NeonRaven8919

That's not really an option. It's the NHS so it's just the one appointment through the Bariatric multidisciplinary team. Therapy is really hard to get and the waiting lists are long. Once you get an appointment, you get 12 sessions or about 1 a week for three months.

Oh yeah I have to force myself to even eat in the first place. I'm never hungry anymore and I hate eating now.

I also couldn't eat without something to do. I think a timer is the best option. I've had one meeting with a psychologist after my surgery who told us about mindful eating and taking the time to appreciate the food and eat it slowly and really enjoy it, but purees and soft stage foods aren't much to wrote home about so I struggle with that part

True! Brand does make a difference. Very UK specific, but I love the one that Iceland sells, but Tesco own brand is just meh.

I did! I was able to get my mail-in vote sent off last week! I was up all night watching the election but tapped out just after they called Georgia, (4AM or so) Crazy close edge-of-your seat type stuff!

I'm about for weeks post op (Monday) and I will be cleared to start soft foods. I recently invested in a 1qt (1.5Litre) slow cooker as I'm just cooking for myself, but I don't really know where to start using it. My mother's old stewed beef recipe is calling to me as it's always been a favourite and soft, melt in your mouth beef sounds perfect for this stage. But she didn't write it down so I have to remember what she taught me. Does anyone know any good stewed beef slow cooker recipes?

Does anyone else have problems with their morning meds filling them up too much? I can't really eat anything in the mornings because my medications fill me up too much.

I've been eating it on it's own since it's good puree - soft food texture so it works both ways. Also added it to a tomato soup to give texture and protein. I used to like it all the time when I was in the US, but since moving over to the UK, I didn't like it because the texture was different. Now, I can keep it down and it's a good protein so I eat it all the time. But, my local supermarket sells it mixed with pineapple, or one with Italian Herbs. I wouldn't eat either of those, but it might be a good suggestion for someone.

I did buy a few so I'm hoping that will help. My big problem now is still eating too fast. It wasn't until AFTER my surgery that i finally met with the therapist who talked about mindful eating.

Thanks!

I'm back in the US for two weeks at the end of this months (I'm a Montana girl no matter how long I've lived in the UK) and I'm hoping I can hit all the thrift stores while I'm there. There's a few thrift stores here, but not so many that have plus sizes. I'm guessing I'm a UK 20 (US 18) now so still a plus size.

I agree with this. I'm about 4 weeks post op. According to my plan, I can start soft foods on Monday. But I've struggled with purees and eating too fast so I've gone back to liquids and protein shakes. I'm honestly kind of scared of moving to soft foods and even more scared of moving to solid foods. I think if you're going to use shakes and things to supplement your diet, Meal Replacement shakes are a better alternative to protein shakes as they also have more vitamins. While on my LSD, I would mix the chocolate slimfast with some chocolate protein powder and little skimmed milk to disguise the taste of the slimfast, but also to give it a little more protein. I would not WANT to live on those long term, but occasionally, I think can still have a place in the diet if you're in a rush or not feeling well enough to cook.

I'm about 4 weeks post op so I don't have a lot of smaller clothes. I'm trying to go as long as I can without buy new clothes because I don't know what size I will settle at. But I really like these jeans because they are skinny cargo jeans. I might just buy these in 2 different sizes just in case. I also find leggings not being tight annoying. My problem has always been that I'm too short for standard leggings so I would need a size 22 leggings but they would be too long. Now they are baggy and too long. But I've always been able to wear legging a size smaller than jeans or trousers because of the stretch.

My Skinny Jeans aren't "skinny" anymore! More like baggy jeans now!

I'm also really sick of wearing compression socks, but two more weeks to go.

I'm now 4 weeks post op. I'm not really in any pain except my hip which is unrelated. I'm about to start the soft foods phase,. I'm nervous about when I will start solid foods because solid foods are what helped me get big in the first place. I have my ne month review with my surgical team in the 7th of November.

I never got an advice on "mindful eating" until AFTER I was a week post-op. I had a total of 15 minutes with a therapist pre-op. I have had to go back to staying on liquids because I just can't stop eating too quickly when it's purees. Even yoghurt is too heavy. It's definitely better to get in the habit now. I still haven't mastered it.

Well done!

I'm just so excited! Not Onederland in the traditional sense because I'm using metric, but I'm very happy!

I don't know if any of this will be helpful but, I'm three weeks post gastric sleeve. I wasn't hungry for the first 2 weeks. Today, I'm feeling a bit hungry but, as I'm still not able to eat anything but purees or soups and only about 4 tablespoons in one sitting. After surgery, the last thing you think about is food for the first week. I went the NHS route so a psychologist will be in touch at the 3 month mark I believe so I guess time will tell what support I will need. Personally, I think the psychologist should be involved from Day One, but that's just me. I also had 12 weeks of pre-op diet so I feel like I had to give up my coping strategy cold turkey. At this point, I just want solid food. Not like the old "I need comfort/I'm bored" type of eating, just different head hunger. It's definitely true you think of food differently. Now I think food is an inconvenience. Having to set a timer to remind me to get something other than water in my system is a different feeling. I never had to force myself to eat before. You mentioned your surgery is January 2025 so you will still have a few months I would use that time to see if you can find a therapist or a support group. And yes, it does get easier. For me it's going slowly, but it is still getting easier day by day.

I must invest in a slow cooker. My mum had a great recipe for slow cooked beef stew (she had gastric bypass so it was really soft beef) and I've been wanting to make it for a while. I don't quite know the recipe since she never wrote it down and I can't ask her anymore, but she always like to experiment in the kitchen so I think it's better I find out on my own anyway. I'm hoping I can get a cheap one on pay day so I can start actually cooking in the soft food stage.

I've been trying to puree tuna with some yogurt instead of mayo and I think it's just too much for me right now. (three weeks post op) But I I've definitely taken the advice about blended thick soups so they are thinner and cottage cheese. I also had some cream of tomato soup and blended some cottage cheese into it and it enhanced the flavour of both. I used to love cottage cheese when I lived in the US, but it doesn't have the same texture as the UK so I didn't like it anymore. Now, it's a godsend. Funny how life works. I'm really struggling with purees so I'm going to stay on liquids for an extra week.

I've never eaten brown rice before. Brown rice is more expensive in my area so I lived in the cheapest rice and pastas. I've never been a huge fan of rice anyway, but I imagine brown rice in some paella would be lovely.

Im 3 weeks post op and I just want to eat solid food again. Anything solid. You will be surprised how you feel post-op versus pre-op. Your priorities will change.

Also if you're going to put protein powder in porridge, do it after it's cooked. If the protein powder cooks, the taste is just off.