ChristinaRose

Thank you all for the encouraging words! Katie, that is incredible! You are SO right, devoting your life to the Lord transforms your perspective on health and truly changes your heart. Congrats to you on the awesome success and I pray that you continue to experience God's presence throughout your journey. I KNOW He will be there every step of the way.

Sorry this is kind of a doozy! I just felt the words flowing from my hands and couldn't stop. Sitting here, 8 days out from surgery, I'm understanding what it means to use food as a necessity and not a friend. For 26 (almost 27) years, I have buried my addiction so deep that it was all consuming and I was blind to it by choice. This past week, after being sleeved and without my friend, unearthing my addiction has been a harsh but MUCH NEEDED reality. I have cried over pizza, lamented over pasta, and been angry for bread. I have seen glimpses of myself that I never knew existed. But deep down I've known that facing my demons will bring resolution. I hope this doesn't sound too dramatic, but I've been thinking of analogies to connect the unhealthy relationship between food and the addict. This may sound odd but it's almost similar to an abusive relationship. So many love that person to the depths of their soul while they damage them to the core. It's a cycle of intense love and hatred. The beauty is, it's not the end of the story. There will always be scars and wounds from the past; a reminder of the battle. The sleeve aids us in making peace with the inner addiction. It doesn't necessarily heal us to the core but it is a vehicle for making peace with our addictions on a daily basis. This is a lifelong relationship with food and each of us is worth the freedom and the fight to maintain a healthy peace with our addictions. I am a professing Christian. A believer in the saving grace and immeasurable love of Jesus Christ. I can tell you this...He has picked up this broken life on more than one occasion and put me back together. He is the only real remedy to my food addiction. The key is surrendering every broken piece (not even holding on to one) to the only One who brings the dead to life. This chance at life came from Him. His mercies are new each and every day, and without that, I wouldn't be sitting here sleeved and on the path to a healthy life. People may call me a lunatic or Jesus Freak...I don't really mind; it gives me the opportunity to explain my passion for living. Most people don't believe in a God that offers second, third, and infinite chances. They believe they are too far gone...I am living proof that new life & freedom exist when you accept His everlasting love. Thank you Lord, for giving me hope for a future. "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

To be honest, I would research into some more qualified physicians that will perform your surgery with 100% knowledge and excellence. If they are a bariatric physician or any surgeon for that matter, they should have NO problem executing a Gastric Sleeve procedure (of course, if this is a procedure they offer). I would find a physician that you KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt will perform the Sleeve surgery to his best ability. Your life and your health are worth waiting to find a capable physician.

Not sure if I understand the question 100%. So your doctor is planning on the possibility of him making a life threatening error in surgery? Maybe a new physician would be a good option? :-\

EXACTLY! haha At this point I'm most excited about being able to semi-chew anything. It makes you push harder to complete this phase the best possible. GAH! chicken on the brain for real! Guacamole cravings something fierce lol

I am 7 days out. Liquid diet for 2 weeks. (I go to pureed on my birthday next week!! Killer gift for sure!) Y'all are so right!! This is hard but worth it. It's easy to get caught up in the cravings for sure. I find myself salivating over commercials and the other day I definitely cried because I wanted pizza but knew I would NEVER risk it. Who cries over Pizza? Lol this girl!. I've found that diverting my attention onto something else helps for a while but it also helps to kinda face the craving and addiction head on so when it comes again you are stronger. It got easier the day after when I saw a pizza commercial. I kept saying "ewwww look at that nasty thing" hahaha my husband thinks I'm a weirdo.

Thanks for the insight everyone! Great advice and I feel much better today; no extreme paranoia about my sleeve exploding over soup . GAH I feel like a crazy lady sometimes trying to take care of this "sleeve child" lol.

Hi all! Sooo I am 1 week out from being sleeved. No pain and feeling pretty darn good! I will lay the beginning of my docs post op diet to give you guys a better idea before I ask my question. Week 1 & 2: liquids (Protein shakes, ensure, broths, blended and strained Soups (no chunks/rice/noodles/potatoes), Jello, popsicles, blended and strained yogurt smoothies) Week 3 & 4: pureed (purred oatmeal, mashed sweet potatoes, chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad (all with low fat mayo), avacado, low fat cheeses, lean ground turkey or beef, egg whites/scrambled, low fat yogurt, cooked and blended veggies, etc.) Basically pulverize everything but restrictions include (no real sugar, Pasta, bread, rice, crackers, all of the heavy stuff) Week 4 & 5: Continued Pureed + Integrating more Soft Foods I have a couple of questions I hope someone may be able to answer! I'm on week 1 diet, and I am having a really hard time getting in 2 Protein Shakes a day. I'm lucky to get a whole one down. It's not that my sleeve is rejecting it, it's that I am sick of the constant sweet overload from the shakes and the Ensure. So basically I have been adding powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury unflavored protein to blended creamy soups and have only been able to eat around 4-6oz. per day of the Soup. I also have some milk in the morning, around 4 oz. I KNOW I am not getting enough of the protein he wants me to get in (80 grams minimum). But it's really hard when it's mainly liquids! How much protein intake is typical for a new sleever?(aside from doc recommendations) Also, I am almost paranoid that soups are too much on the sleeve (even though though I've had no problems or pain...and it's on my docs postop diet). I guess that sounds weird but I was wondering if anyone else has done the cream based soups in the first week? I didn't start them until around day 4 per my doctor's diet. I am just terrified of busting open my sleeve lol I have followed the diet to a T but I'm even afraid that soup will cause too much pressure on it haha. Just wanted some feedback on that Sorry for the mega long epic novel to ask those 2 measly questions. Thanks y'all!

