Escape_Pod

I'm an emotional eater / binge eater. I was sleeved about 15 months ago, and I've lost most of the weight I hoped to (passed my surgeon's goal, reached normal weight), but I'm still about 10 pounds from my dream goal, and I know it's because I still fight with those bad eating habits. This doesn't mean you shouldn't get the sleeve, but it does mean you're still going to have to work on those issues to be successful and keep the weight off. The good news is, the sleeve helps a lot, and particularly in the first months provides such restriction that it really boosts your efforts to develop better habits. But the key is building those good habits and sticking to them, and getting some help dealing with the emotional / mental aspects of why you're overeating. The sleeve hasn't solved my eating problems, but it's sure a lot better to be fighting emotional eating from that place of emotional strength and self-confidence that losing so much weight can get you to! After a few months of watching the numbers on the scale plummet, you'll find just about anything else in your life seems conquerable.

I'm an emotional eater / binge eater. I was sleeved about 15 months ago, and I've lost most of the weight I hoped to (passed my surgeon's goal, reached normal weight), but I'm still about 10 pounds from my dream goal, and I know it's because I still fight with those bad eating habits. This doesn't mean you shouldn't get the sleeve, but it does mean you're still going to have to work on those issues to be successful and keep the weight off. The good news is, the sleeve helps a lot, and particularly in the first months provides such restriction that it really boosts your efforts to develop better habits. But the key is building those good habits and sticking to them, and getting some help dealing with the emotional / mental aspects of why you're overeating. The sleeve hasn't solved my eating problems, but it's sure a lot better to be fighting emotional eating from that place of emotional strength and self-confidence that losing so much weight can get you to! After a few months of watching the numbers on the scale plummet, you'll find just about anything else in your life seems conquerable.

I've traveled several times since surgery, for a week or more, though not internationally. Here are my strategies:
(1) Pack protein powder. I usually mix up snack-size baggies of my morning concoction, which consists of a scoop of Unjury chocolate, 2T unsweetened cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. When I'm making it, I blend it with warm unsweetened almond milk. I've nearly always been able to get almond milk when traveling, and in a pinch I can mix it into coffee. (I also pack a measuring cup and whisk, and if I won't have a microwave, an immersion heater.)
(2) Pack protein bars - I LOVE the Quest protein bars. They travel really well (not prone to melting or crumbling). They're best when microwaved for a few seconds, but are fine at room temp, if a bit chewy. Really great stats. GNC stores are beginning to carry them, but I order online for best selection of flavors. The apple pie nuked for a few seconds and topped with SF whipped cream is heavenly! Ok.. getting off topic there...
(3) Pack other protein sources, like nuts, protein pudding mix, Ostrim (I don't care for jerky).
(4) For the flight, I've often filled the approved travel-size bottles people use for shampoo, etc. 2/3 full of water and frozen them. I send them through security like any other liquid, in the approved sized baggie, then they can go back in my insulated lunch bag. Then I can buy something at the airport like hard boiled eggs, cheese, a sandwich (ditch the bread) or a salad with chicken, and keep it cold until I'm ready to eat it on the flight.
(4) I always try to get a small fridge in my room - most hotels can do this if you ask - some medications have to be refrigerated, so it's not an uncommon need for guests. When I get where I'm going, I can hit a local grocery for almond milk, lunch meat, and cheese, and some veggies - easy lunches, and sometimes dinners too.
If you're going to be staying one place for several nights, you can mail / FedEx yourself a box with supplies. This can be great for items like ready-to-drink shakes. Just call the hotel to find out how it should be addressed.

<ul>
<li>The size 10 jeans you bought just 3 weeks ago are now baggy! </li>
<li>There's never anything good on the clearance rack, because there are lots of other skinny girls your size, and they beat you to it.</li>
<li>The freezer is packed with leftovers, because you only eat a very little bit, so normal serving sizes become 4 meals, or more. And just forget those family-sized prepared entrees at Costco!!</li>
</ul>
<p>Yeah, life's "hard"! <img alt=":smilingface (52):" class="bbc_emoticon" height="42" src="http://cdn.verticalsleevetalk.com//public/style_emoticons/default/bananas/smilingface (52).gif" title=":smilingface (52):" width="33" /></p>

