jjp

I am up early and anxious to get started my surgery is in 5 hours. I know I have a rough patch ahead but the resilience I show post-op and the nutrition strategies it forces me to develop will be the foundation for my success. Good health and good luck to all NOW GET GOING!

I am up early and anxious to get started my surgery is in 5 hours. I know I have a rough patch ahead but the resilience I show post-op and the nutrition strategies it forces me to develop will be the foundation for my success. Good health and good luck to all NOW GET GOING!

I am up early and anxious to get started my surgery is in 5 hours. I know I have a rough patch ahead but the resilience I show post-op and the nutrition strategies it forces me to develop will be the foundation for my success. Good health and good luck to all NOW GET GOING!

Thanks Kate
I am excited this isn't my first rodeo with weighing counting and keeping track of my nutrition.
Like many of us I tried and had occasional success (70 lbs. one time 30 & 40 a bunch of times) and then something happens and all the old tapes start to roll
I had my last visit w/ the Doc and he called it a tool I said it's more like a gun to my head. A bit much but this is what I need. I am dealing with the hunger by thinking of food strategies that are going to give me what I need in small portions and still taste good enough to serve the whole family. I am excited by the work ahead of me, and grateful for the support of others. I am sweating sweet onions with 2 Tbs. of xtra virgin olive oil a sprinkle of Montreal steak seasoning and a good slosh of Worcestershire Sauce into that I will dump a whole box of low salt beef broth strain it and something close to onion Soup.< /p>
Thanks again
Jay

Thanks Kate
I am excited this isn't my first rodeo with weighing counting and keeping track of my nutrition.
Like many of us I tried and had occasional success (70 lbs. one time 30 & 40 a bunch of times) and then something happens and all the old tapes start to roll
I had my last visit w/ the Doc and he called it a tool I said it's more like a gun to my head. A bit much but this is what I need. I am dealing with the hunger by thinking of food strategies that are going to give me what I need in small portions and still taste good enough to serve the whole family. I am excited by the work ahead of me, and grateful for the support of others. I am sweating sweet onions with 2 Tbs. of xtra virgin olive oil a sprinkle of Montreal steak seasoning and a good slosh of Worcestershire Sauce into that I will dump a whole box of low salt beef broth strain it and something close to onion Soup.< /p>
Thanks again
Jay

Thanks Kate
I am excited this isn't my first rodeo with weighing counting and keeping track of my nutrition.
Like many of us I tried and had occasional success (70 lbs. one time 30 & 40 a bunch of times) and then something happens and all the old tapes start to roll
I had my last visit w/ the Doc and he called it a tool I said it's more like a gun to my head. A bit much but this is what I need. I am dealing with the hunger by thinking of food strategies that are going to give me what I need in small portions and still taste good enough to serve the whole family. I am excited by the work ahead of me, and grateful for the support of others. I am sweating sweet onions with 2 Tbs. of xtra virgin olive oil a sprinkle of Montreal steak seasoning and a good slosh of Worcestershire Sauce into that I will dump a whole box of low salt beef broth strain it and something close to onion Soup.< /p>
Thanks again
Jay

Thanks Kate
I am excited this isn't my first rodeo with weighing counting and keeping track of my nutrition.
Like many of us I tried and had occasional success (70 lbs. one time 30 & 40 a bunch of times) and then something happens and all the old tapes start to roll
I had my last visit w/ the Doc and he called it a tool I said it's more like a gun to my head. A bit much but this is what I need. I am dealing with the hunger by thinking of food strategies that are going to give me what I need in small portions and still taste good enough to serve the whole family. I am excited by the work ahead of me, and grateful for the support of others. I am sweating sweet onions with 2 Tbs. of xtra virgin olive oil a sprinkle of Montreal steak seasoning and a good slosh of Worcestershire Sauce into that I will dump a whole box of low salt beef broth strain it and something close to onion Soup.< /p>
Thanks again
Jay

