blizair09

Google "three week stall." Everyone goes through it. My advice is to stay off of the scale for at least the first month post-op. Your body is desperately trying to heal, and weight loss isn't the top priority.

And get used to stalls. I have found that I am in a stall more often than a period of loss post-op. It's just part of the process.

Good luck!

I took 37.5mg of Phentermine once a day for the entirety of my six month insurance-required pre-op diet program. I stopped taking it 2 weeks before surgery and haven't taken it since.

2 hours ago, Karcares said:

I took 6 weeks off and used CA state disability, except for the first week which I used my companies extended sick leave for. I work for a large hospital so no, you do not need to tell anyone why you are having surgery and they cannot ask. But three other people in my department had the sleeve in the last 2 years so I didn't bother trying to hide it. More power to people who could go back to work right away, but I felt extremely weak until week 4 and I was thrilled to have 6 weeks to recover. And get used to the new way of eating.

Amen. I did the same thing.

I told everyone about my surgery, and utilized my short-term disability benefits for 6 weeks off at 100% pay.

Oh my. Who in the hell are these people? I have never considered my personal little world a perfect bubble of acceptance and understanding, but damn, no one would ever say such things (at least to my face or with a risk of it getting back to me).

And, for the record, if something like that did get said, I'd tell them to blow me because I've lost 205 pounds and probably look better than they do now.

Even snarky gay guys have better manners...

1 minute ago, Torriluv87 said:

@blizair09, i was thinking of going back to Protein Shakes for my breakfast and 15 minute breaks. Its hard because i find myself feeling kind if sick if i go more than 5 hours without food it seems. And that's usually how long it is between meals for me when working. Some days longer.

Sent from my SM-G925T using BariatricPal mobile app

@Torriluv87, I would definitely go that route. 5 hours is a long time between meals. And a Protein Shake is easy enough to drink in 15 minutes at your stage of the game.

1 minute ago, Torriluv87 said:

This has really been a struggle to me. I'm back working full time in retail and my schedule is all over the place. So i go most of the day at work not eating much or drinking much at all. I make what meals i do bring or buy as low carb as i can but i can't seem to get in much anything until i get home and by then I'm ravenous so i just shove food in my mouth until i realise that's a bad idea and make myself sick. I have no balance in my life.

Sent from my SM-G925T using BariatricPal mobile app

That's why you have to plan ahead. Meal prep and pack yourself a little cooler to take to work with you. If nothing else, rely on Protein Shakes on those days that eating real food isn't possible.

51 minutes ago, Thucydides said:

Thanks, blizair09. That is really helpful and fits pretty closely what I have been doing as well. Congratulations on your incredible progress!

@Thucydides, thanks, and the same to you!!

1 hour ago, Thucydides said:

A key thing that my surgeon has preached is avoiding grazing between meals. Now that I'm trying to maintain my current weight, given the amount that I can eat at any one time, I am finding it impossible to get enough calories in without eating throughout the day (ie; grazing). Right now I am at a target of 2400 calories/day and I am still losing 1-2 lbs per week. I am interested in how other guys have dealt with this. Do you tend to eat throughout the day and just focus on tracking and making good choices in what you eat or are you doing something else? Right now, I am finding myself eating even when I am not hungry just to try to hit a calorie target and limit further weight loss.

I don't want to scale back the amount of exercise that I do, but I also see that having to eat throughout the day could also potentially send me down a road back toward some bad habits. Any advice?

I think that there is a difference between grazing and eating toward target macros throughout the day. In my case, I eat 8 small meals per day, approximately 2 hours apart (1.5 hours apart in the evenings) between 10am and about 11pm. This strategy has worked well for me since my surgery last November. I have gradually inched my calories up to about 1600, and I have always done this by adding additional meals, not by adding volume to existing meals. I never eat until I am full. I eat specified amounts at a time, and I know that I am going to be eating again in a couple of hours.

I have 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 tablespoon of sugar-free strawberry preserves for my second meal every day. It would work well for a Breakfast meal.

