Wendums

One of the tuffest things you'll ever do, hang in there and keep to it, you can do this

For me it wasn't until the more solid stage that I started to feel my stomach signs of fullness. The more solid the food, the more I feel it. I had never gotten that omg I may have eaten too much feeling until the food was pretty solid and dense. When I eat things like soup and yogurt and cottage cheese, etc I just don't feel full when I have the recommended 4oz. That is what my plan portion is so I serve myself that. My nutritionist said it's ok to have a snack between meals so I'll have an orange or an apple or a pickle or something an hour or so later, I can usually feel that and it helps my head hunger a bit. Hang in there, if the soft food doesn't do much for you like me, the more solid food almost certainly will. Right now you're training your stomach to eat again, and it sucks that some of us don't feel it as easy as others do, but as you progress in stages you will feel it a little more. The important thing is to 1> get in your protein. 2> stick to recommended portion size and allowed foods the best you can. You'll be glad that you did.

Hello... I'm 6 weeks post op, and I've noticed some people struggle with portions while others don't. Some can eat 2 bites and be done, wish that were my case, but I have to watch how many ounces I eat at a setting so that I don't overdo it. The softer the food it seems, the more I can eat. Soups I can eat 6oz easy, while meat only about 2oz. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to try and limit your servings, and stay within the guidelines that you were given. Best of luck, it gets easier with time, I struggled a lot with this at first while introducing solids back into my diet.

You look AMAZING! So inspiring

Is there a public health clinic in your area, you may want to see if you can get your iron checked if you're worried it's low. Some of them let you pay for labs on a sliding fee. I am susceptible to low Iron and am required to take a supplement of 65mg Iron on top of what my bariatric vitamins have. If you you decide to just try this on your own, make sure that you take Calcium Citrate also to help the Iron absorb, this needs to be taken at least an hour apart from the Iron or it cancels it out. Good Luck and I hope you feel better.

I was tired the first week too on my pre op diet. It gets better, I think your body has to adjust to running on less calories maybe. That's what I told myself anyways lol

Oh nice and congratulations on your surgery date. Keep in mind that we are the lucky few and that not everyone is as fortunate as us to be able to have this done. I have had a few surgeries in the past and nerves are usually there, it's natural. I just surrender to them and remind myself that my personal experience of the surgery will be- I will go to sleep and then I will wake up, it's that simple.... and it happens that fast. Good Luck Monday, my surgery was on a Monday too.

My surgery group does a lot of WLS's each month and our pre op supervised visits were in a group setting of about 10 - 12 patients (we would individually see the Dr each time, but nutrition was in group). It seemed as though we were all there because it was required for our medical insurance authorization. Some of us for 6 monthly visits while others only required 3. Some of these patients were revisions and they were still required to do it. You may get away with not having to go if you pay out of pocket, but I don't see how they would be able to get around insurance requirements, my Dr office was pretty clear on this. I know it's a pain to wait this long, but it really does help you prepare for this life change and if you can put up with all of the pre op requirements you are obviously dedicated to it. best of luck.

Are you sure you're ready for this major decision? I knew I was, I had hit rock bottom, I surrendered to the fact that I had no self control to do it on my own. My health was starting to fail me and in desperation I looked into WLS. I am so glad that I did, I had never thought it was for me in the past, I always thought that I should do it on my own. This surgery changes you, and the way you think about food. At least it did for me. I have this new baby tummy and I need to protect it. It was a gift and I am treating it as such. Good luck on your decision, and if you feel you can do it on your own you should try to do so first in my opinion. I think if WLS is right for you, you will know it deep inside, and it will be one of the most important things in your life.

Yah... After everything is complete, you've jumped through hoops to fulfill all of the requirements and you're waiting for the approval, it can be pretty nerve wracking. Hang in there and hopefully the next call you get from your Dr's office is the one to schedule your pre op appointment. Best of luck on your journey beyond surgery, it really is a life changer. ❤️

My lunches usually contain a variety of the items below. I usually bring more than I will eat, so I can have what I feel like and then just repack the next day what I don't eat. I'm still adding new items to this list as I progress with trying/handling new things. it proves a challenge for me to pack lunches as I use to just eat out every day pre op. I have had a few things from fast food, but it's hard to find anything that you can eat. Jimmie Johns can makes all of their sandwiches into an Unwich, no bun - lettuce wrapped. I tried the turkey/ham and it was fabulous... it took me all day to eat 3/4 of it, but my pup was happy to get the rest at the end of the day.. also you can order a side of beans at taco bell which satisfies if you have no other option. My lunches contain an assortment of: 2 oz tuna salad (fixed as if it was going on a sandwich) deli meat or some other sort of meat hot soup in thermos olives pickles light string cheese cherry tomatoes apple orange P3 (deli isle) meat/cheese/nuts pistachios 2-4 oz lowfat cottage cheese 2-4 oz yogurt 2-4 oz protein sf jello (unjury.com has recipe) 2-4 oz vegetable, I like green beans 2-4 oz dole no sugar fruits I ordered some of the bariatric pal protein chips in a variety. I liked about half of them, but will not be attempting this again until I reach maintenance stage. I found myself eating more than one individual size bag a day or grazing through more than one portion at a time. It brought out old habits in me, and I don't need that kind of struggle with self control right now. Be careful with these my nutritionist also says they are slider foods, that dissolve fast and slide right through to the intestine, more calories for less satiety.

