Pandemonium

Okay, so I ended up eating three of my newly arrived tortillas. Given their small size, they really aren't usable for wraps, so my chicken salad wrap became chicken salad "tacos".

I heated each tortilla up, as per the maker's recommendation since they are pretty fragile without being heated up. They have a perfect tortilla texture! I wondered if maybe they'd end up being a little rubbery, but not at all. They are multigrain, so they do have that multigrain taste to them, if not a LITTLE bland in flavor, though really, the flavor comes from what you're putting in the tortilla, so that wasn't a deal breaker by any stretch. So these get an enthusiastic thumbs up from me for a low carb, low calorie tortilla and I can't wait to make more use of them!

https://mrtortilla.com/

They also have low-carb and regular tortilla offerings in a number of varieties AND they apparently donate 10% of all of their profits to charity and 10% to employee profit-sharing. They seem like a really great company to support!

So I had to try out my 1-Carb Tortillas that arrived this morning, so my chicken salad because chicken salad soft "tacos". Used some grape tomatoes and was under the impression I had some cotija, but was wrong...so grated parmesan ended up having to suffice.

Needless to say, it was good!

5 minutes ago, Hop_Scotch said:

OP's posting history indicates she had her surgery within USA (see link below) looks like there was likely to be a full program. Perhaps things were missed because of scaled down services due to covid restrictions.

https://www.nycbariatrics.com/prepare-for-surgery

https://www.nycbariatrics.com/the-mmibs-difference

Thank you very much for posting this info!

I found COVID definitely had a major impact on my weight loss program. I was supposed to attend 10 education classes. Only got to do 2 of them before the classes were canceled for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, being in the revision boat, I still had a lot of the knowledge from the first go-round. And my dietician visit was a 20 minute phone call where I pretty much just confirmed I was still on the original diet plan they dictated for me and that it was working as I was losing weight every week. So no changes were really needed. There's been a lot of other COVID related changes to my post-op plan that I'm finding annoying, but ultimately it is what it is and I'm making the best of it.

1 minute ago, The Greater Fool said:

I noticed it was old, and tried focus more on the more recent, only read the first 3 or so on the first page. The short cut cost me this time.

I had no better word to describe the top as bread, and could only imagine what the whole thing looked like. Bread-like substance? I'll accept that my flippant "2 slices of bread" description was flippant. I still have no better description looking back at it now.

I have a hard time believing that she did not receive ANY guidance. As I've said before, I've been in sessions where people came out with the exact wrong impressions of what to do. Others were just in a daze and overwhelmed. So, my biases force me to take such with a huge grain of salt.

It's hard to believe that any practice would be this criminally negligent. I'm finding it difficult to even accept it as something that must have happened somewhere to someone, though undoubtedly it has.

If the OP is the mythical unicorn, then I probably would have stayed my hand and just let it go.

Having made those fritatta bites before, they can get overcooked really easily and when it happens, they do dry out a bit and the egg loses the custardy quality that you're aiming for, and can sometimes have that bready texture because the moisture has fled the scene. They're still tasty, but I can't even imagine being able to comfortably eat an overcooked one 6 days out from surgery. A well-made egg muffin bite, though, is delicious and a great way to get some Protein, but not really until the soft food stage.

Tried? I think you SUCCEEDED!!! It looks DELICIOUS!

2 minutes ago, Scooterbugg said:

So you really believe that the OP’s surgeon...preformed surgery, without them being aware of WHAT they could eat after surgery?? You believe the OP never had to talk to a dietician BEFORE surgery and was made aware of what she was able to eat after surgery?? You believe the OP was discharged from the hospital with NO instructions on how to eat or paperwork outlining their diet??? You’re kidding me right??? As far as this post being “resurrected”... until your a mod and van lock posts..it’s not really your concern who comments on “old” posts.