1 hour ago, gwbicster said:

I apologize and maybe this will make me a "loser" (or gainer) long term, but I just don't agree. Like you I ate whatever I wanted in whatever quantity I wanted for my whole life, however, just because I am modifying my lifestyle by limiting the portions and eating healthy does NOT mean I need to stop enjoying the food I am allowed to eat.That's not going to be the path on my journey.

I believe I can learn to be satisfied with a "normal" portion of healthy food and THAT is why I had the surgery, not to put myself in food jail for the rest of my life. If your way works for you then more power to you- it won't work for me.

I was simply offering a perspective, not suggesting that you had to do anything the way I do it.

I won't comment any further on one of your threads.

Good luck!

7 minutes ago, Apple1 said:

I think this post is something worth thinking about. I believe many (myself included) don't do enough work on changing the way we look at food. I have been working on this for myself. Instead of thinking about what am I in the mood for, I look in the freezer find an appropriate Protein and a vegetable to go with it, thinking more about what does my body need. I am spending more time making sure I meet my macro goals and less time worrying about cooking certain recipes. I still cook things my husband wants, but I make sure what I am eating fits my plan.

This is why I eat the exact same thing every single day. Now don't get me wrong, the things I eat, I like. So, it isn't misery or anything, But, I spent a lot of time getting myself in this mindset and finding appropriate foods (e.g., cottage cheese, chicken, salmon, 93% hamburger, green Beans, etc.) that would work for me.

Part of my obesity was eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it for 40 years. That had to end, and this was the only way for me to do that.

12 minutes ago, gwbicster said:

Yes you are similar to me in the way you operate. But sometimes I want something a bit more complex. I don't know if just Beans would ever satisfy me- I prefer chili. And I just found a recipe for Fat Head pizza that I'm dying to try.

Right now I can only eat 2 ounces at a time (if that) so it's hard to prepare portions that small. I can't wait until I get up to 4 ounces- and maybe some veggies too- what a joy that will be!

I'll throw this out there -- for me, working toward looking at food as fuel and nothing more was a necessity for my success. I no longer worry about what I would like to eat, and instead focus on what I need to eat. I spent the entire six months prior to my surgery working on that so I wouldn't have to deal with it at the same time I was trying to heal and adjust to post-op life. And after 40 years of food being the center of my life, it wasn't an easy journey, but one well worth taking...

@adriannaruth, thank you for sharing your story. You are taking control of your health, and that is something to be so proud of.

Enjoy the journey. It will be amazing watching everything transform before your eyes.

I wish you all the best. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

bread is a never for me. Too many carbs.

47 minutes ago, Dabearo said:

Lordy. Timely post. Fighting this today. MOM was a dud. Stool softener was a dud. Md office recommended miralax. We shall see.

Blizair09. Really? This is the new norm?

@Dabearo, it has been for me. But I follow a strict Keto diet so I have no fiber, my Protein is over 120 grams per day, and I only have 20 carbs. It just goes with the territory.

1 hour ago, Clarive said:

Do you take a full cap of the milk of magnesia ?? Because I took just 30mg and I'm still waiting 😩

I take 3 tablespoons. It works for me within 2 hours (usually faster).

I have struggled with Constipation since the surgery (and I am 9 months post-op). If I haven't gone by the third day, I take a dose of Milk of Magnesia, and it always does the trick.

I've just learned to live with it. It is par for the course with a Keto way of eating as I understand it.

You were pumped full of air and fluids at the hospital, so it is natural to weigh more immediately post-op than you did when you went to the hospital. Everyone deals with that.

My advice is to stay off of the scale for at least a month. Your body is desperately trying to heal, and any weight loss comes second to that.

Good luck!

Honestly, you have to find the grit and drive within yourself to do what you need to do to be successful. There just comes a time when you have to ask yourself what is more important, you or food...

You are worth it! food is just food.

4 hours ago, gwbicster said:

That's interesting perspective. I'm not totally sure I agree with you. I cook a lot and 20 minutes is not really realistic. And then there is the shopping and the planning.

