biginjapan

I am totally amazed at how many people - Including myself did not have a plan or guidance after this surgery! WTF is this industry going to get oraganized! We all know the surgery is just a tool, Without the workshop your screwed

Fluff, good point. Three weeks after my surgery I was finally allowed a half of a scrambled egg, cottage cheese, applesauce and watered down mashed potatoes.

I'm confused. Did you NOT receive any advice about portions and Stages to eat post surgery?

Are you eating very slowly? There are "sensors" in your stomach that signal your brain that you have eaten enough. Unfortunately, they trigger fairly slowly so if you are eating quickly your brain doesn't get the message until you have eaten more than you need. If you eat your meal in tiny bites with pauses in between each mouthful you can trigger that response before you eat a lot. I only eat around one half cup of food for each meal, and by eating this way feel full, and the fullness lasts several hours.

3 weeks out and eating veggie burger with asparagus? That seems rather advanced at 3 weeks out. I was still eating very soft and mostly mushy food at that point.
I agree with AJ Tylo above. You're not hungry. Your mind is playing games with you. I think I also read somewhere that in some people the part of the stomach that senses fullness is damaged or cut in the surgery process. Maybe shocked or numb.
Please be cautious. Your stomach and the suture line are still healing. I recommend that you measure out your food and stop eating when you've eaten the portion prescribed by your doctor (usually 1/4-1/2 cup). If you need to, set a timer for mealtimes and don't snack in between.

Great post above
YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY - YOU ARE FULL! Your mind is playing games with you. You do not have to eat till you are full, Eat healthy and portion it! Done
The hardest part of this journey is re learning how to eat healthy! and to put it clear It f@#ckin is a b***h to do! Not only do you have to condition your body your mind is going to fight you! Stop focusing on food. You eat for fuel not for any sort of satisfaction. Once you master this you are home free!

It was. But over time I was able to eat around it. You can't really stretch the sleeve, despite what many people (and doctors say), but you can find ways to eat more. Slider foods (simple carbs) go down real easy so it's a slippery slope once on it. There's a reason why not everyone loses everything they need to lose, there's a reason why people regain. Hunger does return. After your stomach heals, it can deal with more food, and even being stuffed. That's why I'm much more conscious of bad habits and most importantly, Portion Control. One thing I did until recently was eat until I had the "full" feeling. I realised after awhile that this was a comforting feeling and something I needed to feel satisfied. But when I was losing on the sleeve I was much more aware of always being just slightly hungry (without the hunger, if that makes sense). Once I learned what that feeling was, I was okay with it, realising I had more energy. But of course over time the pleasure of being full overtook it. Think of being obese as like being an alcoholic - they are both diseases based on addiction, and once you recover (i.e. surgery/weight loss), you'll have to deal with your addiction for the rest of your life. So many people ask, oh, when can I eat cake again, or Cookies, or a pizza, or chocolate...but from my experience I think there are some things that I will always have to avoid, because the chance of falling off the wagon again is too great.

I'm just a little confused as to why you had to have revision surgery. It seems your original surgery was done correctly. ??

Thank you ever so much for your informative and comprehensive response to my inquiry. I appreciate this more than you know. Just FYI I am not taking in more than 700-800 calories daily. It seems to me that even without surgery I should be losing weight on that caloric intake.
I will be MUCH MORE VIGILENT concerning the amount of food I consume at meals. I will give you an example of what I have to eat daily:
BREAKFAST: High Protein Shake = 160 calories
LUNCH: Amy's Tomato Bisque Soup = 240 calories
DINNER: One source of Protein (Yogurt/veggie burger/cottage cheese) usually about 240 calories
My Snacks are diet Jello for ten calories per serving - 2 servings at the most
Sugarless lollipops for 17 calories each for about 34 calories in a day
I'm down about 9 pounds from my date of surgery but have been stalled for about 5 days now.
I don't think I can try harder than I am right now. Maybe I'm wrong but doesn't it come down to calorie intake?
Thank you again. I DO APPRECIATE THIS!
My best,
Grace