<ul>
<li>The size 10 jeans you bought just 3 weeks ago are now baggy! </li>
<li>There's never anything good on the clearance rack, because there are lots of other skinny girls your size, and they beat you to it.</li>
<li>The freezer is packed with leftovers, because you only eat a very little bit, so normal serving sizes become 4 meals, or more. And just forget those family-sized prepared entrees at Costco!!</li>
</ul>
<p>Yeah, life's "hard"! <img alt=":smilingface (52):" class="bbc_emoticon" height="42" src="http://cdn.verticalsleevetalk.com//public/style_emoticons/default/bananas/smilingface (52).gif" title=":smilingface (52):" width="33" /></p>

I like mine like hot cocoa. 8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk, heated, 2T unsweetened cocoa, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, and a pinch of salt.
You can add sugar free syrups like Torani or Davinci for flavor variation too.
And PB2 (defatted, peanut powder) - yum!!

Hello there fellow Washingtonian1!
My biggest changes are what I eat, and my exercise routine. Now that I've lost the weight, it's so much easier to exercise, and I have the energy (and confidence!) to do whatever I want. I've been an avid hiker for years, but depending on my weight I didn't always have the energy to climb those alpine trails. Now it's just a question of how long I can be gone hiking when I have a husband at home who'd like to see me occasionally on a weekend! I took up running this spring, and I started working with a personal trainer last month to build in some strength training into my routine. I have visible biceps now!! And I'm no longer too ashamed to be seen in a public gym. I may not be the fastest, or the cutest, or the fittest, but I'm doing my thing, and I don't care what anyone else thinks.
As far as food goes, I've found I'm definitely NOT an everything in moderation kind of girl, I'm just not very good at moderation. Slip off the wagon and give my body a good bit of carbs and/or sugar, and I'll be fighting cravings for a week. So, after more than a year I'm still very focused on protein, I start every day with a protein shake, have very few carbs, and I'm learning to make substitutions for the occasional treat. A girl's gotta have her brownies you know, they just have to be sugar free, low-carb brownies now!!
I LOVE this new life. You will too!!

Umm.... 71 pounds in two months?? How is that even possible??
That's pretty amazing. Congratulations!
But just a note, i see a LOT of people early post-op who apparently EXPECT to lose that kind of weight in the first few weeks, and if they don't they feel like they're failing. Many of us don't lose anywhere nearly that fast. As they say in the fine print on those TV ads .... results not typical! I don't want to take away from your achievement, but I hate to see others end up with unrealistic expectations.
In the mean time ... you're a rocket! Go girl!

Hello there fellow Washingtonian1!
My biggest changes are what I eat, and my exercise routine. Now that I've lost the weight, it's so much easier to exercise, and I have the energy (and confidence!) to do whatever I want. I've been an avid hiker for years, but depending on my weight I didn't always have the energy to climb those alpine trails. Now it's just a question of how long I can be gone hiking when I have a husband at home who'd like to see me occasionally on a weekend! I took up running this spring, and I started working with a personal trainer last month to build in some strength training into my routine. I have visible biceps now!! And I'm no longer too ashamed to be seen in a public gym. I may not be the fastest, or the cutest, or the fittest, but I'm doing my thing, and I don't care what anyone else thinks.
As far as food goes, I've found I'm definitely NOT an everything in moderation kind of girl, I'm just not very good at moderation. Slip off the wagon and give my body a good bit of carbs and/or sugar, and I'll be fighting cravings for a week. So, after more than a year I'm still very focused on protein, I start every day with a protein shake, have very few carbs, and I'm learning to make substitutions for the occasional treat. A girl's gotta have her brownies you know, they just have to be sugar free, low-carb brownies now!!
I LOVE this new life. You will too!!

Hello there fellow Washingtonian1!
My biggest changes are what I eat, and my exercise routine. Now that I've lost the weight, it's so much easier to exercise, and I have the energy (and confidence!) to do whatever I want. I've been an avid hiker for years, but depending on my weight I didn't always have the energy to climb those alpine trails. Now it's just a question of how long I can be gone hiking when I have a husband at home who'd like to see me occasionally on a weekend! I took up running this spring, and I started working with a personal trainer last month to build in some strength training into my routine. I have visible biceps now!! And I'm no longer too ashamed to be seen in a public gym. I may not be the fastest, or the cutest, or the fittest, but I'm doing my thing, and I don't care what anyone else thinks.
As far as food goes, I've found I'm definitely NOT an everything in moderation kind of girl, I'm just not very good at moderation. Slip off the wagon and give my body a good bit of carbs and/or sugar, and I'll be fighting cravings for a week. So, after more than a year I'm still very focused on protein, I start every day with a protein shake, have very few carbs, and I'm learning to make substitutions for the occasional treat. A girl's gotta have her brownies you know, they just have to be sugar free, low-carb brownies now!!
I LOVE this new life. You will too!!

