JennyBeez

I am in a stall but have gotten back to a comfortable, positive vibe where I just don't care. And hopefully it'll break my addiction to the scale. My work week has been fraught with stress and cleaning up other peoples' messes -- but I'm trying to remind myself that their bad choices are not my responsibility, and if they want to continue to make poor choices despite my efforts that they can deal with the repercussions themselves. I have entered my malicious compliance phase. Having a lot of trouble with foods lately, particularly lunch times for some reason. I reached out to my team and they told me that while it's not ideal, if I need to do protein shakes or protein-added soups at lunch for a while, it's not going to do any harm. They'd 'like' me to be eating more real foods and not relying on a shake for lunch everyday, but that's something I can 'work towards'. I really don't see the big deal, tbh. I get plenty of dinner variety, and while breakfasts have been pretty much cereal or oatmeal for a while I see variety on the horizon there too. Ok, all that sounded mildly unhappy - but honestly, I'm in a great mood -- especially compared to last week LOL. I feel energized again -- emotionally, mentally & physically.

I too think your therapist could have chosen her words more carefully. (I also want to point out that if she's a therapist rather than a nutritionist, nurse practitioner, etc, while I would hope she would have training specifically to support body image, eating disorders and other related topics, it may just not be her specialty. She might not have the right vocabulary to be as helpful as another might.) I feel like it makes sense that post-op, the focus is definitely on Eating For Nutrition rather than enjoyment. Obviously we want things to taste good, but that especially in the beginning when taste buds and hormones are readjusting, sometimes we need to focus on eating to recover and survive and heal, or what we can manage to get down if we're having a phase of lack of appetite, etc. As we heal and as we move through different stages of our diet, we'll naturally move towards making our meals more delicious while maintaining the healthy benefits we need. Is it possible that your therapist misinterpreted your comments about missing food? Maybe you said you miss food, but were particularly missing solid and textured foods and things with a variety of flavour and they heard it as "I miss being able to eat half a pie or an entire pizza for dinner because it comforted me emotionally". Either way, I would've liked for them to say "Hey, it's temporary, food gets better" and "have you tried putting a bit of splenda and unsweetened cocoa powder on your yogurt, or put some fresh herbs in your broth and strain them out after simmering for 30 min".

My brother & SIL had one from their kids that they barely used, so they lent it to me. I used it once and was frustrated with the clean up lol. I ended up investing all of $30 (CAD) in a handheld immersion blender off Amazon -- mostly because I'd wanted one for a while anyway. It was super useful but I have to admit that after the puree stage, I use it maaaaybe once a week.

Egg whites & eggs themselves are still giving me problems. (And chicken. I give one or the other a try every week or so but even two or three small bites induce foamies, no matter how slow I take it or what other foods I bite in between. Ooh, how did I forget pea protein existed? That sounds like a win already. The mashed up chickpeas was... an experience. It wasn't bad, but definitely left the oatmeal with a different taste that I wasn't fond of. This morning was oatmeal with raw sunflower seeds and some chunks of apple. It was delicious but heavy, and still more fat than I want so early in the morning. The brightside of the experiment was when I remembered (gasp!) that I don't have to eat classic breakfast foods for breakfast. I was looking at the portion of un-mashed chickpeas in my fridge this morning (after I already made my darned sunflower seed oatmeal) and finally had the fecking epiphany that I could just toast them up as is -- or as a patty -- and eat them seperately (or instead!) of my oatmeal, and it still wouldn't take much effort in the morning when I'm dragging my feet everywhere I go. Like. WTH. I knew this. I knew this when I was on purees. I had sweet potato with bone broth powder puree for an entire week back then. Why am I overcomplicating my life trying to solve problems that don't have to be problems at all. So, these surgery hormones, can I blame them for making me slower on the uptake or is my age finally catching up to me? XP

Some of us do gain during stalls, so try (try! lol) not to worry too much about that either. ❤️ I just want to say, kudos to you doing so well on this extended liquid diet. It probably gets easier as it goes on, but I'm sure you'll have tougher days and easier days. If you ever need to vent, we're here for ya! But seriously, it sounds like you're really killing it already!