My doc leaves the drain in for 2 weeks. He wants to be absolute sure there are 0 leaks and likes to monitor his patients closely. He actually makes his patients drink 2 oz. of "Blue powerade" every hour (that way if there were a leak, the blue liquid would travel into the drain and we would go immediately to hospital. Basically blue is the only color our body doesn't "excrete" so it helps keep an eye on our insides while healing) At the 2 week point the drain will be removed and then he moves us into the pureed stage. Will be on liquids until then to make sure transitions go as smoothly as possible. Sticking to doctor's orders makes the process SO much better.

Just got home form the hospital yesterday. I'm feeling great! Minimal pain and more energy than I could have imagined this early in. I'm sure I'll have difficult days but as of right now, if you follow the post op program closely, it makes life a TON easier. It may seem impossible to get in all of your liquids/protein post-op but all you can do is try your absolute best. Take it slow but be active and focused on your recovery. Remember to take small walks to keep the blood flowing and also to relieve any gas pain. Best of luck!

Sleeved yesterday! Minimal pain, some nausea but easily treated with the good stuff I will be going home tomorrow. It felt good to know I'd lost 30 lbs on my own and no telling what I'll be when I get home. It has been an awesome experience. Sitting in my hospital bed right now and counting down until discharge tomorrow! Woop Woop!

kelly-- Yay!! My surgery is May 1st as well!! Can you believe that this is the last weekend of our "old life"? It's so surreal. The anxiety does get overwhelming at times but I keep my eyes fixed on the incredible things that are about to happen. Congrats to everyone on upcoming sleeves! We CAN do this

Favorites: ProtiZyme whey Protein "Peanut Butter Cookie" Flavor (I let a few friends taste this and they LOVED) ProtiZyme Whey Protein "Strawberries and Creme" Flavor Tolerable: powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Unflavored (with broths/soups but be careful when mixing. Cannot go over temp of 130 degrees) Premier chocolate Nasty: Premier vanilla I saw another sleever make a good point though, what tastes delicious to some, tastes like barf to others. :)

MeMe-- Thank you very much! I feel as prepared as humanly possible lol The mental hurdles are surprisingly getting easier. Well, maybe not "easier" but I feel more apt to make the right decisions. It's amazing how the surgery challenges you to change so many areas aside from the physical. I am thankful it isn't a quick bandaid so that I can further learn how to take full reign over the addiction. Take care!

Cheri-- Wow thank you for the fantastic advice and the book suggestion. I will absolutely look into that. Thank you for your kind words as well! I have been trying pretty hard in both the mental and physical aspects and it helps to hear from experienced sleevers that I am on track.

It's difficult at times (especially when a commercial with some amazing looking food comes on...I typically have to change the channel. Lame I know lol) I'm trying my best to learn to love whey protein. Finding flavors that suit you is important. There are unflavored alternatives that are definitely helpful. My best friend used to be bread, I kinda miss him but not so much as to sabotage the journey. hang in there and remember that you can always stand up and try again.

I hope you start to feel better soon. I'm sorry you are having to deal with some frustrations. Keep looking ahead and enjoy the moment as best possible. It's ok to have moments of being overwhelmed. Don't be too hard on yourself, take it step by step. Thanks for sharing the excerpt from the book, it is inspiring!

My surgery date is May 1...next week in Charleston, SC. So dang excited May sleevers rock!

Hi all! Being sleeved on May 1st in Charleston, SC! (Less than a week away...whoa, so weird!) Nice to meet all of you and looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Thank you all for your words of advice and sharing your obstacles. And thank you for the words to help me continue pushing forward! Sassygirl-- I totally agree, food is a beast to conquer but then we have to live with that beast forever too haha. It does feel so good to say "no" to the wrong and to say "yes" to the right things. Congrats on that victory this past week! 4ALongerLife-- You are TOO kind!! (I took it in the kindest most platonic way so no worries either haha) That made me smile! I am trying to build more confidence and believe in the compliments from people. So THANK YOU. Honesty in the struggle is so important! You are so right, it took more than 10 minutes to reach the point we are at so we can't be too hard on ourselves. Thanks for the encouragement!

Totally understandable! I'm pre-op and definitely anticipating surgery in a week. It can be VERY overwhelming trying to get our bodies to accept transformation. They are often strong-willed and fight us tooth & nail. We can WIN though, you WILL overcome the struggle. Take it moment by moment. If ya ever need to chat/vent, feel free to shoot me a message!

Hi all! I'm fairly new here. I'll be an official Sleever on May 1 (less than a week away...whoa, it just kinda hits you in the face sometimes haha). I'm from Charleston, SC and have a passion for life. I can't wait to be able to do things I've never done before. I've been addicted to all things food since high school/college. Freshman 15 became freshman 30 and so on. UGH All of that to say, I feel like I've been an active person stuck in an obese persons' body. Does that sound weird? Throughout the process, my nutritionist and MD has weaned me into a pre-op diet so it's not a huge slap in the face once surgery hits. I've been following a low carb plan for about 2 months (currently on the official pre-op diet now) and I'm noticing it gets easier to say no to the food I once held so dearly to. I know there will be plenty of temptations that will fly my way on a daily basis but, it feels really good to say that I see hope in overcoming this addiction. Any similar experiences or victories pre-op/post-op? I'd love to hear and meet some new people on here!

I must say that "Metabolic Nutrition ProtiZyme Whey Protein" is an awesome brand. My favorite of the flavors are Peanut Butter Cookie & Strawberry Creme. The containers are a bit more expensive but definitely worth it. I can't stand anything overly sweet and I found these to be incredible. I mix 1 scoop with 8 oz. of milk and a few ice cubes. You can get a sample pack with all flavors from bariatricpantry.com Hope this helps!