Good luck, I am right behind you (Tuesday 7/21 at 10am). Three products I have grown to depend on over the last 9 days of my pre-op diet are; powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken broth Flavored Protein mixed into vegetable broth and seasoned to taste (don't heat to hot it will get grainy), Syntrax Trophix vanilla Protein powder mixed thoroughly (I use a plug in hand blender) into luke warm Decaf coffee black then I ice it down, Syntrax Crystal Sky Protein Powder 1 scoop mixed with 16 oz. of Smart Water and chilled it's my fake blue Gatorade
The Ice coffee starts my day I use 2 scoops for a total of 46 grams of Protein I usually mix in 20-24 ounces of coffee so it's a big batch that I go at through out my morning the Trophix powder is not just whey and is designed for "sustained release"
The chicken Soup base powder concoction yields another 20 grams
The replacement Gatorade gives me 23 grams
I plan on counting on these same products post-op
Again Good Luck

@@jjp Best of luck for your surgery too. Seems like you have really sorted out what works for you, which is great
Kate

Good luck, I am right behind you (Tuesday 7/21 at 10am). Three products I have grown to depend on over the last 9 days of my pre-op diet are; powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken broth Flavored Protein mixed into vegetable broth and seasoned to taste (don't heat to hot it will get grainy), Syntrax Trophix vanilla Protein powder mixed thoroughly (I use a plug in hand blender) into luke warm Decaf coffee black then I ice it down, Syntrax Crystal Sky Protein Powder 1 scoop mixed with 16 oz. of Smart Water and chilled it's my fake blue Gatorade
The Ice coffee starts my day I use 2 scoops for a total of 46 grams of Protein I usually mix in 20-24 ounces of coffee so it's a big batch that I go at through out my morning the Trophix powder is not just whey and is designed for "sustained release"
The chicken Soup base powder concoction yields another 20 grams
The replacement Gatorade gives me 23 grams
I plan on counting on these same products post-op
Again Good Luck

@@MrsDixon Sounds like your having a crappy time and your experience isn't the best but it's not everyone's experience. I had absolutely zero hunger for the first 7 months. I'm just now kinda starting to feel some hunger so I wouldn't. "Promise that" people will. I wasn't able to drink 64 oz either but I did fine. I never went back to the hospital. If you just had surgery in June then yea,your still way to new to be dooming your own life. You have a lot of progress yet to make and believe it or not it will Get better. Or at least I hope it does for your own sake. This surgery is the best thing I've ever done in my entire life. I will be very interested to see how you feel at 8 months post-op. I'll be keeping an eye out for you

WOW sounds like you are having a tough time of it. I had a very different experience post op. I have had no issues with drinking, and on average I am consuming 80-100 oz a day. I was a big Water drinker pre surgery and just continued post. I am only week 4 post op, so haven't gotten to the food piece yet. My surgeon doesn't allow soft foods till weeks 5-8, and then normal foods after that. I have noticed a difference in switching to full liquids last week, I definitely fill up faster.
I love how I feel, so I would never want to go back to the way I was before. I hope you find a place that you are more at peace with the choice you made, and more comfortable with your new life style

Wow, I had no idea so many shared my feelings. I am on day 5, the first four were a breeze. Today I became sullen and started to second guess myself. A friend who had it a year ago suggested I register and read here. She was so right! Thanks to everyone. I am also a savory rather than a sweet person and I find the Unjury chicken Soup really helps. I guess I'm also lucky because I get one 300 cal or less lean cuisine each day as long as I stay below 1100 calories. The last two days Clear Liquids only frankly I am dreading that.

Been banded over 4 years, lost all my weight a while back...so I don't get NSV';s that often anymore....
But Saturday Night was a big one!
First, I graduated HS in 1970....I weighed 165, played football, ran track, etc.
There is a class mate, who has become a very popular comedian, tours all over the world, TV, Movies...etc. (I'm not going to mention his name)
Well the word went out through face book, that he would be the headline act at "Catch a Rising Star" here in New Jersey....and people from the Class of 70 were being contacted to attend...sort of a mini reunion....which a good number of us did.
To get to the point, people I have not seen in over 40 years were there....of course everyone was thrilled to see each other. Lots of Love going around!.....and everyone could not get over how I have not changed one bit...I am still the same weight, and I am still in tip-top shape as I was in High School! People said I have obviously done pretty good for myself.
The joke was, where everyone is getting older...I am gong in the opposite direction!
IF THEY ONLY KNEW!!!! It's been over 40 years and they do not know I was once morbidly obese, was once a diabetic, have cardiac issues, along with a long list of other things.
And as a last resort, I had to undergo Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery...and only then did I turn my life around....but they don't know, and that's just fine with me....just let it ride.
I was walking on air all night, and it was not just the alcohol we were consuming! (of course we partied!)
Stuff like his makes it all worth it....best decision I ever made!

