Mz_Elle

Since my surgery (07/03/2012) I've not had one actual hunger pain. I had a dramatic day at work (I returned to office this Wednesday). I came home. Couldn't sleep and felt the need to eat. eat. eat. I need help with these emotional triggers. Can anyone recommend a book or give me some tools to work with on this issue? I'm dreading I will sabotage my sleeve or just give in to old patterns of coping with food. I'm already feeling LOW ENERGY and I'm struggling to hit my protein benchmarks since returning to work. With all my staff meetings, client meetings, training meeting, etc it's making it hard to eat on schedule. When you add in the constraints of eating with the sleeve in general....eat every 2-3 hours. Don't drink 30 mins before/after your meal. Don't drink during your meal. It's mess. I honestly didn't know returning to work would be this challenging.

@ Lissa, OMghosh ma'am those reps and your work out are amazing. I'm not cleared for weight until 6 weeks either, but I've been just trying to walk 20 minutes every morning. I find it helps a lot with my energy level throughout the day to do my daily stroll in the morning versus the evening. I hope to get my mile to under 15 minutes, before moving on to more strenous exercise. I prefer to walk my neighborhood rather than on a treadmill. I have commitment issues so If I'm in my house or gym and get tired, it's easy to give up and just get off the treadmill and throw in the towel. If I'm out and walk a mile and get tired, then I HAVE to walk back to get home! LOL. I may sound crazy, but it keeps me going. I may go slow, I may feel like crap, but my legs must take me home and my body stays moving. I'm hoping I will learn to like exercising. I JUST HATE IT, BUT I DO IT now as a necessity. I'm waiting on that endorphin high to come and sustain me so that I'm motivated to try newer things. If shopping was a sport I'd be a Gold Medal Olympian.

Also BTW, great that you found out and changed doctors. I have seen too many ppl not be as pro-active and their research. Kuddos to you for that one. Hope the new surgeon works out.

Yes. What TTC said. The sleeve is a lot kinder to your body in regard to mal absorption because they do not re-engineer your digestive tract like in the bypass. You keep everything as is, except for your stomach. That's downsized considerably so the challenge is to eat smaller meals through out the day to get your nutrients and mainly proteins. You have to focus on protein and staying hydrated, but as long as you eat smarter and realize the days of "all you can eat buffets" are gone. It will do you good. I am a meat lover so the focus on protein isn't that daunting. It's learning not to gulp. Don't scarf down your food like a fiend, and pace yourself. For sleeve patients it's not malabsorption, but malnutrition that will make it complicated. They are two separate issues.

It Medifast is too pricey, the Atkins shakes with scoop of flax powder will do the job. The flax adds bulk for a feeling of fullness, plus it cleanses your digestive tract. Also I added Milk thistle tea to my diet (at least one cup per day with regular green tea and honey & lemon) Milk thistle is supposedly good for your liver (do your own research on this as always), but I found it very helpful. I only had to lose 15 lbs for my pre-op and that was not 10% of my body weight. Each doc is so different, but my doctor said a minimum of 15 lbs, but he wanted me to get as much off as I could prior to surgery.

Another spin would be to add Crystal Light singles (about a half of one) to it. They have more flavors now like Appletini and it's really good. I will add about a 1/2 or 1/4 packet to my yogurt. It tastes great. I also add Chia seeds (gel it out) to my puddings and even my drinks to help me stay fuller and add nutrients to my snacks. Chia has many health benefits and it's does affect the taste of the foods. Plus it add some texture.

I'm struggling with the same issues. I'm not feeling physical hunger. Have not felt hungry since my surgery on 07/03 but every since I started purees this week. Old urges are coming back. Last night was rough. I had a horrible day at work and when I got home I wanted to eat everything in sight. It was demoralizing. I didn't over do it too much, but I ate more meat (pork, good old salty flavorful PORK!) and I was in pain. My sleeve revolted. Thank heavens I didn't vomit or have some of the push back from my sleeve as some of the others have shared here. Overall I think it's just about keeping busy, Knowing what will set you off and acknowledging that you will give in occasionally....just don't beat yourself up too much when you do. I've found that my cravings come on at night too, so I have a plan to work out early in the morning to get my energy and just plow through the rest of the day so that I'm totally exhausted and ready for bed by 9 p.m. With my protein battles that's not far off the mark LOL. Wednesday I returned to work and I was knocked out by 7:30 p.m.! But yesterday was just a bad deal for me....I was exhausted, but couldn't sleep because I was so frustrated with the goings on that day. We are all a work in progress...so any other suggestions offered, please share. I need all the help I can get.

July 3rd was my surgery date.

109 in six months is amazing! How many meals are you eating a day? Schedule? I have a hiccup processing one of your comments though.... "I've never really had any overeating problems since I was a teenager" Did something happen to get you to your HW outside of overeating? I ask because I had a tumor 10 yrs ago that totally smashed my hormones and metabolism and I put on a lot of weight....but I also stuffed my face afterward and got really lazy. Just curious...

