Screwballski

I’ll come clean. I was so worried. Especially since there is so much emphasis on food tracking, calorie restriction, obsessing, obsessing, obsessing...I mean, that was our lives right?! I was triggered a lot post op and it had been decades since I’d been hospitalized. When I spent a decade as an obese person I used to joke that I was The Most Successful Recovered Anorexic or say something like, “I weigh so much now it’s the equivalent of me having eaten my old self holding a small child!” Now I was worrying about how I was going to be able to stop myself from over controlling after surgery. I nearly didn’t get the surgery because I lost so much beforehand! But, now 2.5 months later, I’m on this side. I don’t even think about it. It’s just a job. I get my protein in, take my supplements and drink my water. It’s not about control. It’s not about food. It’s not about power. It’s not about punishment, approval or love. The surgery shut that down for me. Maybe it has to do with the hormone centers. I don’t know. Whatever it is, the switch has been reset. The triggers have been released. I absolutely understand your fear. I was terrified and could not talk to the Doctors because I know they would not have given me the surgery. If you need me, you can feel free to contact me. I’m happy to listen. I know the power of the the disease. You have to keep talking to yourself. Keep telling yourself your story and why you are worth it. No one else can do that for you. We can only listen and remind you of the steps you need to take to love forward.

Approx 2.5 months out. 500-600 calories/day. A BIG day is 700.

Yay!

I came home 7.5lbs heavier than my morning of surgery weight. I don’t even count it in my weight looks. It’s all fluids and swelling. Just ignore it. It goes bye-bye in no time! Best wishes and congrats on your new life!

Thank you for sharing! Yum! I might actually be able to get my husb to try. I’ll have to check the sodium content to see how big the salad to pizza ratio will be! :)

I got my band about the same time. My revision to sleeve was on May 17th. My band went bad right away and I chose to struggle with no fill, pain, port problems, vomiting, etc., for over a decade rather than do anything. Still, my surgeon did the whole thing in one operation and said that it was fairly simple. If it had been any more difficult he would have done an RNY rather than a sleeve (he had my prior authorization to choose once he saw what he was really working with). I think it depends on the surgeon, how much discussion/flexibility you have, and what’s really going on inside when they start poking around. I know some take the band, have the patient heal, then go back in later if it’s a real mess. That makes no sense to me...you’re already there! But, I don’t have their knowledge base.

I can only tell you what I did. I, too, had to quit for surgery. I haven’t gone back. I quit the day after my consult. I transferred my cig obsession to a calorie/carb/protein counting obsession so I stayed compliant as far as not gaining weight before surgery. I tracked everything I put in my mouth and began living my life as if I’d already had surgery. 90 grams of Protein per day, very strict low carb...like under 60/day! Never went over 1100 calories. Instead of gaining weight, I lost 30 pounds and got really prepared for my post surgery life.It was hard but it made this side super easy.And, it kept me so busy on the food end, I didn’t have time to worry about smoking.When I really wanted a smoke, I took a brisk walk and just breathed the air.Truly, I wish you the best.  It’s difficult.  

I’m just over 2.5 months and I’ve been eating pork since purée. No problem with any meat. Just take small bites and chew really well. The more you chew, the more you get to experience the flavor, anyway. :)

How do some A-LIST celebrities walk around with out being swamped? They do absolutely nothing to draw attention to themselves. If I’m out with friends and anyone mentions how little I’m eating I just laugh and say, “I got so hungry right before we met up that I had to have a snack”, or, “ I had so much coffee it killed my appetite.” Then I take my left overs home for 3 more meals. I use, “I’ve been snacking all day...I drank, like, a gallon of water about a hour ago”...and about a zillion other laughing comments to derail the questions, then I change the subject by asking questions about their kids, business, spouses, vacation plans, etc. Honestly, it’s never, ever an issue. And I’ve dropped a bunch of sizes.

Unless I someday go off the rails, I really don’t consider any food a “cheat”. If there is something I want, I can plan around it, change my daily intake to accommodate it and eat a few bites to satisfy my craving. I also just substitute. For instance, my Nextdoor neighbor brought over chocolate covered Reese’s Rice Krispie treats for my husb. Because they were there, I wanted them. But, if I had one, I’d have eaten the entire plateful. So, when he ate one for dessert, I ate a tablespoon of natural Peanut Butter. It tasted exactly like his treat smelled so I was satisfied. Otherwise, if I know I want something a little higher in calories, I just do all low cal/no carb Protein to allow for the higher cal/carb lunch or dinner. It’s pretty easy. If you’re already at your daily limits, you can just wait until the next day and plan it in. The food will still be there. Nothing is really off the table. “Cheating” thinking is just self defeating thinking in that you’re talking about cheating yourself.

