Athenyx

Hello everyone!
I'm new on here, so I thought I'd follow the trend and introduce myself in the hopes of making some buddies! I'm Rachael, I've just turned 29 and I had my surgery done privately by Dr Christopher Wong at The Glen (Bristol Spire Hospital) on January 19th. I'm nearly at my three week post-op mark and feeling pretty positive (though I'm definitely having ups and downs in terms of my emotions - mostly due to other people's insensitive natures). I'm going to try swimming tomorrow, so I'm excited for that - I've been feeling like I really need to stretch my torso out a bit. I don't know if this is normal or not, but walking doesn't seem to help much. I do a mad little stretch-hula-hoop thing every time I get up now, which looks crazy but works wonders. I don't have an appetite, and haven't really felt hungry at all yet, so I have alarms set on my phone to remind me to eat some Protein, and I mentally remind myself to go get drinks in between.
I only weigh myself on a Tuesday to mark the exact weekly anniversary of the surgery (I have an obsessive nature so I'm trying to pretend scales don't exist Wed-Mon), but last Tuesday I'd lost 21 lbs from the date of my pre-op appointment on the 6th Jan when I weighed 282 lbs.
I'm a pretty healthy person, aside from the weight issue, but my weight has impacted on my life in a variety of other ways - mostly through depression and not being able to do the things I'd really like to, some of them so simple it's depressing in itself (as I'm sure many of you know). I'm actually a super positive and cheery person, and I so can't wait to not feel so self-conscious. I don't have a fixed job or address (my mum likes to joke that we have Romany blood) - I do some freelance academic proofreading, but ultimately I'm an aspiring novelist, which means I'm already pretty temperamental I love travelling and have just sold my latest apartment in order to do more - this weight loss will be accomplished from all over the world (fingers crossed).
In terms of my journey to this point - my friend had the surgery in October 2014 and I've watched her as she lost nearly 11 stone. Essentially, she's partially responsible for my decision as she inspired me to give it a go! I've tried everything - different diets, fitness farms, gym work outs, personal trainers - nothing worked very well for me, and my depression just deepened. In November I decided I'd had enough, did some research and made a consult with Dr Wong. Initially I was going for the Gastric Band, but he pretty much filled my head with horror stories and sold me on the sleeve - and here I am two months later!
The most helpful thing I've found, motivation wise, was something my nutritionist asked me to do. He made me write a list of all the things my weight stops me from doing, no matter how simple, and whenever I'm struggling I can look at it and tick them off once they're no longer an issue!
Well, I'll stop rambling now, but if anyone wants to chat I'm always around! Good luck everyone!

Thanks for the advice
I had a little scrambled egg and orange juice at the hotel and I'm just on my way to the terminal now - wish me luck!

Thanks for the advice
I had a little scrambled egg and orange juice at the hotel and I'm just on my way to the terminal now - wish me luck!

@@Athenyx,
Long flights are hard!
One thing you can do in addition to walking around is to fidget. Kick your legs back and forth, do ankle circles, lift your legs up and down in your seat. It’s annoying to have to remember to do that – at least, I know sometimes I get lazy on the plane – but you’ll feel better after the flight. You can even set a timer to remind yourself every half hour or so.
Drink plenty of water! Flights are super dehydrating. Figure out what you would normally drink if you were on the ground, and drink extra Fluid on top of that.
With food, decide beforehand what you will eat, and take it with you. You don’t want to depend on airport or airplane food, especially if you’re worried about stomach trouble. If you do end up depending on airport food, there are usually some decent options. Even McDonald’s and Starbucks have things you can eat, like grilled chicken and oatmeal and fruit bowls and eggs.
I would also suggest doing what you can to get plenty of rest in the days before the flight. The stronger you are going into it, the better you’ll do.
Good luck!

Awesome!
I want the crazy collapsible measuring cups they have at target so i can bring them to work

I agree. One of the reasons I participate in BariatricPal so frequently is because it is anonymous AND is not tied to Facebook.< /p>
This is something we should all be mindful of.
In addition, remember that anything you post here or elsewhere can be searchable, so please don't post private information (like email addresses and phone numbers) online. I see too many people do this and don't think they realize how vulnerable they are.

@@summerebanks It's your group, you can set it up however you like. I just want to make sure that @@Athenyx knows that her friends will see that she belongs to a "Bariatric Surgeries 2016" FB group if it's not "secret". Not everyone wants that info on FB.

I also bring ziplock bags of varying sizes. The snack size are perfect for packing Protein powder and nuts. The quart size are great for left overs to munch on cold, and the gallon size are great for things that get messy and you don't want them ruining your stuff.
@@Athenyx I'll be taking a couple of days for myself. I like driving around and being alone. It gives me time to think and explore at my own pace. If I feel like hitting a flea market or staying all day in a museum, I can in peace.

Heya It's a nice idea, and I'd like to, but I have people with access to my Facebook who I'd rather not know my personal business and if I joined a group like that then they would. I'm not ashamed to have had the surgery, but I view it as private - if asked I never lie, and everyone that matters to me knows and supports me, but I'm not the kind of person who shouts things from the roof tops, if you know what I mean? I'd sooner keep my really personal life off social media and away from FB stalkers, lol.

The one thing I wish I had on my weekend trip was a small collapsible tupperware container.
Every morning I had a egg and chorizo burrito minus the tortilla and was not able to finish it of course and wish I had a small container to keep the leftovers for later.
I know this site has them in the Bariatric Pal Store.