I've traveled several times since surgery, for a week or more, though not internationally. Here are my strategies:
(1) Pack protein powder. I usually mix up snack-size baggies of my morning concoction, which consists of a scoop of Unjury chocolate, 2T unsweetened cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. When I'm making it, I blend it with warm unsweetened almond milk. I've nearly always been able to get almond milk when traveling, and in a pinch I can mix it into coffee. (I also pack a measuring cup and whisk, and if I won't have a microwave, an immersion heater.)
(2) Pack protein bars - I LOVE the Quest protein bars. They travel really well (not prone to melting or crumbling). They're best when microwaved for a few seconds, but are fine at room temp, if a bit chewy. Really great stats. GNC stores are beginning to carry them, but I order online for best selection of flavors. The apple pie nuked for a few seconds and topped with SF whipped cream is heavenly! Ok.. getting off topic there...
(3) Pack other protein sources, like nuts, protein pudding mix, Ostrim (I don't care for jerky).
(4) For the flight, I've often filled the approved travel-size bottles people use for shampoo, etc. 2/3 full of water and frozen them. I send them through security like any other liquid, in the approved sized baggie, then they can go back in my insulated lunch bag. Then I can buy something at the airport like hard boiled eggs, cheese, a sandwich (ditch the bread) or a salad with chicken, and keep it cold until I'm ready to eat it on the flight.
(4) I always try to get a small fridge in my room - most hotels can do this if you ask - some medications have to be refrigerated, so it's not an uncommon need for guests. When I get where I'm going, I can hit a local grocery for almond milk, lunch meat, and cheese, and some veggies - easy lunches, and sometimes dinners too.
If you're going to be staying one place for several nights, you can mail / FedEx yourself a box with supplies. This can be great for items like ready-to-drink shakes. Just call the hotel to find out how it should be addressed.

I know just what you mean, and I admit the same thoughts go thru my head. But, I try to remind myself that not everyone who's obese is miserable, or even necessarily unhealthy. And I don't know anything about their life, what other challenges they may be in the process of conquering, or even if they're already on the journey, having lost 100 pounds to get where they're at now! And, for many people with insurance, myself included, there can be a complete exclusion for weight loss surgery. My insurance wouldn't have paid even if I'd been 600 pounds with a slew of co-morbidities. I'm very fortunate that self-pay was within my means.
I think all we can do is be as honest as we're comfortable with about our surgery, and be open to discussing it with others. I kind of like the idea of a bumper sticker - Weight Loss Surgery saved my life - ask me about it! (not sure how my husband would feel driving my car though!)
I'm also convinced this journey isn't easy, and you have to be ready and committed to the process. It is possible to fail at this, not to lose as much weight as hoped, or to regain a substantial amount. There's no way to help someone else be ready to make the necessary changes.
Really, I wish I'd learned years ago the things I've learned since surgery about nutrition - that alone would have helped me enormously, and perhaps I could have avoided surgery entirely. Blessings on those who are brave enough to be so publicly involved in the WLS community, spreading the word to those who may just not know it's an option!

I know just what you mean, and I admit the same thoughts go thru my head. But, I try to remind myself that not everyone who's obese is miserable, or even necessarily unhealthy. And I don't know anything about their life, what other challenges they may be in the process of conquering, or even if they're already on the journey, having lost 100 pounds to get where they're at now! And, for many people with insurance, myself included, there can be a complete exclusion for weight loss surgery. My insurance wouldn't have paid even if I'd been 600 pounds with a slew of co-morbidities. I'm very fortunate that self-pay was within my means.
I think all we can do is be as honest as we're comfortable with about our surgery, and be open to discussing it with others. I kind of like the idea of a bumper sticker - Weight Loss Surgery saved my life - ask me about it! (not sure how my husband would feel driving my car though!)
I'm also convinced this journey isn't easy, and you have to be ready and committed to the process. It is possible to fail at this, not to lose as much weight as hoped, or to regain a substantial amount. There's no way to help someone else be ready to make the necessary changes.
Really, I wish I'd learned years ago the things I've learned since surgery about nutrition - that alone would have helped me enormously, and perhaps I could have avoided surgery entirely. Blessings on those who are brave enough to be so publicly involved in the WLS community, spreading the word to those who may just not know it's an option!

