Ashy76

Well on the plus side I went to my family Dr today and my blood pressure was "perfect". Much better than getting a look from nurses like " how are you alive?" Lol

Lose the weight, find a new husband.

I never had a period where I was dropping a pound or more a day (I'm lucky to lose more than a pound in a week!), so I guess it's much easier for me to handle the lack of a loss or even a small gain from one day to the next.
I weigh myself every day, but I only "officially" weigh once a week. I record my Monday morning weigh-ins in a spreadsheet. So while I do weigh every day, it's not "real" until my Monday weigh-in. I don't know if that makes any sense? Do you record your weight? How often? Maybe try to limit how often you are recording and only emotionally invest in those "official" weigh-ins instead of the day-to-day ones?

Ashy and bewell
This is why this support can be so great. I feel better right now just hearing someone else say that's how I feel too and others as well. This is s big deal! We've done a major thing physically and mentally that we hope we let change the rest of our life! I know I need to relax, but s little fear, will keep us mindful. You don't get big enough to have this surgery without having problems with food so of course we scared. I'm so glad I said it out loud earlier because you guys validated my feelings one, but two, pointed out that it needs to be controlled, not obsessed over.
I appreciate the time you spend sharing

I went to a local WLS support group yesterday. There was a woman who was about 8 yrs post-op sleeve and still looked fabulous. She is a staff member from the WLS clinic I went to.

One of the main topics for the group was fear of failure. We all felt it. Her encouragement was to focus on healing for the first 6 weeks and not worry about failing. Follow your doc's plan and you won't fail. It's normal to feel the fear. ...We've failed so many times before. It's a life time change we've made and it will take a while and some time to figure out how to live our new life style. We didn't get obese overnight, and we won't change our behaviors overnight.
The best advice I heard is that The WLS and new sleeve hit's the pause button for us while we loose weight and figure out how to live our new life. She said that soon enough the pause button starts to move to forward, so make your behavior changes now and get your NEW way of living life (and eating) a solid practice. And stop worrying. We have choices, it's up to us to make good ones to be successful.
I thought it was wise council.

This is exactly how feel. I wish I can just relax and not worry so much about me failing.

I am going into my 5th week and I am finding eating so unpleasureable and an unhappy event. I miss looking forward to eating. Now, I just do it out of survival.
I still feel comfortable with shakes, Protein Bars, Soups, yogurt and cashews flat pretezels with no yeast. Everything else is a struggle. I try grilled chicken and chewing 1000 times is hard for me. Many times I have gotten the chicken stuck and I have had to throw up to feel better. Same thing with very soft moist roast pork. Doesn't work. I am really starting to wonder if it is not about swelling, but the stricture. Is it something they can loosen up?
I miss gulping cold Water when I am really thirsty and the relief that comes with it. I can be in the hot sun and wanting to drink water, and I have to sip it slowly and frequently, it sucks and not satisfiying.
I went to a festival today at a park. The food section had that strong fried smell. I was repulsed. I couldn't even breathe with out wanting to throw up. That smell was horrible. A smell that didn't bother me before. They had your typical stuff, fried cheese, donuts, corn dogs, hamburger, pizza, fries, fried fish, etc. I could not find one thing that was decent for me. Thank god I had a Protein Bar in my purse, it got me through the day. I kept looking at other people as they ate and I see kids with plates full of Cookies and sugar. I see heavy set girls with a plate full of fried, greasy food. You know the kind that you bite and the grease pops out? Yeah that. Eww. I would look at other people and the amount of bread in their sandwiches. Others were eating funnel cakes with lots of powder sugar and downing it with a regular pepsi. I was like wow. The things one notices when you are a bariatric patient post surgery is amazing. You start paying attention to all these details. At least I did. I was even looking at my BF as he was eating his fish and chips and thought wow....I need to get a life insurance policy on him. lol. Sounds mean I know, but paying attention to how he is eating and others, reminds me what I used to do. How can I not understand why I was fat? It is so obvious as to why.
All I want now is to just be able to sit and have a normal dinner without worrying if it is going to get stuck. That is all i ask for. I don't care if it is a tiny portion. I just hate eating scared. It is how I feel about food now. I fear it.

I should warn you that just one bite over can throw you over the edge, regardless of how well you've chewed. You're going to be miserable at least a few times in the beginning, there is a learning curve to it.

