FrankyG

Wow, did your doctor tell you that mashed potatoes was an okay food to eat that early? And no, you won't feel a restriction if you're eating mostly liquids or very mushy foods because they flow right through the stomach valve. Please follow your doctor's advice as far as what you are allowed to eat and the quantities (MEASURE EVERYTHING!!!). You're endangering your current recovery from surgery - you had MAJOR surgery and your stomach is very damaged and swollen - stop pushing it to do too much too soon. And if you're eating things not on your approved list (like potatoes) please just stop. We all know how hard it is when you smell/see something you really want to eat, but stick with the doctor's plan - they want you to be safe and relearn how to eat foods the right way!! And simple carbs like potatoes are not a good thing to get re-addicted to either As soon as you start on the solids you'll be very aware of the restriction.

I wouldn't think so at all. It is high carb/low Protein, so bad to use at any point really for daily or even weekly consumption. But definitely stay away from it within the beginning stages after surgery (I'd avoid it completely forever, but that's me). But you should ask your doc/nutritionist if you want a definite answer.

My doc said if a leak was going to happen it happens in the first few days/week. But that's just what I was told by my specific doctor, so I'd ask your doctor for what they have experienced.

You are doing great, please don't compare yourself to others because it really is something you can't control. Your body will lose at the rate it decides. Wanted to also mention that as you lose weight, all the hormones stored in the fat you're losing gets flushed back into your system and can cause epic mood swings - depression and anger and weeping are common throughout this time and could last months and months. Just a heads up so you don't freak out, and also just in case you already are feeling so down without really knowing why - don't get caught up in the feelings of worthlessness or depression because they are being ruled by that hormone dump right now!

No idea, since there are a variety of reasons you could be burping. It could be that since you're still healing, your stomach is producing gas that causes burps. It could be acid reflux. (but most docs put you on PPI drugs for the first month or so to ward this off) It could be you're drinking things too fast and swallowing air which will come back up as burps. It could be your signal that you need to stop eating/drinking (that's my "full" signal and I know stop as soon as I start burping). Suggest you ask your doctor if it is very concerning!

The simple answer is that we are addicts. Just like an alcoholic, food is used to cover up and mask pain/sadness/anger and we've abused it and our bodies for so long, it becomes difficult to stop on our own. Surgery is one answer, but it does require hard work, and some people go into it with the mistaken belief that the surgery "fixes" you so that you can eat whatever you want without dieting, or without dealing with the psychological issues of why they got to this point in the first place. I had issues with three different aspects: I had no sense of portion control. I would eat every bite on my plate and go back for more almost every time. I binge ate frequently. There was a definite loss of control sometimes - since I was using food as a comfort when I was sad/depressed. But no amount of food would ever fill the empty/sad space inside me. That was a big thing I needed to deal with in therapy. I ate horrible things - junk food, fast food, high fat/salt/carbs. I ate good things too, but the amount and frequency I ate the awful stuff really cancelled out the good foods. The only thing that the sleeve fixes permanently is the portion control, and even then it is possible to cheat yourself by eating soft foods like cake or ice cream that slide right through the sleeve. It provides a temporary fix as far as the ravenous hunger and the early days where you can't eat high sugar or fat without it causing you to feel sick, but that wears off. After that, if a person hasn't committed to changing their eating habits and really their entire relationship with food (seeing it as a fuel source instead of using it as self-medication), then they are not taking this seriously enough and likely will fail. I realized early on that it was on me to use the small amount of time to fix the other things wrong with my relationship with food. And it is hard work. But if you're not willing to put in the work, you need to see that you're throwing away the opportunity the sleeve gives you to get your life back, and that is really, really sad. I get craving stuff that is on the "bad" list. The thing is, once you've achieved goal, you should be okay to indulge in things every once in a while. But they are very rare treats, and I look for healthy alternatives, like only eating low carb, whole wheat bread or adjusting my calories if I know I want to have a slice of cake for a special occasion. This is the way normal people eat. They do well 90% of the time so they can have little treats and not feel deprived

Slider food generally are foods that "slide" through your sleeve without issues so that means you can eat waaaay more of the food than you should, since you never feel really full. My doc said be VERY aware of anything that turns to mush in Water (like bread, crackers, cake), or melts (like ice cream or slushees) as they are a danger food you should avoid. But things like nuts and seeds can be chewed up into mush, and since they are so high calorie/fat, eating them could also mean if you're not measuring them and being careful with your portions and calorie counts, you could eat way more fat/calories than you should because it's easy to mindlessly eat foods like we used to when the restriction isn't felt. You have to work with your sleeve and not try to sneak foods through it that don't trigger the restriction. That's one of the other reasons (once you're cleared to eat normally) that most doctors push for you to eat dense Protein first and then veggies with Fiber - it is because they sit in your sleeve for some time as they are broken down and digested so you feel the restriction early and stop eating, and then feel full longer since it takes them much longer to break down.

