PdxMan

I agree ... maybe you should just stay home and cook something nutritionally relevant.

If you are concerned your PCP may talk you out of it, then I would question the strength of you own resolve. That is not something I can address as only you know your history of battling weight. I know I considered this my last ditch effort to gain any semblance of control over the way I abused food. I was self-pay, but did my surgery in Las Vegas (BABY!!) $10,400. When I talked to my PCP before, he merely asked me what my dieting history was and if I thought I had exhausted all other options. I felt I did and told him so. That was the end of it, but if he would have pursued me trying other routes, I would have ignored him as I feel I had pretty much tried it all. If you feel you haven't tried it all, yet, then I would encourage you to try. VSG is a drastic procedure which is not reversible. For me, and my issues relating to food, it has been a perfect fit. I've been at goal for almost 2 years and haven't regretted it a bit.

I think it is a must for anybody who has more than 75 pounds to lose. I found that as I lost weight, the loose skin began to really irritate me while exercising. It would bounce around and was so uncomfortable, I didn't want to exercise anymore. The compression garments were exactly what I needed and work fabulously. HERE is my write-up about outfitting myself for running: http://vsgrunner.wordpress.com/equipment/ I guess I would ask, what do you have against them? Seems like you have some judgements about them. Try it, you might find you like them.

Hello, I am coming up on two and half years post-op. As far as the whole gherlin question though, I would highly advise not putting much stock in that being your cure to obesity and cravings. In my reading here and other research, people's issues with having a poor relationship with food and their ability to abuse food has little to do with gherlin. Now, let me also say that I do feel my food craving is far reduced post surgery compared to pre, but I also know there are other contributing factors here. I have done a lot of self reflection as to why I abuse food and try to take a more conscience approach to what I put in my mouth. Bottom line is having reduced gherlin is not going to prevent you from snacking or craving food. I was doing this just last night. I returned from a holiday party where I ate shrimp and chicken skewers with a little pad thai. It was delicious and I was full. But, when I got home, I walked over to the pantry and grabbed a box of Cheese-Its. I stopped. Why did I grab those? Was I hungry? No ... I was actually quite full. But yet, I stood there with a box of Cheese-Its. I put them back resolving to the fact that I do things just out of habit without even thinking. This is something that I just normally do when I walk in the door. I usually grab a quick snack when I get home because several hours have passed by and dinner won't be for another hour or so. I am fine with grabbing that snack, but I repeated that behavior when I wasn't even hungry. That is just one of my problems. I don't necessarily eat when I am hungry. I eat because I repeat behaviors, bad or good. Lack of gherlin isn't going to help me here. What I need to do is be aware of what I am feeling when I do eat.

Here's the thing about why I also give the advice I give. I have found that people who have this approach (your co-worker) actually DO have an issue with whatever it is they are inquiring about. I saw this from my friend after I went to rehab for alcoholism. "Why did you go there? You really didn't drink that much." "Couldn't you just drink less or just drink less often?" I basically had to cut ties with all of them for my own sobriety as they were not healthy for me. I later found out from another acquaintance it was their own demons related to alcohol/drugs which prompted their attitudes. By dealing with my issues, it forced them to take a look at theirs, which they didn't like. I see this with members of my family. My mother constantly asks me about my portion sizes. "There is just no way you can survive on that much", but then later admits that sometimes she just can't stop eating something she likes. When she sees someone taking control of their eating habits, she realizes how little control she has over her own. Your co-worker may be experiencing the same. It could be she has even bigger issues with food. We just don't know, but turning these questions back to her may do more good than just getting her to stop with her pursuit. You may be helping her in ways you just don't realize.

I did MOM daily for two weeks. Worked for me.

Turn each question around on her: Her: What did you eat exactly yesterday You: Changing eating habits can be difficult to do. I've noticed you often ask me about food and what I am eating. Are food issues something you struggle with? Her: How much more weight do you want to lose??? You: I've notice you ask me a lot of questions relating to food or my weight? Are you struggling with personal food related issues? Her: What is your goal weight? You: If you contact our HR department, I'm sure they can refer you to our health plan that may be able to help you with food or self-image issues if this is something you are struggling with personally. You never have to answer her questions and she will discover that any time she asks you about it, it will be turned back on her. This will work even if she is skinny. I know more thin people struggling with their relationship with food than obese people, so, give it a try.