Do you want to spend the rest of your life getting bigger? Wait until you are 50 BMI (with probably more co-morbidities) to qualify? I think most people will say the earlier you do it, the better. You are young so don't wait for 20 years letting things pass you by that you couldn't do because of your weight. Get the surgery. Compared to all other weight loss methods, cutting out part of your stomach will "reset" your body - metabolism gets boosted, most people with diabetes no longer have it within weeks (sometimes days) of having the surgery, and for many women, the PCOS issue also gets resolved. There are a lot of medical journal articles about this, easily found on the internet - and I imagine, since you are at nursing school, you probably have even more resources to access that support these claims. Another benefit to your youth is that your skin is still pretty elastic and will probably bounce back a lot better than those of us who are older and are already dealing with sagging skin, not just because of the weight.

If you haven't already seen her videos, Clusie L has a ton of great videos explaining her process of getting through gastric sleeve surgery, food, plastic surgery, etc. I know she has multiple videos explaining why she got it and her struggles trying to get her family on board while she was still a teenager, but I can't find it at the moment. However, this video is a good substitute, geared towards teens, but maybe it will help you in making a decision.
Edit: my first surgery (sleeve) was done at 42, I just had a revision (45). I wish I had done this 10 years ago when my weight really started ballooning up beyond Obese (class 1) into 2, then 3, then beyond.

I went through the same experience as you as I recovered from the sleeve - I was way ahead of the curve in terms of what, and how much, I could eat. Here's the thing - it takes a long time for your stomach to heal completely - not days, but weeks, even months (it is a major amputation if you think about it). So it may not be sending you the signals you need to stop eating. As someone who's sleeve failed, partly because after 6 months, and especially after a year, I could a proper dinner plate of food again (at least 2 cups), I would say follow your dietary guidelines. If it says half a cup, eat half a cup. How many calories (and other macros) are you allowed in a day? Are you staying within them? Just because you CAN eat more, doesn't mean you SHOULD. The guidelines are there to help us get into the habit of Portion Control, because the honeymoon period of easy weight loss/no hunger only happens for 6-18 months (depending on the person). After that, if you overeat, you may regain, even with healthy foods, as it may encourage you into the same bad habits you had before surgery. Also, how long is it taking you to eat? If it's more than 30 minutes, then you are definitely overeating. When are you drinking liquids? If it's too soon from eating it could make the food slide faster through your stomach making it easier to eat more. I'd also be worried about the asparagus - it seems too early to be eating such a fibrous and low Protein vegetable. They are really hard to digest and can form clumps in your stomach, especially early on.
In any event, I'm not trying to make you feel bad about this - as I said at the beginning, I went through exactly the same thing after my sleeve, and I had the belief that the surgeon made it too big which is why I could eat so much. However, on my recent revision surgery, my (new) surgeon said that the sleeve was perfect and small, so I know that my weight regain had less to do with my stomach, and more to do with me. Some of us can eat more, and don't feel pain (others are the complete opposite). In that case, you have to be vigilant about what, and how much, you are putting into your body.

Do you want to spend the rest of your life getting bigger? Wait until you are 50 BMI (with probably more co-morbidities) to qualify? I think most people will say the earlier you do it, the better. You are young so don't wait for 20 years letting things pass you by that you couldn't do because of your weight. Get the surgery. Compared to all other weight loss methods, cutting out part of your stomach will "reset" your body - metabolism gets boosted, most people with diabetes no longer have it within weeks (sometimes days) of having the surgery, and for many women, the PCOS issue also gets resolved. There are a lot of medical journal articles about this, easily found on the internet - and I imagine, since you are at nursing school, you probably have even more resources to access that support these claims. Another benefit to your youth is that your skin is still pretty elastic and will probably bounce back a lot better than those of us who are older and are already dealing with sagging skin, not just because of the weight.

If you haven't already seen her videos, Clusie L has a ton of great videos explaining her process of getting through gastric sleeve surgery, food, plastic surgery, etc. I know she has multiple videos explaining why she got it and her struggles trying to get her family on board while she was still a teenager, but I can't find it at the moment. However, this video is a good substitute, geared towards teens, but maybe it will help you in making a decision.
Edit: my first surgery (sleeve) was done at 42, I just had a revision (45). I wish I had done this 10 years ago when my weight really started ballooning up beyond Obese (class 1) into 2, then 3, then beyond.