I second the warm / hot drinks. Herbal tea and broth were amazingly helpful, especially in the first week or two. My team also gave me the go-ahead for sugar free electrolyte drinks if I found the water wasn't doing it for me. I had to water down the electrolyte drinks to get past the taste anyway, lol. The first couple of days were rough, but after that I found the water started to satiate my thirst much better. It might just be that right after recovery, our bodies are so strung out they need time to readjust to everything -- including water. I was on chewable multis and liquid calcium/d3 from day 3 -- the first two days, they told me not to bother with either. I had bought a big bottle of the liquid calcium & d3 thinking it would be the easiest during recovery, and because it was available at my local drugstore. It was awful, it burned going down and for a good half hour afterwards. I was determined to use it all to 'not waste' but but I think by day 4 or 5 I was ordering chewable calcium / d3 because I couldn't take it anymore. Still took over a week to get the calcium/d3 chewables. Don't be afraid to reach out to your team about changing things up if they're not working for you.

I heard it! I was intrigued, and honestly I think that any treatment that helps people improve their body and/or mental health is worth investigating thoroughly -- so I'd like to see how it develops. But that said, my question is, how do these studies take into account the people for which depression, eating disorders, etc all go hand in hand with being or becoming obese, low self worth, trauma, etc. Mental/emotional health and obesity / physical health & ability can easily boost each other up positively or send you into into a vicious downwards spiral when things are going bad. How many people on GLP-1s who attempted/considered suicide were already suffering from depression or suicidal ideation, etc? How many people who lost weight through GLP-1s had their mental health and self worth so intrinsically tied to their body image or the side effects of obesity that the resulting weight loss improved that aspect of their lives almost as a side-effect? Either way, the potential for improvement in both areas upon taking GLP-1s would be worth it, in my eyes, but I'm always a bit skeptical about how studies like this are framed.

If you're able to have sugarfree jello puddings instead (I was, at the liquid stage), they're much easier to mix protein powder. Thicker soups too, like cream soups and tomato soups. Thinner soups like broth, try adding a bone broth powder if you're not vegan/veg. I personally found every popsicle treat I tried to make with protein shakes or powder were disgusting (texturally), but have heard others say they had no problems. Maybe try a single one and go from there? Don't worry about throwing out things you don't like and 'wasting' food -- at this stage, you're eating so much less than average that it really shouldn't be a concern. In the liquid stage, I feel like 80% of my diet was protein shakes, with a few other liquids scattered through my day for variety.

I don't know about dumping syndrome, but blood pressure changes after WLS can be a struggle. I don't know how much weight you've lost so far, but the more weight lost the more BP can drop. Are you (or were you) on any BP meds prior to surgery, in addition to dealing with Afib? If so, you might want to discuss with your doctor about reducing the dosage. (Honestly, when it comes to blood pressure I feel like it's safest to talk to your primary doctor regardless) ((For me, I had high blood pressure for years prior due to my weight (anxiety too, so I feel you!). My BP tests have certainly showed a lowering post-op, but I'm still coasting on the line of good BP so my doctor has been hesitant to change anything up yet. Last week, ironically, I've been having some dizzy spells and low-ish BP (nothing lower than 110/68) so my PCP has suggested I halve my meds and keep an eye on how things progress from there. ))

Ohhh, this makes me feel so much better. Internally, almost as soon as I posted my inner voice was all "Stop complaining, everyone stalls, nobody wants to hear it," but the rest of me was just needing something to break through the deadened emotions with some logic & care. Even now I feel a little guilty for taking up people's time with all this, lol. @MrsFitz, yes, feeling much better after this weekend, thank you! Feeling back in the positive range again. I think being able to get outside to nature this weekend (more than is possible for me during the week) definitely was a boost. Looking back, I think I was afraid to feel the scary negative emotions & worries, so I just kinda shut everything down. Not the healthiest, but everything is get-throughable.

I was allowed greek yogurt on my full liquid too, but I found it too thick in the beginning. I watered it down with a splash of milk until it was a thinner consistency, but after a week or so I was able to get it down on it's own.

