TakingABreak

20 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

Life is different and the same. I found that people will now react differently to you depending on how they truly felt about you in the first place. However, you will ultimately most likely be the same person after surgery despite what you see in the mirror or on the scale.

honestly, I feel like a new person... I think it just depends.

18 hours ago, Orchids&Dragons said:

@AshAsh1 Where's your superlist? Good luck, TaKarra!

Here's my top 13 tips!

1. Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your Protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there.
2. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and Water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like.
3. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery.
4. Don't use Protein Shakes before you absolutely have to! I started supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to.
5. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit.
6. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price.
7. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time.
8. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes.
9. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be.
10. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives.
11. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror.
12. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice.
13. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

37 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Ok, not to jump your case, but you really, truly MUST know, you CAN NOT bank on "the new lifestyle will be much easier to maintain with a smaller stomach, than me being very hungry constantly like I was."

Why? Cuz until you're "there," you will not possibly know how being "there" will feel or affect your appetite/hunger/head hunger. If you once had emotional eating, unless you continually work to remain in remission--you will always have it and must deal with it.

I can tell you that within 1 month, my hunger was back. I had cravings as well. And worse, I could swear my surgeon didn't make my new pouch tiny enough, cuz I could eat! EAT! All around me, peeps were full on 2tbsp. I'm like, "Fu*k me!!! The surgery is an epic fail! I can eat 1/4c and maybe more!!!!" At 1 month.

Right now at about 8 months (Feb.20), I could theoretically eat about 1 1/2-2cups of food if I allowed myself. I could eat 4oz of dense meat and about 1/2cup of veg. Trust me when I tell you, if I hadn't changed my wicked ways BEFORE surgery, I would have stopped losing, would probably still be obese, and would be nowhere near my goal 1 weight. The ONLY thing that is saving me and allowing me to stay on track, focused, on the prize, appetite suppressed is my diet/lifestyle which includes low carb eating and IF, my exercise that I do almost 7 days a week, my partner who encourages me, and all my friends here who are in it to win it on BP and FB.

I could do TONS of damage with 1 cup of food, eating continually all day. I would quickly regain. I could do even MORE damage with 1 1/2-2cups of food. But I am practicing good, healthy, food principles and following my surgeon's rules of the RNY road. And am experiencing success.

So please, please, if you aren't working with a therapist now, please look into one soon?!! So you can enjoy the success we are all experiencing!

^^^^ this... 1000%.

My hunger comes and goes. But usually I get hungry like a normal person, and I can eat a lot too at times. This isn't the easy way out for all. And there is a cheat to everything in life... this is no exception.

On ‎10‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 9:26 AM, JulieL123 said:

My only complaint about this app is the amount of negativity and rude comments. This should be a positive place for helping people. There are people from all different backgrounds/education levels/etc who genuinely need help and it’s super disappointing to read this stuff. There is so much information to know and understand right out of the gate before and after surgery that those questions should not be “annoying” or “searched before asking”. After time goes past I’m sure you forget what it was like and all the questions you had but please be kind to those asking the same question.

talk to me after a few thousand posts/replies....

On ‎10‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 8:12 AM, Matt Z said:

Adding to the list.

Necroposting.
The whole, reviving long dead posts by answering them for no reason. Like, answering a post that was created in 2010, for a user that hasn't logged in since 2012... those posts should remain dead posts.

I almost wish posts with no updates for a certain amount of time (like years) should be locked for archival and prevent future postings for that one topic.

freaking guilty... sometimes I'm not paying close enough attention...

22 hours ago, CrankyMagpie said:

(Sorry, Very Helpful People In This Thread, but you -- we! -- really are all just randos, at the end of the day. And until someone's read multiple of our posts, they are going to have a hard time pulling apart what is our own individual bias versus what is actually probably applicable to them. All the more reason people should do a little reading before they post.)

You aren't a rando, Magpie

Gorgeous!

Prior to surgery, I looked into the Tespo. However, I'm sooooo glad I didn't invest in one because within 6 weeks I was cleared to swallow pills and started taking a 1x per day bariatric Vitamin that is a capsule that you swallow. I wouldn't invest money in any type of bulk vitamin or machine until you know your body after surgery.

Here's my top 13 tips!

1. Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your Protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there.
2. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and Water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like.
3. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery.
4. Don't use Protein Shakes before you absolutely have to! I started supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to.
5. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit.
6. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price.
7. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time.
8. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes.
9. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be.
10. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives.
11. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror.
12. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice.
13. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

1 minute ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

Thanks!!

One thing that I imagine could be challenging during maintenance phase is to balance eating enough calories, but eating healthy food. I'd assume that you will eat more frequently, especially for folks whose restriction is still good years later.

4 minutes ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

So I am in the preop stages of insurance approval etc. I have been doing research and have a strange question and can't really figure out the answer. Sorry if this is a stupid question. So from what I have read a few months after surgery you will be on solid food and eating a maintenance diet (re. calories, Protein etc) for the rest of your life. This will be around 800-1000 calories. So how can people still be 200 lbs. etc years later? If the average person burns a lot more than 1200 calories then that wouldn't eventually a year or 2 after surgery a person would be underweight? Do you increase your calories after a year?

This is such a great question!

You will want to determine your BMR. https://dailyburn.com/life/health/how-to-calculate-bmr/ Talk to your NUT about this.

Once you determine what your BMR is you will want to consume the minimum calories your body burns daily in order to maintain your current weight.

6 minutes ago, Spellbound said:

@AshAsh1 thank you for making me feel like I am not a defect. I appreciate your attentive response. I hit the soft food stage Thursday and feel so much better!! I have to figure out how to make balanced 2/3 oz meals, but I am so much more alert and active. I’m three weeks out and would love another week but I need to go back to work (benefits reasons - which is why I wanted earlier in the year). Also, I don’t want to be home alone anymore (single gal). I enjoy it but I’ll enjoy it too much. I think I can work part of the day or week at home if I feel too exhausted.

You are sooo welcome! I'm glad you are feeling better. I know that some people can't take the extra time, and that's OK too, but just know your limitations and listen to your body. Glad you have the flexibility to work from home if needed.

On ‎10‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 10:33 AM, AshMarie794 said:

So I am not 5 weeks post op RNY. I didn't realize just how much food and $$ I would waste. And to a point it is starting to get to me. Any one else having this issue?

I originally bought my Vitamins after sampling them pre op. Now post op I CANT stand them and have now switched to capsules. (By my doctors recommendation) So right there is 60$ throw away from my first bag of Vitamins that I can not take.

I bought my Protein Powder and shakes before hand also. After I tried and drank them for a couple weeks. Loved them pre op. Now post op I CAN NOT STAND ANY artificial Protein. I am strictly getting Protein from food. So that is another 140$ wasted on full containers of protein that I cant drink. (even the unflavored IS flavored to me)

Making food is where I feel I am wasting also. I have been doing a lot of been Soups and chili's and throw everything in crock pot and bam I have food. But its so much food and I am not eating all that much I am throwing also away. I had one batch that I did freeze but when I thawed it I could not eat it. Tasted off and I did not like it. So the extra food I throw away that's also throwing away $.

I get my new tummy cant take in that much and I will be wasting food. I just did not realize just how much that would be.....

I def over prepared and bought things I didn't end up using or needing. Even down to liquid Tylenol that I never needed... and I'm not going to take that stuff now, not in liquid form anyway. It's a temporary draw back to the surgery, but perhaps you can donate that stuff to your surgical office to give away to patients starting out?

Honestly, as far as food is concerned... I freeze a lot of left-overs but I also don't make as much anymore. I steer away from big crock pot recipes and casserole dishes that I know will go to waste. The only other possibility is to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner multiple days...but who wants to do that lol...

23 hours ago, bettie.blue said:

I’ve been reviewing a lot of “weight loss/bari-friendly” tupperware products lately; I start work again in 2 weeks and want the habit in place. My difficulty is finding something that works for me size-wise. Even the child sized options are a bit big and I am someone who does best with smaller plates. Any suggestions? I really liked the idea of finding tupperware with appropriate portions all in one container, even though I could just as easily make due with several small containers. I’m being a princess right now. 😑

Here's my take on this.... I was the person who bought way too much, and prepared way way too much. I don't regret it because it got me in the right mind set and helped me with pre surgery jitters. However, I bought some things that were not practical, and that I do not use anymore.

I found that the best containers that I purchased were these....

The reason being is that they were glass and easily used to freeze foods and for reheating. They also don't stain like plastic Tupperware. They go up to 1 cup, which is the max that I eat in any setting (including 9 months post op). They are versatile and I can use them for anything, not just my dietary needs.

