The Greater Fool

Welcome to the forums. You face the same issues and challenges we all did. You face the same options. At 23 weight loss surgery wasn't even on my radar. If I considered it at all I would have rejected the idea. Once I did hear about it I was completely opposed to it until I was 43. I believed I could do it on my own as laughable as that idea was. Then, WLS information came at me sideways and I realized it could be for me. The rest is WLS history, I am the stuff of legends now. WLS if done correctly is for the rest of your life. This means your new food plan, whatever it is, is forever. If you are thinking that once you lose your weight you'll be able to return to 'normal' eating then know that your 'normal' life now would come with it. Eventually, you will be able to eat anything once in a while. Unless you've learned your good habits in the weight loss phase, you'll return to your old habits if you are not very careful. Be sure you are ready for the commitment. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. You need to stick with your program. If you are worried about stretching your pouch then you already know you could be doing better on that score. There is nothing someone here is not eating and in volumes too large for a sustainable plan. But, you also don't know if they are going to be successful at losing and/or keeping their weight off. You need to work your plan the way you know you should. You are building your habits that you will need for the rest of your life. I'm 17+ years post-op. I never cared what other people could or couldn't eat. You can do it. Really. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. Don't think of whatever you do until you get your revision as a diet. You and I know that diets don't work. Think of it as your new eating plan that you will do for the rest of your life. Your band restricted portion size. Presumably you also had an eating plan to go with the smaller portion size. Return to the plan and return to portion size as best you can. Your plan was supposed to be for the rest of your life so get back on board. Your insurance is as likely to pay for your revision as it would if you never had surgery in the first place. Do the best you can. If you give up on your plan until you have surgery, well, then you very well may gain your weight back. Good luck, Tek

I'm a little late to the party, but... Return to your plan. Returning to plan isn't sexy, it isn't fast, but you already know it works. You already know dieting doesn't. Diet's end then you return to bad habits. Your plan is forever. Good luck, Tek

I can imagine having surgery postposed at the 11th hour is frustrating. But, it's certainly better that they caught this issue now than at some future moment that might have been problematic. Life has added a bunch of complications these days. We just need to remember that 2020 trying to screwing with everyone. We can't give up, we just have to keep moving forward. Nothing has changed about why you decided to do this. It's still a good decision. Don't let 2020 beat you. Good luck, Tek

You may be experiencing nerves. Maybe not. Maybe you are taking a well deserved final look at where you are and where you want to be and how you want to get from here to there. Having your innards rearranged is a drastic step so it's in your best interest to ensure you've exhausted all the non-surgical options. Either way you go it still comes down to you. Either way, you will need to follow a pretty strict food plan. It's a plan you will need to maintain for the rest of your life. What about VSG will make it more likely that you will be able to maintain your new healthy lifestyle? You must look into yourself with an honest assessment. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations! Tek

I would go with what your Doc says. Of course, that's what I always say. What *we* do isn't important. Honest, it isn't. If what we do mattered then there would be nothing you couldn't eat post-op. Between all of us post-ops, there is nothing we haven't eaten. Oh, it's just _____ once in a while. This logic makes everything OK whenever. Stay on plan as consistently as you can for as long as you can. Good luck, Tek

It's important to eat to plan, even if you don't feel inclined to do so. First, eating to plan is healthier than not eating or not eating to plan. It's almost impossible to not lose weight in the first few months. Whatever you do or don't do during this period is being connected in the deep, dark recesses of our mind to weight loss. Eat to plan, eat horrible foods, don't eat, over eat, whatever, it becomes what your mind associates with success. You really want this connection to be with "eating to plan". Make good choices now. Then it's easier to keep making good choices later. Good luck, Tek