Considering there are numerous people on these forums who've traveled to Mexico and paid for their surgeries out of pocket, thus not having to deal with insurance requirements or program requirements, yes. There are people who have had WLS and not met with a dietician pre or post-op. There are people who do not get detailed post-op diet instruction from a WLS team. Not all surgeons or programs are created equal. Some are very strict. Some are more lax. I take the OP at her word that her program was more lax and led to her trying to sate her hunger with a muffin tin egg fritatta bite (not an Egg McMuffin as some wrongly assumed).

Best of luck with your continued post-op recovery!

I stop 30 minutes before eating and start 45 minutes after finishing eating. My program says 30 and 30, but I find myself feeling contentedly full after a meal and rarely feel the need for a drink until about 45 minutes after the meal. I suspect some of that may be from my meals being lower in sodium these days than they previously were. Not a bad side effect!

15 minutes ago, The Greater Fool said:

First, you dropped my entire post except what she did wrong. That is an interesting choice. It tells me that you, at least, have an issue with an honest appraisal of our actions. You apparently prefer the "oh, there there, you poor thing" approach. You dropped the action items she could take to actually help.

I saw the picture, and it appeared to be a mostly eaten thing.

We each have different approaches to life. This is a message board where one of the main functions is to explore those different perceptions and approaches.

Honestly, how do YOU know she learned a lesson? And what lesson do you suppose she learned? You don't know. I don't know. She may not know. She certainly didn't indicate what she learned. Nothing indicating how this might affect her future.

Sure, she felt terrible. I heard regret that she got sick. I didn't read regret about breaking the rules. I didn't see a plan for not repeating the same 'mistake.'

Telling her to talk frankly to her Doc is not out of place, I'm heartily rejoicing that she plans to do just that.

Suggesting mental health help is by no means out of line. I'm shocked that you so boldly declare such as not helpful. That is pure and simple amazing of you.

Telling her to get back on plan and stay on plan, well, you're right. It's pure and simple evil of me to even suggest this.

When I made greater and lesser errors, they weren't things I needed sympathy for as if it happened to me. I didn't except nor want people making excuses for me. I expected honestly. They were things I screwed up, things I did to me all by myself. Things for which I had to take responsibility.

I enjoyed your giving me your honest perceptions. Interestingly, why don't I deserve the whole compassion and empathy thing? It's OK, I know why.

Keep up the good work,

Tek

The OP explained much about the situation that led to her decision in this follow up post. She states that her doctor has not actually set her on any kind of a plan. She states that she had not yet had not had an appointment with a dietician and was looking forward to the appointment she had later that week with one so that she could have a guided plan to work from. The OP also stated that she used the feedback and advice given to adjust her habits and stick to pureed foods. OP also stated that she began to write down a schedule of her meals and to specifically focus on Protein for Snacks and meals. The OP's post was made over a month ago and I'm not really sure why it got resurrected. OP's meal in that post did not involve "2 slices of bread".

2 hours ago, summerset said:

Yeah, why not do the right thing and simply "stick to the program"?

1) She thought it would be fun and perfectly ok to eat an egg mcmuffin that early out.

2) She wanted to sabotage her success on purpose.

3) Disordered eating got the better of her.

I opt for number 3!

Stop being so damn self-righteous about this!

Just as a point of clarification: she didn’t eat an Egg McMuffin (which was what I though at first). She said egg muffin and from the picture that she posted, it looks like she made a baked scrambled egg bite using a muffin tin. So, if that is the case, it’s certainly a better thing than an actual egg McMuffin, but still not the best option for 6 days post-op when the stomach is still healing.

On 9/10/2020 at 9:09 AM, Pandemonium said:

Found these this morning online while trying to find tortilla options. Ordered 4 packs of them and am cautiously optimistic!

 

Look what showed up on my doorstep this morning!!!

So they are only 4 inch tortillas, so pretty much street taco size...but also a great bariatric size. They smell great, but I won't be able to do a taste test until dinner, but am already adjust my dinner planning to be able to include them. Instead of chicken salad in a ramekin, I'll do a couple of wraps. I'm absolutely excited and hope that they taste as good as they look because this will be a game changer.