I know just what you mean, and I admit the same thoughts go thru my head. But, I try to remind myself that not everyone who's obese is miserable, or even necessarily unhealthy. And I don't know anything about their life, what other challenges they may be in the process of conquering, or even if they're already on the journey, having lost 100 pounds to get where they're at now! And, for many people with insurance, myself included, there can be a complete exclusion for weight loss surgery. My insurance wouldn't have paid even if I'd been 600 pounds with a slew of co-morbidities. I'm very fortunate that self-pay was within my means.
I think all we can do is be as honest as we're comfortable with about our surgery, and be open to discussing it with others. I kind of like the idea of a bumper sticker - Weight Loss Surgery saved my life - ask me about it! (not sure how my husband would feel driving my car though!)
I'm also convinced this journey isn't easy, and you have to be ready and committed to the process. It is possible to fail at this, not to lose as much weight as hoped, or to regain a substantial amount. There's no way to help someone else be ready to make the necessary changes.
Really, I wish I'd learned years ago the things I've learned since surgery about nutrition - that alone would have helped me enormously, and perhaps I could have avoided surgery entirely. Blessings on those who are brave enough to be so publicly involved in the WLS community, spreading the word to those who may just not know it's an option!

Wow, how did you find a low-carb-advocating nutritionist?!? Mine told me I needed 100 grams of carbs a day, minimum, for brain function, and I just smiled and nodded, and vowed never to go back. That many carbs a day sends me into total binge mode, and my sweet tooth takes over.
For snacks, I eat cheese, or a small handful of almonds (you can get all sorts of yummy flavors - cinnamon, parmesan-herb, etc.), or roasted seaweed (satisfies the salty cravings), veggies and hummus, or half of a low-carb protein bar (I like the Quest bars - they taste great, are high in protein, and average 2-4 grams of non-fiber carbs (so, they may have 20 grams of carbs, but it's almost all fiber. You can go that route if you're counting net grams.)
I also sometimes make cheese "crisps" in the microwave, or pepperoni crisps.
Watch the milk, those carbs can add up fast. I switched to almond milk early on to get my carb count down. It's just as good in protein shakes. (I make a protein hot cocoa with it every morning). I also order a powdered pudding mix from DietDirect that will actually gel into pudding with almond milk (SF jello pudding won't), which is great for my sweet tooth.
Now that it's summer I'm also loving protein mocha frappuccino / soft serve. I mix a scoop of Click mocha protein, 1/2 cup almond milk, and ice, and blend the heck out of it in my ninja. Depending on the milk / ice balance it comes out either thin like a frappuccino or thick almost like soft serve ice cream. Gets me through the afternoon! Click protein powder is a bit higher in carbs, but you could probably achieve the same effect with a lower-carb chocolate protein or the Premier ready-to-drink from Costco with some instant coffee / Starbucks Via blended in.
You can do this!!

I want to go scuba diving (two words for you - WET SUIT!)
I want to go river rafting
I want to go up in a hot air balloon
I want to walk a half-marathon
I want to try on my wedding dress one last time, and then sell it on consignment because it's too big.
Things I'm enjoying so far:
I finally felt confident enough to join the at-work yoga class with my skinny coworkers
I'm enjoying my workouts, not dreading them
I can shop in regular stores
Life is GOOD!!

I want to go scuba diving (two words for you - WET SUIT!)
I want to go river rafting
I want to go up in a hot air balloon
I want to walk a half-marathon
I want to try on my wedding dress one last time, and then sell it on consignment because it's too big.
Things I'm enjoying so far:
I finally felt confident enough to join the at-work yoga class with my skinny coworkers
I'm enjoying my workouts, not dreading them
I can shop in regular stores
Life is GOOD!!

For me it wasn't so much the food / vitamin / protein supplies (your post-op tastes are a bit unpredictable), as the non-food supplies I ended up wanting. Small spoons / forks (espresso spoons, appetizer forks), small plates and bowls (even tiny dipping bowls - perfect for that 2 tablespoons of beans or whatever you'll be eating), a mug warmer (it's going to take you 45 minutes to drink that 4 oz of soup, it's nice if it stays warm), a collection of small tupperware (it's nice if you can save leftovers like soup in little single-serving containers)... those are the ones I recall off the top of my head.
Oh, and I found out after I'd been using a heating pad two days in the hospital that my surgeon wanted me icing, not heating. It might be a good idea to ask...

