JSSteinman

Hi everyone. I’m 8 weeks post gastric sleeve. As per surgeons orders, I started solid food (that isn’t puréed) 2 weeks ago and I’m just wondering how slow to eat?
Everywhere says eat slowly like taking 30mins to eat a meal but somewhere I read to have a bite every 5 mins. Is this right? I’m just worried I eat too quickly sometimes and it’s hard differentiating pain from eating too quick and not tolerating the food or being full.

I think every 5 minutes is a bit much imho, but 1 bite every 1-2 should work. That way 20 bites is about 20 mins which is the time needed to "feel" your stomach which may not happen for you for a while.

My whole slow eating approach is to take small bites and keep it mentally slow. In the beginning I was literally nibbling on things. So eating half a banana took forever. To help me along the way, I also bought smaller kids/dessert sized knives, forks and spoons. (Ikea has a dessert set called Dragon which looks very nice and has a matching normal size as well.) I also use only small dessert plates which research shows fools the mind.
(https://sparq.stanford.edu/solutions/use-smaller-plates-smaller-waist)

Just some ideas..welcome to the club!

Hi everyone, I’m about 5 months pre op. I’m wondering what you tell people when they ask you how you lost weight so quickly and you don’t want to tell them you got surgery? Do you provide a vague answer like “I made some lifestyle changes” etc? I have told a select few people about the surgery but I don’t really want to tell people I’m not close to. As much as I’d like to be confident and not care what people think, I don’t think I could deal with the judgement. I can’t even handle the judgement now of my diet and exercise choices.

Hi everyone, I’m about 5 months pre op. I’m wondering what you tell people when they ask you how you lost weight so quickly and you don’t want to tell them you got surgery? Do you provide a vague answer like “I made some lifestyle changes” etc? I have told a select few people about the surgery but I don’t really want to tell people I’m not close to. As much as I’d like to be confident and not care what people think, I don’t think I could deal with the judgement. I can’t even handle the judgement now of my diet and exercise choices.

I told NO ONE except my husband, brother, and my kids. My parents, friends and co-workers do not know I had surgery. When asked, I have two responses:
1) "Over 90% of people who lose weight gain it all back. Please ask me in a year and if I am successful in this process, I will share with you then."
2) "I am working very hard to lose and maintain permanent weight loss. You are welcome to do what I am doing: NO wheat, no sugar, no alcohol, no soda, no juice, no caffeine (by this time I have already lost them), no processed food, no refined grains, no artificial sweeteners/colors/flavors, low carb, high Protein, lots of veggies, intermittent fasting, and a 1-2 hours of exercise a day."
I would consider a heart-to-heart with an obese person who seems to be at rock bottom and willing to do whatever it takes. BUT... interestingly, no morbidly obese people have asked - only overweight people who need to lose 20 or 30 pounds. Surgery is not for them, but healthy lifestyle is what they need to focus on, so that is what I share. Some have appeared genuinely interested, but a couple of days later I see them eating cupcakes and junk, so it seems there are more curiosity seekers than those who are really ready to make changes.

I agree with catwoman7. I feel no obligation to explain myself, but if pushed will just say I’m eating better and exercising.

I tend to be honest with other obese people. As far as normal weight or skinny people, unless I'm pretty close to them (in which case, they knew about the surgery from the get-go), I just give them the lifestyle answer ("I'm on a low carb diet, exercise a lot, and am working with a dietitian"). All true - I just omit the surgery part.

Hi everyone, I’m about 5 months pre op. I’m wondering what you tell people when they ask you how you lost weight so quickly and you don’t want to tell them you got surgery? Do you provide a vague answer like “I made some lifestyle changes” etc? I have told a select few people about the surgery but I don’t really want to tell people I’m not close to. As much as I’d like to be confident and not care what people think, I don’t think I could deal with the judgement. I can’t even handle the judgement now of my diet and exercise choices.

I already had thin, fine hair due to thyroid issues anyway, but I haven't noticed any additional Hair loss since WLS. I'm taking Biotin gummies everyday, using Nexium Shampoo and conditioner, and using Minoxidil to prevent any further hair loss.

Hair loss to the point you have to wear wigs is pretty uncommon. Most people "shed" - some a little, some a lot - for many of us, it's really only noticeable to us, not to others.
I didn't lose much hair. I did notice extra strands in my comb when I combed it out after washing it, but had I just looked at my head, I would never have noticed. Some people shed to the point of getting some thin spots on their head, but again, often they're the only one who notices it.

Thank you! 😃