Pines

I had a funny one this week. I was walking along a hallway at work with someone I don’t see often. This person said, “I think you are shrinking” to which I responded, “Oh, I’ve never been very tall.” 30 minutes later I realized what he meant - LOL!

After seeing the Feb 2024 thread and realizing my surgery is only 6 days later, thought I’d start a thread and see if there’s anyone else scheduled in March? I’m having VSG on March 6. I’ve been planning it since last June and am very excited! Any March 2024 Buddies out there? 😀

Yesterday I bought my first “regular” sized clothes in many, many years! (Maybe since high school which would have been 35+ years ago…) I’ve been wearing smaller plus-sized clothes (yes, a range of sizes) that I’ve had in storage from previous weight loss but they are all beginning to get loose too. I’m hoping to make it through summer in them but it was thrilling to find some well-fitting fall items for work. I was shopping with some plus-sized friends who have been very supportive but I didn’t want to make a big deal of it in front of them. Fun to celebrate it here though!

I had surgery on 3/6 of this year and am doing really well - losing steadily, no food issues, etc. I am still sleeping a ton though - feeling best getting 10 hours of sleep, which seems crazy to me. I used to go on 6-7 and never felt tired. I’m assuming it’s the extreme calorie deficit and will ask my doctor at my next appointment, but wondered if anyone else had the same experience?

I eat out a lot, both for work and in my personal life. I feel like I’ve been navigating menus alright and making good choices. It didn’t take long though for the takeout containers to take over my fridge and my garbage. And take up so much room in the trash! So I bought a four pack of square plastic food containers (Glad brand, I think) that are about sandwich size. I keep them in my car and stick one in my purse when I go into a restaurant. They seal well and don’t spill in my car, store leftovers better in my fridge, and are less wasteful. Might be tricky with restaurants that want to wrap up leftovers themselves but I’ve been able to use them ok so far. A friend recently said she wondered why she never thought to do that, so thought I’d share here.

When were you able to start eating raw vegetables? I’m only six weeks VSG PO so I know I have awhile to wait but don’t see an approximate timeline in my program materials so wondered. I had a couple of tiny slivers of peeled cucumber today (chewed to nothing) and they tasted SO GOOD! I have a follow-up in two weeks, so will ask then, just curious about others experience.

How are you struggling, Jah’linah? There are so many very experienced people on this board, I hope you’ll ask for help with whatever you are struggling with. I’m a newbie like you, but there are people here who have been in our shoes and they freely share great information. Blessings to you too, surgery twin! 😀

Yes. I would sleep more than I thought possible during the day and then sleep all night. I think I stopped napping at around a week after surgery. Sleep is good for recovery.

Still on liquids here but was scoping out a split pea soup recipe to make for purées - fingers crossed starting on Monday! The recipe said it makes a gallon of soup. The visual of me scooping 1/4 C out of the gallon of soup did make me laugh. Yes, bariatric cookbook too but I really like the book so am not complaining. Will definitely cut that one down… 😄. And freeze some.

I’m with ya! One more week…

Could you request another dietician in the practice? My dietician was amazing! I was still in the “investigative” mode when I had my first appointments, and my dietician really seemed to understand where I was coming from. She recommended a cookbook that changed my views about what post-surgery eating would be like. She also said all of the RDs regularly do the pre-op diet so they can make tweaks and adjustments. Clearly I can’t speak highly enough of my experience and hope you are able to find someone more supportive!

I second the suggestion of getting a few four packs and seeing what you like after surgery. I drank protein shakes the first couple of days when I could barely stay awake to drink them and get my water in. I liked the Fairlife ones the best but many like Premeir. I’m on day 8 of post-op full liquid now (3 weeks for my program) and have shifted toward the savory. I made a turkey bone broth and a beef Asian spiced bone broth before surgery and froze in pint containers. You can buy bone broth or bariatric broth packets as well. I've been rotating between those and “healthy” canned cream soups mixed with Fairlife milk - adding additional protein powder as needed. I spotted my miso in the back of the fridge tonight and am going to add that to the mix tomorrow. I strain everything I make through a fine mesh strainer and add plain protein powder to meet requirements. I think the variety of options is helping me get thru.

