kimbernada

Amazing!! I'm six months out today too. Absolutely NO regrets at all, other than "Why didn't I do this sooner?!"

At almost 7 months out, I can only eat a 1/2 cup of chili or Soup with three saltines - BUT I can drink an 8 ounce Protein Shake or yogurt normally, so I think it depends on how dense the food is. If the soup is more liquid than content, I could see how a person could eat more. (Kind of like yogurt, which is really only 3/4 of a cup now since most are 6 ounces.)

I am 1 month post op and I am hearing from people that other people (at work and amongst other friends) are asking what I'm doing to lose weight because I'm "shrinking"! I had been sitting here after a cold walk feeling sorry for myself because I wanted candy, but when another unsolicited compliment came in from my fiancés best friend, it cheered me up! And he has NO idea about my surgery. Pre-Op W: 262 CW: 236.3

For ME, I found that being able to SMELL a favorite food satisfied me more than ever eating it did. Co-workers would bring in a bag of fast food and I'd ask if I could smell the bag. Seriously.
I don't think I've ever been in tears over not being able to eat a previously-favorite food. Knowing that eventually I might be able to try it kept those feelings at bay. Then again some of the crap that I used to like really is just crap. You WILL be able to eat most of your favorite foods, it all depends on what your sleeve likes. Some of your favorites may actually totally be a turn off when you try them. For me, it was eggs. I used to love a good scrambled egg. It's taken a good year for that to be an acceptable food for my sleeve. My sleeve now LOVES grilled fish. I could eat it before, but it wasn't a craving like it is now.
I think this is all part of the success of the sleeve (or almost any of the weight loss surgeries). You really do have to start at square one again. Some foods that you are allowed to eat don't sit well today, but might tomorrow. Now, instead of barely even thinking of what we are shoving in our mouth PRE-SURGERY, we have to analyze the nutrition content POST-SURGERY. Does it have enough Protein to even make it worthwhile? I still focus on my Protein intake. If I don't, I know I won't get enough.

Congrats, your doctor has different advice than other doctors. Something that has been discussed a million times on these forums. As has been discussed, everyone should follow their own surgeons instructions and not what they find on here, including this thread.

It's very normal, I'm feeling it a little bit during the pre op. Some times had been hard, but I think about how miserable I was before I had this light of hope in VSG surgery. I believe I have an addiction to food, which just means I use it to change the way I'm feeling, or numb what I'm feeling. I have had some other addictions as well, so I'm fairly familiar with this condition. This is like an 80% inside job thing. We always think fixing something on the outside is going to fix or fill the hole on the inside. It isn't. If we don't address the thinking, we will just find something else to use. I get a lot out of bariatric support groups, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous. Anyway, get some outside support. The solution is spiritual in nature. (that does NOT mean religious). Good luck!

I noticed that my body smelled different to me after surgery. I don't know if it might have also been from the anesthesia?? Anyhow, I switched to Dial's antibacterial "Fresh All Day" liquid shower soap and I haven't noticed it since then. (Well, I notice it when I use a different shower gel.)

What size meatball? At one of my fav restaurants in San Jose, Buy the Bucket, the meatball is the size of a baby's head. I could eat about 1.5 ounces of more solid Protein, such as meatball at three weeks out. My program didn't allow beef till after 6 weeks.
I'm 2.5 years out and I top out at 3-3.5 ounces of solid Protein with a little veggies and and a little whole grain. Last time I ate pizza, about a month ago, I ate two slices from a large pizza with hand tossed crust from Pizza Hut.
Lynda

What are you eating too much of? What about supplementing your food intake with raw veggies as a filler? That way you are eating and giving your sleeve food, just not a lot of extra calories. Did your doctor give you a caloric target to hit?

I even bought the same brand/color of pants in smaller sizes so that no one really even noticed my weight loss until I'd lost closer to 50-75 pounds. No one even said anything for the first six months. Well, no one outside of my team at work. They knew I had the surgery, but they didn't find out until the Friday before I had my surgery. I had okayed the time off with my manager and didn't tell anyone else about even that (just the generic "surgery"). One of my teammates had asked "What kind of surgery are you having? Or should I not ask that?" So... I said "Weight loss surgery" and then explained what kind. Our team is like family, so once I told them, I felt much better about it. NOT saying anything was kind of bugging me. I didn't want anyone to know that I was having this surgery BEFORE I had it - mainly because I did NOT want to hear negative stories. Everyone knows someone who had complications, etc. Well, actually I do know someone - my aunt. (She had bypass surgery about 15-20 years ago.) But there are complications for any surgery. I know someone who died during a knee replacement, which seems to be one of the more "common" surgeries. Another aunt (sister of the other one) died during a different "common" procedure.
Anyhow, I've rambled a little. To the OP, there is no right or wrong regarding what to tell others. What YOU feel you need to do or say is the right choice for you. For ME, once the surgery was over and I was feeling good about my surgery, having great success and no complications, I found that I didn't have a problem telling people who asked. <-- emphasis on asked because I don't just stop and tell people about the surgery.
Even my UPS driver said to me last week "Okay, so just what have you done?" I was actually confused because I wasn't sure what he was talking about. He was pretty funny because he said that he had wanted to say something the last time he saw me, which is actually kind of rare to SEE him, but he said he wasn't sure if it was appropriate. I did tell him that I had surgery last summery and then, as usual, I explained a little about the surgery. (Who knows? Maybe his wife is overweight and that's why he asked me what I did?)