I thought that getting WLS was going to be hard. Turns out, it was pretty easy. I had great insurance and got approval and had surgery six months after starting my process.
I thought losing the first 100 pounds was going to be hard. Turns out, with my LapBand, it was pretty easy. My body cooperated with my band and when I ate right, the weight came off.
I thought leaving my emotionally abusive husband was going to be hard. Turns out, once I took control of my food and my body and got out of my food coma, leaving him was pretty easy. Logistically tricky, but with reliance on friends and family and a good lawyer, leaving was only temporarily difficult.
I thought the divorce process would be hard. Turns out, it is stressful and emotional, but the actual tasks put in front of me, although tedious and time consuming, are just tasks. I am blessed with a good job and resources that many women don't have. The slowness of it is harder than the tasks in front of me.
I thought walking for exercise was going to be hard. Turns out, it is the one exercise I love and have not grown tired of. I can walk for miles with ease.
I thought asking for help was going to be hard. Turns out, like exercising a muscle, the more I do it, the easier it gets.
I thought being kind to myself was going to be easy. I was wrong.
Oh, was I wrong.
Oh, I've learned it's okay and necessary to treat myself to little things, like a manicure, or a foot massage, or a movie. But then there's the other things.
And I can't help wondering if these other things have a lot to do with why I overeat and stayed obese for so long.
Like saying no to people. I say no. But then I go into "shoulda woulda coulda" and feel guilty about it.
Like reaching for comfort food or wine once in awhile. And then I start the tape in my head that says I'm bad, I'm lazy, I'm never going to get to my goal weight because I don't deserve to.
Like going out with friends and holding my head up high because I feel pretty for the first time in years. And when a musician in a band notices and makes a sweet comment about the "beautiful women in the room tonight" and points directly at me, I find the next opportunity to gather my things and call it an early evening, because to flirt would be bad, and I don't deserve that kind of attention.
Like getting a strong lawyer who is fighting for my financial rights and future, but crying at night because this divorce would go so much faster if I just didn't fight for the college money for my girls or maintenance for myself; because if I wanted out so bad, shouldn't I just cut my losses and end this?
Like not losing any weight for the last six months even though I have fifty left to goal, and telling myself it will never happen because I've never followed through on a goal weight before and what makes me think this time is any different?
Like standing up to my mom's criticisms in person, but in private wondering if she is right about me -- that I'm making a big mistake doing this or that or the other thing, and remembering how judged I felt my whole childhood and adolescence and wondering if she was right about me all along?
This is what is hard. Calling bulls!# on these thoughts and patterns and habits.
My higher self knows it. But it's so DAMN HARD to stop the negative thought cycle, that shi##y committee in my head.
Attitude is everything. I just turned 54 over the weekend and birthdays make me reflective. I have what may prove to be my best year ever ahead of me. God willing, I may see divorce papers signed in 2015. Maybe. I'm 100 pounds lighter than I was a year ago and healthier than I have been in decades. I may be moving into a new home by the end of the year. There is every reason to be hopeful.
So why does my sick brain still gravitate toward self blame and misery? Why, why don't I believe I deserve happiness?
I may never know why.
I'm a practical person. I believe in results. So what I'm planning to do about this is purely practical. It may or may not have any basis in psychology, but it seems reasonable to me.
I plan to abort those thoughts the second I sense them in my head. Literally catch myself and interrupt it with the opposite thought.
I do deserve joy. I do choose healthy food and I will meet my weight loss goal. That person that said I was beautiful was telling the truth. I choose to believe my older daughter who just told me I am strong and a role model. I believe my younger daughter who just told me I've always got her back. I am deserving of financial security and what is rightfully mine. I am deserving of a slim body and to feel pretty. Accepting attention is not shameful. I make good decisions. I take care of my loved ones and I am a good mother. I am smart and strong and pretty and nobody's fool. I am precious in God's eyes and I will live my best life.
This is the hard part. This is the only hard part. The head is always the hardest part to change.