Ok. Today I started the puree phase. Now it's two weeks of blended loveliness. I went a little wild though and felt that I overindulged. My tummy took it all in well. I added pureed Turkey pastrami to the mix! It was WONDERFUL. A very refreshing change from creamy chicken broth and SF jello. The good thing is that I stopped myself from spiraling out of control and started labeling and prepping my meals in these little cups. I also created a nifty little meal planner worksheet in Excel to schedule my meals and track my calories. (I know there are apps for it, but I think mine will work better for me!). Since I'm not on full liquids, I'm going to try to focus on the meal guidelines and teaching myself how to not drink 30 mins prior to or 30 mins after my meal. Incorporate that in my new lifestyle changes and train myself to eat on the schedule. After looking for several timers, apps and watches, I finally just set my scheduled times as alarms in my Iphone to make sure I eat on schedule. I-phone let's you add several "alarms' in a day. Got a new arm band for it so that I can keep it on me in the office too. I'm fearing that as I progress to "regular" foods my old triggers will come into play and I'll sabotage my progress. The thought of failing after all this surgery bruhaha would be devastating to say the least. I don't want to contemplate a step so far backward that I actually hurt myself with food....On the other hand when I really think about it I've been hurting myself with food for the past 15 years and did a bang up job at it! Geez, see I just took a step back with that last comment alone. I'm hopeless! Also I'm having a COPIOUS amount of gas the past two days. It's embarrassing! I'm not hurting just tootin away (I know TMI...my apologies again). Very tired now...will have more to say tomorrow....BACK TO WORK DAY!

I was able to drive after 1 week follow-up. The doc asked me if I was still on Lortab pain meds. I was not. He asked if I felt any discomfort twisting my abdomen or moving around. I had none.... "OK. You can drive now" was his response. He said if I began to feel pain to give him a call. No problems thus far. I go back to work tomorrow.

I'm not at the soft food stage yet but I'd agree with lighteningbug on this one. Stay away from broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, if they give you gas. I am extremely sensitive to these foods (and bananas) when it comes to gas. I do not plan on eating them until I'm on regular foods, if at all.

I use Celebrate Protein powder and it calls for 2 scoops for 8 oz liquid. I use Almond milk, vanilla Soy milk and even Almond coconut milk to make my shakes versus Water. It add a few more calories, but tastes great. My dietician said it's OK to play with the liquid ratio to suit your taste as long as you consume the serving. During my 1st week post-op I was told to split the serving into two separate "meals" so that I got the protein in throughout the day. The dietician said If you're using the shakes for pre-op, then you can add more liquid to get more volume but just make sure you drink the serving to get all the Vitamins and nutrients. Also if you add ice cubes to it, it tends to make it seem more bulky.

Greek yogurt is the best. Highest protein of the yogurts. I buy the plain and add a little bit of orange and lemon crystal light in it. It tastes just like a dreamsicle. Also I tried the blue berry smoothie recipe using greek yogurt that someone posted on here. I added a scoop of unflavored whey protein isolate to it which doubled the protein. I had to split is up into two snacks, but it was delicious. I'm looking forward to pureed food. I've been CRAVING mashed potatoes, but my husband is against them because of the carbs and sugars. I was wondering if adding a scoop of unflavored protein powder would help it out w/o changing the taste too much. Has anyone done that yet? And yes, SF pudding and jello keeps me going, but I lean more to the savory side and I'm goosing my Ninja to purree some meat!

Way to go Jazz!

Thank you Lila, That makes sense. I hope you get your sleeve approved. Of all the WLS it was definitely the one for me and despite this little issue, I could not be happier with my decision.

No it does not. Your health plan has approved the consult only, which is basically and authorized office visit to dialogue with a surgeon about options and what is best for you given your expectations. Based on the consult, then they will proceed with getting the surgery approved. It sounds like you're going to have a lengthy process to get approved. I'd recommend you check your plan to 1st determine if your employer considers the procedure to be a "covered benefit." You'll be surprised how many ppl start the process only to find out that WLS or the particular type they are seeking isn't even covered by their health plan. Good luck to you!

@bmooney....sounds like our docs/NUT read the same manual. that's exactly my diet plan to day. I'm excited about the pureed foods stage coming in a couple of days so I can put something besides chicken broth and pudding/yogurt in my tummy. I'm still not hungry but I have to pay attention and eat (or rather drink) on schedule. I have been craving liver and onions for some reason. I'm going to give it a go at a puree on Tuesday and see if that does the trick. My husband has forbidden me from buying another can of soup, tomatoes or crystal light. Everytime I go to the store, I bring something back. Our cupboards are bursting at the seams! LOL

Yes. Definitely a change! You look GREAT! Also one thing I've noticed is a consistent theme in the before/after pics is the colors worn. It's really telling....Most of the before pics are in darker clothing and usually our big girl armor of the black Leggings and big shirt. The after pics we usually have on white or a bright color that shows how joyous we are with the changes. I guess clothes really do make the man and are telling as to how we feel about ourselves. LOL.

AWESOME. So inspiring...... In my Fred Sanford voice... "I'm coming to join ya Honey!"

Woo Beth... that seems really aggressive 16 days out. Are you feeling any pain or discomfort? I'd give him a call just to be safe. Bowel obstructions are no joke and it's better to be safe. I'm 12 days out and I'm looking forward to my purrees in about 3 more days! LOL.

Chap stick. My lips were unbelievably dry after surgery, especially the 1st 24 hrs because my doc wouldn't give me anything to eat until I had the swallow test. They said all the fluids and nutrients would come in the IV. I wasn't hungry, but my lips her very dry. Extra Hydrating Lotion My skin was really dry too.

Bring some feminine hygiene pads. Some ppl start their cycles post-op and you don't want to have to use the bulky, horse pads they give you at the hospital. Always overnights does the job. Also some comfy socks with the appliques on the bottom so that when you get up and walk you feel comfortable with your footings. I did not like wearing slippers when walking down the hallway. I preferred only my socks.

Wow. Very inspiring! Congratulations and Thank you for sharing. I really needed this today!

It grows back from all accounts. Have you tried Biotin? I brought some yesterday as a proactive measure based on some of the endorsements on the forum. I'm hoping it helps curb the hair loss, if It goes there. 250 pills for under $12 seemed pretty reasonable.