PorkChopExpress

I ended up going alone to mine. My wife and kids moved ahead of me out of state, but I had gone through this almost year-long process preparing to have this surgery and all the requirements were met, and I have a job here, so I've stayed. But my wife wasn't able to get out here until the evening, and my procedure was in the morning. I'm a bit of an old hand at at abdominal surgery though, this was my third. So I was comfortable with the process. The thing is, there's nothing your friend can really do to help, except talk to you before you go in...and after that, the focus will very much be on getting fluids in and walking as much as you are able, to get the gas to move out and speed your healing...and sleep. You'll do a fair amount of that. A couple days later, they'll probably discharge you and you'll head back home. You'll be walking under your own power, but you'll want to use a cart for your bag. Don't carry anything heavy.
You can do it! It's not ideal, of course...but the situation hasn't changed that much. You're still the one being operated on, you're still the one who has to undertake the recovery, and the battles that you'll fight will be in your own head. So don't be discouraged or scared, most of it isn't any different without company...and you'll be even stronger having done it on your own. You can take pride in that.

At the moment, probably reading about weight loss surgery experiences and successes. I have a tendency when I get into something to get kind of obsessive about it for a while. Eventually I'll exhaust myself of reading and researching it, and then move onto something else. I only do it with one thing at a time, usually. Right now, this is it. The next thing I WANT to become an obsession (that will last long-term) is lifting weights and fitness.

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.

Had my first meal out with an old friend today, who was shocked how little I ate. We went to an old favorite Mexican restaurant which serves HUGE portions. The version of me he remembered would have cleaned that entire plate. So when I had a little side plate, eyeballed my portion of Protein and carbs on to it (Al Pastor and refried Beans with just a little spanish rice and guacamole mixed in) he looked at me in shock. I had to explain what happened, six weeks ago.
He said he noticed I looked leaner when he saw me, and congratulated me for starting this journey. Although we've been friends for nearly two decades, he's only ever known me as an obese man who delighted in eating a lot. He was concerned about whether it was mandated or voluntary, I explained it was totally voluntary...I just had a lot of health issues cropping up and when my weight started threatening to crack 400 pounds, I decided it was time to pull the trigger. He was very encouraging though, so that made me feel good. And I still got to enjoy the food, just not a lot of it.
I find that I'm totally okay now with my portion sizes. I don't struggle with the feeling that it's not enough, anymore. I am getting pretty good about putting the right amount on my plate, if I'm not able to measure it out. It's significantly more than it was around three weeks ago, probably twice as much...but still no more than about half a cup in volume, I would guess.
I still feel the best part is that I spent $10 and it will last me three meals, instead of one. That's great.

Stop weighing, you're gonna drive yourself nuts. Don't weigh for another two weeks.
When your body needs to heal, it requires Water and Protein. If you're dehydrated, or you aren't getting enough Protein, you aren't going to heal as fast or as well...so focus on those two things and if necessary, just drink Protein shakes all day long.
Some depression after surgery is normal, your brain just lost a major coping mechanism, in all likelihood. You're going to be sluggish and tired as your body recovers. And yes, hormones get a little crazy, too...but a TON of the problem is going to be in your mind, and that's something you'll be continually addressing for the weeks and months to come.
If you had the sleeve, you should not be feeling anything remotely like "starvation." You may have an acid buildup in your stomach that makes it feel kind of like hunger pangs, but that's not hunger. The hunger comes from your mind. Keep putting Protein Shakes in yourself all day long every day and you won't feel much of an issue...but the acid buildup is a problem for some people, but my surgeon said it resolves itself over time and mine has gradually gotten better over the last six weeks. I still feel a little acid bite in my stomach from time to time when it's empty, but it's not hunger. My stomach doesn't growl. But if you have food on the brain, it's easy to mistake it for hunger.
But my biggest piece of advice other than drinking protein shakes all day long is, STAY OFF THE scale. Give yourself at least two more weeks before you step on it again. You are retaining all kinds of Water right now because you aren't putting enough in, and you retain water anyway post-op as part of the healing process.