Congrats on being sleeved and your loss so far. That is great. But I would just want to put a word of caution out there to everyone that comparing one person's results to another can, in the long run, do absolutely no good. There are sooooo many components to weight loss and it is even more so magnified in the first few weeks post surgery. Can you compare how much Fluid was pumped into your IV during your surgery? Did you do a pre-op diet, and if so, for how long? Was it liquids only or lean/green or what? Gender differences Were you already rapidly losing weight pre-op dieting on your own? (body already going into starvation mode) Do you have thyroid or other endocrine issues? I think we all know BMI comparisons are worthless as is the whole BMI thing, anyway, so ... My vote is just be happy to have received the surgery and stick to the guidelines your medical team laid out for you. Do this and you will be fine. Don't compare yourself to others. This is your journey.

Did you click on the link in my previous post? You have a Costco in Edmonton ... Several, actually. Call them and see if they stock Premier Protein drinks.

How far away from costco are you? Have you checked there? I get mine at my local Costco. I see several in Edmonton: http://www.costco.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WarehouseLocatorView?actionType=add&langId=-24&storeId=10302&catalogId=11201

Woo Hoo! Congratulations! You look great.

You really need to contact your medical team. You may have a stricture which will need to be addressed. Dehydration will land you in the ER. Give them a call today.

I have to agree with Amazon ... who told you this? I pretty much stayed away from breads, rice and heavy starches the first 7 to 8 months as I knew this was my window for optimal loss and I wasn't going to piss it away on a bagel. But after I lost 120 pounds and hit goal, I will have the occasional item from my list above. Yesterday I had a piece of cheese pizza for lunch and for dinner, I had baked sole with a baked potato (butter and ranch dressing on it). Now, my quantity is faaaaaaaar less than it used to be as half a pizza is now one slice and I enjoyed about 4 bites of potato, but NEVER enjoying carbs ... ? Your body needs carbs for energy. My mindset had to change when I got sleeved. Doing the low/no carb lifestyle, IMO, is for people who have 100% of their stomach. With the sleeve's limited capacity, my carb intake is already limited. As long as I follow the basic guidelines of eating my lean Protein first, I can enjoy any carb I want. For me, the key is to not ABUSE those food items and try to consume nutritionally relevant items. I used to do just the opposite. Experiment and see what works for you.

Some people's stomach is going to be a little more swollen than others post surgery and the full extent of the swelling may not occur for a few days. The first 5 days or so, I used the syringe I was using for the pain meds for liquids as well. I was only able to drink about an ounce every few minutes. I also had a hiatal hernia repair which, I believe, added to my issues. Did you have a hiatal hernia repair by chance? I am not a doctor nor do I play one on the internet. Do not hesitate to contact your medical team. But from my experience, this is not uncommon. For me, Water was unbearable. Gatorade at room temperature was the only thing I could handle. Try drinking different things at different temperatures.

I do not have it down by any means. I would be fooling only myself if I thought I did. I am constantly learning. What works for me one week, won't work for me the next. I think the bottom line is we have to experiment. Stop thinking in absolutes. "I'll NEVER be able to eat normal again!" "I'm going to be tired THE REST OF MY LIFE!" "I'll NEVER figure this out!" I see this so many times. I went into this knowing that it is a work in progress and this process never ends. I am never "cured" of my addiction to food. I learn how to have a better relationship with it. But, to get where I have gotten has taken A LOT of practice, experimentation and patience. If something isn't working for me, it's OK. My body may have not progressed to that point, yet. Take a deep breath and know that I just need to either wait or modify what I am doing. What I do KNOW, though, is that I cannot do things the way I did it before. I had to make a change. So, you need to find what WILL work. There has to be a solution for you. I have never heard of an employer not allowing a person to have a drink. I've worked food industry, health care, education ... If you could share your exact industry or the nature as to why there is that restriction, it would help. Are you able to discuss the need to have something available with your employer? A fanny pack with an ice pack housing some of those ham/cheese rolls is a good option. Turkey Jerky from Trader Joes was one of my standby protein go-tos. Premier RTD shakes are still a part of my routine. Just don't give up and give in to quick, processed, unhealthy options. As I continually preach, if you want things to change, then you have to make things change.

