summerseeker

We got you. We will help in any way we can, we did it too and all felt the same. Hang in there, it gets easier every day. Just remember that you have had some massive plumbing changed inside you and those stitches are unhealed. Don't put anything in your tummy bar the stuff your team recommended.

Congratulations you are doing amazing

I am the outlier in this group. My surgeon was against protein shakes, pre op and post op, I had gallons of milk. When you first have the surgery, you will be in either of two camps. A few have zero problems drinking and the rest of us struggled. We just did our best, most with the backing of our teams. Drinking is a full time job What ever you do, do not over buy pre surgery. Your taste buds may change, mine did big time. Lots of people have wasted money this way. Good luck and its great to meet you

Really you need to toe the line in the first 6 months to give yourself the maximum weight loss. This way we learn how we should eat. Our bad habits need to be changed. This is the theory. 0-6 months is the sweet spot for the easiest weight loss. This of course does not allow for real life BUT if you have too much life, you will struggle with this surgery. You can't do what you did pre surgery. That will only lead you back to where you started pre surgery. You need to find a midline you can live with. If you are truly on 1200 calories a day then you will loose weight, especially if you are exercising like you are. Do you log your alcohol calories, your non alcoholic calories ? Some mixers can hide serious calories. And if you drink a lot and log your calories, you are not getting the nutrients you need on such a calorie deficit, How many grams of protein do you need per day ? Every surgeon has different guidelines.

This guy is putting you through so much unnecessary pre op bullsh%t. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't want you to walk over hot coals and broken glass to get to the operating theatre. I would love to give him a piece of my mind. He is taking this power trip way to far.

I was very envious of people who could gulp liquids early out. I was about 18 months out before I found I could gulp drinks again. It depends what I am eating as to how I can drink. For breakfast I drink a long milky coffee before my fruity overnight oats. I can not drink after this for at least an hour For lunch I make my own soups, todays was cream of cheese and celery and although its thick, I can drink as well Our main meal of the day is in the evening. Today is a roast chicken dinner with 2 veg and for the family roast potatoes, I still cant eat carbs to any extent. I put my portion into 2 bowls. I eat one, wait 30 minutes, drink loads and an hour or so later, I will eat my second bowl and for some reason this bowl goes down easier than the first one. Wait about an hour and drink without a problem all evening. I wake a great deal in bed. I drink all night. I am so thirsty then, I usually get through 500mls/ 1 pint a night.

Yes its a scary journey but we did it. Its doable if you keep your nerve. Join us. After the first few tough weeks you will be more than happy you did it. You have worked so hard already, harder than a lot of us. Good luck

Just a thought, This could also be dumping syndrome. So much sugar in these bars

When I woke from surgery they asked what I wanted to drink and it was coffee. Never had an issue

I feel for you. Mine was like bad 1960's school dinners. All my menu was cereal, toast, packet soup, sandwiches, dry meat and potatoes with frozen veg. No one understood my no carbs please diet. I ate 3 child size packs of cornflakes and 2 tubs of ice cream all the time I was there. I would have died for some cheese. Thank god for lattes from the Costa down stairs. Could not fault the staff though, they were stellar.

Using these logs is a struggle in the beginning especially if its home cooked food. Bought food already comes with its own nutrition label so its standard. The log you use will get used to the foods you regularly eat and show them first. The one I use stores recipes too. It does get easy.

I had a ton of scar tissue from a butcher surgeon 40 years before my sleeve surgery. The bariatric surgeon noted it and allowed a little more theatre time for me. My surgeon said it was very stuck inside but he did it all keyhole. It just took him longer. This week I was due to have my ovaries and a huge ovarian cyst removed by key hole surgery. I was informed that I may have to be opened up if it became a problem. It was and I was. This is day 6 and I am feeling more like myself and the pain is manageable today without meds. So what are the differences, More pain, your muscles are cut. A big scar and drain holes. And a 12 week ban on house work and lifting, more of a bonus that one really. I hope it goes well for you. It will be worth it even if its not keyhole. Trust me

Snap, almost ! I have had my ovaries and a huge cyst removed this week. For some reason they left them 28 years ago when I had my hysterectomy. I now have a new belly scar and have lost my belly button. I have gotten to my own target weight at last. I wonder if its the missing belly button, the cyst or the deplorable hospital food that accounts for the big weight drop. Hope you are feeling more like yourself today, I am, even though I am walking around hugging my tummy like I am about to loose my insides.

Even at my age, I still have hungry days like a period day. I just allow myself more good healthy foods. There is always a day where I eat very little. At the end of the month my food tracker is always in range of 60 -80 grams of protein and 1500 calories a day.

