prettylittleheart

I will be 6 weeks out this Thursday. I don't regret it. I went through a couple days (3 at most) early out after surgery of depression and freaking out thinking WTH did I just do to myself, to my life. But, that's over with. I found ways to make me feel not even deprived at all.
I also come from a huge Italian family & I'm from New Orleans. My family is one that feeds you just to shut you up lol & New Orleans - the food is simply amazing. My life, my family, my friends, sadness, holidays, recreation, whatever the occasion was little or small - it was centered around what I was going to eat, with who, and where. Even at meals, we'd talk about what we wanted to eat next. My whole life literally revolved around food. Now sometimes I have to remind and force myself to eat to keep my metabolism going.
Honestly, I don't miss anything. I was never really a sweets person per say, so that aspect has been obsolete because I've never had a taste for it to begin with. I was big fried food, and Condiments person. But, honestly I don't miss those things either. Soft drinks as well, but now I feel so much better drinking just Water.
The three days that I mourned, I cried over the social aspect because I missed my family and eating with them, but now I still eat with them - just smaller portions & I love seeing the results of enjoying them & not feeling deprived.
It is not an easy journey & I think most of us here go through mourning/regret. I wouldn't change having this surgery. If I had to do it all over again, I'm positive I would. I'm 21 & I finally feel like I am in control & I have a chance of getting my life back. I can say no to foods I shouldn't eat & when I'm ready I know I will be prepared to moderately treat myself. I have followed my diet to a "T" and was so creative even on purées that I haven't missed much of anything.

I don't use unflavored Protein powder, but I do know Unjury has one on their website. They also have a cheesy protein powder too that turns into a cheese sauce to put over things like veggies, meat etc. might want to check out their website, they should have samples for you to try

Feta is one of my favorite cheeses, but if you want to up the Protein even more you can use ricotta cheese instead or moisten with some plain Greek yogurt & top with cheese.
http://skinnymom.com/2012/06/29/feta-stuffed-chicken/

Also would like to point out - this site has some REALLY great ideas for people who are out a ways from diet restrictions. However, I am still in the beginning! Purées/mushies!

Lol after my month of liquid diet I was ready for anything puréed. It really isn't that bad. I actually didn't feel deprived at all during the purée stage.

I had a hard time with Portion Control before surgery too. I'd only eat one time a day, and eat a huge plate of it & snack later in the night.
Since surgery, I eat anywhere from 3-4 times a day (including breakfast) & it's very small portions. I mean 2-3 tablespoons of anything except fish. Fish goes down really well, but even then one filet fills me up.
I don't get hungry. Sometimes I have to remind myself to eat, but most of the time I know when it's time to eat again. I get sluggish when I'm hungry & I feel my body fueling off of everything I'm taking in which to me, is a good thing.
Post-op, eating has become a chore for me. Before surgery, I looked forward to every meal. Now, I can eat the same thing everyday & most days I do & it doesn't even bother me. Most of the time this past time has begun to feel like a chore for me. I feel like I work, work, work to get in all my nutrition.
Since surgery, I get satisfied waaaaaay more quickly and things taste differently. For example, I used to love mayo with almost everything before surgery - after surgery, I hate it. Haven't used it but one time - and threw that meal away because I can't take the taste. Doesn't make me sick, just don't like it anymore. I usually stop all meals when I reach the point of satisfaction which I never could do that before surgery.
In the beginning, I was so concerned that I was never going to be able to eat again like a burger or etc, but when most people told me when you reach a certain point - you won't even want those things - they were right! I have no desire to get off track & I feel like when I'm ready to treat myself I'll be able to make much better choices on how to do it.
Sweets - I read about this a lot, I don't really have much input on this because before surgery I wasn't a sweet person & still don't like it afterwards so I've been incredibly fortunate in that department.
I'm a little over 6 weeks out & weigh myself once a week. Last week I was down 50 pounds.
Good luck!

It gets easier. At first, I was using Crystal Light all the time( fortunately Crystal Light started tasting different too - most of the time I couldn't handle the sweetness of it & tea with lemon or peach used to be my absolute favorite, but now my taste buds hate tea lol) now I find I can drink plain Water without any issues, no matter the temperature. Keep in mind everyone is different though, I have been extremely fortunate with my sleeve and have been able to tolerate everything I have tried so far including skim milk. Although, water did and sometimes still does sit in me like a brick. Only takes a few minutes to pass. I'm 6 weeks out tomorrow & am back to drinking water almost normal (except I can't gulp like I used to), just try to do anything to get the liquids in as almost nothing is worse than feeling dehydrated (my trip to the ER my second week out was SO NOT FUN) I hope y'all start easing your ways with water soon! Good luck!

