Shell Renewed

I was cleared at six weeks as well. My recovery was smooth. It is probably case dependent. Go with what your surgeon says even if it varies a lot from the rest of us. They know what's best for you.

No pre-op diet for me. Like yourself clear fluids 24 hours before. Surgery was fine and recovery smooth. Just trust their instructions and you'll be fine.

I've been eating some high-Protein Soups, low-fat meatballs in marinara, low-fat shepherd's pie with a bit of sweet potato instead of white potato (cottage pie for the Brits), and also some similar meals as @lipsticklady. A small amount of cheese or avocado are so satisfying and help me stick to my version of a plan which focuses on low carb. There are several great websites for post-bariatric recipes and there are some on this site. Have fun exploring!

I stalled the first week on purees. Then I cut back on carbs and the weight fell off. I don't think this is necessary, but since it's worked so well for me, I'm sticking with slightly lower carb and my surgeon approves.

Keeping my secret, and getting comfortable with the little white lies I have to tell to do so.

So I'm on a one week business trip in Europe from home in Canada. I've only been gone a day and am quickly realising that when I am not in an environment I can control, that I'm still more susceptible to temptation than I'd experienced so far. Planes have always been a relaxing wine-filled event for for me, and eating out every meal with all the smells and temptations is going to test my resolve. I've been on full solids for 2 weeks now as cleared by my surgeon, and am tolerating everything I've tried, so really the only thing that is off-limits is what I choose, not what my body can handle. Good, then I'll take this as a test..Determined to not get off track! On the plus side, the 24 lbs I've lost so far meant a much more comfortable red-eye flight...The seat was roomier, the dinner tray fit better, the seatbelt was pulled much tighter than before. I was more energetic on the long airport walks carrying my heavy carry-on, also due to my daily walking

@@MyJourney929 Each surgeon will have their own recommendation for when it's ok to eat nuts and seeds. My surgeon told me a week ago it is a healthy food to eat now that I'm on full solids at one month.. Moderation is key but that can be easy as it's a nutrient dense food so you should be satisfied with very few of them. For the record, eating a few seeds does not equate to cake or tacos from a health or nutrition perspective. Don't feel shy about asking questions as that is what this forum is for. I agree it might be good to do a search first to see if your topic has been addressed, but also we're here to help each other. You joined us this month (welcome!) so you can't be expected to already be familiar with the vast amount of information and knowledge here that our vets have. Some find it frustrating to see the same or similar questions over and over, but we're a broad group and all in very different places on our journey. I suspect the vets may have asked a repeat question once or twice when new too

Instead of using that type of meat, I use cooked cubed chicken breast and add a bit of mayo. Same works for canned tuna, crab, etc. My favorite new 'fast food' is a boiled egg. I always have some already done in the fridge that I can grab and go. One ounce slices of cheese are a good fast food as well.

Maybe there should be a forum on here for the 'vets', and you can only join after x weeks/months as a member of this site? The topics will be those of interest to those who are more informed and you won't have to weed through the repetition. I'm not sure if this would work, but just a thought. If you did create such a forum I do hope you'd still pop into the rest of the content as we can all benefit from your knowledge and experience

I posted a quick little recipe that is similar enough for me. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/377324-layered-mexican-in-a-mason-jar-pur%C3%A9e/ Lately when I have it I also add a teaspoon of taco sauce in the layers.

My doctor allowed it as tolerated at one month and told me to "chew, chew, chew!"

