bigoverthinker

I would choose unsweetened coffee over juice. Juice spikes my insulin and my blood sugar but still makes me hungry. Try protein if you need a pick-me-up. I lost 40 lbs over the year before my surgery by preferring protein and complex carbs over sugars and white carbs (pasta, bread, rice, milk, and potatoes). I dropped an additional 60 lbs since my sleeve surgery on 12/30/2022 by eating the same way but much lesser amounts that my much smaller stomach allows me. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

"At the moment it takes me about 10-12 hours to drink a litre at most and I’ve tried things like fruit juices and teas etc…I just feel like I’m constantly forcing myself - on top of forcing myself to have Protein Shakes and Soups and all the purées," Fruit juice and other liquid sugars are the enemy. Sugar retains water as strongly as salt/sodium. And liquid sugar spikes insulin which puts energy/glycogen into your fat cells rather than letting your body burn it. High insulin is probably driving your hunger. I had to prioritize water over protein for a couple weeks. Slowly I was able to up my protein close to my goal of 80 g per day. When I forget to drink enough at first I would rapidly lose weight. (Water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon.) Then my weight loss would stall or even go up as I rehydrated. If I stay hydrated the my weight comes down about a pound per day. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

"I had the sleeve surgery 12/30/2022. Feels like a different lifetime before." PS. I am 65 and 73 inches and weighed 404 at my heaviest. I dropped 40 lbs in the year before my surgery and another 60 lbs since. Before surgery I had weekly therapy exploring how I use food to cope with stresses of life and my relationship with myself. My next step is regular exercise. I am starting out 2 minutes of exercise on my step machine in the morning and again at night. Doesn't sound like much but it's enough to get me out of breath and make my legs and arms tired. Enough exercise to tire my muscles twice a day is a good beginning. I am trying to be gentle with myself. I hope this helps someone. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

There are other kinds of goals than just weight loss or smaller size. Certainly I wanted to be less heavy and be able to fit in a booth. But I also wanted to stop insulin, blood pressure meds, and be able to get up from the floor without help. I had the sleeve surgery 12/30/2022. Feels like a different lifetime before. I expected much more of a struggle, a continued war over control of my compulsive eating. I thought that would be my most likely post surgery downfall. Stopping that war became my goal. I made up my mind to befriend and protect my surgery and the signals that my smaller stomach is sending me like a precious possession. So far it's working. I am down 60 lbs since my sleeve surgery and still progressing. A little more than once in a while I am tempted and I will have something I shouldn't but I will either leave or limit myself to a taste. I noticed that if I leave I don't miss it. If I taste it it isn't as delicious or satisfying as I expected. I am respecting and protecting my stomach's ability to help me have a nicer life where I can play with my grandchildren and climb a flight of stairs and not have to plan how to get up before I sit on the floor with my grandkids. Last week I was at Costco and I really missed having a hotdog with mustard. I bought one and I ate until I felt full. I threw away 2/3 of the hotdog. I did the same thing with a slice of pizza the week before only took two bites and realized it wasn't tasting as good as I expected. I threw that away too. Something that helped me was that before the surgery I made up my mind that if I was miserable post surgery I have permission to stretch out my stomach and go back to my old ways of coping and keeping life worth living. So far I have been more at peace and happier on the trajectory I am on. I am down 60 lbs since my surgery and still progressing. Lately I am realizing that the enemy of my progress is my sense of failure when I have a bite of something unapproved. Permission to throw away the rest once I taste it or have hit "full" is freeing. I am enjoying the sense power when I throw away the remainder and move on. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

There's a chicken flavored protein that I mixed with hot bone broth. That wasn't terrible, lol. I was able to get to 3 weeks then I started small amounts of well chewed chicken or salmon. As for protein shakes I got to the point where I couldn't stand Premier or Orgain. But pre-made Orgain Clean still tastes good. The chicken protein powder is Bariatric Fusion Chicken Soup Meal Replacement 27g Protein Powder They also have a Strawberry Banana that is pretty good. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

Try Benadryl cream. It's a thin clear substance and that knocked down my itching. I just coated the whole area including incisions. Benadryl pills didn't help at all. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I second getting with your team. Having said that, I have the constriction issue too. I have come to see it as a blessing. When I drink or eat something I take a tiny bite then I wait for it to hit the constriction/spasm. I just wait for it to relax a bit and drain through. 2 or 3 seconds. I literally feel liquids swirl like a drain. Then I wait for it to hit my stomach pouch. 2 or 3 seconds more. Then I wait for a feeling like satiation which is usually about 5 or so seconds after it hits my stomach. I don't know your situation but maybe you can experiment with something hot or cold and see if you can be in touch with your body. Would love to hear how it turns out. Good luck! Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I second the person who said pre measure before you put it in your mouth. I carry one of these 1 cup glass prep bowls. Before I eat it I put it in the bowl first then eat from the bowl. If I want seconds it goes in the bowl first. Now I know 1 extra bowl will make me feel ill. I have a clear volume related cutoff. On the other side of that cutoff is discomfort. I would add 1 thing to the pre measure mantra: Don't eat distracted. So don't eat in front of the TV. TV or eat but not both. This is helping me. [emoji4] Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

FYI, I am 65 and my surgery was 12/30/2022. Not that long ago but I dropped 40 lbs in the year before surgery and constantly struggled with the feeling that nothing worthwhile was happening. Noticing my negative focus on what hadn't changed and then deliberately looking for evidence that my progress was real helped me not give up. Since surgery 21 days ago I have dropped an additional 20 lbs. I look in the mirror but I don't see it. But I have more energy, feel better physically, and have fewer weight related pain. The progress is real. I just have to remind myself what to look at when I am tempted to be discouraged. [emoji4] Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I can see what you might trigger on to think not much has changed. But I can also see the signs that the changes are real. See if you can can go back and forth in focus. Maybe you can realize when you are down how your focus is stealing the pleasure of your progress! Congratulations! Focusing on the aspects of my progress and what I want to do next is helping me minimize my down periods. [emoji4] Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 65 and had my sleeve surgery 12/30/2022. I had to go back on Ozempic the second week simply because the cravings were driving me crazy. Worked nearly immediately. Do you what you must to make it work. The obesity is more dangerous, more debilitating, and more life enjoyment stealing than weight loss meds. Help your surgery work for you! [emoji4] Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app