mousecat88

On 10/6/2018 at 10:54 PM, MargoCL said:

My food funeral was the day before I started pre-op 2 weeks of full liquids. My BF was sweet and made my favorite meals knowing it would be awhile before I saw any of it.
I didn't want to gain weight because I was already stressed over the liver shrinking diet. I heard and read horror stories of surgeries being canceled mid-way because the liver was not small enough.

I'm now almost 7 weeks post op and happy I followed directions and the things I thought I'd miss, I really don't.

I think that's why I've been so lackadaisical about sticking to a good diet beforehand. My ultrasound showed my liver had no fatty deposits on it at all and was completely normal-sized. So I've been like "haha whatever! eating junk isn't going to suddenly make my liver fat in 3 weeks." I'm 7 days now from the pre-op diet and just want one more thing and then I'm done indulging.

On 10/5/2018 at 10:40 PM, Frustr8 said:

I have had more than a few friends with a November 25th birthday, once wondered if there has been a Big Party 9 months before Don't think it would have been a tupperware party, unless they are more rocking that the ones I've been to!😒😜

I had my birthday party on September 1st! lol! Went out to my favorite restaurant which is an upscale all-you-can eat brazilian steakhouse, went out for drinks two nights, and ate plenty of junky bar food. No regrets there!

8 hours ago, zueschoco1 said:

Im a bypasser also the middle of november and im very excited.My thing is im trying to figure out what we need post op to survive!! Im wanting a Protein Powder for my shakes but dont know what to get also do we get chicken broth and sugar free jellos or what and i also need to know what kind of Vitamins and Calcium to take!! Thats what my scaredness is coming from not being prepared with things i need after surgery!! Any help out there??

Sent from my LG-M210 using BariatricPal mobile app

Oh my gosh - did you not get this guidance from your surgeon? Mine gave me a massive like 200 page manual with grocery lists for each phase, meal plans, and nutritional facts and everything. Get whey Protein isolate shakes. My surgeon said less than 10g carbs, no more than 3g fat, under 200 calories. Syntrax, Unjury, Quest, Bariatric Advantage, Pure Protein all work. I can't drink whey so I get soy shakes... AdvantEdge, 365 Everyday, and Atkins (half soy). You should definitely talk to your surgeon about what Vitamins you'll need. Mine had me buy mine straight from them. I am taking supposed to take Celebrate Vitamins twice daily and Iron. Unjury also sells good bariatric vitamins on their website, but you really need to know from your doctor what YOU need to be taking since it's surgery and individual specific!

It is certainly not an abnormal behavior. The reality is that you will eat these items again though. I have eaten Doritos gasp! I have eaten a small bit of a brownie or a cupcake, oh no!
The difference is after surgery you are most likely going to experience less tolerance and less cravings for these items. Once you start to lose weight, you will desire them even less because your progress and non scale victories will motivate you to stay on track 90 percent of the time.
We are human though, and food tastes good. We are meant to enjoy certain things in life, and in moderation I think food can be one of those things.
I would try and stay away from that food funeral thinking. You’re going to set yourself up for having a hard time staying on track for your pre op diet. You don’t want to really gain twenty pounds before surgery anyways and I would not test the surgeon on his no gain policy with a large gain.
Set yourself up for success preop, and you can definitely lose some pounds and have a smooth transition for after your surgery.

Ever since I was approved for surgery about 3 weeks ago, I have been eating so poorly. I have been eating every single thing I have convinced myself I will "never have again"... to the point of absurdity. Like a bucket list. I am eating worse than I ever have in my entire life, probably. I am really struggling to get on track. I had no weight loss requirement before surgery or anything, and my doctor knows I've gained weight but said it was okay at my last appointment with him. Because he said it was okay, my brain gave me a free leash to just go and eat whatever junk I can find. I'm struggling to stop. My lunch today was just a huge plate of potato and macaroni salad... followed, ironically, by an Atkins bar. My Breakfast was brownies and Doritos. And I don't even LIKE sweets. I have to start the pre-op liquid (I get one meal a day) diet on the 16th. Did anyone struggle with this coming up to their surgery? I saw some people in Reddit refer to it as their food funerals.

Can we just start a thread for us November bypassers? Mine is November 1st! Please feel free to spill your guts over your fears and excitements! I'd love to have the support knowing we're doing this together, even if we are physically far away.

I have 150lbs to lose and I am anxious to see those pounds go! My goal is to reach my goal weight within 24 months. I know it can happen much sooner than that, but I want to give myself a far out goal-date so I don't get too upset if it doesn't come off as fast as I hope. I hope to spend my 32nd birthday at 140lbs! My birthday is November 24th, so this is the best 30th birthday present I could give myself.