I have 4 scales - a really old one from Weight Watchers that is good for measuring dry goods like Beans or lentils, although it also has a "plate" that is useful for just about anything. When I had my first surgery I got a bigger digital scale that I used daily, for everything. I then got a smaller digital scale (about the size of a passport) for use at work, so I could weigh things that I bought on the go. I love it so much as I can keep it in my bag, bring it travelling, etc. because it weighs so little and takes so little space. Oh, and I do have a spoon scale, similar to this, that is good for small amounts or liquidy/semi-solid things.

You're right. To give you some examples of what's available: fried pork cutlet on a bowl of rice. Ramen and gyoza. Udon with any number of fried (tempura) vegetables on the side. Japanese curry rice. The curry is sweet and has meat and maybe some vegetables. Sushi - more rice than fish. Omurice - about a cup of rice wrapped in a very thin egg omelet. It might have some cabbage on the side. Even the little rolled omelets that you get here have sugar (as does sushi rice) - despite not liking overly sweet things Japanese actually put sugar in a lot of things you wouldn't expect. I'm not saying that all of these things are unhealthy, but if you are looking for Protein + low carb and maybe some real nutrients (veggies) on the side, it's hard to find anything. At least near my university. Go to the touristy areas or downtown there are a lot more options - tofu restaurants, vegetarian ones, etc.

I went through the same experience as you as I recovered from the sleeve - I was way ahead of the curve in terms of what, and how much, I could eat. Here's the thing - it takes a long time for your stomach to heal completely - not days, but weeks, even months (it is a major amputation if you think about it). So it may not be sending you the signals you need to stop eating. As someone who's sleeve failed, partly because after 6 months, and especially after a year, I could a proper dinner plate of food again (at least 2 cups), I would say follow your dietary guidelines. If it says half a cup, eat half a cup. How many calories (and other macros) are you allowed in a day? Are you staying within them? Just because you CAN eat more, doesn't mean you SHOULD. The guidelines are there to help us get into the habit of Portion Control, because the honeymoon period of easy weight loss/no hunger only happens for 6-18 months (depending on the person). After that, if you overeat, you may regain, even with healthy foods, as it may encourage you into the same bad habits you had before surgery. Also, how long is it taking you to eat? If it's more than 30 minutes, then you are definitely overeating. When are you drinking liquids? If it's too soon from eating it could make the food slide faster through your stomach making it easier to eat more. I'd also be worried about the asparagus - it seems too early to be eating such a fibrous and low Protein vegetable. They are really hard to digest and can form clumps in your stomach, especially early on.
In any event, I'm not trying to make you feel bad about this - as I said at the beginning, I went through exactly the same thing after my sleeve, and I had the belief that the surgeon made it too big which is why I could eat so much. However, on my recent revision surgery, my (new) surgeon said that the sleeve was perfect and small, so I know that my weight regain had less to do with my stomach, and more to do with me. Some of us can eat more, and don't feel pain (others are the complete opposite). In that case, you have to be vigilant about what, and how much, you are putting into your body.

