bellabloom

Hahahah favorite post ever. You rock. So many people on here are so stuffy. One chick got yelled at for using the word "pissed!" This made me laugh for sure. Good luck!

My heating pad and I are inseparable! It really does help. I'm feeling better little by little and I can't complain I am thrilled with the weight loss!! It's worth it. A few weeks of pain vs a lifetime wasted in misery and poor health.

The way I ate and lived my life before surgery was aging me big time. I feel so much fresher and younger!!

I'm only about 6 weeks out but I'm still amazed and thrilled with my loss of almost 40 lbs!!

Omg. I think you ought to have the police there. Also make sure he does not know your new address !!! He might go nuts. Is there any way you can leave while he is at work ??? Go to a hotel for a few days? I'm scared for you. I know what it's like to be in an abusive situation, although mine wasn't anywhere in the ballpark of yours, but I know what it's like to be with someone who is constantly angry. I'm sorry your going through this. Please be very careful!!

I had a few sips at about four weeks. It didn't make me feel so hot. I had some whisky on the rocks and that was better. I'm not much of a drinker at all, that was the first drink of had in probably a year! But the sugar in wine makes me nervous. I didn't feel like it gave me a buzz faster anyhow ... . Try it! Just be very careful and moderate in your tasting. Your body has been through a lot. My doctor says none for a year and for me I probably won't again for a long long time but every doctor is different

Yes. I am pretty pissed about it. I had family pressure to leave as well as this attitude from my doctor of "most people go home the next day on Tylenol." Well I have been in horrible horrible pain and it's been the worst experience I can't even explain how bad. And my family is overwhelmed with caring for me after two surgeries. It's just been awful. Anyway I'm getting through it. Today I'm feeling a little bit better. Last night was torture. I'm worried though because I'm starting to cough and I have a rattle in my chest. I'm wondering if I'm not not getting sick. It's been a horrible ordeal. My asshole bariatric surgeon has this attitude that I am weak and whimpy and can't deal with pain. I don't get it at all. I've never ran into an attitude like that from a surgeon before. I tried to get in to see my primary care doctor and she couldn't see me and I even emailed her with no response. I'm feeling pretty let down with everyone at this point.

I have a very short list of foods that might be worth cheating on my pouch for. For instance: if I happen to be in Paris, I may allow a single bite of a fruit tart. Next time I'm in Brazil I'll have a taste of rice and Beans prepared in the Brazilian style. Next time I'm in Northern California, I may taste a south East Asian sandwich the way it was done while I was in college. Like I said. It's a VERY short list. Day to day? I would never risk my second chance at health and being thin over a sparkling verses non sparkling beverage. People say this surgery is the easy way out. For me it's been one of the hardest things I've ever done. The pain, the emotions, the huge life changes. I would never give up all that hard work blood sweat and tears over a food. It's not worth it, not for a second. When I struggle with temptation I remind myself how many great foods there are that fit into my life now, I pull out my before photos and I remember how miserable I was. I go shopping or get dressed nice to remind myself how good I feel. I keep my mind on the prize

No added sugar doesn't mean sugar free. You need to check the back. It's a tricky marketing ploy to make things seem healthier. We didn't add any sugar to this already sweetened chocolate ice cream!!! Read the labels!!

I don't know why they sent me home from the hospital so early. I'm in so much pain still I wish I was on stronger pain meds. They damaged my throat and it hurts like hell I'm considering going back to the hospital today and asking to be readmitted

In fitness and working out diet approaches, stalled are handled by shocking the body by a change. Either food or workout related or both. The body begins to get accustomed to the same thing and it starts to accumulate and work to conserve your weight because we are evolved to prevent weight loss. You can try dropping your carbs down. I'm not sure how many you eat but you could do a few days of very low carbs (below 30 grams ) and then a week or so of 50 grams. At the same time increase your Protein by ten grams a day. Add in weight training. Lifting weights works by increasing your metabolism all day long, biting calories while you do it, and adding muscle which means your body has to now permanently burn more calories to keep your weight the same. So your metabolism is faster and hotter. The perfect way to lose weight. Add in cardio but if your already doing it, either do it for longer or go harder at it. Also use intervals. Interval training in cardio, for instance walking two minutes, jogging one minute, running 30 seconds, repeat, is a huge boost for your metabolism. It's the best form of cardio you can do and also the easiest and fastest way to get it done. All of these things will shock your body and break your stall. And if you hit another, change again and your body will again break the stall.

