sillykitty

I work from home, and I put in for 2 sick days, surgery day and the next, but technically I didn't take any and I worked both of those days, at least partially. My surgery was in the afternoon so I checked into the hospital in the morning, did the paperwork etc.. I had a private room, so I answered emails on my iPad and made calls like normal. After surgery I was coherent enough to reply to a couple of important emails that came in while I was under. The next day I was coherent and replied to emails, but couldn't make calls with people coming in and out and monitors potentially beeping. Once I was home I was able to work as normal. I just took short naps a couple of afternoons. It depends though what type of work at home job you have. I have a management position where I have customers/accounts, and have a lot of freedom to arrange my own days and workload. But some work at home positions are a lot more closely monitored. My friend's has every phone call recorded and her computer activity is all monitored. If your job is more micromanaged, then I'd take at least a few days off so you can be sure you're up to speed.

I'm not saying you're not physically hungry, but I thought I knew the difference between physical hunger and head hunger as well. It turns out for me, they feel the same.

I have to somewhat disagree with you here. I eat 300-500 calories a day, but I have no physical hunger. I do have head hunger though, and it feels IDENTICAL to physical hunger. It took me a while to figure out the difference between the two. I had to realize that I only feel hungry when triggered by something, seeing food, smelling food, even thinking about food. Secondly, I had to realize with head hunger I don't want just anything, a healthy snack isn't appealing, I only want specific things, and usually unhealthy things. So it is possible to be eating at starvation levels and not have any physical hunger.

Exactly this, you've only had water, crystal light & sf Popsicles, there's nothing in you!

I have popcorn on occasion, no issues with it. I have Act II 94% fat free, 15 calories per cup, popped. It's no no guilt way to satisfy that salty crunchy, snacky craving.

That is a crap ton of fiber, lol! I add two big spoonfuls of Benefiber (inulin) a day to whatever liquid, or semi liquid I'm consuming. Works for me, I don't need anything more than that.

I do one shake in the morning. I agree, liquids don't give me any satiety. I'm not very hungry in the morning, so I just look at shakes as a way to get to 50% of my protein goal for the day, not as an actual meal.

That's great! I log everything into myfitnesspal. I think it's a great tool to keep track of my protein and calories.

Spaghetti & Meatballs Barrilla Protein Plus Pasta - 2 oz dry Trader Joe's Traditional Marinara Sauce - 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Turkey Meat Balls - 2 Trader Joes Pecorino & Parmesean Blend - 0.4 oz This makes 4 servings for me Per Serving: 92 calories - 7 g Protein - 13 g Carbs

Considering Genepro just lost a lawsuit last December in which they were found to be "falsely claiming it contains 30 grams of protein in a roughly 11.15 gram (1 tablespoon) serving when GenePro has 10 or fewer grams of protein", this isn't exactly old news. If was going to go down hill wouldn't yu think 5 years would show somethimg? No, that's not how protein deficiencies work http://time.com/4374959/protein-health-benefits-nutrition/ "Like that termite-ridden house that looks fine on the outside, your protein-deprived body will have grown weaker over a period of many years. Exactly how will depend on the person and the type of adversity he or she faces. “It’s just not as simple as watching out for a few specific warning signs,” Paddon-Jones says. Franch agrees. “It’s not going to be possible to self-diagnose a protein deficiency,” he says."

I hadn't had surgery since I had my tonsils out at 5 either I understand you're nervous, but your odds of dying are actually higher if you don't have weight loss surgery.

If you don't want to rely on protein shakes for your protein long term, that's entirely possible. You named enough high protein sources you like that you should be fine. You'll just have to be diligent on consuming your protein before all other foods. But you'll only be able to get there after some time and your stomach capacity expands. Some people on this forum get there early on because there plan calls for lots of small meals. With only 3 meals a day, getting to a point you can get all your proteins from solids will take a while

Same here. I talked to my surgeon's PA and she said it was normal. I'm honestly really grateful for it, and hope it will stay for as long as possible.

I never did the chew 50 times thing, I agree, it's gross. I paid extra attention to chewing when I first transitioned to solid foods. But I just chewed till it was all broken down, and didn't chew past that. I had no issues with any food I ate, so I got more relaxed. After the first week or two on solids through today I just chew my normal amount, and it's fine. I wouldn't worry too much about getting off of protein drinks. At the beginning our stomach capacity is so small that it is hard to get to 60 g only on solids. I drink one protein drink in the morning, That gets me to 32 g, then I can usually get the rest in throughout the day. You like plenty of good protein sources, like eggs and chicken and deli meat. You're overthinking this! Oh, I also supplement my protein with some of the Bariatric Pal & Medifast soups and such, some are tasty and painless ways to get additional protein.