You are literally putting your life in the hands of your Doc. Proceed with caution. I've never heard of patients being consulted on such things, but that doesn't mean much as I haven't been all that interested in current WLS practices. I honestly can't figure how a patient can have any sort of meaningful input on this. The Doc has performed hundreds if not thousands of surgeries and have been intimately involved in follow-up of said surgeries. They would have the information and experience with their surgery that no one else possesses. I can only relate this to my work. I'm a well regarded professional at what I do, I've been doing it for 45 years. My clients hire me because of my education and experience. Like most professionals, I love being second guessed. Nothing tells me to drop a client quicker than for them to solicit my expertise only to ignore it because they read something by a random person on the internet. If you don't trust your Doc to make the best choices, then hire one you will trust. [Rhetorical 'you' throughout here] Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums and to the post-op side of things. I went for the most flavorful food I could find. We may not be able to have big meals, but we can have big flavor. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on waking up. Pain is certainly no fun. Keep making a lot of noise about your pain. Suffering quietly is over rated, and it doesn't get you pain meds. You are your advocate. Keep advocating. It's amazingly horrible that in this day and age the pain of some groups of people is stupidly minimized. Don't let them do it to you. Hang in as best as you can, knowing you have folks rooting for you. Tek

Welcome to the forums. Talk to your Doc. Tek

Congratulations. Stop experimenting and stick to your plan. It's difficult to not lose weight in the first few months. So, you can keep experimenting with foods you shouldn't be eating *or* you can stick to plan consistently and you will lose weight either way. You are conditioning yourself. What I eat, how much I eat now = weight loss. You are building your new habits now. Are you building the habits that will get you to goal and keep you there? I know I'm being "that person" but I've been around for a minute. I've seen the "I can eat anything" posts too often followed up a few months later with "I've stopped losing weight, what do I do?" By time it gets here it's too late. It's back at "I can eat anything" that the change needs to happen. Focus on your plan now. You can eat anything you want, in moderation, later. Honest. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations. Do your research on all the surgical options. Understand each surgery, the positives and negatives, the post-op plans, and why each surgery is or is not for you. Do it again, this time pay special attention to horror stories. They could happen to you. What would you do if it happened to you? Make sure you understand your surgeon's plan. This plan is for the rest of your life, so you need to ask yourself: Is it sustainable. Be honest. Listen to your surgeon. LISTEN. Make sure you understand. You are your best advocate, so challenge the Doc. Ask questions about complication rates. Ask about the plan: Why this plan? Why this way? What are the underlying principles. This may sound like a lot, and it is. We're talking about a life changing decision. You won't have a problem hearing the good news. Focus on the bad news. Make sure you understand the bad news, and prepare for the bad news. Good luck. Tek

Welcome to the forums. Everything you were told about how you would feel post-op are hedged with "many people don't have hunger" and "most people have trouble eating 'anything'". Being the humans we are we tend to take these as promises when they are merely a statements of odds. We hear what we want. So here you are with YOUR truth: you can eat twice what your plan says, you can eat anything, and you get hungry. Welcome to you. I know it's hard, but you really need to stay on plan. Good luck, Tek

Oh, yeah, Doctors are required to have horrible writing. I should have guessed. As with all things, some of us did great, some didn't. I generally did well on my plan. I love protein (meats), so that aspect was never tough for me. Veggies on the other hand were, being green like Kryptonite, what I had to work at doing well. But, I got some wonderful positive feedback for it all by losing weight, so veggies became part of my normal diet. Keep that focus on plan, and you will be one of the WLS heroes. They will build statues to you in WLS square to inspire our youth, who will then tear it down. Good luck, Tek

You're writing is almost as bad as mine, which is why I was glad when everything went on-line and I don't have to write anymore. I would be shocked if there weren't differences as there are as many pre- and post-op plans as there are surgeons. Most important is to follow your Doc's program. We didn't do so well at choosing or following plans pre-op which is how we ended up needing WLS. So, follow the plan you were given. Follow it consistently. I've got a whole lecture for folks that don't follow plan. Don't make me pull it out. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. I can relate to having a baby. Well, no, not really, since I'm a guy and it's different for guys than gals. I can explain it if you like, I have a presentation with charts and graphs. Really, it's quite educational and entertaining. This actually reminds me when I had my tummy tuck when they removed 10 pounds of flesh. My parents gave me celebratory balloons that were attached to my wheel chair on the way out: "It's a boy!" I got some interesting looks that day. See, I come by my warped sense of humor honestly. Really, it's quite interesting. I have a presentation with charts and graphs. Back to topic. I'm not a fan of extreme diets like the pouch reset. Personally, I had my surgery so I would never have to diet again. 'Diets' are not sustainable. 'Diets' end. Folks think that just because they reached goal that they can return to eating 'normally.' You know, the normal that got us where we were pre-op. I advocate just returning to your post-op plan. You know, the plan that worked for you. The plan that was supposed to be for the rest of our lives. Yeah, that plan. When you had your WLS you committed to a life-long change. So, get back to that commitment. It will take time as all healthy plans do. Do it consistently. When you return to your desired weight (aka 'goal') just adjust your plan to maintain, then do it consistently. You've done it before, you can do it again, but this time just keep doing it. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. Generally, no, vitamins or supplements used for general health are not eligible. They can be eligible in the case of them being used for a medical condition. For example, prenatal vitamins (for pregnancy) and supplements related to joints in the case of chronic joint pain. I should think supplements after WLS would fall into the medically necessary group, at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. My approach is that I put the few supplements and OTC allergy and NSAIDs I take on my HSA. If the IRS takes exception to the $100 a year and my medical records supporting the medical need is not enough... well, darn. Good thing they didn't catch that soda I felt so terribly guilty about. It was a mistake. Honest. Good luck, Tek

