Bariatric journey
Multiple procedures
Since 2001
Long-term post-op
Everything posted by summerset
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Food Before and After Photos
Can we do spoilers on this board, btw? ?
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Different Restriction through the day
Think about chronotypes. I'm definitely not the morning type of person. Every try to change that failed miserably. Best thing I ever did was accepting that I'm not a morning person and while working schedules can't be adapted in most cases at least eating schedules can be adapted accordingly to your needs. Not eating when having no interest in food and eating when you're hungry is getting as close to acting normally around food as one can get.
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Help! I ate McDonald's 2 weeks post op
That sounds kind of familiar. Except the beans, that were allowed after 4 weeks. Sometimes you push your limits and regret it. Sometimes you push your limits and you don't regret it. Just like with every other thing in life. I personally would've been kind of a fool had I not expected me pushing my eating limits as I push my limits in so many other aspects of my life.
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Different Restriction through the day
I had that ever since.
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Food Before and After Photos
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Help! I ate McDonald's 2 weeks post op
For me it's not really complex: I use food for relaxation and I usually undereat during the day so I usually eat the majority of my calories during the evening hours and I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't cause me any reflux issues (I eat my last meal about 2 h before going to bed as recommended because of this). Exceptions from this are rare. Sometimes I do exactly this. Forget it and do different next time. I think I overanalyzed things way too much in the past. Sometimes sh*t just happens and some things are not as complex as we think (or as we were told) they are. IMO it's important to make the distinction between "sh*t happens" and an ongoing problem so you don't waste energy on an issue that not really needs that much attention. To get things into perspective IMO it helps to look at the behaviors of people who were always at a normal or almost normal weight. They're not perfect and they also engage in emotional eating to a certain degree. Substitutes never worked for me. I either eat what I crave or I don't eat at all when it comes to snacking. It's easier for me this way. I'm either still hungry or hungry again, then I need to eat "something substantial with calories in it" or I'm not hungry and then there is no reason to eat at all, let alone some food I don't really want. There was a rather flat and long learning curve involved though. The "find substitutes" option is way too prevalent out there so one really has to be fed up with this (pun intended) not really working before trying a different way.
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Feel like I never had surgery?
That reminds me that maybe I should drop some questionable habits, too. Lol. Some more black coffee and dark chocolate anyone?
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Guilt Free Brownies from BariatricPal Store?
Do they fit your personal criteria for proper nutrition and good food? If so, go ahead. If not, don't eat them. In the end it doesn't matter what other people think what you should or shouldn't eat. What you eat or don't eat is up to you alone.
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Food Before and After Photos
Vacation brunch. Spelt bread roll. Spicy cashew cheese, trout, peanut butter, dark chocolate spread, cherry tomatoes. Nectarine. Mixed olives not pictured.
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Feel like I never had surgery?
Good! Be grateful you can eat fruit and vegetables without problems! I never had that either. I especially don't understand how people are still feeling sick and full after two bites even months out. You wouldn't want to get it. So what's the problem? Eat your fruits and vegetables. Most people don't eat enough of that post-WLS when looking at some of the daily meal plans people are occasionally posting. And no, "pills" can't make up for that. Both dumping syndrome and other repercussions are not educational tools of WLS (it makes me a special kind of sick when people look at it this way) and in every other surgical department they would be seen as problems to be solved after gastrointestinal surgery. These things are normal. Patients respond very differently. I had five abdominal surgeries (yes, all WLS related) and never had much pain and always easy recovery. The last time building up my food tolerance was harder than before though. I was cleared for everything after 3 weeks instead of 4 this time but had to be more careful with introducing new foods this time, had some stomach cramps and aches I never had before, even several weeks after surgery etc. - and nope, you wouldn't want to have these. In general patients at the hospital I had surgery at are cleared for all foods after 4 weeks (as stated above after my revision I was cleared for all foods after 3 weeks, so even earlier than this). After these 4 weeks it was advised to introduce new foods with caution but apart from "get your protein in" there was also "get your vegetables and healthy fats in" and immediate post-op nutrition (starting day 2 post-op) contained e. g. apple sauce and blended bananas in yoghurt/quark. However, people are also advised to take it slowly and to get back to lighter foods if eating more heavy solids causes problems. So plans vary big. Pre-op. Immediate post-op. Mid-term. Long-term. It depends on the treatment team. Maybe because you've been driven crazy by lots of things. You looked at fellow patients in the hospital. You read success stories on the internet. You're comparing yourself to other users on here. All of these things can raise anxiety levels big time.
