MandoGetsSleeved

Congrats! Onederland is one of the greatest feelings in the world for many of us!!

I have a box of quest snickerdoodle and chocolate peanut butter cookies that I keep for those “snacky” days. I probably have one every other week or so whenever I’m feeling the want. other times (usually at work) if there’s something there that I think I want, usually I’ll just go for it. (Ate a donut a couple of weeks ago and pretty sure I’ll never do that again simply because of the gastrointestinal issues I experienced shortly thereafter.....trust me you DONT want the details!). In the end, you have to do what works for YOU. I’m finding (at a year out), that I can go off the plan and get back on. For me, I didn’t have food issues to begin with (I didn’t eat to soothe, I was/am a social eater who simply loves food and had no portion control). If sweets are going to send you down a slippery slope, I would advise against starting though. (Even the protein cookies)

First I want to say thank you to so many of the veteran posters on here. I hope you gals and guys know how much your experiences and feedback have helped me and I suspect many others. There's just such a fantastic mix of people and experiences - It's great knowing you aren't alone in this journey. The first few months after surgery were easy. The weight was simply falling off, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat or drink - And better yet, I couldn't overeat because of the restriction. I felt fantastic most of the time, had all sorts of NSV's and loved my new life. From August until January I lost almost 50lbs - I was so close to Wonderland I could taste it. THEN reality struck - Suddenly I was one of those "slow losers" - It took almost 2 months to lose 13lbs. UGH, I WAS going to be one of those slow losers. OK, fine, I'm 52 and it is what it is, right? From January until May, I "only" lost 33lbs. Again, every week/month I told myself that I would lose the weight, I was just in some sort of a stall and things would magically pick up. Well, they didn't, I would lose 2-3 lbs and then I would gain 2-3 lbs. Again, "it's normal" I told myself. Fast forward to a week ago - I jumped on here for some motivation (reading stories, etc.) and I took a hard look at what I was doing. Basically, I was being lazy - I was eating whatever I wanted and justifying it by saying "I only eat small portions" - Well, yeah, that was true...BUT I was grazing, I was drinking too much alcohol, and I wasn't tracking. I honetly have no idea how many calories I was consuming (especially on weekends with family and friends). I played mind games with myself and said "As long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing things right." - Well, that was a giant load of (@*$. This past Tuesday (after a weekend of Mimosa's, Crown Royal, and some really great BBQ), I woke up to a 5lb gain (BTW, yes I realize some of that was water retention). WAKE UP CALL. 5lbs? Seriously - Time to go back to basics before that's a 10lb gain. For the first time in MONTHS, I tracked every thing I tracked everything that went into my mouth (water, food, etc) - I did 3 days of liquid - In two days, those 5lbs were off. Rather than what I've done in the past, I didn't stop there - I continued tracking, I continued being cognizant of what and when I was eating. I said "no" to many things that I thought I wanted. I lost 6.8lbs from Tuesday to Sunday. What? I'm NOT a slow loser - I'm a LAZY loser. Folks, for many of us, it's EASY in the first few months, it's EASY to convince ourselves that we're doing OK, it's EASY to compare ourselves to others, it's EASY to ignore signs that you're falling into bad habits, and it's EASY to get lazy. In reality, it's HARD to stick to your plan when you're feeling fantastic and patting yourself on the back for losing so much weight. I'm choosing to be thankful that this happened now rather than 2-3 years into it. I'm glad that reality smacked me in the face and forced me to face the fact that i wasn't doing what I needed to do. Right now it was EASY to get back on track before I let it get out of control. For those of you experiencing the same - Buckle up buttercup, start tracking, weigh yourself often if you need to, and take a good look and when and why you're losing weight and when and why you aren't. Again, a very special thank you to you old timers for always keeping things real and giving out such fantastic advice.

For me, it just depends on if it was something I actually enjoyed. If it's something that was just "meh", I'll toss it.

WOW! Your stats are amazing and congrats on being so close!! And I think I would feel the same way!!

Hang in there - The first couple of weeks can be difficult to get enough fluids and protein in, but it really starts getting better in the upcoming weeks. Since you seem to be able to get 40oz of fluids in, you could always substitute some protein water for plain water and that will increase your protein intake and keep the other fluids up. At almost a year out, I still find it a chore sometimes to get all of my fluids AND food in, but as time rolls on, it becomes a habit and gets much easier. PS - Sounds like you're doing a great job at one week in! Congrats on the surgery!