18 minutes ago, Spg said:

Hi all- I’m new here. This is my first post. I just came home from my In-take appointment into a bariatric program. I’m full of many different feelings at the moment. The bad- am I making the right decision? Will people think I took the “easy way out”, Can I really beat my food addiction? How floppy will my stretched skin be? Etc Then I’m thinking about the positives- walking around the store without being out of breathe and sweaty, not getting the eye when I take the elevator up a flight of stairs because I get out of breathe and my knees hurt, being able to go and walk around car shows with my fiancé and actually have fun, be able to sit on any chairs again, not having to buy 2 airplane seats, bending over to tie my shoes without problems...

so many thoughts are swirling now. I’m sure I’m not the first person to over think this decision. My insurance is allowing for more of a fast tracked program. I could potentially be having the surgery within a few months instead of 6-8 months. I hope to find support and reassurance here.

Thanks for reading!

spg

Ok, here are my top tips for this process.... and most of these address your concerns.

Here's my top 13 tips!

1. Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your Protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there.
2. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and Water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like.
3. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery.
4. Don't use Protein Shakes before you absolutely have to! I started supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to.
5. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit.
6. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price.
7. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time.
8. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes.
9. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and lose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be.
10. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives.
11. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I bought myself a really nice full length mirror.
12. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice.
13. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.

On ‎10‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 10:26 PM, Spellbound said:

Hi friends,

I’m two weeks post-op for VSG and have been VERY tired the whole time. I have needed midday marathon naps, and it’s been consistently every day. Interested in hearing from anyone else who may have felt this way.

I’m a sing person, live alone, and have a pretty quiet life and not driving yet. I have been walking my dog on short walks.

Thanks in advance!

I was also very tired for a long time. I remember leaving a whole cart of groceries in the store because I couldn't figure out how I would push it to the register, unload it onto the belt, and load into the car, MUCH LESS unload it at home. I just left it all together. I was exhausted until I reached the soft food phase and started increasing my calories. Once I started eating a more substantial amount, I felt so much better and even started exercising. This is another reason I advocate longer time off of work, because it truly does take 4-6 weeks to recover from this surgery.

At 3 months post op, you should be able to tolerate most foods. I would focus on lean Protein and non starchy veggies. If you have room for other things, you can incorporate a small amount of whole grains and legumes. I would also look for healthy fats such as avocados, whole eggs, nuts, and oils.

Thank you all again!

Thank you all!

On 10/02/2018 at 00:46, Spellbound said:

What’s the nutritional value of this? Any idea where to find it? Looks DELICIOUS for 2-3 months out.

On 10/03/2018 at 00:15, GreenTealael said:

🎉🎉🎉Oooooo Amazing work! And I love that you are only focused on the present and the future!!!!!🎉🎉🎉

Today I went to the doctor and weighed in at 146lbs down since prior to the pre op diet in January. Surgery date of 1/19/18. Original weight was 332lbs at 5’4 and today I’m 186lbs. Initial BMI was 57 and today 31. I started in a size 4X top and a size 26 pants. Today I am a large top and a 10-12 pants. I am six pounds away from the initial goal that the surgeon and I set at my first appointment. Ideally, I’d like to lose another 40lbs on this journey.

For those who come to this site to look for validation to do this surgery....let me say this:
1. This process does work IF you put the work in.
2. This has been the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.
3. My only regret is I didn’t do this sooner. I’m truly living my best life now.

These are my current pictures. I’m not posting before shots because I’m not interested in the past, only the present and future. This is me today. (There are pictures in an album on my profile if you want to compare where I started)

1 minute ago, GreenTealael said:

This I may look into , screw getting... Well you know

I'll just become a saint.

Well, I wouldn't go that far, but if you found someone who is passionate about something you are... its a win win.

On ‎09‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 11:50 AM, GreenTealael said:

Apparently I'm single and should start thinking about dating again.

Where are people meeting each other these days?

What about volunteer work? Passion mixed with passion?

On ‎09‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 5:18 PM, LaLaDee said:

From memory I lost hair from about 3-6 months post op. Then I noticed regrowth about 8 months post op. It does come back!

This is crazy to hear, because I'm 8 months post op and still rapidly losing hair. I've been losing hair since about 4 months post op. I don't see an end in sight. Its very disheartening.