Gr8fulMiniMe

Thanks! Great tip! I'm hating everything right now! 8 days out and I want FOOD!!!! =/ Thanks for listening

I'm so sorry u r in pain... You ate actual ice cream? I don't think that's allowed hun. Clear liquids only I believe! I am on day 10 Clear Liquids. Praying everything works out!

At the end of the day, you are still the SAME PERSON. I am the same person that got morbidly obese, and so is everybody else here. We've all had inappropriate/unhealthy relationships with food. If we only ate when truly hungry, nobody would need theses extreme interventions! And after surgery and recovery, that same person is still inside you. You still have to face your overeating triggers like stress, depression, etc. and cravings, too. Just because my tummy got tiny, chocolate did not become less delicious. Just because I got the sleeve, exercise didn't become something I don't rolls eyes about. It's a tool, and you still have to put in work. Otherwise youre not ready for this so don't waste your time.
I'm sorry if I sound bitchy, but this is the cold truth.

Powaqqatsi,
This is a great topic. You primary point -- that these surgeries are NOT a panacea or magic wand of weight loss is totally correct. If you can lose weight on your own and keep it off, then I wouldn't consider this surgery. For me, I just couldn't and wanted to extra help.
You can still gain weight by eating the wrong foods, not exercising, etc. I'm six months post opp and sugar drinks, alcohol, Cookies, ice cream, and chips basically go down just as easily post surgery as they did pre surgery for me. So, if those are your big weaknesses, then I'd tell you it's not going to help. Fortunately, for me, those weren't my problem. My thing was that I ate way too much and had a ridiculous appetite all the time and this surgery does help tremendously for that. For example, in the past, I'd eat a large rack of baby back ribs with fries and slaw and then wonder about desert. Now, I eat 2 or 3 ribs (no fries, no slaw) and feel completely stuffed and satisfied. That kind of help has allowed me to get back to my high school weight and has been totally life changing.
Anyhow, going in "eyes wide open" is super smart. Loosing a bunch of weight can make folks feel exuberant about their decision and your right to set expectations properly.

The real question is "How bad do you want your new life?" Some people want it bad enough to do whatever it takes to succeed. The surgery is a tool but we have to work the tool. They operate on your stomach but not your brain. One of my pre-surgery requirements was to see a psychiatrist for them to determine whether I'd be compliant, among other things. At my monthly weigh-ins I saw a nutritionist who gave me a list of things I'd do differently after surgery (e.g. eating and drinking at least 30 minutes apart, not drinking with straws.) My surgery was November 2013. I've lost 80 lbs. since them and have 30 lbs. to goal. I exercise 4-5 times a week, follow doctor's directions, take Vitamins, eat or drink until I'm satisfied. I don't count calories. You're right Ghrelin producing cells are removed. These people may be "head hungry"; eating when not physically hungry or continuing old habits. Consuming the correct amount of Protein, vitamins and Water became easy after the first week. I can say this is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I never want to endanger my health again, go back to feeling and looking the way I did or have wasted my time or the insurance company's money.

Honestly it depends on each individual person, and this surgery may not be for you. I'm still a "newbie" to this procedure only 3 weeks out but I can tell you this. For me, this is the only way I've been able to lose more then 10 lbs due to a very sluggish, practically dead metabolism. It's not some quick weight loss scheme, It is very much a lifestyle change and really only a tool to help you make the change to a healthier lifestyle. Do I still want bad food? Yes, however it's changed. My body no longer tolerates sweet stuff and I get full very fast but for me, this was one of the best decisions of my life.

Per my Nut it takes 3-4 months to develop a habit. So for me the point of the surgery is to take the next 6 months of restrictions to learn new habits. Granted I am only one week out but I have learned that I have more control of what I eat then I ever thought before. Just because I crave it doesn't mean I have to eat it. My hope and plan is to emerge from this as someone who can sample a decadence and not eat every drop until it is a distance memory. I love your question because it made me really think. Success for me is not to diet the rest of my life but to develop a healthy, normal relationship with food.< /p>

you will find that most of the people here 'watched what i ate and exercised' so many times in our lives we lost count.
when i had joined weight watchers for the 29th time i finally got a clue that it wasn't working for me...
there is no secret to surgery, it is simply a TOOL to aid us. this tool DOES eliminate a majority of the grelin producing section of the stomach (it is also still produced in the brain) AND limits capacity.
My surgeon told me that right now my stomach at capacity is probably around 76-90 oz. full, it's the size of a football. post-op, my new filled tummy will be around 6 oz., the size of a smallish banana. obviously if it can only hold that small amount, i have less calories to both burn and utilize.
i am simply trying to put myself on a level playing field so that i have a chance to be in control.

I'm so sorry u r in pain... You ate actual ice cream? I don't think that's allowed hun. Clear liquids only I believe! I am on day 10 Clear Liquids. Praying everything works out!

Anyone interested in meeting in person in South oc. I live in rsm, near mission viejo. I have 2 friends who have also had a VSG who would like to do a support group.
I was also thinking of using "the beck diet solution" by Judith Beck as a study.

There is a window about 18 months. Once you get locked in with a doctor you will be going to classes that educate you on what the surgery you are choosing is all about, what you can expect and so on... Good luck to you

Tomorrow I am one week post op. Ironically, I started my period the day before surgery too! It's not so bad. I couldn't and didn't sleep the night before either. You will be alright! I am 6 days out and feel good. I drove for the first time today. My mom has been here taking care of me. I wish you all the best my friend! I am very hopeful of my future. See u on the other side....

