The Greater Fool

You've already done all that is necessary. Welcome. Good luck, Tek

'Standard rules' apply to the lowest common denominator (aka [situationally] stupid). Not all of us reason through everything. Not all of us know how to reason. Even super smart folks occasionally miss the blindingly obvious. Or so I've read. Good luck, Tek

Perfection is the enemy of the good. The first few weeks can be a breeze for some and devastatingly difficult for others. We can only do our best. Push yourself to improve. Keep doing your best and you will improve. Good luck, Tek

18 years... I don't count anything but meals of which I try to eat three per day. Meals are pretty much what they've always been since surgery: protein at about 3-4 oz and veggies/other an ounce or so. I don't measure, it's all just habit now. I rarely eat snacks. My weight stays fairly consistent where it has been for the last 15(?) years, which is a bit lower than my original super-wish goal. I couldn't even entertain the possibility I would be where I am now. My mental image of myself is beginning to sync with my physical self which is a weird sensation after all this time. Good luck, Tek

Not once have a used a 'bariatric' food product. I was expected to get my protein and other basic nutritional needs from actual food from day 1. The first three weeks I did as well as I could, which was not enough. After that everything fell into place. My plan didn't call for x grams of whatever, rather it was 3 meals a day, each meal consisting of 3oz protein and 1oz veggies, eventually small fruit. Somewhere in the first year I wanted to compare my 3 meals a day plan to other folks plans and I was generally a bit over 60 grams of protein per day. Snacks were not on the menu but if I simply had to have snacks SF popsicles were acceptable. Who's kidding whom.. SF popsicles were fantastic! I got curious about how my plan measured up to other folk, since they were given instructions including x grams of this and y grams of that. After I converted my 3 meals to grams of this or that I learned that my plan was very close the what most other folks were consuming. With the bonus that I don't need to count grams of stuff. Counting grams of this or that feels like one of the zillion weight loss diets I encountered previously. I went into this with the idea I would never diet again. My surgeon agreed that he didn't want his patients viewing this as another weight loss program. Doc and I agree on this point, a match made in heaven. Good luck, Tek

Make love not war. Bring soap and a towel... it can get messy. Good luck, Tek

That's a reasonable illustration of drinking with meals and why we should not drink during meals. But, to ensure folks understand what they are seeing... The video food is something that looks like applesauce or something with a consistency of applesauce. When one adds fluid to applesauce one is adding fluid to a food that already has plenty of fluid, causing the week sauce to flow through the funnel. Imagine the same exercise with a ball of bread dough (aka, a dry lump of lumpiness). Ouch. Good luck, Tek

Emotions are complicated. (Duh! Tek) When I was a 1/4 ton too heavy I constantly felt judged. Heck, I was judging me why shouldn't everyone? When kids and adults alike run into poles and walls because they were staring at me it's hard to pretend I'm not being judged, though sometimes it gave me a chuckle. I knew my friends and work acquaintances rarely said anything because, generally, they were kind people. I like kind people. Family was harder. Love seems to allow the harshest of cruelties. After I started losing the weight they also became my biggest cheerleaders, even though they mucked it up sometimes as you describe. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. For me this is where the charity principle comes into play: Accept the good intentions even though the expression of them were poorly formed. I want to say the feeling of being judged got better after losing weight, but for me, not so much. No one I know now knew me then. I know intellectually no one is judging me for my weight. But still my head image of me doesn't match the real me though with time it's getting closer, so I still have the emotions of big. I always feel judged about other things too so I think a lot of it may be the joy of being me. Good luck, Tek

An addition: This is where understanding the "why" of our rules is necessary. The "why" of "Don't drink for 30 (or whatever) minutes before and/or after meals" is to prevent our meal from being washed through to quickly may cause us to get hungry quicker between meals. A sip is not going to wash anything anywhere, it's no different than the moisture already in the food. Sip not gulp, just to be clear. Knowing the "why" of the rules will help us make good choices when we find ourselves in an unusual situation for which we were unprepared. Good luck, Tek

There are certain foods that end up chewing to a dry lump of dry lump stuff. I know must all of us have been told "the rules," one of which is "don't drink with meals" and another is "Don't drink for 30 minutes before or after eating." Honestly the rules are not written in stone. Virtually every rule my Doc and I have had reason to adjust to fit a situation in which I found myself. One was this precise situation being discussed. I was told that if I have a dry mouth full of food it's OK to take a sip to moisten it so it can be swallowed safely. Better that than trying to swallow a dry blob that would (for me) likely block my stoma for a time. I would guess that at about 4-6 months I learned I didn't need to over chew as I did earlier and the problem went away, except when I encounter very dry foods when I still sip if necessary. Good luck, Tek