You are still recovering from surgery so your weight will likely fluctuate for a few weeks (although overall should be going down). I think as we start using up the glucose in our fat cells it can cause some Fluid retention which causes our weight to go up temporarily. Don't weigh yourself everyday - it's the fastest way to de-motivate yourself if you don't see any movement, or only upwards movement. I "gained" five pounds after surgery but have been slowly losing since then. It's best to pick one day a week for an "official" weigh in (for me it's Monday morning) - don't worry what's happening the other days (easier said than done!).
Stick to your post-op diet, walk as much as you can, and distract yourself by doing other things. Make a list of non-scale victories (NSV) that you can track or look forward to, like fitting into smaller clothes, being able to sit on a bus/subway seat with enough room for another person to sit beside you (and not touch them!), seeing your collarbones again, being able to fit into smaller/former shoe sizes since your feet may have been too big/swollen from years of being overweight (this was a big one for me), being able to wear heels again without being in pain, not needing a seatbelt extender when flying, etc, etc. You can also make a list of "rewards" or future plans to look forward to. Like, when you lose your first 10 or 20 pounds. 50 pounds. 100 pounds. Making it to "onederland" (under 200 pounds). For example, for me, once I hit goal weight (or near it), I'd really like to do a physical challenge that I really couldn't do before because of my weight (and therefore my knee and back problems). So climbing Kilimanjaro and walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain are two bucket list items that I would like to do once I lose the weight (and save the money) to do so. Having a really great makeover (hair, makeup, clothes, everything) is something else I'd like to do.
Another thing to remember is that (I think, for all of us), we didn't gain weight every single day as we were overeating or making poor food choices throughout our lives, it was a gradual, but steady, increase over time. Same with losing weight. It's not going to happen every day in a steady decline. Some days (or weeks! It will happen eventually) the weight may not move at all, or may go up a little. But stick to the plan, try not to fall off the wagon no matter how tempting, and the weight loss will be steady over time. Not every day, but it's happening.

Just keep it simple 600-800 a day and move your ass and you will shred pounds!

I am also 20 and have PCOS as well as family history of hypertension and diabetes. I was never diagnosed with any of them besides PCOS but I know having the sleeve was the right choice for me. Last summer, I went through the entire process for the sleeve and was denied the first time for not having a high enough BMI. This time, I was approved by insurance and it was the best decision.

I can definitely relate to your fears about it being a big decision at 20. Even though I just had the surgery last week I can say with confidence that I am so much happier and know that I’m on the path to a healthier lifestyle. I am so glad I had the opportunity to do this for myself now and be able to do get a tool like this when I am young. Being in college, I know it won’t be easy but I definitely know that it was right! Good luck - you’ll definitely make the choice that’s right for you :)

I had mine sleeve done this afternoon. 3/19/20. Follow the diet precisely. The girl that came out of surgery before I went in for mine was in the bay next to me. She was screaming with pain and vomiting violently for at least ten minutes. I was about to back out of my surgery after hearing her struggle. Then her nurse told me that that's what happens to people that don't follow the pre-op diet. I woke up from surgery with pain and a little panic, but both were quickly mitigated with medication. Thank God!

I first started here back in 2016 and let me tell you, although there were a ton of supportive people (especially veterans who were 3-5 years out and had years of experience to draw from, which I find really lacking now), there were also a lot of flame wars and ganging up on people. Whole threads would get shut down, people got banned, and a lot of people left en masse to try out other forums (but I still like this one the best). So the current group of active people here are great, no real shaming for going off-plan, or hurt snowflakes who couldn't take constructive criticism/help for what it was. At least, I haven't seen that since I've been back. It's almost like this is a new place. The little bit of tension that does exist is a pale shadow of what was here before!
As for soda (or any carbonated drink), I think in the end it's up to each person to decide if it's worth it for them. I used to be addicted to Diet Coke/Coke Zero, drank at least a litre a day, until one day it just made my gastro-intestinal issues so bad I decided to stop cold turkey (this was years before my sleeve surgery). I never went back. I would occasionally have a Sprite or ginger ale but I wasn't addicted to those so it never got me back to drinking Coke. After my sleeve surgery, about 6 months out, I was with some colleagues at a restaurant and my only choice of drinks (besides Water and alcohol) was soda, so I tried a very small ginger ale. I was in so much pain after a couple of sips, not only could I not finish the drink, I couldn't finish the meal. The few other times I've tried anything carbonated over the years has been the same - my stomach just can't handle it. The other thing I would worry about when re-introducing it (or any other "problematic" food/drink) is that it can be an enabler to other foods we shouldn't be eating. While I drank Diet Coke on it's own, I also liked it with pizza, or Doritos, or chips, or pretzels, or... you get the idea. I've learned from my failure with my sleeve that that's what I have to be the most concerned about - not that having something once in a while will throw me off track, but that it will encourage me to try other off-limit foods once in a while, until it becomes a regular habit once again.

