kcuster83

it is normal, and sometimes lasts forever. You get used to it, I am 9 months post-op and still have it when I eat.

Why is someone on suboxone program for so long? Isn't the point to help you get off "street" drugs and get clean? I have always wondered the same about the methadone program..once on it you never come off? Why is that? I mean no disrespect and pass no judgement, I am genuinely interested in knowing why. Addiction runs ramped in my family, some in recovery and some not. And, the worst, some dead from it. Luckily not me personally, but it hits home...

I also prep things that freeze well. Chili Make a whole chicken (or turkey) and pull it apart and freeze in desired weight bags. I actually froze my leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and used some last week and make turkey stir fry instead of chicken. It was delicious! I buy the frozen bags of chicken so I can pull 1 or 2 pieces out as needed- Shake and bake is my jam for a quick easy and healthier (15-30 cals per serving) "breaded" chicken or pork. Make a big batch of pasta sauce and freeze in smaller amounts Homemade meat balls and freeze raw or cooked Homemade turkey or regular burgers. Soups freeze well, although I am not a soup person so I don't make them I started freezing more because learning to cook after WLS was not easy..lol.. I threw away tons of food. So I started freezing anything before throwing it away to see how it was after being thawed and reheated. Worse case I just threw it away later but then I knew and learned about what freezes well. I also meal prep lunches for work, so make bulk and eat it for a few days. Mainly to stay on track but it would also save you a lot of time for dinners too. You could cook the lean ground beef/turkey and use it for different things through the week. Spaghetti? Tacos? Etc.. Cook a larger amount of chicken and do the same thing? Chicken salad, chicken stir fry, chicken ON a fresh salad, chicken and veggies..etc.

Ok, so I have been obese just about my entire life. Here is my take, obesity is a problem at all ages and comes with a plethora of other issues. (mental and physical) But, lets think about us as adults for a minute, how much there is to understand. The rules, the regulations, the understanding of nutrition, counting calories, monitoring protein and fluid intakes, being sure to take all our vitamins... etc! Now, as a child do you think you could keep up with that? Do you think we could have even understood the seriousness of all of it? Of what could happen if we don't take vitamins and become deficient in something? Even, the potential complications from surgery short term or life long? As a child, I feel like it would be up to the parents to monitor and regulate foods, vitamins and comprehend everything that the child would have to maintain. So, why doesn't the parent just do that before surgery is required? If the parent is prepared to do that after surgery than why haven't they before surgery is even needed? If healthy habits are established at the parenting level then they (parents) already understand healthy diets and regulation of calories etc. Which in turn would naturally be passed down to their children. I am not saying this is perfect and some kids refuse to eat anything but mac n cheese.. but those kids aren't going to succeed with WLS anyway if that is the case so why? If the parents do NOT understand healthy eating habits, then how are they prepared to help their child any differently after surgery? As adults, we fail and we have the capacity to understand why. I just don't believe a child is able to maintain this lifestyle without a parents who are prepared to basically do the same exact thing. Although, I do believe some children may really need the help of WLS I just do not believe they can maintain it without the parent taking complete control (up to a certain age). Me as a child or teen I really don't think so. When WLS first became a thing, my best friends dad had bypass and it damn near killed him. He went from 700 lbs to around 100 and in a wheel chair in less than a year. Everything that could have went wrong did. Life long complications. I remember it scared the **** out of me! I remember it was a sole reason I waited so long to have surgery myself. Every time I considered it, he crossed my mind. He was the only person I knew for years that had it and it destroyed him. Then, as time went on I knew other people but literally NONE of them were successful. For whatever reason, lost and gained it all back, didn't loose, didn't follow the plan, didn't understand. I don't know but I know that every story I was aware of was not a positive one. Then my doctor actually suggested it, I started looking into it again. Researched the best surgeon around, researched every potential risk, benefit. Read for months on these forums and every article I could find online. Talked to people I knew, and had very transparent conversations about why they didn't succeed. I learned, and realized that I wasn't those people and decided to move forward. Here I am, 9.5 months later. Kicking a**. But me as a teen, I don't think so. I don't think teens are mature enough(and I was a VERY mature teen) to deal with all the changes and I don't think the parents are prepared to take control or they already would have.