Did your surgeon not make any recommendations? My surgeon advised against the sleeve because it can exacerbate or cause acid reflux. I already have some, so I certainly don't want to make it worse. And I wouldn't want to cause it - knowing myself how bad it can be sometimes. I'm pre-op, too, but I've talked to a LOOTTTTTT of patients and families of patients and it is SO variable who has dumping and who doesn't. And everyone has said, it only happens if they do not stick to their diet. Bypass was a no-brainer for me.

Woke up this morning feelings the complete opposite - super positive and motivated again. I think it's just going to be a crazy ride over the next 3 weeks of wishy-washiness.

My surgeon told me only 1% of people with 100+ lbs to lose can keep it off long-term without weight loss surgery. I certainly believe him after how much I've tried. Even if you can lose it all without the surgery, chances are you'd gain most back. The surgery actually changes your metabolism to that of a skinny person... dieting and exercise.... you still have a fat person's metabolism, which is why it is SO hard to lose and maintain. That's another thing I need to remember!

I know it's a long-shot... but anyone here go to Winchester Medical Center in Winchester, VA? Would love to find a local buddy to keep my butt in check. And also to see what your experience was like in the hospital! I am scheduled for 11/1/18!

I was scheduled with Dr. Wiedower, but he semi-retired/switched to another function at the hospital. Now I am scheduled with Dr. Oviedo, who practiced in both Miami and Texas.

I actually JUST got fantastic news - my dietitian is letting me continue with Atkins shakes. They are *slightly* over the fat content, but are half soy/half whey and they DO NOT make me nauseous. WOOHOO!!! You have NO CLUE how much better I feel about this!

I am 3 weeks from surgery and losing my once enthusiastic willpower; some of it is fear of failure and some of it is simply a lack of motivation in general. Every day for the next 3 weeks I need to just keep reminding myself all of the reasons I am doing this. Make a list of all the awesome things you can't wait to do once you're fit. I try to talk about it on FB with my friends a lot... making plans for all the hikes we will do and places we will go that I haven't been able to do in so long. I think everything we are feeling is totally normal.

Hahaha that's awesome. They didn't ask me to do an upper GI test.

Nothing like pooping in a plastic hat, though. Fun times.

4 minutes ago, Frustr8 said:

Vega, can even get at Wal-Mart.🍶

Nice! I'm going to Wal-Mart on the 8th to stock up on all my puree baby food stash for the second week post-op, and to grab a ton of AdvantEdge. I'll see if they have that in stock!

I'm going to look back at this in 6 months and wonder why I was stressing myself out so much.

I can't have whey concentrate OR whey isolates. I am looking for GOOD tasting plant-based shakes. My dietitian says it has to be under 200 calories, 10g carbs or less and 3g of fat or less, so I am really struggling to find ones that meet the criteria with ONE exception of Planted by Unjury which is super gross! That is the only one she knew of to recommend.

I tried egg Protein, too, and it may be worse than the Unjury.

What are some decent soy, pea, or rice Protein Shakes that aren't high in carbs?? I found AdvantEdge... but is there anything else to compliment it?

For reals stressing over this, lol.

Honestly, and this sounds really stupid... but I am really, really upset at the Protein Shake issue I am having. lol. I LOVED the Syntrax Nectar shakes so much but have constant nausea. Now since I am drinking the most horrible shakes ever, in my head I am telling myself this is all I will be able to ingest. I think if I could have some tasty shakes, this wouldn't seem so daunting. I honestly may just say whatever and drink the whey isolates and feel nauseous all the time simply so I don't have to have the horrible pea or egg Protein. I don't know. It's frustrating.

2 minutes ago, Matt Z said:

This surgery is anything but a quick fix, it's a forced habit change.

Have you had your psychological work up yet? I'm not a doctor by any stretch of the word and I certainly don't play one on TV, nor have I stayed at a super8 last night... but it sounds like this might not be the best choice for you, it's something you need to understand is going to require work, and change. And that work and change is going to have to be permanent, or you'll end up rebounding and gaining the weight back. It's not a quick fix, nor is it "easy". All Weight Loss Surgeries are tools, it's up to you on how you use that tool. If you respect it, and treat it right, it'll work with you and everything will be all sunshine and rainbows. If you don't, you can end up regaining, or worse, causing blockages, or a slew of other issues that can arise if you don't stay within your new diet restrictions. A slight venture outside of the diet every now and again is fine... I do it. But totally giving up and caving in... will only result in the surgery being another waste of money.

You have to **WANT** to change.

Then... you have to **ACTUALLY** change.

That's what WLS is for, for those that WANT to change and need the help.

