southernsoul

I'm sure you will get responses from folks much farther out than me, but for me personally this has been the best decision I could have made. I was 320 at my highest, right before the start of my 2 week preop diet in June. I was sleeved on June 19th & I'm down about 73 lbs so far. I have mobility issues & I used to be in pain every day. Now I can walk and move much better. I have about 70-80 more pounds to go, but the difference is already quite significant. I enjoy the foods that fit into my high protein, low(er) carb eating plan. I feel full & satisfied after I eat, and I'm very surprised at how much I am genuinely enjoying exercise. There is no way I could have lost this much weight in the amount of time on my own. My ongoing progress keeps me motivated & keeps me mostly on track, food-wise. It is absolutely a lifestyle change...and one that was very much needed in order to improve the quality of my life. Good luck to you!

My surgeon held me to just walking for 8 weeks, but then I was cleared for all exercise.

The early days can be really tough, between the discomfort, the liquids, the healing challenges, etc. Head hunger is a really big obstacle to overcome, too. Like any other major change, this takes some adjustment & some missteps. You mentioned seeing a psychiatrist before, but psychiatrists are often more medication-oriented than therapy-oriented. Why not try seeing a counselor/therapist, perhaps one with some experience in eating issues? The surgery is not reversible, so the focus now should be on creating and living the best and happiest life you can. A good therapist can help you get there, and give you a safe & non-judgmental place to get out all the frustrations you're feeling. Good luck!

Is it weird is it that I almost never wore shapers before?? I guess I just figured that I was already so big that a shaper wasn't going to make much of a difference. Did anybody else start with the shapers after some weight loss, rather than before? At the weight I am now, roughly halfway to my tentative goal, I am much more open to the idea of wearing them. At least I thought I was, so that's why I started buying them. I just bought a size 14 dress that is still a bit too snug, but the blow up doll shaper might make the difference. I'm going to check out the tank top thingies, too.

Wow, you look wonderful!! Thanks for sharing!

BAHAHAHA!!!!! The first time my husband attempted to take off my bra for our "first time" was like some kind of pre-pubescent boy's nightmare of elbows and grunting and knocking me in head....and he was 40 years old at the time!! I'm still somewhat stunned I actually had sex with him after that. I adore my guy, but he is not the smoothest operator around. If he tried to take a shaper off my body, he might choke me to death.

If they denied you, they are required to provide the reason for denial. Once you know what the reason is, you will know what to do next. You might not have to start an official appeal if it's just something simple like a document missing or something easy that can just be re-submitted. It's likely that your surgeon's office person has dealt with denials & re-submitting stuff before, so they may be able to help a lot. Good luck!

Ugh, I'm right there with you. I'm actually pretty happy with how my body shape is developing (very hourglass-y), but my neck is awful & I can't hide that. I keep hoping that it's not as bad as I think, but I can't convince myself.

Good for you!

I wasn't a MX sleever, but there's a whole section here on the MX doctors. Also, you can do a search for Jerusalem Hospital at the top of the page & hopefully find other folks that way. Good luck!

I wasn't nauseous, but I had awful diarrhea for the first 6 days...and there was nothing left to come out, believe me! I was sore for about 2 weeks, too. Just give your body the time it needs to heal. Sounds like you are right on track, even though I know it sucks at first. Hang in there!

I mixed pumpkin puree with cottage cheese, pumpkin pie spice, & some SF caramel Torani syrup. I ran it through my little mini food processor to make it smooth & it tasted like pumpkin cheesecake.

Even though I personally did not experience that, I have seen many folks report feeling the exact same way. It seems to me that it's totally normal. Your body has just been through an ordeal, you're hurting from surgery, your hormones are all over the place, etc. Give yourself some time to heal & I'll bet the regret will pass as the pounds begin to come off. Good luck to you!

I don't ever brown my meat before I throw it in the slow cooker. I know it would make the end result better, but I guess I'm just lazy about that. You know, a crockpot needs an outlet, but it doesn't have to be in the kitchen. You could put it on a cutting board on your dining room table & cook away. Here are 2 of my slow cooker faves: For pot roast, I use a 3-4 lb roast (rump, shoulder, whatever), 1 can cream of mushroom Soup, 1 packet of dry french onion soup, and maybe a cup to a cup & a half of beef broth. I mix the Soups & broth in a bowl, stick the raw roast in the slow cooker (if the roast has a fat strip, place the meat so the fat is on top), pour the soup mixture over & turn it on. Low setting takes about 8 hours, High setting takes about 5. If you like mushrooms, cut some in half & throw them in a couple of hours before it's done. When it's done, I take it out & let it cool enough to handle. Trim off what's left of any fat cap. Portioning it out with a little of the gravy with each portion of meat can be a little messy, so sometimes I sit down at the table with a towel spread out to catch the drips. A sleever portion is about 3-4 oz, so a 3-4 lb roast will yield quite a few servings. For shredded pork, I buy a package or two of boneless country style pork ribs (3-4 lbs total). I mix up a can of plain Tomato sauce, about a half small can of tomato paste, and some element of spiciness...some hot sauce or some canned chiles, something like that. Same thing...stick the raw meat in, pour the liquid mixture over & cook for about the same amount of time. When it's done, I use a couple of forks to shred it. Both of these can be used in a variety of ways. Eat as is with a veg on the side, put on top of a salad, on crackers with cheese, make a sandwich with a flatbread wrap, etc. Sometimes I add some canned red Beans to the pork when I'm reheating it. We have a slow cooker cookbook & there are lots of options for meats, chilis, stews, etc. Like I said, it wouldn't take long to have a pretty decent stockpile of choices in your freezer. As you lose weight, maneuvering in your kitchen (& just in general!) will become easier. So what if you won't ever become a gourmet chef? Cooking decent food can really be pretty simple. Buy a cookbook about healthy microwave cooking. I have one & I was amazed at how much stuff can be made in the microwave. That's where I learned about the fish. A fish filet, a little citrus juice of some kind, a sprinkle of an herb, & a pat of butter zapped in the microwave is super simple & very healthy. You can buy a few filets of different types of fish & freeze them individually. I usually wrap them up one by one & use a gallon baggie to hold all the filets of the same type. Mark the baggie with the date & type of fish & use them within 6 months.