Struggling with getting my eating/drinking balanced here (eating here being soup/yougert/cream of wheat/etc). I would love to do what you are suggesting, it's dang hard to "eat" for me. But then how do you balance the drinking? If you can't drink 30b4/30after....I am having a heck of a time. If I ate a couple of bites every 20 mins when would I drink? I was so proud of myself getting in all my Water Sunday and as soon as a started "eating" it got much harder! You are right. That was confusing. Let me clarify. Let's say I take my lunch at 11:30. I would have ensured I had at least 20 oz of water by 11:00 because I am so good with that. So, let's say I have 3 sliced ham with cream cheese wraps. I'll take one out of the fridge and take a bite. Chew it ridiculously putting it down after my first bite. For the ham I use, this roll will take about 4 bites. Takes me about 10 minutes to eat it. 20 minutes later, I head back to the fridge and grab another one AS LONG AS I AM NOT REMOTELY FEELING FULL. (or whatever my new definition of full is) So, I repeat the process. Yes, it does mean I am usually eating at my desk, but that is fine, for me. Continue to repeat this process until you BEGIN to feel the restriction. Doesn't matter if you are half way through one of the ham rolls, STOP! Just because there is food in front of us doesn't mean we have to eat it. I know ... that was a new one for me, too. 30 minutes later, resume drinking. On the rare occasion I go out with co-workers for lunch, the process isn't much different. If I am not sharing my surgery with others, if I am asked, I say I am just not that hungry right now but will probably have another bite when we are back at the office. I've been doing this for well over 2 years and it really isn't a big deal. I thought it would be at first, but then I discovered it really isn't all about me. We're learning new habits here. It is a good thing. I love the fact that I don't have to or want to power down food the way I used to.

I have found this to be true if I eat too much. Still true today. Try eating less more often. Just have two bites and stop. 20 minutes later, have another two bites. See if that makes a difference.

I talked to my NUT when I was at about 6 weeks with this same complaint. I was mainly eating pureed Soups, so she suggested I add more veggies (good carbs) to them. She explained that with the limited quantity of food I was consuming, now was not the time to be concerned with eating low-carb. I did as she instructed and she was totally right. Within a day or two I felt so much better. Perhaps give it a try and see if it works for you.

Once you get past ketosis (Google it) and are able to eat anything and everything, nothing changes with your taste buds, though I do feel sweets are a bit sweeter, but that is a good thing. It just takes time, but everything does return to "normal".

Well, we don't have a pouch, that is really directed at RnY folks. I know, for myself, when I need to drop 5 pounds, I get back to the basics for a couple weeks as I outlined. Don't drink prior, during or right after eating Start with lean Protein, then veggies Exercise I also have pretty much adopted the habit of eating slower than I did pre-op and chewing really well. I put my utensil down after each bite and don't take another if I am remotely sated. I believe sleevers begin to have issues when they learn to "eat around" their sleeve and not follow the basic guidelines. Doing the pouch test is like every other diet I tried, but could not maintain. I can maintain the principles of the basic sleeve guidelines.

Wow, congrats on your loss, but I gotta ask ... is this in accordance with your surgeon's instructions? Just because you CAN eat a steak 5 weeks doesn't mean you SHOULD. From what I have been told, you are risking complications by not being on a pureed diet at this stage. You have to remember that the stomach is the mechanical part of digestion and you just had 85% of it removed. Also, there is a staple line there which has not completely healed over yet. The scar tissue is not formed and you are asking this fraction of a stomach to take on steak, one of the more difficult items to mechanically break down. So, for long term success, you may consult what your surgeon's post op diet is and begin forming new eating habits.

Yes, we definitely need pics. Congrats on all of your hard work.

Yes, the dance of trying to live the balanced life. This is one of the reasons I think it is so important to be as compliant as possible early on. We must develop new habits and new reactions to the curves life throws at us. We need to keep repeating these behaviors until they become the natural way we react. I don't have to think about grabbing a Protein shake when I go to work out, it just happens naturally. My freezer is ALWAYS stocked with good, healthy, home-made Soups which again, I naturally grab on my way out to work. When stuck in a situation where I need to order food at a restaurant, choosing the option which has the best nutritional impact is easy now and I do not mourn not getting the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy with a roll and ... If it is still a struggle, then continue to fake it until you make it. Old habits die hard and my demons will always be there waiting for any sign of weakness. But, with the help of the sleeve, and some time under my belt developing these new habits, it is easier to make better decisions naturally. Stress is one of my big red flags and I am smack in the middle of a very stressful time myself. I know that it will get better and no amount of (fill in the blank) will make it be any better. As a matter of fact, it will make it worse as now I would get to add the guilt of being bad onto my plate.

Just to stand on the shoulders of BlessedFun2, you can just set a goal for 5 minutes. When the notion to have one of those carb-a-wonderful delights, take a deep breath, look at the clock and say to yourself, "I can make it 5 minutes without that bite." If the craving strikes sooner, then do it every minute. Whatever it takes. Sometimes we have to live moment to moment.

BTW, you haven't failed, you are just being human. This is not an easy path by any means. We have our demons and they will continually plague us our entire lives. At least that has still been true for me at almost two and half years post op. If we give up, the demons win. So, no, you did not fail, you just confirmed you are human. Pull yourself up and get back into the game. You can do this.