wellah

Congrats! I'm just past 3 months, and now down 46 since surgery (66 including pre-op diet)

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Congrats! I'm just past 3 months, and now down 46 since surgery (66 including pre-op diet)

Sent from my SM-G930P using the BariatricPal App

I have 3 garbage disposals!

Lately, this has been driving me nuts. We don't all have the same opportunities for education, nor do we have the same backgrounds but we can all make an effort to improve the quality of our comments and arguments (not in the bickering sense) by referring back to some trusty critical thinking skills.
Here are just a few of the nonsensical, circular logical tendencies I see on a regular basis here:
The straw man:
When you create an argument that doesn't exist as a way to shutdown someone'a comment.
Ex:
Commenter A: "I think a preop diet plan should be treated as a prescription by the patient, not as a suggestion."
Commenter B: "Well, if you think everything a doctor says is always right, my mother got really sick by taking a prescription drug that her doctor gave her!"
See the problem? Commenter A never suggested that everything a doctor says is right. The comment was simply stating as far as preop diets go, it isn't a suggestion but rather "doctor's orders".
Ad Hominen:
In this fallacy, you attack a person instead of their argument.
Commenter A: "I think a preop diet plan should be treated as a prescription from your doctor, and not just as a suggestion."
Commenter B: "Come on down off of your high horse and stop being so condescending! We're all here to support each other and your arrogant attitude isn't helping anyone!"
See the problem? Name calling doesn't actually address the perceived problem with the argument. Not liking someone doesn't mean they are wrong, and it's a logical fallacy to let your personal feelings about a person cloud your judgment on their opinions.
False Dichotomy:
This fallacy misconstrues an argument by setting up an either/or scenario when there are multiple options available.
Commenter A: "I plan to follow my doctor's post op plan, because he knows better than I do about how this whole process works."
Commenter B: "it's not like you'll die if you don't follow the doctor's advice exactly as written!"
See the problem? Commenter A never suggested that the only possible outcomes were living or dying. There are a multitude of possible effects, including none whatsoever, that could result from not following the doctor's plans.
Ad Populum:
In this fallacy, you assume that because many people believe or do something, therefore it is safe.
Commenter A: "I plan to follow my surgeon's plans, because there are lots of problems that could arise if I don't."
Commenter B: "Basically no one is perfect, okay? We all cheated at some point either preop or postop and hardly anyone has serious complications from it. It's no big deal!"
See the problem? Just because many people believe that cheating has little or no ramifications, does not make it so. We are only a small sample of people who have had WLS, so our forum's results are already skewed. I don't know any astronauts, that doesn't mean they don't exist.
The Appeal to Authority:
Here, we assume that because someone with authority makes an argument, it is somehow correct.
Commenter A: "I plan to follow my doctor's advice on not exercising for 8 weeks post op, because of all the problems it could create while I am healing."
Commenter B: "Yeah, well I've been doing this much longer than you and I was fine excercising right after surgery. You need to be increasing physical activity as soon as possible, trust me - I would know."
See the problem? Commenter B never addressed the possible issues that could arise from exercise, but simply stated that since s/he has more experience with WLS, his/her opinion is correct.
There are dozens and dozens more of these, but this is pretty basic stuff we learned in high school. Your mileage may vary, but now you know.
Now go forth and let's all try to make sense when we disagree with other people!

Are you tracking your food? I found that planning out my food choices and actually writing them down ahead of time kept me on track and accountable.

That's great ... Congratulations on having sleeve done . You are doing great on weight loss as well.. keep it up and stay in touch

By christmas time you should be able to eat. Just choose good food or bring your own
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I have decided to skip heading to my parent's house for the celebration at Thanksgiving this year. I'll be on my second day of puree, and being around the feast and family favorites would be hard. It's also a 3 hour drive each way. I'm currently out of work and have appointments on Saturday and the following Monday (surgery follow-up) so I'm just not going to go.

Finally everything is complete. I found out Friday that my surgery date is Dec 5...I was approved by Cigna within 5 days of submitting everything. I lost pretty good amount of weight with my 4 dietician consults .. I was very surprised. Can't wait to get surgery done and be healthy and happy again with life. This was a long time coming for me due to I have been researching this for 4 years. I am now ready to get it done and over because I am becoming so anxious.

Hi Wellah congrats to you.....I too am scheduled for sleeve surgery on Nov 9th.....it's been a long beginning to a long journey......good luck to us all
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Congrats! I got my approval yesterday too! Looks like I'm scheduled for November 9th!

I was hoping to go back to work afterwards, even though I scheduled someone to give me a ride there and back. However, I'm guessing that I'm going to have to take the whole work day off. Mine is on October 14th.

You can also get little bottles of Vitamin E Oil - I got some and have been using it on a scar on my forehead from a small lipoma that I had removed a couple months ago. It's been really helping a lot. I got it at Target Pharmacy next to the Capsules.

Positive wishes and will see you on the loser's bench soon.
Cocoon to Butterfly

I'm almost there. Have met with the surgeon and have my last Weight Management Class / Meeting next week, and I'll have my paperwork submitted for approval after that. Also have my Endoscopy scheduled for October 14th. Hope you hear back with the confirmation soon!

