TXJess

liquid diet is really hard. But post surgery diet is really hard too. You need to have a long think about whether you are ready. Right now, it isn't life threatening, but it will be after surgery. If you think you are ready, then prove it to yourself by following your diet this week.
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Wish I could love this instead of just liking it. So many of us have that clean plate mentality drilled into us as kids. Getting over that is a huge thing. Sent from my KFTBWI using the BariatricPal App

It's hard....I know.
I smoked for a loooong time but was able to put them down.
My suggestion for you is to join a gym....right away......like today, lol.
Getting active there during your time off will really help. Bikes, treadmills, rowing machines, stairs and etc have a way of releasing endorphins that will have you feeling enthused and happy and your cravings for smoking, eating and drinking will be diminished.....I assure you.
You'll also be burning calories and amplifying the weight loss.
You'll be surrounded by motivated souls who are in there to get themselves in better shape, too. Being around them is very positive.

I'm not sure. I was just overly indulgent, and I rewarded myself with food. I'm not sure I was a full blown good addict but I was self medicating, self soothing with food. Rough day, you deserve something delicious. Great day? You deserve something delicious.
I really wanted to have a better relationship with food badly. So many of my friends are thin and healthy with healthy lifestyles. I wanted so bad to be like them, but I was a glutton. I love to over eat. I felt like you only live once and you should have what you want.
Surgery allowed me to create a whole new relationship with food. By following the food steps closely I was able to break old habits. Like baked fish seems delicious and decadent after weeks of broth and Protein shakes. When I could finally have steak after eating seafood for months, it as almost orgasmic. I found healthy replacements for a lot of things. They taste good but not too good, I am not fooling myself that they are normal foods.
The money I used to spend on food, I spend on clothes and makeup. Now that I am small I can buy a bodycon dress for $10 online, instead of going to steak and shake or getting chinese food. That $15 I might have blown on bar food, I can buy a lipstick with. I still indulge myself but in different ways with durable goods. And no I have not addiction swapped. I shop about 1/10th as much as I used to since now I have to try everything, because my sizes change weekly. Also now that I have more variety in clothing, and brands vary so much, a size 10 or a medium top might work at one place but I need a large or a 12 at another. So I hardly shop compared to how much I used to shop. I used to buy clothes online almost daily, and now I get maybe one thing a week.

liquid diet is really hard. But post surgery diet is really hard too. You need to have a long think about whether you are ready. Right now, it isn't life threatening, but it will be after surgery. If you think you are ready, then prove it to yourself by following your diet this week.
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Wish I could love this instead of just liking it. So many of us have that clean plate mentality drilled into us as kids. Getting over that is a huge thing. Sent from my KFTBWI using the BariatricPal App

I got a PM from OP complaining that I made her feel like <whatever curse word she used>. All because I told her the 3 week stall was normal and her Dr should have explained her surgery to her better.
THIS IS WHY VETS DO NOT BOTHER POSTING HERE ANYMORE.

liquid diet is really hard. But post surgery diet is really hard too. You need to have a long think about whether you are ready. Right now, it isn't life threatening, but it will be after surgery. If you think you are ready, then prove it to yourself by following your diet this week.
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I noticed that since I can't eat the foods I use to love the way I use to eat them I really don't care too much to have them.. At first it depressed me now I just realize that food is fuel not pleasure.. So Im learning a new way to look at things and a new way to eat..
Munky
Oh, tonite I had pizza.. My mom ordered a meat lovers.. I peeled everything off the crust and ate it.. YUMMY
Munky

I grew up with a military Dad. Believe me it was really hard to get there. The further I am from surgery the easier it is.
I have lost so much weight at this point that I don't want to back track. I find that I will obsess about things and think they are really better than what they are. So I will taste something. After 1.5 years of low carbing and eating clean and healthy, carbs and "bad" foods just don't taste that good to me. So a taste is enough to remind me I don't even want this thing, I just think I do. Buying size 10 jeans tastes a lot better than a cookie.
That being said they had Cookies at work, they looked super delicious. I took a bite, stood by the trash can, tossed the rest and went back to my office. If I had took that cookie with me back to my office, I would have sat and pinched off of it and had the whole thing.
Is that an ideal situation? Not really. Most people would say never touch the cookie at all. This works for me. A taste just turns me off, even if its good, it just isn't as good as not being morbidly obese.