Stop weighing, you're gonna drive yourself nuts. Don't weigh for another two weeks.
When your body needs to heal, it requires Water and Protein. If you're dehydrated, or you aren't getting enough Protein, you aren't going to heal as fast or as well...so focus on those two things and if necessary, just drink Protein shakes all day long.
Some depression after surgery is normal, your brain just lost a major coping mechanism, in all likelihood. You're going to be sluggish and tired as your body recovers. And yes, hormones get a little crazy, too...but a TON of the problem is going to be in your mind, and that's something you'll be continually addressing for the weeks and months to come.
If you had the sleeve, you should not be feeling anything remotely like "starvation." You may have an acid buildup in your stomach that makes it feel kind of like hunger pangs, but that's not hunger. The hunger comes from your mind. Keep putting Protein Shakes in yourself all day long every day and you won't feel much of an issue...but the acid buildup is a problem for some people, but my surgeon said it resolves itself over time and mine has gradually gotten better over the last six weeks. I still feel a little acid bite in my stomach from time to time when it's empty, but it's not hunger. My stomach doesn't growl. But if you have food on the brain, it's easy to mistake it for hunger.
But my biggest piece of advice other than drinking protein shakes all day long is, STAY OFF THE scale. Give yourself at least two more weeks before you step on it again. You are retaining all kinds of Water right now because you aren't putting enough in, and you retain water anyway post-op as part of the healing process.

The hormonal stuff hit me pretty hard for about the first 8 weeks or so post-op. Same thing, didn't really feel like doing much and I was randomly moody for no real reason (which is pretty atypical for me). After that, it lifted and I went back to my old self, but with more energy.
If it continues to bother you, be sure to mention it to your doctor during follow-up. My sense is that the hormonal dumping effects can be really common.

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.

Agirlhasnofluff
Omg i have to admit your post scared the sh!t out of me then i read porkchopexpress and that eased my nerves lol some.
However i do have some questions for you since i am going to have the same procedure (maybe) and it seems like not to many people on here have opted for this one. So forgive me if i bug you but when you say 8000 times a day really about how much do you go and is it alot that comes out? Does it have an overly foul oder as i seen some say that have posted about their surgeries. Also does it hurt to go potty after surgery? Sorry not trying to be nasty just seems to be the right place to ask.Why the biopsy on your liver is that part of the procedure? Plus what is your starting weight and bmi mine is 391 bmi 53. Im on a cell phone and cannot see it if you have a ticker. Porkchopexpress i like your new picture you look slimmer already.
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@@PorkChopExpress
I just wanted to pop in and say I really like this sentence. I hadn't thought of it that way before now I will be visualizing this. I'm a visual person so in my mind I see the obese mind who used to be in control, and the new, real me now taking over. Thanks for this!
OK....carry on

At the moment, probably reading about weight loss surgery experiences and successes. I have a tendency when I get into something to get kind of obsessive about it for a while. Eventually I'll exhaust myself of reading and researching it, and then move onto something else. I only do it with one thing at a time, usually. Right now, this is it. The next thing I WANT to become an obsession (that will last long-term) is lifting weights and fitness.

