idk4w

So things were really busy at work, and they brought in lunch. I made myself a bagel with vegetables and brought it back to my desk. I was totally not paying attention when I suddenly realized that restriction hit-- I looked down and saw that I HAD EATEN THE WHOLE BAGEL, leaving over literally two bites!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now yes, I know that I need to be more mindful, pay attention to what's going in. And yes, I was totally annoyed at myself for allowing that to happen. But I have a different, more pressing question! WHY WAS I ABLE TO TOLERATE THE ENTIRE FREAKIN BAGEL??????? Why didn't restriction hit way earlier??? Shouldn't my stomach have protested earlier????? I'd love to hear: Do you prepare the size portion you want to eat based on its size and then go no further? Let's say you aren't full? Do you take more, or try to train yourself to only eat that portion? Does everyone on this forum use the Bariatric Pal portion plates and bowls? I never bought them... and I guess that's why I can eat a bowl of Cheerios 😣 😣 😣 😣 I should be using an itty bitty bowl and telling myself that's all I need, right????? Ok friends. Go ahead. Hit me over the head and give me what I deserve. I think it's time for a thrashing to get me back in place.

Ok, you guys are great. This was all good perspective. I really do need to get into better habits, or else I'll find myself back to my old ways... ***siiiigh**** no accounting for what's going in, major grazing, etc. etc. Thank you for the encouragement!

Sorry, can you explain- what's a slider food?

I'm only 6 months out... I know I do have to pre-portion bec I just don't feel that restriction hit like so many people on this forum are talking about. I guess the only real answer is pre-portioning and sticking to it. It's a matter of training my body...

I read about it before, everyone said it would happen... I didn't think it would be such a big deal, but OMG, hello???? Fistfuls of hair in the shower drain?! Like, what EVEN?????? So any solutions? What did you do about it???? (And don't tell me to buy a better shower drain...😵) HHHHEEEEEELLLPPPP!!!!!!

So happy you went through with it!!! Just remember: the first week does NOT count!!!!!!! You might feel like HELL and say what the heck did I do, I can't believe I did this, so not worth it! But we all want to hear back from you right here on this thread in 6 weeks. tell us what you're up to! Good times up ahead! Keep at it! best of luck to you! 👊

I had hoped that by day 3 or 4 that pain would diminish, and for me, the first turning point was at about day 6 or 7. Til then I was a mess! I couldn't even inhale. (For me it was more at the incision sites than gas pains.) The very strong pain meds really helped, especially at night when I just needed to sleep. Don't expect it to be gone by day 4, but by next week this time you will be amazed at the difference!!!! I know that doesn't help now, but maybe emotionally it will help... Please make sure you have a really good pain reliever, like Tylenol with codeine (which my surgeon prescribed). it made all the difference the first few days. Best of luck, and please hang in there!

I was shocked when someone told me her surgeon had her on a full liquid diet for 2 weeks prior! But again, every surgeon will have his/her own rules. I think it's really just a matter of making sure your liver is REALLY shrunken, not to risk the surgeon being able to do what he's gotta do. My surgery was pushed off bec of a covid uptick just then, and then I was only given one week notice before my surgery. I flipped out, and was like, oh no, what about the 2 week pre-op? They told me to just be super strict with only lean proteins, veg, minimal fruit, and it would be fine. I also did clear liquids one day prior. As mentioned above, it may also have to do with your BMI and what the pre-op ultrasounds showed on your liver. it ain't easy, but then, no one said this would be! Best of luck to you!

OMG LOL Yes you're right! I did read it wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously not looking for a psak on this forum and I'll end up asking my rav, but curious to know what you've all done about arba kosot and shiurim of matzah if up til now I've been makpid with shiurim (even the smallest shiurim are still a lot!) and how it worked out for you. (Sorry to those who are reading the question and have no clue what I'm talking about, I don't mean to be exclusive, but I'm using terminology referring to Jewish law)

I can only tell you what my nutritionist told me: your body will let you know. That means... take a little taste of a vegetable that you want. If nothing happens, HOORAY! You're good to go, bring on the cukes and tomatoes. Obviously don't try this with whipped cream and French fries 😜 LOL but with healthy options you can try and see if your body protests! If it does, give it a bit more time and try again. She told me that taking tastes of vegetables is not a matter of danger but about your stomach possibly not being ready. you'll know it if that's the case!

Can I ask you- although this is not about the original post (my heart goes out to OP and hope they get the help they need!!) you wrote you ate every time you were in pain. But I see on your profile that you lost lots of weight. How did you get on track and lose the weight if you were eating all the time?

I'm thinking more about the amount of matzah/marror/korech in a short amount of time, afikomen is pretty large in a small amount of time... Will I be able to get all that matzah down??????

How did you get in your shiurim for achilat matzah after surgery?????

