joatsaint

Yes, you will be able to eat anything you want, probably as soon as your doctor releases you back on full foods. But if you are like me, my taste buds changed after not having any processed sugar for over a month. The old favorites just didn't taste as good and in my opinion, weren't worth eating anymore, because the taste wasn't good enough to justify eating the empty calories. You may find new favorite flavors like I did. Brussel sprouts are something I never ate pre-op, now I love them and can eat them as a meal in themselves.

I had undiagnosed sleep apnea since childhood. Even at 48, I can still remember how tired I'd be - all day - in elem. school. My dad thought I was just lazy when I'd sleep 12 - 15 hours on the weekend. For most of my 20's and 30's I'd been hovering around 250 lbs, at 45, I'd packed on an additional 100 lbs. And that extra weight must have been the tipping point for my apnea. It got to the point where I could not function at work because of my apnea and I was spending all my time at home sleeping. Finally, I went and had a sleep study and got a CPAP machine. My sleep improve sooooo much after using the CPAP, it's hard to describe. After a few weeks, I could not sleep without the machine. A 10 months post-op and 100 lbs less, I was able to stop using the CPAP. And have not used it since. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31195-blow-is-just-an-expression-cpap-and-sterilized-water/

I brought only: Cell phone CPAP machine and Water Comfy clothes to wear home I wish I had brought my favorite pillow. It would have made sleeping and the ride home much easier. The hospital supplied everything else.

Pre-surgery, my feet would randomly swell and shrink. So I could be a size 10 1/2 one day and an 11 the next. Post-op my feet have stayed the same size - 10 1/2. I'd been a 10 1/2 since high school and it was only after becoming morbidly obese that my foot size changed. Now, I have the feet of a bodybuilder!!!!! Talk about ripped, my feet have their own version of a six-pack! Now if only the rest of me would follow my foot's example. :-P

I liked my own mixture of Taco seasoning, turkey hamburger and refried beans. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

Hi Psychowriter, Welcome to the board. I too am fighting weight regain. But I think I caught it early and have it under control. :-) If I can be of any help, feel free to PM me. I started dating about 4 months ago and SHE likes to eat well and drink a bit of wine. Needless to say, I too started eating higher calorie foods and drinking along with meals and while watching TV with her. I added about 17 lbs. I combat the extra weight by being more careful on the non-dating days. I've cut back a bit on how much I eat for Breakfast, watch the snack calories I'm eating and have switched from eating sugar coated Raisin bran for a snack to eating fruits like apples, nectarines, and pineapple. My biggest hurdle is eating at night. I haven't cut back on my night time eating, but I have made a major substitution. I was eating 2 (1 cup size) meals and having a Protein bar as a snack. I've since switched to eating a smaller portion of my normal food and eating sugar free jell-o as a replacement. Jell-O is incredibly filling. When I get home, I normally eat 1/2 cup of Jell-O, wait an hour, eat my meal, wait an hour, eat 1/2 cup of Jell-O. So far it's working for me. I've dropped 4 lbs in 2 weeks after substituting for 1 meal, with this sugar free Jell-O recipe. The recipe is simple: 8 ounces of cream cheese 4 small boxes or 2 large boxes of your favorite sugar free Jell-O (enough to make 8 cups of Jell-O) Mix the Jell-O with 4 cups of WARM Water, add in the cream cheese, mix until the cream cheese is completely and smoothly blended into the water, add the remaining 4 cups of COLD water, let it set up in the refrigerator. I sometimes put it in the freezer for an hour or so to speed up the setting process.

If you have to physically pick her up, I would not plan on being able to do that for the 1st 2 weeks. I didn't feel I was ready to drive until the 5th day post-op. And that was just a short 2 mile drive to the convenience store for some sugar free popsicles. :-) I had a very painful recovery and it was about 2 weeks before I could safely and comfortably lift more than about 10 lbs. At the end of the 8th or 9th day, 99% of my pain had faded, but before that, I didn't feel like doing much more than moving from my chair to the bed and to the bathroom. I say, plan for the unexpected and try to plan for someone else to take your daughter to school. Then, you won't have any unexpected surprises or emergencies.