The book is by a woman who has had a VSG. Her name is Linda Ouellette and the book is called. "Beyond the Refridgerator: Navigating Life After Weight Loss Surgery". It is eerily similar to my exact experience that I still deal with on a day to day basis. She is dead on with everything!!!!! She is act ually a Therapist as well and offers wonderful advice!!!! Everyone should have a copy of this book!!!!"

A rotisserie chicken from your grocery store is an option. The meat is moist and easy to digest. Omelets, meatloaf...anything really, like your surgeon said. It took a while before I could eat lettuce and you really don't want to fill up on lettce and have no room left for Protein. My go to when I am at a loss is egg salad, I love it. Also for lunch I will roll up some deli turkey and swiss together. If you are not much of a cook....does your grocery store have pre made food? Mine has a big variety...chicken marsala, eggplant parm, sausage + peppers, stuffed cabbage, etc.
Just try to focus on Protein and veggies and try different things to see what you can tolerate right now.

I wasn't cleared for salad until about 3 months out and I still can't tolerate it very well at 7 months. Some docs say no salad for the first year. Also, the goat cheese may have been ambitious on your new tiny tummy.
Your hunger feeling could be acid - many new sleevers will confuse hunger with acid. I did. I do feel hunger and have felt it for quite some time, but it's different than before surgery. Hungry for me feels more like empty. You'll have to learn what your new hunger feels like.
Also, if something doesn't agree with you early on, like your salad and goat cheese experiment, give it a week or two and try it again. It's going to be trial and error while your tummy is healing.
I eat about every 2-3 hours. In the beginning, like you are a month out, I measured everything. I focused on 1-2 ounces of Protein - turkey breast, chicken breast, deli meat, etc. If I had room for anything else, a bit or two of vegetable or Beans. Know that you may not be able to eat the same amount at every meal. Some times 1 ounce filled me up, others I felt like 2 ounces wasn't enough. Focus on chewing your food 20-25 times and slowing down your eating.

Hi all I had my surgery on Wed thisvis my first time on postop. I feel like I am already missing food 2 days out. I am so used to eating at a certain time I dont know what to do with myself.
I think this is head hunger. Does this get better? Im not hungry I just want the taste of food in my mouth.
Any thoughts? Thanks

I am day 4 of post-op and I wanted to eat so bad. I did the same thing like chewing the food and spitting it. I can't wait to be on full liquid diet

I did the same thing during my first and second week out!!
Literally had the worst head hunger
I chewed foods for the taste and spit it out!
The head hunger goes away fast don't worry too much just concentrate on getting better

i TOTALLY get it.
i'm still pre-op too but last night i had a complete and total melt down about mcdonald's because the fam was eating it and i was feeling all sorry for myself and such. i posted about who eats mcdonalds and this morning i realized just how foolish it sounded.
i too am a food addict. i feel like although i will probably be able to eat most things again, the timeframe is doing me in. also, i don't want to just be in waiting to indulge in the bad things. i really plan to try my very best and just do what they tell me to do. not think outside the box, not cheat (by intention), just have a bit of tunnel vision and press forward. i hope that by the time my 'real' hunger kicks back in post-op, i will be past the addictions and craving only good healthy things.

Hi I am 11 days out and although I am not a food addict I do understand how you feel. I read some articles on head hunger and that helped, I really wasn't that hungry but the clear liquid stage was really really hard. I am at my mom's house and she has all my favorite foods in the fig and cabinets, but the kicker is all the food commercials they really drive me crazy. I could not wait for full liquids because you can eat Soup and yogurt. Hang in there it gets better remember what you did this for, drinking something usually gets rit of that hunger feeling. good luck

One book in particular helped me: "Emotional First + Aid" (the bariatric one).

I was very worried about this too. I am now 5 days post-op. and this is what I've done to try and limit the exposure to 'real food'.
I have several tiny tupperware containers that I fill in the morning with chicken broth, veggie broth, diluted apple juice, and Jello. I am surrounded by them during the day, they are easy to grab, and it's easy to count Fluid ounces.
I stocked up on easy microwave dinners that the kids can eat so I don't have to handle food much.
Next week when I move towards the pureed stage I'll do the same thing except with lots of homemade meals that I will feed to the kids and then puree for me.
Also...I am really trying to emotionally embrace this 'empty' feeling that I normally want to shove full of food. And it IS emotional. Please try not to chew and spit because it will just drag this whole purging process out. The longer you go without those foods the less of a hold they have on you. Chew and spit is like hitting the RESET button and starting from scratch again.
But how AWESOME of you to be Self-Aware enough and Real enough to call yourself out on this!! That shows you are done being in denial and are a strong woman who can totally conquer this tough stage of the process.

I can certainly relate to this! However the more I surround myself with people who are supportive and keep myself busy the better I do. I sometimes find myself laying in bed thinking about how much I wanna chew something, but then I try to tell myself that if I can make it to the morning without giving into that feeling I will be so proud of myself. Don't quit yet and don't be so hard on yourself this has been a real eye opener for me and I am sure others...it is like an alcoholic going without alcohol...it is hard!
Just remember you are not alone. We are all here with you rooting you on!

Im on the pre-op and I sooo want to do that!!! You got this!! Im sure it will pass!

Aww gr8, I haven't even had surgery yet and was thinking if anyone has done that.
you CAN DO THIS!
This is for you. It's only food. U can overcome food. Food is fuel. Food is fuel. I sometimes need to pep talk myself out of that. I hope it kinda helps. U are stronger than food. I try to repeat that as I am pre surgery dieting. And I'm starving.
Crazy I literally had just thought about that the other night.
You are strong! You are beautiful!
YOU CAN DO THIS!!
Katie