You put in the time.
You put in the money.

You go to all the appointments and you jump through all the hoops.
You do the pre-op diet.

You have the surgery.

You cared enough about yourself to make the commitment to WLS and you physically and permanently alter your body...


And then you get mad because someone tells you not to eat the d@mn taco? Not to drink alcohol or soda 2.783 days after surgery? To put down the freaking pizza'? To stop eating bread/rice/pasta/bananas/hoagies/20oz steaks TEMPORARILY while your body heals and you get to your goal weight? To actually stick to YOUR doctor's plan?

Even better, you get mad when they only do so AFTER you ASKED????

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?

Yes. I'd guess most of us have head hunger and cravings. I'd guess most of us had a nibble or sip of something off plan. I've no doubt that most of us were not 100% compliant 100% of the time. But I'd also guess that those of us who have done this, gotten to goal weight and stayed there have been compliant the majority of the time. I'd also guess that many of us who have been successful would appreciate a swift kick in the rear if/when we ask a question I bet we already know the answer to.

It's not rocket science and this isn't Romper Room. Make good choices, stick to your doctor's orders or don't, but don't get mad if you fail to get the results you want when you refuse to do what you are supposed to do. And don't get mad when someone tells you that what you are putting in your mouth isn't the best idea in the world even though you want it right now.

Value yourself more than that. Seriously.

I like this picture for a lot of reasons.

They usually want you to put that stuff in the clear zip-lock so that they can see it as you go through security. I have traveled with gel Protein supplements before, and lots of pill supplements in mini-snack bags, and that was fine. I did create a printed list of all the supplement types I was carrying with me.

The way my surgeon explained it is that if protein is low, our body thinks there is a famine and food is scarce and will do everything it can to conserve/store energy. If it is getting enough protein it thinks everything is great and our metabolism keeps humming. Also, protein is used for a lot of things, including repair. As we lose weight our body had a lot of rearranging, restructuring, repairing to do.
My analogy (you can't blame my surgeon for this one). Think of it this way:
If you have a regular house, you may need to do occasional maintenance, but if you are renovating your house, you need more labor, supplies, and energy. The protein is the supplies, the metabolism is the labor, and the fat is energy. If you don't have enough supplies (nails, bricks, etc.), then everybody gets to take the day off until more supplies are delivered (so your metabolism slows and you aren't using the energy). If you are waiting for supplies (protein) and not using the energy, then any new energy that arrives (carbs/fats) is stored. We are efficient at storing energy but our bodies do not store protein.
If we don't have enough supplies but the roof springs a leak, we may have to take supples from elsewhere (protein in our muscles, like the heart) to do an emergency repair.
That is why chronically low protein can cause heart and other serious problems: our organs (heart, lungs, skin, etc.) are made of protein. If we don't have enough protein we can damage our muscles and organs. If we have just enough for that but not enough to keep up with the repairs needed as we lose weight then our weight loss slows down or stops.
Also, if we aren't getting enough protein and our body consumes muscle then it slows our metabolism even more. We may see a change on the scale but it won't be fat loss, it will be muscle.
We need muscle to burn fat (back to my analogy, muscle is the labor force). So, instead of a work crew of contractors, we may have a skeleton crew that can do even fewer repairs.
The bottom line: don't skimp on protein. You don't get bonus points for starving your body of protein. You don't get bonus points for severely restricting protein.

I'm in roughly the same boat for timing. I also have CIGNA and had my Welcome Group meeting last Tuesday and went to a surgeon led surgical seminar on Thursday night. I've got all my appointments scheduled between August and October. The program that I'm going through likes to do sets of appointments in blocks, so I've got two on August 11th and 3 on August 16th, then two weight management appointments on September and October 7th.
The nurse coordinator said that having a NUT and PT appointment in the same month will count as my weight management one for August. I already had a sleep study a couple years ago and have submitted the medical results with my program application. Hoping to get approved shortly after the last one on October 7th, for late October or November surgery, as I've already met my deductible for the year and am nearing the out of pocket max for the year, so would be great to get it done prior to year end!

