have to do. You got this and you're gonna do well. As long as you follow through with the plan you will be where you need to be come surgery day. If you feel yourself struggling between now and then, don't be afraid to ask for help here or more importantly, from your surgeons office or your dietician. Best of luck to you!!!!!

One of the reasons why I didn't want to tell people, and didn't, beforehand was because of what happened to you. I knew that there could be a multitude of reasons why the surgery wouldn't take place once inside (or even before that) and I didn't want to have to explain myself to anyone if something like that should happen. So, I get it. I totally get your frustration and anger. I know I would have been too. But I'm happy to hear that you both had a cooling off period and MORE IMPORTANTLY, that you both were more pleasant with each other afterwards and that you now feel comfortable going forward. You may not be as excited now but stay strong, and do what you have to do. You got this and you're gonna do well. As long as you follow through with the plan you will be where you need to be come surgery day. If you feel yourself struggling between now and then, don't be afraid to ask for help here or more importantly, from your surgeons office or your dietician. Best of luck to you!!!!!

I first tried chicken in pureed stage and ate it all through soft food with no issue. Thank goodness because chicken (boneless, skinless) breasts and fish, shrimp, etc are really my main source of meat/protein that I eat. I don't care for beef, pork, etc. I remember when I had dietician "homework" when I was preparing for surgery and one of the questions was "What is one worry you think you'll have about your diet after surgery?" I put down I worry I won't be able to eat chicken (based on what I've read here). And I told her I worried about it because chicken is what I eat the most. She laughed about it and said most people don't have issues with it once they try cooking it in other ways that keep it moist.

I ate chili, fat free refried beans with a tablespoon of light sour cream/shredded cheddar/guacamole mixed in, mashed potatoes, different soups blended down, the ricotta bake, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, etc.(my puree stage only lasted a week so I quickly moved on to soft foods) On soft foods I could eat all of that plus, chicken, ground turkey, lunchmeat, eggs, tuna, salmon, any flaky/soft fish, green beans, fruit cups (no sugar added), steamed carrots, well cooked veggies, cream soups, cooked oatmeal, applesauce, etc.

LOL Thanks! Don't know what I was expecting, I guess. I just know I've seen videos of people who lost like 30+ pounds the first month. Some people who lost like 75 by month 3. All who started at the same/similar or LESS weight which makes it even more frustrating cause usually the more you have to lose to faster it goes. LOL

UPDATE: Ok, so today I'm 36 days out from surgery and down 21.8 lbs since surgery. A little bummed the progress hasn't been better. I expected it would have been more, faster but it's a loss. I'll take it. But since starting my weight loss journey/better eating and preparation for surgery back in March I am down a total of 49.6 lbs, and 8 down for my BMI and 8.8% fat loss total!!! All good things!! Today I also start my "Regular Diet". I imagine it's not gonna be much different from what I've been doing the last two weeks on my SOFT FOODS diet. I worry about not getting in a lot of the servings they claim I should be getting each day. For the SOFT FOOD stage I was supposed to be getting 5 servings of protein/dairy, 2 servings fruits/veggies, 1 serving of starch and 1 serving of healthy fat. I'd say 99% of the time that didn't happen. For example, the suggested/sample menu would say things like: 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast along with 1/4 cup of applesauce. But I was lucky if I got down ONE entire egg. I would cook two scrambled eggs each morning and end up only eating half and saving the other half for lunch. Most times I just tossed the second half cause I wasn't hungry at lunch or didn't have room for it yet in my stomach. Anyway, now on the regular stage I'm supposed to be getting in even MORE: (7 protein servings, 1 dairy, 3 starch, 2 fruit, 2 veggie, 2 fat). Not sure how this is gonna happen. AND I need to stay under 1000 calories a day while still in the losing phase (which that should be easy enough). I have to laugh.......on their sample menu for dinner they suggest 2 oz of chicken, 1/2 cup green beans, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes, 1 tsp margarine. LOL On the soft food stage I was LUCKY if I could get down 4 oz of mashed potatoes in one sitting BY ITSELF. Let alone all that extra food to go along with it. LOL This is definitely gonna be interesting trying to get this done. I also feel like that is a bad example and would prefer to have MORE of the protein and less of the starch. Guess I can when it comes down to it. On a side/good note: I am finally allowed to swim and try doing so as much as possible. Also been doing a lot of yard work. And yesterday I walked several miles OUTSIDE without getting winded or sweating profusely like I normally would. So, I definitely feel changes in that way and am thankful for every one of them. I'm still waiting for official word that frees me to do weights and other exercises. I guess that will come in two weeks when I see the surgeon again. I also have a phone call meeting with the dietician next week. In about two weeks I will take my measurements again (I do it just once a month). I don't feel like there will be much difference but last month I lost 13 inches total overall. Time will tell. Also wanted to add, for Father's Day I went out to a restaurant for the first time since surgery. Husband got some fried pickles as an app and I got steamed shrimp for dinner. I had 4 of his pickle chips as I waited for my dinner and when it got there, I could only eat 4 shrimp out of the pound they brought me (LOTS of leftovers). LOL WAY different dining experience than I'm used to. It sucked in the way that I was full and done so soon in the dining experience. I had to just sit there and do nothing as I waited for him to finish. Next time out I'll not nibble anything before my actual meal and just try going even slower. LOL