Oops, I missed the bumps! Drat! You made me seem the ignorant slob that I am in real life and not the clever arudite I pretend to be on the internet. Damn you for revealing my error! It's still never Lupus. So there! Good luck Tek

Itching is a common symptom of a drastic condition known as 'healing.' Unless it's red and angry which could mean you've been scratching, in which case: Stop it! Let it heal. If you don't believe it's from scratching, then it could be, an infection, dermatitis, an autoimmune disorder, or a rare Amazonian parasite [In order of most likely to least likely]. It's never Lupus. If it's red and angry not from scratching, perhaps a call to Doc. If it looks ok, it's healing. Good luck, Tek

There are a few possible 'full' signals of which I've heard over the years. The first 6 weeks for me was pureed food and I would get a runny nose which I came to believe caused the foamies. Unfortunately, even as small as my portions were the sniffling usually started before I could complete it. When I advanced to normal food I also advanced to sneezing. Twice. If I take another bite I'll usually end up wretching. I try to stop before I hit 'full' so I keep my portions appropriate. But when the two sneezes occur it's time to put the utensils down and walk away. Even after 18 years, there are days where I sneeze after the first bite. And yes, it means the meals over. I can try again later if I feel the need and ability. Good luck, Tek

My program was also 3 meals a day, no protein drinks, no snacks, no exceptions. This was to be the program for the rest of my life and I was ok with it, or I wouldn't have done the surgery. We made a commitment and we stick to it. Period. Good Luck, Tek . . . ... until circumstances and requirements changed. When I was binge running at between 70 and 90 miles a week, my meals were upped to four per day, then five, then six, and I was still loosing too much too fast. Then we added a protein drink. So, no exceptions until there is a requirement for exceptions. Your situation reasonably could require a temporary adjustment. Until you can eat a full meal it may make sense to split it in half then eat each half a couple hours apart. It would address your hunger issue, your not eating enough issue, and your energy issue. Be careful that once you get to being able to consistently eat a full meal that you either adjust back to base plan, or commit the the six meal plan (of half meals). Both will work, mixing them could create problems. From my perspective the six meal thing felt like I was eating all day long and it was surprisingly annoying. Good luck, Tek

I'm a guy and one of those "My 600 pound life" people, though they are lightweights to me. I lost in surplus of 500 pounds. I was told that I should not do plastic surgery until I was at a stable weight, which I did. I had a abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). The skin taken off weighed about 15 pounds. My parents bought balloons declaring "it's a boy." Boy did I get some interesting looks. My plan was to have a second surgery on thighs but issues revealed during the abdominoplasty made additional elective surgeries ill advised. Good luck, Tek

It's generally true that the costs for WLS are significantly less than later associated medical costs without WLS. Insurance companies do not expect to be paying your later medical costs. Thus, paying for WLS now is cash out of their pocket and some other insurance company (or entity) will reap the benefits of the lower costs later. "No" is nearly always the best answer for their bottom line now. Some insurance companies won't cover WLS. There is virtually no way you can get them to cover it. Some insurance companies cover WLS but make it very difficult (or have a reputation for making it difficult). For these there are several things you can do to improve your chances of approval: 1) Review the requirements and be sure you have documented compliance. Demonstrated morbid obesity (mine was 5 years), a medically supervised diet (mine was 6 months within the last 2 years). They have a list, you need the list and check off every item; 2) Comorbidities: If folks have a lower BMI sometimes insurance requires comorbidities. So, oddly, completely healthy is bad. Thinking outside the box can help: Back pain, knee pain, Sleep Apnea, GERD, hernia, type 2 diabetic, anything even remotely connected; 3) If you get denied, find out EXACTLY why. It could be they don't cover it at all, or that a piece of documentation was left out. Find out from the insurance company; 4) Call the insurance company and ask for their help. While the insurance company may be loathe to cover WLS, the customer support folks get rated on how well you think they have helped you. I've never encountered an Insurance customer support person that wasn't helpful. If you get an agent that isn't helpful, call back and talk to a different one. 5) You are your best advocate. If you don't do the work it's unlikely anyone else will do it for you. People have changed where they work to get insurance that covers WLS. Figure out how far you will go to get it then don't stop. Good luck, Tek