If you're hitting your doctor's targets for Protein and calories, then continue to eat the snacks/shakes as long as it is working for you. It's not an issue how often you eat as long as you're getting what you need - 3 meals or 6 little ones - it's all good. I loved Kroger's carbmaster line of yogurts both as a meal and snack. I think they are 60 calories, 9 grams of protein and 4 carbs and they had lots of flavors. I have Mootopia milk but it's only available from HEB grocery stores in Texas I think, but Fairlife milk is pretty much the same thing. They reduce the sugar/lactose/carbs and increase the protein and it tastes great. This is great when you need a quick snack. As far as things to eat in the soft food stage, I loved refried Beans with a bit of greek yogurt (plain tastes like sour cream but has more protein) or a little shredded cheese. Cottage cheese, soft baked fish (I baked it with lemon/butter and some spices), tuna fish with a bit of mayo also were my go-to meals.

Seeds, nuts, popcorn... all of that I was told to wait until I was cleared for solid food (no restrictions on foods at all other than "eat healthy foods"). So I think that was about 3 months? And honestly, the popcorn is just slider crud, so I don't eat it at all any more. Actually, nuts and seeds, while good for you in small quantities, can be slider foods so you have to be very careful to measure and track the portions.

I don't know what the dreaded C is? Constipation? If so, yeah, everyone experiences that, I think. Once you get to add in more Fiber, it helps tremendously. Your taste buds will be off for a while. I didn't really care much about food (other than the stuff I couldn't eat) for the first couple of months, but eventually things start tasting decent again. Still can't eat high sugar anything (not that I want to even try at this point) as it tastes gross to me.

Aldi has bagged garden salads for under $1 (just had a sale on them for 69¢). I buy a few of them, make up my own salad and could throw them in a insulated lunch bag to take on the road/work. Even with cheese, Protein (shrimp or chicken) and dressing and things like avocado (also cheap at Aldi - regular avocados go for 29¢), I am spending about $5 for days of salads that are way tastier than someplace like Subway. And it takes me about 15 minutes to prep several salads and throw the containers in the fridge to pull out as needed. I'll be it takes longer to drive to the fast food joints and wait in line every day. Even regular grocery stores have decent sales on salads (if you don't have an Aldi near you). I used to buy the kits, but they're high in fat and carbs sometimes, so I just buy the greens and add-ins separately.

My god that sounds awful! So glad you're going to be okay. Hope the pain and scary stuff goes away fast.

Sashimi is thicker cuts of fish with no rice at all. That's usually what I eat. Once I was cleared for soft foods (I think at like 6 weeks?) I ate sashimi. So good and good Protein (usually get salmon, but love me some red snapper and tuna as well). I do eat 1-2 pieces of a sushi roll now but I'm about 1.5 years out from surgery and I still try not to eat that much rice any more. It's yummy, but fills you up too much and the fish is way better anyway.

Diet pills are not the answer. Figuring out why you're letting yourself eat crap foods or binging (you don't really say what your issue is) means you are facing a control/willpower issue. You still have the restriction so it's just a matter of getting that control back. You can do this! You should try going back to basics: Protein, veggies and complex carbs and getting in a minimum of 64 oz of Water. There is even a 5 day pouch reset that mimics the food stages from the beginning that can help clear out the simple carb cravings if you've been eating way too much of that (because the more you eat, the more you want to eat of that crap). http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html If you are dealing with triggers like stress that are causing you to weaken, then address that as well. If it is seriously an issue then it might be a good idea to find a counselor to help you find non food ways to feel better and to work away from binging and eating foods as self-medication. Go back to tracking every bite, every sip. Get back into doing regular exercise if you've stopped. Recognize that you have to be accountable for your role in this, and use the tool you were given instead of trying to find a short cut (like pills). You'll be much better off than screwing up your metabolism with crap stuff like diet pills or crash diets. And stop bringing bad foods into your house or eating out at bad places. If you don't have the bad stuff in front of you or easily accessible, then you won't be as likely to eat it.

It begins pretty much as soon as you have surgery. You will have the possibility of gain right after due to the fluids and drugs they pump into you, but once you are about a week or two out, the weight loss comes pretty easy (despite the stalling - everyone stalls and there will be many of them). The honeymoon phase lasts around 12-18 months according to my doctor. That's when it's pretty easy to just stick to a basic meal plan, drink your Water and get some exercise and you'll see actual weight loss without working super hard. Once you are past that time, it is still possible to lose, just that your body's metabolism has adjusted to how and what you eat and your activity levels (established a new weight set point), so you will have to work harder, pay attention to your food (especially if you're still wanting to lose) and ramp up activity to keep your metabolism up. So it will be similar to what normal people without weight issues (or metabolic problems caused by frequent dieting) experience. For me personally, I was a slow loser after the first month or three. But I still lost weight. By about the year mark, I was still able to lose 5-7 pounds a month but it was harder than the first 6 months. I'm still working towards goal and know how it works now - reduce my carbs and watch the caloric intake and keep moving.

