Sweettoothless

Omg! HCG diet! I did that and they had us max out at 500 calories a day. And the stupid shots! For me, in a nutshell, I'll never be a lean Protein and one bite of broccoli person. BUT I am now a 1 taco (real taco not taco bell) makes me full and happy for hours. No cravings. No denying food groups. Before, I could eat many tacos before being full and happy. Or deny myself any tacos and think about them until I was ravenous and head hungry and stomach hungry. For me, the surgery gave me my brain back. I'm able to make much better choices. I find I automatically skip the carbs most of the time because I am loving the "guts" of the sandwich much more than the filler (bread) . So a tiny portion of what I love once in awhile re-set my mindset of either being super strict/ super glutinous. I had no in-between before and now I do.

You just have to find a drink you don't hate. Your taste buds will be weird at first. This is a rough time and there are so many changes but it will get better. I had to keep fighting the panicky feeling that I'd never be able to drink more than an ounce of liquid at a time. I hated diet sugar after surgery and still do 18 months later. Try throwing in a few chunks of frozen fruit into your Water. You can't eat them since you are liquids still but I found and still find that having just a hint of taste makes drinking the water constantly so much more bearable. I am always recommending Fairlife milk, I promise I don't own stock in the company! It is lower sugar and higher Protein so you can get 11g of protein as well as 8oz of liquid at the same time. Also beef broth was my jam. Get the "Better than Boullion" brand that comes in a jar, it tastes much better. Sometimes sipping a warm liquid feels more doable.

And you are not whining, merely venting. Which we all do. So don't let anyone shame you into not getting things off your chest. Sometimes it is helpful just to talk about it.

You will get used to it. I used to freak out about the idea of having to swallow pills 3x a day forever but now it is just part of my routine. I set up a pill tray that is for people who take meds 4x a day but I use each spot for a full day. Thay way i set up a month at a time all in the one tray. And i use 3 or so different brands of multi just in case one is better than others. I have the ones sold here and a couple from the Vitamin store and Amazon. I have a separate big tray for Calcium and magnesium that I keep in my night stand so I can take them in the morning and before bed to space them away from the multi.

Google how much Protein you can absorb at once. I can't remember but I think it is 20 or 25 so loading up on 40g at once won't be as helpful as spreading it out. I hate Protein Shakes but I like Fairlife milk, it is high protein (11g per measuring cup) and low sugar. And you can add a bit of flavorless protein powder to bring it up to 20g. That's the only way I am able to get mine in.

I am not that into sweets anymore but I still love cinnamon bears. Maybe because they are more spicy than sweet. I'm actually looking forward to Halloween this year without all the temptations. Unless I decide to give out flaming hot cheetos......

I think it is vastly different for everyone. I have found I have been blessed with being able to bounce back really fast after surgeries and childbirths. Don't hate me though because I do grow kidney stones and cysts/ fibroids like it is my job. It probably depends a lot on how long you need pain meds so you can drive. If you needed 3 weeks after gb surgery it is likely you might need the same.

It seems too early for them to give you pain pills instead of liquid pain meds. Maybe you aren't digesting them and they could be irritating you. You can drink fairlife brand milk (high Protein, low sugar) and it counts as liquid AND protein. I hated protein Water at first because it tasted like Syrup to my new tastebuds but later I could drink it diluted with citrus juice added to use them up. Definitely go to the doctor and just take the angle of wanting to find out what is wrong so they don't think you just want more meds.

Some things I think you might have to access on a laptop or else I am extra lame in not figuring it out on my phone!

Can we get an update @honestjuls

How are you?

Panda make sure you go to your monthly weigh-in with your doc or wherever you have been going if it is required to do x amount of monthly weigh ins because many ins companies demand they be CONSECUTIVE monthly appts. My pcp stressed that to me. And some months for me were wonky due to my docs vacay schedule or mine. Like making my july appt and then 2 weeks instead of 4 later doing my August appt.

Before surgery I would (during all of my nutty super low carb/ low carb/ potato diet/ Soup diet, etc) eat a weird day and that would get things going again. Like a 1 day fat fast (google it, basically you eat avocados or other healthier high fat food) or a cheat day. It is very hard to be super disciplined and keep it to one day only. I haven't tried anything post surgery because I have sworn off all of my old habits and diet mentality. I just tell myself I am in it for the journey not the destination and keep trudging along. Or have an active day doing out of the norm for me activities.

Oh and best of luck to everyone! Good days are up ahead! After a few months of feeling odd things heal well (for most people) and small portions become your new normal. From all that I have read it seems the pre-op phase is the most difficult.

I didn't have to do any pre-op diet at all except the day before was just non sugar drinks and non sugar Jello so I commend you all for your dedication! Something that helped me enormously after surgery was using a shaved ice maker. You could eat it plain or drizzle sugar-free gatorade or even clear Protein Drinks on it. You just feel like you are eating and it is so satisfying plus you are getting some liquids in. I had one from wm for years but they also sell them for around 20 on Amazon.