I can't tell from your post, that you can't stomach food or if you are just tired of eating the same old thing? But here's my experience. My first 10 days post-op, I literally couldn't eat a single teaspoon of food without Frankensleeve twisting into knots. I didn't like the pain, but I tried look at it this way; I had thousands and thousands of calories stored in my fat. I wasn't going to starve for months! As long as I stayed hydrated and felt okay, I wasn't worried. I didn't worry about getting enough Protein, I didn't worry about anything except Water. I knew that eventually, I'd be able to eat normally again.

Pre-op, I didn't want to tell anyone. But there were a few I had to tell. My parents - I eat Sunday lunch with them ever other Sunday... there was no way way I could gracefully bow out of eating with them, without mom feeling rejected. And my best friend.... I share everything with him, plus I needed a driver to get me home from the hospital. :-P I had seriously thought about hiring a limo or medical transportation to get me to and from the hospital.

Before surgery, I was pretty frugal about how much I spent each day on food. I estimated that I was spending about $15 a day on my meals. After surgery, my costs have gone down to around $6 a day. I figured my food bill savings would recoup my out of pocket expense for surgery sometime around year 4 post-op. :-P

My 1st week post-op, it was a cold and rainy December and I was trapped in the house. So, I needed entertainment. I'd weigh right when I got up, then before a pee, after a pee, before a poop, after a poop, in the evening and again before bed. I just didn't let myself take it too serious. I started out with the ground rule that only the 1st weigh in (when I woke up) counted. The rest had too many variables that could affect my weight - intake of solid food, Water, salt content, how much I sweated.... ect. Have a good time with it.

I usually eat between 1500 and 2000 calories a day. I don't really have a carb limit. I try to eat 75% Protein and the rest in carbs (from vegetables and fruit). I choose not to eat processed foods and pure sugar. I do eat things like Raisin Bran, the occasional do-nut, and "fun size" candy bars (but not on a daily basis). I don't keep a running carb count in my head. I just watch the scale and if I see it going up, I stop eating the processed carbs and sugar for a while. That works for keeping my weight in check.

I am an all or nothing person too. I can give you 2 reasons why the Sleeve worked for me and how it's different from any diet, pill or weight loss program I've ever tried and failed to keep the weight off. 1) My stomach is about 20% of the size it used to be. It will not stretch, and it hurts like hell when I try to eat too much. Kind of a deterrent to overeating. :-P 2) With the removal of 80% of my stomach, the production of Ghrelin (the hunger hormone) has been almost eliminated. My head hunger and uncontrollable food cravings have almost completely stopped. I eat by choice now, not by having my willpower wore down by the little nagging voice that was telling me to eat when I was not hungry. But I have to add, YOU have to be ready to give up every food you love. I had to be at that point in my life. You will be able to eat EVERY food you love at some point post-op (for me it was after 1 year), it will be up to you to make the right choices after about the first 6 months (known as the honeymoon period) post-op.

My 1st doc visit was purely informational. I had to fill out pages and pages of my medical history, then I consulted with the doc for about 30 minutes. He interviewed me as a WLS candidate and explained the procedure and the tests and nutritional classes I would have to attend. It took a good 2 hours to do the whole thing. My surgery was fast tracked, I had met one of the insurance co-morbidity requirements - sleep apnea - so I was already pre-approved by my ins. company. I did the 1st doc visit on Dec 7 and was Sleeved and released from the hospital on Dec 28th. I had to make multiple trips during the weeks leading up to surgery to get all the tests done. So I was driving my butt off to get everything done quickly. From what I understand, this is much faster than the typical process. Get there early and bring your carpal tunnel wrist brace for all the writing you're going to have to do. :-P