You are still recovering from surgery so your weight will likely fluctuate for a few weeks (although overall should be going down). I think as we start using up the glucose in our fat cells it can cause some Fluid retention which causes our weight to go up temporarily. Don't weigh yourself everyday - it's the fastest way to de-motivate yourself if you don't see any movement, or only upwards movement. I "gained" five pounds after surgery but have been slowly losing since then. It's best to pick one day a week for an "official" weigh in (for me it's Monday morning) - don't worry what's happening the other days (easier said than done!).
Stick to your post-op diet, walk as much as you can, and distract yourself by doing other things. Make a list of non-scale victories (NSV) that you can track or look forward to, like fitting into smaller clothes, being able to sit on a bus/subway seat with enough room for another person to sit beside you (and not touch them!), seeing your collarbones again, being able to fit into smaller/former shoe sizes since your feet may have been too big/swollen from years of being overweight (this was a big one for me), being able to wear heels again without being in pain, not needing a seatbelt extender when flying, etc, etc. You can also make a list of "rewards" or future plans to look forward to. Like, when you lose your first 10 or 20 pounds. 50 pounds. 100 pounds. Making it to "onederland" (under 200 pounds). For example, for me, once I hit goal weight (or near it), I'd really like to do a physical challenge that I really couldn't do before because of my weight (and therefore my knee and back problems). So climbing Kilimanjaro and walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain are two bucket list items that I would like to do once I lose the weight (and save the money) to do so. Having a really great makeover (hair, makeup, clothes, everything) is something else I'd like to do.
Another thing to remember is that (I think, for all of us), we didn't gain weight every single day as we were overeating or making poor food choices throughout our lives, it was a gradual, but steady, increase over time. Same with losing weight. It's not going to happen every day in a steady decline. Some days (or weeks! It will happen eventually) the weight may not move at all, or may go up a little. But stick to the plan, try not to fall off the wagon no matter how tempting, and the weight loss will be steady over time. Not every day, but it's happening.

Your surgeon/nutritionist/center should have some sort of guidelines for you pre-op. Not every pre-op diet is liquid only. For me I was allowed to eat 800-1200 calories a day, having two Protein Shakes and one proper (lean) meal a day. The day before surgery I was allowed to have a carb-rich meal for dinner (I had a Pasta salad). My surgeon believes that the extra calories helps recovery go faster and based on my experience I'm totally on board! Even with my first surgery, I was allowed a similar pre-op diet with Clear Liquids only the 3 days before surgery. But on this board you'll find people who had to do 1-2 weeks liquids both pre- and post-op. It really depends on where you are getting your surgery. Whatever they suggest, follow it. If they aren't suggesting anything however, I'd be a little worried about that (and find out why).

I was told not to drink soda of any kind which is okay by me. I haven't had a soda in a very long time and my goal is to never drink it again.

Say prayers, God answers. From one of my friends who works in health care, posted this online. I didn't want to call the number and tie up the line, but can't absolutely confirm this is true:

Nope, you can't sleep, you have some work to do...
I watched a documentary earlier this week on Netflix about virus outbreaks and what can be done for prevention. There was a segment on what is being done with migrants as they enter the US. Don’t want to open a can of worms on this topic either for or against. The fact is if there are services for migrants, there are “services” available for US citizens who are in need. The problem is one must do a lot of research and fill out what seems to be a mountain of paperwork versus what gets simply handed out to those who are not even legal citizens.
Yes, life has thrown you a bad set of cards now, but all IS NOT lost. From your profile you’re in PA, get on a computer, do a Google search on “Support services and programs in Pennsylvania” and start researching your options. There are plenty, apply for anything and everything, state and federal level! Got turned down, apply again!
Assuming you have a roof over your head but can’t pay your mortgage or rent due to the job loss, that’s the least thing to worry about. Rent/Mortgage is the last thing you would be paying in a situation of extreme limited financial resources, the necessities come first. It takes months for a formal eviction to be legal and with the court systems in turmoil from CORVID-19 closings and most likely the Federal Government will be stepping in since many will be in the same predicament, you will have some extra time to get some assistance before worrying about finding a new place to live.