esskay77

I remember those first few weeks--I totally lusted after food! I thought about how it would taste and feel to take a bite of different foods. Luckily, I just told myself that I couldn't have any and really didn't want to sabotage myself or get dumping syndrome. I made it through and after a bit, that goes away. You will get some head hunger here and there but not like you are feeling right now. Just ride the wave and be strong. Enjoy losing weight and eating better.

That one incision takes quite a while. Be patient. It will heal.

Wow. THat is a long time. I had to jump through some hoops but the wait was maybe about 3 months and most of that was because they would do different types of test that you had to do first. 3 months was unbearable! Once you make up your mind, you want it now! lol. I'm not in Canada, I'm in Boston so don't know if that would help but there are a lot of great doctors here. No matter where you have your surgery done, you should try to join Overeaters Anon. And someone there might also have some good advice for you,too on doctors.

When I get really peckish, I have a bit of cottage cheese (with pineapple) and I'm all set. The best thing, though, is to eat some protein every couple of hours so you don't get hungry and you get all your protein in. It's tough until you get into a routine. Best of luck

You look amazing already! I bet you will look even more amazing after PS! Keep us updated.

Best of luck! I used to have acid reflux and it is miserable. Until I understood what it was and what the triggers were, I was never sure what would happen after a meal. It wasn't a matter of IF I would be sick, but when. Mine actually stopped when I quit smoking. But I wasn't as obese yet (though still obese). Unfortunately, once I quit smoking, I gained 100 pounds, even though I was at the gym every day! Really working hard at the gym, too. And with a trainer. But the weight just piled on. Now that I have had the gastric bypass, the weight is finally coming off. Everyone has a different journey but I don't know anybody who has regretted having this surgery. Congrats on making a decision--that's the toughest part.

Mmmm. diet cocoa! What a great idea! It is very comforting to have that warm beverage in your belly and it satisfies the sweet tooth. And the aroma! All great sensory things to satisfy many cravings. Thanks!

You say you don't work. Can you work? Not everyone can, either because of a disability or staying home with kids, or whatever so I thought I would ask. If you can, I would suggest trying to get a job--part time or full time. Or do volunteer work. This will help get you off the couch and away from the TV to start with and also give you a new routine. If you can't then it would depend on your limitations but some people mentioned hobbies, mountain biking (don't discount that!), etc. These are really good options but I know how difficult mentally it is to try to get started doing them. Partially, you need a whole new routine. I know that once I turn on my TV, I'm done for the day so I try to not turn it on for as long as possible. You say sometimes you go visit a friend. Can you go for walks together or go to the gym together? Or even mall walk? Get a workout buddy. Keep a food journal! Have a list of food items that are good Protein for you that you can have. Protein Bars are a good substitute for dessert (but read the labels and get the kind with the lowest amounts of sugar and a decent amount of protein). Make up some good smoothies with Protein powder and turn them into popsicles for a nice treat. I also freeze grapes and eat them frozen--they get really sweet! Limit yourself to no more than 20 though, as they do have natural sugar. And only do this if your NUT has said you can have fruit at this stage. If you are still on soft foods, you can't do that. Best of luck. Let us know how it goes.

Yes, I'm there at the moment. What can we do to help each other out? I want to do this! That is too bad that your hubs isn't supportive but you need to be stronger than him. This is your journey, not his.

Don't give up! It's actually working. You lost 11 pounds in 18 days!!! How are you upset about that? That's amazing and wonderful. Congratulations! That's almost a pound a day. Before surgery, if you lost 11 pounds in 18 days, how would you have felt? Pretty good, I'd bet! You are doing all the right things--keep it up and you will continue to lose And make sure to keep a food journal. It's the most magical thing--writing down what you eat seems to melt the pounds away. It's weird but true!

