sleeved2win

Well, once you become a zombie you won't have to worry about meeting your Protein requirements since that's pretty much all you'll be eating lol.

Ha! I clicked on this to scold the poster for being unkind... and then I just laughed and laughed.
Maybe the forums are a temporary resting place rather than a final destination. I started lurking before my surgery to learn as much as I could, and I've been around since my surgery a couple months ago to reassure myself that my experiences are normal. I think it's been great for that. But once you've gotten what you need from it and you find yourself creating a (seriously funny) taxonomy of irritating posts... maybe it's time to move on?
I think I'm approaching that moment.

Ha! I can check-off as identifying with several of your stereotypes. The good news is that my mal-adjusted, square peg personality isn't blown away and surprised at this. I've been trying to overcome "me" since I was a little girl.
Why not get off the boards and go do something fun in real life? Might give you a little lift? ((hugs))

This journey is HARD. Pre-op diet and post-op diet especially are difficult, plus if (God forbid) you experience a complication, you are going to need support. My psych eval included ensuring I have plenty of support at home to help me with my recovery from surgery and help me stay on track. As much as it would be awesome to say "Piss off!" and just do what you want anyway (LOL) you have to live with this guy and let's be honest, that ain't gonna work.
Your hubby is very wrong that this is the "easy" way out. As someone who's done WW, and lost and regained the weight a few times, I can tell you this is just as difficult. It's a hard decision, it takes will power and dedication, just like any other lifestyle change you make. He needs to be educated. Suggestions:
Would he respond better if you wrote him a letter explaining why you feel the way you do? Sometimes if people see it in writing, it resonates better.
Do you have a support group through your surgeon's office that you can take him to? Would he go to a meeting?
Don't take this the wrong way, but a mediator or therapist could help, too. There is NO shame in it-- sometimes having someone in the room to push the conversation in the right direction (meaning, understanding each other on a deeper level) would be helpful. Just throwing ideas out there.
I would also provide him information on how safe the surgery is. I'd be willing to bet he's afraid to see you go under the knife! Completely reasonable to be afraid, but the surgery is very safe, generally. Especially if you're young (you look it) and have few health issues. If he wants to keep you around for a long time-- prevention of health issues is best!! That's why I did it.

This journey is HARD. Pre-op diet and post-op diet especially are difficult, plus if (God forbid) you experience a complication, you are going to need support. My psych eval included ensuring I have plenty of support at home to help me with my recovery from surgery and help me stay on track. As much as it would be awesome to say "Piss off!" and just do what you want anyway (LOL) you have to live with this guy and let's be honest, that ain't gonna work.
Your hubby is very wrong that this is the "easy" way out. As someone who's done WW, and lost and regained the weight a few times, I can tell you this is just as difficult. It's a hard decision, it takes will power and dedication, just like any other lifestyle change you make. He needs to be educated. Suggestions:
Would he respond better if you wrote him a letter explaining why you feel the way you do? Sometimes if people see it in writing, it resonates better.
Do you have a support group through your surgeon's office that you can take him to? Would he go to a meeting?
Don't take this the wrong way, but a mediator or therapist could help, too. There is NO shame in it-- sometimes having someone in the room to push the conversation in the right direction (meaning, understanding each other on a deeper level) would be helpful. Just throwing ideas out there.
I would also provide him information on how safe the surgery is. I'd be willing to bet he's afraid to see you go under the knife! Completely reasonable to be afraid, but the surgery is very safe, generally. Especially if you're young (you look it) and have few health issues. If he wants to keep you around for a long time-- prevention of health issues is best!! That's why I did it.

I'm happy for you that you liked it and it went down well-- I love brussel sprouts, eat them often and I know they can cause bloating. Just an FYI in case you end up a little crampy later. I had my surgery 6 weeks ago and I haven't attempted them yet for that reason.

Well said!!! That was my same approach and it definitely put things into perspective. I felt more mentally prepared the more I watched the surgery videos. Worked wonders for me.

I watched it to qualm my anxiety (believe it or not!) and it worked great. Seeing the surgeon working with confidence (even tho it wasn't my surgeon) and doing a great job made me feel at ease. It was less abstract and more real, but in a good way.
It's not for everyone. I could see how it might do the opposite for some people.

