dropdeadweightdiva

To focus on fluids over Protein for the first week or two, use an app to remind yourself to sip and to help slow down once eating solids.. that the scale should not rule your universe, measurements are better....the scale will not drop on a daily basis so don't be disappointed when it doesn't..... Stalls happen and can last sometimes for months but they always end if you stay on task...... Be kind to yourself, guilt does you no favors...... Wait to try eggs, too many of us have a negative first experience too early out.... Introduce foods one at a time whenever possible so you know what doesn't sit well and what does.... Don't hesitate to call your doctor if you have issues or concerns post op...Listen to your sleeve and learn to recognize what it's trying to tell you...... Pay attention to the difference between head hunger, actual hunger and thirst...
Most importantly, Celebrate the little things, the big things and all those things in between, (just not with food anymore) and know that you are worth it!!!!

@@dropdeadweightdiva
At the bottom of your info on the left side of the screen it says "mention", if you press this it puts the name in your reply. Thanks for the kind words! I'm off to the hospital.

I only know how to do it on the computer, under everyone's picture on the post there is an @mention in blue that you can click and it automatically puts their name in your reply.

I wish I had known that dropping a large amount of weight in such a short amount of time would be so emotionally taxing. In the beginning I found myself getting very angry or sad for no apparent reason. I felt like A crazy person because I didn't understand why I was so emotional.

Good luck tomorrow Ladies!!! Susan and Kpar909956, you are going to do great, just remember to walk walk walk and sip sip sip. Advocate for yourself, don't be afraid to ask for pain meds and gravol, the more you use the spirometer the easier it gets! We are all here for you! Allow yourself time to heal and try not to push yourself. Stay off the scale for a week while your body adjusts and the surgery swelling and Water weight disperse. Thinking of your both!
Wishing I knew how to tag people on here and happy to take instruction on it

To focus on fluids over Protein for the first week or two, use an app to remind yourself to sip and to help slow down once eating solids.. that the scale should not rule your universe, measurements are better....the scale will not drop on a daily basis so don't be disappointed when it doesn't..... Stalls happen and can last sometimes for months but they always end if you stay on task...... Be kind to yourself, guilt does you no favors...... Wait to try eggs, too many of us have a negative first experience too early out.... Introduce foods one at a time whenever possible so you know what doesn't sit well and what does.... Don't hesitate to call your doctor if you have issues or concerns post op...Listen to your sleeve and learn to recognize what it's trying to tell you...... Pay attention to the difference between head hunger, actual hunger and thirst...
Most importantly, Celebrate the little things, the big things and all those things in between, (just not with food anymore) and know that you are worth it!!!!

I will happily answer any questions and try to help you the best that I can in your journey. 40 year old female, 3 kids, 143 pounds gone. It is a hard and trying process but the best decision I ever made!!!

I really wish that I had measured myself everywhere for comparison. Oh well... Also have a great last meal!
HKMOM

I wish I had known how common it is for the newly sleeved to have difficulty getting in all of the required Water and Protein in the early days. I was so afraid that I was doing something wrong, and later discovered that many, if not most post-ops had the same problems. It really helped me to stop worrying and trust the process.

