cindih576

Checklist from my surgeon

I am technically a second semester Freshman- 4 months, I granted myself Advanced Placement because I feel at times I ALMOST belong, but not quite yet.

Fortunately our hospital is ALL private rooms which is awesome. I was on a regular wing so all kinds of patients plus my doctor only does about two Bariatric surgery’s per week.

No matter who you are, the Holidays can be a tough time dealing with family. When you’re a bariatric patient, it can be either a time for those you love to gather around you and help you Celebrate the amazing work you’ve done this year...or it can feel like an emotional onslaught of criticisms, misinformation, and awkward conversations about your new lifestyle.


First off, I just want to say this very important thing, if you take nothing else away from this article, let it be this- People’s reactions to you are based on their relationship with themselves, not you. Always.
Someone who is living at peace with themselves will have no need to harshly criticize, no desire to humiliate, and no feelings of unresolved jealousy. Sadly, once you understand this, you also realize how many people in your life are unhappy with themselves on some level. It makes it a little easier not to take things personally, but I would be lying if I said those things don’t hurt anymore.
So how do you deal with friends and family members who are not living at peace with themselves? What practical steps can you take to be at peace with yourself so that you are able to reject those statements and hurtful judgments instead of internalizing them?
Here’s the bottom line- You will always have people in your life who do not wish you well, who want to see you fail. If you do not learn to look past them and stay focused on you and your progress, and live at peace with yourself- you will experience re-gain. I love the words from Eleanor Roosevelt, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
1) Start with yourself- You need to be at peace with yourself. Who you are, what you weigh, your progress level, etc. Easier said than done, I know. But working towards that will allow you to bypass other’s opinions of you because you know who you are and where you’re going. A simple way to begin embracing yourself is positive self-talk. Start by looking into the mirror as often as you can, and saying things to yourself like, “I am a beautiful, peacefully person and I love me.” Say hello to yourself. “Hi Ash, you are a wonderful, beautiful person and I am SO proud of you.” It’s going to feel super painful and may trigger some emotions. Process those as they come, don’t shy away from the feelings that embracing yourself brings. If you need to cry, do so. If you smile, embrace it. Enjoy yourself. Changing that negative narrative in your head that so many of us carry around, is step one.

2) Be honest- When someone says something that’s offensive, it usually comes from one of 2 places: a poor relationship with themselves, or a lack of education. Use your best judgment to determine which it is. Keep in mind, there are a LOT of myths and misinformation surrounding bariatric surgery. Don’t assume people know more than they do. Think back to before you became an expert on Bariatric Surgery. How many questions you had, how many myths you thought were accurate. Seek to educate. But be honest, if someone makes a hurtful comment, let them know. Keep it simple, “Hey, that was uncalled for.” or “Please don’t say things like that to me.” Try to stay calm and in control.
3) Take a break- If you need a break, take one! Go for a walk, get out of the house, go listen to music alone. Don’t feel bad for needing a break. Family time can be stressful, don’t allow others to jeopardize your progress. When you’re stressed and anxious, you’re more prone to overeating which puts you back on that harmful cycle you’re working so hard to stay off of. Give yourself permission to stay home sometimes too, you don’t need to be at every single family gathering. It’s okay to opt out. People may get offended, they may try to make you feel guilty, but remember- it’s not about you. It’s all about how they feel about themselves. Those who are at peace with themselves will support you and do their best to understand where you’re coming from.
4) Stay focused- This is a tough one. Holidays pull our focus in so many directions, it’s easy for us to lose focus on our goals. Be proactive about making plans for yourself for food and exercising during the holidays. Being ahead of the game and staying on top of your plans will make you feel peaceful and accomplished. When you feel this way, your confidence is harder to shake and you will feel more secure. When you’re focused on a goal, it consumes your focus and the other things that pop up to derail you just fade into the background. Stick to your routine, take your supplements, and stay on track. You can do this!
5) Stay connected- Join a support group in-person or online, find an accountability buddy, hire a coach, or grab a friend who will keep you focused without judgment. Someone you can call, text or write to keep them updated so they can provide you with the encouragement you may not be getting from others this season. Having connection fills an emotional need that many try to fill with food. If you’re getting that need met, you won’t be as tempted to eat for comfort. Connection is something we all need, so make it a priority to have someone in your corner this holiday season.
Remember, at the end of the day- this season is temporary. All the food, all the family, all the hustle and bustle. The things that can make or break this season. It’s all temporary. You are what you carry into the New Year. Your health journey is what lasts. Keep your sights on the long term. You can do this, I believe in you!

Well, Well, done it!!! I had my RNY done Dec 11, 2018. I came home yesterday, not as bad as i thought, but i still have pain (no gas pain). Pain from the surgery itself. A band romoved, hernia and the RNY.

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Welcome to Surgerees after 60, We show Them how to Do It and Do It With Class, We are the "BOOMERS" Mamma 5aught us Well! Less than 3 weeks to my73rd, A Kangaroo (RnY) since September 5th, trials and tribulations, I was one of the less than 5% but healing, albeit slowly, but I am Solid sturdy steel not plastic, made me good in the 40s and I'll make it to my goal when the youngins break down along the way! Honey, if nothing else I was built for endurance. Join me all of You!

I worry that I’ll be a gastric bypass failure. I noticed that I plateau within a couple of weeks of the start of my cycle. I have pcos too so maybe it correlates? Finally seeing the scale move a lil lower after being on my cycle since Wednesday.

My surgeon told me that if I plateau that I should continue to follow my surgeons guidelines and the weight will come off again. I also need to remember that every week will not be a major weight loss week.