I’ve got to be at the hospital at 8:15 tomorrow for my sleeve! I’m terrified of the actual surgery part (never had surgery before) but I’m so excited for my new journey. My surgery is outpatient and I spend the night in a hotel near the hospital once I’m released from my room tomorrow night. I’m pretty nervous and trying to keep myself distracted. I’m really scared of the anesthesia and the post surgery pain. Praying it won’t be too bad. Any advice or tips are appreciated!

You can pay a lot for bariatric Vitamins for either procedure...or you can be cheap like me, buy store brands (buy one get one free) and your nutritionist will still clear them for use:)
I don't get fancy chewable Calcium. I get the rock hard june bug sized calcium citrate monsters....and just hold them in my mouth with a swig of hot coffee until they start to errode. Then, I just munch them up into paste and swallow them. The taste isn't that bad, and the cost is exponentially less. I used to put them through a pill crusher and eat the dust with sugar free Cool Whip.
My Multi Vitamins are Store Brand (equivilant to Flinstone's Complete) kid's chewable vitamins in animal shapes...lol. I take two a day. I don't mind them.
I also take extra B Complex, B12 and D (because I'm deficient living in the north). I buy whatever's cheapest or pick up a sale on Amazon.
B12 and D...you can chew, they're bland and not offensive.
But B Complex? Yikes...you don't ever want to chew that. Bleh!

tell him to PISS OFF.