So here's the deal. I'll eat a small amount, get full, stop eating. An hour later, or even less, I'm hungry! So I eat again! Sure, it's a small amount, but I don't want to be eating every hour! I want to be able to be normal, with breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Drinks in between. What do your days/menus look like? How often are you eating, and what types of food at each point? I'm not speaking to people who are 6+ months out, I'm looking for people who have had surgery in the past 3 months but are already on a routine. Thanks, all!

Can you explain what that means? Excuse my ignorance. Do you mean that it's coming off somehow but not in numbers?

That's great- can you post that??

But what I'm nervous about is that I'm just stalled becuase maybe i"m somehow eating too much bec the food doesn't bother me, and I def eat more than 1/2 cup at a time!!! It's way less than pre-sleeve, but definitely more than 1/2 cup they told me I'd be able to handle. I'm really concerned!

Wow. these pics and the info I'm learning about others' eating habits are quite educational, but this is also so frustrating for me!!! Everyone talks about how full they get... why don't I get full?????? Why can I eat a normal portion and no one else can? Isn't my stomach supposed to be miniscule??? You'd think I was this mega eater and weighed in at 500 lbs prior, but totally not. I was 220 before my pre-op diet, 210 at surgery (sleeve), and 200 a week later. and... drumroll... that's where I remain, 5 weeks later. I'm trying to be very careful with what I eat and I purposely give myself smaller portions, but even if I'm eating lean meats (chicken, tuna) and vegetables, I'm not getting full after 5 bites like every one else. I can't understand it. I should not be able to hold more than a 1/2 cup of food, right? It's a mystery to me (a REALLY frustrating one!).

I'm looking at these pics (whoa!!! yum, and kudos to all of you who prep all that food!) and I'm looking at the point y'all get full (like, 3 bites in????) and I'm wondering what's wrong with me that I can literally inhale these portions no prob only one month out! What is wrong with me?!?! And as a point of reference, I am not 100 lb overweight; while I am def very overweight- I need to lose 60-70 lbs. What I'm saying is I'm not one of these super massively obese people who can eat a house. But I can totally eat regular portions

I think I discovered part of my problem, based on what I read from other postes and what others go through at my stage. FOOD DOESN'T BOTHER ME. How can this be??? I guess everyone is different? I don't get pain, I don't feel sick, I don't get nauseous, so I can just eat. It might sound like a dream, but really, it's not. Because if I can eat, I can, well-- eat. and eat whatever I want. And obviously I don't want THAT! It means my control has to come COMPLETELY from my mind, because my body won't stop me. Interestingly, it does protest when I drink a lot, and I do wish it was the reverse. I want to drink! I wish my body protested from food, not liquid. I have a friend who told me before my surgery, "You'll see, you won't even be able to LOOK at the things you liked before. You'll have no inclination to eat them, or graze on things." I was looking forward to that, but it's not the case with me. If I allowed myself to, I could graze on anything all day. These responses were very helpful in giving me a framework, which I am beginning TODAY. (in case you're wondering, my team doesn't really work with this. The nutritionist didn't sit with me and map out a meal plan or anything. Basically she said, you're body will tell you what you can and can't eat. So seeing what others have been eating through the day is helping me form my own meal plan, and hopefully the numbers will start coming down. Because FYI... I haven't been losing weight! I lost 20 lbs between my pre op and the week after, and I've been the same since then, one month out. Not sure how that can be, but the scale don't lie. So thanks for the responses, hopefully this will help me jumpstart.

I am really nervous about getting dehydrated, which I heard can lead to kidney stones and other complications after WLS. I'd love to hear how everyone manages to get in enough liquids during the day, and what's considered enough at this point. One strange thing for me is that I see others are having a hard time drinking more than a few sips at a time and I have no problem with 2 oz in one shot! Why is this?

At 2.5 weeks out, how much food should I be consuming? If I feel hungry between "meals" (If we can call it that!) is it phantom hunger? Is it possible for me to be hungry if my stomach is so small? This is so confusing. I don't want to eat too much, I'm afraid of stretching my stomach and getting used to food too quickly. But what does the hunger mean? I tried drinking instead of eating (bec I'm low on drinking anyway, so kill 2 birds with one stone) but it doesn't help.

Yes, I think it IS real hunger, because I'm not craving a snack or specific food, I feel like I need SOMETHING, anything in my stomach. A fruit, veg, protein, anything. Well... ALMOST anything... NOT a protein shake, which I can barely choke down anymore. But I wonder if that's why I'm feeling hungry, bec I just can't do the shakes, and my body probably needs the protein...

I'm interested in hearing how you split your day up with your food and drinks, and what your menu looks like. I'm in the pureed stage, and wow, is this bo-o-o-ring. I've been making the ricotta bake, but how much of this stuff can one person eat?? LOL! So I'd love to see a "meal plan" from others in this stage... (or veterans who recall what their day looked like...)