Did you not get a list of foods from your surgeon for the various post-op stages? My surgeon's guide indicated that things like bread might not be well tolerated for up to a year, but toast might be better than bread. Keeping carbs low has been essential for my weight loss, so I pretty much avoided bread entirely for the first six months. Now I have a half slice of low-carb whole grain bread (25 calories, 2 net carbs for half a slice) for an open-faced sandwich and that's about it. Bread pretty much sits like a rock in my stomach. Same with other white carbs - rice, pasta, potatoes. They're all on my one-bite-or-avoid-completely list, and I'm 10 months out.
At your stage you're also likely to have trouble with tougher cuts of meat - beef and pork, or anything dry.

So, I understand the frustration here - what we're doing isn't easy, and it's irritating to deal with someone who thinks we don't have to work at this. But how many of us tried to lose weight before we had surgery? And failed, or ended up regaining it? Multiple times? Most of us have heard the statistics of the success rate for non-surgical options - about 3%?
I don't know about you, but that's why I decided to have the surgery, because it sure as heck works better than trying to do it any other way. Maybe it's more correct to say we took the successfulway, not the easy way. And since I had the choice, I decided it was worth giving myself every possible fighting chance to succeed at this. I'm not ashamed of that.

So, I understand the frustration here - what we're doing isn't easy, and it's irritating to deal with someone who thinks we don't have to work at this. But how many of us tried to lose weight before we had surgery? And failed, or ended up regaining it? Multiple times? Most of us have heard the statistics of the success rate for non-surgical options - about 3%?
I don't know about you, but that's why I decided to have the surgery, because it sure as heck works better than trying to do it any other way. Maybe it's more correct to say we took the successfulway, not the easy way. And since I had the choice, I decided it was worth giving myself every possible fighting chance to succeed at this. I'm not ashamed of that.

My surgeon posts his post-op diet plans online. You can find the Sleeve guidance here (just ignore the dates for progression since your surgeon has you on a different timeline, but the food examples should be of some help:
http://www.northwestobesitysurgery.com/pdf/sleeve-gastrectomy-diet.pdf

I participate in another forum where there are a lot of RNY veterans. I've yet to find any who regret having the surgery, and I think it's completely possible to live a happy and healthy life with RNY as well as with the sleeve. It really depends on your personal medical situation - there are people for whom the sleeve just really isn't a good choice.
That being said, I'm very glad I was able to have the sleeve. I've had no complications or real struggles, and I'm nearly at my goal weight. With RNY I was concerned about the possibility of ending up lactose intolerant (I'd really miss cheese!!). I was ok with the possibility of dumping - I considered it to be a behavior modification tool, and thought it might be helpful to me personally in overcoming my sweet tooth. But I've been surprised at the sorts of things people say they dump on. I was thinking cakes and cookies and such, things I need to learn to avoid. Since then I've leaned it can be so much more - condiments (bbq sauce), peanut butter, and fruit. Some poor lady on the other forums was sick for hours because she ate half a pear and some cheese. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that, but I'd still rather do that than spend the rest of my life obese!!

My surgeon posts his post-op diet plans online. You can find the Sleeve guidance here (just ignore the dates for progression since your surgeon has you on a different timeline, but the food examples should be of some help:
http://www.northwestobesitysurgery.com/pdf/sleeve-gastrectomy-diet.pdf

I'm six months out, and my hunger never went away entirely, though it's not as bad as it used to be pre-op. The last few weeks I've been hungry more often, and I'm also finding it's more important for me to make sure I'm eating dense protein. I had tuna and cottage cheese for lunch yesterday and it really didn't keep me satisfied for very long. On the other hand, I had one of my favorite dinners last night - a couple of turkey meatballs with a bit of tomato sauce and lf cheese. I could only eat 1.5 of the meatballs.
It's easy to get off track with temptations at the holidays, but if you go back to watching your carbs and focusing on dense protein, you can get to goal! Congratulations on your progress! I replaced my size 10s with size 8s a couple of weeks ago too - it's a fabulous feeling, isn't it?