Just wanted to throw my two cents in. I had similar feelings of frustration & concern after surgery, and still do at times. My situation is not exactly the same as yours, but some aspects are similar. I never lost the hunger sensation, which was a huge surprise and letdown. I had been counting on that to get me through for at least the first few months, then understood for most it would gradually lessen and likely return to normal. For me it felt the same right out of the gate. I remember my husband eating a burger and fries a few days post-op and the smell was just amazing. -That's another thing that never changed for me was my sense of taste. Everything still tastes the same, making my cravings for unhealthy foods just as strong.
I didn't feel like I had much restriction at first. Actually, I remember saying several times that if I didn't have incisions on my tummy I'd swear nothing had even happened. And I was baffled by that. I was able to drink Water in large amounts right from the beginning (I never meant to gulp it, but would sometimes forget, as I was used to gulping it, but then when I did, no issues...so I'd think...isn't that supposed to be painful?)
But then I would realize that I did have restriction with certain things, which I understand is different from what you are experiencing. Almost all liquids that I can remember I could take in larger quantities, but heavier foods I can feel. For instance I eat chicken salad a lot for dinner. I started with 1/3 cup. One night I felt more hungry so served myself 1/2 cup. I took very small bites and ate slowly, but I finished the whole 1/2 cup. As soon as I did though, I could feel that gurgling sensation in my chest and slight nausea and just knew - nope, 1/2 cup is too much. @dreamingsmall, I wonder if maybe this is what she means by "overeating". When trying new foods and we are experimenting with what works for us, sometimes we take too much, and many of us can tell this because our sleeve will give us feedback by way of gurgling, reflux, an uncomfortably full feeling, nausea, vomiting, etc. and she is saying she never receives this type of feedback. I could be wrong, but that is my interpretation.
I am just over 6 wks post-op. I am down about 29 lbs right now. But 10 of it was lost on the pre-op diet. So 19 since 12/27. No, I have never dieted in my life and lost 19# in 6 wks and kept it off, so it is amazing and I should be over the moon. But I too thought 20# was the norm for Month 1 and that it slowly went down from there. I don't know if it was from reading forums or from surgery center/hospital statistics I collected or a combination, but that was my expectation. So, when it didn't happen I felt a huge sense of disappointment. Even though I lost a total of 15 inches that month & 7% bodyfat, I was so focused on those 20 lbs! And sure I complained and everyone pointed out that my starting weight was lower and lots of other statistics, which was helpful, but I still felt that sense of disappointment, so I can understand where you are coming from.
Not only that, but we were self-pay for the surgery, and we traveled to have it done. I sometimes fear that if I only lose a certain amount that my husband may think, "She only lost 40 lbs? Couldn't she have done that on her own? Did we really have to take out a loan for X amount of dollars and fly x amount of miles and have over half her stomach removed so she could lose 40 lbs?!" Not that he has ever said one negative thing about any of it yet, just that I know the loan/surgery/travel was all a big deal for our family and I carry that with me that it really needs to be worth it. Also, even though I tried to inform him as much as possible ahead of time, he still says things sometimes like, "Oh well why don't you just drink milkshakes? They should be easy on your stomach, right?" -Um, because milkshakes have lots of calories and don't fill the sleeve so I'd be hungry again soon and I would gain weight!! -Oh. or "Oh, well I guess you can take as much Prednisone as you need to for your back pain now without having to worry about it, right?" -Um, no, because Prednisone will Still make me retain water, and will Still drive my appetite, causing me to overeat whatever foods I'm able to overeat at the time, (milkshakes maybe?) and cause me to Gain Weight! -Oh. I realized that even though he went to informational seminars with me and watched videos with me online, that he thought I could never again gain weight...no pressure there.
Anyway, sorry for that sidebar, lol, but I guess I just wanted to say that I can relate to your reality of how much you can drink and why that concerns you. I can understand why it would concern you to not feel any type of restriction from your sleeve on the amount of food to eat, because for me that is the real benefit I get from it is it only allowing me to eat so much at a time. I understand your dismay at not losing more in the first month or so, but as several people have pointed out, is not unusual - and if you check out the thread Late December Sleevers (which you may already be on) you will notice is pretty common for most of us done in this time frame. I think it's great you were able to be open with your surgical team about this, and awesome that they didn't blow off your concerns. Maybe there is some sort of issue that is causing you not to feel any difference - I mean, hopefully not, I don't want you to need another surgery, but at the same time I know it sucks to feel different but not have a solid reason why. But at least they took you seriously and were willing to take a closer look and see what's going on.
In the meantime I think it's a smart idea on your part to limit grazing and increase water. Yes, unfortunately willpower is still involved - I think what helps increase that though is during pre-op liquid diet you are excited that surgery is coming up so willpower is stronger, and immediately post-op I feel there is fear of damaging your sleeve/hurting yourself physically so you know you are limited in what you consume, plus the scale is going down and that is so motivating. Once you know you are allowed and encouraged to introduce more foods, and especially if the scale stops moving at the same time, I can see that being incredibly hard to call upon your willpower to carry you through - after all - if you had such strong willpower you never would have needed surgery, right?
But, since many people stall you have to think that's all this is (until you get your test results and/or your drs tell you otherwise) and try as many things as possible to keep going. Maybe distraction? I like to paint/draw and read and do decorating projects around the house. Sometimes when I am all caught up in a project is one of those rare instances where I would "Forget to eat" - you know, that skinny girl phenomenon that never made any sense, LOL? For some people it's knitting/crocheting, woodworking, gardening, house cleaning/organizing, writing, cooking (although that seems like a bad idea, haha). If you can find something to keep yourself busy and have healthy things on standby for when you finally "remember to eat" like your Protein shakes/bars, lean Proteins cooked and portioned, Soups, and of course, water by your side 24/7, that might help. And exercise and move around of course. I don't know, just trying to be helpful...I know it's not easy.
One last thing, my surgery center never mentioned calorie intake either, and that bothered me a lot at first trying to figure out where I should be. I found food plans on-line from other programs that were all over the place. Some said as low as 250-450 per day the first month (Insane), others 400-600, some 600-800 and so on. I keep a strict food log and even when my calories are way more than I meant for them to be (about 10 days ago I ate a whole cup of pistachios because I was waiting for them to make me feel "satisfied" or "full" so I could tell what my limit was with them, and realized they just don't create that same sensation of fullness as other foods do, even though they are super high in calories, fat, Fiber, and a good amount of protein. They are really good for you, and I love them, but it's not a great idea to eat a cup full at a time. And I was really sad to log in 576 calories and 56 grams of fat in one journal entry - especially in what was meant to be more of a "snack" category, but I'm all about being honest with myself, so I did. Anyway, I found I lose more weight when I'm eating around 1000 cals per day than I did when I was eating 700-750 cals per day. So sometimes you do need to eat a little more, but it's important to keep track, I feel, because they can add up fast if you aren't careful. Certainly not preaching, just saying, from my experiment and all But good luck with all of this. I hope you get some answers from your results, and if not, that your doctors can at least give you suggestions on what to try instead....Either way, let us know!