I’m no dietician and very new here as well, but if you really have no access to other food (hopefully on a temporary basis), could you just order the protein and veg? Maybe skip the rice and noodles? Consider adding another protein and veg combo like shrimp and veg instead of the lo-mein. I’ve noticed many Chinese restaurants have “diet” offerings with low oil sauces, sauces on the side, etc. And sorry, I’m only 8 days post-op so have no idea about food fixations at this point. 😄

Had mine done on March 6 and so far, so good. The surgery went well and I was up and walking while in post-op. Been on the full liquid diet since Thursday and that seems to be going fine too. I made a banana cream pie shake today and really appreciated being able to make something, though I’ll admit the straining got a little tedious. The worst part for me was the shoulder pain due to the gas. I probably wouldn’t have taken any pain pills but took one to take the edge off the shoulder pain. It was gone the next morning anyway. And sleeping. I almost can’t believe the amount of time I’ve spent sleeping. I’m sure it’s helping the healing but I’ve never been a napper so sleeping so much feels strange. I’m sure that will subside as well.

Had mine done on March 6 and so far, so good. The surgery went well and I was up and walking while in post-op. Been on the full liquid diet since Thursday and that seems to be going fine too. I made a banana cream pie shake today and really appreciated being able to make something, though I’ll admit the straining got a little tedious. The worst part for me was the shoulder pain due to the gas. I probably wouldn’t have taken any pain pills but took one to take the edge off the shoulder pain. It was gone the next morning anyway. And sleeping. I almost can’t believe the amount of time I’ve spent sleeping. I’m sure it’s helping the healing but I’ve never been a napper so sleeping so much feels strange. I’m sure that will subside as well.

When hair thins after surgery, is loss more noticeable with shorter or longer hair? I’ve had a pixie style cut for years and just started growing it out. Now I’m wondering if I should keep the pixie cut until after the thinning stage? Surgery is next week so I have some time to let it grow

Oh, no - sorry to hear! So hard when you’ve been preparing and had your mind set on a different date!

Pre-op died started yesterday! It went well but I was super busy at work and didn’t get home until late - no time to think about being hungry. 😄 I’m a little worried about heading into the weekend but the weather looks gorgeous so I’ll have to plan to get outside a bunch.

Could you drink coffee on your pre-op liquid diet? I meet with my nutritionist tomorrow and will get her guidance, but just occurred to me to wonder, and thought I’d ask here? I really hope I can because I start Wednesday! If not, I should have been working on cutting down. 🙁

I had my last pre-op meeting yesterday and while coffee is allowed on my pre- op diet, the nutritionist recommended weaning off it because it isn’t allowed/recommended post-op. I think I might do a couple of days on the new diet before starting to cut down on coffee. Starting pre-op tomorrow - fingers crossed!

I’m starting my pre-op diet in one week! I’ve been planning this for so long, it’s kind-of hard to believe I’m getting close. My preop diet includes two protein shakes, two snacks, and a healthy dinner daily for two weeks. There are some adjustments in the days before surgery like dropping one snack and adding in a special protein drink. I have my pre-op appointments next week and have a long list of questions, tho I really thought I’d asked them all. 😄

A couple of questions about recovery before a family wedding. I am scheduled for VSG on March 6. Yes, far out due to work commitments. I have a big family wedding two months later and am wondering (overthinking) how this will all work? 1) I am not in the wedding party but do have a role and need to get a new dress. At this point, I am planning to get a dress that fits me now and assume it may be a bit roomy two months following my surgery, but will still work. Does that seem reasonable, in others experience? 2) Is it likely I’ll be able to eat any of the wedding food two months out? I absolutely realize my experience may be different from others, just wondering what events have been like at two months for others going through the surgery. I also understand my options will be limited (plain protein?) but wondering if I’ll have to pack food/snacks. I’ve read all kinds recovery eating schedules but don’t have the proscribed one for my program yet. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and advice!

Thanks everyone for your feedback - I REALLY appreciate it! I was trying to think ahead because I have the two busiest months at work right before my surgery AND I just got called for jury duty in February. When it rains, it pours! 😄 Maybe I’ll just wait and spend some time while I’m off for recovery doing some intensive online shopping, or at least narrowing down some options. Again, thanks for sharing your experiences!

I’m on a cpap too. I don’t have any advice on dealing with the disappointment but if I were you, I’d probably tell myself it’s just another step toward health. And who knows, maybe you’ll recover faster and lose faster because you are getting quality sleep and rest? Could happen!

I have been large all my life, but always felt healthy and mostly able to do what I wanted. I gained about 40 pounds during Covid and after struggling to get it off and no longer feeling healthy, my doctor recommended seeing an endocrinologist who recommended WLS. I was not interested, at all, so decided to try Ozempic. I was on it for a year, lost my Covid weight and a bit more, and was really surprised how it changed my cravings and interest in food. After my health insurance stopped covering Ozempic, I started researching other options and realized that WLS would give me some of the same effects I appreciated from the medication. I am on a long journey though because my health insurance requires six months of nutrition counseling and that ends in a work window when I can't take time off, so I'm hoping for a March 2024 surgery date. It's giving me plenty of time to plan, research and prepare! 🙂