PorkChopExpress

I dealt with that feeling of "I'm taking the easy way out" early on, or some shame about why I couldn't just do it by willpower when I perceived others could. But the fact is, when you look at the statistics...obese people almost never lose the weight and keep it off. It's exceptionally rare, because the body has adapted in so many ways that fight against a return to "normal." It makes it almost impossible and a colossal test of will.
Once I started getting educated on the effects of obesity and the effects of WLS, I started to realize that even if I had the surgery, it would still be me modifying my behaviors that would create the lasting weight loss. People fail at it all the time. But the surgery would help eliminate some of the roadblocks that had made it so difficult, both biochemically and otherwise. Obesity is both a mental and physical dysfunction and you attack it on both fronts. Trying to do it on only one front won't work. Surgery helps you handle both fronts.
I am so happy to have it behind me. And just FYI, I haven't thrown up once...and if you follow the rules laid out by your nutritionist and surgeon, it's unlikely you will, either...not unless you have some surgical complication. Just take it easy, follow the rules and you're going to be fine

I specifically didn't cheat because I was trying to recondition myself mentally, prior to surgery. My thinking was, if I couldn't succeed at following the rules for two weeks pre-surgery, how was I going to succeed at this long-term? I took a lot of pride in sticking to the plan, and it paid off when I weighed in the morning of surgery. I feel that pre-op diet really set the tone, for me.

Well...those people are where the cautionary tales come from. So in a way, their failure can help future patients. I met a guy in one of the support groups I went to prior to surgery who had RNY, he must have weighed over 500lbs. He went in for surgery, lost about 100 pounds over the first six months, but when he was healed up he decided to go back to drinking Coke. Then his pouch stretched out and he started eating crap again, thinking "Wow, the surgery helped me lose 100lbs and I could eat pretty much whatever." In short order, he regained the 100lbs and then some. He was back in another six month pre-op program to have a revision...this time, with the knowledge of what NOT to do. I took his story to heart, and I knew that if you don't go into this with your mind right, you are SCREWED.
I see a whole lot of that on this forum and others. Cautionary tales waiting to be written.

Well...those people are where the cautionary tales come from. So in a way, their failure can help future patients. I met a guy in one of the support groups I went to prior to surgery who had RNY, he must have weighed over 500lbs. He went in for surgery, lost about 100 pounds over the first six months, but when he was healed up he decided to go back to drinking Coke. Then his pouch stretched out and he started eating crap again, thinking "Wow, the surgery helped me lose 100lbs and I could eat pretty much whatever." In short order, he regained the 100lbs and then some. He was back in another six month pre-op program to have a revision...this time, with the knowledge of what NOT to do. I took his story to heart, and I knew that if you don't go into this with your mind right, you are SCREWED.
I see a whole lot of that on this forum and others. Cautionary tales waiting to be written.

Yup, every day...a little bit better! I'm six weeks post-op now and it's remarkable how fast the time has passed, and how good I'm generally feeling. It does get better, you won't always feel miserable, people!

The Duodenal Switch is the most aggressive of all the weight loss surgeries, so I reckon it'll have the toughest recovery physically...but I imagine you knew that, going in. What you're enduring mentally, though, pretty much everyone goes through in some form or another, I think. My first couple of weeks, I was pretty obsessed with food. I was watching food Network a lot. I don't know why I was torturing myself but it was like my brain was raging against the fact that I had taken away its comfort, entertainment...whatever. It was almost like it was trying to punish me, reminding me of what I'd given up. Eventually I started to think of it that way; that my psyche had become so accustomed to using food in ways other than simply providing fuel, that it was rebelling against the change.
But you know what? It passed. The obsessing about food passed, and each strange new wrinkle that I have to deal with mentally or emotionally has passed, given time and exposure. I just realized over the past couple of days that I no longer feel weird about my portions. I used to be dealing with the feeling that it wasn't enough, every time I put my little portion on a plate. Now it feels normal to me.
You are going to go through ups and downs mentally, but be aware of them. Think about why you're feeling the way you are and ask yourself if it's rational. You know why you had the surgery, you know what you wanted to achieve through it. You knew what you were giving up, and the reasons for it. This is where the rubber hits the road...you've had the surgery, and now it's time to change. And I think most of us know that you're feeling the resistance to change that your "old brain" is putting up, because we've all felt it in some form or another. And the unfortunate thing is, we'll all probably be dealing with that for the rest of our lives...working to counteract those impulses. But you took a big step to get it under control...and that is what you've done. You have taken measures that will allow you to get it under control.
The physical stuff will improve as you heal, a little better every day. The mental stuff will take time and conscious effort to change. But it'll come together, you just have to be patient and diligent. Just do what you can. As for the "doctoring" your Protein shakes, I'm afraid of what that means...but I am hoping it doesn't mean adding stuff you shouldn't be having, because you'll only be causing yourself problems if you do that. If all you can do is drink Protein Shakes and you need to skip meals, then do that - as long as you are getting your Protein every day, and you are getting your Water, you will be fine. Over time, you'll get meals in too...just don't sweat it. One foot in front of the other.
And stay off the scale for a few weeks. People obsess about the scale. It is your enemy, avoid it. I am only weighing once a month, personally.

