frankie152

Thank you so much for your response......great advice. I was told at the outset that when food is your crutch you will need to find something else, I guess I just never realised how much of a crutch it was.

Evening to all
I had my surgery on 11/21/14. To date I have lost 72 pounds. How are you all eating? What are you all eating? Did you follow what your surgeon/dietitian stated?
1-2 weeks after surgery: liquids only
2-6 weeks after surgery: mushy/pureed foods
6 weeks (+) - gradually try foods slowly.
I was, and still am, eating only 2 teaspoons every 2 hours. I try, and I mean try, to get the Water in by their standards, and I cannot. I do, however, only drink 1/2 hour before a meal or 1/2 hour after a meal.
I have not started working out yet but I do walk at least 30 minutes per day. I am only 4 months and still do not take in 800 calories. They tell me to do what my body states.
As for the scale; I only get on this one time a week. The more you go on it, the more depressed you will become if you do not loose weight. As for those who are 100 or more pounds over weight, everyone looses weight differently.
My favorite quote from my surgeon is: I did surgery on your stomach not your brain. In order to make it work, I have to do the work.
We all have to work towards our goal. Do not get discouraged or upset because you are not loosing. Just look at what you are eating (hopefully you are using a book and writing down what you eat), this helps. You will loose the weight as long as YOU do the WORK.
Keep your heads up, and your energy going. You will do it, because you already worked to hard to get this far.
Happy Easter !!!

@@faav
you would CROAK!!!
hey dude
you want popcorn??
GET OVER IT
check with surgeon when popcorn is allowed
all docs will give different answers about everything
kernels can get stuck
could/probably cause serious problems
you want to try "just" 3-4 bites
GET OVER IT
you have a new itsy bitsy teeny, tiny tummy
respect it/take care of it
DOC might tell you to ie 6 months or so before popcorn
that is how long i had to wait
do whatever your doc says
you are never ever supposed to bring food into theaters!!!
people have been shot for less
that being said..........
i pop small bag of Orville Redenbocker 100 calorie
put in tupperware container
also a bottle of Water
then i put in large empty bag ie store bag like Kohl's
I'm good to go
haven't been arrested "yet"
the direct answer to your question
@12 days PO - no way!!!
GOT IT - GET IT - GOOD??
people sometimes go a "little" overboard with the way they answer questions
we all have our ways of "talking" on the board
you and others should "try" not to let a few peoples comments upset/bother you
we are basically great people here (especially me)
opinions are like asssssholes - we all have one
continued speedy recovery
good luck
kathy

For those of us who have battled depression before WLS, we can also have a little bit tougher time after WLS. Not always, but because you do, it's nothing to beat yourself up over. Glad you are seeing a therapist and hope you can stick with it for awhile; maybe you can think about brainstorming with your therapist about switching up to a different anti-depressant since you said you've been on effexor for awhile?
You FEEL like you've "sorta given up" because that is the nature of depression. But you haven't given up. You have just begun!!! This is just a temporary setback (and, realistically, probably not the only one). Please remember, you just had MAJOR SURGERY. That is a big deal. Be gentle with yourself. You knew this wasn't going to be easy, and that no one does this all alone.
In my opinion, one of the hardest things after WLS is finding our own individual method for changing our forever eating lifestyle about the processed, starchy carbs. (1) Some people decide that they are not going to change anything and continue to eat what they want when they want it. They most often continue to really struggle with keeping their weight under control. (2) Some can do fine with choosing to eat the "junk" food in moderation. This can work as long as you have a realistic definition of moderation and are the kind of person who can truly just take a bite or two or just have a treat or two and walk away. (3) Some people choose to radically change their eating habits (especially in that critical first year), and eliminate the junk until they have trained their brains and bodies to thrive on "real" food as fuel. Then, after that first year, eating even occasional junk becomes less and less important to you. You gain a lot more power over your food choices.
I've certainly heard a lot of people say that the more of those "sweet" carbs (or any kind of starchy carbs) we eat, the more we crave them. I know that is true for me. Unfortunately, I just happen to be one of those people who doesn't have an "off switch" when it comes to eating junk food. It's been a lot of hard work to train my brain that the food I choose to eat is medicine for my body, but my body DOES like the real food a lot better than the junk.
Every day as you are taking your WLS "one step at a time," please remember you are also focusing on "one step at a time" to do your self-care for lightening your depression. It is so hard to focus on the GOOD AND THE POSITIVE when we are feeling depressed, but there is so much good and positive change that is ahead of you as a result of your weight loss surgery. Keep your eye on the prize!!!
Please take good care of yourself!

