ShelterDog64

@@atzvsg Fishgate is a silly thread that got going because someone got SUPER DUPER mad about something that was said and being SUPER DUPER mad, typed 'carp' instead of 'crap'. You can imagine the swirl around the drain that commenced Some of the most fun we have around here is when we all take a minute and laugh about how absurd we can all be...because we can all be pretty absurd from time to time!

@@elisa5150 You'll quickly learn who to go to when you need a no-crap answer and will have to just ignore the rest. There's a lot of filler here, but the good members are worth their weight in gold. I don't know what I'd have done since June without them, and I really think a huge part of my being successful since surgery is knowing I have 24/7 support here if I need it. And I love that you titled this 'Fishgate'

@@jillyd I posted on your other topic, won't repeat it here

@@jillyd Sounds a lot like my first month...dropped weight well but I never wanted to put anything in my stomach. I was never hungry and still have no hunger at all at almost 5 months post-op. If you need to, set an alarm on your phone and MAKE yourself eat a couple of spoonfuls of something every so often. It took me hours to get a whole container of yogurt down, but I had to do it. Add a scoop of unflavored Protein to it and it will help you get your protein requirement met. Eating purees is important in your advancing diet...you have to make the transition from liquids to solids in order to get to a more 'normal' place. I also blended my RTD shakes with ice, to lighten both the taste and texture. If you can tolerate colder foods, you may want to try it. I also added cinnamon to the chocolate shakes, to cut the sweetness a bit. Good luck, and you'll get tons of good ideas and support here. Congratulations on your surgery and the beginning of your healthier life...I'm amazed every day by how much better I feel, looking better is a bonus Welcome to the Losers' Bench!!

I don't know...Fishgate kind of sets the standard for the genre, don't you think?

These are mine, sweet pea

I'm almost 5 mos out and my stomach said 'oh, H*LL no' to all meat about 2 weeks ago. It's killing me...I love meat! I'm comparing this to my pregnancies, when I couldn't look at any raw meat without vomiting...that ended after the babies came. I'm pretending that when I get to goal, meat will be acceptable again. I hope :-/ And popsicles are my go-to stomach soothers, too

Oh, Hammer_Down, I hope our friendship isn't over! I've always loved rare/med rare beef and still love it in my head, but my stomach is on strike about ALL meat right now. I can't eat any of it without foaming and sliming and just having absolutely disgusting things happen to me. Beans and dairy are my mainstays right now, and I'm hoping to hell this is temporary!!

@@AmandaGillis When are you seeing your surgery team, or did you already today? It must be scary not being able to eat anything, and when you say Water hurts, are you still drinking? You have about one day with no fluids until your dehydration starts going past the point where you can rehydrate with oral fluids. Keep an eye on your urine, as it darkens, you're becoming more dehydrated. You need to be seen ASAP to ensure that you remain healthy, and if you truly have a stricture, to find out what your surgeon plans to do about it. Good luck, I hope you're feeling better soon!

@@kaydg ** No one changed overnight, no one has even 100% changed. All of us will make mistakes even at 1 year post. People assume you can't just do it once or a few times carefully, just because "ooo it's forbidden" it's not good. You know that, and have already overcome it- you are awesome. I couldnt, but didn't make it a habit.** Chewing food and spitting it out isn't a mistake, it's a behavior that has to be addressed, especially when the person doing it seeks like-minded people to share the behavior with her. And here you are, validating it because you did it too, apparently. Or are still doing it, but it's not a habit? As to the rest of your post, chewing and spitting out food is ABSOLUTELY gateway behavior to bulimia and/or anorexia, and can lead to rumination disorder as well. Particularly when paired with an event like WLS which is going to alter our ability to eat in a 'normal' way for a while, it's very dangerous. MOST always???? Hahahaha, I do love you <3

You're learning fast!! Goofball. xxoo I'm joking around, but you are most always right. People can't see past the lack of 'oh, honey, eat that moon pie' to get to the truth of what you say.

You're learning fast!!

I could not agree more about using a scale. I learned back in one of my Weight Watchers cycles that I stink at estimation. I weigh or measure all of my food and I'm always surprised by what 1/4 cup looks like measured/weighed vs 'eyed'.

It might be better for you and the other poster if you just ignore the multiple responses, then. It's been this way since the olden days of the internet when listservs ruled and no one had ever seen a fancy message board like this! Lots of folks read the original post and answer that, because they don't want to take the time or don't have the time to read dozens of responses but want to try to help you out.

Why are you crying everyday? You're feeling bad from your pre-op diet? Do you have a therapist associated with your bariatric practice? You should NOT be this distraught heading into your surgery. You really need to talk with someone who can help you put your fears and concerns into perspective. A week before my surgery I was nervous, but it was that good, "I can't wait!" kind of nervous, like before your wedding or when you do a pregnancy test and you WANT to be pregnant...you shouldn't be crying and dreading it. It may be that the time isn't right in your life for something of this magnitude.

@@GACaldwell It concerns me that you're off all of your meds with OCD/anxiety/depression and possible BPD. Is there any mental health care available if you go to your local ER vs waiting almost a month to be seen? Is calling your doc's office and telling them what you've told us here an option? This is all much more important, honestly, than your weight loss issues right now. With all of those mental health conditions fighting for primacy over your emotional state, it's no wonder you're not losing. In the meantime, it sure looks like you're managing your food quite well and not binging or eating off plan. Is getting outside and walking an option? It may help your seasonal affective disorder as well. I'm in the Pacific Northwest and when the sun comes out, I go out and get in it! And are you taking Vitamins, particularly vit D? Vitamin D deficiency complicates many mental health issues. Good luck, please let us know how you're doing as the month goes by. And good for you for reaching out here...I'm still a newbie at only 5 mos post op, the vets will have some great advice for you!