EDIT:

Okay the little recipe booklet/newsletter that came in the package has given me my new favorite food idea:

1 hour ago, bufbills said:

I'm not sure who is requiring it. They have asked for more testing. Ugh

UGH! I'm sorry to hear that but this will hopefully just be a small delay on your path. Considering how quickly you were able to take care of all of the initial testing, I'll keep my fingers crossed that they're able to book you for the additional cardio testing right away. It seems like a big setback, but someone on your team saw something in the cardo results that worried them and your team is just doing their due diligence to make sure your surgery is as safe as possible. They just want a complete set of data to work from. It does suck to have to go in for yet another test, but you have conquered much of the pre-op path already and that's a big achievement!

5 hours ago, tarotcardreader said:

So you could see how much more he weighed and asked a dumb q anyway? Lets see what ? you post tomorrow

Folks, do the site a favor and report the quoted post to bring it to the attention of the mods. There is no place for derogatory insults on this site.

Your concerns are very common ones that folks encounter in the first weeks after surgery. You haven't done anything wrong. Water and liquids will pass through your pouch easily, so being able to drink that much is nothing unusual. You just don't want to guzzle your liquids too quickly. That's where things can go badly.

As for food, I also didn't feel much restriction in the pureed phase, though I made sure to not exceed 4 ounces because I didn't want to test things. Again...pureed foods are going to pass through a bit more quickly than solid foods will because they are soft and generally more liquid-y.

As soon as I started in on soft foods, I started feeling the restriction come into play. Suddenly 3 ounces of soft fish or chicken made me feel full. I am at the point where I can do about 4 ounces of soft food, but not consistently. Sometimes I feel full sooner and that tells me to stop.

I haven't been given the okay to start in on regular foods yet (another week or so!), but from listening to experiences of other users on this site, regular foods you will feel that restriction more acutely and quickly since those foods will linger in your pouch.

1 hour ago, Sharon Colyer said:

Thank you so much for sharing. I know it will not be easy but knowing that the worst part will only last a couple of days makes me feel a little better. Hopefully my next appointment with the NP we will be scheduling to meet with the surgeon. I am ready to move on with the process! Thanks again! So glad I found group. It helps a lot!

There is also a LOT of pre-op diets out there that vary from surgeon to surgeon. When I had my lapband done in 2011, my diet was Protein Shakes for Breakfast and lunch and then for dinner I could have broth with veggies and a very small amount of noodles (I used buckwheat soba noodles). I did that for 2 weeks and it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Dinner almost felt like a normal meal!

For my revision to sleeve in July, it was all liquids for 1 week. It was a bit rough, but again, after the first few days, it got easier and the time breezed by.

Some people here didn't even have to do a pre-op diet! So, depending on your surgeon, you might end up with a less strenuous pre-op diet! Fingers crossed for you!

1 hour ago, Sharon Colyer said:

That makes sense. I had thought about that too. Just didn't know how bad I would feel during the pre op diet. I am not looking forward to that at all.....lol

Okay...so maybe I will try to work during the pre op. How did you feel during the pre op diet? Were you irritable or sick feeling? I work with EC children but for the most part it's very laid back.

The first 3-4 days of the pre-op diet are the worst ones. Your body and mind will rebel against you for the sudden drastic change. You may feel much more tired...you might have a very short temper...you may think that you've made a huge mistake. It's all your body trying to get you to break the diet. It's essentially a form of withdrawal. Once you get past the first few days, your body adjusts to the change and those "symptoms" will diminish greatly and it will be smoother sailing. It definitely won't be sunshine and unicorn farts for the rest of it, but it will be very manageable and you'll breeze through the rest of the pre-op diet.

12 hours ago, Keatsy said:

This is probably one of the most important question I'll pose about WLS-can I get some good veggie-dip recommendations? Bottled, homemade, etc.

