Creekimp13

LOL . So true! Ah, the books... and what it's "supposed to look like". Who knew there could be so many versions?

Hang in there and try to have patience. It gets better:) My surgeon said at our presurg conference that at least once a month someone bursts into tears the day after their surgery and regrets it. But at six months out....almost everyone will say they made the right choice...even the folks who were unhappy right after. Time helps:)

Woot! Best wishes!

I used to LOVE eggs. I used to say the world's perfect food was the Egg McMuffin. I'll still nibble on half of one every so often when I'm on the run....but the magic is gone. Eggs and ham hold no magic for me anymore. Used to love a good pork chop. Not feeling the love these days. On the other hand... I hated oatmeal and avacado before...and love both of these things now. I used to HATE salmon...and now I can't get enough of it. Still love a nice steak salad. Still love chicken breast done right with good seasoning and veggies. Even thinking about chicken broth by itself...kinda makes me gag these days. Same reaction to jello....ate way too much of these and just can't take them anymore. Used to love fried stuff...and sometimes I'll crave it....but a couple of nibbles and I'm done. Bleh. Used to love Turkey with stuffing and gravy. Stuffing is kinda gross to me now...will order carrots instead. Love carrots now, was luke warm on them before. This one's weird....salt. I used to really crave salt. Now, I'm super sensitive to it and am really offput by too much. (this is the problem with stuffing, I think, too salty) Weird stuff.. who knows?

Weight loss therapist. Time to bite the bullet and go.

No catheter here:) Got outta bed right after surgery and took a nice pee. Then, just kept walking:) All the differences between different surgery protocols are so weird

Congrats!

Eating lots of healthy low glycemic index carbs has done wonders for my sugar-lust. Beans, peas, whole grains, lentils, brown rice, soy, potatoes, squash....if I eat this stuff, I won't get the rebound hunger of simple carbs and I won't crave simple carbs like a maniac. Works awesome for me:)

Used to love eggs and ham. Hate them now. Used to love pork chops. bleh. Used to hate oatmeal and avacado...LOVE them now. Used to hate salmon...can't get enough. Keep trying new things. Tastes change. No clue why. Take advantage of when they land on a good-for-you square:)

I drank only decaf for the first couple of months after surgery. These days I drink a about 12 ounces of regular a day, and sometimes another 8 ounces of decaf. Otherwise I drink ginger lemon tea, Mio in water, constant comments on ice, cucumber or raspberries in water, and a little kombucha here and there.

Look at you shrink! Nice work!

Ultimately, I'd rather stop when I'm just slightly full and eat again two or three hours later. If the calories are reasonable for the day, I kinda prefer more frequent little meals. I hate feeling over full now. Too few calories and I run out of gas...so more little meals works best for me. I think everyone finds their own niche with this.

The big difference = keeping track of calories and staying accountable. Blind grazing where you're not keeping track can certainly get you in trouble. If I had to eat three meals a day I'd be starving half the time and I'd stretch my sleeve the other half. My sleeve generally holds 200-300 calories of healthy food. More than that, and I'm uncomfortably full. I don't mind eating 5-6 times a day to maintain good energy and not be hungry. But I do keep track of calories for sure.

Yep! The weight gain progression there is so familiar it's a stereotype. And boy howdy is it familiar!

The American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons says the following: As many as 50 percent of patients may regain a small amount of weight (approximately 5 percent) two years or more following their surgery. However, longitudinal studies find that most bariatric surgery patients maintain successful weight-loss long-term. ‘Successful’ weight-loss is arbitrarily defined as weight-loss equal to or greater than 50 percent of excess body weight. Often, successful results are determined by the patient, by their perceived improvement in quality of life. In such cases, the total retained weight-loss may be more, or less, than this arbitrary definition. Such massive and sustained weight reduction with surgery is in sharp contrast to the experience most patients have previously had with non-surgical therapies.

It gets better. Sorry you're having a rough time. Hang in there!

https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/how-do-they-get-that-big/

Health Improvements The best news is that you don’t have to get back to a “normal weight” to achieve incredible health benefits after bariatric surgery. The average bariatric surgery patient sees a dramatic reduction in the number of medications they need to take to control their obesity-related medical problems and a significant improvement in their quality of life even if their final body mass index is still in the “overweight” or “obese” range. In fact, I find in my own practice that if a patient tries to force their weight down to what would be considered “normal,” many times they don’t feel very good and often times don’t look very healthy (that Skeletor look!). I always encourage patients to focus on getting back to a “better” weight for them, not necessarily what society considers a “normal” weight. In summary, some bariatric surgery patients will achieve a “normal” weight but most will not. If you don’t reach a “normal” weight, well, that just makes you normal! Answer provided by: Lloyd Stegemann, MD, FASMBS, is a private practice bariatric surgeon in Corpus Christi, TX. He is the driving force behind the Texas Weight-loss Surgery Summit and the formation of the Texas Association of Bariatric Surgeons. Dr. Stegemann is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, OAC National Board of Directors, Co-chair of the Convention Program Agenda Subcommittee and is Chair of the OAC Sponsored Membership Program.