Strained soups and tomato soup. Trying to keep from doing things that made me feel triggered to eat like watching tv. Taking it very easy, some good books to read. Family and friend and cleaned out cabinets and fridge so that I didn't have old foods stating me in the face. Head hunger was hard for me. It's so habitual for us to eat and it's a pattern in our lives and one had to break that cycle. Kind of like biting your nails. Repetitive habits take time to go away. Try to find things to keep your mind off of those activities. As much as you can keep your mind off of food the better. I liked the Protein drinks, that are probably the best food for you the first week. Warm broth and tea, very light food. Greek yogurt was much too thick for me, I prefer the sugar free fat free vanilla activia yogurt. There just isn't much variety I'm afraid. It's best to start letting food go and keeping yourself distracted

Yes. So much yes. Food is a real pain sometimes

My son looked at me with pride the other day ( he is six) and said mommy your looking skinny! He is my angel and I would do,anything for him and I think it boosts their confidence when they see us feeling and looking confident. The love us and they need us to be strong and healthy. Whether that is being confident being overweight or being thinner, what matters is that we are able spend time with them and show our strength of life and our presence in their lives. I was so,depressed and messed up eating junk all the time, food running my life it was taking me away from him and now I am fee!!!

That is so touching it brings tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing and I'm totally empathetic on how you feel. My kids friends would ask them " is your mommy going to have a baby?" My belly was so big they thought I was pregnant. It's so hard when our choices or medical issues affect our children. It's heartbreaking like nothing else.

Thank you guys!! I have had some ups and down with another health issue that helped me lose about five pounds more than I probably would have, but most of it is just from this new way of eating!! I follow my plan but I don't do the carbs I am allowed because carbs were a real problem for me and I don't want to slip back into that pattern again. I always keep my carbs under 50 a day. Most of the time they are around 20-30 a day. I believe this is the key. I eat between 300-500 calories a day of primarily lean Protein and solid forms of it, not liquid. I got rid of the Protein shakes at two weeks. My surgeon encourages me to eat low calorie and not to drink my calories in any form even protein. He say 400-500 calories a day for the first six months is great. The point of the surgery is for your body to live on your fat. With so few calories it is vital that I eat mostly protein to hit my protein goal. I don't stress abouthitting the goal though. I usually get about 30-55 grams per day. I am still in early days and I feel confident my protein will go up over time as I learn and perfect my new lifestyle. I don't agree that eating more calories leads to weight.oos because I don't believe in starvation mode. I agree that protein is essential for our bodies and eating enough of it is very important but I would never increase calories when I hit a stall. I just keep on going and it breaks, I increase my excessive, my Water, have a bowel movement, and it brakes. I don't stress. I am pretty active with my job because I'm a pro photographer and am alays hiking out to locations. I try to find spots that are a good 30-60 minute walk there and back at least once a week. I like to workout and am getting back into it slowly, but easy on it because I have a back problem. I believe that lifting weights, not cardio is the key to weight loss. It revs up your metabolism like nothing else. It is the cure for stalls and it also makes us lose numbers and inches faster!!!! Lifting weights is my wonder drug. Right now I do short easy circuit training routines with my weights at the gym or at home. I am building up to more but so far I stated doing it last week, 2 times a week with two circuits, weights about 8 pounds. My arms are starting to look great!! Here is a typical day for me: Am I get up and drink some water, take Vitamins and meds I have a very small Breakfast as I don't care for food in the morning most of the time. A string cheese, a sugar free fat free yoplait, a piece of turkey lunch meat, an egg. I drink water on my way to daycare school and work. Lunch About 1 pm I get hungry and have lunch. I love sushimi (raw fish) Mexican fish tacos without the rice or tortilla just grilled fish and salsa and Beans, tuna fish salad, tomatoes with mozzarella, chicken chili, tomato Soup, pulled pork meat, hamburger meat with no bun, omelet with mushrooms and tomato and cheese. I won't want to eat agin sometimes all day depending on what and how much I had. I like an iced decaf coffee in the afternoon as my water. dinner At dinner I cook for my family and I have a very small amount of what they are eating, or if it isn't appropriate I make food for just me. Think protein, vegetable. I love tofu and stir fries without the rice. Sometimes I let myself have a little bit of brown rice (1-2 tblsp or some baked potato as it's pretty low carb). I have stayed away from fruit. It makes me dump. If I skip dinner I may have a my meal before bed, meat leftovers or maybe a little soup if I stay up really late but pretty much I'm done at dinner, if I even eat it. Sometimes I have to skip dinner because I'm still too full from lunch because the protein keeps one full a very long time. I don't do Snacks, I don't graze. My snacks are my water/ low calorie drinks and my vitamins. My dessert is my Calcium chew!! I don't do sugar free stuff much. I don't like the chemicals or the sweetness, and most of it is snack food anyhow. I focus on LEAN WHOLE FOODS that are unprocessed as much as possible. When I cook I cook very yummy flavorful food because I only eat a little but of it and I want it to be good. The more I eat at one sitting, the less I eat later. It balances out pretty well. I've gotten into a good routine. I love low calorie sauces and dressings with my food. I measure these out though just to be sure I'm not over doing them. I track with my fitness pal daily and I only weigh myself once a week now because it can ruin my day if I do it too often. A couple other things: I have been moisturizing my skin with a tightening moisturizer from oil of Olay and it's making a big difference in the firmness of my skin. It's also making my skin look younger and look tighter!! I take extra good care of my skin. If I do eat a bit on the heavy side one day or meal, I don't beat myself up. I simply make a note of it and try to learn from it and sort out why. When I get full, I stop!!! I have stopped eating from emotions and now eat for fuel and pleasure. I only out food that is really good in my mouth. Why bother with anything else when I get so little? I don't eat unconsciously. I tune in and I pay attention to the cues my body gives which are loud and clear, and then I put the fork down. I do struggle with eating a tiny bit fast, but I'm working on it. I find eating things I really have to chew slows me down a lot. So it's a good thing to have to chew. Gain liquid calories are a huge no no. They don't keep one full and you don't have to chew them. Your body digests them too easily. I would advise no Protein Drinks as soon as you've passed into the soft phases. My struggles Getting my vitamins every time. I still haven't gotten used to them and I hate the taste of the multi bitumen but I'm working on it, looking for other options. I can't wait to be able to swallow than!! Sometimes I don't eat enough in a day. I tire of foods easily and am very busy so it can be hard to carve out time to eat each day. It's hard to get variety and find things I like now. My tastes have changed. I don't like processed food so I have to cook a lot. I believe this will get better as I can eat more fresh veggies and learn new habits. I don't worry about it. One or two 200 calorie days every couple weeks won't kill me. I don't force myself to eat. I eat out a lot because I commute to work and I have to pack lunches in the morning- it's hard to think about what to pack for me. I like eating out and have found some great options but it's not sow,thing to do daily. I used to eat out almost 100% of the time and I hated cooking. All that is changed. So I'm getting. Microwave for my office and I'll take the dinner I made the night before as my lunch. And that's it! Simple. Low carb and calorie. (I'm not in ketosis yuck. It's not that low) 500 per day average. When I work out more I will go to 800 most likely. Lean clean protein. Whole unprocessed foods with chemicals and additives. Home cooked meals. Water and vitamins. Workout three to four times a week for 3o min especially weight lifting. Thanks everyone for your thoughts!! I'd love to hear about you progress and what your doing each day!!