I honestly can't stand the taste of fat-free dressing (especially ranch) and would rather eat them plain.

There has to be some good choices out there for veggies.

Thanks all.

So due to all of my web searches looking for food options and recipes, all of my Facebook ads have become low-carb food product recommendations. It's kind of ridiculous. A lot of them are very much marketed for Keto diets so the fat content is usually too high, but occasionally a gem will slip through.

One of the best surprises was Taste Flavor Company low calories sauces. They carry a kind of steep price tag, but I figured it was worth checking out. BOY WAS IT EVER! I sprung for the bundle that gave me all 4 flavors, even though I am not a fan of ranch and didn't expect to enjoy the Cilantro Lime Ranch sauce.

I was soooo wrong. So far the only one I haven't tried yet is the Cherrywood Chipotle BBQ Sauce because I haven't really made a meal that it would be a good fit for, but considering how in love I am with the other 3 flavors, I expect it will taste amazing. With the exception of the Spicy Garlic Parm, it's 10 calories in 2 tablespoons of sauce. Spicy Garlic Parm is 1 tablespoon for 10 calories. I highly recommend them!

https://tasteflavorco.com/

My recommendation would be to look for counseling centers or groups in your area. Rather than having to search for an individual therapist, a center will usually be a group of many mental health professionals and they will work to pair you up with a therapist that they feel will be the best fit and have the most experience with the issues that you want to address.

And always remember that you control the relationship. If after a few sessions you feel it is not a good fit, you are under no obligation to continue with that therapist. Keep shopping until you find what fits best for you.

I mean, every program has different requirements, but based on my program, that is a pretty thorough list of pre-op requirements. Looks like you're making great progress!

5 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

I think I'd weigh 300 lbs again if it weren't for Crystal Light and sugar free Jello! I know they have calories, but not many. They're a better choice than some of the other things we have around here....

Oh, so so true! But prior to surgery, I was actually drinking Water, though I use Cirkul no-calorie flavoring. I gave that up because the Cirkul system requires drinking from their specific bottle and since I had to limit my Fluid intake to very small amounts for the first few weeks, Crystal Light was way easier to do. I still love and will definitely be drinking it, but instead of 60-70 ounces, I'm going to try to cut back to 30-40 ounces. And they'll have to pry my Jello cups from my cold dead hands before I give them up.

I'm coming up on 3 months out, but my diet plan hasn't really changed a whole lot in the past 4 weeks, aside from adding in one more meal a week and then removing it this week since I experience a dramatic slow down in weight loss. So back to 3 prepared meals a week for me. Here's my macros and meals for today (minus the additional 16-20 ounces of Water I'll put in me before the day is done) :

So obviously this is not one of my prepared meal days. That was yesterday and this is what that looked like:

I'm trying to wean myself away from how much Crystal Light I've been drinking since it DOES have calories. So I'm trying for more plain ol' water. And I definitely didn't need the second cup of Jello, but I splurged.

4 minutes ago, SarKat said:

So provisionally booked for 24th October for a gastric sleeve

Suddenly I feel very very anxious and worried I'm not going to cope

Biggest concern is how I overcome knowing that I will never eat lovely food again and will miss out on all my favourite foods

I know that's how I got obese in the first place but I am a HUGE comfort eater and I really enjoy food !!

Help !!!

Sent from my SM-G960F using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey there!

Anxiety is pretty common once you get that surgery date. That is when everything kind of solidifies and becomes real.

You will be able to eat lovely food again! It is just going to be a while as you'll want to maximize the loss of weight before you get to maintenance mode. You will also need to rethink how you approach those foods so that you can make them healthier and yet still enjoy those flavors. If you want some good inspiration on what you'll be able to do for food, I recommend checking out the Food Before & After thread on here. It's been going for over 2 years now and has TONS of pictures of the foods that people who are in all stages of post-op life are eating. You'll pick up all kinds of great tips and tricks from the people who post there!

