orionburn

Their concern is likely the fear of addiction transfer. A fair amount (I've seen numbers saying around 10%) of people after surgery develop drinking problems. So she's probably looking at if from the standpoint of occasional drug use (even if it's just weed) and a previous phase of uncontrolled drinking. Just remember that they are looking out for your well being. You can find another pysch to go to for a second opinion, but if you feel you have real issues to address now is the time to do it. Don't simply go looking for somebody to sign off without seriously taking into consideration of what is best for you long term.

Yes, totally normal. We all heal differently and it takes time for the swelling to go down. I really struggled with the little protein drinks they gave me during my hospital stay. I actually wasn't allowed to have a glass of water...only ice chips to suck on. After a few days it got easier and easier to drink. Just takes some time.

The first few weeks are tough but it will get better. It really is important to try and keep a positive attitude. Whether it's a hobby or whatever find things that are fun to do to help keep your mind off of things. I've hit a temporary stall as well but it's normal, and I know it'll pass. Hunger at this point is likely head hunger because it is hard not to think about food. I had zero desire to eat the first 4 weeks. It was nothing but maintenance for me because I needed to. Don't stress about the scale because that makes it all the more frustrating. Like blizair09 said your body is still recovering. As tough as it to do sometimes just be sure you're getting in your protein & water.

So you're 4 weeks post-op now? They didn't give you an actual list of foods that were okay to eat? At 4 weeks I was cleared to eat about 85% of regular foods. Take caution introducing anything new. My NUT gave the okay for things like chicken, tuna, ground beef, etc. at that point. She recommended staying away from denser meats like steak that might sit heavier in your stomach. Measure out your portions, chew the hell out of everything, and make a meal last 15-30 minutes. My doc also wants me at 3 meals a day but there is no way I can get my protein in with only 3 meals. I'm 8 weeks as of today and I'm still at 1/2 cup a food for most things. Something like cottage cheese I can eat a bit more of. I can hit my protein goal with 3 meals if I include a protein shake. Otherwise I'd constantly come up short. I'm not one to tell somebody to go against their doctor's instructions but starting out you really should consider doing 5-6 smaller meals for a day. I try to eat something about every 3 hours. Depending on my day there are those I don't eat as much and have my shake, and others I try to focus on getting all my protein in through good sources. There are a ton of threads on the site for meal ideas that can be found with a bit of searching.

Awesome progress! Congrats!

That's how I had to look at it. Yes, there's a chance A, B, or C might happen if I have surgery. Or I can stay overweight and pretty much be guaranteed that health problems X, Y, and Z are going to happen to me.

Yes, I wouldn't be that concerned with fluid intake. It seems the majority of people don't have issues with getting their water in thankfully. The first few days are a different story due to the swelling, but each day you'll see an improvement and before you know it drinking won't be an issue. Look forward to hearing about your progress in the coming weeks. Good luck!

Another warning my NUT gave me was the concern of accidentally swallowing it. Since you can be so swollen after surgery the fear is it could just sit on top of the opening and cause a lot of discomfort. Better to try sucking on something like ice chips or a popsicle.

Learning which muscles to use during various movements takes time. I do a mix of machines and free weights when I lift. I prefer free weights because it forces you to really focus on your movements. Machines tend to give you the ability to "cheat" a bit more. Getting a trainer to help learn some basic movements isn't a bad idea. Personally I don't think you'd need to worry about it long term. Get going on some of the core movements and focus on those the first few weeks. When you're ready to progress then you could do another consultation. As to knowing your limits it really is trial & error in the beginning. Always start light and adjust accordingly if you aren't being worked enough. I big mistake people make is not keeping track of what you're lifting. Keep a notepad with you and record the weight & reps. My rule of thumb is that you shouldn't be able to finish all of your reps on your final set. For instance if you're doing 3 sets of 12 reps I would want to do all my reps for the first two sets and then only get 9-10 reps on the final set. That means you're pushing yourself and forcing your muscles to get stronger. Once I am comfortable with that weight and get all my reps then the next time I'll add 5-10 pounds and start the process all over again. Some sites like Muscle & Fitness have a ton of videos to show proper movements. There's nothing wrong with going really light on the weight and practicing movements the first few times until you get used to them.