I’ll echo kristie, minimal pain post surgery, I feel MUCH better, GERD (it was mild pre surgery) actually went away, I can eat/drink almost anything I did pre surgery in much smaller portions, lots of hair loss going into month 4 or so but you could never really tell and back to normal now, and OH the joy of buying normal clothes! totally worth the lifestyle changes. After about 2-3 months I didn’t feel like I was missing anything except the extra pounds I was lugging around for years.

I'm finding it quite liberating to get rid of clothes that are too large. As I go down a size (especially in pants), I immediately find them a new home (thrift store, church, friends, family) as my promise to myself that this time is going to be different. For me personally, having the 'in case of emergency, break glass clothes' in my closet would make it too easy for me to backslide. That being said, I HAVE kept two particular items for before and after comparison!

Just looked at mine...23 the first month. 11 months later I am down just over a 100lbs. To hell with surgeons “expectations”. Work the plan and the plan works.

Hodgett at Baptist.

Also from Jacksonville. About 10 months out. Sleeved and love it.

As some others have said, if you're still having surgical pain, you should probably contact your doctor. We're all different, but for most, the surgical pain goes away pretty quickly (I never had to take a pain pill after leaving the hospital). With regards to eating and drinking - Yeah, the liquid phase seems like it's MONTHS and at first you feel like you'll never be able to eat/drink normally again. Part of that is true...you'll never be able to eat the portions you once could. We're all different, but after a few months, there are very few things that I couldn't eat or drink. After about a month, I was able to swallow fairly large gulps and can finish a bottle of water in <5 minutes if I'm really thirsty without any pain or discomfort. A few words of advice - When you do start eating purees and then solids - Go slowly - If you eat too fast, it can be miserable. You're probably going to do it.... seems like we all do... If you eat something that doesn't settle well with you, hang in there and try it again in a few weeks.

Congrats!

Flavored Crown Royal is my go to. (Peach, Apple, or Salted Caramel). On ice. No mixers. Alternate Vodka and Diet Cranberry. A good bourbon over Ice. Red wine (I like it super dry). One generally scratches the itch and lasts quite a while.

What a difference almost a year makes!!??

It gets easier.... Does it just feel like a quick burn in the upper chest when it's going down? If so, after about a week it got MUCH better for me. At almost a year out, I am just about able to drink like I used to (no odd feeling, just feels like I get full much quicker). I can down a 16oz bottle in less than 10 minutes if I'm really thirsty. Hope this helps. PS - Try and drink as much as you possibly can - Dehydration can make you feel REALLY crappy. Maybe try the sugar free popscicles - For some, the cold is easier to take.

I travel for work a lot and I've found that the 100cal packs of nuts works well - They pretty much stay in my bag (sometimes for weeks/months) and stay fresh. Alternately, many of the suggestions above are generally easy to pick up at a convenience store (boiled eggs, cheese sticks, protein packs with cheese and salami, beef sticks, jerky, etc.) - I rely on those sorts of things when I'm travelling and just need a quick fix. PS - I wouldn't suggest boiled eggs in a hot trunk for days! ??

Here's what I found: https://www.upmc.com/services/bariatrics/surgery-process/post-surgery/diet/soft After Bariatric Surgery - Suggested Food Ideas for Adaptive or Soft Diet Protein Sources All varieties of fish and shellfish Turkey breast or chicken breast (chopped, white meat) Low fat deli lunchmeats Sliced or grated low fat cheese (5 grams of fat or less) Hard boiled or poached eggs Soups (dilute with skim milk or add finely minced meats) Grains/starches Hot cereals Unsweetened cereals softened in skim milk Baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, or yams Boiled pasta, noodles, or white rice Fruits/vegetables Canned fruit (in own juices or water packed) Soft, fresh fruit without skins (apples, pears, peaches) Bananas Cooked or canned vegetables Avoid raw, fibrous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Avoid skins and seeds.

Awesome post Matt! I think everything you said is spot on. And UGH - So sorry to hear about your wife. I can't even imagine how frustrating it must be for her. Fingers crossed something kicks in for her and she's able to enjoy the same success.

