QueenTiff

The thing to worry about in regards to swimming pools is the bacteria and all around nasty crap people do in the Water. If you still have healing surgical scars, you shouldn't be near a pool for risk of infection as well as tainting the water.
The same goes for going to the gym. Gyms are terrible for germs and bacteria and not a place you want to be immediately post op.

Back again! So my regular diet starts in exact one week. Monday will be 5 weeks after that I'm allowed a regular diet. The problem is I feel like I don't know what to eat. Right now for my soft foods phase I eat a lot of eggs, soft shredded chicken I has the chili mashed potatoes and yeah I basically don't know what to do once I leave this phase. Honestly sometimes I feel like I can eat anything as long as I chew it really well and take small bites and time but I'm honestly confused I'm honestly scared like what do I eat now. I know I have a week well a little over a week but a week can fly fast.

Tiffani️

I SO hear you and am sorry things are so hard right now. I am 2 weeks post and you are right, there's something really intense about the reality sinking in that we can't eat things like we used to. food for me was an event. It was how I connected with people and celebrated life. Having 2-4 bites of something doesn't even feel like I ate it. It's very surreal and hard to explain.
And we are all going to have our own challenges and feeling post op. I honor yours and am glad you shared. It's not all roses. This is hard stuff.
Oh, also, I went for my 2 week check up and they cleared me for bathtub and swimming. She made sure my incisions were just about healed, but she said it's totally fine.
Hope things get better for you!

Me too! I felt exactly the way you described. I could have written it myself.

I had a few terrible days in the last two weeks since my surgery on 8/16. Crying on and off all day, that sort of thing. I think most of these bariatric programs don't really emphasize how hard it will be during early post-op. They'd do us all a better service by speaking plainly on that subject, with the encouragement that eventually it will get better. Perhaps they're not that good at it because most docs and nurses in these programs haven't had the surgery and have no emotionally-internalized understanding of what our bodies and minds must manage.
Like most people here, food was the center of my coping and pleasure, and so now I have the monumental task of rebuilding my emotional wiring to seek that elsewhere. Of course that upheaval will cause panic and despair -- but faith in the long-term results is what has to sustain people like you and me. We have no other choice now.
You're not alone, you're not abnormal, and I get where you're coming from. My best wishes to you on this difficult portion of our long journey to better health!

Buyers remorse indeed. I had that same moment of breaking down and crying in my kitchen. My husband soothed me and told me I could do this and comforted me. I didnt realized how much food truly consumed my life. I ended up telling my surgeon and getting involved in a local support group and that has helped. So has this forum. Knowing others have felt what I have felt, and pushed passed it.

Wow that's amazing thank you for such inspiration


Tiffani[emoji1528][emoji757]️[emoji175]

I really do appreciate you sharing with me it really does motivate me to keep fighting thank you so much


Tiffani[emoji1528][emoji757]️[emoji175]

It has been SO much harder than I thought!!

I agree this definitely has an emotional toll on women and it's not really targeted like it should be. And thank you, thank you so much for being there


Tiffani[emoji1528][emoji757]️[emoji175]

Thank you and I will always try to be there and support you as well. I'm going through a rough stage after the surgery but I'm not gonna give up and I want to fight and show you that you can do it too


Tiffani️

So I wanted to put this on here because of my recent post. My recent post I had I was in a terrible place and I just wanted support. I'm still in this place of confusion but I'm a fighter and I don't want to give up. I post this because there was so many other people who just basically poured there hearts out to me privately expressing they feel the same way. I know I can't do much for people but I at least want to be a voice for them. So I say if someone cries out for help just listen. All the positivity that I received really helped me. It may sound cliche but I took the advice and gave it to others now I have a bigger support group.

Tiffani️

But you're still talking that is what is so confusing. You still have the energy to continue to be negative towards me. From the beginning you started the negative thoughts but because I stand up for myself now I have "mental issues" I am "miserable" you hope I stay lonely etc. be the smart person you are and just stop. No one is going to punk me into shutting up ever. Like I told my friend we can go all day I have time


Tiffani[emoji1528][emoji757]️[emoji175]

Do you feel better today? I do, which really makes me think there is some (lots) of hormonal involvement. Still hungry faster than I want ...maybe because it is all fluids...but yesterday your post was just what I needed [emoji2]

You really are miserable. I wish you peace on your journey. I'm personally quite happy I don't know you in real life. No wonder you are alone, you are moody AF. I read the whole thread before I responded , so I know the whole story that was in the thread. Therapy sounds like a very good idea for you to release this anger, passive aggressiveness and poor me attitude

It gets better! I know that sounds so cliche but I JUST started to feel better about the surgery and I'm 7 weeks post op.
I was having a hard time adjusting and still do some days. It sucks not being able to go out and eat like before. I've had some cheat days since surgery though. You will be able to eat the foods you enjoy just not yet. They tell you not to because they aren't the healthiest choices, but you can eat them. I just eat in moderation. Also, I can't even eat much.
Let's put it this way...before surgery I could go to McDonald's and get a 10 piece nugget meal large with fries and a coke AND a quarter pound burger and eat it all....f**king terrible right?
Now, I can't even finish 4 chicken nuggets (a happy meal).
While I probably shouldn't be eating this...it's not like I'm eating like I did before.

My fam has made spaghetti and I can only eat a few bites and a couple meatballs and i'm full.
So yeah, I get to eat normal things just not much of it.