I specifically didn't cheat because I was trying to recondition myself mentally, prior to surgery. My thinking was, if I couldn't succeed at following the rules for two weeks pre-surgery, how was I going to succeed at this long-term? I took a lot of pride in sticking to the plan, and it paid off when I weighed in the morning of surgery. I feel that pre-op diet really set the tone, for me.

Well...those people are where the cautionary tales come from. So in a way, their failure can help future patients. I met a guy in one of the support groups I went to prior to surgery who had RNY, he must have weighed over 500lbs. He went in for surgery, lost about 100 pounds over the first six months, but when he was healed up he decided to go back to drinking Coke. Then his pouch stretched out and he started eating crap again, thinking "Wow, the surgery helped me lose 100lbs and I could eat pretty much whatever." In short order, he regained the 100lbs and then some. He was back in another six month pre-op program to have a revision...this time, with the knowledge of what NOT to do. I took his story to heart, and I knew that if you don't go into this with your mind right, you are SCREWED.
I see a whole lot of that on this forum and others. Cautionary tales waiting to be written.

I don't have the money to reward myself with anything, but I guess I just give myself a little mental high-five and keep on trucking. The end result will be my reward.

I don't have the money to reward myself with anything, but I guess I just give myself a little mental high-five and keep on trucking. The end result will be my reward.

My "goal weight" is more of a window, because I'm not as much focused on scale weight as I am how I am looking and feeling. I have an image in my mind of what I want to end up being like, and my goal weight is basically just a "jumping off point" for that. So it doesn't really demonstrate my goal, because my goal isn't a weight. It's a state of being.

"Listening to your body" right now is actually "Listening to your mind." It has nothing to do with your body, you just want eggs and sausage and the "old diet." Nobody here (at least I hope nobody here) is going to tell you, "Go for it!"
Seriously, if your surgeon hasn't cleared you for it, you don't eat it. Period. You may feel "all healed up" but you are NOT...and you won't be for another 4-5 weeks.

Trust me, when you start eating actual foods and not stuff that just slides right through the stomach into the intestine, the sensations are going to change a lot. That's when you'll really know that you're missing the majority of your old stomach

What most people don't understand is that fat cells don't actually GO anywhere. They shrink and swell, they're just storage containers.

Hi guys, I just wanted to post and reassure anyone who is coming up to their surgery date, or has had the surgery and is on day 1 or 2 post op, that it absolutely gets better with every day that passes. I had my gastric sleeve surgery on weds 2nd November 2016 and honestly I thought I had made such a huge mistake. I was nauseous constantly, my stomach and insides ached and felt like they'd been through a blender and I was exhausted beyond belief , but today (day 4 post op) I feel a million times better! Obviously I'm still recovering and i have a long way to go, but my goodness I feel so much more settled and I'm in no pain, the swelling around my main incision site is starting to go down, and I just feel so much better in my mind today. So I just wanted to reassure anyone who perhaps is feeling as scared as I was that I'd done something stupid to myself- it really does get better day by day. I left the hospital on Friday only able to tolerate 125ml of Protein shake/ complan every 4 hours to now where I can manage a small cup of milky tea in the morning, complan or Protein shake for Breakfast (125 ml), a ramekin of clear Soup and half a sugar free jelly for lunch, a mid afternoon snack of sugar free custard and then Soup again for dinner, and all day I sip sugar free squash. It doesn't sound very much but on day 2 I couldn't even manage a sip of Water or juice or anything at all and was kept on an IV in hospital, so it feels like I'm really turning the corner! The only thing that I hate is the taste if the drugs they give you when you leave the hospital! Why do they make oral dissolvable drugs taste Soooo bad!! Lol!
I hope everyone gets on well and I look forward to reading your posts to see how you're all doing and to get some hints and tips
Jem x
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Preparation, preparation, preparation. Not having food prepared, or having a plan for healthy things to get while you're out and can't get home, is DEATH to weight loss. As you have seen, surgery didn't fix your mind. You are not a different person after surgery. The behavior part is on all of us to fix.
The grazing is going to create so much calorie creep in your diet, you'll be shocked.

