Orchids&Dragons

Congratulations on both successes! Size 12 is awesome! What did you major in?

Thank you!

I agree that the nurse shouldn't share personal information. However, I was in a large hospital and do not know to which patient she was referring. However, this doctor performs surgery regularly at this hospital, and it is (according to the nurse) his standard procedure to use no pain meds stronger than Tylenol. I do know of at least one other surgeon in this area who does the same. I was told by a Co-worker who was his bariatric patient , but that was about 5 years ago.

Thanks for the devilishly tasty recipes! I've seen these at potlucks, but never knew what they were called.

Just like the Pace picante commercial - my Mom was born in New York City!

@Frustr8 What, pray tell, is a Texas sheet cake or a lemon one? Google brings up too many possibilities and I didn't see any with buttermilk.

Try other temperatures. Maybe hot herbal tea? Sometimes the heat is soothing, or so I've read. I'm a hot tea drinker, so I've done that from the start. Hope you feel better.

Nope, you win the crazy-pants prize for today! Congrats! ?

Man, that sounds miserable and dangerous. Thank you for sharing the warning and the good advice. Hope you're 100% now.

Weight loss for most people doesn't happen in a straight line. Even this early on. Lose, pause, lose, pause, etc. Normal is whatever your body does and right now, it's having a major WTH moment or two. You'll be ok, really. I mean, have you ever lost 11 pounds in 16 days before now?

I've bought this but haven't tried it yet: https://dixiediner.com/shop/category/desserts/graham-cracker-style-low-carb-pie-crust-mix/ They also have this one: https://dixiediner.com/shop/category/desserts/pie-crust/home-made-press-n-bake-low-carb-pie-crust-mix/ And for healthy Thanksgiving in general: https://www.skinnytaste.com/holiday-recipes/thanksgiving-recipes/

Yes, head hunger is a major b!tch. But, even though you're losing weight now, you're setting yourself up for major regain once the "honeymoon" is over. You sound like you may be getting pretty dehydrated. Everything that you listed is a diuretic. (Coffee, alcohol) Are you getting other liquids in? Dehydration can mimic hunger. You need to get those non-calorienon-caffeinated drinks into you. Maybe try a decaf coffee with 1/3 of a protein shake for the sweetener/creamer? Many on here love to add the Premier Protein caramel or chocolate to their decaf. I love vanilla in my decaf chai tea for a chai latte (grocery stores or online for the decaf chai tea bags.) Acid also mimics hunger. The next time you're hungry, try chewing a Tums. If the hunger subsides, check with your doctor about an acid-reducing medicine. Above all else, if you can't get this under control yourself, please reach out to your team or to a therapist. You've gone through too much to not give yourself your best shot at success. Good luck!

The sipping, in the beginning, is because with all the swelling in your stomach, the fluid needs to trickle through. Once the swelling eases up, you will be able to drink normally. Not huge gulps, but normal drinking, which will enable you to get to 64 oz much more easily. Most people can drink more by the end of the first week.

Between swelling from the surgery and all the IV fluids, it is completely normal to come home weighing more than you did when you went to the hospital. The IV fluids will flush out in a few days but the swelling may take as long as a month to go away. It will be ok!

Are you on any blood pressure meds? If so, doctor may need to adjust your dosage. Hope you improve soon.

Congrats on completing the obstacle course and best wishes for a smooth/uneventful surgery and recovery! They won't tell you that in the beginning, you may go home from the hospital weighing more than you went in. If you're not prepared, that can be a big kick in the **** (fill in any appropriately tender region.) Because of all the fluids they pump into you in the hospital and the swelling from surgery, it can take nearly a month to get below your surgery weight. It may be you, it may not, but just know that it's normal. It may also take that long for the pants you wore before surgery to stop being tight. It's due to swelling; it will go away. You will really, really, really not feel like walking the hospital halls at 2 am. after surgery. Do it anyway. You lower your risk of blood clots and reduce the pain from gas that they use to "inflate" your belly to have room to operate. Drinking water, in the beginning, is difficult for most. You need to sip constantly all day to take in enough water so that you don't end up back in the ER on an IV. Have a variety of liquids available at home because what tastes good now may make you gag later. Also, try a variety of temperatures. Sometimes cold liquids go down best, other times hot or room temperature. Have sugar-free popsicles on hand. Protein shakes may seem too thick. It's ok to thin them with skim milk or water. Count all these toward your liquid total. You may count drinks like protein shakes toward both your liquid and your protein total for the day. I hope I haven't totally scared the hooey out of you. This is one of the best decisions I ever made. But in this area, Google is your friend. Research, question, read. One more thing, all of us here are just random, anonymous people on the internet. Use your good sense when you get advice (mine included) and check it out for yourself. Good luck!

OK, if getting a toned butt is REALLY high on your priority list: https://www.livestrong.com/article/13715002-jessica-biels-pistol-squats-will-kick-your-booty/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111018_f_sat_curated&c_crid=cta2 I just wonder how toned I would get while recuperating from falling off the friggin' box!

@GreenTealael Here's another one that I thought you'd like. I read all the ingredients and it sounded pretty delicious to me. https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-gravy/?omhide=true&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NEW!+EASY+Vegan+Gravy!

But you do have friends here or at least brothers in the trenches. Everyone who takes the time to respond to questions is doing it out of a desire to help the questioner. Clearly, some are more diplomatic than others, but when they respond sharply, they are acting out of fear for you, not out of meanness. Your later posts let us understand that you have a good handle on this, but on the first initial post, people respond with the limited information they have available. And, believe me, we have seen some amazingly scary posts about foods being eaten by people who should still be on liquids. There are some crazies out there. Wishing you the best!

The thing that is hard to understand before surgery is how easy it is to "eat around your surgery." Kind of like putting a lock on the kitchen door but then you figure out how to climb in through the window. The sleeve (or any other WLS) only works as well as you do. Once you're all healed up, you are perfectly capable of pounding down thousands of calories a day if you so choose. One good method of avoiding regain is moderation. Some people can do that, but honestly, most of us can't. If we could, we wouldn't be here. I know from past experience, for example, that once I hit maintenance, I'll do better with 6 days on/1 day off. That will keep me pretty well in line. There's a thread on here about intermittent fasting. That's a great solution for some. The point is, the surgery isn't a one-and-done for most people. It is something we will have to work at forever. I hope this helps.

I sure hope not, that would be a pain!

I have tried to set my notifications so that I only receive one email a day. However, my inbox is still bombarded with notifications + the BariatricPal digest (sometimes 40 or more emails a day.) Here are my settings. Have I done something wrong? Thanks for your help.

There's no denying it, this is hard. Especially the first couple of months where you really can't eat. When you're further out, know that you can have a bite of pizza. Lots of times knowing that you CAN is all that you need. It's all head games. Definitely feel free to take a walk or something when it really bothers you. Not forever, just while you're really struggling. That's not selfish, it's coping. It does get easier, I promise! p.s. I love the Skinnytaste website. She remakes standard recipes in a healthier version and includes all the protein/calorie info. Very helpful.

30 for me, too. I actually bought a couple of cheap kitchen timers at Wally-World, one for home, one for work. I think they were $2.99 each. At first, I was setting the timer on my phone, but that ended up being too much of a PIA to do several times a day.

I like Dannon Light & Fit. Very smooth and 12g of protein in a 5 oz. container, 7g sugar. Avoid the cherry, blueberry, and strawberry in the beginning. They have chunks of fruit. My favorites are the key lime and coconut flavors. The Dannon Triple 0 (Black container) are excellent for bariatrics, too. I didn't care for that texture as much. But that's a personal preference. You may like it better ?