McButterpants

What a great thread! I look forward to reading more responses. I'm 8.5 months out...I'll give you some of the highlights: I purchased a size 14 for the first time in about 17 years. I cried in the dressing room. I didn't look at the price tag and was a little shocked when I found that pair of shorts was $48. I didn't care! I will keep those shorts forever. My son said, "I'm proud of you" after I jogged an entire mile with him. That was priceless. I cried then, too. I climbed up a 300 foot butte and made it to the top without stopping (think about climbing stairs for 6.5 minutes straight - it was like that). It has been my goal for years and I finally did it. Yep, I cried. So many tears have been shed during this process - some tears of frustration, anger, and disappointment, but most are tears of joy and happiness. I know I'll have more as I continue on this journey - more good moments than bad.

I had quite a few food funerals before I started my 2 week pre-op diet. It was so unnecessary! I still eat some of my favorites, but others, like bread and Pasta, I just don't want any more. The night before my surgery, after I had followed the pre-op diet perfectly (2 shakes and 1 lean and green meal daily), my doc said, "Go out and have dinner tonight. No restrictions other than no all you can eat buffets and don't over do on red meat." My husband and I looked at him like he was crazy. I asked if he was joking - he wasn't. He said, "Go out and have a great time." So, there I was thinking about what I wanted...did I want Mexican? Italian? pizza? Wow, it was a hard decision. We decided to go to macaroni Grill...We started with some bread and we ordered an appetizer of stuffed baby peppers. I ordered a pasta with grilled chicken. Oh my god, it was wonderful. But what I realized about half way thru the dinner was it was awesome because I was with my husband and I wasn't eating very much food. I was eating slowly, savoring every bit, as I had practiced for the previous two weeks. We followed dinner up with two Desserts...we both took a couple of bites of each dessert and left the rest. It was an awesome evening with my husband - we were both scared because I was going into surgery the next morning and we discussed the risks. We didn't know what was going to happen. We were just happy being with each other in that moment. It was awesome. So, enjoy your last meal - savor it. Most importantly, share it with someone special to you and make it about more than just the food you are consuming.

Before surgery, I tried to get in the best shape I could - I believe that was my key to an easy and speedy recovery. I worked out at the gym and walked regularly prior to surgery. I was able to walk immediately after surgery (seriously, once I left recovery, I started pacing in the halls). I got tired easily for the first 2-3 weeks after surgery. I telecommute full time - I had my surgery on Thursday and went back to work 1/2 days the following Monday. It was nice to know that I had the afternoons to take care of myself - I wasn't expected to answer the phone or answer emails. I could rest or walk if I needed.

I can't do soda...My favorite adult beverage pre-op was a DiSorono and Coke. I've had 2 since surgery 8.5 months ago. I have to stir the carbonation out. My tummy doesn't like carbonation - the other day I tried a sip of Root Beer and immediately regretted it.

On the liquid phase I mixed my Protein shakes with Water.

One thing I do miss...sometimes, not all the time...Mama's French Toast at Cracker Barrel. See your pancake post made me think of them. I can have a bite now, but that's it....

I use unjury - vanilla and chocolate Splendor. I mix with Almond milk or 1% milk. I add Torani sugar free syrups to get different flavors to change things up.

I had to up my calories once I started doing gym workouts. It's hard to increase your calories, I know. I found that when I added some carbs (not a lot, but some) like fat-free refried Beans or a Protein bar that was enough to get me thru days where I worked out.

@@geelynn, I put in a couple of strawberries and some blueberries in my shakes. It adds texture. Sometimes I'll add 1" of banana, too. I always use low-glycemic fruits - I wouldn't add a lot of really ripe banana or pineapple or high glycemic things like that. It helps bulk them up!

Totally normal in my opinion - mainly because I did the same thing! LOL. I think I changed my mind back and forth a hundred times between August, 2013 and November, 2013 when I had surgery. I would go from feeling super excited to "OMG, what am I doing to myself?" This is a life changing decision...I almost backed out the night before surgery and the morning of surgery - seriously I did. I looked at my husband while I was in admitting and I decided at that moment that I was doing the right thing. I decided to walk down that hall into the pre-op area and start the process. I was convinced at that moment that this was the right thing to do. I have no regrets, none at all. It hasn't been easy - I've had really crappy days during this and even some buyer's remorse in the beginning. But, with out a doubt, this was the best thing for me to do. My life is so much better.

My suggestion is "always follow your doctor's orders" You have a lot invested in this process - it doesn't matter what anyone else's doctor's told them. Your doctor is your doctor and you should follow their rules.

Yeah, I remember totally reaming my kid, then looking at him and saying, "Buddy, this is so hard, not eating food. I just need to you to listen to me, don't talk back and do what I say. This is so hard, I just need you to understand that." Just know that this is temporary - it will get better. You will need to address your food addiction - it's going to be hard. You're going to have good day and really crappy days in the months to come. But it will get better.

Yes! They are made by Mission and you can find them at your grocery store with the other tortillas. They taste great, come in smaller sizes (fajita are perfect for our small tummies). I also make "chips" out of them - just brush with some olive oil and sprinkle some salt, then pop in the oven until crispy.