Well, if you need a psych eval, they're going to probably ask the same question. I don't think there is a wrong answer, unless you're obese because someone forces it down your throat and you are afraid to leave them, or something bizarre like that. Just be honest, and it's OK if you're not totally sure, or if there are several reasons. And, it's a legit question, but the answer might not out unless you talk with someone about it. Do you stress eat? Celebrate with food? Have 5 glasses of wine per night? A good practice will help you understand why you failed before, so you don't do it again. Best of luck!

Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

Lol. You have to have a sense of humor about this!

Today’s leftovers salad... with goat cheese, dried apricots after being tossed w TJ green goddess dressing in the big bowl. Probably won’t be able to finish all of it. Also having a half a sirloin burger patty.

There is no standard post op diet. Each surgeon makes their best guess as to what will produce the best results with the least risk based on their knowledge and experience.

@jess9395 you rock!! Thanks for these suggestions.

Those dressings look so good, especially the carrot ginger. I also love turmeric, it's a natural anti-inflammatory. I drink tea with turmeric and ginger almost every day.

Definitely planning a trip to Trader Joes soon!

@jess9395 that's what I'm afraid of.
Everyone's feedback has really helped me think about my strategy here. For my first salad, I think I'm going to try iceburg lettuce and concentrate on the whiter, crunchier parts rather than something like romaine, which has more nutrient value but is leafy and harder to digest. I feel like cucumbers would be a safe bet too. Raw carrots and celery might take more time. I'm going to go really slow, but I hope I'll eventually end up back to where I can eat salads with all my favorite fixins (nuts, seeds, veggies galore, etc)... just 1/4 the size and with 1/4 the dressing.
It may sound silly but I feel like it's good to plan and have something to look forward to!

Clusie on YouTube, she’s hilarious and very informative

I follow timetodeflate and stefanieshrinks on instagram.

Iceberg lettuce gets a bad rap, yeah the darker greens have more Vitamin A, but iceberg isn’t bad!

https://www.self.com/story/does-iceberg-lettuce-really-have-no-nutritional-value-whatsoever

Just try little bits, introduce one at a time, chew well and wait to see how it feels when it hits your stomach half an hour or an hour later.

I used to “de-string” the celery and that helped. Also careful with the cucumber too, some people can’t deal well with the gas it produces.

That said, I do “leftovers” salad several times a week myself. So you will probably get there! I throw in whatever I get in my harvest box... leftovers from other meals... nuts, cheese, chopped dried fruit. Regarding the dressing.... watch out for “low fat” ones that increase the sugar in them. My trick is to take a big Tupperware/gladware lidded bowl and put all my salad fixings inside, put the dressing on close the lid and shake the heck out of it. I need less dressing that way because it coats nicely!

If you have a Trader Joe’s around try these dressings! Theres a third with tumeric and almond butter. Even Early out they can moisten Proteins and such—

 

Be careful.

Some people never have any trouble, lots take some time to tolerate and some have continuing issues so take it slow and a little bit at first... wait half an hour or more to see how it sits.

I couldn’t do lettuce for about 3-4 months. Carrots, celery and cruciferous stuff (cauliflower, broccoli) took longer for me and I still can only do a very small amount and I’m four and a half years out.

Other people have trouble with the gas producing ones like cucumbers but I never did.

I had salad first. Don’t remember when but I did chew it down pretty good. Haven’t had an issue. Hopefully you won’t either! Rooting for ya!

I I was sleeved on 10/10/17. I weighed 267 the morning of surgery! Today I weigh 193. I look and feel great! Beat decision of my life. My doctor did it robotically. Easiest surgery ever. No pain!! I could t be happier!  

Pre-op. I've lost about 15 #s since surgery.

I say "about" because I'm teetering between 1-2 lbs for the last week and 4 days.

*edited because I can't math.