And for anyone who is reading this thinking i'm terrible...oh well. Not all of us are perfect patients.

Point is...I don't indulge like I did before...like I was sooo bad before surgery. I'm also not saying to create these bad habits and eat bad all the time, but now and again...you can enjoy yourself.
If I couldn't eat certain things for the rest of my life...it would freaking suck.
Also, my mom brought up a good point to me when I felt regretful after surgery. "Well you've done it honey, and you can't change it or go back. so all you can do is make the best of it now".

Now you're just being rude. We get it, you're upset and frustrated and incredibly sensitive which at the end of the day doesn't excuse you from being just nasty. Stop responding to him, leave it. Can we just get back to being decent to each other?

I'm starting to feel better. I really thank everyone for such love and support. I know I'm not alone I know that this is something people has dealt with, but at this moment when I wrote the post I did feel alone. Moments later I get so many messages saying how people are in the same boat but they are afraid to get shut down. I'm a fighter and I want to be there to help as many people as I can, as people helped me. I'm still fighting I'm still pushing and i thank all of you for you're support


Tiffani️

In the words of Rodney King..."Can we all just get along?". I hate going into threads and seeing people argue. We are all here to support each other. That is the reason for even developing this site. I was in a thread for Veterans the other day, and it appears a lot of Veterans left because of people forming sides and arguing with each other. There are some threads that people create just purely because they need support and encouraging words. They don't want to feel judged.
Others are trying to help, but come off as judging or putting those people down. I get it. Tough love and all. Let's just agree that QueenTiff's feelings are real feelings, and expressing them here is what she needed to do to maybe find others that feel the same way. We are all different, and go through this experience differently....But let's try to be supportive, and offer advice or our experiences, in a way that is not sugar coated, but empathetic to the user that is asking for help/guidance.
Jaminator, I get that you are trying to be helpful, and I understand what you were trying to say. In my experience, it is not what someone means when they say something, it is the way it is taken by people that receive that information.
I hope we can move forward with empathy and respect toward one another. Man, I sound like this surgery has taken away some of my testosterone! How bout them Cowboys!

I follow my program you clearly have no life or anything because you're still bothering me


Tiffani[emoji1528][emoji757]️[emoji175]

I most certainly did not. You just cherry picked the words you wanted to focus on from my first comment.
In the midst of my first comment I told you
"Until you are three months out i would focus on hydration and Protein and take it one day at a time. A couple months of following the plan will not affect you in the long run if you are playing the long game here."
for some reason you think that's telling you to stfu so not much else I can do.
The whole point of the comment was that your doctor should've made clear how your life will be changed after this. You should've been given documentation to follow to get through the first three months. When in doubt read it again to remind you.

Queen Tiff,

I think you're brave to share and not suppress your emotions. We all were told this would be hard, but learning it and living it are two different things. I'm 2 weeks post op and I too have had my fair share of "what the heck did I just do?" I get it, and I hope you can focus on the positive support you've received on this thread and let the haters stew in their own bitterness.

So many of us stand with you, hoping and praying your heart and mind are comforted by the knowledge that you are strong and brave to have taken this step. You will have highs and lows, but I think in the long run, you will overall be happy with the new you. Take time to mourn the losses--whatever they may be for you. It's important for your psychological health to let those feelings have a place. Stuffing them will just marinate them into some other negative explosion. We don't have food to regulate us anymore, so it's even more important to feel the feels.

It does feel like we will never indulge in our favs. But I can tell you, watching my mom who had the surgery 10 years ago, she eats any and everything. Yeah, she gained probably 30 of her 90 lost back, but she's still much healthier and enjoys life. I will enjoy life. You will enjoy life. This mind set has helped me as I served my family desert and I ate my fudgesicle, made them lasagna tonight and I had a ricotta bake--this is just temporary. I will have those things again, just not today.

Wishing you peace of mind and hydration!

Everyone has moments/days/weeks where everything is painful and difficult both physically and emotionally. I promise you you will feel different in the coming months. Three weeks isn't long enough to truly enjoy the benefits of weight loss, and everyone is right that you will be able to eat what you want (doesn't mean you should necessarily) at about a year out. I've maintained my 100 pound weight loss and have eaten all of my favorite foods at times, but always in moderation because the sleeve gave me that tool. It is a hard place to be in right now, but you can do this. And if it helps to move into acceptance, there's no turning back now! I wish you luck and keep seeking support on this site. It's a lifesaver. Also, ignores the haters! We all are human.

oh I hear you!!! I was in full blown regret at your stage, I cried for a week. It's not easy, You WILL find your new normal, you will enjoy life again and you WILL feel like a normal person. I was in misery at your point. I was so sad and scared and worried and full of "What did I do, at least I had food to keep me happy before!" But it got better, you will feel better. Try having some mashed potatoes. I'm not kidding. Some carbs and fats, it was on my approved list. It helped me realize I WILL get to live like a "normal" person again.

Queen Tiff, you got this! I am pretty miserable watching people around me eat pizza and I'm eating apple sauce and broth and Protein Shakes. But remember why you made this decision. My guess, like many of us you weren't happy with the way things were going; health wise or body wise. It will get better. Just remember that and we are here for support. I am almost two weeks post op and sometimes I'm like did I really do this? Journal everyday. You'll see your attitude changing I promise. You got this!


Crystal, 30, Rhode Island
Gastric sleeve 8/21/17
Starting/highest weight: 241
Goal weight: 150