It feels like my eating hasn't changed but then I write it down or really think about it and I don't eat even a portion of what I used to, I'm just completely satisfied. If I order a steak or chicken in a restaurant, I really can't eat that much of it. In fact, I probably eat a smaller portion than what I am supposed to. Last night I went out to eat and had some hummus for an appetizer (I did have some of the pita wedges with it but also just had some hummus on my spoon--it was amazing!). Then for dinner I had a salad with grilled chicken on it. I don't think there was 3-4 oz of chicken on it but I didn't eat it all and also didn't eat that much lettuce. I took it home. But I was more than satisfied. At home, if I have a chicken breast or steak, can't eat that much. But if I make a chili or a stew of some sort, I can eat more than a cup's worth, though have been trying to eat about a cup. The problem is that I can't measure how much Protein I"m getting and am filling up on the veggies and things inside the chili or stew. Someone had posted a Turkey Skillet recipe that I am now living on quite a bit. I keep making a batch of it and eat it for dinner throughout the week. I am trying to not try too many new things. I'm good with routine and eating the same thing over and over for now. Also, when I still feel hungry after my little meal, I eat a couple spoonfuls of cottage cheese and I'm completely done then. It's a nice filler and is protein. I would love to also hear what others are eating

I quit coffee right before surgery and only recently started up again, but usually just one Keurig cup/day (which isn't even a full cup!!) I absolutely LOVE coffee!! But I've never been an afternoon coffee drinker like a lot of people are, just my morning coffee is all I need.

That is so interesting! I also am having similar issues, though I did break through into Onderland. But I am stuck at 195 and am having food issues such as cravings, sneaking a little snack here and there, finding myself in places where I can't get the best meal for me and have to make do. I'm not doing horribly, just not good enough to keep moving the scale apparently. I'm back to keeping a journal as of this morning. Keeping a journal has magical powers!! It's weird, I know. Personally, I wish I would get dumping syndrome when I sneak food I shouldn't have!! Would make life much easier. I've always had an iron stomach and can eat anything. How do you get back on track? I didn't think about maybe being near a milestone might have something to do with this. Very interesting!

My past experiences with swim caps is that they still leak and parts of my hair still get wet.

That's not stupid--I totally get it! I don't swim because I am blonde with highlights and I don't want my hair to turn green! yikes! You can always go to physical therapy to find out how to strengthen your legs so your knees don't hurt. They are amazing!

So I don't know anything about the meds but could you try swimming? You wouldn't be having impact on your knees. Just wondered. And if you can't swim, just us the board for holding in front of you and do the kicks to move you forward. I have heard it is great.

YOu just had major surgery and your body is trying to heal--that's all. Pretty soon, you will have a LOT of energy!

Yeah, don't worry about calories at this point or you will drive yourself crazy. I know that this is what we are used to but for now, count grams of Protein. Get the protein in first. That is the most important thing at this phase! You're doing awesome--keep it up.

Another good snack option that is protein and is very trendy right now is Edamame. It's an appetizer on a lo of menus. I also get it in the frozen foods section. If you go out to eat, share this as an apetizer with the table to fill up on some good protein (don't eat the pods!).

I don't remember anymore what kind of pain med it was. I do know that they made me nauseous and I realized pretty fast that I really didn't need them anyway. Once I stopped taking them (when I got home), I felt so much better!

Basically, I was allowed to drive as soon as I stopped taking the pain medication which was about the second day home. It's mostly because you can't drive "while under the influence!"