Absolutely! Keep going, you're killing it.

Glad you are doing well overall. Getting liquids in takes some time and practice. Sometimes you have to try drinks at different temperatures to see if some are easier than others. Sometimes, add flavor and try that? You will get there, it has only been a few days.

FANTASTIC! Be super proud of yourself!!!

yeaaa, I am built the same way. Even at my biggest, I always carried my weight in my torso with skinny legs. It is like a Elephant on stilts. UHG! lol Now, I am just straight... like a thick green bean no shape what so ever. Oh well. at least I am healthier and smaller!

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I posted or updated. Mainly because there isn't much to update. (Just over 9 months post-op) First: I am going to go a head and admit that through the Holidays I sucked! I ate too much (not to be sick, but over my calories) and the wrong things at times. Reset- Holidays are over so I admit it and I am moving on from it and back on the horse and focused! The worst part of this (or at least what I am calling the worst) is that I still lost some weight through it. I am saying this is bad, because other than knowing I shouldn't have done it, there was no "punishment" in my mind. Honestly, I wish I would have just gained a few pounds. But, it didn't seem to stop me from getting re focused and back on track so I will take it. 9 month update: No changes except weight and NSV's! I can eat anything (including what I shouldn't) I don't and have never dumped. I still track everything I eat and drink, still stay within my calorie range (less the previous comment). I had my 9 month follow up with my surgical team. They called me a rock star. I was very proud of myself and how well I am doing. I still don't exercise, they still don't care. LOL Well, kinda, of course it has other health benefits but they are not concerned for the weight loss aspect of it. I am well ahead of schedule, and my Nutritionist has already started talking about my maintenance calories and how to start upping my calories slowly and safely. I told him to slow down, I still want to loose another 43 lbs to hit my goal! He agrees that is achievable, but was merely explaining where my calories would likely fall when the time comes. Which, is about double what I currently eat so he wanted to bring it to my attention so I could mentally prepare for how much more I would to eat to stop loosing weight. He explained that some people struggle physically and mentally to increase so greatly so he wanted me to have time to process and prepare for it. He said I would fall between 2000-2300 calories a day WITHOUT exercising, more depending on the intensity and frequency of exercise. Yeah.. that's a lot. I still drink a shake a day to maintain my calories and proteins, 70g protein or more a day and 80 oz fluids a day or more. Pretty much all water, and usually 1 sugar free drink a day to switch it up. NSV's are ENDLESS! Really, as we lose weight so many things change. Even some bad, like my bony ass knees when I sleep I have to stagger them so the knees are directly on top of each other because they hurt like crazy in the morning! I could go on for days about this subject! Body dysmorphia is real, like really real! When I was my heaviest, I knew I was fat but when I looked in the mirror I didn't see a 422 lbs person but when I saw pictures of my I did.. man I did.. I was sick to my stomach and so disgusted! Now, At almost half that size when I look in the mirror I still see a fat girl but when I see pictures I am like WHOA I am so small. I found out my cousin is 1 size smaller than me, but when I look at her I see someone very small and when I look at myself I cannot believe we are only 1 size different. I look so much bigger! I love to see pictures of myself now! I encourage them rather than hiding in the back of them. I buy shirts from everywhere, and really only because I can. HAH I have never been able to buy a souvenir shirt, they never fit. Not even close to fitting. Now I literally buy them everywhere I can, to an rate of just wasting money because I shrink out of them faster than I can actually get use out of them. To finish up: I hope to hit my goal weight by my 1 year follow up but I know 43 lbs in 3 months will be tough! My original goal was 225, which is much more reasonable to loose in these next 3 months. But 210 is my ultimate goal as that will be half of my starting weight which is pretty freaking cool! 422 down to 250 26/28 down to a 14 4/5XL TALL shirt down to a 1/2x regular shirt Good luck to all!!!! ❤️

I can chug water. Never had a problem meeting my goal. Fluids don't bother me at all and I am able to drink like I never had surgery. You aren't supposed to drink while you eat because it pushes the food through too fast and your body doesn't have enough time to absorb the nutrients.