I really like the chicken salad, tuna salad, and cottage cheese. I have one of those 3 almost everday for lunch. I haven't tried a scrambled egg yet, but I know that most people find them very yummy at this stage. I am allowed baked fish on mushie stage, and we cooked some Tilipia with lemon pepper... it might just be my favorite so far. It was so good! I find the Protein heavy foods are much more filling and satisfying, I try to avoid anything with many carbs.

Slowly try to integrate new spices to your routine meals, but maybe avoid the spicy-hot ones for now. And Teachamy is absolutely SPLENDID about telling us what food should mean to us....I wish I would have though about that sooner in my life!

eggs and cottage cheese are good for this stage (not necessarily together)

I'm sure many people will offer you suggestions, but I need to share some advice with you. (The best advice I received throughout my weight loss journey, in fact.) I was complaining about food boredom to my nutritionist. Same thing, day in, day out, blah, blah BOREDOM! Her advice was not what I expected. She said, "Food is not entertainment." I know we have all heard the cliche, "eat to live, don't live to eat", but until she said this to me, I never really internalized a new way of thinking about food. She also added, "Talk to all the normal weight people you know. You will find they continually eat the same things." She was right.
It is normal to get bored in the early stages, but as you get used to your new way of life, try to remember that you are eating to nourish yourself and lose weight. Food is no longer entertainment.
Best,
Amy

I think I would come here and ask for some help like you did by posting.
I have a lot going on personally right now too and I am waiting for approval. Its a l-o-n-g story about my day to day life right now but I come here and read a few posts, sometimes I add a comment and then I go back to getting through the day
you aren't alone.

Overall quality of life. I am almost 4 months out. My biggest surprise is how quickly I reached my "minimum goals" for my overall quality of life. Even though I am only about halfway to the ultimate weight loss "goal," I am already so much more comfortable in my own skin. I now look "average" not huge and I can fit in chairs and bathrooms and look decent in clothes. My BP is better and I do not hurt like used to. Although I'd like to lose more, if I didn't, I would still be okay because I can move okay and function normally in the world again. For me, it is important to acknowledge how far I've come already so I do not get caught up in what could be an elusive goal of a number on a scale. The only "symptom" I did not expect was how dry my facial skin would get, but, that's just a matter of updating my moisturizer. But being able to feel pretty again -- and feel good again -- and just "fitting in" again: priceless.
Good luck!

Honestly? I was surprised how hard I still have to work to get the weight off. Yeah, at first it comes off pretty easily and steadily, but after a certain amount of time it really is all on you to use the tool you were given to its full advantage. The other thing that surprised me was realizing the complicated relationship I had with food, and the head games that can play on you sometimes.
Regrets? During some hard times,(stalls, slow losing, head hunger) yeah, I can say I had a few. But I am a realist with a little pessimist sprinkled in, so that's my nature. But I can also honestly tell you this has made me a better person all the way around. Yes I've lost weight and can see the goal line on the horizon, but I'm also more disciplined about exercise, and I can honestly say food isn't such a huge deal to me anymore, and that's very freeing. I'm pushing 48, and feel like I did in my 30's. I look and feel amazing. All of that is thanks to the Sleeve. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
Good luck with your upcoming surgery and keep us posted!