I even bought the same brand/color of pants in smaller sizes so that no one really even noticed my weight loss until I'd lost closer to 50-75 pounds. No one even said anything for the first six months. Well, no one outside of my team at work. They knew I had the surgery, but they didn't find out until the Friday before I had my surgery. I had okayed the time off with my manager and didn't tell anyone else about even that (just the generic "surgery"). One of my teammates had asked "What kind of surgery are you having? Or should I not ask that?" So... I said "Weight loss surgery" and then explained what kind. Our team is like family, so once I told them, I felt much better about it. NOT saying anything was kind of bugging me. I didn't want anyone to know that I was having this surgery BEFORE I had it - mainly because I did NOT want to hear negative stories. Everyone knows someone who had complications, etc. Well, actually I do know someone - my aunt. (She had bypass surgery about 15-20 years ago.) But there are complications for any surgery. I know someone who died during a knee replacement, which seems to be one of the more "common" surgeries. Another aunt (sister of the other one) died during a different "common" procedure.
Anyhow, I've rambled a little. To the OP, there is no right or wrong regarding what to tell others. What YOU feel you need to do or say is the right choice for you. For ME, once the surgery was over and I was feeling good about my surgery, having great success and no complications, I found that I didn't have a problem telling people who asked. <-- emphasis on asked because I don't just stop and tell people about the surgery.
Even my UPS driver said to me last week "Okay, so just what have you done?" I was actually confused because I wasn't sure what he was talking about. He was pretty funny because he said that he had wanted to say something the last time he saw me, which is actually kind of rare to SEE him, but he said he wasn't sure if it was appropriate. I did tell him that I had surgery last summery and then, as usual, I explained a little about the surgery. (Who knows? Maybe his wife is overweight and that's why he asked me what I did?)

I struggled with this but this week I said PUCK it and told folks at work. All were pretty receptive; however, at the end of the day I have to ask myself..why do I need to lie about this and why do I care what others think. That's their issue and their problem..not mine. and I must add when I shared..i felt extremely free if that makes sense...

Sometimes my mind tries to trick my sleeve. "Pssst.... if you eat really fast, you could probably eat a little more." The good news is that my sleeve rules the plate. I pretend to stick my fingers in my ears and say "Lalalalalalalalala!" I only put a cup of food on my bread plate for a meal, or about the equivalent. We have pizza every Sunday night and I have one slice - 1/8 of a regular size frozen pizza (so it's about 180 calories). This is when my brain REALLY starts talking. Nope, not worth it. My sleeve will talk back if I try to eat more than one slice. (Literally making those weird gurgling noises.)

I can shop for HOURS now... No more sweating after barely walking into one store. Man, I don't miss that. Although I mostly shop thrift stores because I've found such amazing deals - paying retail prices isn't as much fun as finding a killer deal. I have to dress in layers for work AND have my little heater on under my desk. I even wear fleece arm warmers (kind of like long fingerless gloves). Brrrrrrrrrrr!!! I wear sweatshirts and socks to bed too. BUT... I wouldn't trade it for anything. Then again, I say that NOW and it's only 52 degrees out. Let's wait to see what my tune is when it is 30 degress below zero. (I guess there isn't a limit as to how much clothes a person can put ON, right?!)

Sweatshirts? I wear head-to-toe North face. Even my slippers are North face and suitable for 80 below... I am that sad and that cold...

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that while you might be able to eat almost anything, it's the quantity that you are still limited by. (So can you eat enough of your nutrients in order to grow a healthy baby?) A year out, and you will be able to eat larger servings of healthy (and not healthy) foods. Granted, I can still only eat about a cup of solid food at any meal and my year anniversary was July 24, 2013.

What's normal for me is not normal for you. Are you veering away from your proscribed diet? Are you going over on your calories? Do you feel sick after eating? Do you feel overly full?
If your answers to that are no, then you're doing okay.

I don't have any banned foods. I chew gum -- there's no way swallowing this will harm you stomach. As a sleever, we still have our original pyloric valve. I could see if we had the gastric bypass since those folks have a man-made one. I go through probably a pack of gum a day - 18 pieces. It keeps me from mindless eating. It just loses its flavor so fast. sugar-free... bubblegum, chocolate mint, lemon square, orangesicle, sherbet, etc. I probably have about six different flavors stacked up at any given time.
Soda? Yep, I have that sometimes too. Not every day as it just takes me too long to drink it. (Baby sips, not swigs like pre-surgery.)
Alcohol? Meh, doesn't appeal to me. My 21 year old self would be appalled to hear my 44 year old self say this. LOL Of course back then, I wouldn't have dreamed that I'd go to bed at 9:30 pm either.
candy? Meh, doesn't hold much appeal. I don't keep chocolate at my desk. I do have a HUGE bowl of hard candies and Tootsie Pops up on a shelf in my cubicle. They don't call my name.
Ice cream? Sometimes. Maybe less than once a week, but a small cone. At least the Dairy Queen is ice milk, not ice cream. Actually, a small cone is too much. I usually get it in a dish to avoid the cone.
pizza? Once a week. 1/8 of a frozen pizza is less than 200 calories. Considering I used to be able to eat an ENTIRE frozen pizza, this is a good compromise.
I am finally able to eat steak again, but it does have to be tender.
Grapes and other fruit? Heck yeah. But after the Protein. (Except for tonight. I had some cold washed grapes on the counter that I was munching on before supper - way too filling.)
I just wish vegetables didn't fill me up so fast!! I now have spinach and baby carrots in my morning Protein shake. I can't taste or see them.

I did. Thank goodness I failed at failing.

OMG you lok amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Missy, when yu loose you will loose it everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck!

I did. Thank goodness I failed at failing.

I did. Thank goodness I failed at failing.

Yep, I had to wear fake wedding rings for awhile. I just got mine resized from a snug 8 to a loose 6.

I did. Thank goodness I failed at failing.

I did. Thank goodness I failed at failing.