I had IBS pre surgery, I flip flopped being either loose or constipated. Now I am just seriously constipated. Its a big deal to live with.

Detested eggs pre surgery and now eat them every day. Loved cooked salmon but can not eat it, just the thought of it makes me want to vomit. Avocado is also off. It took me almost two years to want chicken again There are other things that are just impossible for me to eat because of the surgery. Cheap white bread, pasta, Curries sob... Anything with skins, tomatoes, peppers, grapes I craved a jacket potato with cheese and baked beans and had it last night. I separated it into two portions and ate both eventually. Yum. Zero side effects. Another tick on the chart for me.

I live in Europe, where we do think differently about drinking than you do in the States. Having a drink every day does not make you a serious drinker here. My answers may be a little different to your fellow country men. Big hugs for fessing up btw. That takes balls. But, if you think you need the booze to sleep then its a problem that will only get worse. Quickly. Can you try not drinking for one night on a off duty day, Put clean bedding on your bed. Switch off all phones etc. Have a pamper session. Watch a good movie. Take a book to bed and read until you drop off or if you dont, just lie there, resting. Get up at your usual time the day after and try and finish your day as usual. No naps. If you think you need a drink buy something you hate and make it into a long drink. Neat alcohol is terrible for your liver and kidneys. Every week use less and less alcohol in your drink. Find ways to relax. Good sex, yoga, beach holidays, walking holidays Doctors can prescribe anti alcohol medication that makes you vomit if you have any. Its so easy to transfer an addiction. Why is it anything addictive, delicious ?

If you are the same in the US as we are in the UK, then Amazon deliver the day after ordering. If thats the case, save your money and buy as you need it. As a example, I bought a blender and did not use it as I barfed every time I thought of pureed foods, still do. I sent for a bariatric cookery book, same outcome. On a whim, I bought a personalised bariatric plate, it is still in its wrapping. My clinic told me to buy suckable vitamins and dissolvable calcium tablets. I used a thermos cup, I was allowed coffee and it takes an age to drink in the early stages, it kept it hot for me. I bought a bed wedge as I had GERD, still do. I never had protein shakes, my surgeon did not believe in them, I just had milk. Everyone who has stock piled a protein shake they love pre surgery, has found it disgusting after surgery. Your tastes flip and you may have a problem with lactose or vegetable protein. Buy one or two of a wide range if you must. I really wished I had a recliner chair, I had to sleep sitting for 3 weeks. As I said before I had problems with Gerd. It took a while to get my meds right. This forum and its wonderful forumites are a asset I used so much. Its all gifted free. Paid forward if you will. They have so much knowledge, they have been and done it before. Some one will have had every eventuality and will help Good luck

Great information thank you.

Wowee, you look amazing. Perfect dress on your new figure

I was with a friend, she blames me, I her. I think more than a bottle each. She ended up on her back in the supermarket car park, I peed myself laughing. Everything after that has disappeared as we have no memory of it ! No clue how we got home ..... We are only 65 and have been mates since infant school. TBH we have got quite tame these last few years.

My drinking days do seem to be in the past. I need a holiday, wedding or such to drink these days. My first drink was a Bloody Mary, very light on the vodka. I made it last and had no side effects. After that holiday I went on to try long drinks, vodka and diet tonic, Pimms, Dry Martini and diet tonic, Sangria or if its wintery, a spiced rum coffee. . Last Christmas I had a few glasses of wine and got totally smashed, first time in my long life that I couldn't remember where I had been. I just don't eat enough to soak up the alcohol these days. I had the foamies on a Baileys. Wine gave me terrible GERD. Enjoy your holiday

Great weight loss story. Your team must be thrilled with you. Major congratulations coming your way. I personally would love to hear the missing pages of your journey

Even after 2 plus years I still miss noodles I still miss a Chinese take away I still miss going for a day on the lash and a good curry Even after 2 plus years I never miss the 150 lbs I lost I never miss being so dreadfully unhealthy I couldn't clean my house I never miss being not being stared at in the street I never miss a penny of the cost of this surgery. I adore how I look in the mirror Just give yourselves time to adjust, that person we were is no more and the new us have to grieve for our old selves. We are human, change does not come without some suffering. Eventually I hope to not struggle with my food addictions

I never really noticed in my weight loss period because it was Covid times and I wore the same old stuff everyday. I was years out of the habit of looking in mirrors too. Nowadays, almost 3 years out, I buy clothes in my size -UK 14 - and they fit me all over. Like people say. the weight / fat distributes itself around your body after you stop weight loss. I haven't had any skin surgery either. People actually ask where I buy my clothes ! and copy me ! Where is the Vogue camera man when you want him ? Ha !