For most the goal of the pre-op liquid diet is to help shrink the liver since being overweight leads to fatty liver. They have to "move" the liver out of the way for surgery so the smaller it is the easier for them to operate. Even if they don't require it you may want to do a few days on your own as a trial run to prepare for life post-op. It's just hard to give advice sometimes with so many doctors having different plans pre/post surgery. One thing I do wish I would have practiced more was giving up drinking with meals prior to surgery. My nutritionist constantly told us to practice this but I didn't do it enough....or at all to be honest...lol. I've gotten better at it but for now it's a struggle. I have to put my drinks away so I don't grab it without thinking. For the past few weeks drinking is back to normal. I can take several large sips at a time with no problems. Usually I keep a 32 oz bottle with me throughout the day that I refill. Most days I have the first one finished off by late morning. While I don't drink as much as I used to I've never had a problem getting in all my fluids. At this point the only limitations I feel is when eating. For solid foods I don't like going past 1/2 a cup at a time. Guessing you use the metric system so not sure what that translates to for you

The upside that after surgery you likely could care less about food. While going through the liquid phase I didn't really miss food. I had no interest in it at all. My biggest struggle was just being burned out on protein shakes. There would be times my wife cooked for herself and while it smelled good I still didn't want to eat. Best advice I can offer is to try and have at least 2-3 flavors of protein powder for variety, have a mix of drink options (Propel water, the zero calorie Powerade or Gatorade, Crystal Light drink mixes, etc), sugar free popsicles, and anything else to add variety to this phase. I went through a phase of things tasting weird. Flavors I truly loved before surgery tasted just awful for about a week. That's why having a variety of options will help.

The two week liquid diet prior to surgery and then the liquid phase after surgery was a big wake up call for me. You're right, it's like giving something up cold turkey. In that time I came to realize how much control food had on my life and spent a lot of time thinking of my relationship with it and how it had to change. I look at it as the surgery being an aid to help that relationship. It's a stop gate to help keep me from going down old/bad roads. The other thing that was a slap in the face to wake up was seeing so many posts on this forum asking "when I can go back to eating/doing this?" Essentially asking how do I get around my sleeve/bypass so that I can still cheat from time to time and eat bad things. I totally get not wanting to give up everything in our lives and still enjoy ourselves from time to time, but some seemed to want to take the approach of not changing eating habits. Basically it was wanting to continue to eat unhealthy foods but since I won't be able to eat as much it'll be okay. Umm...no. I won't lie. The first week was tough. It didn't help I had some complications, but it happens. Pain wasn't ever a big issue outside of being really sore the first day. It was the difficulty in getting fluids down the first few days due to all the swelling. Honestly it goes by quickly and within a few days you're on the road to getting back to normal. I'm a big drinker too and as odd as it sounds I was more worried about that than issues with food. I don't drink near as much as I used to, but still drink plenty. The main thing is breaking up the drinking from eating. I had a bad habit of drinking a lot while eating so that's been the main reason I don't drink as much as I used to.

Everything you're going through is perfectly normal. If you search the forum you'll find a countless number of posts second guessing their decision as their surgery date approaches (myself included). I think it's great that you made the decision on your own to talk to a psychologist again. My doc always told me he was more worried about patients that had no fears/worries prior to surgery. To him that means they are taking this seriously and what impact it is going to have on their lives. The surgery is going to be a tool to lose weight. I do believe most people don't put enough emphasis on the mental preparation required for this surgery. It is a life changer and only you can decide if the pros outweigh the cons. For me my decision was a bit easier given my age. I can completely understand how undertaking this at a younger age can give you more pause. On the upside I'm envious of the younger folks because they'll have a longer future without being overweight. I'm only 8 weeks out now but I haven't felt this great in years. I had spent the past 3 years in miserable pain and I wish I would have done this surgery sooner. I've missed out on so much and there's nothing I can do to get that time back. Much of our lives is tied to food and you have to have a good relationship with it. I think you're taking the right approach to everything. Wish you the best of luck on your journey!

Complications are a reality, but if you look at the statistics they are still on the low end. On day three my spleen decided to bleed for the fun of it and it was rough, but it was a fluke thing that happened. This site draws in a lot of people and many are only going to post when something is wrong so it can skew things. Despite having complications myself I really wouldn't worry about it. Just follow your doctor's guidelines to the letter and you should do just fine.

