Lissa

A SF pudding is basically a slider for me, too. I can eat a whole one quite easily. Once you're working on denser proteins, you'll feel the fullness. A chicken breast is a couple of meals for me and breakfast, even now, usually is a single fried egg and one sausage patty. I made bacon the other morning and a couple of slices were all I could eat. You will feel the fullness from regular foods once you start eating again.

Tomato and citrus juices were on the no list for me until at least 3 months out. I can handle about 4 ounces of them at a time now, but I waited because of the acid in them. I certainly didn't want to irritate my staple line!

I'm 4 months post op and the hungry feeling has returned, but only when I haven't eaten in several hours. Some days I do eat almost constantly, but I've finally figured out it's because I'm missing nutrients when I do that. Yesterday, for instance, I wanted something crunchy all day. Finally, I ate a few baby carrots that apparently made my body happy, because the hungry feeling went away. Post-op, there is definitely a learning curve to eating. I need to add more veggies into my routine, obviously. Of course, I also worked in the yard nearly all day yesterday, so my body probably wanted the carbs for energy. It's not rocket science, but sometimes it feels like it!

Wow, did someone actually PM you to accuse you of this? How horrible!! I did read a thread where someone's spouse thought that people had been paid to endorse their doctors, but I chalked that up to ignorance of the board for that person's spouse. I'm one that thinks my doctor hung the moon, too. I wouldn't be alive if I hadn't had surgery. For me, it was the best thing I ever did and I adore my doctor for making the rest of my life possible. AND, I paid HIM, not the other way around!

I was raised on the clean plate club, too! Just thinking about that brings back memories of the chart in our classroom. Of course, back then I ran all day, rode my bike everywhere, played volleyball, basketball, and ran track. I needed all that food just to live. Nowadays, I drive my car and don't participate in any sports, no wonder I ended up obese! My solution has been to eat off smaller plates. I use the saucers from my dinnerware and I use tiny silverware to eat. That makes me keep my bites small. I'm bad about cooking too much food, but working on getting better. I actually bought some tiny pots at Bed Bath and Beyond that work either on a burner or in the oven. I also got myself a small 1.5 quart crockpot. I made Beans in it a few days ago, and just keep the crock part in the fridge so I can dish up a half cup or so at a time. When I eat out, I ask for a box when I order and put at least half of the meal in the box right away. I also try to order foods I don't cook often when I go out. I'm not going to fix a whole slab of ribs for just me, so I'll order a rib dinner and have food for several days (lunch and dinner). I find that I'm more adventurous with food these days. I'll try something completely different because I know I'll only eat a few bites. If I hate it, I leave it at the restaurant. If I like it, that gives me a new Protein source!

Welcome, Elizabeth!! How cool that you and your sisters are taking the journey together!!

Smith, the chocolate milk is a great jump point to start prepping the older kids for your after surgery changes! I'm sure you know that, but it's a good place to start saying little things about it. I'm glad you're not considering backing out. I think that being nervous helps us make sure everything is handled before surgery. Lissa

I don't know about this hormone, but serotonin is considered a big factor in how happy people feel. That high we get after doing a good workout is from serotonin. Lissa

I love that image!! "Spiritual sandpaper" that's a perfect way to describe what is going on with us!!! Lissa

I just want to say that I respect your religious beliefs, BUT I think you are doing yourself, your kids and your future grand kids a huge disservice. In my own family I am seeing the results of abuse, on into the fourths generation. My grandpa beat and verbally abused his wife. All of his children have lingering problems because of it, from abusive marriages to drug and alcohol addictions. His grandchildren, including me, suffered as children from abusive and neglectful parenting. The great grandchildren, so far, are a mixed.bag. Mine are the oldest and I really tried to break the pattern of abuse, but many of my cousins are addicts and/or in abusive relationships. The Bible says that what a man does will be returned to him even unto the fourth generation. That's certainly true in my family. If you break the cycle of abuse now, perhaps your family won't endure what my family has endured. Lissa

1 week of clears, 1 week of full liquids, 2 weeks of mushies, beginning of 5th week I was allowed to start soft solids. I didn't try salad or nuts until about 3 months out. I've just added (4 months) some fruits, although nothing with small seeds like strawberries. I waited on steak and raw veggies until 3.5 months. .

I have those days, too. I've learned to keep the trigger foods out of the house. I love me some crunchy cheetos and I will eat the whole bag. When I really want some, I go to the gas station and buy a small bag. Then I try to make myself eat them over a few days rather than all at once. Sometimes I'm successful at that! LOL Usually I keep myself from eating trigger foods because they aren't in the house. I still don't believe those foods are "bad", but some foods lead me to want more junk than I want to eat.

Lol, Libbe, I guess I'm following you around today. That's twice we've been posting at the same time!

Make the trip to the ER. If you could drink without pain, I'd say wait until tomorrow, but it sounds like it could be serious. Call your doc's office and let them know what's going on, but you need to make the trip. I'm sure you just needed someone to agree with your own leanings, and I do. Better to explain to the resident than get to make that trip in an ambulance.

Libbe is right! Please call your doctor right away. If the pain is severe, then it needs attention. Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing, but you don't want to let it get worse if it IS something.