Admit this may be a long one so I apologize upfront for that!
I was ridiculously out of control in my eating habits therefore I was also crazy worried about my ability to make the change. I did begin changing my habits before surgery. I began walking short distances as the 8 stairs up from my basement had me huffing and puffing. Initially I dreaded having to walk the 3 blocks to pick up my children from school. For almost 2 decades I never really dealt with hunger because I often ate so consistently I don't think I ever allowed myself to get hungry. I woke up and thought about what I would eat for Breakfast, after Breakfast i focused on lunch but had Snacks, etc... I literally ate from wakeup, to my head hitting the pillow and often got up to eat more before I actually fell asleep. I remember eating 2 footlong subway subs in a sitting, and this wasn't a one time marathon thing; driving to 7-11 at midnight for junk food and then eating most of what I thought I would eat over 2-3 days. So I get it completely. Frankly I was scared sh**less that I would fail, or sabatoge myself along the way. Shortly before my first meeting with my center I had gestational diabetes but it went away immediately after my pregnancy. I admit when I am pregnant I am completely in control and anal about what I put in my mouth so lose weight throughout them. Of course post nursing forget about it! So after finding out I had no choice but to switch to formula I actually managed to become a full blown diabetic in about 5 months. It was a flurry of chocolate, fries and slurpees! My point being you and I are very much alike in being obsessed with food 24/7. So if I can do it anyone can do it!
I found out I had become a diabetic at my first appointment at my bariatric center, March 12, 2013. That was the day the light went on for me, even if it was dim when it started. I walked 15 minutes that first day and I hated it lol. That night I completely lost all control of my sanity as every emotion under the sun came out over every little thing. For a second I thought OMG I am pregnant!! But no, apparently I am an emotional eater so now instead of eating, all of a sudden I was feeling everything and it was completely overwhelming. For this reason I strongly recommend trying to get at least 2-3 days of healthier eating out of the way prior to your liquid pre-op. The mental part of this is by far the hardest, so getting a small advantage before really does help. So expect to be very hormonal when you start out.
Tricks of the trade pre-op.. I chewed a lot of stride gum especially during my liquid diet (3 weeks), lifesaver, that is my biggest thing to this day, although no I don't promote it post op as we all know it is a no no and I was 6 months out before I tried it. I drank a lot of low calorie fluids and I planned ahead for meals (before liquid pre-op). For the first little while I kept junk out of the house. I have kids so that's hard, so I chose to buy things they like but I don't, like all dressed chips, or cotton candy ice cream.. My fave thing being a large cup of lite hot chocolate with fat free hazelnut Creamer in the evening as a treat and it kept me pretty full.. so I would do it at my peak struggle time. I started keeping fruit that I really liked around, cherries and raspberries and I would go to town. Not ideal but it was certainly better than the alternatives.. smart pop was another fave pre-op.
No I was not perfect I had bad days, still do, but I started to convince myself that it didn't have to be a bad day.. instead it was a bad couple hours and then I let it go, guilt has no place on the road to success. It will not motivate you, it will only make you feel worse!! I made a list of all those things i wanted to be able to do post op... and a list of all those things I never wanted to feel or have happen to me again. That was emotional, then I put them up in a cpl places around the house where I thought they would most benefit me. I also included a list of the consequences of failing to follow my liquid diet. Number one of course being a cancelled surgery!
So I actually made it through all 3 weeks or 22 days as my nutritionist miscalculated lol. A ton of gum, broth to break up the sweetness, I was allowed 2 cups of raw green veggies/day added garlic salt or seasoning salt.. no dressing allowed! It makes you an idiot about a week in, prepare to write things down as you won't remember them. Drink tons of fluids as the day 3 headache is a nightmare and will likely last a cpl days and nothing will touch it but hydration so stay on top of that.
Post-op hunger concerns... I have hunger, boy do I experience real hunger. Now I am not trying to scare you, I didn't experience hunger like this until about 7 months out. So I have had a lot of time to work through better choices and options when I am hungry, the nice thing about being early out is that it won't take much to reel in said hunger if you are one who feels it. Have a cup of broth, some greek yogurt and boom it's gone for another couple hours. Also remember that your intake is soo limited that it is okay to feed it. Sometime just choose to feed it with fluids. That is the biggie, learning to decipher head hunger from actual hunger from thirst!! Once you get that straight your life will quickly become much easier. So pay attention to what each of them feel like, not as hard as it sounds I promise. Further out you can eat more, and I fall off the wagon the last time I was off for almost 4 weeks, stopped exercising too. I gained 5 pounds. The difference is that this time the weight gain actually scared me, having been a 'normal' size for a bit now I got comfortable and this was a well needed reality check. Now considering how much I was eating 5 pounds was kind, so the surgery really is just a tool. You still need to fight those demons for life but when I think about how much weight I could have gained in that same time period preop.. no comparison. I also dropped those 5 pounds during my 'taking back control' week. But what I didn't do is beat myself up for it, I went on a fabulous food vacation and when I landed back in reality I dealt with it. No guilt, just moved on and smartened up. So being kind to yourself is something that gets easier as you go through this process. It's also one of my favourite NSV's..
Sorry so long I admit I am horribly wordy... hope that helps alleviate some of your fears

