naturegirl

Just in the last few days have I been able to eat more than half a cup of jello/pudding in a sitting. Mixed emotions about it, but I'm learning my limits are still not always a full container. What I find more intriguing is the lack of craving. As long as I'm busy and have Water I can go the majority of the day on almost no "food". I make sure that I eat, but the fact that I can go without the head hunger right now is nice.

It's nice to see that I'm not alone in the regain battle. I often feel that I am when I look at pictures of friends who have been sleeved. I'm up 20+ pounds from what my ticker says, and it makes me want to cry. I blame it on bad habits. Carbs continue to be my weakness and it's incredibly difficult to stop eating them. This week I have made it a goal to not bring unhealthy carbs with me to work. To focus on Protein and healthy fruits/veggies...I know that fruits aren't the healthiest, but certainly better than a bag of chips and in much lower quantities.
You're brave for cutting back on those skinny caramel macchiatos from Starbucks. I do attribute part of my gain to those. It was a 1-2x a week deliciousness, and better than the white chocolate mocha that I had been drinking. My coffee maker did two weeks ago and Starbucks has been more convenient than buying a new machine. When I make my own coffee I use caramel Protein Drink instead of milk/creamers/flavors and that is satisfying.
Good luck with your journey.

This is an easy and tasty low cal, high Protein meal. It's written for an instapot, but it can be adapted for a slow cooker as well
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/04/pressure-cooker-fast-and-easy-chicken-chile-verde-recipe.html
I made a few changes:
I used Poblano, Hatch & Jalapeno Chilies (left out the Anaheim chilies, based on personal preference)
I used boneless skinless chicken breasts
I added hominy & chicken broth, to make it more like pozole (low carbers, don't add hominy)
I left out the cumin (I wanted to taste the chicken and chilies and find cumin tends to dominate)
It was yummy, easy, and totally healthy, a win, win, win!

Super great idea for a quick meal!!! Oh and you could use Jenn's idea of the frozen tri-color fajita veggies too. Just throw in 1 oz on top of the chicken under the cheese! And squirt Taco Bell hot sauce over it for a Mexican version!!

My issue is not to that extent, but do have to stretch my skin in various ways to get everything, lol.

I still love fast food. Not only is it craveable and tasty, but it is invaluable for a quick meal. I’m just learning to make better choices.
@Frustr8 close In-n-Out??? That is sacrilege! Hamburger, Protein style with grilled onions, yum, and only 150 cals (I can only eat half)!

Meh... Moe's is better, they actually have ground beef and, zero food poisoning issues. LOL

Yes. But it is a great excuse to not eat so much when I go out.

I haven't checked in for a few weeks. When I weighed myself in early July I was up to 160. Today while on the scale with wet hair I was at 157.1. I'm happy to see that's going down slowly. I have also switched my lunch to half a chicken patty that's low carb and higher in Protein. Mix that with mushrooms and onions and it's very tasty and I'm loving it. I'm also trying to be more mindful while eating. I've also incorporated a high protein Breakfast of eggs with a little sausage.

There are unfortunately a lot of people with unrealistic views of how WLS will work. We see it all the time on the basics pages, and on shows like My 600 lb Life. People also have to understand that each person is going to have a unique experience. That one insurance provider is different from another and even with the same provider each plan is different. Our bodies are different too, as one person might have a lot of excess skin while the other finds that theirs shrinks back.
The best that you can do is to tell her about your experience and what you have learned about others. This can prepare her for a variety of situations, ie: 6 months supervised dieting vs. none required. I know that my parents assumed that my mom would be approved quickly based on her weight and would not have to complete the 6 month diet as I did not. But I pointed out that we have different insurance providers as well as I had proof of participating in weight watchers, and physical fitness from running local races (race times posted).
I appreciate the fact that my WLS seminar was very blunt and truthful about what to expect and that you had to put in the effort for both approval and for the tool to be effective. There were plenty of people there who had assumed it would be quick to surgery date, immediate weight loss, and no need to change habits (based off their questions and over heard conversations).

I would sit down with her and continue the discussion as to why you are going through with the surgery. The stats of you having complications from the surgery are minimal and worse if you don't.
Going into a discussion I would also look at her side of the argument, is it out of concern for your safety or is there another reason like jealousy? My in-laws were naysayers the entire time about the surgery, but I believe that it was more from jealousy than anything as we showed them the stats. They even said that it wouldn't work, well it's two years later and I've lost over 100 pounds, am healthier, and more active than before. They can see it now, but also claim that I'm too skinny. Um, that's laughable as I'm considered 'overweight' for my height.

I haven't checked in for a few weeks. When I weighed myself in early July I was up to 160. Today while on the scale with wet hair I was at 157.1. I'm happy to see that's going down slowly. I have also switched my lunch to half a chicken patty that's low carb and higher in Protein. Mix that with mushrooms and onions and it's very tasty and I'm loving it. I'm also trying to be more mindful while eating. I've also incorporated a high protein Breakfast of eggs with a little sausage.