@@Athenyx I flew from NY to Beijing via San Francisco 8 weeks after my sleeve surgery with my mom and sister who only knew I had my hernia repaired. I wore compression hose, and tried to get up at least every couple of hours. I also did some leg excercises in my seat. Per my surgeon, I also took a coated aspirin tablet.
As for food, I packed Protein shakes, Protein Bars, nuts and GenPro-unflavored Protein Powder that I could add to any drink. One tablespoon has 30 grams of Protein. Although I suggest unless it is a thicker type of food/drink, to only use a teaspoon at a time.
I also bring an empty Water bottle, I have a Brita one with a filter, you can get Water from the drinking fountains, soda machines or some airports have the filtered water bottle fillers. My last trip I was able to fill it a few times as the flight attendants came by with water, so I was good between flights.
Good luck with your trip. I'm going to AZ next month for a few weeks to visit friends and do some exploring. I love to just drive and find new places...

You'll want to make sure it's a "secret" group, not just "closed". See screenshot

As for your flight, looks like you've gotten some great advice. Have an awesome trip!

I'm with you there - I've packed some little Tupperware boxes and a mini cooler for on the road [emoji1]

Heya It's a nice idea, and I'd like to, but I have people with access to my Facebook who I'd rather not know my personal business and if I joined a group like that then they would. I'm not ashamed to have had the surgery, but I view it as private - if asked I never lie, and everyone that matters to me knows and supports me, but I'm not the kind of person who shouts things from the roof tops, if you know what I mean? I'd sooner keep my really personal life off social media and away from FB stalkers, lol.

I just took a quick trip for a medical conference over the weekend.
I took a shaker bottle and powdered Protein with. I bought the individual packets because I didn't want security having an issue if I had the powder just in a ziploc bag.
I also noticed the airport food = carbs!
I went to a bakery/ deli place in airport and had a tuna sandwich minus the bread. That one scoop of tuna was more than enough to fill me up!
Good luck and don't forget a Water bottle to refill !

Lol, its such a private group no one will be able to find it! Ok, I'll have to try and figure out why that is...
Everything seems to be set up correctly. I'll ask some friends. I've checked the spelling so it doesn't seem to be that.

@@Athenyx I travel extensively and have found that overall the process is much easier after the sleeve. There are obvious benefits - seats and seat belts fit better and the tray table now has room to open all the way. But there are other benefits... Before surgery I drank large amounts of liquids, such that a couple of restroom trips would be necessary during a 3 hour flight. Now I can make 3+ hours without even getting out of my seat. Also, hunger isn't a big issue like it was before surgery, making a long flight easier.
I try to take some healthy Protein Snacks with me in my carry-on. I'm not sure where you are on your diet progression but I've found that some almonds and a cheese stick can go a long way to satisfy me during a flight. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be allowed to take Protein shakes through security, but if they are allowed on your program at this point it might also be worthwhile to take a couple Protein Bars with you.

No worries. Closed groups do not show up on your page so no one should know, but if you don't feel comfortable even with that I understand.
Best of luck with your surgery! I'm coming out to London next month the week before my surgery so it should be 'fun' doing a liquid diet while traveling for work!
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Check the ingredients, but I haven't been told no? If you're in premium then it should be easy enough to walk around the person next to you without overly disturbing them. I have to do long haul to Asia every year for work in regular economy and those flight am be looong. 10 hours isn't so bad and premium will make it much nicer.
I swear to God travelling without having to worry about all this is one of my major goals of this surgery.
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Choose an aisle seat so you can get up/move around easily. Check seat guru if you want to know which seats are best and how wide your seat will be on the plane so you know what to expect. If your worried about getting an upset stomach take some medication with you to take in case it happens (immodium etc).
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This doesn't really answer your question...but I've created a closed Facebook group called Bariatric Surgeries 2016. I'm looking for a small group to support each other. Join if you like!
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A month & a half and losing 40 lbs?! This surgery is life changing! I know it's just a tool & I have to stay on to of my food & exercise, but I am so motivated...and grateful! Best decision ever.

Hey butterfly40 - Personally I add protein to nearly everything and i try to think of things that will "stick to my ribs" in a manner of speaking.
Seems like quick easy foods would be best for a teacher - I think you sound like you'd do well with some tuna or egg salad with crunchy celery or onion in it with maybe a couple saltines or cucumber slices? Make some sugar free pudding & add your favorite Protein powder to it then add a tablespoon of healthy granola on top if you want/need the crunch factor or crumble up a piece of a crunchy Protein Bar? I've also made batches of crustless quiche in a mini muffin pan. They travel well are pretty tasty at room temp and you can put anything in them. I start with 5 eggs and a little cheese then clean out my veggie drawer. Makes 24 little mini quiche.
If you care to share likes/dislikes then I'd be happy to make other suggestions or send over recipes

This is an anonymous forum. No one knows you or what your depth of knowledge is of nutrition and understanding how to work with your tool?
My advice is to try to eat all foods but don't bite the hands of the people who only want to help you with their personal experience. Accept some advice and ignore the others.

This is all stuff I'm eating on my blended but it might give you some ideas:
Try some low fat cottage cheese (you can mix in a little sweet chilli sauce or some chopped cherry tomatoes), blend some meat (chicken or turkey or even white fish) with gravy and put it in your mash (potato, sweet potato or vegetables), order some special high Protein puddings or milkshakes (I got some vanilla puddings from protein.com and they were amazing - I think 15g of Protein and around 100kcal), have scrambled eggs (a lot of protein in eggs, just crack two of 'em with seasoning in a pan), smooth porridge, low fat custard or rice pudding, low fat Greek yogurt, fromage frais, or tuna fish in low cal Tomato sauce!
Hope some of these help - if grits is high in carbs it probably doesn't help you much. Not that I've ever had it before!! And make sure you use very low fat cheese or milk and don't add butter to things! ????????????