I got to goal in less than a year 104.5 lbs lost. Over the last few months I've not eaten/exercised the way I should and I've gained back 26 lbs. I've gotten further and further away from goal. I need to lose 21 lbs min to be at a happy/healthy place.
Joined a closer gym and started working out in the mornings again (my ideal time). Now just need to get back eating correctly and because I'm hungry and not because of stress, boredom and just because I'm happy or want to Celebrate.
I loved being at a healthy place and fitting clothes well.

dreeves, have you tried colace? (generic is docusate) In general its for Constipation, but my surgeon ok'd it for post op.

HW 289
SW 273
CW 250

I do t know about this protein, but I use premire Protein shakes. They are 30 gm of protein for 8 oz and they come in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. I get them at costco, but I've seen them at Walmart to.

I'm 7 weeks post op

The stomach "growling" is not hunger like you used to have. Its all caused by the gas. I hope you are taking a good PPI, that makes a huge difference!!

The beginning is the hardest. Walk walk and walk some more. It will help relieve the gas. Hiccups means you are taking in liquid too quickly. You should be taking baby sips (and no straws).
Message me if I can help.
Pamela

I've tried GENEPRO. That's what I currently use if I don't get enough throughout the day or something but I don't chose to use as an everyday thing. I hate powders and it's been easier to get down than any other powder I've tried, but a powder can only be so good.. I've found that if u mix it with something really cold like a smoothie or slush or really hot tea or coffee it tastes better.

OMGOODNESS!!! I WANT A MENTOR ... MY DATE WAS OCTOBER 1ST...IM IN PAIN FROM THE GAS... MY STOMACH IS ACTUALY GROWLING BUT IM TERRIFIED OF EATING NYTHING .... I HATE VOMITING ALWAYS HAVE AND IM SCARED I WILL IF I DO EAT SOMETHING... I HAD HICCUPS YESTERDAY AND THAT ALMOST KILLED ME... SOMEONE HELP MEEEE

@@Kpar909956
It is exciting. Have you started your pre-op diet? Do you have to do one? I am 3 days in to mine and starving. I am also pretty nervous about the surgery. Sometimes, I wonder why in the world am I doing this and then I remind myself of all the reasons this weight has become unacceptable to me. How are you feeling about everything? My youngest is 14, my oldest is 23, and my middle child is 18. What does CW stand for? I am not up on all the abbreviations. lol

I am also scheduled for oct 14 in nashville 47 grown kids cw 260

Would love to have a mentor!

I would love a seasoned sleever to buddy with. I was sleeved in Oct 2012 and lost just over 100 pounds. I've been off track for awhile and gained back almost 25 pounds.
I'm determined to get back on track and although I don't have to get as low as I was originally I do need to take off at least 15-20 pounds and more importantly eat right, exercise and not use food as a go to.
Thanks,
Pamela

Do you have a monthly chart?? I'm now 4 months out and would love to be in the 140s like you are. Just wondering if I'm on track!