I introduced one food at a time - just a couple of bites. If I had a bad reaction, I would wait a couple of weeks to try it again. I'm 8.5 months out and still have foods that don't agree with me. I tried cherries for the first time since surgery yesterday - OMG, it was excruciating pain!

According to my doc, if you're going to lose your hair, you're going to lose it. Whatever you lose due to surgery will grow back. She approved taking Biotin and Folic Acid - this is for regrowth, not prevention. I used Nioxin shampoo and conditioner as well. I lost a lot of hair - between months 2 and 7...it was horrifying, especially when I got to the third month. I would lose a lot in the shower, then more when I fixed it. You could see the hair on the floor in front of the mirror. I saw some new growth around month 5 even though I was still losing. I lost a bunch up front and on top at first, then started losing it on the side and in the back. I have a lot of new growth now - lots of really short little baby hairs. My bangs are finally growing back. I had to go to a shorter cut to try to mask the loss. I also used a product called Toppik to try to hid the balding spots - it works great! Even though I lost a lot of hair, I am so glad I went thru WLS. It was totally worth it. It's not easy, but you will get thru this.

I love tortilla pizzas...I use Carb Balance shells, to help with the carbs. My most recent favorite is BBQ chicken - I spread some Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. Add some rotisserie chicken (you can even use deli turkey or ham). Top with mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until it's crispy. If you have a convection oven, it crisps the shell nicely!

You look great! Congrats on your success! Taking pictures is a great way to monitor your progress - If I had to do it all over again, I would have gotten rid of the scale or at least not weighed as often. Pictures and measurements are a great way to track. I love seeing before and after pictures!

My surgeon allowed foods like scrambled egg immediately after surgery (1 tablespoons of scrambled egg, yogurt, etc) - my local doc was the polar opposite. So for two weeks after surgery, I was able to get some foods in, then when I went to my local doc, had to go back to liquids. (I was self-pay, so had a surgeon and follow ups with a local bariatric surgeon) As far as "thinking" you're getting 2 ounces - I think investing in a food scale would be good. You can get them just about anywhere and they are fairly inexpensive. This will be good for measuring the weight of your Protein. Also remember on the portions - sometimes I couldn't finish the 2 ounces of puree. Don't go over the the NUT/Doc's plan, you don't have to eat it all. Full may feel differently than it did prior to surgery. Also, I try not to eat until full, I try to eat until I've satisfied the hunger. There's a difference. When I eat until I'm full, I feel a pinch in my stomach or my nose runs or I do a hiccup/burp thing - that means STOP! I try not to get to that point.

I find myself doing something similar in the grocery store - I look into other people's carts and think, "Wow, look at all that crap!" I want to say, "Don't do it. Put it away. The produce department is right over there." Of course, I don't say anything and I walk away... I chuckled at myself the other day when they were giving away samples of cherries...I ate on and thought, "OK, I've had breakfast!"

I had to be caffeine free prior to surgery - OMG, I tried to quit cold turkey and couldn't do it! After surgery, I drank decaf for the first 8 weeks at my doctor's orders. Drinking coffee after surgery was a pain because it would take so long to drink an 8 ounce cup...like an hour. I didn't enjoy it, it was like a chore to drink it and it was decaf, making it even worse! At 3 months I introduced caffeine back in with no issues...I started slowly. I'm back to 2 cups of regular a day. I did a pinky shake with the doc promising I wouldn't go back to my old habit of 6-8 cups of regular per day. Be mindful of what you're putting in your coffee - you can add lots of stuff that has a lot of calories and no nutritional value!

Great job! Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. You didn't gain all your weight in 5 weeks, you won't lose it in 5 weeks. All of us got to our high weight differently - we're all going to lose it differently. I'm in a 8 week stall...I've only lost 7 pounds in 4 months. Talk about a slow loser! LOL. But I try to look at where I came from - I'm down 72 pounds. That's amazing.

I am 8.5 months out - I tried to get rid of them, but re-introduced them at about 7 months, I realized I need them to keep my Protein numbers up and I find that my cravings are reduced with them. My surgeon wants his patients to use real food, so he doesn't endorse using shakes forever. My local doc (also a bariatric surgeon) suggests using shakes to supplement. It works for me to supplement now - I don't know if I will always use shakes, but I suspect I will. I work on creating different recipes and trying different things. Vanilla, strawberry and chocolate by themselves gets old!

I'm 8 months post op...I can eat 2-3 ounces of dense Protein and a couple of bites of other stuff. I can eat more if I don't eat the protein. I feel bad if I overeat, so I try to eat until I feel that first little "pinch" or until the hunger goes away. Eating to the point of "stuffed" like I used to before surgery...Ugh - that's agony.

You're fine. Just don't let that one sandwich turn into multiple sandwiches because you're beating yourself up. Go out and take a walk. Get your mind off of what you did. Think about your future. Think about how important this is to you. This part of your process will be over soon. Hang in there.

Put it down and walk away. Don't look back. Ice cream is not your friend. Not only is it way too early to introduce ice cream, it's what helped you get to the point that you needed WLS. I had to address my unhealthy relationship with food as I suspect most of us do/did during the first couple of months after surgery. Ice cream would certainly fall in that category. And remember...Just because you don't get sick from eating something doesn't mean you should eat it.