Stop weighing, you're gonna drive yourself nuts. Don't weigh for another two weeks.
When your body needs to heal, it requires Water and Protein. If you're dehydrated, or you aren't getting enough Protein, you aren't going to heal as fast or as well...so focus on those two things and if necessary, just drink Protein shakes all day long.
Some depression after surgery is normal, your brain just lost a major coping mechanism, in all likelihood. You're going to be sluggish and tired as your body recovers. And yes, hormones get a little crazy, too...but a TON of the problem is going to be in your mind, and that's something you'll be continually addressing for the weeks and months to come.
If you had the sleeve, you should not be feeling anything remotely like "starvation." You may have an acid buildup in your stomach that makes it feel kind of like hunger pangs, but that's not hunger. The hunger comes from your mind. Keep putting Protein Shakes in yourself all day long every day and you won't feel much of an issue...but the acid buildup is a problem for some people, but my surgeon said it resolves itself over time and mine has gradually gotten better over the last six weeks. I still feel a little acid bite in my stomach from time to time when it's empty, but it's not hunger. My stomach doesn't growl. But if you have food on the brain, it's easy to mistake it for hunger.
But my biggest piece of advice other than drinking protein shakes all day long is, STAY OFF THE scale. Give yourself at least two more weeks before you step on it again. You are retaining all kinds of Water right now because you aren't putting enough in, and you retain water anyway post-op as part of the healing process.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Anyone suffering from obesity and a repeated failure to overcome it could tell them what the "average person's" opinion was on the topic. Somehow, people equate needing to lose 10 pounds with losing 200 pounds. They have not a single, solitary clue about the challenges obese people face, trying to lose weight and get in shape. Not one. They don't get that the amount of willpower that is required to last two straight years or so on a calorie restricted diet, when your entire body will fight to maintain homeostasis and will require you to bust through month-long plateaus while feeling like your stomach is eating itself alive all day long, every day and you are quite literally BOMBARDED with signals to eat all day long, every day...not to mention you have behaviors and attitudes well-worn into your psyche that uses food as a tool to cope with issues in your life, and taking that away creates even more difficulty in staying on a program for years, to lose that much weight...it's asinine. Especially given that most people who are morbidly obese have a lot of co-morbidities that interfere with fat loss, like diabetes...and their entire metabolic system is different than a "normal" person's.
If you have only ever been 10-20 pounds overweight, you frankly have absolutely no business commenting on what obese people should or should not be doing, in my opinion...because you don't have a clue what we have to deal with.

@@Barepigies3 I had the kind of depression that required 8 months of therapy and Paxil to correct a chemical imbalance. The therapy gave me the tools I needed to manage it and the Paxil helped reset my brain chemistry. I still have to be aware of my emotions, to this day. But for years, it was untreated and it contributed to my weight gain. But it was because I had come to use food as a coping mechanism that I gained weight, and I could have opted to make exercise my outlet instead. I just didn't.
The fact of the matter is, it won't do any of us any good whatsoever to sit around absolving ourselves of responsibility and saying, "No it's my genetics, it's my depression, it's because I didn't get enough hugs as a child..." No...it's because we ate too much and moved too little, and we developed unhealthy relationships with food. That's it.
I wasn't trying to attack you, I'm just pointing out the fallacy in your thinking. Nobody is helped by passing responsibility off onto someone or something else, we have to OWN this in order to fix it. I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me for where I got to and I don't feel sorry for myself. In fact I feel like I've finally taken control of the situation, and that's empowering.

I tried three different flavors during my "clear liquids" phase and I didn't like a single one of them. They have a very medicinal taste, to me. Definitely try them before you buy bulk.

@@SleeveG You will still gain some strength at first with Stronglifts, but you'll hit a hard plateau where you just won't be able to gain any more, simply because you lack the calorie input to add more muscle. But the routine will help you maintain muscle mass, so I wouldn't worry about busting through any strength barriers when you hit them.
If you end up wanting to switch to more of a bodybuilding-oriented regimen once you've hit goal weight, then you'll start wanting to do isolation lifts with high reps, or a progressive overload style like you'd find in Body For Life, where your goal is to completely exhaust the muscle and encourage growth. But if your foundation comes from strength training, you're going to have even better results with that, most likely. In the end, it'll be a trial and error process to see what works best for you, and what gets you the results you want. But for right now, a program emphasizing overall strength with compound lifts is, in my opinion, the best way to maintain as much muscle as you can, to help with your fat loss goals. It's just too hard to get the calories and Protein necessary to create hypertrophy in your muscles and cause them to grow a bunch, before you're close to goal.