ShelterDog64

Not really. I had an easy 3 day pre-op diet. I had a headache from no caffeine for one day but it passed. I am now allowed one cup of coffee with caffeine per day but haven't added it back. Your taste buds change. Every taste and smell is amplified. I can't stand sweet (used to love it) so finding Protein shakes I can handle has been hard. So you changed most of your behavior after the surgery because of how it changed you? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App For me, yes. I would say I always tried to eat healthy before. I just ate too much and too many carbs. I have never liked soda often, but I would clean my plate at dinner and go back for more. We rarely had fast food but we sure did eat out every now and then, and those portions are huge. If I ate a bowl of somewhat healthy Cereal I ate twice the serving size. I wouldn't just eat an apple, I would eat an apple with way too much cheese. I ate nuts but the handful, good for you but I had way too much. I could easily eat a whole avocado, stuff like that. This is SO me before surgery. I love to cook and I love to eat what I cook! I have always cooked healthy, high quality food for my family, I raised 2 boys and didn't want them to eat much food from boxes and cans. We've only used organic dairy and meat for years and I barely shopped the aisles of the grocery, mostly the edges. But I can make a carrot cake that would make you cry, and I loved to bake bread and make homemade Pasta and on and on...and I ate like a teenaged boy right along with them My portions were ridiculous, looking back! Well, and all those carbs

Nailed it! Needs to be scribbly-er and maybe a broken lead?

I feel kind of ridiculous about this one thing that I'm struggling with, but you asked and I'm determined to let all this stuff out and deal with it instead of keeping it all inside like I used to. I've always had a big butt...when I was younger and thin, it was actually a kind of amazing butt and I didn't hate it back then. I wore bikinis, ran on the beach, walked around naked in front of my boyfriend/husband, and I didn't know how good I had it. Of course, as I gained weight over the years with pregnancies and yo-yo dieting, I started hating my butt because it was HUGE and I wished it was GONE all the time. Fast forward to now, I've lost 70 lbs and for the first time ever, my butt is almost gone. I thought I would LOVE it, but I don't. It's flatter than it's ever been and saggy and it makes me feel old. As I'm trying on smaller clothing, I know one reason it fits better is because I don't have that big old donkey butt back there, but I kind of miss it. Ridiculous, right? I wouldn't trade my health for the butt, of course, but if I could change ONE thing about how my weight-loss has gone, it would be to have a smaller, but not THIS small, butt.

Thanks! I hope we can help you figure out how to get a head start on your surgery

It's not the easiest thing I've ever done, but it's not the hardest either. It sure sounds like you could use a therapist to help with the trauma from the nursing home...I can't imagine what that must have been like. Good luck to you

I just hate seeing that there are people who manage to lose weight eating junk. One thing you really have to learn when you have WLS is how to fuel and nourish your body. We can't rely on the volume of food to make up for dietary problems any longer, because our volume is so low. You have to learn where you can get the most bang for your buck protein-wise, and your focus has to be on that for the first few months at least. You have to avoid simple carbs, like sugar, flour, etc. I eat carbs every day but I get them from vegetables, fruits or rice/grains like brown rice, farro and quinoa. No white rice, mashed potatoes, bread...you can't spare the space for such nutrient-poor food. It's not second nature right away, but after a few months, I don't have to think as hard when I look at a restaurant menu or when I'm shopping for food.

It can be pretty overwhelming...what type of diet does your patient information suggest? Are you encouraged to eat high Protein, low carb, low fat? All of those? I didn't have an official pre-op diet that I had to follow, but I cleaned up my eating in the month or two before surgery. I cut out Desserts entirely and eliminated the few sodas I drank. I stopped eating any chips, pretzels, crackers, etc. I stopped eating bagels, muffins and most bread. I tried to focus on protein, whole grain carbs and fresh vegetables and fruits. I ate dairy, but quit buying low/no fat versions at the suggestion of one of my dietitians. It wasn't as hard as I expected and it made the transition to post-op life much easier.

1. Get some unflavored Protein powder...you will need it, often. 2. Buy a box of sugar-free popsicles and have them ready for when you come home. I prefer the tropical flavors 3. DO NOT buy a 3lb canister of ANY protein powder; no matter how good that 'chocolate splendor' is pre-op, it's very likely to be equally disgusting to you post-op. 4. Ditto Vitamins...I use Patches now, can't stomach what I happily chewed up and swallowed pre-op. 5. broth is like nectar from the gods when you can't stomach one more icky-sweet swallow of Protein Drink. And you can add the unflavored protein from (1.) to it. 6. Refried Beans...just like broth when you're on liquids, refried beans are heaven when you're on purees. Also add the protein from (1.) to them. And cheese on top! And sour cream! And salsa. I like beans! 7. The most important thing is that you will likely feel pretty rotten the first week, but it gets better every. single. week. after that, I promise. And when it's hard, you've got a ton of support here at BP, 24/7. When the US is sleeping, Australia is up and when they go to bed, Europe is on. Good luck to you and looking forward to hearing how your surgery goes

@@Hammer_Down YES!!! I'll give this some thought while I make dinner...