I would avoid lettuce if I were you. I'm 11 weeks out and I am just now able to eat it, and I can only eat a little bit. My dad has had his lap-band for 12 years and still cannot eat lettuce. When I serve salad, he eats the other veggies in the salad, and when I serve caesar salad (with his recipe of dressing), he eats the croutons and anchovies, in fact I keep anchovies around just for him - and he has to serve himself!
I would stick with ground meat, that was my trick. Bolognese sauce (hold the pasta), chili, smashed meatballs, smashed meatloaf, ground turkey tacos and enchiladas and burritos, even just some sauteed ground meat with a side of something soft, like steamed carrots. My husband was so obliging, we seriously had ground meat of some sort every night for a month! To get my 4 year old on board with all the ground meat, we told him it was ground hamburgers, he loves McDonald's cheeseburgers (they are a special treat) and hamburgers are one of his favorite foods, so I just told him I smashed up a hamburger, or made it into a new shape. Everybody was happy!
Another option for me was kielbasa. If you can find turkey, light, or fat free kielbasa at your grocery store and can handle the sodium, it's a good option. I would peel off the casing with a vegetable peeler, sautee it with some potatoes, and then dice both up really small. I couldn't get more than a few ounces of anything in in the first weeks, but that's kind of the point.
I also relied heavily on dairy Protein. I developed a lot of food aversions in the first weeks after my surgery (they are getting better now) but I could always get some yogurt or a slice of cheese down. I kept mini Bel Gioso 'snacking' mozzarella cheese packs and those light babybel cheeses (the ones in the red wax) around, as well as my favorite sliced cheese (muenster). Cottage cheese with a little Splenda satisfied sweet cravings.
I also keep sorbet and frozen fruit on hand. Sometimes a bite of frozen mango or a teaspoon of green apple sorbet helped me open the fridge and not have everything look disgusting. They kind of functioned like the 'digestif' drinks that were used pre-1900. Honestly, a cube of frozen mango is GREAT for nausea! Peppermint, in the form of tea, and lemon Water also helped me with the 'omg solid food is disgusting' thing.
I guess I got lucky, I had SEVERE morning sickness with my first pregnancy (think Princess Kate), and it was no picnic the second time around either, and I am allergic to most pregnancy-safe anti-nausea meds, so I have gotten pretty good at managing when I need to eat and everything looks horrific. Right now, the only post-surgery aversion I have left is to Protein shakes, and I have been working around that with Isopure Protein Water.< /p>

Sorry pretty useless topic but Im so happy I had tunda today! Its my first day of pureed and the first different meal was a success. Im going to make a homemade Soup for dinner tonight and see how thay goes.

Today makes 1 week since I was sleeved I feel great hopefully next week they take me off my full liquid diet it's driving me crazy lol.

1 month post op and since surgery I have lost 10 lbs! Yep, 10 lbs! I am happy with that! I had a lower BMI to start so I expected a lower weightloss than others. My weightloss is slow and that's ok. It is what it is! Hopefully the slow weightloss will decrease loose skin! Eating soft foods now. I am having difficulty knowing when I am full still. It hits me all of the sudden I am fine the next bite I am "uncomfortably" full! I will keep working on it. I do measure out my food. I can only eat about 1/4 cup of food always eat my Protein first. I am dealing with terrible Constipation however started Miralax and that has helped things. I definitely need to increase my fluids! I feel like I am constantly eating (because you have to chew,chew,chew and that time) that there is no time to drink! I will have to just start sipping all day! I still have a shake for lunch or Breakfast whichever. I am very happy with my desicion to do this! I don't stress over the scale anymore. I know my sleeve is working, I am eating a 1/4 cup of food or less at a meal, I am not hungry, and my body is losing just slowly! I am taking measurements Saturday to see where I am at! I keep tightening up my belt every few days and my clothes are definently getting baggy! I will continue to do what I do. Starting turbo jam today! That should kick the weightloss up! ????

ONEDERLAND PPL!!!! Just had to share - 199 this morning!!
41lbs from start of pre op
21lbs from surgery!
39lbs to goal!