Everyone's body and how they react to this is different. For the first 6 months following surgery I rarely had anything to drink and when I did it was a small amount of wine. I'm 2 years out and still limit my consumption. Usually the only times that I drink are when I'm out with friends. I try to drink slowly as it can hit me hard and fast otherwise. I have found that I can have some beer, but it's usually flat. Overly carbonated and I don't get along. The only times that I have beer is following the completion of a 5k or 10k race where it's waiting at the finish line. But as I said, I'll have maybe 1/8-1/4 of the cup and throw the rest away. It's a treat. Wine I'm good with, and occasionally can do sparkling, but again it's not often and I only pour a small amount and don;t always finish what someone else pours.
The point is that you need to keep in mind the following:
Limit your consumption. Don't drink daily and don't drink excessively. Watch how much and how fast you drink because your body will act differently than before surgery. Give your stomach time to heal, and follow the doctors guidelines on how long to wait until you have your first sip. Different beverages will affect your stomach differently. So don't push yourself to drink something that doesn't agree with you.

Hi all sooooo I have had WLS and have been on this forum since then. I am also on Instagram and there is someone I've been following for a while for weight loss inspiration. Well one day while on this forum i come across this person and see they were approved for surgery and had it done not to long ago. Now they are bragging about how they are losing weight on their own and doing this and that to lose this weight....this person is deceiving their followers!!!! This person also wants to organize a weigt loss program for people to pay them to instruct them how to lose weight like this person. They show off how much weight they are losing on their IG page and I dont think it's right!!!! If you had surgery to lose weight say so don't front like you did it on your own. You had assistance!! What gets me is the deceitfulness and how they are scheming people for money!!!!!
Would you expose that person or just leave it alone?
Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm almost 2 years post-op and I'll be honest, my upper arms are so saggy that I can probably lift my arms and fly. I joke about it, but that's because if I view it negatively it makes me depressed. Instead of looking at all that I've accomplished I look at the extra skin everywhere. My skin shrunk back some but not all. I was overweight almost my entire life so not all of it was going to shrink. There are days where I look in the mirror or at pictures and cringe at the saggy fly away skin, but it's much better than the alternative me from 2 years ago! Since you're young you might find that some of it shrinks. You can also work to tone your arms, but keep in mind that this might not fix everything.

Since we spent the weekend in the car traveling to a scout function that served nothing but carb loaded food I won;t be getting on the scale for the next few days. I will however say that I did make myself go for a run last night. For the second year I joined a summer women's running group that meets every Monday night, and even though the 'feels like temp' was 97* out I still went. I could have easily said nope, not happening and remained on the couch, but instead I went running. I feel great!
Now that I'm home and back from the trip my goal for today is to focus on healthy food choices, Protein first for lunch and Snacks. I have string cheese for snack time. I also plan to get up every few hours and walk the stair sin my office building to get he blood flowing. Sitting at a desk all day isn't good. Besides, if I didn't get out to walk the building I might never see daylight as my office is in the basement.

Since we spent the weekend in the car traveling to a scout function that served nothing but carb loaded food I won;t be getting on the scale for the next few days. I will however say that I did make myself go for a run last night. For the second year I joined a summer women's running group that meets every Monday night, and even though the 'feels like temp' was 97* out I still went. I could have easily said nope, not happening and remained on the couch, but instead I went running. I feel great!
Now that I'm home and back from the trip my goal for today is to focus on healthy food choices, Protein first for lunch and Snacks. I have string cheese for snack time. I also plan to get up every few hours and walk the stair sin my office building to get he blood flowing. Sitting at a desk all day isn't good. Besides, if I didn't get out to walk the building I might never see daylight as my office is in the basement.

You can't make someone want to do it. You can suggest it, but ultimately they have to be 100% on board with it. This is especially true if your insurance is paying for it and requires a psych evaluation to be completed prior to surgery approval.

Would you mind elaborating on what exactly you are asking? How do you think it could affect your surgery plan?

Me, I've considered breast augmentation and the only thing that I see my running affecting my surgery is the dates and what races I have on the books. It sounds silly but I want to make sure that I don;t miss out on certain races that I enjoy participating in.

When we go out I share from DHs plate and will often order a Water and small side salad or side of veggies. I get looked at strange and often respond that I'm sharing or not very hungry (the truth).
Early on when we would go out I too was shy about waitstaff inquiring about why I wasn;t eating. I would give reasons like 'didn't feel well', 'ate before we left', or 'recovering from surgery'.

Since we spent the weekend in the car traveling to a scout function that served nothing but carb loaded food I won;t be getting on the scale for the next few days. I will however say that I did make myself go for a run last night. For the second year I joined a summer women's running group that meets every Monday night, and even though the 'feels like temp' was 97* out I still went. I could have easily said nope, not happening and remained on the couch, but instead I went running. I feel great!
Now that I'm home and back from the trip my goal for today is to focus on healthy food choices, Protein first for lunch and Snacks. I have string cheese for snack time. I also plan to get up every few hours and walk the stair sin my office building to get he blood flowing. Sitting at a desk all day isn't good. Besides, if I didn't get out to walk the building I might never see daylight as my office is in the basement.