I was surprised by how emotional I was afterwards. It only lasted about a week - but in that week I genuinely worried that I was developing depression. I felt sort of out of my own mind - it's difficult to describe, but I definitely didn't feel myself, and sometimes I just burst into tears.
I also regretted the surgery for the first two or even three weeks. I still have moments of regret when I think of all the yummy food I used to eat. Some posters talk about how their tastes changes when they had surgery, and they couldn't even look at the foods they used to love. Not me - from the day after surgery, I desperately craved all of the unhealthy foods I used to love. I still do to an extent, although being on soft solid food had helped with those cravings. Hopefully moving on to full solids will help even more.

First, I have to say..there is some tough love from people on this post. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Anyway, what you are feeling is completely normal. I am 2 mths post. When I was at your stage, I went through crying spells out of frustration with food. How slow I had to chew, how many times I had to stop because I got "stuck", how many times I had to "toss it up" because of that extra bite. Watching my boyfriend scarf his food down and I can't even get one chicken wing down. It sucks, it really does. But you have to remind yourself, you are in "training". If there is one thing the stomach is meant to do, is stretch and it will. But you just had major surgery, 70-85 percent of your stomach was taken out. What do you expect? Your old normal was not normal. If it was, you would not be here on the losers bench with the rest of us. {losers in a good way}
Now you just have to find your new normal. Yes you will eat the portions of a child for the rest of your life. But so what? Your going to be skinnier, healthier, and fabulous! And..you get to eat several times a day {healthy stuff}, trust me when I say, between the Water intake requirement and keeping up with Protein grams, you won't have time to feel hungry. Actually, you are going to feel like your stuffing your face constantly. What is very very important is your Water intake because you have to flush the bile out of your body. Then focus on your Protein grams. shakes, bars and yogurt. That is what I did at your stage, plus the occasional chicken Soup in a cup to change tastes.
I have come a long way I think. Although, I still have trouble eating chicken. Something about bird after my surgery I can't deal with. I hope that goes away.
Shrimp has become my friend, scrambled eggs with salsa, laughing cows, braised fish with some sort of sauce on it,, saltines, chili, bean Soup, etc. What I still stress with is what the heck do i eat when eating out. But I just tried to avoid eating out. I carry a bar with me just incase there is nothing for me. For example today, after the gym I had to visit mom at the nursing home. Took her a sundae from mcdonalds. I was getting a headache from burning all the calories and not having intake. So i got the healthiest thing possible and i got a grilled snack wrap. I ate half of it, {taking out the majority of the tortilla because that has no protein} and it held me over till I got home. Then I ate a yogurt with granola and a sunkist orange. I was happy.
All this to say, you will be fine. Have no regrets. Focus on you and know that this too shall pass. Your new normal is going to be full of awesomeness. Promise.
I sympathize with you because I know what depression is like and sometimes tough love comes across wrong even though you say something great afterwards. People don't hear the great part because they are still upset of the comment before it. Not everyone is a bariatric superhero. We are all working towards the same goal. Let's help each other instead of giving a sarcastic bandaid remark. Thanks.

We all started as food addicts or we wouldn't have needed WLS. Some adjust to the radical change more easily than others. Iclemur came here with her struggles and though we don't need to coddle her, or say "poor you", we can offer support and suggestions in a way that doesn't make her feel guilty for having those feelings.

Gosh that sounds scary........how many weeks post op are you? Interesting to note what you are all taking for the problem, at least I know if it happens, it's a side effect and how to try and treat it. Thank you :-)

Well done you.....that's brilliant. Don't think they do tests like that here in the UK!

I just had my 3 month post op check up today along with the body composition analysis. I am down 48 pounds and 47.8 pounds of the weight I have lost is all fat! I have only lost .2 pounds of muscle mass which my surgeon, NUT, & dietician are thrilled with! Apparently most post ops lose significant muscle mass along with their weight loss. So even though I haven't lost as much weight as I wanted to in this time, the weight I have lost is all fat! Yay to my sleeve!