I know how you feel. Loose skin issues were probably the biggest con for me regarding getting this surgery. I just made a decision that I was going to do this and I was finally going to be happy with my body. So when I get near goal I'll evaluate where I'm sagging, and have plastic surgery. I've spent too much of my life not being physically happy with myself, and decided to finally do something about it!

The problem is the FDA doesn't have the authority to test the claims of supplements. They only regulate if the products are adulterated or misbranded. https://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ If the FDA was in the business of regulating claims then we wouldn't see all of these "miracle weight loss cures" or "anti aging pills", right? Pure protein has 4 calories per gram. It's not possible for "different types of protein" to have less than that. http://www.dining.ucla.edu/housing_site/dining/SNAC_pdf/CaloriesCount.pdf Here are the details of the lawsuit, it was just finalized December of last year https://www.leagle.com/decision/infdco20171213e89 Some key points of the lawsuit: SI03, Inc the makers of Syntrax sued MuscleGen the makers of Genepro over the claims that "MuscleGen markets its GenePro product by falsely claiming it contains 30 grams of protein in a roughly 11.15 gram (1 tablespoon) serving when GenePro has 10 or fewer grams of protein per 11.15 gram (1 tablespoon) serving" "GenePro's marketing and packaging statement that it contains "medical grade" protein is incorrect, false, and misleading, as no industry or FDA standard for "medical grade" protein exists." Genepro did not even bother to respond to this lawsuit or show up in court, a default judgement was entered in favor the makers of Syntrax, against Genepro Since Genepro didn't even respond to this lawsuit, is it surprising they haven't taken down the claims the court deemed misleading & false? This is a civil lawsuit, the government plays no role in enforcing the judgement.

Pre surgery I didn't have a good understanding of the difference between head hunger and physical hunger. I knew that sometimes I was snack-y, but not hungry. But now I don't have any physical hunger, I've begun to understand the power of head hunger. Head hunger feels the same as physical hunger to me. The only way I can tell the difference is when I realize I'm feeling hungry because I've had a food trigger (pizza commercial for instance), or when I realize I am only craving a certain type of food (starches usually for me), and healthy snacks aren't appealing. This has been a difficult week for head hunger. I am working on plans for a vacation to Italy this fall. So doing lots of research and reading. Italy's food is so intertwined with the culture, everything you read about Italy is at least somewhat food related. Looking up Airbnb's, the reviews mention the restaurants nearby, and how delicious certain dishes were. Looking for tours, so many food tours, even nonfood tour mention the starting or stopping place is near a cafe, or have a food stop built in. Reading travel forums, so many threads about where and what to eat. I'm not complaining about Italian food culture. I love it, this will be my 4th trip to Italy. But doing this research has made making good food choices this week a real struggle!

I love Ma-Po Tofu. I seriously crave it! I use this recipe when I'm not being lazy and have it delivered. I drain the fat out of the ground pork though, even put it on paper towels to get rid of as much fat as possible. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ma-po-tofu-103565

Oh, yeah no way would I deprive myself of delicious Italian food! You're right, I shouldn't worry about what a random waiter thinks, and good idea about the bar. I'm totally with you on the being a big liar! For the associates and clients I see infrequently, I just say my stomach's been bothering me lately. I see them like 1-2 per year, so whatever. But I traveled w my boss 3 weeks post op, for an entire week, 3 meals a day! It was a big wine and dine event, ugh! I had to give an elaborate yet vague story. I hate having to lie like that, but I would definitely be judged for having WLS. In a couple of weeks we have our quarterly sales meeting. Meals are stressful enough, but my company has a drinking culture, so not drinking will be a BIG DEAL. I have a reputation that I won't be able to uphold, lol! I'm sure more than a few people will be convinced I'm pregnant.

Mostly liquid diet ... very little fiber ... not much food volume .... opioids after surgery

It's great though you were comfortable enough to get distracted! I am hyper self conscious dining out w colleagues or clients. I'm anxious about dining in Italy w my new stomach. There are a lot of food related rules in Italy vs. here. It's kinda not appropriate to just order one course. The friend I'm going with has a lap band (years before we met), so she isn't a big eater either. Most places we could just split a course, but that certainly won't fly. First world problem, I know, lol! I'd ask for advice on here. But I'm afraid I'll get people chiming in and said they only ate protein shakes and jerky on vacation. I'll have to ask on a travel forum, but I need an alias. My travel forum postings are followed by some of my friends and family who don't know about my surgery.

I generally have a protein shake in the morning, and two small meals during the day. On days I'm traveling for work I'll often have only 1 meal. I don't usually snack. But this week I have been struggling with head hunger, so I've had more snacks than usual.

Small world, so am I!

Benefiber & stool softener, total lifesavers! I also think the first one is particularly traumatic because of the opioids we take after surgery.

It will pass! I had the same problem the first week. My body was just generally uncomfortable I think, and I couldn't sleep on my side. But once everything settled down, I was sleeping well again.