Globetrotter

Oh, I forgot about Lee Pace, (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Pushing Daisies) yummy Lee Pace ...

Well my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach - probably literally. Today I was worried that I was going to "pig out" at lunch but I ended up eating about 2-3 ounces of steak strips and that's it. I don't know what this feeling is but it's not hunger like I once knew it. Maybe I'm looking for satiety, to be satisfied by my food, which is definitely not happening. I'm getting full yes, and feel a lot of things physically when I eat, but not satisfaction. I think I'm sad to be "dieting", I went over my calorie budget (600) today, 25 cals or so, and didn't even eat anything bad! Boiled egg, lunch meat, steak, chopped ham, cheese. =(

Good idea, I don't know how it would go over in my particular environment tho. Plus I just have this image in my head of trying to sit on one of those things and going a$$ over teakettle, landing flat on my back on the concrete floor.

Update: I stand corrected. It turns out there is a food that I loved that now tastes disgusting - chocolate. I never ever ever would have thought that my beloved chocolate would fall prey to the changing taste buds, but it did. A couple of nights ago I was about to fall victim to head hunger, I found a square of a Ritter Sports bar in my fridge. Ritter Sports bars have nothing to do with sports, they are squares of european chocolate, this one with hazelnuts. I thought, "I'll just nip off a tiny non-nut having piece and let it melt in my mouth, that's not so bad". I nipped, and the taste in my mouth was so foul, I ran to the sink and spat it out, blech!! Maybe it was because it had been in the fridge too long, I hope this isn't a permanent thing. Now, french fries, oh it would be a relief if they tasted like a$$!!

No, I don't think we definitively have a look about us, but there were a few times before surgery when I saw a couple of people and thought that maybe they had had surgery. But that was only a couple of times, I look at all the photos here on the forum and I would never have known, looking at the pictures, that anyone had had surgery.

Tiff - I nearly licked the screen.

I would love to say that this guy was rude, which he might have been, and wrong, which I think maybe he was not. Before I got the surgery and I was seriously researching it, it seemed like I could suddenly "tell" who had had some kind of surgery. Sort of like when you are pregnant you suddenly see pregnant people everywhere. Now, I never went up to anybody and asked so I have no idea if I was correct in my assumptions. During a certain phase, maybe the rapid weight loss phase, we might have a certain look about us. Or hey, maybe this guy has been checking you out and having zero social skills used this assumption to start up a conversation. If he has seen you over time he might have noticed a rapid weight loss.

It's different for the guys and definitely different for the soldiers. I could order stuff that comes in "a brown paper wrapper" haha, but there's no way I could get stuff here! Besides, the kind of porn that dudes circulate - no thanx. Without an outlet I suppose I could burn this up at the gym but that might make it worse, seeing all the sleek fit young soldiers, dripping in sweat, breathing heavy ...... :drool:

Now Jane, that was just cruel! I had forgotten about Daniel Craig. .. oh god.... Rupert Friend .... Orlando Bloom .... Brandon Routh ... Kevin Zegers ... Ray Stevenson from the Rome series ... James Purefoy .... Thanks a lot Jane!! :crying::mad0::crying:

I did it!!! I ate 3 bites of a pickle spear and it was GLORIOUS!! It was just what I needed - crunchy, salty, sour, tangy, cold, and sooooo gooood!! Compared to my pre-sleeve idea of satisfying a craving - an entire bag of reese's minis, loads of salty french fries, double scoops of ice cream - I'd say a pickle spear is alright!

Thanks guys, I have jumped on the sugar free gum - also kinda hoping that the sorbitol in it gets things moving in my intestines since it has a reputation for that. I'm sure the monotony of my diet has something to do with it also; baked chicken, tuna, boiled meat, peanut butter, chocolate protein shakes. None of which I can season or cook myself. I think I've reached my limit and today I am going to brave a bite of pickle. Just one bite, see how I do, I just need to crunch something salty and tangy between my teeth! I have access to beef jerkey but, wouldn't that be difficult to digest?

Donna, I thought I was the only one! I was sleeved July 14 and in the 5.5 weeks since have lost only 24 pounds - and 20 of those were in the first two weeks!! I haven't gone down in any sizes, I don't count the pair of pants I'm barely able to pour myself into that nearly cut off circulation! My bras fit fine, but I don't even have to tighten to the middle row of hooks yet. The only vague difference is when I photograph my face while smiling. Only in that pose can you just sort of make out that my chin might be slightly sharper than it was. Otherwise, I see no substantive difference. My surgeon as absolutely calm, with 100% belief that if I stick to the 600 cal diet that I will lose weight.

Sadly, the army showerheads here are standard showerheads ... toys are an option, but there aren't good options for keeping them properly cleaned. Soldiers can get in huge trouble if caught gettin' down, so it looks like I will be watching a lot of Russell Crowe movies, sucking on sugar free lollipops, and visiting the shooting range.

