Indigo1991

Never touched a Protein shake... Ate pretty much what other posters have said already - high quality protein such as tuna, turkey, eggs as imaginatively as I could, yogs, nuts, low fat cheese, milk shakes and so on. There's actually quite a lot you can do to get enough protein in without shakes. But you have to be patient, chew it all well to actually get reasonable amounts in before being full. But you can do it....

Day 7 - I had a proper shower, washed my hair and put on make up :-) Took me two weeks to lie down in bed and that was another feelgood moment. Then there are staging posts with each phase of food when I felt better as I progressed through each one. There are little moments along the way but I actually felt like me again 4 weeks out... Congratulations on taking the big leap and remember every day, no matter what happens to you - this too shall pass :-))))

I never imagined I could ever really like my body again. but post sleeve, I have fallen in love with my legs! I have worn a skirt for the first time in 2@+ years, knee boots and skinny jeans - and my legs look fab :-) Which bit of you do you love now???

If there was something you could do to prevent hair loss, you can be sure it would be being sold to us WLS patients Biotin, Vitamins, Protein etc all help the re growth. But if you are going to lose hair, it will happen despite your best efforts. The shock of the surgery and the early days of little protein apparently contribute to why you lose hair. But it varies hugely from person to person, so it might be v little all the way to a lot. Try not to worry about it, stress makes it worse ... It will pass....

I went dancing last Friday night at an 80s club (yes, I am old lol). I danced on and off for 4 hours, which I havent done in 30 years. And when I got up on Sat morning, no aches or pains, I wasn't knackered - and I want to do it again, lol. Forgot just how much I missed shaking my stuff... There's so much to do other than eat. Apart from dancing, in the last week alone, I have been to the theatre, walked for 2 hours in the countryside and been to an art exhibition. But I still do eating but it's more part of being sociable rather than the food. My sister and I went to a nice restaurant at the weekend - but it was swapping stories that mattered, not the food. Met a friend for coffee who needed a shoulder to cry on. It's amazing how the focus shifts and you don't even realise...

Makingadjustments, you made me laugh out loud! I am delighted for you, first few weeks can be tough, you might have the odd moment of buyers remorse but as Mme R says, nirvana is round the corner... This is the nest thing I have ever done for myself, life changing and life affirming. Keep on dancing, ha ha ha !!!!!!

It gets better, promise! Ur taste for some things will have changed forever (and your stomach will also let you know if it doesn't like a food any more). But over the next few weeks and months, things will change and you should get back to liking a wide range of food again. I couldn't bear avocados, which I loved pre-op. But I am past that and back eating them. 3 weeks out is tough, hang in there, it will get better :-)))

Lol, PdxMan, great analogy and think you should patent that phone breathalyser idea OP, none of us can tell you what's right for you but we can share how being sleeved has turned out for us. I am healthier and happier than in more years than I can remember or believe would have been possible. Working with my sleeve has helped me lose weight consistently while tackling my issues with food. Most of the time, I make good food choices. I have the odd lapse but it is one cookie, not a packet :-) I feel I have gained so much in my life (as opposed to weight!), I now actually have a life I don't want to compromise or lose by going back to old ways. It's a very long time since I felt like that. For me, the last 5 months being sleeved has helped me come to terms with food being medication to help me cope with life. Feeling good and looking good has helped me face up to that and alter my behaviour. Early days but I am getting there. Being sleeved is not easy. But I could not have achieved what I have without my sleeve - and I love it!!!!! I have stopped feeling hopeless and now feel so hopeful about everything....

Soccergirl88, I am with Gamergirl, think you do need to "practise" dating to get the hang of it again. I don't believe the first or second man I meet will be someone I want to spend my life with. I also want to date to see who the grownup me likes - and it's very different from my 19 year old self. As long as it doesn't get soul destroying - by dating totally unsuitable men - I hope that I will meet some interesting men and maybe find someone special... Like Gamergirl :-))))

Had my first date in 33 years (eeek!!!), 3 months post surgery. It wasn't a success because I hadn't really shifted my thinking about my worth at that time, although how I looked had altered a lot. I wasn't desperate, probably just grateful to be noticed. But looking back 2 months later, I am wondering what the heck I was thinking lol. He wasn't right for me from the outset but I agreed to go on a couple of dates just because he was interested in me.... Not good, eh? But it gave me a chance to take a long hard look at me and decide I was worth more than settling for second best cos I didn't feel worthy. Since those dates, my confidence has come on leaps and bounds with the compliments I have had about my new look. Last weekend bumped into someone who was on the periphery of my life 35 years ago. Got chatting, he took my number and called me today :-) He was interesting and funny, seemed well balanced and laid back- so I have agreed to meet up. Watch this space as I wind myself into a state as it approaches, lol. For me, dating post sleeve continues to evolve slowly. But I won't be settling for anything less than I deserve this time...

