crosseyedtango

even the after pics look scary and terrible to me.....

oh my lord... this site just made me a million times more terrified of saggy skin and plastic surgery................

I was sleeved may 28th. Down about 20lbs but also have had no issues. Soft foods started last week and now I can eat anything! Find that I can get a fair amount of food in before I feel full and also feel like I can eat too much. Have felt great since my op and maybe did a little too much too soon where food is concerned. Had a real hankering for cheese puffs today and had some, only a dozen but.... Finding it hard to give up my favourite foods.

i haven't really followed the post-op diet rules. after the first 2 weeks of liquids after surgery (and even then i had some pureed stuff), i just started right on soft food and even some tougher food (even though i was supposed to then be on pureed food for 2 weeks, and then soft food for 2 weeks, and then normal food). and i have had ZERO issues with anything (even had a little piece of chocolate cake this past weekend for a friend's birthday, and a few sips of red wine on father's day). and i have no problem getting my 75 grams of Protein in and i'm doing awesomely in every other way so f**k it.

but yeah, i am being more conscious of my portions now and i see that, yes, i COULD eat more and not feel like ****... but if i'm eating slowly, i feel perfectly satisfied after eating the amounts i should be. so i'm really trying to measure things and constantly remind myself that i WILL feel satisfied, and that that other food WILL be there later. i don't have to eat all the food in one sitting.

so my completely uneducated and purely based on experience opinion is this: if you feel okay and want some fuckin' cheese puffs, eat some fuckin' cheese puffs. just keep it to a minimum, and do awesomely otherwise.

Sleeved on May 15. Down about 30 pounds. Just going by my clothes, as I refuse to buy a scale. I obsess over the number on the scale and tie my self-worth to it (am I speaking for anyone else out there?). Weighing only at the doctor's office.

ABSOLUTELY! I have started obsessively weighing myself every morning.... Even though RATIONALLY I know that isn't even accurate because weight fluctuates based on a variety of things... I have a new list of goals and one of them is to only weigh myself once a week. Because it's not emotionally helpful and only makes me feel guilty and like a failure the rest of the day if the scale goes up. Which leads to me making not as healthy food choices later too.

Reading all these comments though about other people experiencing stalls is making me feel much better. Knowing that it's completely normal, and not that I'm a failure!

So glad to have this site as a support system! I would definitely be going insane without it!

I was sleeved May 16 and I am down about 22lbs. I've been in a stall the last week and a half....

I have had zero issues. No nausea, no vomiting, no issues getting ANYTHING down. I've had diarrhea a couple times but not even that severe and that's it.

I feel like I should be losing more... I'm eating more than I should be I think... But I'm getting my Protein in, doing pretty well with getting my Water in, keeping sugar and carbs to a minimum and walking over 3 miles almost every day.

For me, surgery has definitely been more of an emotional challenge than a physical challenge. I have felt TOO good and normal... so it's even harder to change my old eating habits.

I also think I am obsessing too much over the scale and comparing my loss too much with other people's. Rationally I know that if I continue with my new healthier lifestyle the weight will come off, maybe just not as quickly as others have...

My recovery went really smoothly. Had surgery May 16th and I have yet to have any kind of nausea. I have had diarrhea a couple times in the last week, but that is just due to eating new things that apparently my sleeve didn't appreciate.

I remember I was CONCERNED by how good I felt after surgery.... haha. I still worry a little because so far I haven't had any trouble with getting any food down and I'm scared that means the sleeve won't work......

I was sleeved on 5/14/2013. I feel normal as well. I have also had thoughts about food. The thing to remember is that the surgery is a tool not a cure all. For me it is important to continue therapy, support group and seeing a nutritionist so that I can continue to work on the behaviors that caused me to become overweight while learning new and healthier ways of eating and coping with the old thoughts and behaviors. I am just starting on my road to recovery as well. I did have some time before surgery to begin to address some of those issues surrounding eating behaviors, etc. I don't think it will be a worry if we continue on the road to recovery. I wish you the best in your own journey.

i totally agree with you. i have spent the last 3+ years really working on my body image, and the last year preparing for surgery on my relationship with food and still working on it. i'm also seeing a therapist as well. i'm a huge advocate for mental health, and i fully understand that an overweight person's issue is not that they just love food. it is soooo much more than that. it's emotional. it is mental, and it is deep-rooted. and to truly be successful one must deal with those emotional issues and work through them through introspection and therapy.

this wasn't what i really meant by this post though. i meant, most people from what i've heard have felt physically sick, nauseated, etc. and i have had absolutely no issues getting anything down and it has concerned me in that way.

this sounds delish, but i'm not a fan of mustard... what else do you think could be used?

Hey all! Had my surgery last Thursday, May 16, at Beaumont Royal Oak by Dr. Chengelis. He is awesome! Recovery has been surprisingly easy. Definitely still sore, but I haven't had any horrible side affects like a lot of people experience. Worst thing has been the gas pressure!! But hopefully that will be done soon!

Good luck to you all!!

maybe if we all agree to click on the ads sometimes, everything can just stay the same! haha

Again, it was a joke.