One month will seem like a crazy long time as it quickly zooms by. Time is funny that way. Make a list. You will likely be surprised how underwhelming your list is. It seems like a lot in our minds but manageable when written down. Tests and appointments: Each of these are 1) Schedule it; and 2) Do it. Once you schedule it take it off your list and put it on your calendar. The calendar is in control now. Nothing to do but wait. The list get's shorter quickly. Supplements: Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. Good will work. Heck, not so good will work. Just eeny, meeny, miny, moe a choice. It's not like you are committed to your choice for life. You can do ridiculous amounts of research when you have time post-op because of all the not eating you will be doing. Cross this off your pre-op list and move on. Write down your questions so you don't forget them. Research when you can't do anything else. Presumably questions related to "Should I do this?" have been answered, so the questions you have left aren't do or die. You will have plenty of down time that you can fill with research. Lists are good if you tend to get overwhelmed. Good luck, Tek

I had a drain. It was the bane of my existence because there is no medical tape that could secure tubing designed not to allow surgical tape to adhere to it. I tried them all. I finally threw caution to the wind and found the solution: Duct tape. Angels sang. By the time I went for my follow-op Doc had to get through layers of duct tape just to talk to me. Duct tape. I hear those angels sing every time I say it. If it doesn't move when it should: WD40. If it moves when it shouldn't: Duct tape. :angels singing: Most folks don't have a drain with their Gastric Bypass. But I recommend the duct tape for your surgical tape needs. Good luck, Tek

I agree. WLS is not for everyone, perhaps not even for most. I further agree that with or without surgery, losing weight is a matter of calories in vs. calories out. WLS is not magic. It requires us to follow a well defined plan for the rest of our lives, lest we not lose enough or even gain the weight back. It requires commitment. It's not sold as easy, at least not to me. How did you imagine all this would play out for you? Literally, what did you expect you needed to do and what the surgery would do? Tek

I get that you are frustrated and perhaps angry. Honestly, it's not too late for you, unless you give up. Your surgery is still there. It will make what you still need to do easier. From what I see you have received good advice: Follow your plan to the letter, weigh your food, log your food, don't drink with meals. These things are what will get you losing weight. These are also the things you refuse to do. It seems you would rather quit and blame the surgery. As with all things, it's your life, it's your choice. Good luck, Tek

WLS is a tool. Like most tools, it makes the job easier but it doesn't do all the work. VSG is intended to restrict volume. It makes it harder to eat a large volume of food at one time. Our post-op plans specify certain types and volumes of food. In the early months when the restriction is new you (editorial you) often can't eat the amount of food for which your plan calls. For a period you can barely eat your full meal. During this period you are creating new habits: Healthier food choices, defined portions, new expectations, with the positive reinforcement of losing weight. If you haven't followed plan you will still lose weight for a short time, but having not changed habits, attitude, or outlook when the time comes when you can eat more you do. Making these habit changes later, when the restriction has relaxed, can be nearly as difficult as doing it without surgery. Good luck, Tek

I find that meats dry out enough to make eating leftover portions often leads to unpleasantness. There are some cuts of meat or preparation methods that result in a juicy enough leftover to make it re-edible. Most other foods I don't have a problem with leftovers though this may be down to my standard cooking methods to keep food on the moist side. This all was more of an issue in the first several months, what with learning to eat again, what to watch out for, and developing successful strategies. Having said that, I don't keep many leftovers unless the original meal was exceptionally good and it is something I judge would work as a leftover. It's all a matter of time, patience, personal experience, and imagination. You will learn how to eat again, your tolerances, and food preparation techniques and tricks that work for you. Then it's wash, rinse, repeat until it becomes a natural habit. You will work it out. Good luck, Tek

Since their mixers and you're about 9 months out a few thinned out bubbles might not be much of an issue. Personal choice excepted. Enjoy in moderation Tek

For me, 18 years post op, I still do it. I don't often eat to fullness so it doesn't often happen. I still control portion size more than I rely on sneezing to know when to stop. Sneezing means: Warning: don't take another bite. Some days it's after 3 bites of food. Most days I don't encounter "full." I don't want to push the envelope often for fear, real or imagined, that the envelope will grow. Good luck, Tek

Can you describe your binging episode in detail? What food? How much? How long did you take? Did you drink during the episode? How much? We can binge if we work at it and know how to do it. Some of us just happen on it by accident. It won't look like pre-op but it's possible. There are ways to prevent thoughtlessly over eating, the same ones even non-ops use. Only put measured portions on your plate and put the rest away before you begin eating. Focus on eating when you are eating. The surgery can do a lot of the work but in some situations it's still up to us. ETA: Responding to your thread title, no, you have not ruined your tool. It takes a lot more than three or four binging episodes to affect your pouch. The thing to be careful of is, again, building a bad habit that eventually may. Good luck, Tek