You may have to say goodbye to some of your favorite foods in the way that you knew them, but you'd be amazed at the ways you can revamp some foods to make them much healthier. And the fact that you'll have a built-in restrictor means that you're going to have a much harder time overindulging in things, though you'll always want to steer clear of slider foods.

You're going to do great and sleeve surgery will change your life in so many amazing ways! Congrats on your surgery date!

26 minutes ago, GivinItMyALL said:

I'm new to the forums, but have been reading for a while. So hello! I'm sitting in the waiting room of my surgeon's office, getting ready to chat with him before scheduling. I'm super excited, and ready to get going. Already did my psych eval (I'm sane! Go figure... ) and spoke to the dietician. Looking forward to my journey. Hoping I don't end up hating the few foods I currently like...

Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Fingers crossed on a surgery date for you!

As far as hating foods go, it's a crap shoot in terms of how or whether one's taste buds change after surgery, but sometimes it works out for the best. I stole one of my boyfriend's tater tots a couple of weeks ago as the smell was killing me. Ended up spitting it out because it just didn't taste good. So...one less temptation to worry about!

And...you'll find a lot of great ideas from folks here about healthy substitutions for foods so that you'll still be able to enjoy many of the same things as before, just with some healthy tweaks to them. My favorite find pre-op was a recipe for pizza that uses ground/minced chicken breast for the crust. It's Protein packed, delicious, and very easy to make!

You're going to do great!

Oh! And sugar free flavor syrups can be a godsend to keep from getting fatigued by the same flavor shake all the time. chocolate Protein Shake + SF Irish Creme Syrup = a very happy me!

11 hours ago, brebrexoxo said:

Hello everyone I’m new here. Hope everyone is well 🥰 I’m just wondering if anyone can offer any tips before I go into surgery. I’m having the sleeve procedure:). Still awaiting a date but I just completed my last steps with pre op in order for them to give me a date. Thanks in advance . Much love and blessings 💚

One important piece of advice/knowledge that it seems nearly no bariatric program gives out is that stalls do happen, very commonly around the 3 week mark. If you use the search box on here and search "three week stall", you will find THOUSANDS of posts from people who had surgery and then suddenly hit a period of time (anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks) where the weight just won't come off. It is something that is very common but is almost always a temporary situation. If it happens to you, keep calm and keep to your doctor's diet plan. One of the easiest adjustments to make to help get out of that stall is to increase your physical activity a little. Stalls/plateaus are likely to happen but they do not signal the end of your weight loss. It's only temporary.

Also, start exploring Protein shakes/drinks/powders now, if you haven't already done so. This will be where the lion's share of your protein is going to come from post-op and you will want to find one (or two or three) options that you like before you have surgery. Otherwise, it's a miserable experience to try and find what you like immediately after surgery.

If you slip up on your diet, that does not mean it is the end of the world, but it IS something to be concerned about. It is something you will want to take corrective action on right away. The surgery is only a tool and if you don't make use of that tool, then you won't see the results that you want. If you have a slip-up, communicate with your doctor right away. Seek advice and assistance from your medical team (doctor, nutritionist, counselor, etc.) so that you can stay on track. Communication is key especially in this difficult time where in-person appointments are not always easy to come by.

Don't compare your weight loss to anyone else's. Every single person's physiology is unique. Your metabolism is different from mine and from everyone else on this site. As long as the numbers on the scale are going down, you are succeeding. Never forget that.

Lastly, this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. It is, quite literally, a lifelong journey. Use every pillar of support that you have to achieve success.

Congrats on completing your pre-op program and I hope that you get your surgery date soon!

6 hours ago, Keatsy said:

You've lost almost 122 lbs in a little over 2 months?! Is that a normal pace? If so, I am WAY behind,

No, I've lost 43.4lbs in the past 2.5 months (post-op). The other 78.3lbs were lost in the 5 months pre-surgery when I first joined my bariatric program. That total is for the entire journey. Your pace is pretty much perfect!