Told only my immediate family and a handful of very close friends. All of whom only want the best for me. No one at work knows and I didn't tell my in-laws. I tell my husband all the time, my surgery wasn't and isn't a "secret"-- it's private. There is a difference. Congrats on your success.
Shorty54, I am interested to know though-- What do you tell people about how you lost the weight? I'm only a couple weeks out so I haven't had to cross that bridge yet!

kndoster, Just like probably you and everyone else on here, many times have dieted and lost and have had the usual conversations about it, including what exercising I was doing like going to the gym almost everyday and walking. So now I just say that I made up my mind that I wasn't giving up this time and sticking to it. When people make comments and my husband is there he speaks right up and says, "she's working hard at it and I help her by walking with her as much as I can" . We also says that its not as much dieting as it is cutting way down on my portions and not snacking, cutting carbs, cutting out soda, ect. . So when I'm around people and we're eating and I only eat a little, it all fits. Every once in a while my husband will say "I can't believe we're getting away with this " lol. Maybe someone suspects, I don't know, but unless they are really rude they're not going to bring it up. All I know is if I had told people I would also feel self concious thinking they were judging me in a negative way behind my back. As hard as I have worked in the past to lose, only to see it creep back on, I feel like I deserve to feel empowered by a sense of accomplishment.

I have read other post on this subject and there is always a mix, some who told no one, some that told a few and some that told everyone. I chose to tell no one, only my husband knows. Didn't tell my kids , my mom or any friends. I am not comfortable talking about what I consider private things with people. I know other people who had the surgery and have heard the comments like how they took the easy way. This is NOT easy and totally takes over your life , because it is your life. I didn't want to feel like I had to defend my decision to anyone. Why do people think that having the surgery is not ligitiment, thats it "cheating" ? If they discovered a single pill to kill cancer, if you took that pill instead of going thru cemo and radiation would they think that was cheating ? they finally found a medical way to help people who battle weight, people who have never had to fight the weight just will never understand how hard that fight is. Thanks for listening.

Hi Elode may I ask when you started having Hair loss? It's not something that I have been told about, I'm 2 weeks post Op.
Thank you ????????

Frankensleeve.....wished I used that username now...ha ha ???????? at 5 days post Op I vomited after some puréed scrambled egg, that was clear Fluid and bubbles...!!??

This is a personal choice and you will find lots of opinions about it. For me, I told 1 of my 4 siblings, my husband and kids, my supervisor, and a few other people.
For anyone who is not sure what to share, I would recommend looking at your friends and family to see who you think will be the most supportive and confidential. In my opinion, everyone should have someone as their support person and cheerleader. Quality of support is much more important than quantity!

I started with just a few close friends and family and asked them to keep it among us. As the date got closer, folks who could see my calendar and the leave status saw that I was going to be out 3 weeks and I started getting questions about my health....people were worried. I decided to release the confidants , thanked them for the support and told them if folks asked they could tell. I also started telling folks when they asked me.
For me, it was just easier than trying to keep it secret and I only had one person give me anything negative (why be so radical...I have this great diet you should try first....as if). The only thing you have to be ready for is that folks will want to know how you are doing afterwards and a couple of them have been pretty bold about asking how much I've lost. When I wasn't loosing very quickly this got annoying....so my standard answer to almost everyone except a few closes friends is "I'm not sure, I haven't weighed in awhile...but I walked 4 miles this weekend!". That answer put a stop to them asking for a pounds lost update...

How many if you didn't tell your friends or other mums at school? The only person I've told is my mum. I floated the idea with a skinny friend and she got really funny and negative... Told me I would die. I've not spoke to her since or told anyone else.... :-( I'm 229 lbs and 5'3 - surgery 27th feb :-)