indyjeff

We have all these newbies coming in with questions/statements that make me wonder if they ever sat down with a NUT, their surgeon or if they were given any type of pre-op training.

Is it OK to eat pizza/tacos/fried chicken? Is ice cream soft? How about milk shakes? I ate swedish fish/noodles/rice a few days post op. I am eating french fries and chicken nuggets, but it's ok because I'm ok so everyone else will be too. I want it so I ate it and I am going to get mad an anyone and everyone who tells me it wasn't a good idea.

Anyone who disagrees is mean, rude, sarcastic, judgmental, non supportive, a bully, horrible, rotten, a monster. I get that this backlash is a defense mechanism because they know deep down that they are wrong but it still sucks to watch this downward spiral that is happening here.

It's not great advice to chew and spit. It's not great advice to move along with your food stages because (you think) your body is telling you that it's OK. (Your body does NOT know best or you wouldn't be in this spot in the first place.)
Vets should leave because all the above advice and pandering and coddling is MUCH better than real, honest, truthful, experienced answers.

It's a freaking $h!tstorm out there the last few weeks. Seriously.

7 months......tremendous achievements.
Could you ever see yourself in a 5K race.......or a 15K race when you were contemplating the future pre-op ?
It is my opinion that you've already won the race. The health and emotional benefits you've tapped into through the training and ramp up to this event have to be leaving you feeling 10 feet tall and bulletproof.

Nope. Could not see myself doing this ever. Couldn't see myself walking to the end of the driveway without pain, stopping or help...
10 feet tall and bulletproof? Yes. Yes. For many reasons, this being one of them.
Feel invincible at times -- most times. Thank you. Your opinion and confidence is greatly appreciated Dub.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It takes about three weeks for the hormones affecting hunger to start shifting. By cheating you are cheating yourself of the chance for that brain reset in your hunger. Get back on track asap!
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

It's not real hunger, it's "head hunger." The very fact that you are indulging things that you SHOULD NOT BE INDULGING tells me that your head isn't in the right place, right now. It's normal to be a little obsessive about food the first couple weeks after surgery, your brain has a hard time letting go of its old behaviors. But instead of embracing that change and letting go, you're letting your brain dominate you again. If you continue to do that, you are not going to be successful long-term. The internet is littered with stories of people who did this and regained all of their weight, because they were not committed to change, ignored their surgeon's instructions, did what they wanted and gained it all right back. Sure, the surgery will force you to lose for a while...but it won't stop you from regaining it, if you're motivated.
11 pounds in a week and a half is excellent weight loss, so when you say you think it should be more, it tells me you don't really know how much of a calorie deficit you're running, how many calories your body needs to stay its current weight, and how many pounds you SHOULD be losing, given your calorie deficit. These are all important things to know, and these are knowledge and skills you will need to acquire if you are to be a success.
Right now, you need to commit to following your dietitian and surgeon's instructions with 100% compliance. Not 99%, not mostly kinda sorta, 100% without fail. You also need to commit to a lifelong change in your habits and thought patterns related to food. If you keep letting it dominate you, you will fail at this.
The rumbling in your stomach that you're feeling is not hunger, it is something that goes away after enough time post-surgery...your stomach just had the majority of itself cut away, it is a recovering muscle and it is spasming, doing all kinds of stuff that has nothing to do with hunger. It'll do all of that AFTER you eat, too. You also likely feel a "bite" in your stomach which reminds you of hunger pangs, but in reality is stomach acid buildup because your stomach hasn't adjusted to its new size yet, along with some residual soreness from the full-length staple line. Again, this is something that will resolve in time. It is YOUR HEAD that is driving your feeling that you're hungry...and your behavior is allowing your old mindset to control you, yet again. "I'll just have some of these wings, they're small, I'm so HUNGRY." No, sorry...you're screwing up already...less than two weeks after surgery.
Water, and Protein, in whatever form your dietitian and surgeon have advised. You are probably still supposed to be a liquids only. Next would be puree, most likely. STICK TO YOUR DIET. You went to all the trouble and expense to get operated on, why wouldn't you put the work in to fix the thing they can't operate on - your brain? That is at least 90% of what needs to be fixed, for you to succeed. The surgery was just a tool.
Sorry if this comes off as harsh, but I hate it when I see people asking questions about whether they're stretching their stomach or if they should be able to eat so much, when they aren't following the rules that have been laid out for them, at all.

Hello everyone,
I was sleeved on October 20th. I'm starting my 3rd day post-op, and feeling pretty good overall. I had a some nausea in the first 24 hours (especially during the 2 hour drive home from the hospital--miserable). I slept most of the following day and the next, but started feeling better by mid day on Saturday. I'm drinking as much Water and broth as I can get down and hoping to take a walk later today to get the blood flowing again.
Good luck to anyone who's still waiting to have their surgery this month. You'll do great!!!

Hello everyone,
I was sleeved on October 20th. I'm starting my 3rd day post-op, and feeling pretty good overall. I had a some nausea in the first 24 hours (especially during the 2 hour drive home from the hospital--miserable). I slept most of the following day and the next, but started feeling better by mid day on Saturday. I'm drinking as much Water and broth as I can get down and hoping to take a walk later today to get the blood flowing again.
Good luck to anyone who's still waiting to have their surgery this month. You'll do great!!!