Smith, You will have to pay attention to what you're eating after surgery, but it won't be a difficult thing to do. This surgery automatically changes your eating habits because you must follow the recommended diet for optimal healing. As for the kids, you'll definitely need some help, but the aftercare is similar to what you need to do after giving birth. Don't pick up the kids from the floor. The older ones can climb up on the couch to sit next to you and the 10 month old can sit in your lap, possibly with a pillow to protect your tummy. Honestly, though, the incisions aren't super vulnerable as long as you try not to lift more than you're allowed and don't let the kids kick your tummy. Reading your post, I kind of got the feeling that maybe you're trying to talk yourself out of having the surgery. That's normal, especially the closer you get to your surgery date. However, you'll be so thrilled with the results once you start losing that you'll know it was the right thing to do. Imagine being so much healthier and lighter that you feel like taking the kids to the park AND you have the stamina to run around with them! Imagine your hubby's delight when he sees that you are slimmer, healthier and more interested in doing things with him! A couple of crackers aren't going to kick your pre-op diet too badly, but you need to concentrate on being more aware of what you're eating. It's a pain in the tush, but it will be worth it in the end! Good luck on your journey!!!

LGoz, You probably have NOT stretched your sleeve out. As our tummies heal we can eat more than we could initially. As the tummy heals, the swelling inside goes down, which allows us to eat more volume of food. I can eat around six ounces of food now, whereas just after surgery I struggled to get in 2 ounces. That's 3 times the amount of food, but it's nothing compared to what I could eat before surgery. I try to make most of that six ounces Protein and, this is important, if I do eat that much food, I'm uncomfortable and not hungry for hours on end. I've moved my biggest meal of the day to lunch, and I've made a commitment to undereat my sleeve. You are probably healing and able to eat more, which is natural. Just don't stuff yourself and get your protein in first. Good luck!!

I take 5000 mcg of Biotin daily. I'm not sure what the conversion is to milligrams, but my 3rd grade metric class says no, you aren't getting enough biotin. IIRC, and remember 3rd grade was a LONG time ago: 5000 mcg should equal 50 mg (right?), so you'd need to take two of the 30 mg pills a day for the same amount. BTW, my biotin bottle says that it's good not only for hair, skin and nail health, but also for metabolism of carbs, Protein and fat.

From the thread title, I was afraid you weren't doing well. Imagine my surprise when I opened it and read that you've hit a major GOAL!!! I'm thrilled and happy dancing for you!!! Congratulations!!!

I doubt you've stretched your sleeve. Have you tried doing either the 5 day pouch test or Diva's Boot Camp? Both are good ways to reset your hunger feelings and will help you realize again that you do have a very small tummy. Good luck!!

STBMe, Do you eat slowly? If you give yourself about a minute between bites, it will soon become easier to tell when you're full. Even though my surgeon says to concentrate only on eating during a meal, I try to take a bit, then chew while I do something else like read a page of a book, make a post on a message board, or play a game on the phone. For me, this works to keep me from over-filling my sleeve. HTH Oh, and I just realized that you're not even a month out, so you're probably still on mushies! That's a little tougher to figure out. My Nut just said to measure food during the early stages of the diet. I would measure out between 2 and 3 oz of food and that's all I would eat. Usually I couldn't finish "all" of that! Good luck!!

I'm not as far out as you, but I'm re-learning how to cook and how to eat. I keep frozen chicken breasts in the freezer and cook them up either with my little george foreman grill or in a skillet with some low cal italian dressing. I also bought and cooked a small pack of pork chops, then froze them separately. They nuke up in the microwave in a couple of minutes and I add seasoning once they are reheated. Since I'm cooking for one, I will open a can of dense soup, like bean with bacon, and heat up half. The other half goes in a small plastic container in the fridge for another meal. I keep cheese sticks and mini babybel cheeses on hand for Snacks, along with a bag of almonds from Sams. I also have a box of Protein bars in the pantry, for those mornings when I'm running behind and some pre made Protein shakes in the fridge, although they arent my favorite. Good luck!!

I think I was pretty well-informed, but there have been surprises along the way. I thought I had my "head hunger" under control, but I'm fighting it now, again. It's a long battle, but one I'm determined to win. I thought I'd lose more slowly than I have lost weight. THAT is a pleasant surprise! I also thought it would be easier, but I've battled a couple of really big issues in the last 4 months that are not WLS related. I'm surprised at how much I want to comfort myself/bury the problem with food. On the good side, I'm much more energetic than I thought I'd be at this stage, and I'm doing more exercise than I thought I'd be able to accomplish. I think everyone's journey is different, but we all learn from one another. Good luck with your journey!!

I know that the navel is the newest way to do the sleeve. I had mine lap, and I have six incisions, one just under the left breast and 5 around my waistline area. My doc told me it would be lap ahead of time and never mentioned doing it as an open incision. Good luck.

Jewel, I still have some pain when I eat things that Rex (my sleeve) doesn't like. I can't do jalapenos or anything more spicy than pepper, and sometimes even pepper makes him act up! However, I don't have the constant pain, and I only remember having pain when I ate or drank too quickly. It's definitely behavior modification for us!! Good luck!!