FutureRN19

I absolutely agree with everything the others have said. I will say that I am 8 weeks post-op at age 22 and I'm doing amazing. But then again I was ready. I most definitely felt the need to mourn a few things like the ability to just pig out. Or gulp water when thirsty. Or any number of weird food habits I had before. But it's a good thing to break them. I've discovered a multitude of positive things that I didn't expect. The actual serving amount of many foods doesn't look ridiculously small to me. I now have the energy and genuine drive to exercise so I take full advantage. I'm completely satisfied with my 5 cajun shrimp. I've discovered new favorite foods (boiled cajun shrimp is to die for) and gotten to play around with cooking for one and having leftovers.

And just because I had surgery doesn't mean I have to give up absolutely everything forever that is on my avoid list. Because both my surgeon and my dietician want me to be able to enjoy what I eat, just far less and modified. My point is this, I knew before I had the surgery that this was a life change for the better. And sometimes the things you need don't feel good. Like a shot in the ass, sometimes it's what you need. And although I could have spent another decade trying and failing to lose on my own. Because I'd been trying since I was 12 (quick weight loss, Curves, Weight Watchers, the list goes on) and done nothing but continue to gain. But again I felt that I was ready. And so far, it's been the best thing I've done in my life. My advice would be to talk to your surgical team and maybe make a therapy appointment if you don't already see someone. You may not be ready and that's okay. Ultimately this isn't something you can take back so I would make doubly sure that you are ready.

I absolutely agree with everything the others have said. I will say that I am 8 weeks post-op at age 22 and I'm doing amazing. But then again I was ready. I most definitely felt the need to mourn a few things like the ability to just pig out. Or gulp water when thirsty. Or any number of weird food habits I had before. But it's a good thing to break them. I've discovered a multitude of positive things that I didn't expect. The actual serving amount of many foods doesn't look ridiculously small to me. I now have the energy and genuine drive to exercise so I take full advantage. I'm completely satisfied with my 5 cajun shrimp. I've discovered new favorite foods (boiled cajun shrimp is to die for) and gotten to play around with cooking for one and having leftovers.

And just because I had surgery doesn't mean I have to give up absolutely everything forever that is on my avoid list. Because both my surgeon and my dietician want me to be able to enjoy what I eat, just far less and modified. My point is this, I knew before I had the surgery that this was a life change for the better. And sometimes the things you need don't feel good. Like a shot in the ass, sometimes it's what you need. And although I could have spent another decade trying and failing to lose on my own. Because I'd been trying since I was 12 (quick weight loss, Curves, Weight Watchers, the list goes on) and done nothing but continue to gain. But again I felt that I was ready. And so far, it's been the best thing I've done in my life. My advice would be to talk to your surgical team and maybe make a therapy appointment if you don't already see someone. You may not be ready and that's okay. Ultimately this isn't something you can take back so I would make doubly sure that you are ready.

I absolutely agree with everything the others have said. I will say that I am 8 weeks post-op at age 22 and I'm doing amazing. But then again I was ready. I most definitely felt the need to mourn a few things like the ability to just pig out. Or gulp water when thirsty. Or any number of weird food habits I had before. But it's a good thing to break them. I've discovered a multitude of positive things that I didn't expect. The actual serving amount of many foods doesn't look ridiculously small to me. I now have the energy and genuine drive to exercise so I take full advantage. I'm completely satisfied with my 5 cajun shrimp. I've discovered new favorite foods (boiled cajun shrimp is to die for) and gotten to play around with cooking for one and having leftovers.

And just because I had surgery doesn't mean I have to give up absolutely everything forever that is on my avoid list. Because both my surgeon and my dietician want me to be able to enjoy what I eat, just far less and modified. My point is this, I knew before I had the surgery that this was a life change for the better. And sometimes the things you need don't feel good. Like a shot in the ass, sometimes it's what you need. And although I could have spent another decade trying and failing to lose on my own. Because I'd been trying since I was 12 (quick weight loss, Curves, Weight Watchers, the list goes on) and done nothing but continue to gain. But again I felt that I was ready. And so far, it's been the best thing I've done in my life. My advice would be to talk to your surgical team and maybe make a therapy appointment if you don't already see someone. You may not be ready and that's okay. Ultimately this isn't something you can take back so I would make doubly sure that you are ready.