Hello everyone,
I was sleeved on October 20th. I'm starting my 3rd day post-op, and feeling pretty good overall. I had a some nausea in the first 24 hours (especially during the 2 hour drive home from the hospital--miserable). I slept most of the following day and the next, but started feeling better by mid day on Saturday. I'm drinking as much Water and broth as I can get down and hoping to take a walk later today to get the blood flowing again.
Good luck to anyone who's still waiting to have their surgery this month. You'll do great!!!

Welcome home Kristen! Sorry to hear you had a bit of a rough time post op. I was sleeved on the 20th and had nausea for the first 24 hours. My 2-hour drive home from the hospital was awful. I had to stop to throw-up a few times, and the jostling in the car was MISERABLE! Feeling a little better on my 3rd day post-op, but like you and others, my stomach is starting to growl! Hour by hour; day by day!!!

Hello everyone,
I was sleeved on October 20th. I'm starting my 3rd day post-op, and feeling pretty good overall. I had a some nausea in the first 24 hours (especially during the 2 hour drive home from the hospital--miserable). I slept most of the following day and the next, but started feeling better by mid day on Saturday. I'm drinking as much Water and broth as I can get down and hoping to take a walk later today to get the blood flowing again.
Good luck to anyone who's still waiting to have their surgery this month. You'll do great!!!

Hello everyone,
I was sleeved on October 20th. I'm starting my 3rd day post-op, and feeling pretty good overall. I had a some nausea in the first 24 hours (especially during the 2 hour drive home from the hospital--miserable). I slept most of the following day and the next, but started feeling better by mid day on Saturday. I'm drinking as much Water and broth as I can get down and hoping to take a walk later today to get the blood flowing again.
Good luck to anyone who's still waiting to have their surgery this month. You'll do great!!!

Hello everyone,
I was sleeved on October 20th. I'm starting my 3rd day post-op, and feeling pretty good overall. I had a some nausea in the first 24 hours (especially during the 2 hour drive home from the hospital--miserable). I slept most of the following day and the next, but started feeling better by mid day on Saturday. I'm drinking as much Water and broth as I can get down and hoping to take a walk later today to get the blood flowing again.
Good luck to anyone who's still waiting to have their surgery this month. You'll do great!!!

I'm two days behind you (Oct. 20th) You'll be just fine. You're in good hands with your surgical team!!!

I'm two days behind you (Oct. 20th) You'll be just fine. You're in good hands with your surgical team!!!

I'm two days behind you (Oct. 20th) You'll be just fine. You're in good hands with your surgical team!!!

I'm two days behind you (Oct. 20th) You'll be just fine. You're in good hands with your surgical team!!!

I'm two days behind you (Oct. 20th) You'll be just fine. You're in good hands with your surgical team!!!

Doing good so far, although to be honest it's SO hard for me to go slow. I have had such a bad habit all my life of wolfing my food down, taking tiny bites and thoroughly chewing them is a bit of a struggle. However, I have definitely learned that if I DON'T do that, I get too full too fast. My new stomach needs time to register what's in it and there isn't much room. It's good that I'm starting to get into things that I really need to chew a while, shredded meat and stuff, because it actually slows me down and that helps. Chili and things that go down easy are more of a challenge.
Work has been fine. I go with a cup for my Crystal Light / Protein mixture, and I have one meal there. I got these little Ziplock 1/2 cup containers and they work perfectly for my meal portion. I weigh out 1.5oz of my meat, and a little over 1TBSP for my veggie (usually potato right now) and that container ends up being the perfect amount of food. It's still so small though, I feel self-conscious when people come into the kitchen with their full-size tupperware containers full of food, and I'm sitting there nursing that little bitty thing
I log everything in MyFitnessPal to see where I'm at, and I guess I was thinking of my 1oz numbers when I posted...going up to 1.5 has only happened over the past few days, when I realized I was comfortable doing it and not feeling too full. I am generally getting in the neighborhood of 25-30g of Protein from my meals now, I think. So it's not terrible, but I really want to work up to the point where I'm getting 50% of my protein from actual food. The Protein powder is just so darned expensive...but I know it's gonna be a while before I'm to that point. Probably at least 6 months. Can't rush this process, it's coming along and so far, no vomiting...so that's a big win, to me

@@PorkChopExpress - you asked about weights...about one month post op, started very light. Went up 10% per week. It's a good thing. Keep your showers as cool as you can, lots of Water, stay out of hot tubs and tanning beds and moisturizers seem to help in the winter. You want healthy happy skin.
I looked my best when I did yoga 3 times a week (dang studio closed, so I need to find a new one).
Glad you are doing well and finding a new normal. Old clothes fitting is a great NSV. BTW, look into calipers and tape measures to measure body fat. As you gain muscle, you may not see the scale move, but having the body fat percentage go down was a nice way to monitor progress.

