Gundy

Pants fell off in the airport while going through security! Laughed so hard I could barely answer their questions.

Hello All! Sleeve surgery at 58, now 59. I couldn’t be happier. I started out at 225 and I’m now down 40 lbs to 185. My weight loss is more turtle, less hare, i.e. slow, but sure. Today I am classified as Overweight, NOT obese...NSV!

If you go full Keto by the book, you should lose 10 lbs by September 20.

The three most important rules to follow according to my NUT and surgeon are the 30/30 rule, 60 grams of protein per day and 64 ounces of water or no calorie liquids.

As I read all the posts, I thought that the PA and her partners in crime really don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt by confronting only them. I would certainly give a copy of your post to the PA and her partners, but I would also set up a meeting with Administration or Quality Control for the Hospital or Clinic and also inform the surgeon. No one else should experience what you did, and it truly sounds like these people have a field day discussing all their patients in a disrespectful and hateful manner. I had a terrible PA that I saw during an Urgent Care visit. The next day, I called the general clinic number and said I wanted to talk to somebody about quality of care. When you do this, you get immediate responses!!!

Dear Virginia, I am seething at how cruel and unprofessional these medical professionals (I use the term, professionals, very loosely here)! If I knew where you were seen, I’d be in the Clinic or Hospital Administration Office in five minutes to report them. How dare they treat you or anyone else in such a hateful manner. Their terrible attitudes and lack of compassion have no place in the medical field. When they go low, you went high! Good for you! All be best to you, Dear Virginia!!!

Love MyFitnessPal app, too, Paul! After logging in food, it provides the breakdown of carbs, proteins, etc. I also love that you can scan food barcodes to enter the exact food. The app also allows easy to use fluid/water intake and tracks exercise. Great, convenient app that keeps me honest!!

No one is entitled to know this information but you and those you can trust. I only told my mom and husband and a couple who we dined with often. That is it. The surgery information is my health information and acquaintances and colleagues don’t need to know this information. To those who ask about my weight loss, I let them know that I changed my lifestyle due to fear of Type 2 Diabetes. This is absolutely true! In my humble opinion, many previous patients on this forum have lamented that they were criticized, judged, became the topic of conversation around the water cooler, were frightened with horror stories, etc. when they told people who really didn’t need to know. In other words, my advice is to tell only those people you are sure will be supportive. You can always tell someone whenever the time is right for you, after the surgery to avoid regret. If my journey will help someone down the road, I would be happy to share it with them. Until then, I’m so happy that this is my journey with people who I trust.

The Gummy vitamins day provide the minerals necessary according to my NUT.

You’re such a beauty!

Hi Zaid, So sorry that you’re feeling so awful! Trust that it gets better! My surgeon explained that although there were five or six surgical opening that the one by my belly button would hurt more since the excess stomach was pulled out through that incision, and it had to be internally stapled or sutured. This may be the pain you are feeling. Please take care! I can hardly sit until you are a few months down the road, past the tough part!

Dear Tracy, All the well wishers with idiotic comments are exactly the reason I only told my husband, mom, and two close family friends since they would notice when eating meals. That being said, if we could have lost the weight under less severe measures, why would we have surgery!?! Silly question. The pre-op diet was the hardest part for me, and I ended up just doing Keto. Trust that it gets better, and a few months down the road, the hard part will be behind you. How are you doing?

A small experiment today that truly underscores the danger of slider foods! Two and a half months post op and at this stage, I’m able to eat 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of food at meal time. If I eat more, I get hiccups, start burping and feel uncomfortable. In need of an afternoon snack as I walked past the cracker aisle at the grocery store, I grabbed a box of Cheez-Its. Of course, I planned to eat half a serving at 75 calories or 14 small crackers. What a mistake! By the time I got home half the box was gone, and I didn’t feel that constricted or uncomfortable. After seeing how much I ate of the box of crackers, I vowed to never open another box of crackers or bag of chips! Please fill me in on your mistakes so I can avoid them in advance!