I had minimal prep work before surgery, not even the liquid diet everyone enjoyed! I did have a quick ekg that I didn't even know I needed, it wasnt in the check list paperwork. I got it a few days before surgery when I had an intake appt at the hospital which was a blood test and loads of questions.

I got mine 2 weeks early on the day after surgery and then got it several times over the next couple of months. Cysts and fibroids roared their ugly heads so I wound up getting a hysterectomy a few months after my bypass. Not caused by the bypass but I was feeling so happy otherwise that I didnt want to spend a couple years dealing with lady troubles. And I was done with kid having and probably not too far off from menopause anyway.

On 8/29/2019 at 2:20 PM, Missouri-Lee's Summit said:

I've never been knowledgeable about bra-buying either. I don't want to spent much and I rather hate the idea of looking like I have booby assets that I do not. I'm not terribly troubled by the lying aspect about it, but I do feel uncomfortable walking around with a flat chest with an ill-fitting dumpty-lumpy garment that doesn't even look natural. Looking foolish is worth than appearing flat chested.

Would anyone be able to recommend an inexpensive bra that doesn't look like a Madonna reject? I've also hated the feel of wearing undergarments, period. If I had my way, I'd go totally commando but I find it trashy to wear a dress without a proper slip. Go figure.

The cheap cotton 3 pack sports bras from Walmart are awesome for around $10. Even better is their $6 single pack microfiber sports bra. They aren't sturdy enough to be an actual sports bra, so don't play tennis in them or you might wind up with black eyes! They last forever and are very comfy and expand and contract with loss or gain.

I bought one pre-surgery and it was so uncomfortable! And I don't carry my weight on my belly as much. I tried it on a while ago and same thing. I haven't thrown it out though so there is still hope lol.

Get an appt with your pcp before the end of August and then August will count as month 1 even though it is at the end of it. And for your 6th monthly appt, schedule it for the first day of the 6th month and bam you get the 6 months got done in just a couple of days over 4 months. At least my insurance accepted it (BSBC) as 6 monthly consecutive visits even though they weren't each a full 30 days a part. They also accepted my 2 year weight history from a phentermine clinic since I hadn't gone to the regular doc in the 2 years prior.

On 8/7/2019 at 9:22 AM, Sosewsue61 said:

Phentermine does work, and you still have your surgery to curb your portions after using it. It still takes work either way. I think bashing anyone's attempt to get on track is wrong, getting there, then staying there is why we had surgery. If it was simply calories in, calories out, and exercise wouldn't we already be there and not need surgery in the first place? I used it for a short time but after 2 days it kept me awake for like 20 hours several days....and that I couldn't handle. There is also diethylpropion and some phentermine combinations too. If regular doc won't prescribe, bariatric ones will, mine did.

Who bashed? Did someone delete their post or are you being super dramatic? None of us need added drama or negativity here and none of us need silencing for giving our opinion respectfully when asked.

OP: I loved phentermine and have used it several times but the re-gain and increased hunger after using it wasn't worth it to me. I haven't tried it post surgery. The effects post surgery might be different. You could always try it and if it doesn't work then stop it. Maybe with the surgery it won't be as hard going off of it. If you do try it please post your experience so we can all learn from each other.

I lost my sugar tooth and 9 months later it has not come back. The aversion definitely isn't as bad as the first couple of months but I am so thankful to be free of the constant desire for sugar. The more you stay away from it the easier it is.

Mine said that carbonation was fine that it was old science to avoid them BUT they gross me out now, even champagne so I avoid them. Old nut said use Protein Drinks but new one said never past the early weeks. Ice cream is too sweet tasting to me now but I love plain/sour froyo. The only thing that bugs my tummy is any kind of Gummy or any kind of candy, no dumping but just a slightly icky feel so I avoid them. I eat celery, nuts, everything with no problem (just in tiny portions).

Your tastebuds might be wonky so don't stock up too much on foods/ liquids ahead of time. I couldn't stand certain things like diet gatorade and canned Tomato Soup and I stocked up. Bring a short sleeve robe with you to the hospital. Do buy some anti-constipation meds/suppositories and use them as preventative not after you have a rock poo that wants to stay put!

This sounds like the something for @Frustr8 to help with!

For me I decided to do it to make the loss permanent. And most likely you will be able to eat everything again, just in smaller portions. It stopped my triggers dead into their tracks. I could eat 4 slices of pizza pre-surgery and now I can eat one skinny slice or one slice without the end crust. And that makes me so happy to order whatever I want and just eat a tiny bit of it and be satisfied. I've lost and gained 50lbs more times than I can count. After surgery it is a slow downward slide for me and an end to the huge yoyo dieting disasters.

I started taking powdered collagen and it either stopped the rapid loss or the rapid loss happened to stop on it's own at the same time idk. But I would LOVE some chicken hairs or baby hairs in case anyone has any extra lol!