I take single bites of things and throw them away all the time. I don't see it as wasting money since being fat cost me a lot more money. food is not a durable good. There is no wasting it. If I eat the whole thing, or eat half of it and throw the other half away the end result is the same the food is gone/used up. The only difference is it is not turning into fat in my body.
I weigh all my food. I have a scale at home and a scale I keep in my purse. I don't think I could have been successful without weighing and tracking all my food.
If not weighing is working for you, keep up the good work! Everyone is different.

Every individual is going to be different. Years ago I was truly addicted to fast food so for me it was eliminated from my outings because I have found that I can go to other restaurants and get better quality food that I enjoy and have the outing still with my family without opening that door to that addiction. The only one I will go to is chick filet because they have awesome grilled chicken nuggets that are so good and friendly to keeping me on track, even before surgery they were the only thing I'd eat there. At home I still make nachos or burgers or what for my family and the thing is I have control over the quality of the food. For burgers I get the very lean 97/3 ground beef and I weigh out my patty and use the quality cheese that I select and make sweet potato fries baked and not fried. I don't eat a bun anymore and I focus on eating the patty first then just a few fries and I am very satisfied and stayed on track. I have found swapping things out works for me, keeps me on track and I am very satisfied. I let myself have a treat now and then but I do try to keep it to something small at one meal and not a cheat day. The very few times I have tried anything fried it made my stomach hurt badly and to me it's just not worth it.

Hi - just wanted to start a new thread for those of us who had our surgery last month. Hoping to get to know you guys. In the past, I've found on-line forums to be amazing support if we engage.
Anyway - I'm one week post-op. Still having pain. Luckily, I'm not hungry. Trying to get in all of my fluids. Oh - and today was the first day I weighed what I did when I went in for surgery. I gained 14 pounds in the hospital. I know it's fluids, but wow!
So hoping everyone is doing well.

So, I had to tell too. By the time I told them, I had missed so much work for dr appointments, they thought I was either interviewing or had cancer. So I told them of my decision, and explained why surgery was necessary instead of just diet and exercise. The support I've received from them has been amazing.
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So sorry. I'm always amazed how brave people feel behind a screen. They say and do things they would never do in person. I'm just sorry they took away your good feelings and sense of pride. I hope when the dust settles you'll be able to get it back.

So, today marks the one month anniversary from when I started my pre-op diet. In that month, I have lost 22 pounds!!! That is almost 1 pounds a day. I'm just so excited and thankful!
Who else is celebrating today? Join in please!!!

So sorry. I'm always amazed how brave people feel behind a screen. They say and do things they would never do in person. I'm just sorry they took away your good feelings and sense of pride. I hope when the dust settles you'll be able to get it back.

All good advice. The first point made me laugh. I have a good friend who's husband gets the hiccups when he is full. She said the doctor had never heard of it. But here it is - I can tell her that he is not alone!
Thanks for some of that advice too. I'm still in recovery and will use it going forward.