That's so simple but so brilliant, too. ❤️

I think I was just so happy to be out of the stall, that the possibility of going back into it a week later sucked the spirit out of me. I didn't have the emotional energy in me to even feel properly upset -- or maybe, some part of my brain is trying to protect me from that? But clearly I am still having the feelings somewhere deep down -- cause last night, man, the nightmare I had about anxiety and eating half a box of Fruit Creme Peek Freans in the dark. I've gotten through enough mental health issues in the past that the logical part of my brain knows I'll get through this kind of shut-down phase, but sometimes its just harder to waddle through the mire.

Ugh, YES. Part of it is the hormonal changes (not just menstrual!), body chemistry changes, etc. I don't know if there's much we can do about this part beyond nutrition, hormone supplements if required, etc -- much like menopause and pre-menopause. Another part of it is also that for many of us, food was a coping mechanism for a long time and now we've removed that as an option. It means we have to either face the things we were trying to drown out with gravy, or find new and improved, healthy ways to cope. Instead of "What a shitty day, I deserve pie!" it's "What a shitty day, I should eat a protein bar and hit the gym to work out my frustration!" or "What a shitty day, I should actually talk to that person about their poor behaviour." On my side, I've suffered through cyclical depression throughout my life. I'd like to say it gave me a good launching point for when the post-op emotions started hitting, but it's one of those struggles that's just ... always a struggle, lol. I cope with a few CBT techniques that I've learned over the years to get through the most intense moments, and once I'm feeling less unbalanced it's easier to get into a better headspace. Be the one to reach out to someone else at least once a day. Do 20 minutes of mindful self-care -- ie give yourself a hair treatment for 20 minutes and try not to think about anything other than brushing your hair, count strokes, massaging your scalp etc. ((Side note: if you're currently in The Hair Loss phase, maybe skip this for a hand treatment? My hair is suuuuper thin right now.)) I try to re-direct myself into how to make positive changes regarding whatever it was that recently bothered me / triggered me. Not 'fix' things, but improve the situation or my reaction somehow. Sometimes it just requires a long circle of thinking until I realize I'm internalizing something that I don't need to be, or upset about something that normally wouldn't cause a reaction at all, etc. One of my biggest problems and solutions is exercise. If I'm a moody mess, I don't want to exercise. Have no motivation to get up and do it. Yet everytime I force myself to do it, I feel bloody amazing afterwards -- energetic, spirits buoyed, all that good stuff. It doesn't have to be anything major, just walking outside at a good pace can change my mood about 15 minutes in when those endorphins kick in.

I've just got some generic version, it shows measurements both in 1/2c increments and 125ml increments. The half cup is more useful, but even the full cup works out cause I'm often happy to eat the same thing two days in row. I never considered regular ice cube trays though -- way more cost efficient. So let me update my WDYWYHD Before WLS: I wish I'd considered how to best use kitchen stuff I already have on hand rather than wasting money on things I didn't really need to buy 'special versions' of. XD

I tried your greek yogurt cheesecake hack two days ago (just the greek yogurt & mix, I was lazy) ... I was immediately, irrevocably captivated. The thickness, the texture, it's so perfect. I've had a little bit two days in a row now, and my protein macros have skyrocketed. I topped it with a handful of fresh raspberries, and I now know exactly what I'll be bringing to summertime potlucks & bbqs. XD

Not to beat a dead horse, but as others have said, consider therapy. Look for one on your own (or see if your program has one / can refer you to one) who specifically deals with eating disorders. I haven't done had this experience Post-Op, but I've fully been there before during diets I've attempted in the past. For me, there were so many things at play: ongoing depression, feelings of low self-worth were helping me further sabotage myself. I punished myself with food, even while logically knowing better, because it was what I was used to. I hid myself behind my weight, because it became my norm and was easier than dealing with a lot of the trauma and mental health issues lurking in the shadows. It's so, so hard to break these cycles all on our own. Having someone to talk to about it -- a friend, a counselor, support from your program, or us here on the forum can make a world of difference.

It gets so much better! Don't beat yourself up over the goals -- they're just that, goals. You're not expected to reach them, especially at first. Just do your best to keep on sipping.