It's not real hunger, it's "head hunger." The very fact that you are indulging things that you SHOULD NOT BE INDULGING tells me that your head isn't in the right place, right now. It's normal to be a little obsessive about food the first couple weeks after surgery, your brain has a hard time letting go of its old behaviors. But instead of embracing that change and letting go, you're letting your brain dominate you again. If you continue to do that, you are not going to be successful long-term. The internet is littered with stories of people who did this and regained all of their weight, because they were not committed to change, ignored their surgeon's instructions, did what they wanted and gained it all right back. Sure, the surgery will force you to lose for a while...but it won't stop you from regaining it, if you're motivated.
11 pounds in a week and a half is excellent weight loss, so when you say you think it should be more, it tells me you don't really know how much of a calorie deficit you're running, how many calories your body needs to stay its current weight, and how many pounds you SHOULD be losing, given your calorie deficit. These are all important things to know, and these are knowledge and skills you will need to acquire if you are to be a success.
Right now, you need to commit to following your dietitian and surgeon's instructions with 100% compliance. Not 99%, not mostly kinda sorta, 100% without fail. You also need to commit to a lifelong change in your habits and thought patterns related to food. If you keep letting it dominate you, you will fail at this.
The rumbling in your stomach that you're feeling is not hunger, it is something that goes away after enough time post-surgery...your stomach just had the majority of itself cut away, it is a recovering muscle and it is spasming, doing all kinds of stuff that has nothing to do with hunger. It'll do all of that AFTER you eat, too. You also likely feel a "bite" in your stomach which reminds you of hunger pangs, but in reality is stomach acid buildup because your stomach hasn't adjusted to its new size yet, along with some residual soreness from the full-length staple line. Again, this is something that will resolve in time. It is YOUR HEAD that is driving your feeling that you're hungry...and your behavior is allowing your old mindset to control you, yet again. "I'll just have some of these wings, they're small, I'm so HUNGRY." No, sorry...you're screwing up already...less than two weeks after surgery.
Water, and Protein, in whatever form your dietitian and surgeon have advised. You are probably still supposed to be a liquids only. Next would be puree, most likely. STICK TO YOUR DIET. You went to all the trouble and expense to get operated on, why wouldn't you put the work in to fix the thing they can't operate on - your brain? That is at least 90% of what needs to be fixed, for you to succeed. The surgery was just a tool.
Sorry if this comes off as harsh, but I hate it when I see people asking questions about whether they're stretching their stomach or if they should be able to eat so much, when they aren't following the rules that have been laid out for them, at all.

Yeah, without insurance you're going to get annihilated financially in the U.S. I'd do some research on Mexico, there are a lot of reputable surgeons and facilities there...and just see if you can get involved with a program where you live for follow-up support. It'll cost you a fraction of what you'll pay stateside. There's a reason so many people do it.

I don't coddle people. I try not to make them feel stupid, or insult them, but I'm going to call them on it when they are excusing their own behavior or seeking someone to enable them.

Well...those people are where the cautionary tales come from. So in a way, their failure can help future patients. I met a guy in one of the support groups I went to prior to surgery who had RNY, he must have weighed over 500lbs. He went in for surgery, lost about 100 pounds over the first six months, but when he was healed up he decided to go back to drinking Coke. Then his pouch stretched out and he started eating crap again, thinking "Wow, the surgery helped me lose 100lbs and I could eat pretty much whatever." In short order, he regained the 100lbs and then some. He was back in another six month pre-op program to have a revision...this time, with the knowledge of what NOT to do. I took his story to heart, and I knew that if you don't go into this with your mind right, you are SCREWED.
I see a whole lot of that on this forum and others. Cautionary tales waiting to be written.

"Listening to your body" right now is actually "Listening to your mind." It has nothing to do with your body, you just want eggs and sausage and the "old diet." Nobody here (at least I hope nobody here) is going to tell you, "Go for it!"
Seriously, if your surgeon hasn't cleared you for it, you don't eat it. Period. You may feel "all healed up" but you are NOT...and you won't be for another 4-5 weeks.

"Listening to your body" right now is actually "Listening to your mind." It has nothing to do with your body, you just want eggs and sausage and the "old diet." Nobody here (at least I hope nobody here) is going to tell you, "Go for it!"
Seriously, if your surgeon hasn't cleared you for it, you don't eat it. Period. You may feel "all healed up" but you are NOT...and you won't be for another 4-5 weeks.

"Listening to your body" right now is actually "Listening to your mind." It has nothing to do with your body, you just want eggs and sausage and the "old diet." Nobody here (at least I hope nobody here) is going to tell you, "Go for it!"
Seriously, if your surgeon hasn't cleared you for it, you don't eat it. Period. You may feel "all healed up" but you are NOT...and you won't be for another 4-5 weeks.

I am almost 2 years out, and stalled out all the time during the whole weight loss process. I'm almost at goal now, hope to be below it on my anniversary.
At 3 months: down 41 pounds
At 6 months: down 54 pounds
At 9 months: down 72 pounds
At 1 year: down 93 pounds
Weight loss was pretty steady for the first 3 months, some small stalls of a week or so, but mostly downwards in 3-5 pound jumps otherwise.
Around 9 months, it started getting a bit harder, but it also coincided with my feeling much more energetic and I really got into finding new and fun exercise/activities to do.
Now (about 1.5 months out from 2 years): down 124 pounds. 6 pounds from goal. But the last year it's been me really concentrating on my food and Protein and Water intake. I stall out for weeks sometimes, and occasionally gain 2-4 pounds in there too. But I keep logging every bite of food, watching my Protein and calories and exercising and it slowly inches downward.
But a caution: my story and pattern is mine - yours is yours. Your body won't work exactly the same as anyone else, so don't fall into the trap of judging your progress against others. You'll do great if you just keep to the basics and don't get discouraged.

You should follow your surgeon's instructions. There are medical reasons for the structured diet advancement after a major stomach surgery.