Mashed potatoes are not really that great anyway for WLS. They are very high carb. You can make them using Protein powder to bump up the protein, but in general, there are much better choices out there that are a whole lot less carby. So sorry you have the overfull feeling tho. I think we've all been there. It gets better.

I didn't have any issues with it, but I did stop eating the imitation stuff and started eating the real crab meat because the fake stuff is much higher in carbs due to the filler junk they add. Just in case you didn't see the info on the label, cause it didn't occur to me to read it for many meals (one of the reasons I obsessively read all nutritional labels now )

Nope, there's nothing you can do to stop losing hair. You'll continue to lose hair for a little longer due to the lack of Protein and stress that you have already experienced. The only thing you can do is to make sure to hit your protein and Water goals going forward so that the length of time you lose hair is minimized. Some take Biotin or Gelatin (eat lots of sugar free jello) to speed up the process of regrowth, and that can help a bit. But mostly just camouflage the thinning if it's really bad by using hair styles that hide thin areas, wear hats or scarves, and even look into powders that mask really thin areas (ask your hairdresser or check out a beauty supply store for products like Toppik hair building fibers). Mostly just remember - it's temporary, and unless it is REALLY bad, you're probably the only one that notices it. Your hair will come back and it will be okay!

Seem to hit about 75 grams a day average, but have gotten as low as 20 and as high as 150 depending.

Another forum I inhabit is a frugal living board, and everyone that does glasses/contacts swears by Zenni Optical. http://www.zennioptical.com/ I think they have a way to tell how to fit glasses on there and they have a decent return policy too. I plan on using them next year myself (we just got very expensive but not very satisfactory glasses from America's Best about two years ago, so I'd been researching glasses places as my vision has definitely changed AGAIN... sigh).

So sorry you're feeling bad. It gets better every single day. Keep sipping fluids and get up and walk at least a few minutes every hour that you're awake and you'll start feeling better soon. And if you're in pain, do take your meds ASAP and don't try to tough it out. And if it's because things are hard to get down, try sugar free popsicles or cold drinks alternating with warm broth. Sometimes alternating cold and warm helps with the swelling.

I'm not an old timer, but I'm closing in on 1.5 years and still working towards my goal. Weight doesn't come off as easy now, but it is still coming off. It's harder, but I know what I'm doing now and it involves working a bit harder and being mindful of what I eat. I think this is how regular people lose weight? So for me, WLS was the big push to change my life completely. I committed to having a life-altering and permanent surgery to combat my inability to control portions and used that time to relearn how to eat healthy. I have lost 112 pounds so far and I'm sure I'll make it to goal before my 2 year anniversary. I got in touch with the reasons why I overate/ate the wrong foods. I worked on my mental blocks, cravings and portion control issues. I focused on finding enjoyable activities that didn't feel like work so I would keep at it instead of forcing myself to exercise. I learned to cook foods that were healthy and tasty for myself and my husband so he now enjoys eating healthy with me (and he has lost 75 pounds just from joining me on my food/exercise changes - without even having surgery!) I know what to do if the weight starts creeping up. I know what foods to stay away from, and I know how I feel if I don't exercise and keep active. I won't go back to what I was, and I won't make excuses about it if I do gain - I'll just watch what I'm eating and my activity levels and adjust where there is a problem. There is no failure unless you give up and I don't plan to ever give up. I am not the person I was 1.5 year ago. I will never be that person again. I am happier, healthier and more honest with myself and I have a great future with my husband because I chose to follow this path instead of accepting my fate to be the fat, unhealthy person I was and likely dying at an early age because I couldn't get a handle any of it. The ones that regain are the ones that don't take those lessons to heart. They don't use the time they have to throw out all their awful eating habits, learn how to eat healthy, exercise and deal with the mental issues that caused them to use food as comfort/reward/whatever. They gave up on themselves basically and treated WLS as a cure-all instead of as a tool they had to learn to use and put in the hard work to use it correctly. We all have a short period of time where the weight will come off without hard work, but that is temporary and weight will creep back on if you don't make all those changes. If you're not willing to put in the work, then you may very likely regain.

I was allowed to drink anything that was low/no calorie and specifically was told it was okay to have diet soda.

You should be fine as long as you're not doing other nicotine - vaping or patches/gum. That give you a quit date of around 2 months out from your surgery. Nicotine metabolizes into cotinine. Nicotine can be detected in your saliva, urine and breath (moisture molecules) for up to 3 days after quitting; cotinine can be detected in blood/urine for up to 3-4 weeks. If they do a hair strand test, that can detect back months. But most tests are going to be either blood or urine. And yes, vaping or nicotine patches/gum will count. Quitting months out from surgery mean much better blood flow, vascular health, healing is faster, and less chance of developing blood clots and lung conditions.

And also so you don't wash foods through your pouch too fast, thereby allowing you eat more than you should.