When you're on a low carb diet it can give you bad breath. It sounds weird but it's part of ketosis. When the body burns fat it releases chemicals and unfortunately they decide to come out via breathing. Since it's not a matter of not brushing your teeth well enough it's difficult to get rid of. I used mouthwash as well to at least have a fresh feeling in my mouth. I'm 8 weeks out as of today. Most days it's a non issue, but there are times (usually mornings) where my breath is kicking...lol

Liquids pass through the stomach fairly fast, as do yogurts, so it's hard to get a full feeling. Not saying it isn't possible, but it's much more difficult. Even though yogurts are thicker when they're cold it doesn't take long to thin out once it's in your stomach. I never had any full sensations while on the liquid phase. When you get to the pureed stage you'll likely start to notice it. My first time of feeling full was when I tried a scrambled egg. I got about 3/4 of the way through it and that's all I could do. What I've noticed now at 8 weeks out (for me anyway) is that there is a difference in that full feeling. It's not a "Thanksgiving full" feeling of realizing you ate too much. Now eating too fast or taking too big of a bite can make you feel like crap. Just remember to measure out your portions and take your time eating once you get there. It can be frustrating but making your early meals last 15-30 minutes helps out tremendously. Btw...welcome to the site. Good luck on your journey!

Yep, that's the error I'd get from time to time. There was one day last week where it wouldn't load for the first few hours in the morning. This was on my desktop using Chrome as well (no installed extensions or ad blockers). Tried the site on my phone and it loaded fine. I eventually restarted my computer and the site was accessible then. In the past I would get the Bad Gateway message and it the page would stay there. As of late if I get it then it only displays for maybe 2-3 seconds and then the page loads correctly. I have not had any issues with other pages not loading like the others have spoken of.

Tube was out when I woke up. I did have some minor soreness in my throat the first day or so but nothing horrible. You should be just fine!

Awesome progress! Congrats!

I added in some Greek yogurt from time to time given its carb content is likely lower than most fruits. Depending on the amount of protein in your shake and/or if you are using milk it might be overkill on the protein in a single serving.

Don't know if it would be related or not, but I've noticed in the past two weeks I get a "bad gateway" error message from time to time. Sometimes that error page will show for a few seconds and then the forum page loads normally. I can try to get a screen capture of it the next time (if) it happens.

Cantaloupe and honeydew melons are supposed to be lower in carbs as well, but I hate both...lol.

Can you drink a protein shake on your drive in? I have an hour drive as well but don't have any issues with eating/driving. Even if your vitamin panel is coming back okay how are you getting enough protein in? I would think you'd be struggling not to lose muscle mass if you're only eating once or twice a day. My doc's biggest concern about people getting back to work was falling into old habits and either not eating or eating junk foods because of being in a hurry. Is it really that hard to give yourself 5 extra minutes in the morning to sit down and have a little bit of cottage cheese or something to start the day?

Fruits can be tricky with low carb. Strawberries and peaches are on the lower end, but it's easy to get carried away. Even at 1/2 a cup peaches can have 17-22g of a carbs per serving depending on the brand. Kind of depends on what your carb goals are for the day. If there's something I really want that I know is a bit higher then I just try to adjust accordingly to get things down. I typically mix a few slices of pears or peaches in with my cottage cheese. I did mix some fruit into my vanilla protein shakes during my full liquid phase to add a bit of flavor to them.

The final two weeks prior to surgery and then right after was a major wake-up call to my relationship with food. I probably say this too often, but I honestly look at my relationship with food as an alcoholic would to drink. The surgery was a tool, just like AA can help somebody battle alcohol addiction. Every day I'm going to have to face the world and make the right decisions. In time that will get easier but (for me personally) it will be a continuous battle for the foreseeable future. I have a very addictive personality and I thought my world was going to end when I gave up smoking years ago. There are times when a friend will be smoking and it sounds soooooo good, but I know it's a fleeting feeling and it'll pass. That's where I hope to get with food. Right before surgery I went through the food mourning phase thinking that I'll never be able to eat and eat and eat on holidays like Thanksgiving. After a while of introspection I realized it's that excuse of "I'll only indulge myself on A & B days" that led to adding C & D & E & F days as well. Guess my wake up call was that I couldn't go into surgery with the thought process of how do I get around my sleeve after surgery to cheat every now and then. Again I go back to the alcoholic reference because I can't make an excuse to go to the bar on only special occasions. Deep down I know that's going to open the door to further trips down to the bar. Years ago I was working on a serious drinking problem due to a horrible job. Got out of there and got my crap together but it's a demon I know exists in me. I can control that one well enough and only have a few drinks here and there throughout the year. Just have to get that control on food now too.