PdxMan

Check out THIS thread.

I know what you mean. I have experienced the same thing. I believe I unconsciencously "eat around the sleeve" as my evil old mind finds ways for me to get back into old habits. I find myself choosing meals that I am able to have more of. Foods that are more "slider", going down easier. But, awareness of this has been my key to getting back on track. Eating the lean Protein first, then the veggies. When I do this, I am back to being able to eat only the 6 or 7 bites.

When were you sleeved?

How does your tongue look? Do a Google search on Thrush. Does it look like that? How are your taste buds? I know you are probably on liquids, but have you noticed anything different? I had a back surgery last month, was intubated and ended up with thrush. Throat and mouth were KILLING ME. Did a week of an anti-fungal prescription and was all good.

Can you give her a call? I did not have a stricture, so I cannot speak to the proper diet related to it.

Hey, you're never too old for this ...

Unless you have some other nutritional issues, I don't see why not. Have you consulted your NUT on this?

Just so there is no confusion ... through IV or mouth?

Sweet! Thanks!

Yup, what goes in must come out. No solids in, no solids out ... at least, for awhile. About a week out, I started on daily Milk of Magnesia. Continued to take it for a week to ensure everything kept moving along.

Are you tracking on MyFitnessPal or the like? How close do you follow the guidelines of: no drinking before, during or immediately after eating lean Protein first, then veggies, then starch exercise (getting your heart rate up, not just going through the motions) I have noticed when people are not tracking their food and/or not following the guidelines, their journey is a little more difficult than others.

Sorry, I was under the impression from an earlier post (can't remember which) you preferred men. My bad. Apologies.

Well, she probably knows that many WLS patients sometimes get a little overly anal about their eating afterwards, which is totally understandable. We take this drastic move and want to make sure we are losing optimally. We don't want to waste our time or calories. We made the decision to lose weight, so we want it off as soon as possible. But ... you can make yourself crazy doing that, too. I think she is right. Don't worry about it. Just listen to your body. Don't drink before during or immediately after eating Eat lean Protein first Exercise (and get your heart rate up, don't just go through the motions) Eat the proper foods and follow the guidelines. That is the true goal of the program. Learning new eating habits and listening to your body, not how to eat 800 calories.

This is something only your NUT can really tell you. We don't know your history, your muscle mass, activity level, blood work ... What is right for me is not going to work for you. It is not fair to yourself to compare. Nobody here started with your body or history. If your team has given your guidelines, follow them to the best of your ability. Just to let you know, I was consuming up to 1,800 calories, 150g of Protein, 150g of carbs, but I was also doing 2 HIIT classes and running 30 miles a week. My wieght was dropping like crazy, if you look at my signature, you can see. I would not recommend anyone consuming that much if you are not going to exercise at those levels. Everyone is different. Just listen to your team.

Only if it is diced thoroughly. Those little threads do not digest. Even in normal stomachs. The can cause a bezor. Same reason why no coconut. I avoid it mostly as it doesn't add that much bang for the buck. If you want the flavor, use celery salt.

It definately is a personal decision. I, myself, couldn't care less if my co-workers or acquaintances talked about me behind my back. I'm sure they do anyway about all sorts of things including my weight loss. I am powerless over them and what they do. I am not going to even try to control their behaviors or "make them understand" the reasonings behind anything I do. I am at peace with myself and that is all that matters to me.

This is a good point, too. When you are writing a post, re-read it before hitting the Post button. Look for ways where you could be mis-interpreted. Take the time to write concisely and realize 50% of the readers are going to get it wrong. They are going to post a response emotionally and then you are going to read it wrong, and then ... And then Laura, Dean and Frye have to come hijack the thread and distract us for a while.

Trust me ... I do!