I sense a challenge. In one utterly banal reply, I shall employ all 5 9; the above listed fallacies! "OMG, how stupid can you be? (Ad hominem) EVERYONE knows pork chops are only okay 6 days post op (ad populum). You can just eat whatever you want (straw man), ask any vet here and they'll tell you the same (appeal to authors). You must have a death wish!" (False dichotomy) I'm ruined, utterly and completely

You are more like a "data doberman". (from your present avatar picture -in case someone reads this at a later date if you change it) Then I'm actually a 'data miniature pinscher who thinks he's a doberman'

You're definitely normal! There are a LOT of different emotions heading into a surgery like this, and you've got the 'baggage' of a malfunctioning band, too. I'm very thankful that I had my VSG in the summer...heading into the holidays is another hurdle, but just think of how GOOD you'll be at all of this by January!

I'm a data hound, too, thanks for posting this Alex

Don't start this carp again, Babs!!! Srsly.

Can we have contests? And prizes? I love contests and prizes...there could be one for identifying the most examples of fallacious arguments in a single post! Seriously, thanks for taking the time. And I think the first negative reply will use the oft-employed ad populum argument. (Just in case you decide to do a contest, you know...just if.)

THIS!!! thisthisthisthisthis And don't give me any CARP about it, @@higher !!!

THIS!!! thisthisthisthisthis

@@Ninni **Wow, Shelterdog64 seems to me that you want to control everyones journey for them which is clearly your issue. ** Nope, that's not what I want. You have a nice day, too

@@bayougirlmrsc **But the most important thing to remember is that everyday some new person comes to this site looking for help and guidance... asking question and hoping that someone has had a similar issues that can shine some light for them.... I think we should all remember where we were when we all started this journey... all the questions we asked... We, as the Vets of this forum need to give help when we can... and if our voice isn't going to help, then move on to the next post and try and help them....** And I try REALLY hard to always do that. I came here to rant on a day that I was super, super frustrated, had been to support group and then read a bunch of 'I can't help myself, I'm so weak' type posts and I just needed to vent. This has, as usual, morphed into a criticism of posting styles and particular people and it's not at all what I intended. I have no personal beef with anyone here and it's sad to see that a few of you decided to use what I wrote to set up yet another attack on a particular person, and to also use slight squabbles as fuel for an even larger fire. So unnecessary.

Yes, I knew that would cause some disagreement and I'm ok with that but I thought "when in Rome do like the Romans do". Hey, it's "rants and raves", so it's ok - right? But I'm with you - it's not ok to use that kind of language and I apologize for it. It's all good...I sometimes feeling like saying the same, I just thought it was kind of a funny contrast from the rest of your post. I wish there was a better way to convey tone than the ridiculous emoji selection here!

@@katragina Are you just feeling awful or do you truly regret having the surgery? The first week SUCKED, pretty much, but things have gotten better and better as the weeks have passed, no regrets here at all.

This is much more polite, but not good advice. I'm firmly on the 'food is fuel, not treats' side of this WLS thing and you'll see me object nearly every time I come across a post, especially from someone new to this, talking about 'treating yourself' and advising people to 'try it and see if you can handle it' with known trigger foods like chips, sodas, candy, ice cream, etc. You don't stop eating your 'bad' foods until you're healed then start introducing them again...get over that mindset. To the OP, guacamole can be a good choice at 3 weeks if it's fairly smooth...I wouldn't eat big chunks of onion or jalapeno. I eat avocados with a spoon, right out of the skin, with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Very high-quality fat and a surprisingly high amount of fiber, too! Enjoy! Avocado and fiber, yeppers! I've never been able to eat avocados because of this problem. It is a crazy natural laxative for me. 30-60 minutes after eating and I'm glued to a toilet seat. Which is one of the reasons I love them! This high Protein diet is a little, um, congesting?

It's such an inspiration to me to see someone do such a fantastic job with this surgery! Thanks for sharing your story, and I'd bet money on you getting to that final goal

This is much more polite, but not good advice. I'm firmly on the 'food is fuel, not treats' side of this WLS thing and you'll see me object nearly every time I come across a post, especially from someone new to this, talking about 'treating yourself' and advising people to 'try it and see if you can handle it' with known trigger foods like chips, sodas, candy, ice cream, etc. You don't stop eating your 'bad' foods until you're healed then start introducing them again...get over that mindset. To the OP, guacamole can be a good choice at 3 weeks if it's fairly smooth...I wouldn't eat big chunks of onion or jalapeno. I eat avocados with a spoon, right out of the skin, with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Very high-quality fat and a surprisingly high amount of fiber, too! Enjoy!

I think there is something in between "cuddling" and "a kick in the ass". I'm neither a cuddling person but I'm also not a fan of this so called "tough love" (which is more often than not simply just plain rude). I'll never understand people who want to be yelled at instead of receiving factual criticism. I just don't get it. --- Not directed at a certain user: As for myself: I don't want to be cuddled but I also don't want a swift kick to my back. Give me factual criticism and keep sarcasm and whatnot to yourself! So if someone holds the opinion that he/she needs to give me some "tough love": Just F*** Off! If you're not able to voice your opinion in a civilized kind of way, just go away. Your "advice" might not be as unique and special as you think and I'm sure there is someone who's able to voice the exactly same advice in a more factual manner. I think you've lost sight of where this post is...it's in Rants and Raves. And I think telling people to fuck off while demanding civility isn't a very sound piece of (high) ground to stand on, for anyone. Again, thus the function of a place where we can blow off a bit of steam while still being civilized out in the rest of BP.