Admit this may be a long one so I apologize upfront for that!
I was ridiculously out of control in my eating habits therefore I was also crazy worried about my ability to make the change. I did begin changing my habits before surgery. I began walking short distances as the 8 stairs up from my basement had me huffing and puffing. Initially I dreaded having to walk the 3 blocks to pick up my children from school. For almost 2 decades I never really dealt with hunger because I often ate so consistently I don't think I ever allowed myself to get hungry. I woke up and thought about what I would eat for Breakfast, after Breakfast i focused on lunch but had Snacks, etc... I literally ate from wakeup, to my head hitting the pillow and often got up to eat more before I actually fell asleep. I remember eating 2 footlong subway subs in a sitting, and this wasn't a one time marathon thing; driving to 7-11 at midnight for junk food and then eating most of what I thought I would eat over 2-3 days. So I get it completely. Frankly I was scared sh**less that I would fail, or sabatoge myself along the way. Shortly before my first meeting with my center I had gestational diabetes but it went away immediately after my pregnancy. I admit when I am pregnant I am completely in control and anal about what I put in my mouth so lose weight throughout them. Of course post nursing forget about it! So after finding out I had no choice but to switch to formula I actually managed to become a full blown diabetic in about 5 months. It was a flurry of chocolate, fries and slurpees! My point being you and I are very much alike in being obsessed with food 24/7. So if I can do it anyone can do it!
I found out I had become a diabetic at my first appointment at my bariatric center, March 12, 2013. That was the day the light went on for me, even if it was dim when it started. I walked 15 minutes that first day and I hated it lol. That night I completely lost all control of my sanity as every emotion under the sun came out over every little thing. For a second I thought OMG I am pregnant!! But no, apparently I am an emotional eater so now instead of eating, all of a sudden I was feeling everything and it was completely overwhelming. For this reason I strongly recommend trying to get at least 2-3 days of healthier eating out of the way prior to your liquid pre-op. The mental part of this is by far the hardest, so getting a small advantage before really does help. So expect to be very hormonal when you start out.
Tricks of the trade pre-op.. I chewed a lot of stride gum especially during my liquid diet (3 weeks), lifesaver, that is my biggest thing to this day, although no I don't promote it post op as we all know it is a no no and I was 6 months out before I tried it. I drank a lot of low calorie fluids and I planned ahead for meals (before liquid pre-op). For the first little while I kept junk out of the house. I have kids so that's hard, so I chose to buy things they like but I don't, like all dressed chips, or cotton candy ice cream.. My fave thing being a large cup of lite hot chocolate with fat free hazelnut Creamer in the evening as a treat and it kept me pretty full.. so I would do it at my peak struggle time. I started keeping fruit that I really liked around, cherries and raspberries and I would go to town. Not ideal but it was certainly better than the alternatives.. smart pop was another fave pre-op.
No I was not perfect I had bad days, still do, but I started to convince myself that it didn't have to be a bad day.. instead it was a bad couple hours and then I let it go, guilt has no place on the road to success. It will not motivate you, it will only make you feel worse!! I made a list of all those things i wanted to be able to do post op... and a list of all those things I never wanted to feel or have happen to me again. That was emotional, then I put them up in a cpl places around the house where I thought they would most benefit me. I also included a list of the consequences of failing to follow my liquid diet. Number one of course being a cancelled surgery!
So I actually made it through all 3 weeks or 22 days as my nutritionist miscalculated lol. A ton of gum, broth to break up the sweetness, I was allowed 2 cups of raw green veggies/day added garlic salt or seasoning salt.. no dressing allowed! It makes you an idiot about a week in, prepare to write things down as you won't remember them. Drink tons of fluids as the day 3 headache is a nightmare and will likely last a cpl days and nothing will touch it but hydration so stay on top of that.
Post-op hunger concerns... I have hunger, boy do I experience real hunger. Now I am not trying to scare you, I didn't experience hunger like this until about 7 months out. So I have had a lot of time to work through better choices and options when I am hungry, the nice thing about being early out is that it won't take much to reel in said hunger if you are one who feels it. Have a cup of broth, some greek yogurt and boom it's gone for another couple hours. Also remember that your intake is soo limited that it is okay to feed it. Sometime just choose to feed it with fluids. That is the biggie, learning to decipher head hunger from actual hunger from thirst!! Once you get that straight your life will quickly become much easier. So pay attention to what each of them feel like, not as hard as it sounds I promise. Further out you can eat more, and I fall off the wagon the last time I was off for almost 4 weeks, stopped exercising too. I gained 5 pounds. The difference is that this time the weight gain actually scared me, having been a 'normal' size for a bit now I got comfortable and this was a well needed reality check. Now considering how much I was eating 5 pounds was kind, so the surgery really is just a tool. You still need to fight those demons for life but when I think about how much weight I could have gained in that same time period preop.. no comparison. I also dropped those 5 pounds during my 'taking back control' week. But what I didn't do is beat myself up for it, I went on a fabulous food vacation and when I landed back in reality I dealt with it. No guilt, just moved on and smartened up. So being kind to yourself is something that gets easier as you go through this process. It's also one of my favourite NSV's..
Sorry so long I admit I am horribly wordy... hope that helps alleviate some of your fears