Creekimp13

I think absolutely everyone should consider seeing the bariatric therapist. For me...that relationship...has been as beneficial as the surgery in my weight loss effort.

My advice....up your calories and get off the scale for a couple weeks. Which, I realize sounds like blasphomy and utter madness...but it honestly might help.

At 49, I know where all the bathrooms are. I pee my pants when I cough if I don't cross my legs like a vise. LOL I agree with catwoman about the catheter. First few weeks, maybe. This far out, nope. Maybe get checked for a UTI? Or just have a uninalysis done. The difference in mineral supplementation could concievably contribute to a bladder stone situation...so it couldn't hurt to err on the side of caution and get it checked out, no? Best wishes.

I have hypothyroidism and had sleeve. Because of it, exercise is a crucial part of my plan. It helps keep my metabolism more normal. I have my thyroid levels checked to make sure my Levothyroxin doesn't need to be adjusted every six months. This is extremely important while your diet changes and you are losing weight. Make sure to keep up on your bloodwork. Nothing has been as beneficial to my hypothroidism as 6 days a week of moderate exercise. I lost weight much slower than many folks but I have not regained.

Prestonandme.... I feel your post completely, and it's part of what I'm talking about. This addiction DOES kill. So yeah...there's that sense that only the best advice should be uttered. Because the stakes are really really high. I get what you're saying. But at the same time, I worry that the humanity gets lost, the comisseration and humor gets lost. Often, we laugh to survive. We share, we comisserate. And I feel like there are times when it's hard to be someone struggling in a place that caters to perfectionism. Can you follow what I'm saying? Maybe I'm saying it badly. It's a tough balance...because I don't want my posts to be a trigger, either, you know? I don't want to promote or romanticize the addiction. I know that some folks here have felt (understandably) afraid of their relationship with food and obesity...and a regimented, highly disciplined approach is their best way to feel safe and in control. But I also know....it's ok to be human. It's ok to share the experience with other people. We don't have to feel so ashamed of the crap we deal with. I'm not saying it's ok to blow your plan on a regular basis or succumb to the addiction and just throw up your hands. But I think there is value in being honest about this process. Sometimes seeing a room full of perfection is soul crushing.

Every so often I feel torn on these forums about my role and what I should say. On the one hand, I'm a veteran now....and have had success with this whole undertaking that I feel pretty proud of. There are a lot of struggles and things that I can comment about with some hard earned observations and experiences. I can be all.....mentory...and have good mentor-ish things to say to newbies. Sometimes I feel a responsibility to *provide a good example* and only say things that are in harmony with the bariatric sages...and play the proper acolyte to the Bariatric Authority. But here's the part where I feel torn. I also want to tell the truth. I want to be the kind of poster I really enjoyed reading when I was first looking into this crazy ride. I want to be unvanished, raw and HONEST. Because I value that in people. I value that risk. I value those stories....because sometimes people really need those stories. Even if they're terrible advice and provide a terrible example! Sometimes just knowing someone else....occasionally has a horrible day and eats the entire pack of four Yasso bars....helps you to live your life and forgive yourself. I want to say: Yes, I drink diet soda. I know it's probably unwise and I also know there's hype about it that's untrue....AND....I know a lot of you drink it, too. And some of you drink real soda.....and will probably rot in hell for it. LOLOLOL Ya'll won't admit it....but I've seen ya. I've peeked in those windows and I know you do all sorts of awful stuff. You eat peanut M&Ms and drink soda and beer and buy the occasional McDonald's kid's meal and can of Pringles. At Christmas, you cheat. You eat stuff you shouldn't. You ate Halloween candy. Ok, it was just a couple of pieces...but it made you happy. We're not perfect. We screw up. We make questionable choices. Sometimes regularly. We STILL have unhealthy food moments. We're works in progress. Can we talk about it as adults...knowing it's a crap example...but also knowing that it's human? We still do weird assed extreme things in realtion to food. How many calories in two almonds and one dried cherry? I HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN. How many grams of protien in one pint of donated blood? How many calories do I lose when I menstruate? I had a cold and blew my nose ten times and the internet says snot is made of protien...do I have to up my protien? I once heard a lady on one of these boards say....she had her Flinstone chewable multi vitamin....for dessert after her meal. And it was delicious. ? Is it wrong to admit I wanted to slap her? I'll admit it...I ate a S'more about two weeks after I had surgery. I remember it as the most exquisite thing I've ever eaten...and I nibbled that one little square of heaven all night in front of the fireplace with the Christmas lights on. Licked it, actually. Down to a stump. LOL. And Yes, ..a part of me is still screaming at myself.....You had a freaking S'more right after your surgery???? What the actual H*ll???!!! What were you thinking? (I lived...crap, I even lost weight to goal...but I commited this food crime. Guilty.) Sometimes I think we lose our humanity in this environment....because as some folks have noticed, there's a competative thing. Some weird ick factor of needing the best score...the tiniest dinner...the least daily calories. "I'm going to get down to my original weight of 9 pounds 3 ounces if it kills me. Could someone please eat the other half of my lentil? It's too much for me." And then I think....crap, maybe these folks really ARE as together as they seem and I'm just nutty and disordered and still fighting through this mess everyday three years out...isn't normal... But then I look at the number of folks who wash out...and think......nope. MOST of us are struggling and screw up. MOST of us continue to screw up and figure it out. Would be fun to do the research to put an actual number on it.... But I'd bet at least 90% of us...have secrets they would never disclose in a forum like this about one screw up or another. I think we need a Confession thread. Where correction is not allowed. Where worry and concern (and abject horror) are forbidden to be expressed. Where we can just let that other lost soul know....yep, I licked a S'more, too....you're not alone. All sins can be forgiven. Tomorrow is always a new day.