Yes, I am completely cleared for surgery from all parties. I have clearance from both my personal psychiatrist and the psychiatrist from the hospital. I WANT to be 140lbs again. I just worry that something will go wrong and it will be another case of "bad liposuction"... where I didn't follow through with what I was supposed to and gained a ton of weight. Or, something goes horribly wrong... which no one can predict. I like to think I have it in me to commit to the lifestyle change... but I also know my own history and I don't know where my "rock bottom" is to give me that genuine motivation to succeed. I, like probably everyone else, have had so many failures in the past with weight loss that I worry this will be another one. Or maybe not. Maybe it will all be fantastic and I won't have cravings or feelings of constant hunger and food will be just another thing I need to live and nothing more.

52 minutes ago, Matt Z said:

If you have ANY lactose intolerance, stay away from any Protein that contains Protein Concentrate. Find yourself a protein that ONLY has Protein Isolate. Like Isopure for instance. Whey Protein concentrate is exactly what it sounds like, it's a concentrated milk protein, but concentrates do not filter out lactose. Isolates remove most, if not all, lactose.

I am intolerant to both the concentrate and the isolates. I can't have either. It's the actual protein itself. nectar, Bariatric Advantage, Pure Protein, Quest, etc, are all isolates and I can't have them.

Sometimes I think I want surgery simply because I think it will be a "quick fix" and solve my issues without me having to work at overcoming my mentality. I was 140lbs just 9 years ago. I still haven't even gotten used to the idea of me being fat.. when I think of myself in my head, I still see 140lb me. When I was 140lbs, I had very, very low self-esteem and had MASSIVE liposuction done. I did not have any dietitian, therapy, or trainer support. I became addicted to Protein Shakes (which, oddly, didn't bother me at all back then) and gained 30lbs within 4 months of surgery. I got really depressed and gained 150lbs over the last decade. At first it was emotional eating... now I eat because I always feel hungry and have severe cravings. The liposuction was the worst mistake I ever made... thinking it would be a quick fix for my self-esteem. I worry I am thinking along the same lines again for this surgery.

I sometimes wonder if I could just lose the weight by myself if I just stuck to the diet change. I lost 60lbs by myself within 5 months last year, but got tired of eating healthy and started eating garbage again. If I just kept to my healthy eating, I probably WOULD be down 100lbs by now. I question if I am doing this for the right reasons.

I don't have kids, and I just broke up with my bf of 5 years for several reasons... one being that he was insecure about the prospect of me losing weight and assumed I would leave him once I was thin. My mother considers this elective surgery and tells me I am mutilating myself. She recently has stopped berating my choice, but she is not actually supportive. My friends seem indifferent. I am pretty much alone.

Having gastric bypass on 11/1/2018. I got approved for my surgery within 3 months and NO weight loss prior to was required. I've actually gained 10 lbs because I've been eating "all the things I won't be able to have" over the last month. My surgeon doesn't seem to care, though, and says I'll lose it in the 2 weeks leading up to surgery on the pre-op diet. I start the pre-op semi-liquid diet on October 16th. I am 29 yrs old, 5'3" and 280lbs. I don't have any comorbidities except a questionable diagnosis of pseudotumor.

I am worrying for a few reasons...

My biggest worry at the moment is the shakes. I LOVED the whey shakes, especially nectar. But, turns out, I am highly intolerant to whey - it makes me want to vomit. I have been desperately searching for a tolerable substitute. I like AdvantEdge, but that is the only one I've found so it's limiting. I tried egg Protein and it tastes like raw egg and tootsie rolls and I tried pea protein and it tastes like Bailey's with sand in it (lol). I need GOOD soy options aside from AdvantEdge and I am really struggling.

Now it's beginning to REALLY hit me how much food plays a role in every day life. Not just for overweight/obese people, but in society in general. I never really considered it until now... 11 days from never being able to truly enjoy the foods I do now. I am scared that I will have the surgery, won't get to the weight I hope to get to, and will have rearranged my intestines to the point where I am still fat and now I can't even enjoy my favorite foods. I keep thinking that if I fail, this is irreversible, and I've done something traumatic to my body and potentially be setting myself up to being sick constantly. I think that if I'm going to unsuccessful, I may as well have left myself alone so I can be fat and still stuff my face. lol.

I was also told I won't have an issue with sagging skin. I don't see how that is even possible. When I was 140lbs I had saggy skin and I've had stretch marks since I was 10 years old. I've started squirreling away money for cosmetic surgery in two years. That's my least concern, though.

I guess I am just worried about failure. To take such a drastic step and it still not work out the way I had hoped, or some horrible complication occur.... I don't know how I could cope.

Rant over now... lol.