Dear Doctor, I've had Bariatric Surgery, Will I Ever get to a Normal Weight? https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/dear-doctor-ive-had-bariatric-surgery-will-i-ever-get-to-normal-weight/

This one didn't ring true for me, but it reminded me a lot of some posts I've seen on here and I thought maybe someone would find it useful. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a19995829/weight-loss-surgery-story/

I don't think your problem is not understanding "the rules"...I think you've got some other issues that fuel your addiction to bad eating habits and you need to address them. See your dietitian. Keep a food journal. Get help finding problem areas with your eating. Get help defining good choices and the best limits for you. See your weight loss therapist. Get some help figuring out the reasons why your not making good choices and develop some strategies for improving. Everyone fails sometimes. But continuing to fail, and not addressing the problem...is a choice. You can make better choices and there are people who will help you. Love yourself and get busy. You can do this!

I eat so many fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains...my poops are spectacular. I poop, on average, once every day. If it goes two days....it's going to be a huge poo...like it should be issued a social security number kinda poo...and I lose a pound and a half. LOL. I take probiotics and get half my protein from plant sources and healthy carbs. I eat a lot of fiber and fermented foods (miso, pickles, kombucha)...so that might contribute to my happy poo. In the first couple weeks after surgery...I had one "shart"...small amount, but a mess! Yucko. So sorry for people who deal with this! I was shopping, ended up throwing away my underpants, using a million wet paper towels (so glad my bestie was there to laugh at me and slip more under the stall) and buying new undies while going commando for a hot minute. LOL. Since about a month out...have had nothing but big firm happy regular poo. Am extremely thankful for this.

I ate 1000 calories at three weeks, I eat 1200 per day now. Never feel hungry, tons of energy, and almost to goal. Have lost pretty steadily:) Jess is right....ideas about diet among surgeons are all over the map. I'm part of a study with a major research hospital assessing the effect of higher calories sooner impacting sustained loss at five years post surgery. The theory is that eating closer to normal calories sooner gives you a better metabolic reset long-term. Previous small studies support this, and I'm part of a broader study hoping to confirm and support these findings with a bigger population of patients. That said...I know plenty of people who have been VERY successful long term eating low calories through their loss phase. Ultimately, it's so individual. People who are hell bent to make it work....make it work. I really did not consider myself an "ideal" bariatric patient. I'm not overly type A. I refuse to be hungry. I hoped to improve my health conditions, but vanity wasn't a huge motivator. My biggest hope going into this was to get the average result....50-60% excess weight loss. I've done so much better than that, I'm just stunned. I'm not far from goal, and I've got a year of trickle loss left. It's pretty exciting:) I really like my forever diet. It's healthy and balance with lots of good carbs. (lots of fruit, whole grains, beans...very little sugar or refined) I don't feel like I'm "dieting" and that's huge for me long term. I do get 75 naughty calories a day....I can use them or bank them, so nothing is forbidden. I don't crave anything I can't have....I plan for it...eat a legal amount...and am usually puzzled about why it sounded so good. My tastes have changed a lot. My whole life I was either starving and obsessing like a maniac.... or throwing all concerns to the wind and overindulging. I don't want to live this way anymore....both extremes just suck for me. This is the first time in my life I've felt like I have a truly healthy relationship with food. It's been a crazy ride, but I feel like I've finally found a sane way to deal with food.

1) Will I ever be able to eat normal things like everyone else down the road at some point? With restriction of course? For some reason this is worrying me as my surgery date approaches. Yes. You'll be able to eat nearly everything. The only food I've found that I'm remotely sensitive to six months out...is corn on the cob. This varies by individual, but I can eat most things in small quantities. 2) Will I be starving or feel starving after the surgery? I did. A lot of people don't have hunger after surgery. I had horrible hunger....but it went away by week three when I started eating 1000 calories a day. 3) Will I be able to take all of my medications still? Prozac, bp, uric acid pills? Talk to your doctor about your meds. (but yes, most meds will be fine..and you might even get off your bp meds) 4) Is it unsafe to live on such low calories? People who have bariatric surgery generally have lots of calories stored as fat...so can manufacture their own fuel from fat. You do have to pay attention to eating your protein, because you don't want your body to consume muscle. And you need to take your vitamins. My program had us eating 1000-1200 calories 3 weeks after surgery. This is an extremely safe level of calories to live on. You can live short term safely on less. If you run into hypoglycemia or malabsorptive issues, this can be problematic, but most people don't. if you eat 60+grams of protein a day, your muscles should be safe.

Refried beans are a good early food. I like them with melted reduced fat cheese, a few slices of avacado, and a big glop of salsa. I'm not Latino, but I love Mexican food. I you do rice, switch to brown rice. Lower glycemic index will give you less rebound hunger and it has more protein. Good luck!