There is nothing I find so secretly gleeful....as getting into my kiddo's cute clothes. I feel your joy:)

By definition...the morbidly obese struggle with disordered eating. This doesn't change because we have our anatomy altered. Takes a while to get our heads figured out. The same folks who bought the supersized shake, fries and triple decker sandwich for lunch.....profess to live on postage stamp sized meals and calories that wouldn't sustain a toddler. It's not a leap of logic to notice these two examples of extreme food thinking/eating are related. Disordered eating is a thing. Surgery doesn't cure it. And it's a big part of the work. My big hope for myself and everyone here....is to learn to eat normally. Normal meals with flexability. Normal calories counts. Good variety. Good nutrition. And spend a normal amount of time thinking about it instead of obsessing hours a day. Wouldn't that be cool? Effortless normal eating. Man, I want that!

I think this is why it gets forbidden forever. Lot of folks are addicted to it and trying to drink it in moderation ..becomes a very slippery slope. I'll be the first to admit....It does nothing for you...it's terrible nutitionwise, and your sleeve won't slow you up much with sugary fluids. Sodas just sabotage the shite out of ya, add terrible empty calories and deplete nutrients. (says the woman who does drink the occasional can of diet soda. Oye....do as I say, not as I do!) Incidentally, ya'll...I'm not saying drinking soda...diet or regular...is a good idea. Just admitting I do it and that the "it will stretch your pouch" thing is largely a myth. "It's a horrible food choice and could sabotage you badly" is NOT a myth. I wouldn't recommend anyone drink soda. But I recognize that you're all adults and that adults can weigh their own risks.

Jaelzion, that's wild! I've been eating airpopped popcorn without issues since about 6 months post op, and I drink a can of diet soda here and there. My dietician was totally on board with the popcorn because it's a good source of fiber. She did mention that many people do not tolerate it well. My doctor does not approve of the diet soda, but he also admits it's not going to "stretch" anything. He says he's more worried about calcium depletion and it being a gateway to transitioning to sugar soda again....which I think are extremely valid concerns. One food I do struggle with...that kinda grieves me....is corn on the cob. Not sure if I don't chew it well enough, or what happens, but it's the one food that will still give me issues if I'm not SUPER careful. (need to chew it thoroughly, eat slow small bites... and have bites of more slippery foods between bites of corn on the cob or I end up getting that stuck feeling...even now)

You really CAN talk to your doctor about this. They're not going to report anything and they will answer your questions honestly. I live in a legal state, and I like pot once in a while. I didn't try it again until two years after surgery (sleeve, not bypass), and I only do it once in a blue moon...but I've had no issues, with one exception....it does make me want to mindlessly snack and chocolate and grapes taste INCREDIBLE while on it (the flavor and satisfaction of certain foods is tremendously amplified)...LOL...so, I really have to watch the snacking! That might be enough of a problem that doctors discourage it? They do make the THC transdermal patches. Maybe something like this could help you even if they don't want it in your digestive tract for the first year? But again...the munchies are not something you want while healing, or during loss phase....so it might be more defeating than helpful. Please talk to your doctor. I'm sure s/he has heard the question before and won't think it's any big deal. Best advice on this will come from professionals.