Good for you! I make my own as well & I think they're way better than the premade ones. You should be able to add up the protein amounts from the labels & get your total easily. Also, you might want to check out PB2...it's powdered peanut butter & it's delicious in shakes. It has 85% less fat than regular peanut butter, but all the protein.

There's no support group in my town & I don't want to drive 90 minutes one way to the hospital for those support group meetings. This site is great, plus there are FB groups as well. One other thing I did was to ask both my NUT and the psychologist who did my eval about any other WLS clients they were working with. I asked if they would mind giving my email address to those other clients & asking them to email me if they were interested in meeting up. I connected with 2 other local ladies that way & we have stayed in touch. Good luck to you & welcome to VST!

I love this topic & I try to maintain this attitude every day. I am thankful to be able to walk & move without as much pain, and to be able to exercise my body so it can grow stronger. I'm grateful for the friends I have made along this path, and for the inspiration, motivation, and giggles they provide every day.

Just out of curiosity, Kate, what constitutes "cooking" for you? Is microwaving OK? Heating up in the oven? There are lots of good options for frozen stuff postop. One of my favorite go-to frozen items is from Trader Joe's. It's called Turkey Meatloaf Muffins. It's a small turkey meatloaf "puck" with a little spinach & mashed potatoes on top. There are 4 in a box & one is the right portion size for me now. I usually sprinkle a little Parmesan on top to finish it off. Also, do you know that you can cook fish beautifully in the microwave? I can't remember exactly, but I think the cook time is about 3-4 minutes per inch thickness. Sprinkle on a little lemon juice, some dill, & add a pat of butter, stick it in the microwave & voila..."fast" food that's good for you. Since I also hate for food to go bad, I almost always do frozen, non-sauced veggies. Whole green Beans, broccoli florets, green peas, & spinach are regular choices for me, all prepared in the microwave. This might be getting a little too much into "cooking", but have you considered using a slow cooker? Throw everything in, turn it on, & in a few hours it's done. You could make a slow cooker item once every couple of weeks & then freeze individual portions in containers that are microwave safe. Pretty soon, you'd have a nice stockpile of choices that only need to be reheated in the microwave.

Mine numbers are set at 800 cals, 80g protein, 60 carbs, 22g fiber, 27g fat, 2500g sodium. I mostly only pay attention to protein & carbs, though.

Funny you should post this today. I just passed my 4 month mark over the weekend & I just had my first mac & cheese last night. I only had about 1/4 or maybe 1/3 of a cup, but I enjoyed it & didn't mind leaving the rest on the plate. I'm not a pizza person, so who knows when I'll try that. Good luck to you! I was on liquids for a full month before purees. I know it's hard, but you can get through it!

Way to go...that's an awesome loss!

This is not going to be the first of such challenges you face. How many times will you give up something that is good for you (prime spot, sunlight, window) for something that is bad for you? Maybe this is a good opportunity to put yourself & what is good for you front & center, and deal with those old habits head on.

I was cleared for all foods at 8 weeks, but I took my time trying some things. I didn't try bread until about 11 weeks, I think. I actually just tried a little macaroni & cheese tonight...it was my first pasta of any sort & I'm now at 4 months out. It was fine, no problems, but I don't intend to bring pasta back into my diet in any kind of regular way. Soft foods was pretty satisfying for...it felt like regular food & I was happy about that.

I would suggest avoiding squash on the preop diet...it's pretty high in carbs. Even though it's a healthy food, it's not a great choice if you're trying to limit carbs to less than 20g per day. Postop, you'll be extremely limited in terms of what you can have, so that's not actually as challenging as preop. My meatloaf can easily be made with no cheese, or just pick some other meatloaf to make. If you think you'll get tired of it, slice it up & freeze the slices individually so you can stretch it out over 2 or 3 weeks, or have it on hand for when you get to real food postop. Sweet potatoes make a good puree, and so does cottage cheese run through the blender or food processor. Acorn squash would actually be great pureed, but I'd suggest adding protein powder to it.

This is so AWESOME!!!!! I have sometimes had to use a cane on really bad knee days, so even though I have never had to be a wheelchair, I can relate somewhat. I'm so happy for you...what an amazing day!!! Hooray!!!