I will be 6 weeks out this Thursday. I don't regret it. I went through a couple days (3 at most) early out after surgery of depression and freaking out thinking WTH did I just do to myself, to my life. But, that's over with. I found ways to make me feel not even deprived at all.
I also come from a huge Italian family & I'm from New Orleans. My family is one that feeds you just to shut you up lol & New Orleans - the food is simply amazing. My life, my family, my friends, sadness, holidays, recreation, whatever the occasion was little or small - it was centered around what I was going to eat, with who, and where. Even at meals, we'd talk about what we wanted to eat next. My whole life literally revolved around food. Now sometimes I have to remind and force myself to eat to keep my metabolism going.
Honestly, I don't miss anything. I was never really a sweets person per say, so that aspect has been obsolete because I've never had a taste for it to begin with. I was big fried food, and Condiments person. But, honestly I don't miss those things either. Soft drinks as well, but now I feel so much better drinking just Water.
The three days that I mourned, I cried over the social aspect because I missed my family and eating with them, but now I still eat with them - just smaller portions & I love seeing the results of enjoying them & not feeling deprived.
It is not an easy journey & I think most of us here go through mourning/regret. I wouldn't change having this surgery. If I had to do it all over again, I'm positive I would. I'm 21 & I finally feel like I am in control & I have a chance of getting my life back. I can say no to foods I shouldn't eat & when I'm ready I know I will be prepared to moderately treat myself. I have followed my diet to a "T" and was so creative even on purées that I haven't missed much of anything.

I will be 6 weeks out this Thursday. I don't regret it. I went through a couple days (3 at most) early out after surgery of depression and freaking out thinking WTH did I just do to myself, to my life. But, that's over with. I found ways to make me feel not even deprived at all.
I also come from a huge Italian family & I'm from New Orleans. My family is one that feeds you just to shut you up lol & New Orleans - the food is simply amazing. My life, my family, my friends, sadness, holidays, recreation, whatever the occasion was little or small - it was centered around what I was going to eat, with who, and where. Even at meals, we'd talk about what we wanted to eat next. My whole life literally revolved around food. Now sometimes I have to remind and force myself to eat to keep my metabolism going.
Honestly, I don't miss anything. I was never really a sweets person per say, so that aspect has been obsolete because I've never had a taste for it to begin with. I was big fried food, and Condiments person. But, honestly I don't miss those things either. Soft drinks as well, but now I feel so much better drinking just Water.
The three days that I mourned, I cried over the social aspect because I missed my family and eating with them, but now I still eat with them - just smaller portions & I love seeing the results of enjoying them & not feeling deprived.
It is not an easy journey & I think most of us here go through mourning/regret. I wouldn't change having this surgery. If I had to do it all over again, I'm positive I would. I'm 21 & I finally feel like I am in control & I have a chance of getting my life back. I can say no to foods I shouldn't eat & when I'm ready I know I will be prepared to moderately treat myself. I have followed my diet to a "T" and was so creative even on purées that I haven't missed much of anything.

I will be 6 weeks out this Thursday. I don't regret it. I went through a couple days (3 at most) early out after surgery of depression and freaking out thinking WTH did I just do to myself, to my life. But, that's over with. I found ways to make me feel not even deprived at all.
I also come from a huge Italian family & I'm from New Orleans. My family is one that feeds you just to shut you up lol & New Orleans - the food is simply amazing. My life, my family, my friends, sadness, holidays, recreation, whatever the occasion was little or small - it was centered around what I was going to eat, with who, and where. Even at meals, we'd talk about what we wanted to eat next. My whole life literally revolved around food. Now sometimes I have to remind and force myself to eat to keep my metabolism going.
Honestly, I don't miss anything. I was never really a sweets person per say, so that aspect has been obsolete because I've never had a taste for it to begin with. I was big fried food, and Condiments person. But, honestly I don't miss those things either. Soft drinks as well, but now I feel so much better drinking just Water.
The three days that I mourned, I cried over the social aspect because I missed my family and eating with them, but now I still eat with them - just smaller portions & I love seeing the results of enjoying them & not feeling deprived.
It is not an easy journey & I think most of us here go through mourning/regret. I wouldn't change having this surgery. If I had to do it all over again, I'm positive I would. I'm 21 & I finally feel like I am in control & I have a chance of getting my life back. I can say no to foods I shouldn't eat & when I'm ready I know I will be prepared to moderately treat myself. I have followed my diet to a "T" and was so creative even on purées that I haven't missed much of anything.

I will be 6 weeks out this Thursday. I don't regret it. I went through a couple days (3 at most) early out after surgery of depression and freaking out thinking WTH did I just do to myself, to my life. But, that's over with. I found ways to make me feel not even deprived at all.
I also come from a huge Italian family & I'm from New Orleans. My family is one that feeds you just to shut you up lol & New Orleans - the food is simply amazing. My life, my family, my friends, sadness, holidays, recreation, whatever the occasion was little or small - it was centered around what I was going to eat, with who, and where. Even at meals, we'd talk about what we wanted to eat next. My whole life literally revolved around food. Now sometimes I have to remind and force myself to eat to keep my metabolism going.
Honestly, I don't miss anything. I was never really a sweets person per say, so that aspect has been obsolete because I've never had a taste for it to begin with. I was big fried food, and Condiments person. But, honestly I don't miss those things either. Soft drinks as well, but now I feel so much better drinking just Water.
The three days that I mourned, I cried over the social aspect because I missed my family and eating with them, but now I still eat with them - just smaller portions & I love seeing the results of enjoying them & not feeling deprived.
It is not an easy journey & I think most of us here go through mourning/regret. I wouldn't change having this surgery. If I had to do it all over again, I'm positive I would. I'm 21 & I finally feel like I am in control & I have a chance of getting my life back. I can say no to foods I shouldn't eat & when I'm ready I know I will be prepared to moderately treat myself. I have followed my diet to a "T" and was so creative even on purées that I haven't missed much of anything.