Thank you for all of the encouragement.. ❤️

I had my surgery through a university hospital team that does an incredible amount of these surgeries a month. Pre-op patients are placed into groups of about 10-15 for monthly classes, during my 6 months pre medically supervised nutritional counseling, we individually saw the physician then we went to lecture like classes with homework to boot. Now that I am post op my post op appointment consists of seeing my physician for the medical visit, then sitting through a nutrition group with the nutritionist and about 6-10 post-op patients (who are within the same few days of surgery) discussing diet. It is very interactive and all questions are discussed. I happen to like this group setting, feels very supportive with people going through the same thing that I am. However no one ever looks at my food logs or gets into depth of my day to day eating habits. The only one who questions me about that is the physician himself and it's basically him asking me how much liquids and protein I'm taking in. i guess it differs from offices, the way they approach after care. Hope this helps, just adding to the discussion to help show, post op nutrition counseling can vary a lot. Your office however should be ashamed of the way they have cast you aside like that. Hope it gets better for you.

Wake up protein shake, all day water water water, if i didn't get enough food protein in that day, another protein shake. I really struggle to get it all down, I know it's a lifestyle change, but this is one of those things where I fell short pre-surgery. And it's not like my surgery placed a magic spell over me to make me suddenly enjoy drinking alllll day long. I'll just keep on truckin along, with the daily forcing of drinks.. sure hope it gets easier, I'm almost a month out and it hasn't yet. ☹️

I've never heard of Boi Oil but it's going on my shopping list, and the Gold Bond neck firming lotion.. Thanks for the suggestions.

Hello! I'm currently one month post op and have noticed that I am getting considerably leaner skin already, it's not all puffy like it use to be. Which makes me realize that I need lotions and creams, and whatever I need to use to help my skin go through this changing time. I'm hoping to have it bounce back the best it can. I am realistic, but I'm hoping there are some good products that can at least help it along. I'm looking for body, face, neck, and any other targeted lotions, creams, or treatments you may have tried. And if they were a win or a fail. Thank you to whoever takes the time to help me out ❤️

Oh wow i just noticed your countdown.. Congrats and good luck on a smooth surgery & recovery. I remember I was so excited the night before. Hope your day tomorrow is full of positive energy, you got this. ?

Same ^^^ and my cpap machine. I just showered when I got home.

I'm just over 3 weeks out and I would kill for a steak.. mmmm But what I can have starting this phase of my plan is deli shaved meats. So it's already on my next shopping list to get some roast beef slices from the deli. Maybe you can start on something like this to curb the craving. but ask your Dr first if it's not on your plan.

After my first Bariatric appointment my Dr. requested me to have a sleep study because I had told him that I suspected I have sleep apnea. Don't knock this, it usually helps with insurance approval if you do have sleep apnea. I did the sleep study, got a machine and was required to bring it to the hospital when I checked in. I used it for the one night I stayed in the hospital after surgery. They didn't put it on me during recovery, a nurse later that evening helped me get it setup in my room. It was no big deal, and the least of your challenges after this surgery.

I quit smoking cigarettes many years ago. Then a couple years later picked up vaping. I vaped with nicotine for at least two years and then went to vape w/o nicotine for almost a year. I quit vape to have surgery. Now that I've put the vape down, I don't want to go back. My lungs are clearer, and I feel healthier without it. My advise is, if you've already stopped smoking or vaping, don't go back to it. It really is a crutch in any form and something that your body doesn't need. I thought non nicotine vape would be easy to give up, but it was ruff, you get in the habit of having it. ?

I'm 3 weeks post op today and starting my stage 4 diet that includes (non blended) tuna, fish, whole beans, soft fruit no peels, soft vegetables no peels, and deli shaved meats this is where my plan is at. Hope this helps.

From what I've read it can happen with whatever mask you use. I use a half face mask, it goes over my mouth and under my nose. I tried the full face masks in my sleep study and kept waking up panicking and trying to rip it off. And I have a somewhat deviated septum and always been a heavy mouth breather, so the nose only masks would be too hard for me to breath through. My CPAP girl at Mercy medical supply tracked down a mouth only mask that I wanted to try and it's covered by my insurance, I just need to wait til March when I can get a new mask setup. This is what I use: https://www.easybreathe.com/Amara-View-Mask-p4423.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9ImKzLOP4AIVhbxkCh0cvQ_3EAkYCyABEgKTUvD_BwE This is what I'm going to try: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/fisherandpaykel-fisher-paykel-oracle-452-nasal-cpap-mask?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9ImKzLOP4AIVhbxkCh0cvQ_3EAkYBiABEgJIK_D_BwE

Needless to say, I was shocked when it happened to me, so I'm glad to get the word out and warn others. As far as my stomach stretching. I am working on keeping my portions down, unfortunately when you don't feel anything after eating soft food it's hard to not want more. I have noticed though that since I'm advancing to more solid food, I can actually feel it in my stomach, and have needed less to feel full. Maybe my stomach is shrinking back to where it's suppose to be. Hard to say yet. Thank You for all your support.

I'm still not able to have any meat yet, I think it starts in the next stage for me, things like tuna. But the other day I made the best veggie dish. Maybe I was so deprived of home cooking that it felt like the best veggie dish I ever tasted, but it was good 3 med zucchini's - sliced med thin 2 med tomatoes - wedges about 8-12 per tomato olive oil cooking spray Place zucchini in pan and lightly spray with olive oil. Then add tomato wedges, add salt and pepper to taste (I like it heavy on the pepper). Cover and simmer until desired tenderness.