At 3 weeks out I was eating 1200 calories a day. I could have eaten more, but my dietician said 1200...so that's what I did during all of weight loss phase. I found that soft "slider" foods would go right through and I could eat a lot of them. When I started eating food with more texture, I found that I could only eat a small amount of them at a time.

Brilliant! Art and writing are my self-soothe refuge of choice. Music, too. Any good flow activities that get me out of my head a little and focused on creating something....are tremendously useful to me.

1. Get vaccinated ASAP. 2. Yes, your body is incredibly stressed the first month. You should take extreme caution avoiding Covid exposure. 3. Talk to your doctor about when you should return to work.

Staying hydrated the first couple of weeks is a full time job. You have to watch the clock and sip sip sip all those little cups to get your 60 ounces in. If you drink one ounce every 15 minutes while you're awake....you will hit your goals. Pour a teenie little once ounce medicine cup. Sip it over 15 minutes. If you do this every 15 minutes, you will be able to drink 4 ounces an hour. Most people are awake 16+ hours a day. 4 ounces x 16 hours = 64 ounces You can stay hydrated, but you have to be incredibly diligent. Drinking WILL become easier as you go....but the first week it's tough. Sip. Sip. Sip.

Nothing is impossible to eat after sleeve. I have tried literally everything I ate before surgery....but my daily diet has changed significantly. Things I've eliminated from my diet: white sugar and white flour. I do eat a small piece of birthday cake on a very rare occasion....but I keep treats like this super rare, and try to limit the serving to about 200 calories. Over about 200 calories of refined carbs at a time makes me a little nauseated, so I avoid it. It's also a poor food choice. I don't do it often. Special occasions only. (and NOT during loss phase....in maintenance phase) I love sugary things, but a little goes a long way. Once in a blue moon I'll really want something enough to have it....and I have an incredibly small amount and I'm done. A little one inch piece of donut. A Tablespoon or two of ice cream. As a rare treat...it's great, but it takes very little of these to feel satisfied now. And again, it's not a regular part of my diet. For sweet stuff, I love fruit. I eat a lot of frozen banana smoothies when I have a sweet tooth craving. My surgeon's diet had potatoes and beans on the post surgical diet in the first month. In fact, thin mashed potatoes were one of my first foods after surgery. I eat a ton of carbs, but they are not processed carbs. Whole grains, oatmeal, regular and sweet potatoes, beans, legumes. I get half of my protien from plant sources, and these unrefined carbs are a big part of that. Beans and potatoes and whole grains have quite a bit of protien and fiber. (I know a lot of surgeons do keto based diets...I'm thankful mine is NOT one of them) I do eat 60+ grams of protien a day. Tons of fruits and veggies. If I eat rice, it's brown rice for the extra protien and fiber. I do eat 25g of fiber a day, which is tougher than it sounds! There are plent of things you shouldn't eat. You shouldn't eat very fatty foods, or highly refined carbs, white flour, sugar, etc. You know what you shouldn't eat. You shouldn't eat too many calories. Figure out a good calorie target with your nutritionist and balance your day. There will be a million opinions about what you should and shouldn't eat. Talk to your dietician. Eat foods you enjoy. Balance your diet for good nutition and energy. But yep...I can sneak a little of anything in that I really want to try again.....I just don't really have the need to do it. You just need to stay aware of what you're eating...balance it...get the nutrition you need...and keep your calories reasonable. (I eat 1600 a day in maintenance)

This description of the dangers of Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD) from the University of Michigan describes some of the metabolic issues that are associated with sustained diets under 1000 calories a day. https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/aa144561 (from the above link) The following are the changes your body goes through during a VLCD: Your metabolism slows to conserve energy because the body thinks it is starving. A slower metabolism burns fewer calories. To get the carbohydrate it needs, your body breaks down protein. You lose lean body tissues (muscle and organ tissue). It is important to preserve lean tissue, because it increases your basal metabolic rate. Losing too much lean tissue increases the percentage of fat in your body. The result is a reduced metabolism. This is one reason why it is so easy to regain weight after you lose weight quickly. In a VLCD (or during starvation), about half the weight you lose is fat and the other half is lean tissue, such as muscle. On a more moderate diet, you lose 3 times more fat than lean tissue. It is important to preserve lean tissue, since it increases your resting metabolic rate. Mineral and electrolyte imbalances can occur. These imbalances can be life-threatening. This is the reason these VLCDs must only be used under a health professional's supervision. Bone mass is lost. This is more risky for women, because they diet more often than men, and they are also at higher risk for osteoporosis.

