Wildflower Bohême

Yes, do it!! I love kayaking. Well, I did it once almost 20 years ago. But have been dreaming about it since. Once I'm able to sit on the floor again, I will definitely be trying it too! One NSV is that I am starting to see loose, wrinkly skin on my stomach and butt. It's not pretty, but it's a symbol of my hard work! Looking forward to having a jawline someday, not there yet~ A weird thing is that I weigh less now than I did 20 years ago (in my 20s), but I'm bigger than I was then. My low-hanging apron and jawline/neck, specifically. I guess body fat to muscle ratio? Plus just ageing, I suppose. It'll be a huge NSV for me when (if) I have my panniculectomy~

Thank you for posting this! I read A Pound of Cure about a year or so before my surgery. It really spoke to me. Looking forward to listening!

I'm in Florida, USA and will be going to a Renaissance Fest in December. The theme for that weekend is "Celtic Christmas." I'm in the soft foods stage, so I can't eat what they traditionally sell at these kinds of fairs: giant turkey legs, meat pies, pub food, and general fatty/sugary things. Thankfully, their website says that those with "medical dietary needs" can bring outside food. So I'm wondering what kind of traditional UK or Irish food I could make and bring with me? They wouldn't need to be "period appropriate" (I think historical accuracy isn't always a big concern with these fairs) but I would like to get into the feel of it! By that point I'll have been cleared to have ground beef, soft dark meat chicken or turkey, fruits, and small amounts of butter or oil, in addition to the usual soft stuff, including vegetables. I was thinking colcannon made with cauliflower instead of potatoes? Something with meat would be nice too! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Wow, thanks everyone! I'll definitely look those up. I think I will try making something before the day, to see how my pouch handles it. Great suggestions!! 💖

Hi! Just wondering if a small amount of sugar-free peanut butter cups, if sufficiently mashed/pureed, would be ok in the puree stage. I know I can ask my bariatric dietitian, but I'm just wondering if anyone here has some insight. Pre-op, I have enjoyed both Quest brand and Reece's sugar-free. Reece's has less fat (8g per regular serving) than Quest (13g). I wouldn't have a full serving, at least not all at once. I just want to have something a little indulgent on Halloween, but I don't want to get sick.

Thanks for your insight! I realized that even having a little bit, the rest of the package would be in my house, and then I'd feel like I needed to eat more of it. So it's better to not even bother with it. My therapist and I do lots of work with this, and it's an ongoing process for sure.

Thank you!! I'll probably wait for now, but I may try it in the future

Found my surgeon's answer about sugar alcohols in my paperwork: "Avoid sugar alcohols... If something you eat has sugar alcohol, make sure it contains 7 grams or less to avoid dumping syndrome." The Reese's has 12g, so that's my answer. Oh well, probably for the best. Thanks for bringing that up.

Hm, good point about the sugar alcohols. My doctor is letting me have peanut butter in the soft foods stage, as she and my dietician let me know at my first post-op appointment last week. For me, candy has been a trigger in the past, but not as much as savory things. I feel like on that front, I'll be ok. As you said, I too definitely want to move towards whole foods, but I would like this one day to have a little something, within reason, if I can.

Ooh yes, those are good! Tying shoes made me think of also not getting out of breath when I bend over to put my dog's harness and leash on/off.

I was just thinking the same thing, about making my own NSV goals. Or whittling them down to a small list, anyway. 1. The ability to sit on the floor/ground, so that I can play with and train my dog 2. Walking more and eventually being able to jog and do 5ks 3. Kayaking 4. Swimming. My late grandfather swam competitively until he was in his 80s, so I'd love to get lessons at his swim club. 5. Wearing a bathing suit that's not a swim dress, and not feeling self-conscious about how I look 6. Shopping for non-plus size clothes 7. Reducing/eliminating meds & sleep apnea. Would love to not have to use a CPAP

TLDR: I am getting closer to surgery and can't seem to stop my RECENT daily habit of binging drive-thru fast food, which I do when I get anxiety about something. I hope someone can help. Full disclosure: I am about 2 months pre-op. The only thing I have remaining before my bari office submits my file to insurance is my last nutritionist meeting. I knew the psych eval was going to be a big deal, so I decided super honest with the psychologist. He cleared me for surgery, providing I get established with a mental health counselor and resolve my binging before surgery. I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and PTSD (I also have severe obstructive sleep apnea and PCOS). I have now been seeing a counselor for a few weeks. Also, the counseling center's doctor prescribed me Prozac, which hasn't kicked in yet as I've been taking it for less than 2 weeks. My counselor has told me that her office (or the insurance?? idk) doesn't allow her to provide counseling on the symptom of binge-eating, but rather the childhood trauma behind it. I understand why that's important, but I can't wait to resolve my feelings about the trauma (could potentially take years!) to stop binge-eating and get WLS. I will continue counseling beyond my surgery date, but for now I also want to do what I have to to get the surgery! I talked to my bari office's APRN and nutritionist, and they said they have a list of eating disorder-specialist psychologists I could see, but I have Medicaid, and it's very hard to find any doctor outside of basic community health clinics who accepts Medicaid. They also said maybe the Prozac and regular counseling will help and that I won't need the specialists. I have a book that I think could help me, called the DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) Solution for Emotional Eating (recommended by other WLS patients who have my same surgeon). But for some reason I can't get myself to actually read it. I have some kind of mental block about it. I am willing to hold off on my surgery until I resolve this, but I really would like it to resolve in the next month or so, considering that just a couple of months ago I was not having this fast food issue. Not to this degree, anyway. Plus, eating fast food every day is expensive, and I have gained 6 lbs, which I must lose before submitting to insurance. I have little coping strategies for when I get anxious and want to go get fast food, but I keep ignoring them. 😕 Would appreciate any help at all! I'm getting desperate.

LOL that would be great. I mean, I'm already at the point where I don't even think it tastes that great anymore. Maybe I can just go with the flow and let it drop off naturally. Thank you! ❤️ damn that cheese popcorn!

I am really happy to know that, and happy for you! Thank you for sharing! ❤️

LOL I'm hoping the threat of pain post-op will deter me too! You make a good point - if I have something prepared that can be in my car, that could be really helpful. Thank you! ❤️

You're right, that's really the most important part of it, isn't it? The 'why'. It's easier to avoid thinking about that! But yeah, I need to pause and become more aware of myself in the moment. Then maybe I'll be able to see that I have choices at that moment. Okay, next time I'm feeling like I need to go get food, I will make a conscious effort to pause and think. Thank you so much ❤️

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful response! I will definitely give that app a try. And you know, tbh I never even thought about driving a different way. The two fast food places I go to the most often are less than 1/4 mile down the street, but I don't have to turn that way. There is absolutely another option. ❤️

Oh great, thank you! I'm trying to make a shortlist while I'm still a few months pre-op so I can be prepared when the time comes.

Thanks for the update. I was curious too!