I actually did about ten mini shrimp the other day. I pan cook them in garlic salt lime juice and lemon pepper. Yummmmmmmmmmy!!!!

No way honey!!! No way. It will stretch your pouch. Maybe not all at once but over time. Diet coke causes weight gain. Research it. There have been many studies to support it. It's terrible for you, very hard on your stomach and could give you an ulcer. It has a ton of chemicals in it which are awful for you and your new lifestyle. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512,00.html Must read this. Start exploring new things. Perhaps iced decaf tea? Decaf coffee chilled with a little cream? Crystal light.

No way honey!!! No way. It will stretch your pouch. Maybe not all at once but over time. Diet coke causes weight gain. Research it. There have been many studies to support it. It's terrible for you, very hard on your stomach and could give you an ulcer. It has a ton of chemicals in it which are awful for you and your new lifestyle. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512,00.html Must read this. Start exploring new things. Perhaps iced decaf tea? Decaf coffee chilled with a little cream? Crystal light.

Also be careful with plain water. For some people it can be hard on their stomach. If it hurts to drink it (hopefully it won't!) then you can mix in crystal light, cucumber slices, etc to eeze the discomfort

Wow you are amazing. I can't believe you did clears for long!! I would have lost it totally. I had such bad head hunger after surgery I actually chewed up food and spit it out a couple times without swallowing any and that really helped. On clears? I would have cried and cried!!! I am so impressed you are a rock star.

You can take almost any soup and add a little Water and then put it through a strainer. I even did this with chili. You get the taste and none of the liquid. The mental head hunger is rough!!! I really struggled with it myself. It lasted for the first few weeks and was made worse by typical eating triggers for me, which used to be watching tv and reading

No of course you didn't. Stretching your pouch is much harder than that and is a gradual process that happens over time when you abuse carbonation, over eating to the point of pain on a regular basis, etc. it's not easy to do at all. It's good that you could handle so much but take caution. You may feel terribly full from it to the point of discomfort. Your already going to be swollen from the air in your tummy, the trama of surgery, etc. if you don't take it easy you could feel even more bloated and miserable. In the first three days home to a week, take a Dixie cup and measure out 2 ounces of you food. This is your meal and it should take you several minutes to consume it. You can do this 6 times a day and focus on your fluids the other times. This will keep you from feeling horribly bloated and also gradually ease you into eating your liquids. Take it really slow and introduce food one type at a time. That way you can tell if anything upsets you. The mental food cravings can be really tough the first week or two. It will pass I promise. Your body needs a lot of time to digest even just a couple of ounces. Anyhow hang in there and take it slow. I went home and tried to eat everything on my suggested meal plan for week one and ended up really uncomfortable !!! I called my nut after a couple days and she explained this to me. Your stomach is now the size of a small egg. Liquids slip though so it's not exact but pretty much that's the size. Even just your Vitamins and the room they take up will be like a meal to you right now!

Right before surgery Progress

I would call your doctor to be safe.