This was what was written and it was directed towards pre-op patients who are new and just needed to understand what could possibly happen and things that may help. Literally just the bare basics. (At the class, i actually did bring in tools like portion containers, shaker cups etc to clarify the visual part of the comment.
It was so great to meet so many of you guys at wednesday's pre-op diet class. I met so many amazing people, and i know that all of you be successful with your journey. I got so many questions and we ran out of time. Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions or if you need additional support. I'm glad to help.
Just to recap for those who came, these were some of my key take aways for optimal success.
1. Realize that the signs of fullness are not at all what you're used to feeling prior to surgery. Everyone is different. Some people might hiccup, some might burp, some might feel like food is stuck, some people have runny noses. When any of these symptoms occur, stop eating immediately. You ARE full.
2. Pace yourself because eating to quickly can also cause many of those same symptoms. ( some people use baby spoons to help with that)
3. Visually understand how much food your new tummy will be able to take in at one sitting. Invest in small 4oz plastic containers to portion out your meals. And make that switch over from dinner size plates to appetizer sized plates and bowls. It is ok if you don't finish all of that and remember to go slow to avoid having food get stuck.
4. Conquer the emotional aspect of this process. Remember that all of the changes you're experiencing will get better in time. This whole entire process is all about mind over matter. Add additional support to your daily life. Follow up with Dr. Shauna Moore-Reynolds if you need to. Always focus on how far you've come, not how much further you need to go. Weight loss (even without surgery is not linear) you will get your goal at your own pace, so relax and enjoy it. There will be times where you may feel like you aren't losing weight, that time will pass. Don't give up. The weight will continue to fall off.
5. Invest in your tools for success. Get your stay cool Water bottles, or shaker cups, baby spoons, meal prep containers, slow cookers/ pressure cookers, air fryers, blender, lunch box, gym bag, shakes, supplement container, AND FOOD JOURNAL. (Whatever you need in order to stay on track and make life easy.)
6. Listen your body. There might be certain foods that no longer agree with you, sometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's permanent. Just avoid that food for the time being. It will get easier as time goes on. With these appetite changes you may discover new foods that you like. You may like certain foods and shakes now and hate the post surgery. It happens to all of us.
6. Start cooking all of your meals and plan ahead. I never worry about what i can't eat because i'm always eating delicious food, just made by me and made healthier. Learn to make your favorite take out meals. Use substitutions like greek yogurt, cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash etc., make sure that your pantry is full of all your favorite seasonings and sauces so you don't have to eat bland food.(Send me a message and i can share recipes)
7. Get used to shakes and water- it will be a huge part of the rest of your new life. Adjust the temp or stand up when drinking if you need to.
8. Try to avoid as much processed food as possible- avoid the frozen food isle at the grocery store (EXCEPT FOR FROZEN VEGGIES) and avoid the snack isle.
9. Read your labels because not all "healthy" food was created equal.
10. Stay off the scale. Don't stress over numbers. Take your initial measurements of various parts of your body. Take before and after selfies as motivation. Only weigh yourself either every two weeks or every month to avoid added stress. Remember it's about being healthier not about being a particular size or weight.
11. Avoid negative energy. We all have Debbie downer friends, we all have other overweight friends that aren't changing their lifestyles. Distance yourself from them and re-focus your energy.
12. Make your workouts fun. I personally refuse to do anything that i don't want to do, that's just me. So with that said, i will never be a marathon runner. But find things that you do like. Go for a walk on your lunch break, try swimming or tennis, or zumba, get a few workout buddies. Go at your own pace. Whatever your fitness level is at day 1, will not be where you are even a month later. Just keep going. Workouts definitely get easier with time because your body will adjust.
13. Encourage your family to eat healthy with you so you don't feel left out and temptations are left at the door.
14. Utilize other bariatric websites for your staple foods and shakes. Try bariatric pantry, Bariatric Choice, Bariatric Advantage, Amazon and bariatric food source. They sell tons of approved Protein drinks, shakes, Meal Replacement bars even Snacks.
15. If you experience pain or other health issues talk to your doctor about foods that fight inflammation like turmeric, garlic, green tea, and fish oil/ krill oil or anything with Omega 3.
SURGERY DAY AND POST OP RECOVERY:
What does surgery day feel like?
you will definitely be tired, and you will have lots of gas pain (it's more so annoying that painful), you will have absolutely no appetite what so ever and you will have to take baby sips of Water. Walk every hour like the dr. Says, it really will speed up your recovery time.
When you are able to do full liquids (you still won't have an appetite) but try wonton Soup without the wontons (just clear broth), low sugar keifer (it's high in Protein and probiotics) and sugar free popsicles to help with your hydration. Some people find RTD shakes easier during recovery. Most people (depending on your procedure) take anywhere from 5 days- two weeks before they feel good enough to go back to work. While your recovering go to wegmans or Walmart and walk around.
I hope this helps. Ignore anything that doesn't work for you.
Best Regards,
Jodi Wright
(202)812-8094
Jodiawright@gmail.com
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@@TXJess i hope so too, because i truly love helping people through their journey, because i've had people help me through mine. Maybe i'll just stick to diet classes and not actually post online.
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So, today marks the one month anniversary from when I started my pre-op diet. In that month, I have lost 22 pounds!!! That is almost 1 pounds a day. I'm just so excited and thankful!
Who else is celebrating today? Join in please!!!

sure - I would love to see any tips and guidance I can
Maybe some of the issue is because our doctors can't agree on anything. Seriously - the variety of guidance and diet we get is amazing given it is the same two or three procedures. But I love to see tips - encouragement, etc.

sure - I would love to see any tips and guidance I can
Maybe some of the issue is because our doctors can't agree on anything. Seriously - the variety of guidance and diet we get is amazing given it is the same two or three procedures. But I love to see tips - encouragement, etc.

So sorry. I'm always amazed how brave people feel behind a screen. They say and do things they would never do in person. I'm just sorry they took away your good feelings and sense of pride. I hope when the dust settles you'll be able to get it back.

Why would they postpone it by six weeks? That is a huge disappointment.
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