Today I am 27 days post op. I've already lost 25lbs, (6 pre-op and 19 post-op). Since my 2 week visit and starting mushy foods, i've only been losing a couple of ounces a day if at all. I know I need to watch my carbs and get in a little more Protein, and I really need to get on the treadmill.
Once I switched to regular foods-I started to feel fantastic! I won't lie-it was a rough couple of weeks. I didn't need anything in the hospital other than the gas strips, a hair elastic and lose clothing to go home in. I was too tired and drowsy to do anything during my stay. I definitely felt the effects of the anesthesia-and slept about 20 hours a day for the first 5 days home. All I did was wake up to do a couple of laps around the house, drink a Protein shake and sip some Water and feel depressed and weepy.
I for sure had the post sleeve blue's, and even woke myself up with a couple of scary panic attacks- thinking what have I done to myself?, this is forever!, i'll never be able to have a cadbury egg again, etc... I also spent way too much time looking up post op problems! A little gas and I had convinced myself I had a leak. A pulled ab muscle and I was sure it was my gallbladder. I'm telling you-my hormones were making me CRAZY! I felt so scattered and thought I'd never be able to remember anything again. And the food dreams! I woke up from a nap last week and the hubby was laughing at me. Apparently I was in mid-bite as I woke myself up. BUT, good news-those have slowly disappeared a little more each day and now-almost a month post op I'm better than ever.
I'm pissed I'll never be able to take ibuprofen again. And I'm sad for myself that I had to do something so dramatic and traumatic because I wasn't emotionally strong enough to do it on my own. And this whole part about really having to feel my own feelings is hard as hell! But now-just 3.5 weeks post op, I can already say this was the best decision of my life.
It's nice having the control taken away from me and given to my sleeve. I love the compliments from my hubby, and noticing how lose my clothes are getting. I love how my skin is clearing up, and my terrible 2 o'clock headaches have gone away. And I love looking through my closet at some of my old skinny clothes-the fabulous ones that I just couldn't part with... and I can't wait to wear them again soon.
My advice to any newbies is make sure you have some hobbies. The only hobbies I had were working, eating, cooking, drinking, reading while snacking or going out to eat. I'm having to reinvent myself now and it's not as easy as I'd hoped.
Onwards and upwards sleevers. I'm sure the lack of sun up here in New England isn't helping my pity party, but the days are already getting longer and spring is just around the corner.

I think it's important to remember the shock our bodies are experiencing. It'll all calm down soon, we will lose and feel good! I've had several moments in the last day or two of feeling frustrated with how difficult it can be to get enough Water and Protein in. My sleeve is just tiny! Then I look in the mirror and don't miss one OUNCE of the 35lbs I've lost since December. It's worth it. I've gotten off the scale and it's better emotionally to see loss ( even if it's just a lb or 2.) once a week, than the fluctuations constantly.
Your all doing great! Keep up the good work

Thank you! Still trying to increase Water I intake and calories. Everyday struggle

@@Mommabird, my surgeon doesn't support shakes at all, so I've been on purees since my first morning in the hospital. I have been able to get in 60g of Protein from food with no problem. At my appointment on Monday, they increased my goal to 75g of Protein. That may be because I'm working out so much and burning so many calories, but either way I've been able to meet the increased goals as well.
My most common meal is homemade chicken taco meat (my husband's is to die for) that I throw in the blender along with some salsa. I also eat a lot of scrambled eggs and egg salad. I make homemade chicken salad (sans celery for now) and throw that in the blender too. I eat a lot of Greek yogurt (Dannon Light & Fit Greek is my favorite) and a fair amount of cottage cheese (try adding 1/4tsp of vanilla and 2-3 packets of Splenda to 1/4c. of cottage cheese - it's to die for!). If I'm running short on protein, I drink a cup of fortified chocolate milk (1c skim, 3T powdered nonfat milk, 3T Hershey's sugar-free syrup) for an extra 12.5g protein.
If you're on myfitnesspal, feel free to send me a friend request to get access to my food diary for ideas. I eat a LOT of variety. One thing that I don't add, though, is how much seasoning I use. I season the heck out of everything as I like strong flavors and spicy dishes.
Hope this helps!

When you begin to add things that are likely to swell up like bread and biscuits, try your first taste without additional foods, (I know, Protein first, but don't over fill your stomach till you know how you tolerate bread if ya know what I mean). Today, I can eat 1 egg on 1/2 piece of toast or 1/2 biscuit, or 1/2 english muffin in a kind of open faced sandwich, but it fills me to the brim. The other 1/2... Forget about it!

