Tomo

I'm so scared of parchment paper in the oven! Its started on fire the last time I used it. If I overcome my fear I will try this!

There are recipes online but the one I use is I pre heat oven to 400F, put little small heaps of shredded cheese. Like 24 little piles, separated from each other cause they spread out as they melt. I always use parchment paper. I once used aluminum foil, and that was mess lol. Bake in pre-heated oven until golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before eating. They keep very well in a sealed container.

It varies from doctor to doctor so I would ask your team. Some say nut butters are fine, while others don't. I was on a "clear" liquid diet so I couldn't.

Thanks for the hug @summerseeker I very much appreciate the hug. Hugs are so much better than food.
@catwoman7 I have tried Trulicity (same as Ozempic) some time ago. I had serious side effects and couldnt continue on it. But that doesnt mean that I cant ask my doctor about any other options.
@BigZ- I do believe I need to see a psychologist/therapist. i have an appointment with a dietician tomorrow. Maybe they can point me in the right direction to the right person.
@NickelChip I took your advice and weighed myself this morning. I will face 2.7 kg. So much easier to face this gain than trying to ignore a much bigger gain. I went for a walk for 30 minutes. @BigSueI will check out the podcast.
I really appreciate ALL the responses. There are some really wise words in all this. @ChunkCat @Arabesque @Jeanniebug This is a journey that really doesnt end hey? I need to take care of myself in a good way. The self talk is something that I have always struggled with too. The honeymoon might be over but I determine where this marriage is headed.
If it has to be a lifelong struggle then I would rather do it without all that extra padding. I am not giving up without a fight. I will be coming back to this page to pick more gems. Thankyou.

I echo the advice to seek help from a therapist to support you while you are experiencing emotional distress, anxiety, depression & support you to find strategies to manage your desire to turn to food during these times.
The battle not to eat/ make the best choices is eternal. My brain whispering to me. It will be all right if you eat that. A small bite won’t hurt. It will make you feel better. You deserve it. Etc. It isn’t easy to fight your head/thinking though. And if there are odd times you just can’t argue your way out of it, forgive yourself. You are arguing against an intelligent person - you!

I wish I could hug you. I have no answers, I just want you to know that I am here.

Sorry you are going through this. At this point it is mind over matter. If you are struggling it might be worth looking into a therapist. 10 day pouch reset - day 1 Clear Liquids, day 2-3 full liquids, day 4-6 puree, day 7-9 soft foods, day 10 small healthy meals, continuing forward.

I know how easy it is to avoid the scale when you know it's going to be bad news. I do it too. But I'm going to urge you to make yourself face it. If you face it, you can beat it. I think the good news is, no matter how much you've eaten, there is no way you could regain 130+ pounds in a month. Maybe you've gained 5lbs. Maybe 10. But you know what? You've still lost over 100lbs. So, go get on the scale, acknowledge the number, and then look at yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself, "Self, I love you, and you're f*ing awesome. You're doing a great job, and I know you're going to keep doing it."
No negative talk, no guilt. After that, look into getting a therapist to help you with the emotional crap that's making this hard for you, because food addiction is real, and you deserve for it to be easier. The biggest thing I've learned about shame and guilt over the years is the way I talk to myself sometimes, I would punch someone in the face if they ever said those things to someone I love. Try to treat yourself the way you would treat the person you love the most.

You are not a failure. The fact that you posted here looking for help means you are open to reaching out for help and that will lead to success!! Many people are too scared to even put the words out there.
I urge you strongly to reach out to your bariatric team and get their recommendations for a few therapists that specialize in eating disorders. Try a session with a few of them to find one you like. They will help you navigate the emotional components and anxiety and depression. The surgeon operated on your stomach and intestines, not your brain. Surgery can't fix the inner narratives we have that keep us in cycles we don't want to be in.
And Catwoman7 is right, some bariatric patients do end up using appetite suppressing medications to help with those voices, often in conjunction with therapy. There is no escaping the head work, it HAS to be done or it will undermine you at every turn. In time you'll learn how to companion with it and live along side it. It may always be there in some form, but that doesn't mean it gets to be in the driver's seat 24/7.