For this month my goal is to shed about 15lbs. I’ll be working on hitting my protein/water/sleep/exercise goals. I think my plan will give me the results I’m looking for🤞🏾🤞🏾. The only reason why I have a goal for this month is because i turn 25 next month and I want to feel confident in my outfit. Also I want to tell the truth about my weight when I renew my license. I’ve been the same weight on there since I was 17 or so. “Still weigh 254?” “Yea sure 👀”

I hit 50 from pre-op today and 36 since surgery. Feels slow but then I see that number and think ok maybe not. Just weird I’m in all the same clothes, no one has really noticed. It’s just strange all the way around. Not sure I was fully prepared for the mental side of this surgery.

Medifast Mint Crunch Bars
110 calories - 11 g Protein - 13 g carbs

This is a GREAT article and all newbies should read! Thanks Fluffy!

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@shoregirl75 a loss is a loss take it as a win. I am almost 8 weeks post op and have had days when the scale bounced up and down the same 2 oz for 3 or 4 days it was very frustrating.

My surgeon is very strict about this. No alcohol for a minimum of 6 months and no carbonated beverages PERIOD. While I don't think a glass of champagne once a year will derail me, I'm in no hurry to break the rules. I tried things my way and obviously that didn't work out so well since I needed gastric sleeve surgery. I realize it's still early in the game for me, I'm just now almost 2 weeks post-op. But I'm not putting myself through all of this to not give it everything. I love wine and enjoying cocktails with my friends. But if I don't get to do that for a while, it's not going to kill me. If I don't succeed in my weight-loss, THAT will kill me. I think there's a fine line. I realize I still have to live my life but I acknowledge that I'll be living it differently than before. I have to.

You must have a cast Iron stomach and the intestines of a superhero. Most people it hits quick, it hits hard and you are in loopity loop land before you blink.🍷🍸😕

@RickM. If grades were being assigned to comments, your comment would receive an A-.
I was going to give you an A, but I didn't want to risk you getting a transfer addiction involving perfect grades.

I am so impatient with my weight loss . I try not to be but when you are eating so little you expect it to just fall off. I have lost 42.2 total and 27.2 since surgery 9/10/18. I keep telling myself on average that is pretty good for 9 weeks post up. It's just to bad I can't lose it as easily as I can gain it...lol How is everyone else's weight loss since surgery?

That's such great news! I'm finding it's still working well for me too

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MissPoodle, I want to thank you again for sharing your doctor's recommendation to alternate bites of vegetable and Protein. It is making it so much easier to get protein down without feeling nauseous! Thanks again!

Speaking only for myself, the only thing 1 small Reese cup would do is make me want MORE and since there are quite a few in the bag I think this is a recipe for disaster at any stage of this process. I just can not keep anything like that around because I know myself --I would DREAM about that bag in the pantry and likely get up one or more times every night to have additional pieces. That brief "joy and satisfaction" would result in my feeling like a loser and a failure.
I have had a very small amount of candy a few times in the last 6 months only when we were away from home....a tiny bite of my husband's fudge from the fudge store on vacation or a couple of his peanut M&Ms on a road trip stop. I did experiment with a few Quest and ONE bars but these for me are no different than candy and they can not be available to me on a daily basis. If I could control my intake of things like this I probably would not have needed WLS.
If I am really jonesing for something sweet, I make a cup of coffee with some Premier Protein Caramel shake and a shot of sugar free DaVinci Syrup. Sip this slowly and it does satisfy me by the time I finish with it. I sometimes go in my bedroom and try on clothes that fit that used to be way too small while I drink it. It works for me.

The important thing to recognize is that after a few months, we are capable of eating the entire bag again. So establishing good habits, in the beginning, is vital to success. This doesn't apply to everyone. Some people maintain major restriction or minimal hunger for years, but others don't. We can't predict which camp we'll end up in.
That said, my treat is wine. However, I only have it on actual occasions: my birthday, on vacation, etc. Times that are clearly delimited from my normal life. I only eat about 800 cals/day. Using 80 of those cals on a glass of wine would be a poor nutritional choice if I did it regularly.

Yes I am having similar issues. Tried turkey the other night and felt like it was stuck in my chest. Last night I tried some meat loaf. I put ketchup on it and it seems to go down much easier. Also tried oatmeal yesterday which I had bad luck with earlier but yesterday I put nonfat milk on it and put the dry oatmeal in my food chopper and made it really fine. That seemed to make all the difference. I think you are 100% correct the keys are moisture and eating really slow

So dr on Tuesday he says for now only do two oz of anything at a time and he is watching my gallbladder. Says some of the recent pain from eating could be that. So we will see😏

I’m feeling a lot like you. So far the ONLY things I can eat besides liquids like chicken broth is refried Beans, yogurt and cottage cheese. I tried cod the other night and it felt horrible. Tried chicken that made me nauseous. This is getting harder. 🙄. I am sticking to liquids and blended for now

So dr on Tuesday he says for now only do two oz of anything at a time and he is watching my gallbladder. Says some of the recent pain from eating could be that. So we will see😏

Cindih576, my nurse Practioner told me I could up to 6 oz at a time, told her "you don't know Precious Pouch very well, I tried to drink 6 oz- I was in misery for over a hour, thought I had popped something until the pain left. I will keep on with 4 oz if it is All The Same!" She conceded that was OK,better cause I'm not into misery. I have enough of that with the stricture! Tomorrow maybe Dr Noria 😷will make me all better!

First post op labs were at 3 months. Then 6, then 9. No surprises really, just pleased with the results from the Patches I'm using for my Vitamins. All levels were within normal ranges at both my 3 and 6 month post-op follow ups.