Just wanting to share my story and current status at 1 year in. I started the journey in June of 2020 after considering it for years. Having surgery was something that was in the back of my mind for years. I have a co-worker/friend who had gastric bypass about 3 years before me and quite honestly, she is the reason I ended up taking the plunge - Gastric Sleeve was the best choice for ME. Watching her journey and seeing her success motivated me. I appreciated the fact that she was willing to share her experiences both positive and negative. Prior to my meeting with the surgeon, she gave me a ton of insight on what to expect with both positives and negatives. Physically, I knew I was ready for a change. I needed to make sure I was also mentally ready for the change. I WAS! I started with a BMI > 40. I'm currently 80% complete towards my goal. I hoped that I would be at goal by now, but I'm ok that I'm not. Much of that is based on decisions that I've made with regards to how/what I eat and drink. I WILL get these last 20 off and hopefully another 10. I don't know how long it will take, and at this point, I'm not overly concerned if it takes another year. What's my life like now? I can move better,I can buy clothes anywhere, I'm confortable in my own skin (loose that it is!), and I have a newfound confidence in most everything that I do. I eat pretty much anything I want - Just in much smaller quantities. I've been lucky - So far, there's nothing that really upsets my stomach or makes me sick unless I eat too much (has only happened a couple of times). I drink alcohol when I want it - Some weeks I may have a drink or two a day, and then other times, I'll go weeks without a drink. Again, I'm ok with that - it works for me. Some weeks I gain, some weeks I lose. I've been horrible about tracking - However, if I see a gain, I start back just so that I become aware of exactly what is causing it. Again, OK with that. I DO get on the scale often. It works for me. Keeps me accountable. Every once in awhile I get frustrated with the restrictions (OMG, I ordered veal piccata the other day and it was AMAZING - I wished I could eat the whole darned thing at one sitting!!) - However, I choose to look at the upside now on this one - I ate it for 3 days!. Good food choice: NOPE - Worth it: YEP! For those just starting the journey, it isn't always easy - it isn't always fun. For ME, it's the best decision I've ever made for myself. It's definitely not a quick fix and I would encourage anyone who is using food as a coping mechanism to really look deep before you take the plunge. This surgery certainly doesn't "fix" anything like that. it's a tool (and a great one, but remember, the change is only to your stomach, not your brain) - I happen to be one of those people who just loves food, cooking, and the social aspect of it. Having the surgery has allowed me to continue that and still keep me in check with smaller portions. Hope this gives folks some insight into what CAN happen. We're all different and will have different experiences.

What Arabesque said...I’ve had knee replacement surgery before WLS on one knee. Unfortunately, both knees are still trashed That being said, I have severe arthritis in the knees and 13 surgeries on them over the years for various injuries. So...short version..it depends.

Oddball work NSV this morning.... "power suit" vs. comfort. As a manager who often has to deal with a customers management, I was always VERY self conscience about clothing and accessories (expensive watch, jewelry, clothing, shoes, etc.) when I had meetings where I knew I had to project a certain authority. This morning I am having to deal with a great customer, but unfortunately have to give some not so great news. As I was getting ready today, I realized that I no longer feel the NEED to project a certain image with clothing. As an almost "normal sized" person, wearing more "casual" attire (slacks and a polo with the company logo) I don't look sloppy and not put together. YAY - NEVER saw this one coming!!

Freedom. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy with all the dietary restrictions. For the first time in my life, it's easy to stop eating and drinking. Prior to surgery, a weekend like this would have involved massive amounts of food (as in yesterday we had: lobster mac and cheese, smoked pork, hot dogs, hamburgers, all the sides, beer, and more liquor than you could possibly imagine). Spending the day with famiy and friends would have previously involved me eating all day and a VERY high liklihood of lots of alcohol. Instead, I tasted a little bit of the things that looked/sounded good (one or two bites), had a small cocktail and was very satisfied without feeling deprived. The forced restrictions keep me under control and still allow me to enjoy life without the stress and "shame" of overeating/drinking. Having this surgery has given me the tool that I needed to take control of my life instead of food controlling my life.

Egg salad was my "go-to" for easy during soft food stage. Lots of super easy recipes and a couple of add in spices can change the flavors quickly (like buffalo hot sauce).

1st question: Does your family know you had surgery? If so, travelling really isn't as bad as you think it's going ot be because you always have the "i'm still healing" excuse. (YAY!). Breakfast - scrambled egg or protein shake. Lunch and dinner if you're going out, a creamy soup is usually available. Maybe egg salad too? If it's a secret, you can always use the "I'm just not feeling well" excuse. I started travelling for work during the puree stage and I took canned soups that I could put in the microwave (scrambled egg will work in micro also). Always keep a drink in your hand - That helped me a lot when I was working and there was snack food available.