You are going hard for carbs lately.
Keep it up.
I think that, in the future, we will look back on our current anti-carb obsession with the same derision as we look back on the anti-fat nonsense of the 1990s. It's a fad. It will pass.
Nutrition science is in its infancy, and every single nutritionist I've ever met, and most I've followed online for any time, have been dogmatic. There are dogmatic vegetarian/vegan nutritionists, dogmatic anti-carb nutritionists (bariatric teams seem to hire them disproportionately often), dogmatic "three meals/no snacks" nutritionists, dogmatic "eat small amounts all day" nutritionists. More than one nutritionist I've had the misfortune to deal with has been entirely ignorant about the research surrounding BMR changes brought on by diet, probably because their paycheck required them to stay ignorant. They all (all of them I've met and nearly all of them whose websites I visit) cherry-pick their sources, ignoring the things they don't want to integrate into their practice.
Nutrition "science," as practiced in client-facing situations, is just survivorship bias writ large. "Well this all works for ME." MEH!
... Hi, I'm CrankyMagpie, and I didn't know I had a rant waiting to get out, but here we are.

Personally, I didn't experience any extra offensive BM smells after surgery. However, as a CNA I have personally cleaned people who have been on nothing but liquids for a while and it can have a very.....distinct smell/consistency. I'm sure it's likely just a reaction of your body being on only liquids. As long as you aren't hurting I wouldn't be too terribly concerned.
And Poo-Pourri is a game changer for real.

The before eating I find to be bunk, the idea is that water pooled in your pouch/sleeve might help slide food through, the after is purely to avoid sliding the food through, both also are to help prevent food expansion from absorbing the water. I don't follow the before hand waiting, but I do the post eating if at all possible.

Yep, @Queen Grandma is right - snacking is ok in moderation. But - what sort of snack? How far over your calories does it put you for the day? If you are ‘giving in’ and having a protein bar, well that is different to if you are giving in and having a pizza or a McD’s supersize meal or a diner sized portion of cake!
i am 9 months out and struggle with temptation too. A few things have helped:
1. If possible don’t have high-refined-sugar snacks in the house. I have a rule - if I am desperate for something like that I have to walk to the shop (1 mile, with 1 mile uphill home) to get it. I have only set out twice and both times ended up just having a walk instead.
2. Plan for both snacks and treats. I have a note on the fridge of a few treats I am happy to have - yummy but ok for my stage of the journey. And another list of healthy snacks, to remind me. Cos when I get a snack-attack, I suddenly seem to forget about fruit, or yoghurt, of lettuce/hummus/cheese - crisps is the ONLY snack I can remember exists!
3. Plan. Plan ahead. Did I mention plan? Have frozen oopsie rolls in the freezer, your favourite cheese (Swiss for me) in the fridge, tins of sardines in Louisiana hot-sauce in the pantry. You know you’ll crave - so stock up the good stuff so it is easy to make a good choice!
And I log all my food in myfitnesspal - I have a section for “screw-ups” but I hardly use it these days. It is great to look back at the “snacks” section when I am craving - I now put only healthy snacks there, so I can use it to remind me of stuff out there that I like.. It takes time but the things you crave genuinely do start to change!
And - go easy on yourself. It is a marathon, not a sprint! But - do work at changing, cos we all need better habits if we want to avoid regain ?
x

You actually need to do both. In order to get your protein numbers correct, that needs to be measured by weight. But then, make sure the entire volume of your meal doesn't exceed the "volume" number you want. For example, if you're only wanting to eat 1/2 cup of food/meal - weigh out the protein you want to eat, put it in the measuring cup, then fill the rest of the cup with your veggies/sides.
Does that make sense?

I would like to wear jeans that don't wear out on my,inner thighs from the friction.

WOW! You look AMAZING!! Looks like you've taken the bull by the horns and defeated the enemy. Congrats on your weight loss!

Hi! I am scheduled for surgery on this coming Monday August 27th. I keep waiting to be terrified or super nervous but I have been cool as a cucumber during the majority of this journey. I started the process for my approval in October of last year and was originally scheduled for July 27th. I ended up having to reschedule due to financial issues but it's worked out for the best.
I will say that I was the most nervous at my initial doctors appointment because I wasn't sure if it would be something I could do. Am I too young? (just turned 22) Too light? (250 at 5'5'') Can I deal with the radical lifestyle changes including no alcohol for 1 year+? To help with this, I made a list of questions that were most important to me and had my surgeon and nutritionist answer them all. I also came here and to Obesity Help and just started going through all of the forums. Good, bad and ugly I wanted to know EVERYTHING. I think that looking up horror stories and worst case scenarios helped calm me since they were the exceptions and not the rule. I also took stock of my own personal situation and realized that I am in pretty good shape so the odds that I will have a major complication are slim. I don't know your health history but it might help to compare yourself to some of the "worse off" people on these forums. Some started at well over 500 lbs and have been able to successfully lose and keep the weight off so the odds are definitely in your favor. Further, I fully intend on being 100% compliant and happily tell my surgeon that if I die its because he killed me (ER life has given me a morbid sense of humor).
Maybe it'd help to make a running list of pros and cons in a journal over the coming months. Anything good and bad related to having the surgery should be written down and compared. And if you make it to December and cons outweigh the pros, you can always reschedule. Surgeons and thus surgery will always be there as an option so don't rush into it if it isn't the right time for you.
Sorry for the long post but I'm at work and this is one of few unblocked sites lol.