Occassionally I post a link to this article, The Secret Cause of Flame Wars. It speaks to mis-interpreting emails, but any electronic medium used in communication applies, whether it be email or text messaging, but I think it is especially relevant in forums like ours where we are more emotionally attached to the subjects and our postitions on them. The bottom line is, since we are not speaking directly, face-to-face with someone, we do not know the emotional state of the poster at the time it was written. Was it said tongue-in-cheek? Often, we interpret the message with whatever emotional state we are currently in. If we're in a pissy mood when we read a message, there is a very good chance we will read a message as if the poster was also in that same mood and a flame war sets in. It is difficult to do and I know I am guilty of doing this, so I do try to read messages from a more objective position. If I assume I am mis-interpreting the message, then I can go back and read it more objectively. Next time your temperature goes up after reading a message, pause. Take a deep breath and read it as if it was written by someone you truly love and who truly loves you.

So, I post a link to this article about twice a year and I think it is due. The article speaks to emails, but text messages and forum posts will also apply as the basic underlying medium is the same. In my opinion, we just need to assume when we read a message, there is a very good chance we are mis-interpreting it.

That is exactly what I did. Bought a hickory smoked hambone (ask the meat dude at the grocery store) and made lentil soup with onions and carrots. Grabbed a rotisserie chicken from the store and after it cooled in the fridge, pulled the meat off, added veggies, cooked, pureed. I use the 8oz mason jam jars and toss them in the freezer. Then, on my way out to work, I grab one and I am set. As you progress though, you puree your Soups less and less until you are eating like a real person! And don't forget to add veggies, even to the chili, as those are the best carbs to get. I have suggested to so many folks on here to not do the low-carb thing. With such limited calories, we need carbs for energy.

Call me what you will, but on my first date (with my eventual wife), I told her that I do not Celebrate Valentine's Day. I am not going to let Hallmark tell me when I should recognize the significant other in my wife. If she has to be told when to recognize me as an important person in her life, then I don't want any part of it. Buuut ... we recognize each other and our affection for each other throughout the year. I bring flowers home and buy her some "thing" occassionally. I will make her favorite meal in the middle of the week for absolutely no "special" reason other than to see her smile. I try not to have it be on a "special" day so as to make every day special. I know a lot of people do this, too, and also celebrate Valentine's Day, and that is great. It's just not for me. This morning, I gave my wife a kiss and said, "Happy Valentine's Day," and that will be about it. I will be taking my daughter out to the fanciest restaurant in town tomorrow. She is looking so forward to it trying to find a "fancy" dress. Call me an old codger, but this works for me. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

Any and every Soup, pureed. Doesn't look as nasty as the baby-poop pureed meats. If you are eating those, just don't look at it when you eat. I pureed lentil/ham/veggie soup, chx veggie and turkey chili. Easy on the tummy and soooo delicious.

As you do your due diligence in researching whether a WLS procedure is right for you, please be sure to research the complications and talk to your surgeon about them, too. I am not going to quote an absolute percentage, but I do know that for the sleeve, it is under 3%. Iggy fell into that 3% and I read through a lot of her posts during her recovery. It was truly heartbreaking and I am so thankful she is recovering and remaining a member of VST, if for no other reason than to remind folks researching the sleeve to do their homework and know the complications. My surgeon had less than a 1% complication rate, so be sure to ask them, too. And not just leaks right after the surgery, you need to ask them about complications with their patients 2,4,6 ... months out as that is when some of the issues present themselves. I am not a risk taker by any means, but i was willing to take on the <3% complication rate and believe I would be able to get through whatever it would be. I had <3% chance of a complication, but I had a 100% chance of complications from being morbidly obese. I needed a change with my relationship with food and the sleeve has helped me do this. I love my sleeve and wouldn't change a thing.

What I find interesting is they have not responded, yet, after being so heated with you, NurseGrace. I checked their activity and noticed they were on and surfing the forum for quite a while after I posted. As OP and since I quoted a post of theirs, they should have also received an email (default setting, can be changed) their post was quoted and the listing of their content would have reflected a new post to their thread. Hopefully, my post struck a sympathetic nerve and as a mental health professional, reminded them of the oaths they took.