I do have a question for you, though. Why do you think it should be free? Not trying to be a smartass, but someone has to pay for the site, the bandwidth not to mention all the time that goes into running a site like this. Someone is paying for it, why not the users?

That said, if I was going to pay, which I am not, I have a list of improvements I'd like to see! Where did Alex go?

i agree with you. like i said, i really would pay for this site if it were reasonable, especially if they added some helpful/super cool features.

okay, i apologize for flipping my ****. haha. goes to show we live in a world where someone doing something like that to make money isn't completely unfathomable........

are you kidding me? going from no charge whatsoever, to $5 A DAY??!?

i totally understand the business aspect of things, and if it were reasonable i would gladly pay for a membership because i think this site is a great resource. but $5 a day? that's not reasonable........

When I had started on the track toward WLS, I searched the internet for an informational site that provided not only forums, but a sense of community where I could actually meet people and make connections, this was the only site I found that offered all of that.

That being said, I believe this site is very helpful and would continue to be helpful to an extent through the changes, but the chat feature was a great way to actually GET TO KNOW other people going through the same experiences and build a support system. And speaking from a psychological and emotional standpoint, I think having that support system when going through such a major life change may be even more important than all the facts and advice obtained through the forums.

If the point of this site is to TRULY HELP PEOPLE, then don't start removing vital resources or making it only for people who have the money to pay for it!!

You didn't realize that a BITE of salmon wasn't a liquid? My bad!

OKAY, i did realize that one wasn't a liquid, i'll admit..................... haha.

Your new tummy can't feel the restriction yet because it's swollen and trying to heal, that's why taking things to fast can cause damage. Go read some of the horror stories about some of the folks who took it to fast. It's not worth it.

this is a very good point. thank you. i guess i just expected to be in more pain and have more trouble. i need to keep reminding myself that my stomach is still healing and not normal yet. despite how normal it feels.

Why are you choosing to move forward so quickly? No judgement, just curious. I'm afraid to damage my healing staple line by not sticking to the plan.

well, i didn't intentionally get into the thicker food. i kind of just realized today that some of the thicker stuff i've had is technically in the pureed phase. it's sort of a thin line between full liquids and pureed.....

but also i think i'm less cautious because i feel so normal. i'm not really intentionally trying to go against the rules, but since i FEEL normal, i'm not thinking about it as much as i probably should.

Surgery was May 16th, and I'm supposed to be on full liquids for 2 weeks, pureed foods for 2 weeks, mushy food for 2 weeks, and then normal food. But it is day 5 and I've had NO trouble getting anything down, and I've had some thicker stuff that was on the pureed list.... And I even had a bite of salmon yesterday... and some Tomato Soup (that I unknowingly ate not realizing I'm not supposed to have because of the sugar and possibility of dumping) and I had NO issues with it......... I know it's good that I'm not having trouble, but it makes me feel like something is wrong. I mean, I am eating 4 oz. at a time like I'm told, and eating slowly, but still........... Is this bad??

no, thank you! this is why i wanted to ask everyone's advice! you always think of those questions afterward... haha.

Thanks guys! I'm going to write out a list of questions for when I go in.

I'm sure there are plenty of things I could ask, but I honestly don't even know what questions I SHOULD be asking... Are there specific things you post-op folks would recommend/feel I should get answers on?? Thank you!

ALSO, you say he's been jealous all along. so obviously your weight loss is not the real issue. it is HIS issue. and maybe he thought by dating a bigger girl he wouldn't have to worry about it as much and now that you've lost some weight and gained some confidence he's feeling especially insecure. he's manipulative and controlling and always has been it's just now you're seeing the full extent of it. AND the fact that he claims he has no issue and won't even consider counseling just goes to show his true selfish nature. and also shows that you AREN'T this jerk he's making you out to be since you are the one encouraging counseling and making an effort to try to make things work.

sorry for all the comments/rants but damn, i just hate dudes like that. haha.

lol he does try to say things like that to make me feel guilty. I guess thats one of the main reasons why I dont want to break up with him, because people are going to think that I broke up with him bc im smaller now...and I shouldnt care about what others say, but for some reason, it does bother me..I guess I do care what others think?

if one of the main reasons you don't want to end it is because of what other people will think... then i think that says a lot right there. and it is totally normal to care what people think and there's nothing wrong with that to an extent. but really. screw them. it's your relationship, your body, and YOUR life. wasn't part of getting the surgery and losing the weight so that you could finally LIVE your life to it's fullest? so go do it and embrace your new confidence by giving a big middle finger to the jerks!

i've never been in this situation, but seriously, you are young! it's great that you have a new found confidence in yourself and you should be out enjoying it and dating and seeing what's out there! i'm getting surgery around may and i've worried about it changing who i am too, but honestly, it is a life changing experience and it WILL change you. and that isn't always necessarily a bad thing. sounds like it has changed you for the better (more confidence, more social), and that is nothing to feel guilty or ashamed of. have fun, and don't let your boyfriend make you feel badly for it. and honestly, anyone who says **** like, "i liked you when no one wanted you" is NOT worth your time. that was a d**k move.