Looking at your start weight, it is entirely possible that you managed to avoid the dreaded 3 week stall until now. Divided up that is still almost 4lbs a week which is double what I've ever lost in one week. Be kind to yourself and trust the process. It is physically impossible to not lose weight after surgery if you're being compliant.
That being said, are you getting your water and protein? Exercising at all? If you changed any of those habits it might be why your weight slowed some but that's a huge difference to be explained. Whatever the cause if you are doing what your doc recommended you literally will lose the weight. It just might come in more "stops and starts" than you want.

Looking at your start weight, it is entirely possible that you managed to avoid the dreaded 3 week stall until now. Divided up that is still almost 4lbs a week which is double what I've ever lost in one week. Be kind to yourself and trust the process. It is physically impossible to not lose weight after surgery if you're being compliant.
That being said, are you getting your water and protein? Exercising at all? If you changed any of those habits it might be why your weight slowed some but that's a huge difference to be explained. Whatever the cause if you are doing what your doc recommended you literally will lose the weight. It just might come in more "stops and starts" than you want.

I don't see any problem with you eating any of those things post surgery. But the worst of them is probably the cereals. You'll eventually be allowed to eat everything/anything you want. It's just up to you to make the right decisions at that point. I don't think any of the other things you listed are that bad depending on how they are made.
I did drink my ass off 2 weeks before surgery and for some reason had a crazy craving for cheese cake about a month and a half pre surgery. After 3 cakes over 2 weeks that went away.

I'm still pre-op but I have heard of many people taking Flintstones after surgery. In fact, I am taking them preop because they're delicious and the only vitamins that I have continued to take on a regular basis. From what my office said, they aren't the go to choice anymore since there are better/more complete options out there.
Still contact your NUT on Monday when you can but the flintstones shouldn't do any harm. I would rather take not enough vitamins than none at all. Might be a good idea to compare the flintstones to your liquid vitamins and see if you need to take 2 or 3 to make up the difference.

WOW! You look AMAZING!! Looks like you've taken the bull by the horns and defeated the enemy. Congrats on your weight loss!

I'm still pre-op but from what I've read in other forums, excess stomach acid production can strongly mimic the feeling of being hungry. Are you on any kind of medication after surgery? I would call your docs office and describe what you're experiencing. They may want to put you on something to see if that helps.

HIPAA is pretty specific on when and how a person's information can be used. It wouldn't matter where they told each this or if it was meant for anyone but themselves. The issue is if there was no "need to know". If there was no pertinent medical reason for them to be sharing her health information then it would be a HIPAA violation. Locked door or otherwise. Further, the fact that the patient herself overheard the conversation is proof enough that they weren't being discreet. If she could overhear their conversation, who's to say they couldn't have shared tons of other health information? That's the issue HR is going to have when this complaint comes through.
If they had been talking without using ANY identifying information i.e. "she had her teenage son with her" it would be rude but likely wouldn't be an actual case. However, in my healthcare experience, I have seen people fired for much less tbh.

Oh, and they do NOT deal with "life or death scenarios." As I wrote in earlier posts, their office closes at 4pm, opens at 9am. They see people in the office. The one time I actually came in with blood pressure of 70/50 and dizziness, they left me in the waiting room for 1 hour. They know NOTHING of dealing with real emergencies. In the 14 years this physician has been in practice, never has there been a patient death. I was an ER nurse. I know from "life or death medical and mental health scenarios." Further, even in the ER, if we EVER did joke about a patient--typically never about the body but about a bogus story about how a man got a shampoo bottle stuck up his anus ("I fell in the shower), we did it in the BREAK ROOM, which is located strategically far from patient rooms. Just curious, do you work in healthcare/medicine?

Y'all resolved that like pros @GamePlan18 @J San  proud to share a forum with y'all I've seen sooo many pointless arguments so glad this wasn't one of them

Read it perfectly fine but that was not the focus of your statement. I guess you didn't notice but this is a public forum, one where others read and respond to posts of others. And I damn sure will have a nice day. and hopefully you damn sure will as well. DEAR