heidikat72

If we could block people I would end up with about ten people. Lipstick Lady would be our supreme leader and Babbs would wear a crown. I agree the site was not designed to be mean spirited but I believe just as passionately that it was never intended to facilitate the level of coddling and enabling that far outnumbers the criticism. It's fine though. The success rate is low and I intend to follow the plan. Eat shrimp and drink alcohol at day 23- you'll survive. You won't get my support or sympathy but you'll find plenty from others here.
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Definitely don't do it! Especially not with corn chips and crackers! I wasn't allowed any "crunchy" foods for three full months post-op!
Cravings are just that. Cravings. You don't have to give into them.

Definitely take the time to focus on yourself and your health. I commend you on realizing this. So often when dealing with tragedy of any sort, we do just the opposite and spiral out of control (I know I did). I would suggest seeking some counseling. Not only to deal with the grief but also all the changes you'll be going through after surgery including working on the "head hunger" that will still be telling you that you want to eat that whole T-bone steak.
And definitely come to this site whenever you need additional support (and to update us on your journey). There are a lot of truly wonderful people on this site who inspire with their stories as well as give compassionate real advice - even when sometimes it can be hard advice to hear. also, letting your wife read some of the posts on here may help alleviate some of her worry.

I think you gave a good response. Why would you want to regain your health only temporarily?
Unless someone has walked in our bodies for any length of time/struggled with obesity themselves, they don't understand. And that's ok. You can't control whether she "pities" you or not - just live a great, happy healthy life. maybe in time when she she's how happy and healthy you are and that you certainly don't pity yourself, she'll come around.
and definitely start practicing that strut now!

I think you gave a good response. Why would you want to regain your health only temporarily?
Unless someone has walked in our bodies for any length of time/struggled with obesity themselves, they don't understand. And that's ok. You can't control whether she "pities" you or not - just live a great, happy healthy life. maybe in time when she she's how happy and healthy you are and that you certainly don't pity yourself, she'll come around.
and definitely start practicing that strut now!

A. you just had major surgery. your body is focused on healing not weightloss right now.
B. weightloss is not linear. do not assume that because you lost at x rate on y calories that now you will lose at double that rate. you will experience stalls and slow downs along the way. we all lose at different rates and most do not lose in any sort of consistent fashion from week to week.
as for whether you are doing something wrong...are you meeting your Protein goals provided by your surgeon? are you meeting your Fluid intake goals provided by your surgeon? taking your Vitamins? not eating more than the prescribed amounts for the point you are at post-op? sticking to high Protein foods and avoiding empty calories? if the answer is yes, then you are not doing anything wrong. you just need to be patient and let yourself heal and the weightloss will come. and by the way, averaging 4lbs a week is pretty damn good.

@@suzzzzz I think part of it is people looking for someone else to endorse bad decisions so the guilt isn't as bad. I suspect people think, "Well, if I can get other fat people who are allegedly losing weight to say it's okay, I can get away with it!"
But that's just my opinion.

Over and over and over, people in the early post-op period ask "CAN I eat _______?". That blank is filled with all kinds of things, like pizza, chips, ice cream, fried chicken, funnel cakes, crab cakes, steak...whatever they're craving.

The answer to every. single. one. of those questions is YES. Once you're surgically cleared to resume a full diet, you CAN eat ANYTHING. You didn't have your jaw wired shut or have your teeth pulled, so yes, you CAN eat all foods.
The real question you need to ask yourself is "SHOULD I eat ________?". The only person who can answer the "SHOULD" question for you is YOU. I, or anyone else here, can give your my opinion on eating funnel cakes, chips and pizza after having most of your stomach removed to help you lose weight, but only you can decide to eat it or not eat it.
So coming here and asking "CAN I?" questions is kind of disingenuous, as all of the answers you get are going to be answering the REAL question, which is "SHOULD I?". Think about that before you get defensive and angry about the answers you get from successful vets who are 2-5+ years out and maintaining successfully.

Sounds like your calorie math doesn't take into account the fact that your body is healing and adjusting. If you continue to follow your plan, the weight will come off. And, 16 lbs in the first month is excellent!

talk to your surgeon. it could be nothing - as in just a normal leg cramp, it could be low potassium as mentioned above, what you want to make sure it isn't is an early sign of a blood clot. so best to talk to the surgeon and describe in detail what you feel, where, when etc.
and keep getting up and walking often.

talk to your surgeon. it could be nothing - as in just a normal leg cramp, it could be low potassium as mentioned above, what you want to make sure it isn't is an early sign of a blood clot. so best to talk to the surgeon and describe in detail what you feel, where, when etc.
and keep getting up and walking often.

talk to your surgeon. it could be nothing - as in just a normal leg cramp, it could be low potassium as mentioned above, what you want to make sure it isn't is an early sign of a blood clot. so best to talk to the surgeon and describe in detail what you feel, where, when etc.
and keep getting up and walking often.

talk to your surgeon. it could be nothing - as in just a normal leg cramp, it could be low potassium as mentioned above, what you want to make sure it isn't is an early sign of a blood clot. so best to talk to the surgeon and describe in detail what you feel, where, when etc.
and keep getting up and walking often.