I was initially put on Metformin like 10 years ago for PCOS and Insulin Resistance. The endocrinologist told me it would help me lose weight. Well initially it did. And when I say initially I mean it helped me lose about 35 lbs the first year. THAT WAS IT!! It has NOT helped me in any other way since. NOT with appetite, not with anything. In fact, I'm guessing it didn't even help with the insulin (or eventually stopped working as well for it) because I eventually did become Type 2 Diabetic. Or I at least reached that status ONCE during my pre testing for surgery back in like April. First and only time I ever hit numbers OVER the borderline with my A1C. Anyway, neither my surgeon or my family doc officially called me diabetic. I guess instead they were just waiting to see what surgery did/does for me plus it was only once that my number went over the borderline. I will have a full panel of blood work done again at the end of Aug/beginning of Sept at which time my doc will see about reducing or taking me off of Metformin. He also will tell me if he's gonna knock my BP meds down again or cut them out all together. For years I have had issues with having to run to the bathroom often after eating and I'm wondering if the Metformin hasn't been responsible for that? It seems to have happened more often when eating things heavier in carbs. Who knows. My surgeon said my gallbladder looked good and healthy during surgery so I'm guessing it's not that.

Did your doctor's office suggest/push their brand or a brand that they carry or did you find and do your own? I'm asking because I had my final pre op meeting the other day and the nurse was pushing the Bariatric Advantage that the office carries. I asked if I could just use the Premier Shakes since they have that listed as an acceptable shake and I already have a few cases handy and she said no, those are only for AFTER surgery. Not really explaining why or what the different was between them and why they couldn't be used pre surgery but could after. Anyway, what did you buy/use for your pre op? The paper she gave me to order the Bariatric Advantage lists 6 flavors and it says to pick two and the price is $90. I'm assuming that price is the total amount for BOTH. I guess compared to Premier it's cheaper to get that anyway. But looking at the nutrients they're not too far off from one another. So, what did you all use? I have to have 4 high protein shakes a day and 4 servings of non starchy veggies. NO MEAT! Thanks for your input.

Many TV subscription plans come with a ton of free exercise videos that you can use/do. I know Comcast/Xfinity used to and I believe Amazon Firestick does too.

33 Days out from surgery and yes, I got down to like 16 lbs gone around the 2 week mark then nothing for like 12 days then I went down a few more for a total of 19 and now nothing again all this past week. It's frustrating. Especially when you know you're sticking to the plan and nothing is happening. But, ya gotta keep going I guess and hope things eventually move.

Sorry........repeat

Cronometer for food and FitIndex Scale/App

Sorry, responded to the wrong thing

Well everyone's plan seems to be different. My post up I had TWO weeks of FULL LIQUID which included: Protein drinks, flavored water, gatorade zero and that kind of stuff, strained low fat cream soups, sugar free pudding, sugar free popsicles, low fat milk, blended bean soups, greek yogurt, that sort of thing. I was NOT ALLOWED Juice of any kind or caffeine or carbonation. Did your office give you examples or an actual plan?