Your decision might be based on whether you are paying out of pocket or through your insurance. Since mine was paid by my insurance I had to go with the office that my insurance had approved. There was only one office in the area under their plan, but three different physicians there. Honestly I ended up going with the doctor that spoke at my seminar. He had opening and I liked the fact that he was very blunt in his Q&A session during the (mandatory) free seminar. I thought that he was a good physician. Easy to talk to, as were the nurses in the office. I have friends who had their surgeries after mine that selected the other physicians in the office and were happy with their choices. I did do some research on him while awaiting my appointment to reassure myself of my decision.
I think that the best thing that you can do is read up ahead of time and ask anyone others for their recommendations and why their give them?
Honestly the surgeon was a smaller part of the interaction that I received. I interacted more with the DNP (Dr. Nurse Practitioners) and dietitians at the practice than I did with him. The only one that I did not like was the dietitian as he was clearly not thrilled to be working there.

Since we spent the weekend in the car traveling to a scout function that served nothing but carb loaded food I won;t be getting on the scale for the next few days. I will however say that I did make myself go for a run last night. For the second year I joined a summer women's running group that meets every Monday night, and even though the 'feels like temp' was 97* out I still went. I could have easily said nope, not happening and remained on the couch, but instead I went running. I feel great!
Now that I'm home and back from the trip my goal for today is to focus on healthy food choices, Protein first for lunch and Snacks. I have string cheese for snack time. I also plan to get up every few hours and walk the stair sin my office building to get he blood flowing. Sitting at a desk all day isn't good. Besides, if I didn't get out to walk the building I might never see daylight as my office is in the basement.

You have to own it -- you say:
Thank you, the potatoes are very good, but I'm on a special physician prescribed diet right now and can only eat a bit at a time.
I would have mentioned to the manager that the waitress was asking about the food in a way that made you uncomfortable so retraining could be done.
My line, even now 11 months out, is Oh my, everything is delicious but I just can't eat another bite. Can I have a to-go box? With a really big smile.
Only you can make yourself feel uncomfortable or awkward about your surgery. 99.5% of the people I know and don't know, have no idea I had surgery. If anyone asks about the way I eat, I just say I'm on a medically supervised weight loss program for health issues. Period. If anyone asks more, I repeat the same answer to make it clear that the discussion of this topic is over or go to - How Bout those Phillies?

I am more than 4 years out and my Sleeve is the best thing to ever happen to me. I still have great restriction and I tolerate most foods very well. I don't count anything, by this point. I know what I can eat and maintaining hasn't been difficult for me *so far*. I am in the unique position to still lose weight here and there, even being so far out. I have lost 20lbs in the last year and a half.
For the MOST part I can eat what I want. I avoid certain foods because I don't like how they make me feel. Like... I'll eat a cupcake but just the cake part because icing is too sweet, and probably not all of the cupcake. I can normally handle a bite of cake but... it's so sweet. I can look at something and just know that that is never happening. Cinnamon roll? NO. I can handle a couple bites of a waffle before it's too much. Last summer I ordered a pancake, ate half of it and needed a nap afterward. chocolate tastes funny. chips are salty (unless TOM is near and then I can handle chocolate and chips. WEIRD.) Ice cream.... well, I can eat plain vanilla. If it has fruit in it, the sugar is too much for me... goes right through me and it's unpleasant. I CAN eat bread, Pizza Crust, rolls and I love rice and Pasta but I don't eat it often because it fills me up quickly and then I can't eat anything else. And tho I don't worship food I do still like to eat. It also makes me sleepy.
I eat beef and pork, I eat chicken, LOOOOVE seafood. It's less dense so I can eat more and an excellent source of Protein. I also love veggies (I stick to green veggies and try to avoid the starchy ones though I am a sucker for corn!) and I eat salad about twice a week. There is nothing like a crisp, cold salad, especially a caesar or one made with romaine lettuce. I hate iceberg and bib lettuce. And arugula. Ick. I eat until I have eaten all the chicken or steak and cheese out of it and then I am done.
I don't snack often. I eat twice a day. I was never a big eater (getting fat was more about hormones and physiology and laziness than about the amount of food I ate). I don't like to eat in the morning, but since I like to eat dinner by at least 8PM, I am usually feeling empty by 11Am-ish ( I have been known to drag it out until 2PM) so I eat a hearty portion. I can eat about a cup of food, depending on the day. Right before TOM I am ravenous. Some days, esp during the summer, I am drinking protein smoothies because I just cannot with food right now! Then I head home and have dinner by 8. I am rarely hungry, so I don't skip meals but I don't shove food into my face when my body isn't asking for it.
For me, I needed to get rid of that worship of food, that waking up in the morning and dreaming of what I am having for dinner that night, that feeling that stuff isn't fun if food isn't involved and I needed to stop eating my feelings and my boredom. I'm still a nighttime mindless eater, so if I have snacky foods in the house, I will eat it. So I don't bring it home. I don't think about food unless it's a meal time. But f I am going out to eat.... I'm staring at the menu for about two hours before we even meet up. I have a small amount of real estate and I fill up quickly. I want the best option I can get for a reasonable amount of money (Tired of spending $30 on a plate of food I'm not going to finish). Sometimes that means ordering a couple of appetizer and calling it a night!