My stall lasted for about a week and half and broke on its own. The best thing I could have done for my sanity was to stop weighing everyday. I know it's easier said then done, but in the beginning stalls are very common (I had this conversation with my surgeon and this is the information he gave me.) try upping h2o, that's big & pick one day a week to weigh in just for the beginning! Stalls are sooooo discouraging!

My stall lasted for about a week and half and broke on its own. The best thing I could have done for my sanity was to stop weighing everyday. I know it's easier said then done, but in the beginning stalls are very common (I had this conversation with my surgeon and this is the information he gave me.) try upping h2o, that's big & pick one day a week to weigh in just for the beginning! Stalls are sooooo discouraging!

I make buffalo chicken. Great spice. 2-3tbsp of the chicken in the can, 1 teaspoon(you can increase it as tolerated/spice craving), & a tbsp of FF ranch dsg. I've had this through purée stage and now on soft foods. It's really only about 60 calories at most & it's healthy and has Protein. I found this recipe under recipe sharing tabs and it's been my absolute favorite. My tummy tolerated it fine. The actual recipe I got the idea from uses bleu cheese crumbles too. I'm not that crazy* about bleu cheese, but just a suggestion. I also started getting creative and heated up the canned chicken with a tbsp & 1/2 of plain Greek yogurt and salsa. I also melt shredded cheese with the chicken, but topping it is good too & that's flavorful and packed with protein. Your tummy could be different but I did this on the purée and now soft foods too & my stomach has tolerated them fine. Sometimes to mild the flavor I use the butter spray to mellow it out a bit. Just some ideas with spice that helped me!

yes... I was swollen for almost 3-4 months. I am 20 months post op and eat quite normal portions. But I was just like you in the beginning! Normal this is what I ate yesterday: 1 large slice of whole grain toast and a half a banana and Peanut Butter for Breakfast. 1 cheese stick and 8 carrot sticks with dip for a snack. 3 oz of tuna salad and 8 crackers for lunch, a 8oz yogurt for a snack. a 6 inch sub from subway with half the bread removed for dinner, and a few chips. and for a late snack I had a 100 cal bag of popcorn. yes the entire bag! Don't worry! It gets better!

I've been afraid to try for fear of them just fitting loose but was pleasantly surprised! 5 months, 82 lbs total!

I'm 21 also - I'm only a little over 3 weeks out too, so I really can't give an input about loose skin yet. As far as dealing with this change - I don't regret it at all. There was a period of about a day & half of depression where I mourned my former best friend (food) and that made me say to myself - you've just removed 85% of your stomach, what did you get yourself into. After this, I reasoned with pure logic and knew that if I didn't break this addiction that I have with food - I may never be able to live or love life like I fully want to. I realized that I haven't ever truly lived - I've just simply always existed. My life doesn't revolve around my next meal anymore. I missed the social aspect for awhile, but my support system has made this extremely easy for me thank God. When I eat now, I usually end up being satisfied before I get full.
I've lost 38# in a little over a month (about a month and four days). My starting weight was 326 CW 288. I have not seen below 300# in 3+ years.
One more thing, the mind plays cruel jokes on you, but don't let it or anyone talk you out of taking this opportunity and turning it into a change you deserve. It isn't easy, and it is just as much physical as it is emotional. What calmed me most is the thought of where I'd be, what I'd look like, and what is the next co-morbidity that will be added to my list within just the smallest time frame if I don't make this change and break this addiction I have with food.

Go on a hot spring break excursion and send him another picture in the swimsuit with a guy who would love to have the chance to appreciate you. There are so many who would! You've come a long way & you look fabulous!
Do not let one insecure comment shake your progress. Confidence is key.
Truly, in my opinion, you look totally happy in this picture & no one is in it but you. Continue being happy for and about yourself, you deserve it & you're young! Life is too short to be with someone who can't foster your dreams along side of you.

I think the deer sensed that you aren't as hungry as you used to be

Tried the purée buffalo chicken with Moore's Buffalo Sauce & FF ranch dressing was so yummy! 4tbsp = 12g Protein.< /p>

Feta is one of my favorite cheeses, but if you want to up the Protein even more you can use ricotta cheese instead or moisten with some plain Greek yogurt & top with cheese.
http://skinnymom.com/2012/06/29/feta-stuffed-chicken/

Also would like to point out - this site has some REALLY great ideas for people who are out a ways from diet restrictions. However, I am still in the beginning! Purées/mushies!

My coworker makes these. They look so good. I haven't tried it yet but plan on it.
I posted a recipe on here about a month ago for cordon bleu portabellas. Those were good!

Omg yum! I'm totally going to make those. Thanks!

Wow!!!! Cannot wait to make these!