Wow, that is a big restriction, compared to mine. I can easily eat 8 ounces or about 17 Brussel sprouts, wait an hour or so and eat another 8 ounces. For at least the 1st year post-op, I had trouble staying regular. With the high Protein diet, I wasn't getting in enough fiber to move things along. Sometimes I'd have to do what I call, "Priming the pump." Go to the bathroom as normal, strain really hard and then get up and go away. That sometimes seemed to get things started and I'd come back later to complete the task. :-P I did notice that after soon after eating a Quest bar or an Oh Yeah! Victory bar, the next day, I'd poop a rope! :-P They are sweetened with a prebiotic fiber that is made from vegetable sources (not exaclty sure which vegetables) But they both claim to have lots of fiber and I think they taste pretty good. I wish veggies worked for me, but they don't. I typically eat quite a bit of cauliflower, broccoli, green peppers, spinach, and lettuce but it doesn't seem to help. I even took a fiber supplement at one point and it did nothing but make it worse. My nutritionist told me I'm probably just not eating enough in volume to really go very often. Even at almost 2 years out, I have a lot of restriction so my portion sizes are rarely over 1/2 cup.

I'm 31 months out, and I eat a lot of fibrous vegetables, especially brussell sprouts (for no other reason than I like them) I haven't had to take a laxative in over a year. I found that adding lots of fibrous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts added enough fiber to my diet that I stay pretty regular - going about once every 3 days.

This quote is from the Amazon sales page (the bold/underline is my edit) : "The combination of the Tri-Protein and the way it is processed along with the addition of protease enzymes, allows for the equivalent of a 30gram serving of protein with only a 1 TBSP serving size." http://www.amazon.com/Musclegen-Research-Genepro-Protein-Powder/dp/B00K6OSDYA

I did notice that it was harder to digest milk and cheese and yogurt post-op. But it seemed to clear up. It never occurred to me that I might become lactose intolerant.

"Why are you at the restaurant?" As the date of my WLS drew near, my best friend offered to stop our habit of eating out each Sat night. We had been going out to buffets every Sat. night for years. I told him there was no need to stop. I was going there to hang out with him and socialize, not for the food. 31 months later, we are still eating out on Sat nights. I just eat a WHOLE LOT less and do a lot more people watching. :-)

Why would anyone need to take an appetite suppressant after having WLS? The whole reason I had WLS was to get away from pills and diets that didn't work long term for me.

AmyNLaynie6, it's perfectly normal to have misgivings about WLS. It's a drastic step, but some of us needed to take that step to get our lives back. It really boils down to: are you ready to take the steps necessary to get control of your life? And only you can make such an important decision. Take your time deciding and researching, go to WLS support groups if there are any nearby and listen to their stories. Watch Youtube videos and read the forums. Learn as much as you can before deciding.

My dad is a BIG blabbermouth too. He couldn't wait to start telling people about my surgery, even though I specifically asked him to keep it private. If I hadn't had to tell him, I never would have.

The week I returned to work, day 11 post-op, I was climbing the stairs at work. It was way more than 20 stairs. I took it slow and easy. No problems.

I had the same kind of pain. I got some relief by rolling up a comforter like a log and sleeping propped up.... like in a hospital bed. I am a side sleeper, but for that first week, I had to sleep propped up and on my back. Sleeping propped up also made it easier to get out of bed. The pain slowly went away and by the 9th or 10th day, it was completely gone. But you are right, it is some of the worst pain I have ever felt!

I was single for 10+ years before and for 2 years after WLS. When I met my girlfriend, I didn't tell her about the surgery. I did tell her that I had lost a lot of weight and couldn't eat big meals if I wanted maintain my weight. That seemed to satisfy her. I carry most of my excess skin around my stomach, so it was obvious - even with a baggy shirt on - that I have a gut. But she was okay with it. I made sure she saw me wearing shirts that were tucked in, so she could see that I had excess skin that was going to hang down past my waist, before she ever saw me with my shirt off. :-P