Oh yeah. I'm 3.5 years out and the honeymoon has long been over. If I weren't extremely careful about what I eat, it would be terrifyingly easy to fall off the wagon and jump on the regain train. The surgery still helps, for sure; even when I eat too much, I think back to how much I would have eaten before the surgery and realize that my overindulgence now pales in comparison. But it still takes a lot of effort and attention to maintain my weight.
My first recommendation for you is to get back on the scale and see exactly where you stand. No matter how much you've regained, stepping on the scale isn't going to change it. Believe me, I understand not wanting to know (take it from someone who did not own a scale for over a decade before my surgery), but staying in denial will only make things worse.
I found a fantastic podcast called "We Only Look Thin," hosted by a husband and wife who each lost over 100 pounds. They did NOT have WLS, but they have so much insight and advice. They address a lot of the things that you worry about, so if you are open to listening to podcasts, I highly recommend this one.

Nine years out, and I fight the beast every day. I know people who've worked with therapists who specialize in eating disorders who've found it helpful, so maybe looking into that if you're feeling like you're losing the struggle (?). Or does your bariatric clinic have a health psychologist on staff, or can they refer you to one?
P.S. I also know a few people who are struggling and have had some significant weight gain who are on appetite suppressants like phentermine - or some of the newer drugs that people are using for weight loss, such as Ozempic. I don't know if you want to go down that route, but some have had success with those. If you're interested in that, check with either your bariatric clinic or your regular physician.

I had heard about the honeymoon period at the start of it all. Didnt really think much about it at the time. But this has smacked me hard.The honey moon period is well and truly over. Reality is kicking back in. I had the RNY back in May 22. Since then I have lost 60 kg or 132 pounds. I had Covid for Christmas. I have managed depression and anxiety for decades now. In the last month my anxiety and depression have flared up something chronic and I am stuffing food into me as if I had never had the bypass.
I am loathe to weigh myself and I can feel my body change again. Food addiction is real and I am terrified that I am going to regain all the weight I had lost. I dont want to be trapped in my own body again. I want my muscles to be strong. I dont want the panic attacks to dominate me again. Right now I feel distended and hopeless.
Has anybody else tackled this point. I dont want to be overtaken by a Tsunami of food and shame and guilt. Who eats food off the floor? Who eats food out of a bin? I want the control back. Is it too late now that the honeymoon is over. Has anybody else tackled this time and won? Anybody? Anywhere?

Both methods have a failure option. You go off meds & return to your old eating habits, the weight comes back. With the surgery, you go back to how you used to eat, you regain the weight.
Both require you to do the work to change your relationship with food, make better food choices, become more active, learn to recognize real hunger from head hunger & learn about what drives you to eat & develop strategies to manage those drives like your food obsession voices. Neither routes are true easy permanent solutions without doing this work. The class you attended seems like it got you started on this & on the right path.
The win of the surgery for me was time. The period of time when I wasn’t hungry or interested in eating, the change to my taste buds, etc. allowed me to start doing that work. I learnt what my body needed, how to keep my boosted metabolism going & to keep my new weight set point stable.
Certainly worth conversations with your doctor & a bariatric surgeon to see what they think is the best way forward for you. Also ask for a referral to a therapist who specialises in disordered eating to support you through doing the head work. Many who’ve had surgery find therapy very helpful & contributed to their success & it would likely be helpful even if you choose not to have surgery.
All the best what ever you choose to do.

PS - I second the Dr Matt Weiner’s Pound of Cure you tube videos. He’s also on instagram & has some great books. Dr John Pilcher also has some great you tube videos on weight loss & surgery. Another consideration is I understand the newest weight loss med is supposed to less expensive & is expected to help push down the cost of the existing ones.

for awhile. For most of us, hunger comes back sometime during the first year after surgery - although I do know of a few lucky folks for whom It never came back. I don't know if that's true of Wegovy or not - if that effect is permanent or temporary.

