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Alex, This is a great topic! I find talking to others on this site that our experiences are so very different. I agree with the thought that the surgery is very important but the pre op and post op care for years to come really is the most critical. That is where the complications come in if there is little follow up care. I used the Park Nicollet Bariatric Center of Excellence In Minneapolis and I am thrilled with my team. And when I say team, I have a bariatrician who meets with you before and after surgery at key intervals. I have a Bariatric nurse (by the way all their nurses have had some type of WLS), I have a nutritionist, a physical therapist, a psychologist and finally the surgeon. pre op - I met with a Bariatric nurse that was assigned to me, a nutritionist that was assigned to me and a bariatrician for the initial consultation which happens after attending a class led by the Bariatric nurses. Then once per month I would meet with my nut and my Bariatric nurse. I met with my psychologist twice before surgery and the surgeon once I was approved by the psychologist to decide what type of surgery That was suited best for me. After surgery I had regular follow ups with the nut and the Bariatric nurse at 1 week, 4 weeks, and then monthly until 6 months. Then I met with a bariatrician at 6 & 9 and again will meet with him at 1 year. Recently I had spine surgery and they went in through my throat making eating nearly impossible. I called them from the hospital and they immediately asked to see me for guidance. My relationship with this team is very personal. We hug every time we see each other. They set me up with a line by line manual to follow post surgery. I feel because of this team I was set up to win right from the start. I can call them any time for guidance or if I have a problem. I always feel bad when I meet someone on BP and they have received little to no guidance. I would have been lost without my team. I have even moved states and purchased a health care plan that considers Park Nicolette in network. I make the 6 hour drive because the care is incredible. I wish others had that kind of program.

I miss Water parks! I have not done that since I gained all my weight. Congratulations! What a great NSV.

If you mean 8 oz. of yogurt, I still can't do that and I am 10 months post op. I would probably throw up. At your stage I was lucky if I could get 2 tablespoons in and I would feel uncomfortable. I also was on Clear Liquids the whole first week and then full liquids the week after. I had bypass surgery so maybe this was different but you really risk damage at this stage if you overeat or eat the wrong foods. Is there a reason you ate that much and a timeframe in which you did it? If it took you longer than 30 minutes this may be a slider food for you. I would stick to your post op diet exactly if you want to remain complication free. Good luck!

I hope you have a safe surgery and speedy recovery! Good luck today and see you on the other side.

@@Karlnjax, @@keddykat75, I hope you both have a safe surgery and speedy recovery! Sending thoughts and prayers your way.

I love peeled apple slices with Peanut Butter. One of my favorite Snacks. I share it with my hubby because I cannot eat a whole apple. I also make a lettuce salad with fresh sliced strawberries or apple or nectarines in it, some feta cheese, some cashews and a little creamy poppyseed dressing. Sometimes I will grill a chicken breast and add a few ounces for du her or lunch. One of my favorites, I get fruits incorporated, with veggies and Protein.

@@libbyd Welcome and congratulations on your upcoming surgery! If I can be of any help, feel free to reach out!

@@francheskii Yes, that first six weeks is the hardest. Head hunger is just not nice and you have to learn to go do other things. In my personal experience I would think about all the stuff I shouldn't be and when the time came that I could eat regular food, I was very careful to avoid trigger foods. Well, during a week long art cruise that was given to me and my husband, we were in New York and attended a required dinner. Well it was at Carmine's which is known for their incredible Italian food. Pasta is a trigger food for me and there wasn't anything else to eat so I tried a bite of pasta. Guess what! I didn't even like it! Have not had to touch it since. I no longer think about it. Same thing with most sugary foods. Now I crave cheese, good Proteins, nuts, seeds, fresh vegetables. It will get better! I promise.

I just sent you a friend request and private message.

@@Inner Surfer Girl I love how fresh tomatoes taste right now. Almost every day I eat 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and fresh sliced tomatoes with a little salt and pepper on them. I go to the farmers market every Saturday and touch all the tomatoes! LOL! My husband always tells the vendors that "my wife is going to manhandle your tomatoes now. @@Daisee68, I almost forgot, another vegetable that I eat a lot of and used to hate is zucchini! This week I am going to make zucchini boats for dinner. Low carb and delicious. They are also good sautéed or grilled with a little seasoning on them. Yum!

I had to chuckle at your melting comment! That is exactly what this is like. It starts at the top and just melts down until you have all this lovely hanging skin. I feel like a Sharpei dog! I know I would lose another 2 sizes if not for all this extra skin at my arms, legs and tummy. Oh, and my rear is completely gone flat! What the heck! Most pants I try on are loose in the but but tight in the waist. I am currently wearing a 31 inch waist. When I started my waist was a 46/48. If not for the loose skin it would be much smaller. The other thing is my neck and shoulders are getting so thin that all the bones and tendons are sticking out, and I feel hip bones again. So yes, although I can see it in the mirror now, sometimes it just does not seem real or possible. I think I am dreaming and going to wake up over 300 lbs again.

A lot of people do eat them in the puréed stage but you have to remember that the carbohydrates in them can actually stall your progress. Also because you can only eat a tiny amount of food it almost ensures you will not get your Protein in that day. I am now 10 months post op and very occasionally I will have a tiny portion. Maybe every couple of weeks. So, they are not lost to you forever. I find even now, I do not even cook starches with my family meals unless it is a special meal. I will cook a protein and serve it with either two vegetables or a vegetable and a salad. On occasion they request something that they grew up with so I will make it.