@@atzvsg Sugar-free popsicles were my go-to 'chew' food early on. I also chewed gum, my surgeons don't restrict gum or straws. I remember than intense need to chew and it was hard to ignore! I still love my popsicles, they're pretty much the only fake food I'm eating anymore, at 5 mos post op.

@@theantichick Have you tried SweetLeaf stevia? I detested stevia pre-op but found that I can't detect any bitterness in SweetLeaf. May be worth a try at some point for you? I greatly prefer monkfruit as well and I also use it in my coffee. It's not quite as sweet as sugar but I limit myself to one of the little individual packets and it does the job. No headaches, no weird mouth tingling (that's what I get from erythritol) and no sucralose smell/taste. Have you found the zipper sealed bags of Lakanto brand monkfruit sweetener? It's got erythritol as well, but not enough that it gives me the odd cold tingling.

@@summerset **I'm still having some problems with that. Just because it's Rant & Raves doesn't mean "everything goes" - or does it?** I guess I'd ask you then: if coming here to vent because of the inundation of 'awww, sweetie, you can't control yourself, go ahead and have that moon pie then do better tomorrow' posts isn't appropriate, then what is? What do you see this section being designed for? I'm not a better WLS patient than anyone else because I own my behaviors, but I do have a better chance of being successful...and that's what it's all about here, isn't it? My frustration was more than clear in my initial post, it's very hard to watch people enable others in their destructive behaviors and be cheered along by that enabling being couched as 'support'. One thing you and I are in COMPLETE agreement about is the posts that wish failure on others. I'd love to see every single person on BP succeed beyond their wildest dreams, regardless of their behaviors, and I'd never relish a single one of them failing.

Two things: a) this is Rants and Raves...hard to see from a cell phone. I'd offer to you that instead of being disappointed in my opinion, that you look at yourself, see if it applies and either think about what I wrote or move along if it doesn't concern you. Your choice. And welcome to the forum

I do miss it sometimes, mostly when I'm out and eating with others. I joke with my husband that one big bite for him is often the same size as my entire meal...it mostly kind of grosses me out, but at the same time, I'm a little jealous. BUT, losing weight has been more satisfying than any huge mouthful of mashed potatoes ever was, and I just focus on that. The old way of eating is impossible now and I'm grateful for the support my sleeve surgery has given me.

@@kjones1 I'm in my 5th month post-op and my stomach has been rejecting meat for weeks now, and I've never really been able to tolerate eggs. I'm on mostly dairy and Beans for Protein, plus using unflavored Protein powder in my morning coffee and sometimes other things if I need it during the day. I don't really limit fat, I'm eating an Atkins-ish diet, and I do lots of cheese, refried beans, lentils, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. Like last night, I grilled a piece of flank steak for my husband and son, to make soft tacos, grilled onions and poblanos to go along with it and made some brown rice. I had leftover lentils in the fridge, so I spiced some of them with ancho chili powder and cumin, which is what I rubbed on the meat for the guys. I mashed them a little, then put them in a high-Fiber tortilla with the onions and peppers, some sour cream and some salsa. It was delicious and I didn't miss the meat at all. I skipped the rice entirely.

I haven't eaten rice (I'm almost 5 months post-op), it's pretty worthless nutrition-wise right now. When I get to maintenance, I may add it back in on occasion, but it won't be a mainstay of my diet ever again. I'd caution you to be very careful eating foods you're willing to admit you've been 'addicted to' in the past. WLS isn't a magic bullet that protects you from the same food problems you had previously.

@@OutsideMatchInside I agree wholeheartedly...the more I drink RTD shakes, the more I hate them. So I mostly don't. And what I liked pre-op, I hated post-op and vice versa. Real food appeals, and only some of it, but I never thought to myself 'oooh, I can't WAIT to have a Premier shake!!". Today was a tough food day, I craved fruit but needed protein; tried a Protein bar, one bite left my stomach churning, so I ate half an apple and drank a glass of Fairlife milk.

My .02 on this topic, it's mostly mental. Seeing a therapist will help you a great deal, I'd think. It's helpful to learn what triggers you and to get some help with coping mechanisms and some ways to re-train yourself to new, better habits. But keep in mind that things will be markedly different after surgery...at first, quite honestly, you're going to feel crappy and not want to eat at all. Then you'll gradually start introducing foods back into your diet and I found it easy to just not allow the bad foods back in. When you're going to have a 'meal' and it's 3T of food, it's a LOT easier to pick something that will fuel your body and healing vs being able to cram in cups of food so that you can eat a ton of carbs and still get Protein in. I'm not a saint, and I'm only in my 5th month post-op, but it's been easier than I anticipated to NOT eat the crap that contributed to my fat state. Most of those foods aren't even remotely appealing and if I DO eat a bit of them, I usually have a negative physical reaction that inhibits me the next time I think about it. I make sure I've always got good choices in the house....cheese, lean deli meats, yogurt, cottage cheese, canned Beans, tuna, etc. I'm going through a phase right now where meats are NOT sitting well, so I'm on a heavy dairy/legume diet for the time being, and have gone back to using Protein powder twice a day. It's not a linear movement forward at all times, it's a back-and-forth/up-and-down as you retrain your stomach and your head. I say this often, but half of the battle is being ready for the battle and thinking ahead to what you'll need to conquer in order to come out on top. You're doing that now and that alone makes you more ready for your new post-op life than many people. Good luck!