I dealt with that feeling of "I'm taking the easy way out" early on, or some shame about why I couldn't just do it by willpower when I perceived others could. But the fact is, when you look at the statistics...obese people almost never lose the weight and keep it off. It's exceptionally rare, because the body has adapted in so many ways that fight against a return to "normal." It makes it almost impossible and a colossal test of will.
Once I started getting educated on the effects of obesity and the effects of WLS, I started to realize that even if I had the surgery, it would still be me modifying my behaviors that would create the lasting weight loss. People fail at it all the time. But the surgery would help eliminate some of the roadblocks that had made it so difficult, both biochemically and otherwise. Obesity is both a mental and physical dysfunction and you attack it on both fronts. Trying to do it on only one front won't work. Surgery helps you handle both fronts.
I am so happy to have it behind me. And just FYI, I haven't thrown up once...and if you follow the rules laid out by your nutritionist and surgeon, it's unlikely you will, either...not unless you have some surgical complication. Just take it easy, follow the rules and you're going to be fine

As much as I could. You are going to lose muscle as well as fat the first month. Some put on as much as you can

Long term maintenance has definitely been the toughest.
Looking back, Those first couple years were so exciting and easy. It may not have seemed that way at the time, of course. There was the liquid diets, the diarrhea, the Constipation, the fatigue, missing out on eating a lot of good foods, struggling to stay hydrated, the emotional break downs, etc. But these things were all temporary and the perceived sacrifices were rewarded with weight loss, lots of NSVs and a new wardrobe!
But maintenance is forever. Its boring, NSVs are nearly nonexistent and the scale doesn't really move unless it's in the wrong direction. You have to be diligent and stay on plan day after day after day. Like Bufflehead said, the way you eat to lose is very close to how you will have to eat to maintain....for the rest of your life! I have no doubt I Would not be able to do this without the psychological tools I got from my therapist and from the support and advice from those that went before me.
You are doing exactly what you need to be doing....asking lots of questions. The better prepared and informed you are, the better you will be able to deal with all the little negatives along the way. A good attitude and keeping your energy focused on the long term rewards will go a long ways in making everything easier.

For me the early portion of post-op and weight loss mode really wasn't hard. The weight fell off like magic, I got compliments all the time, I got to buy cute new clothes, I felt fantastic. I didn't have any complications and didn't experience any depression or regret or anxiety after the surgery.
Things got hard for me when I had to lose the last few pounds and transition into maintenance. I had been in denial about some things -- though I would have parroted back some wls sayings to you and swore that I believed them, things like "you have to change your relationship with food" and "you have to commit to this for the rest of your life." As I got closer to maintenance and then into maintenance, I realized that:
--I would have to work hard to maintain my new weight for the rest of my life, for real
--The way I ate in weight loss mode would be very very similar to the way I would have to eat for the rest of my life
--I would not be able to "eat what I want in moderation" and still be successful at maintenance
--I would not be able to have anything like a regular cheat/self-sabotage day or meal in maintenance and still be successful
All of these things did kind of put me in a tailspin. I basically gave up because I just felt defeated -- right at the time I should have been feeling triumphant! I ended up re-gaining about 20 lbs right after I hit my goal weight.
I managed to turn myself around, gave myself a good talking-to about the idiocy of feeling sorry for myself, and worked hard to get those 20 lbs off again.

I have worked out with weights off and on most of my teenage and adult life. I carry more muscle than many because of this and it skews my BMI significantly. However, I hadn't worked out seriously for at least 6 months before starting my 4-week pre-op diet...
Since starting the pre-op diet, I have been doing a full-body superset workout, 3-times per week (M/W/F), with cardio afterwards (1 hr. total time). On my off days, I'm pretty active trying to finish some remodeling projects before surgery, so I keep busy. If I didn't, I would likely do additional cardio on the off days.
I think working out with weights and the cardio have definitely helped with my pre-op weight loss and excess "bloat". I would highly recommend starting some form of exercise prior to your surgery. Weights are a great option that may keep you from losing as much muscle tissue during your weight loss. If you keep it up post-surgery, it will tone your body and help fill in portions of your body that used to be fat with lean muscle. This will at the very least, make it feel like you have less excess skin.
My two cents. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

I have worked out with weights off and on most of my teenage and adult life. I carry more muscle than many because of this and it skews my BMI significantly. However, I hadn't worked out seriously for at least 6 months before starting my 4-week pre-op diet...
Since starting the pre-op diet, I have been doing a full-body superset workout, 3-times per week (M/W/F), with cardio afterwards (1 hr. total time). On my off days, I'm pretty active trying to finish some remodeling projects before surgery, so I keep busy. If I didn't, I would likely do additional cardio on the off days.
I think working out with weights and the cardio have definitely helped with my pre-op weight loss and excess "bloat". I would highly recommend starting some form of exercise prior to your surgery. Weights are a great option that may keep you from losing as much muscle tissue during your weight loss. If you keep it up post-surgery, it will tone your body and help fill in portions of your body that used to be fat with lean muscle. This will at the very least, make it feel like you have less excess skin.
My two cents. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!