Not everyone has a bunch of issues post op. I could drink and eat no problem, no pain. 2.5 years post op and haven't thrown up once.
One thing people don't realize is all the nerves have been comprmised and cut when the stomach was cut and stapled back up. That makes feeling wonky for a while, and why some don't get the "full" sensation right away. It's always best to measure out your amounts so you don't inadvertently over eat because your feeling isn't quite there yet.

VSG 10/4/16, down 55 pounds.
We are going on a cruise to Celebrate our 20th anniversary. It leaves out of San Juan, PR. Southern Caribbean itenerary. I cannot wait. We are going with another couple that we cruise with every year...just no kids this time! Yayyy! Last night we booked Our excursions:
Zip lining
Parasailing
And horseback riding on the beach.
All things I couldn't have done before because my weight was over the limit.
Comeee on February!!!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
Jesus loves you!!!

So.....stop.
Just stop. Quit sabotaging your ability to gain results.
It's not too late to get realigned with the suggested methods your bariatric group instructed you on.
You use the term, "I can't ". I'm calling BS on this. You can, you simply choose not to.
You've had weight loss surgery.....altered your body in order to set yourself up for losing weight. It's not to late to make the mental adjustments needed to support this.
People the world over are flooding their gyms and diet centers this month in hopes of fulfilling their New Year's resolutions to lose weight. Be a joiner, lol. Follow along.....or better yet....lead the way. You've had a head start on them.....now leave them in the dust.
Or don't.
Your choice.
Keep doing as you've always done and be content with not getting the most from your surgery.
Or follow the rules and thrive with the benefits that will be forthcoming.

Also an RN here, they seriously need to evaluate their protocols. If they are afforded the chance to fix this internally, it can save them a huge amount of embarrassment and money. I wouldn't report them to the authorities, but I would make sure management is aware. If this happens to someone else and they are reported, the fines can be huge and heads WILL roll. I know that while the frontline employee getting in trouble won't appreciate it, the company WILL appreciate the heads up and the opportunity to fix their procedures that allowed this to happen.

Just please put a towel down when you sit nekkid on the sofa to watch TV. LOL.

So many great points raised in this thread.
Makes me wonder what type of inept instruction was given by some folk's bariatric teams.
My group made if very clear that my safety was the paramount concern at the various stages. I'm grateful for it.
All it took for me as to watch the surgery videos shown by the surgeon during the pre-op stages........that was enough to scare me into submission, lol.

I'm just sitting over here trolling.

People have this very misguided notion that "cheating" on their post-op food stages is like "cheating" on a diet. IT IS NOT! You have a staple line all along your stomach that needs to heal. food particles can become trapped in those staples which can cause abscesses, which can cause leaks, which can cause death!
Trying to eat solid foods days after WLS is like trying to run a marathon days after having a knee replacement. You need to allow time to heal!

I'm sorry for your loss.
I have big time guilt and your concern or expression of annoyance speaks to me if it's worth anything. I'm for sure going to fess up to my doctor on my follow up about my half slice of cheese at day 5. I don't think it's ok for me to cheat anymore just cause I chewed really good and seem to have digested it fine and I don't condone anyone else do the same. I was just posting honestly because this has been very difficult! But no it's not worth dying from complications.
And well what's done is done, at least your cautionary tale is a driving factor in my will not to stray again and in fact you may have saved my life in doing so.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing this important information that we need to follow the plans (especially the post recovery plans).
I am equally annoyed not only at the people who blatantly violate important rules to follow post-WLS that are designed to help a surgically altered intestine and/or stomach heal properly but the enablers with no medical/surgical experience who say that it is ok not to follow these critical steps, because they did not, think it is ok to not follow or know someone who did not follow.

Please please please please please DO NOT compare your rate of loss to others. It is a recipe for misery and disaster. You will only spend all of your days hating yourself and questioning all of your actions, wondering "what am I doing wrong?!?!?" It's miserable and completely pointless. There is no reason you have to lose your weight *quickly* post-op. Your sleeve is forever. You will have PLENTY of time to lose the weight. And once you have lost the weight and reached your goal, how long it took you to get there will be completely meaningless. I was a "slow" loser by everyone's definition.
I "only" lost 15 pounds the first month. I "only" lost 8 pounds the second month. I "only" lost about 6 pounds per month the next five months. I "only" lost 2-3 pounds per month for a while after that. You know where all of those "onlys" got me? To goal! Where I have been happily maintaining for well over a year. In the end, how fast you reach goal is completely insignificant.

@@hdiaz
The statement the poster made about thinking they were doing something wrong because they haven't lost as much was a comparison of weight loss, correct?
Look, I've been around the block with this. I've seen people get their panties in a wad because they haven't lost as much as their aunt's cousin's sister's best friend did. There are HUNDREDS of posts I've seen over the last 3 years about "slow weight loss". It's human nature to want to compare, but I'm just saying it can be a potentially self destructive and demotivating road to go down. I know, and I don't want to see others fall into that trap. After all, comparison is the thief of joy.