So sorry for your loss, I imagine this is a difficult time for you. Forgive the long post. I too am a newbie. I am 6 weeks post op. and although I may not know a lot-- I'm certain it gets better... I'm sure the vets will speak on it. I am going through a similar situation in terms of not enjoying my food. When I really think about it, I haven't "enjoyed" anything since surgery. So-- I try not to think about it. Now I will say this. I had 2 slices of bright red, sweet, juicy cold watermelon on Saturday evening I truly enjoyed that- unexpectedly. You too will receive unexpected gifts. Otherwise I learned early on I have to re evaluate my relationship with food. How I think about it and changing the mindset. I grew up eating what I loved. Didn't have a weight problem so my parents never checked me about what I ate. I grew up and continued to eat what I loved. Some good, some not so good. Bad habits formed so because of poor food choices throughout the years, I am here. I've enjoyed food long enough. I'm sure I will again but right now "eating to live" is the mantra to live by.
YES. Protein can be challenging. Especially at this stage. Get in the good habit of meal planning and Identifying foods which will help you reach your goals. I meal plan on Sundays I calculate based on what I'm eating or what I'd like to eat-- what it will take to get me to 70g and then I execute a plan to get it in for example :
AM Protein shake 30g
AM snack yogurt 15g
lunch Salmon (2oz) 13g
Mid afternoon snack Colby jack cheese 5g
dinner Grilled chicken (2oz) 16g
Nighttime snack (optional)
____________________________
Total 79g Protein
I have 9g to spare so I know in the future I can cut back in certain areas to enjoy more fruit and veggies with meals or as Snacks at my discretion.
It can still be challenging especially eating slow. I can usually have my protein shakes, yogurt, and snack items without issue. But Salmon or chicken-- I'll have small bites and walk away for 5-10 minutes come back to it, rinse repeat until its gone. it seems like more of a task than it is enjoyable but I'm sure it has everything to do with our restriction right now which will improve as time goes on.
My incision site is just now healing! The other ones were fine. The one at the belly button I think finally closed over the weekend. I think it actually got worse before it got better. Like I barely noticed them after week 1 then most of them started closing up and scabbing over but around week 4 the belly and left lower abdominal incision were cutting up!!! Itching and tender but no drainage warmth redness or signs or symptoms of infection. You've discussed it with your team, they checked assessed it, ruled out infection so just continue to keep it clean and put a little coco butter or Vitamin E oil on it and it will soon be a distant memory.
You're still very early out so you're still in either pureed or soft foods stage. It does get better. I think I lived on Protein Shakes, baby food and fruit smoothies with greek yogurt mostly to get me through the day. So I do hope that you can find something that works for you. I did start blending my Premier Protein shakes with frozen fruits like banana (w/ chocolate) Mango or peaches (w/vanilla) strawberry with (Strawberry) it was my best bet for getting close to my protein goals so I HAD to make it work!!! Then something happened about week 4... I stopped making excuses and feeling pity for myself as for why I wasn't meeting my Fluid or protein goals and I decided to be more involved and proactive in the process.
I created a plan, I defined goals, I created charts, and timers or reminders to take supplements, eat or drink. I created food and exercise logs and journals to track what I eat- to assess whether I hit my protein and fluid goals, I created a weight log thanks to @@Red_lips_and_confidence to track my progression every Sunday for the next year I put them all in a binder and created week/month tabs so that when I go to my visits, if necessary my team can see what I'm doing and where I can improve.
I'm not always there but I'm always re evaluating and trying to improve. identifying barriers and strategies to overcome. it's a lot of work, but we didn't come this far for nothing.
So if you need a bit of encouragement you got it!!!! You're not alone and you can DO this!!!! Just wanted to share whats been working for me recently. You don't have to do all of this but you have to find and do what works for you. Maybe you can focus more on your plan since you can't leave the house . Hope things get better for you soon.

I am scared for some of these newbies and the lurkers who are reading. This fear is probably a huge part of why I don't just log off permanently.

Is it just me or does the trend seem to be "I'll eat what I want when I want no matter what my surgeon says" with other people actually coddling/recommending/applauding/defending that viewpoint?
When I joined this site, I had my @ss handed to me several times (THANK GOD!!) because I wondered why (out loud) my diet was so restrictive. I wanted permission to break some rules because it was damn hard to follow them. I never did test those waters (with the exception of a Hershey's Kiss one week post op -- it tasted like I imagine licking an ashtray would) because the experienced people scared the **** out of me with talks of leaks, tears, vomiting, and the worst? BEING A FAILURE AT WLS.
Maybe because I had my surgery in my 40s -- after decades of being fat and ready for a change -- I didn't take those words as "ganging up", "bullies", or "mean girls". Maybe it was because I knew in my head that I was being a dumbass every time I whined about wanted something salty instead of sweet. Maybe because I had the self realization that "listening to my body" put me in a place where I needed WLS, so clearly listening to me was a horrible idea...

I will never forget my first WLS seminar. There was a young girl a few rows in front of me who was scheduled for surgery the next week. When we were going over the dietary stages post op, she raised her hand and told the NUT she has a bachelorette party a week after her surgery. She TOLD this woman that she WOULD be eating wings and drinking, no matter what. It was, after all, her body and her right. I would love to know what happened to her. Ideally, they took her off the surgery schedule. Most likely, she had surgery and is still obese 3 years later.

I wish great success to anyone and everyone who has WLS. The quality of life this procedure has given back to me is worth all the coookies (sic) and crackers and french fries in the world. (Even McD's -- fresh out of the fryer!!) I hope everyone gets to experience everything they want to experience in a thinner, healthier body. I would love to hear less and less stories of people who never lost or gained it all back but I fear that those stories are just going to multiply with this new mindset.

It's a shame. It's a great big DAMN shame.

I don't know if this helps ladies. I have posted it before and some people find it useful.
Why 2 pictures I don't know

Thank You so much for your help. You just gave me awesome tips. I will go to my local salvation army which has a pool and ask about classes. I will start with the walking in the water. Thanks again Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App