Yasso bars and whipped greek yogurt helped me. Soups made with bone broth could be a nice change. Two weeks out, my favorite things were cream of wheat and thinned refried beans or thinned mashed potatoes or pureed potatoe soup. Plant protien in beans and potatoes made a nice break from all the milk protien in the shakes. Some nutritionists will frown on carbs, however. Mine did not. Wishing you the best.

Woot! Nice work:)

Gotta replace the comfort habit....with a new comfort habit....while avoiding crossover addiction. Very easy to get in trouble with spending, intimacy addiction, gambling, alcohol, drugs, (obsessive dieting, obsessive exercize, obsessive internet use) Jaelzion has an awesome comfort habit...coffee, and a little alone time to think/relax/refocus. I like baths, walks, light funny TV, calling my bestie, playing with my pooch, gardening. I also love a cup of coffee and a sit on the porch. OP...it's a terrific question and the root of regain. It's a huge part of the work. Thanks for bringing it up.

My group was actually involved in a study focused on upping calories sooner. I was encouraged to reach 1200 calories per day as soon as possible, and did so around week 3 after surgery. I have not seen the study, but I was told by my doctor that people who eat more calories sooner will lose weight slower, BUT....statistically have much less regain later....the hypothosis being....this is because the metabolic set point is being re-estabilshed at a more robust livable caloric level. I cannot speak for anyone's experience but my own, and can report observations of a family member who has also had bariatric surgery. My cousin is a few years younger, also had sleeve, and was on an extended restricted calorie plan. She ate 600-800 calories for months after surgery. She lost rapidly. She was appalled by the calories I was being encouraged to eat as soon as week 3. Gave me crap constantly that I would not lose the weight she had. And at first...I was concerned she was right. She lost more weight than I did MUCH MUCH faster. Eating 1200 calories a day, I lost slowly, but consistently. But I eventually reached goal. I'm three years out, she's four years out. I've maintained everything I lost and I eat around 1600 calories a day. If I go up five pounds, I don't have any problem taking it off by dropping my calories down to 1200-1400. She's regained half of what she lost, and says she struggles to lose weight eating 1000-1200 calories a day. She blames the sleeve, and is planning to do revision surgery to RnY bypass. My personal feeling...is that there could be something to this concern about metabolic reset at too low a calorie threshold. Do I know that? Nope. People are extremely individual. This is a new science and there's a LOT we don't know, and even more that will vary by person, diet, and a dozen other variables. But I do know that attitudes among bariatric surgeons regarding diet are changing at the major research universities....to favor higher calories sooner. I'm guessing we'll know a lot more about how this all works out in the data.....in about ten years. LOL

*duplicate post*

Establish a relationship with a bariatric therapist. For me...it was as important as the surgery longterm.

Great questions for your surgeon! Also, really great advice to look for surgeons with excellent credentials, excellent reputation, who can give examples of how they manage patients who develop GERD. It is an extremely important topic to research and ask good questions about....and also important that your surgeon has realistic good answers that gel with research. It is a common problem that sleeve patients need to take seriously. Questions for surgeon... What steps do you take to prevent GERD? What strategies do you recommend for people who develop it? What percentage of your patients develop it? What do you do for them? Have you done continuing education on GERD management for sleeve patients? How has your approach to GERD changed in the years you've been doing sleeve surgeries? I think this is a serious problem, and one I gave a lot of thought to. That said.... I had a huge hiatal hernia before surgery, and terrible acid reflux. My surgeon fixed the hernia when he did my sleeve and I have not had any acid since. Nada. Not one day...and it's been such a relief. Have often said that finding that rotten hernia and fixing it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I'd have never looked for it if not for the sleeve surgery. Experiences do vary...bigtime. I appreciate your experience and think it's something folks need to be aware. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Once a week. Monday morning, stark naked, after i've peed. LOL