OP, couldn't stomach Protein shakes either and have got to 5 months post op without them. Fortified milk was a life saver (skimmed milk powder added to milk). At the liquid stage, I drank it, mixed it half and half with my Soup ( I lived on cream of tomato!) and so on. Kept using it through puréed stage and on to soft foods. I was determined to get my protein through food. It's easier to hit ur daily protein targets with the shakes but not impossible without them. Imagination and good quality protein will get u there :-))) Hang in, this phase will pass...

OP, couldn't stomach Protein shakes either and have got to 5 months post op without them. Fortified milk was a life saver (skimmed milk powder added to milk). At the liquid stage, I drank it, mixed it half and half with my soup ( I lived on cream of tomato!) and so on. Kept using it through puréed stage and on to soft foods. I was determined to get my protein through food. It's easier to hit ur daily protein targets with the shakes but not impossible without them. Imagination and good quality protein will get u there :-))) Hang in, this phase will pass...

After years of being known for never wearing a coat in winter and, on one occasion, flip flops to a hospital appointment in the snow, I now have 5 coats. And new thermal gloves. And thermal socks. And three fleeces. I have even bought a hat....

Mmmm, alcohol...... now going to start thinking about what I could drink, not having had alcohol in months... What can I drink without carbonation? Vodka martini? Piña colada? Lol.

Lipstick Lady, couldn't agree more! Whilst there are people who judge the book by the cover, many more look inside before passing judgement - and love what they see. OP, I am getting close to goal so now look "normal" sized. I get chatted up by guys of all shapes and sizes (and I know some of them wouldn't have looked at me twice when I was 223lbs, my heaviest weight) . But the man I lust after (and i use that word specifically!!) is a big guy. In some posters view, that's not how I should feel but I do, because attraction isn't as simple as how someone looks... and this guy has humour, kindness, a great attitude and he is comfortable in his own skin. He's also pretty cute, lol. So whatever stage you are at in your weight loss, there's someone out there who will like and appreciate you for you. Be patient, they are there - if you love you, so will other people :-)))

True, been self-medicating with food for years. Maybe not in future :-)

After taking a pretty big knock at the weekend, it has taken me until now to realise that, for the first time in my adult life, I didn't reach for food to feel better. Wow.......

Hope u r better today - if not, check with the doc. Headache, raging thirst need to be checked put if they persist. Maybe need something for stomach acid to settle it down? No harm in asking someone medical

Ps lack of hydration will also affect weight loss, so even more reason to up your Fluid intake....

Urine that colour is early signs of dehydration. U may think that you are drinking enough but your body is telling you otherwise. More sipping lol!!

Mme R, thanks, this thread is brilliant. I love that even when eating something, em, less good, some of us are still compelled to log it in My Fitness Pal!!!!! Lmao.... Our nuts/dieticians would be soooo proud :-))))))

Everything in moderation. "Diet" has two distinct meanings for me so while I don't want to diet for the rest of my life (and will rely on my sleeve to help with portion contriol) i do want to eat a good diet. For me that is about eating in a way I can sustain long term that incorporates what I have learned about good food choices since being sleeved. I always put my Protein first but enjoy a spoon of mashed potato or one little potato with some veg. I am talking tiny amounts here but, for me, it looks and feels as if I am eating " normally " again when I see my (side) plate with a mix on it. Again, for me, I know this will help me make this way of life sustainable. There are few "bad" foods but there are plenty of ways to abuse most foods through volume and frequency of eating them. That's my challenge rather than any one food!!!! :-)

GettingAllieBack, go for it, u won't be disappointed. I can't get back the times I didn't go swimming with my son when he was a baby or when I left him and his father to go sledging because I was too embarrassed... But I am living now and accepting every opportunity with two hands and a HUGE smile :-))

I have PsA - think RA with psoriasis, it's an autoimmune system arthritis. Since my sleeve, I have stopped the methotrexate I had been taking for almost 10 years and halved my Enbrel injection. I have no swollen joints for the first time in years and my arthritis is officially in remission after 30 years. This started immediately post op. No one can explain what's happened. But I am taking it day by day and feeling grateful.....

Being sleeved isn't easy, despite that being the view of some outsiders. It is life changing and is a great starting point for supporting new behaviours and attitudes. At only 5 months out, who knows what I will be saying a year out? But so far, I have worked hard to get here - harder than losing weight any other way - and been through so much that I don't want to do anything that jeopardises my new life, which is beyond anything I could have imagined. So every day, I stick to the plan, I reinforce the good habits the sleeve has encouraged me to adopt. Have had a couple of tough things happen in the last week but I didn't reach for food- that is a first. And its because I now have something to lose - the new me, who's healthy, slim and happy. Like most things in life, it is what you make it. The only person who can blow this now is me. I feel I have been given a last chance and so its up to me to rise to that challenge. I didn't feel like this pre-sleeve (felt pretty hopeless) as I couldn't really envisage what life could be like, especially as a serial dieter - but it just keeps getting better, lol ! Good luck, hope you get the information and support you need to make a decision.