My (soldier) BF was here with me and redeployed while I was on vacation so now I am here without him when I .... NEED HIM MOST!!!!:thumbup::drool5::scared0: I may have to join a harlequin romance novel of the month club!

I'm going by bra, trousers, and scale - none of them are showing me a difference.

Dang that is shiny!! I blinked looking at it! Congratulations, have you set a date?

How do I say this ... my sex drive is uh, in high gear, since the surgery. Did this happen to anyone else? The only word for it is ... horny, or randy, or whatever slang you can come up with to indicate the desire to get some RIGHT NOW!! My environment doesn't lend itself toward fixing this er, problem. I work with soldiers and they are rather single minded and NOT in the way that helps me, lol! I have several months before I can be back in the States and this could get tense!!:001_tongue:

I couldn't agree with you more, everyone talks so much about how much better they feel and how much their quality of life has improved even only a few weeks out. I am 5 weeks out and have felt no changes, see no difference. I know that mental attitude is important and I try to be grateful but like you said, at a high cost to both pocket book and organ and I have yet to feel any benefit. AND I haven't eaten anything bad - pure Protein every day, less than 10g carbs a day, no junk, nothing but Water, all my Vitamins. I didn't realize I would have to live in the gym in order to see any results from the surgery, that's something I could have done without the surgery. Why isn't my "tool" working? I'm following manufacturer's instructions!

A few days ago, just after my fifth week post-op, I suddenly wanted food. All this time I couldn't care less about food, really and truly, even if it was what should have been a trigger food. Then a few days ago, bam, I WANT FOOD. I want it - I want salt and fat and sugar and carbs and I want to shove it in my face. I haven't thank goodness, I feel bad enough about my daily 2TBSP of PB, but I'm shocked and a little afraid by this intense "head" and "taste bud" hunger. What is going on? :001_tongue: I have an intense high stress job and I literally live at work, recently yes, there have been some things that have upset me and increased my unhappiness with work. Before surgery, is this what was happening when I was self medicating with food? Is then when I was eating? I feel like I could chain-hoover salty greasy french fries till the cows come home. Of course, I have no idea whether I could physically eat one - don't want to find out - it's a slippery slope. I had a few teaspoons of mashed potato over the weekend and it went down alright but made me feel ucky. I just want to put everything in my mouth!! I work 12 hr days and have maybe 2 hours to relax before I have to be asleep to do it all over again the next day. During those two hours I read or watch movies or write or chat with friends and family. I have a knitting project that is being sent to me, I drink herbal tea no sweetener. If I could just have a pickle, it would satisfy I think - cold, crunchy, sharp, tangy. HELLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!!:biggrin0:

Just choose first-date restaurants that serve tiny portions like a sushi bar or tapas place or haute cuisine that serves thimblefuls of food on vast white plates. Or go for coffee, sipping is what we do.=) After the first date meet&greet, choose an activity for the second date that doesn't depend on food. The American Third Date is where the real information comes out anyway. At that point if you feel comfortable you could propose the activity of cooking together a recipe that you choose and you could use that time to explain it all to him.

Ahhahahaaaaahahahaaahahahaaaa!!!! es!!!!:laugh0::laugh0::biggrin0::001_tongue::laugh0:

It's not so much foods I used to love and now hate, it's an overwhelming craving for fresh crunchy vegetables lately. I'm only 5 weeks out so I'm not cleared for raw veggies or fruits yet, but ohhhh how I want them!!!! I will be the happiest salad eater when I finally get the green light!

I think condensed protein will be a part of our lives from here on out; whether it be a shake or powder or bars, I think there will always need to be a stash in a cupboard. If I were to get all of my protein from food sources, even responsible protein-first choices, I would be at least 200 calories over my surgeon's recommendations.

I buy Brown Cow at my local co-op market but I have also bought it at larger groceries like Safeway.

I hear ya, big time! I had the buyer's remorse weep-a-thon 3 days out from surgery, and the gas pain when I tried to sleep those first couple of days - identical to what you described. I slept on a futon-couch because the deep fold kept me in a snug sideways position, that was the only way I could approach comfortable. In that first week there were days when I got in maybe 15 ounces of water/protein. The exhaustion and malaise were intense. Once I was able to handle sipping the hideous protein shakes I noticed an increase in energy and once I was able to approach 60 ounces of fluids/70g's protein I noticed a huge mental change for the better. Your stomach rash sounds similar to something I have suffered from on and off for years, mine is actually due to stress. Itches terribly, spreads from a center point on my stomach, raised red, did I mention itches like crazy? Mine is stress related and wont go away till the stress is handled. I had one pretty bad in the weeks before the surgery before I could calm myself down. This is the physically miserable part and you just gotta get through the days. The good news is that you will, even though it sucks.