Aprile3211

Hi everyone.... let's talk about constipation.... a subject that's likely to give you the shits !!! lol I had my sleeve done back in October, 2014, and I never had constipation before that, but now I feel like my bottom end is plugged up with a giant cork. I feel like my diet is pretty good.... For Breakfast I have half an English Muffin spread with Liverworst.... For lunch I'll have the other half of the English Muffin with some Vegemite.... and for dinner I usually have a Healthy Choice Meal. When I have a cup of tea (usually about 3 times a day), I always add 2 teaspoons of Benefibre (as recommended by my surgeon). I also drink lots of Water and nothing else. I'd like to eat more fruit & vegies, but by the time I've eaten the Protein first, there's no room left in my stomach. The only other side effect I have from the sleeve is that I can't drink & eat at the same time, otherwise my stomach gurgles, which can be an odd sensation. So I'm just wondering how other people are managing this icky situation. I wish you all every success and a brilliant day !!! Cheers, Aprile.

Hi Naomi, Have a look at your messages..... I sent you one. Yes, it would be great to meet up..... let me know when you're coming through Bathurst next. Cheers, Aprile.

Hi everyone, Thank you all for your replies, comments and help. I seem to have fixed the problem by adding prunes to my diet. I soak them in Water overnight, so they're nice and juicy the next day. I eat about 6 of them, twice a day..... problem solved !!! Yayyy !!! lol Hope you're all having a fabulous week & keep up the good work ! Cheers, Aprile. {:-)

Campbelltown is not that far away.... only about two hours from me. {:-)

I KNOW you can...... I KNOW you can .... and you WILL !!!!

I suffered quite badly from "food envy" every time my husband would toast some crumpets and I couldn't have any. I would literally burst into tears, which made him feel bad and then I would feel bad for making him feel bad, etc. I just loved the smell of crumpets and toast with honey, but knew I couldn't have any. I was both sad and angry and wallowed in self pity every time I couldn't eat something.... but I kept telling myself... "it's not going to be like this forever.... keep your eye on the prize.... you're going to be beautiful again soon", .... and that's what kept me going. Funny thing.... Two months after my surgery, I toasted a crumpet for myself (which I was REALLY looking forward to) and I found that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. lol So do your best to push through the food jealousy.... and remember all the reasons why you're doing this. Also remember that you WILL eat normal food again, but in much smaller portions, which WILL satisfy you. Also, if you're feeling sad... make yourself a cup of tea, grab a magazine, go out into the sunshine (or take a bath) and try to take your mind off of it. You WILL be able to do this and after the surgery you will wonder what all the fuss was about because you're going to look and feel fantastic !!! I wish you all the very best of luck and have a fabulous day !! Cheers. {:-)

I was born in Sydney, Australia, but now live about three hours west from there, near a little country town called Bathurst. A truly beautiful place to live. {:-)

Yes, this story is very sad. However, I'm pretty sure his doctor and/or surgeon would of referred him to a nutritionist who would have explained "healthy" eating to him, but obviously he chose not to heed their advice. We all know how addictive junk food can be and when faced with a bag of chicken McNuggets, it's just way too easy to eat them instead of preparing a healthy chicken salad. I'm actually surprised that he was able to gain back so much weight after the bypass, as his stomach capacity would not have been large enough. I wish everyone on here every success with their weight loss journey and I hope we can all learn to love our life and it to the fullest. Cheers.