I had the same thing with Water after surgery, it seems pretty common. I like the little flavor squeeze bottles (Mio and the like) better than the powder packets because you can control how concentrated the flavor is. Just carry one with you in your purse and use it to make the Water taste nice!
Also what has helped me is getting a water bottle and carrying it with me all day. That makes me more likely to sip on it throughout the day, and then when it's time to refill you get a little walking in.
meat is the easiest Protein source but you can also get a lot from dairy and eggs. I also don't know what I'd do without Quest bars, though at 8 weeks you may or may not be able to eat those yet. If you buy the $15 membership at GNC, you can get a box of Quest bars for $25 (they are normally $35) and for me, that's 12 meals, so the cost comes out pretty well. Of course, you don't want to eat bars for all your meals but they are shelf-stable and portable unlike many other Protein sources, so they are great for having on hand for a food emergency if they work for you.
Finding a Protein shake you can tolerate is important too. I like the Syntrax flavors, especially chocolate Truffle, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Cappuccino. You can mix them up with sugar-free flavored syrups and low fat milk for extra protein. Eventually your goal will be not to depend on supplements, but early on you just can't eat enough to get all the protein in without them!

heres a tip, for those who drink Protein shakes. If your mix says one scopp try using 1 1/2 or even two, while anything over 40 at a time ( grams of Protein that is) wont get absorbed, theres no reason you cant take in more protein up to the max/ SO for example i use 1.5 scoops of Syntrax fuzzy navel in 5 to 6 ounces of Water. that way i get about 39 grams of protein in a 5 to 6 ounce serving, which is seriously great and if you have a hard time getting all your fluids in, this is a way to get your protein with minimal fluids ( but keep drinking fluids please!) anyway just a little tip, also use a blender or nutri ninja etc to mix your shakes, they blend better and taste better well blended. hope this helps!
You Can Do It!

@@BeckyNC my surgeon said 4-6 weeks. Good luck!

You probably aren't in a stall. I noticed in the beginning that minor variations happened. A week and no change then suddenly 5 lbs gone. I think it's just your body holding and moving fluids around, hormonal influences, etc. If you still menstruate you will notice this more when you are closer to menstruating. Don't worry just yet. What you're experiencing is pretty normal.
Peace and Comfort

@@Ashy76 No problem girl. Believe me, I will be pulling my own post as a reminder, because when you are hungry and can't get the shit down, you forget what was said and get depressed. (I do).
Can't wait til I can swallow with out worrying if it is going to go down or not. Yeah, he said pencil. You should have seen my eyes as he pointed to his pencil in his hand.
I go back in a month and I am still in that stupid stall. But I understand.....
The struggle is real!! lol

@@Ashy76 Hello there, I went to my follow up and I advised about my struggles with the calorie intake, the Water intake, the stuff getting stuck going down, blah blah blah.
He advised that the first 8 wks, the insides are still swollen. Things should get easier after 6-8 wks or so. He explained that after surgery, the esophogus was at thick as a pencil. Imagine trying to put food through a pencil. Well, that is why it gets "stuck". He says if it is still uncomfortable, to stick to liquids and try again the following week. He said, each week should get a little easier.
I asked about my stall and he said the body is in starvation mode because of the low calorie intake. Once I am able to increase the calories, it will leave starvation mode and start burning fat again (this includes exercise of course). However, right now....until I can increase my calorie intake, he is more concern with hydration. He rather me drink Water all day and eat next to nothing, then not drink water and spend time trying to shove stuff down. Hydration will keep you out of the hospital and help your body heal. Because while we are going through this, your body is creating bile from all the crap we have stored internally from poor eating. So it is important to help flush it out.
He said that the stomach is designed to stretch. Eventually, I will be able to eat a kid's portion of a meal and feel full faster than a normal person. Which prevents overeating. You really have to stretch the shit out of your stomach with food to be unsuccessful. Just got to be aware of what you eat when that "normal" period comes.
So I am drinking water. Still I feel a little down today because today makes one month that I have not been able to sit down with a plate of food and eat. Getting by on shakes sucks.
He actually even said to graze during this hard time to help increase calories. The max calories expected is 800 calories- 1000 is pushing it.

@ Pac-woman, I am in the EXACT same boat as you. Same surgery date of 1/12, same 15 lb weight loss and same 3 day, no weight change (well, 4 oz down) and still on full liquid diet. I too am having trouble with my daily Fluid intake although I have managed to get the Protein part in for the last 3 days. Thank you for your post, it really made me feel like I'm not alone in this and everybody's encouraging replies are really helpful to stay motivated and keep doing the work.
Hope your Dr. appt tomorrow goes well and please do share if he/she has any helpful tips for moving past this "stall".
Take care.