I worried about it in the beginning. I make a point to not overeat often because of it. My habit is to stop at about 80% full. I can eat 2 cups at one sitting, on a hungry day and depending upon what it is. But as some say, just because I can doesn't mean I should or will lol. I have to rely on filling with fruits/vegetables, healthy low calorie foods, on those super hungry days or I would gain weight.

"We all have issues, some of which where will power alone can work. Then there are other, more complex issues where will power alone is simply inadequate. My long term obesity is one of these, so I've gotten help where my will power is rewarded with success. Another example would be people not being able to think before they speak. Too bad there is no surgery to help such people, poor dears."
Good luck,
Tek

this is the main reason I didn't tell very many people about my surgery until I was several months post-op - and even then, it was usually just to other obese people who wondered how I lost so much weight (because all of us who've been there know that "diet and exercise" just isn't a permanent solution for most of us). Sorry you have to deal with her insensitive comment. People can be so rude!!

Yes, pre existing gerd is a hard no for sleeve in almost all cases. Sleeve won’t fix it & will likely make it worse necessitating a 2nd surgery to convert to bypass. I had reflux/gerd before my sleeve. The only reason my surgeon decided to proceed with a sleeve was because my reflux was mild & I managed it for years with dietary choices. I only took meds a couple or so times a year. If it was more severe, & I needed regular medication, he wouldn’t have done it. My reflux is worse & I take meds every day which manages it but the symptoms are different.
We have similar stats in regards height & I had a similar starting weight (200lbs). Having reflux didn’t hinder my weight loss. Plus I’m menopausal (perimenopause & menopause was when I put on the bulk of my weight & pushed me to obesity). I lost all my weight plus more & have kept it off. And I wasn’t active at all Lol!
Avoid comparing your rate of weight loss with anyone else. We all lose at our own rate & what is best for us & our body. Comparing usually leads to frustration & worry. Have you met with your dietician recently & gone through your meal tracking? There may be something you’re missing or need or don’t need. A stall of more than a month isn’t common. Try to increase your Fluid consumption. You should aim for 64oz or likely more as you say you are very active. And yes, while muscle weighs more than fat it’s not that much more. Say a container of fat weighs 1kg. The same container of muscle weighs 1.2kg so we only talking ounces of difference. Have you been taking body measurements to better understand where you might be in regards to muscle growth?

I'm shocked you were offered the sleeve with GERD. That shouldn't happen because the sleeve is known to cause GERD, even in those who didn't have it before. GERD in and of itself doesn't make it harder to lose weight, but the effects of having GERD flare ups can. Mostly because it's so painful and uncomfortable and hard to move around.

I'm grateful that stomach stretching was never on my list of worries, lol.
but man, you still have quite alot of restriction still! even more than me, and i always considered my stomach capacity to be on the small side...yours is absolutely minuscule for 6 yrs out!
❤️

I could eat this entire thing if I’m really hungry. Congratulations! I think you might have a rare level of restriction. 😂

You must be pleased to be home. How long is the recovery time expected to be? Do you notice any difference yet? A few people I know who’ve had various heart surgeries all have said said they didn’t realize how much they’d deteriorated & struggled until after their surgeries.

I could eat the entire thing as well and six years post rxy. I was told I could never eat XXX again so when I found out I could I did. I wish I still had that restriction.

OK so I could eat most of that in one sitting these days! There's no way I could stop when you did, but I'd have a break of a few hours (3 approx) before having to eat again.
How long after those three bites of the sandwich and few forkfuls of the greens did you need to eat again OP??

Cupboard/freezer pie. Minced beef, vegetables & puff pastry from my freezer & tinned tomatoes & lentils from my pantry. Just used fresh basil, parsley & an onion. Made enough for 6 serves so some will go back into the frezer. Ate about 2/3 of this but all the pastry. It’s odd. I struggle with bread, Pasta & rice but can eat some puff pastry. Nit a lot but some. 🤷🏻‍♀️
(Watching UK celebrity Masterchef while I ate dinner as you do.)