I had some recent experiences that make the answer to if I can change my old ways a 'yes'. I had a work lunch lthat I couldn't skip last week. First time in a restaurant and the options were limited. I ordered my old favorite: brisket and mashed. It's a given that I ate only about a 5th of the plate, but the part that surprised me is that the fatty meal made me have this bad feeling in my stomach for over an hour. It wasn't nausea, but just unpleasant. My old food tasted too 'rich' which was a sensation I was unfamiliar with. (I think they even put bacon grease in the mashed). When I described it to a fellow sleever friend I said: "Imagine you sat down to eat a bowl of lard. That's how it felt." The next day I tried a bit of the leftovers, thinking that maybe I was just having an off day. Nope. Animal fat is now something I don't enjoy. I also slightly get this sensation if I eat the dark meat of a roasted chicken, especially if it's skin-on. Another old favorite. The other MAJOR change for me is that for most of my life I was an evening eater. In fact at least half my daily calories would be consumed in the evening and it's definitely why I became obese. A couple of evenings I had teeny tiny healthy Snacks close to bedtime and experienced GERD for the first time. It woke me up and is so unpleasant that the negative reinforcement has 'cured' me of night snacking Now if I feel like something at night I sip some tea or bouillon.

You're not so far after surgery and you had a lifetime of the old lifestyle so be patient and kind with yourself. I'm not sure if the cravings will always be there for you or not, but maybe once you start to see the rewards of your efforts and will-power with the help of this tool, that seeing them eat bread won't matter so much. I only had a couple of hungry/craving days so far, and what I noticed is that my carb count was higher those days. I decide to cut back even more on carbs instead of indulging and my cravings don't happen now. I'm between 35-40 grams of carbs per day and it also accelerated my weightloss after a stall to cut carbs. Don't be discouraged. You got this!!

The answer to your question in the first paragraph is simple: VSG is a treatment designed to treat obesity, not bulimia. Two people might have hip pain. One needs a hip replacement and the other only needs steroid injections and rest, as an appropriate treatment. It is not for the patient to decide that a treatment for a completely different health issue appropriate to their situation should be granted to you. I echo what the rest have said. This will not help your bulimia and I doubt it will get approved.

It's a marathon not a sprint. My weight-loss is similar to yours and I'm super happy. Think long term.

I really recommend at least calling and mentioning. He may not want this to wait if he knew. In addition to any issue there might be, it also can't be healthy just from a caloric intake perspective. You might be malnourished. I hope you don't wait 11 days.

I agree with @@suzzzzz that this is not normal. If you have not yet discussed it with your surgeon I suggest you do that right away. There may be an issue that by not having it addressed may get worse with time, or at least not get better. Good luck!

I'm going to try it for the first time post-op this week. I'll have a bit of it mixed in with chicken that I cooked and ran through the food processor, instead of making a chicken salad with a bit of mayo or greek yogourt.

@@ray knight I was sleeved on Sep 6 and I haven't felt hungry. Sometimes I have to remind myself to eat. Some still get hunger but I think the majority have less appetite.

@esskay I tried this tonight and it was amazing!! I used 1/4 c of parm instead of 1/2 c and other than that it was identical and is my new favourite recipe. It seems like it should be so high cal but it's not. My version (recipe counted as 4 servings) is cal 182 carbs 4 fat 12 Protein 14

@@shani1970 I'm so happy to hear it. I hope it wasn't a rough night. If you're still on liquids, try making Soup with milk, then strain out the solid bits, Jello, stuff like that. Tomato soup with milk, etc. You might want to really take it easy for a day or two on your stomach after yesterday. just things that are super easy to digest.

How are you doing now a few hours later @shani1970. Been a bit worried about you.

I could have gone back after one week, but everyone is different.

Hey Jonitra I was sleeved on the same day. I've been flavouring my Water and it helps. A bit of juice added in is one option. The other thing I've been doing is making a cup of super concentrated herbal tea (enough tea for 4-5 cups in one mug), then I put it in the fridge. I add a little bit to each bottle of water to give it a flavour kick. It lasts a few days in the fridge. I mix it up with the herbal tea flavours.

@@DesertWarrior My calorie intake is around 800 and I already plateaud. I'm on day 15 and haven't lost in close to a week, but I lost 13 the first week. I can't seem to get my intake higher. I'm not going to freak out at the stall, as they're common, though usually it seems they're somewhere between the 3-5 weeks for a lot of people. Yesterday I upped my protein and lowered my carbs a bit and dropped .2 of a lb, but I'm just focusing on slow and steady and the long term so I don't get discouraged.