OH MAN! That looks miserable!! I hope they give you something to relieve it quick!

I have saw adds for it too and did some digging. The reviews are all over the place. Good, bad, indifferent. I couldn't make an honest opinion about if it was worth trying or not so I never did. I also have very thick hair and have always had lots of shedding so I honestly can't tell if it is worse now or my normal. I think it did get a little worse, my hair general feels thinner. BUT! It is definitely not nearly as healthy so I was thinking about trying to take something to make it healthier. My little hairs are all over the place so I know it is growing back but all in all my hair is a mess. haha If you decide to try it out, send us a follow up!

You might want to take an extra few days of liquids to give yourself some extra healing time. Everyone heals at a different pace. If it continues too long, contact your surgeon. I made egg salad and chicken salad and pureed them both. I also had ground turkey taco meat pureed. I think for the most part that was about it because the texture of most stuff pureed is gross to me. Really though, you can puree anything. You may need to add some liquid to thin it out a bit though. If what you are eating is dry, that may be causing some of your pain.

Every surgeon has their own preferences, mine used steri strips (butterfly stitches) and some regular stitches on the inside. BUT! I would say it would irritate me to have told them you were allergic and they still used it causing a reaction. I definitely would have thrown a little fit about that. Who wants to be extra miserable on top of already healing from a surgery. Hope you feel better soon!

I assume they have Planet fitness in TX? I think they are everywhere. But, the ones around me offer a couple of free sessions with a trainer to get you started. They teach you how to use the equipment and show you some routines. Then, you can choose to continue and pay the trainer or take what you learned off on your own to continue. Good luck!

You got this! Just take one day at a time.

I was allowed to take a shower the next day, but keep my back to the water flow so my incisions did not get "blasted" with water. But, it was ok for them to get wet. Also, had no problem wiping da butt after surgery either. I guess everyone is different though. Never know till the time comes. haha Best of luck with your surgery!

Sorry you are going through all of this. I hope they figure it out and get it resolved soon. Wishing you the best.

Wishing you the best!

Every insurance is different. I did not need any type of approval for starting the 6 month process, I only needed approval for the actual surgery. I received a call from the insurance coordinator at the surgeons office telling me I was approved, but also received a letter in the mail from my insurance company telling me I was approved also. When in doubt just nag nag nag! Nag them all, get your questions answered.

I second this, blood pressure. I had a huge issue with this for a few months. Passed out once, and almost passed out multiple times. My blood pressure is still always on the low side, but not low enough for concern or side effects. Talk with your PCP and they will help you get it worked out. Mine pointed out that my sodium intake was almost nothing (literally under 200 g a day! when we should be getting around 2000g) So he had me increase my sodium, which was hard at first because I do not use salt at all when I cook and was limiting snacking. I figured it out and so far so good.

I had hot sauce on taco meat during the purred phase. A tiny bit to try it out and had no issues. So I guess my answer is 2ish weeks post op for me. Although, I was told no leafy greens until 6 weeks so I am more unsure about you eating the cabbage. Check with your team. Everyone is different, so I agree with the above statement to try new things at home in case it makes you sick.

At the top of the page there is a search bar you can type key words into. But, I will tell you I think it is flawed. I have searched direct exact words that I know for a fact have been discussed and they sometimes don't come up. For example I was looking for an older active topic that I know people regularly post on and it said no results found. So, I don't know how much success you will have.

I thought about it but I also like the double take I get when having my ID checked, That is a fun NSV in itself.

I just got a new one in 2021 so I have a ways to wait.... but the looks will be fun when someone has to look at my ID. haha