That's a tough one to do this for that long!! Best of luck. I don't really know if my "advice" works or not so "take it with a grain of salt!" These are just things that, if I had to do it over again, I would do. -- start going to a support group now. Do you have an Overeater's Anonymous group in your area? You're going to have to find one for after surgery anyway so might as well start now. -- you need to understand that you are a food addict. that is why the above group is important -- Slow down. On everything. See some items below. -- Stop counting calories, start counting grams of Protein. We (post surgery) need to get in around 60-90 grams of protein a day. To do this, it is best to eat some protein every couple of hours. Try this: -- Breakfast: 1 or 2 eggs (I do hard boiled only because I can carry it to work and eat it there); and a Kashi bar (I eat the Trail Mix Chew Granola Bar) -- About an hour later I have a Fit and Light yogurt (in the purple container, or a Protein shake (you could also have the protein shake for Breakfast instead of the eggs or especially instead of the kashi bar) -- always drink a lot of Water BETWEEN meals. Stop drinking water 30 minutes before your meal, such as lunch or dinner -- for lunch, a couple of ounces of chicken or turkey or fish. I also add some raw veggies (red and green peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onions, cukes, tomatoes) with balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I add some low fat cheese to it. DON'T DRINK anything with your meals, that means any meals!!! Eat slowly, but not too slowly. In other words, chew, chew, chew, but don't go beyond 30 minutes to eat your meal. - 30 minutes after you stop eating lunch, start drinking your water again. -- mid day snack of yogurt or Protein Drink or cottage cheese (or some other protein). I've never liked cottage cheese but the ones that are pre-mixed with peaches or pineapple are fabulous! -- Dinner is lean protein again (about 3-4 oz or the size of a deck of cards), maybe a small bit of brown rice or a baked potato, some veggies (raw, steamed, boiled, etc). Again, don't drink anything with your meal and really chew your food. While chewing, think about how it tastes. When I do this, I sometimes discover that I really don't like it! lol. It's hilarious to discover that. -- You can have another snack of protein--protein shake, make some string cheese, some low fat cheese (laughing cow is good). -- EXERCISE!!! This might be just walking to start. Again, you're going to have to do this anyway. I started by getting a pedometer to monitor how many steps I do in a day. Your goal is 10,000 steps in a day. It's a little scary how few steps we take in a day. So, first just do what you normally do to find out how many steps you have been getting in. Once you see that for a few days, try to increase the number of steps. These are some of the things that you will be doing after surgery. Try them before surgery to see what happens. You can probably add a piece of fruit or 2 each day, and some extra veggies as well. If you eat like that every couple of hours, you really don't get that hungry. I'm sure I"m forgetting some things but try to do some of these and see what happens. There are some interesting recipes that have been posted on these sites that you can try as well. Best of luck!! That is a long wait that you have but you can do it!

I tried it a few years ago and still want to finish what I started though they tell you to not do that, to start fresh every year. It's a lot of fun, really interesting, but really, really tough!! Especially by the middle of the second week. If I can find the time, I might try it again. I did prepare ahead of time with my topic and had an outline ready to go which I thought helped me but not sure. I did get into that zone where your characters start to tell you how what they should be doing and saying. THat was surreal!!! lol I had heard about it but didn't really get it until it happened to me!! Nanowrimo is also where I heard the term "procrastinatory cannoli" as in, I'm having writers block and want to procrastinate so I'll go to Mike's Pastry and get a cannoli and everything will be better! (THat is a Boston reference)

You know, I was thinking the same thing about mine. I'm hoping that that is normal, that it can't stay this tiny little thing. But I'm also hoping that I"m just getting used to these small portions so I am only assuming I have stretched it all out. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Do you feel the same way? Is this normal? What's up with this?

It's all about perspective and expectations. You lost 17 lbs the FIRST TWO WEEKS!!!!! THat is so awesome! And you lost 4 lbs the next week! Yeah, it's not the big numbers that you had the first 2 weeks but 4 pounds is fantastic! Besides, you're body has just figured out that you are trying to lose weight and is fighting back a bit. Have you ever watched the Biggest Loser? They have a Week 2 curse. You have just experienced their Week 2 curse! lol It's normal and you will continue to lose. But you will not lose as much as you did the first 2 weeks in that same time frame. 4 pounds in a week is still a lot. It's only frustrating because your expectations were that the weight would just fall off and you saw that at first. But now you are at a more normal pace. Just follow the program and you will be good. But know that you will have some weeks where you won't lose anything. And that may actually be several weeks in a row where you don't lose anything--we call this a stall. But then you will drop 5 pounds or whatever it may be. It's a roller coaster--just enjoy the ride! You have already shown that you are dedicated and motivated and this will keep you on the right path. I say CONGRATULATIONS for losing 4 pounds at this time!!! It really is a big deal. Last year at this time would you be happy with losing 4 pounds in a week? I know I would have.