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Help! I ate McDonald's 2 weeks post op
Since you're obviously fine now after a few hours and you don't notice any pain anymore you're most likely alright and didn't do any damage. Luckily internal healing is usually quite fast. Take your lesson from this episode: you need strategies to handle your cravings for certain foods. Recognizing that it was "not worth it" is an important step. You won't be 100% successful handling your cravings (nobody is) but it's crucial for long term success to get as much grip on your cravings as is necessary to reach and maintain your desired weight. I don't know what your surgery-prep program covered but in case this wasn't an issue or not sufficiently covered: books about "normal eating" or "intuitive eating" are really helpful. I especially recommend the books of Karen Koenig and Geneen Roth. Also "Brain Over Binge" and "Never Binge Again" are interesting reads, albeit not everyone's cup of tea though. ETA: Karen Koenig also has a blog with interesting articles.
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Help! I ate McDonald's 2 weeks post op
Yes, it's odd and there are surgeons who allow for solids after just a few days. You should follow your surgeons guidelines (that's the common advice on this board anyway: follow your plan). Why make post-life stricter harder as it is?
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What I've Learned Three Years Post Sleeve
The hard work? I think maintaining is the boring work.
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Food Before and After Photos
Lazy vacation food: pre made salad bowl with falafel and quinoa. Just added a honey mustard dressing.
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Enhanced sense of smell?
It's the calorie restriction. People fasting experience the same.
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Food Before and After Photos
I think I've seen this brand at local supermarkets but not the chocolate hummus. Can't really imagine the taste but then again I'm using chickpea flour in sweet mug cakes...
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Food Before and After Photos
Banana with some chocolate sauce and a bit of granola over protein yoghurt (mix of coconut protein, freeze dried raspberries and supposed-to-be immun boosting stuff):
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Food Before and After Photos
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Thoughts on having "the works"? (multiple procedures during one surgery)
The recovery times are obviously a problem then. I would deem time on the table as a problem as well. Surgeon said arms and abdomen together would be no problem. Then breasts and thighs together. There are several combos possible. Breasts and abdomen would also be an option but arms and thighs together doesn't seem like the greatest combo somehow. Fast recovery time is important for me out of various reasons. That I'm going to have surgery before 2021 seems to be unrealistic as well. Too much on my table of life right now. Yes, I'm postponing again (sigh) but honestly, surgery won't run away while other important things are time sensitive and getting urgent right now.
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Thoughts on having "the works"? (multiple procedures during one surgery)
This. I think it will be two in my case (depending on what insurance will pay for the surgeon will combine one or the other way). Arms will be a combo - insurance won't pay for arms I guess. Butt - I don't know if butt will really be necessary. Surgeon said that I should wait and see. He claimed that once the thighs are made (mine look really awful and out of proportion in the upper inner part) I won't be bothered much by my the butt? Can't imagine this but he's the pro after all.
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Food Before and After Photos
It wasn't a restaurant but an organic grocery store. From what I've seen I could order that cheese online. I don't like ordering highly perishable items online though.
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Food Before and After Photos
Oh well, I guess online shopping will be my best friend again when it comes to cashew cheese. I can get my hands on the cashewsan (if it's not sold out) and two types of cashew cheese with herbs at a local grocery store where I live but that camembert is really bomb! We just had a glass of red wine and had some bread and cheese with it. Even my dairy eating and cheese loving husband said it was good, lol.
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Food Before and After Photos
I've seen that as well. But I doubt this will ever happen. ?
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Thoughts on having "the works"? (multiple procedures during one surgery)
This would be my dream. But somehow I think the time on the table would be quite long, therefore increasing the risk of e. g. PE. Plus I guess recovery time would be quite long when having so much work done at once. However, I'm going to get combination of two. Single surgery is out of the question for me.
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Food Before and After Photos
OMG, could get my hands on cashew camembert!! With this stuff available I won't crave the real thing anymore. ? Happy Cashew Never seen it in my area so far though! ?