To xmaleengyx..... I was extremely nervous and anxious about getting the sleeve done. I thought "why do I have to take such a drastic measure to lose weight..... OMG, I'm having 80% of my perfectly healthy stomach removed.... why why why ???". I found the reason.... my stomach was NOT making me healthy..... it had become my enemy during my life-long battle with the bulge. It had to go ! I was so tired of yo-yo dieting.... I wanted to put a stop to it once and for all. That's why I chose the sleeve.... because it was permanent.... no going back..... weight loss gone forever !!! So I bit the bullet and had it done on Oct 7th, 2014. I had a difficult time in hospital after the op, because the hospital staff would bring me food (only chicken broth, apple juice, cup of tea) and I thought "if they gave it to me, I can eat it all". How wrong I was !! Only have a few sips of the broth and STOP ! Only have a few sips of the juice and STOP. Forget about drinking the tea. You will NOT starve.... Don't eat all the food they place in front of you..... you WILL feel excruciating pain !! For a few weeks post op... only consume about a quarter cup of liquid food until you heal. I am now 3 months post op and can eat anything I like, but in extremely smaller portions. I can now eat and drink socially without too many problems. People know that I am "on a diet" and they respect my choices to eat only small amounts. I do sometimes feel as though I'm missing out. I went to a Chinese restaurant with a group of friends last week.... while everyone else tucked into the banquet, I just ordered Satay Chicken and placed 3/4 of it into my tupperware container (which I always carry with me now). I felt sad because I could no longer eat what everyone else was eating and trying all the different dishes.... but had to remember.... that's why I was so FAT !! I would also think it's not fair.... all these other people can eat like horses and they're not fat, so why can't I ?? Probably because my metabolism isn't like theirs, and I hate exercise and therefore don't exercise. I hate seeing people waste food.... when I see left-over food, I want to eat it. But I can stop myself now and try not to look at it. I take all my left-overs home, so I feel good knowing that I'm not being wasteful. I don't miss being ABLE to eat, because I CAN still eat.... and eat anything.... even chocolate !! However, my portion sizes are extremely small, but that's okay, because when your sleeve tells you you're full, you don't want anymore anyway. I'm now extremely grateful that I've had the sleeve done. I have so far lost 28 kilos. I can now get out of my chair much easier... my clothes fit me better.... my friends compliment me all the time..... I have more energy..... I no longer take blood pressure medication.... and I'm feeling more "normal". I still have about another 20 kilos to lose and it's coming off much slower now (about half a kilo a week), which is okay. Sometimes I still go the fridge and want to pig-out, but I know I'll feel sick afterwards and wonder "why did I do that", so I try not to go there now. I still struggle with "head hunger", but I'm sure that will ease with time. I no longer think "why me... it's not fair".... because I feel so good now, it doesn't matter. Oh by the way... the monetary savings are great.... no more big food bills. On a funnier note.... you'll also save on toilet paper, because you don't to the toilet half as much after the having the sleeve. And I love NOT having to get up in the middle of the night now to go to the loo.... which means more sleep... fantastic !! So, I say... "go for it.... have the sleeve.... have no regrets.... learn to love life again and forget about food ruling your life and dominating every thought in your head like it did before.... food is an addictive habit that's well worth kicking !!" I wish you all the very best with your new zest for life !! Cheers.

I'm happy to eat out, so long as it's not a "set price" buffet, as I feel I don't get good value because I can't eat much and they won't allow me just to share my husband's plate or take a doggy-bag. If I know I'm going to a restaurant, I will take a tupperware container with me. No matter what I order from the menu, I will always place at least half of it in my container and take it home. I take my own container because some restaurants don't supply doggy-bags or they don't encourage you to take food away. I can eat just about any foods on the menu, but of course in much smaller portions. Or I may just use my bread & butter plate and pinch some of my husband's meal. The main thing I'm finding a little difficult to adjust to is not being able to drink with my meal, as I usually always like to wash down my food. I only ever drink Water, so now I just take baby sips with my food if I have to. If I drink too much, it makes my stomach gurgle, which can be a little uncomfortable. I'm still battling with "head hunger" and think that I can eat more than I can, but my sleeve soon tells me otherwise. At restaurants, the entrée sizes are good, but they're not always the most economical, as an entrée can sometimes be almost as expensive as a main meal. So I order a main meal and then just take most of it home, which makes the value much better.