I don't like to comment too much on people's bodies (I have consent-issues, lol), but girl your muscles! And that suit looks fantastic on you. But those MUSCLES!!! ❤️

Ugh, you're killing it!! ❤️ You look great and you've been losing so darned quick. Also, I love your natural hair. It looks so chic, especially with that length!

Have you tried just adding plain lemon or lime juice? I find that helps. Sometimes temperature can make it more or less appealing too -- when I'm nauseous, I need my water to be ice cold or downright hot (if it's a tea), nothing in between. Have you tried a peppermint tea? I actually like my mint tea best when it's cold / been refrigerated. Maybe it's the processed flavourings that you're having more issue with? Have you tried fruit infusions -- literally just plop a few pieces of fresh or frozen fruit into your water bottle? I actually have even tried those little fruit cups (in water, not syrup!) and dumped half of one into my big water bottle. Pear or mandarin are my favourites -- I've made ice cubes out of the mandarin ones. As for a schedule, I know they look tacky but for the first two months post-OP I relied on one of those pre-marked water bottles? Mine was a 16oz that had hourly levels to keep me on track; drinking the whole bottle twice a day for 32 oz, thrice for 48oz, etc. It helped me kick my own ass if I was falling behind. I still struggle to get 64 oz in a day. I'm down to a regular 10oz thermos now that I've trained myself to keep drinking. (Honestly, in terms of schedule I feel like it's kind of a permanent: "Are you drinking right now? Cause you should be." 😆)

I have it with smells. So many things smell like fish or tobacco to me. My dad will make himself a coffee, and I smell cigarettes. He'll be frying up eggs or a hamburger, tobacco. And for some reason, a lot of medicinal scents smell fishy to me: my metformin makes me gag because it smells so strongly of fish -- as does my children's grape-flavoured allergy liquid. 😕 As for taste, I've been lucky enough not to experience that -- although my taste buds are definitely still out of whack / different than pre-op. I can taste chemicals in SO many things now -- even items that I was fine with (twice, just last week) suddenly taste chemically. (I'm looking at you, lemon pudding....)

Ooh, I didn't think about making it with a protein shake! That's frigging brilliant. It's weird -- I think of adding bone broth powder to basically anything savoury but I never think about using a protein shake except for as a milk replacement in coffee, cereal, oatmeal, etc. Meanwhile, my milk is the protein-forward Fairlife already too, so replacing the milk should really be the furthest thing from my mind since it's already buoyed up. Why is it so hard to re-train the brain? LOL I use a different PB powder, PB&Me is more readily available in my part of Canada. (I was using the PBFit immediately post op and it was fine, but once I switched over to solids the miniscule amount of coconut palm sugar in it gave me tummy troubles, lol). Powdered PB in general though is probably one of my favourite things right now. I love how much control it gives me over the consistency of my PB, and it's so easy to make different dressings and dipping sauces.

I bought some extra large silicone ice cube trays (with measurements!) Anything like soups, casseroles and mashes I freeze in the tray then pop them out and put them in a large freezer bag for easier organization -- with dates and portion size scribbled on. My food tracker app also has a section for custom foods / recipes, so I can save the exact nutrition info there and add a portion whenever I eat it. But reading this, damn am I ever craving bolognese now. XD

--- It could be that a lot of people (like meeeee) may have been attributing symptoms to dumping syndrome when it was foamies, IBS, food intolerances, etc. But also just from a social-stats standpoint, people are more likely to complain about their bad times than come celebrate when things are just progressing normally/fine/ok. As for fruits, my personal experience would caution that as you're introducing new fruits to your diet, eat them with a protein you already know you tolerate well. The protein could help the fruit's sugars from just hitting your stomach straight up. And at first at least, maybe lean more towards fruits with good fibre content? I had a lot more luck with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries at first than other options. Even now, I can eat black cherries if they're mixed into some greek yogurt, but if I try to eat them on their own or with oatmeal it's just too much on my system (at this stage). (And just FYI: blueberries with natural peanut butter? So fricking satisfying. On it's own, or on a cracker / toast if you want that bit of crunch)