I had same requirements. I used chicken broth instead of water to thin it while puréeing or added flavor. Threw in some Tuscan spices. I also puréed tuna with a bit of mayo for flavor and tuna water. Little garlic Mts. Dash makes everything yummy.

I’m not a super spicy eater, maybe a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10, but I try everything. I’m not yet at 3 months out and I’ve had some pretty darn spicy stuff already with no trouble. I test it like I do every new food (I’m still introducing my stomach to everything). I take a couple small bites, chew to purée and them give it a couple hours to see how it handles it. If I’m good, I know this is something I could probably have among company or out with friends, no problem. I’ve not had trouble with a single thing yet except dairy products and I had a little trouble before surgery...it’s just worse now. But wasabi, chili peppers...no reaction.

Sometimes you have to switch things up. If creamy whey shakes are no longer palatable, move to plant based. I went to Raw pea protein and mix it with berry flavored or coffee flavored pea protein. They are great in a blender because the good ones don’t froth or get whipped with air! Everything is too sweet for me now so I water everything down. I don’t play the menstrual game. Threw that uterus away after my only child at 35! What a blessing!

I've had so much luck with Shake-It Pea protein mixes. Their raw pea is the best I've tried. And I've tried several. It's the cleanest, least gritty, more plant than earth tasting I've found. And they don't get muddy when mixed. some really turn to an almost clayish consistency on the bottom of your cup after a while.. Especially since you can put them in a blender and they do not get frothy or airy/whipped. Big plus. I make all my shakes with water, too, since there's just no room for extra richness and too much creaminess is just YUCK, right now. Oddly, my body is okay with a whey protein BAR every now and then. Go figure.

I had a a few drags of my kid's cigarette when my husband was in the hospital recovering from heart attack/cardiac cath aneurysm two weeks ago. Tasted like crap but, as always, the first two drags on a cig gets me high. Never needed any other drugs. Chilled me right out! Worth it. No cravings. No risk of going back. Just needed to calm down for a sec.

If you have room for a starchy veg, sweet potatoes are a good one. Just don’t junk it up with butter, brown sugar...you know the drill. ;)

That actually sounds about right depending on where you are in the process. I try not to eat over 30-35g each day. I had a protein bar as a treat so I’m going to finish today at 43g’s. That’s a big day for me.

Thanks, Everyone!

I did it! According to the Livestrong BMI calculator, my BMI is 24.85. (I'm a NORMAL weight!) So, yippee, for normal!!! (The Husb calls me "Screwballski" for a reason and it's NOT because I'm normal. Trust me.)

If you can tolerate salty things, bone broth comes in lots of flavors. Chicken is one I can deal with. It’s loaded with protein and I water it down because I’m not a huge fan of salted foods/flavors.

Shake-It makes a great raw Pea protein mix. If you blend it with Six Six star plant based berry flavored mix (found at Walmart or Amazon) it is a great break from the heavy chocolate and vanilla creamy protein drinks and has no whey/milk at all. I use Shake-It raw pea mixed with Shake-It Cafe Latte every morning. Tastes nothing like Cafe Latte BUT it's not a yucky flavor. And my body can no longer handle any kind of whey/milk liquid protein. Not since the second after surgery in May.

I had a post op follow up at 2 weeks (after my May 17th surgery). I won’t see surgeon again until mid-September.

Crystal light makes mixes with stevia now. You can find them in your supermarket. Freeze some to make your own sugar free pops. Everything is too sweet for me...including the mixes I just mentioned. I just dilute everything with water. Even “no sugar added” juices have lots of sugar in them. You may want to dilute them to cut down on your intake. The bottom line is, you are the only one who will be held accountable for your decisions. Your health and progress is solely your responsibility. If you need help, folks here are always willing. Best wishes!

Liquids were only difficult a few days for me. Within the first week, I could take big swallows. Now, weeks later, I can easily gulp 4-6 ozs of light liquids before coming up for air (not saying we should). I still can’t handle more than 2 ounces of food chewed to purée though. Not without being super uncomfortable. And, boy, am I grateful!

I wish I were the kind of person who could eat one serving and walk away. One serving of candy, for me, is all the candy under one roof! Then I’ll hold your family hostage until you bring me another truckload!