Yes it is better to cook a huge batch and freeze it and I will do that when I can, but that's not always realistically going to happen, especially when I go back to school (I am a teacher).

I am going to challenge this part. It is important to make this realistic. Planning your food, being detailed, weighing your food, etc. is all part of the responsibilities you need to take on to be successful long-term. And yes, it takes time, but it is time well spent. I have food prepped every single weekend since I was able to start eating meat again (about week 5 post-op if I remember correctly). I cook up several pounds of chicken and then separate them into baggies of 3 oz (the serving size for me). Same thing with hamburger. I also cook a big pot of green Beans (with all ingredients measured and weighed). That way, all week, I can pull out what I need easily, and stay on track, even with things get busy (or if I have to travel for work).

And you're right. Food addicts can't stop eating like alcoholics can abstain from booze and drug addicts can abstain from drugs. That's what makes this kind of forethought and hard work even more important. Otherwise, it makes it very easy to fall back on old habits and excuses.

Just now, DianeJarrett said:

Fabulous advice! Thanks, especially for the low carb advice. My doctor has me focusing on calories and fat, and that never worked for me before! I'll give that a shot, and take the batteries out of the scales! SO MUCH APPRECIATED.

My pleasure. Keep going. I know it's frustrating, but it is SO worth it!!

I am 9 months post-op. I eat the same thing every day:

Meal #1: 1 scrambled egg with 2 oz of chicken breast

Meal #2: 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 T sugar-free strawberry preserves

Meal #3: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 string cheese, and 10 ParmCrisps

Meal #4: 3 oz salmon, 1 oz green Beans, and 10 ParmCrisps

Meal #5: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 oz green beans, and 10 ParmCrisps

Meal #6: 2 oz hamburger steak (93% lean), 1 oz green beans, and 10 ParmCrisps

Meal #7: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 string cheese, and 10 ParmCrisps

Meal #8: 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 T sugar-free strawberry preserves

I hope this helps. Good luck!

On 7/5/2017 at 11:43 AM, MSinger said:

I feel the exact same way. When I really start "showing" I plan on simply telling people I'm eating less, moving more, and increasing my Protein intake. It's not a lie...

Disclaimer: @MSinger, this has nothing to do with your decision not to tell anyone about your surgery. Your post just is the most recent post that helps me to make a point. Also, I believe that everyone has the right to tell about his/her surgery or to not tell about his/her surgery.

My problem with the "it's not a lie" perspective is that while the divulged facts are true, the entire story is misrepresenting the truth because the observable results wouldn't have been possible without WLS. Yes, successful WLS patients have made lifestyle changes and adhered to an appropriate way of eating. But that isn't the entire picture. And that, in my opinion, adds to the undeserved stigma that comes along with WLS and gives people ammunition to say things like "see Jane over there, she lost her weight by eating less, moving more, and increasing her Protein intake. You shouldn't have surgery; you should be like Jane. Surgery is the easy way out." (And all the while, Jane DID have WLS.)

I have lost 205 pounds. Most of that is due to the hard work I have done redefining my relationship with food and eating and drinking exactly as I am supposed to every day. But I wouldn't weigh 192 pounds today had I not had WLS, and I won't have people thinking that I did it solely with diet and exercise.

Tell or don't tell. But to make people think that one did it on his/her own when he/she had WLS is a misrepresentation of the truth...

Google "three week stall." That is what is happening. Just stick to your plan and the weight will come off.

Nothing about post-op weight loss is linear. It is full of periods of loss, followed by longer periods of stall. That is just part of the process. Also, it is slow. I started my six month insurance-required diet program at 397 pounds, and weighed 298 pounds on surgery day. Even at that size, my loss in the first four weeks post-op was far from "dramatic."

But I have followed my plan religiously every single day, kept my carbs below 20 every single day, tracked everything I put in my body every single day, and even with the countless stalls, I have lost 205 pounds and am 12 pounds from goal at 9 months post-op.

Put the scale away if it bothers you and keep focused on what is important.

Good luck!