@@Daisee68 I love veggies cooked and have been eating them since I was allowed soft foods. The funny thing is my tastes have changed and because of that I love even more veggies. I started eating fresh cooked carrots with a little butter on them (they are now my absolute favorites. I go to the farmers market and buy them in all different varieties. Yesterday I found sweet reddish purple ones and cannot wait to try them. Sweet potatoes - baked with a little butter Cauliflower - in the beginning I cooked them soft and mashed with a fork but now I leave them a little more crisp Green Beans with shallots and a little crumbled bacon Corn - this I had to wait until about 6 months out but I love it Peas - I like the frozen ones and cook them just slightly over Cabbage - I like this boiled with salt, pepper and butter I don't tolerate broccoli at all, it used to be a favorite and now I don't care for it I used to love Brussels sprouts and those have to be cooked really well otherwise I don't tolerate them so I rarely eat these now Don't be afraid to try the things you didn't like before surgery, your tastes may have changed. I remember being in the puréed stage and I craved cooked carrots. I finally decided to give into that craving and made them, smashed them with a fork, put a little butter, salt and pepper on them. Oh my goodness they were delish! I used to hate cooked carrots and have no idea why I craved them.

@@losing_the_band, No do it all the time. For me, they are incentives to keep on going. You should have no problem. Except, that as you continue to lose that weight you will be freezing and might want those longer shirts. LOL! I used to be sweating all the time, now I am wrapped in blankets with a heating pad and it can be 90 degrees outside. And I am not the only one. We talk about that all the time on this site.

Hit here! Glad to hear things are getting better for you! I was allowed to eat raw veggies at 4 months post op. The bad news was I did not tolerate them at all until 6 months post op. They were just hard on me for some reason. In particular lettuces, tomatoes, cukecumbers. Now I eat them almost every day but I had to try then wait a week and then try again. P.S. I still cannot eat eggs. I wish I could

I wish I got dumping sometimes. The good news is a bite or two and I am good and then realize it isn't as good as I once remembered.

Are you drinking enough water at this point? That can cause cramping in a severe way. If it continues I would call your doctors office and get a recommendation since you do not want to take anything that could jeopardize your surgery. All doctors are different.

Bypass patients have a period of time where the hunger hormone is reduced or gone. It does come back. Usually around 6 months to a year post op. I will say that mine is back but it is not a knowing hunger and is easily satiated.

I use the grab and go packets and use the whole thing in 10 ounces of Water or milk depending on the flavor. vanilla Bean Torte is way better with milk Fuzzy naval is better with water Caribbean cooler is better with water I use a cup that has a shaker ball because I cannot tolerate the grit from powdered Protein shakes. The ball certainly helps.

@@missy5099 Hi there! As most people have already responded it is normal to have feelings about guilt and failure. It is usually a vicious circle because those are the same feelings that have most of us digging around in the refrigerator looking to drown those feelings. The reality is, there will be nothing easy about WLS and I know you already suspect that. You will fight every single day for every single pound you lose. Sure that first month or two the weight comes off pretty fast and if you are prepared you will adjust quickly to all of the changes required, if you are not prepared in your head, you will stumble along the way. And by the way, that weight loss does slow down and you have to fight harder to get to your goal. WLS is extraordinarily rewarding, don't feel guilty because you are definately not taking the easy way out. You have a metabolic disorder that works against you without the tool of WLS to help you. I wish you all the best. Keep us updated on your progress.

@@limichelle34 There was definately a last straw for me. I was very sick for about a year and a half. All of my comorbitities were clearly effecting my health. I have psoriatic arthritis, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis of my spine. My kidney function had been going downhill for about two years although I did not really know this at the time. One day I went to the doctor because I was feeling crappy, I thought my hypothyroid was off and I possibly needed a new prescription. They did blood work and urine samples and my doctor told me my kidneys were getting worse and I needed to see a nephrologist right away. Honestly I was shocked. The next day I got in to see the nephrologist and he pulled all my records. He says these simple words: "dear, you have kidney disease and it has progressed to stage 3" it has been progressing rapidly for the past 3 years. After the shock and him showing me when and where this began to happen in my labs. He asks me about my diet. I was not a quantity eater but I had all the bad stuff. He asks me if I ever considered weight loss surgery. Of course I thought about it but did nothing to pursue it. He told me if I did not start to lose weight I was looking at dialysis and ultimately a kidney transplant. That afternoon I went home with a website and the name of a Bariatric center of excellence and began the process. When I found out it was going to take a minimum of 6 months, I was devastated because I was pretty sick at that point. I started changing my habits and eating better immediately following. That doctor is my hero! And yes, I told him so when I saw him last. My stage 3 kidney disease has improved significantly to where I now have to say I have a history of stage 3 kidney disease when asked. Most of my comorbitities are in remission.

Not normal. Please get your tummy checked out adapt!

@@Sajijoma Wow! You are doing fantastic! Keep up the great work, it will only help you adjust as you said! P.S. Thanks for the laugh first thing this morning!

@@Alex Brecher For me this recently began happening again. The good news is, it is not nearly as bad as it used to be.

I am a waterholic drinking over 80 ounces per day. I have been on 4 large scale vacations since last September. (I know lucky me) My first 2 vacations were Water disasters! I could not stay hydrated and found myself not even paying attention to it until it was too late. Then of course the headache nausea and constipation begins. The last 2 vacations I got very smart about it. I carried my water bottle around with me everywhere I went. I filled it every chance I got. Yes, I also spent a lot of money on purchased water in countries where I was concerned about the water. Vacationing makes it much harder to meet your objectives. Over time my husband began to get that I actually need water and the right foods on schedule. He has adapted over time and now watches out for me to ensure we choose the right places to eat. It will just take time to work through these issues.