Greetings! This is just a slight dilemma which can easily be solved, but I wanted to see how you handle your mornings. The NUT told me to eat one hour after you wake. In addition, we all follow the 30/30 rule. Also, we are all told to get 64 ounces of fluids per day which has been a challenge for me. As such, my morning decaf with almond milk has been a life saver and really has helped me to reach the 64 ounces of fluids each day. Ideally, I would love to start with a few cups of decaf coffee with almond milk. Unfortunately, I don’t gulp the coffee so it may take 45 minutes to drink the coffee, enjoying every minute of it! After waiting 30 minutes after drinking before eating, leaves me past the one hour limit on eating breakfast. How do you handle all the rules for the morning? If have to forego one rule, would it be to ‘eat breakfast one hour after waking’?

Aaahhhhh, Matt! I’m embarrassed. Your small cheats make mine look like epic fails of character! Hahahaha Let’s start with the 2/3 box of Cheez-Its yesterday afternoon. I had planned to have a small afternoon snack of 14 small calories, 75 calories. Not so fast, Blondie! How did 2/3 of a box simply disappear into thin air? I had anticipated that my constriction would stop me, but not with slider foods like crackers and chips. Alas, no more sliders for this gal. On the pre-op diet, I would gag on protein shakes so I simply went full protein with no carbs. Yes, this was cheating according to my doctor, but I still lost weight and my liver was perfect for surgery. There have been numerous cheats along the way. After surgery, I felt nauseous for quite sometime. The culprit was Wellbutrin. After going off Wellbutrin, the nausea has disappeared. Due to the nausea, I advanced to real food sooner than the suggested diet after surgery. Granted, it was mostly Wendy’s chili, but that would be technically cheating. Carbonated beverages are another cheat. I never drink any carbonated beverages with calories, however. I love diet, caffeine-free Mountain Dew. In fact, it was one of the few fluids I could stomach initially, drinking it flat for the first 6 weeks. Given all the above admissions, I am happy with my slow but sure progress. I’m working hard to get my 60 grams of protein, 64 ounces of fluids, follow the 30/30 rule and making good choices.

After the two month post op stage, I started drinking carbonated beverages. No problems whatsoever. No gas, no pouch stretching, no tummy aches.

The four months remaining on your dietary visits would be a good time to test drive how changing your diet and portions work for you. Many people lose quite a bit of weight during their six months of dietary visits and welcome the time to practice the new lifestyle. As example, my NUT had be practicing 30/30 and more protein early in our visits. May I ask what changes you’ve tried thus far? What has worked for you?

This may sound dumb, but simply not having to hide in loose, black clothes. I actually feel comfortable wearing colors again!

The best advice I can offer to people considering surgery is to only tell people you trust, not mere colleagues or buddies. I’m so grateful I told less than five people. A good friend for ages was interested and supportive at first, but once she didn’t qualify herself, she was no longer interested in any positive updates. That was fine for me. I feel good enough about the WLS that I don’t need accolades or approval.

BigLu, Our bodies are all different. One person can eat what you previously did and weigh a normal amount. It isn’t fair, but it is life. This does not make you a failure. It simply makes you one of the people on this forum choosing life and health. Again, you are NOT a failure. Consider all the steps, procedures, protein shakes, dedication, etc. that you’ve had to endure to get to this point. It is so tough the first few months, but it does get better. Hang in there!

Hi Lisa, All is not lost. Your sleeve isn’t ruined. Start turning this around by focusing on getting 60 grams of protein a day and no calorie fluids. If you can’t follow the no drinking before and after meals, start the no drinking for 30 minutes after meals. Since your food is your therapy right now, you need something to take its place. Taking a walk, a hobby or volunteering, etc. Please take care of yourself!

Just add unflavored protein to chicken bullion for a more savory form of protein.

Do you take a daily PPI, Purple? If not, it might help. I know it made my nausea much better.

Hi Bajan, I apologize. After reading one post, I respond, and then read another and respond again. I just read about your autism, struggles, and depression. If you had opened with your history, people would have been kinder and more understanding! Myself included. I haven’t walked in your shoes. We all need to remember kindness and compassion and seeking to understand. It must be really hard to find foods that will keep you satiated given the intolerance for solid meat. Two things, tuna with light mayo or salad dressing OR Wendy’s chili (or a homemade version) were the items that saved me from starving. My NUT joked with me that she will look at the food diaries of post surgery patients and has to tell them that they can’t have chili for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

My best friend at your current stage was Wendy’s chili. I now make it at home and freeze it for those times when I need the protein. It kicked my hunger and left me satiated.