Great news. Tek

Honestly, when it comes to 14 day pre-op diets, no one is much more experienced than you. I mean, it's 14 days that we never have to repeat again, if we do it right. Now, we can tell you what we like... well, not me since I don't do protein drinks... but someone will tell you what they like. But as everyone has their own preferences that may not help much. Heck, someone will tell you the one you hate is one they love. Obviously, you are wrong to dislike it, So, here we are. If the Doc gave you an example drink, then you can look at stats and just get others that compare favorably. It's only two weeks, so make the best choice you can. Even if it's horribly wrong, it's only two weeks. I don't work for [looks at top of webpage] of Bariatric Pal. I have never purchased a bariatric product from this site, or any site, or any store, or from anywhere ever as far as I can recall. Thus, I am speaking from a perspective of complete and unimpeachable knowledge regarding [looks at thread title] protein drinks. Bariatric Pal and most other sites that offer protein drinks and powders offer a variety pack of different flavors, brands, and packing styles of products for the express purpose of allowing you to test competing products until you find something you can actually stomach. Do it, stick with it, and in 14 days you'll be having surgery. Then you get a whole new set of concerns. Good luck and enjoy the ride. All sorts of ups and downs, twists and turns. It's a thrill a minute. Tek

Welcome to the forums. You need to eat to plan, whether you want to or not. You are developing new, healthy habits. So, eat to plan. Second obligatory thing: Talk to your Doc. Doc may be able to help with nausea. Now is the part of the post where I share my possibly useless personal experience... When I don't eat I get nauseous. When I get nauseous, I don't want to eat. It's a downward spiral that does not end well. Solution: Eat. Smell is still a big thing for me, particularly when I am nauseous. Smells that I don't give a second thought to can get me from zero to wretching very quickly. Solution: Kill whoever is the cause of the odor. It may seem severe, but really, which is worse? Wretching or murder? Really, it's a no brainer. Your early experiences seem close to what I recall of mine. Maybe you'll get the rest of what I have. Now, when I am pondering "what will I eat?" I do a mental image of the food I want to eat. If my stomach says no (a slight lurch and nausea), then it's a no. No lurch means the meal will likely work fine. I've tried to ignore my stomach and it never ends well, so I listen. I credit this with much of my long term success, so if you are like me in this regard, listen. Now is the encouraging part of the post... Follow your plan consistently and you will succeed. It seems you are mindful of what you are doing which will serve you for years to come. Now is the signoff... Good luck, Tek

What is your Doc's opinion on what it is? Good luck, Tek

Yeah, it's likely what you think it was. Congratulations on making a good choice that was within your plan while eating out. Now don't you feel silly that you thought that was all there was to it? Stress, anxiety, and lively conversation make any meal a mine field for me. If I don't pay very close attention to what I am doing (instead of talking/listening) I will pay. Early on I had a couple such episodes when eating out. The early bad experiences eating out made me anxious about eating out. Because of this I basically stressed myself into more episodes to the extent that for many, many months I just didn't eat out. Eventually, I was able to successfully eat while dining out. I am still anxious about it, particularly when I expect conversation, so I am extremely careful about the mechanics and not coming anywhere close to eating too much. I still won't eat out in stress situations, like work. I could do it, I just don't want to worry about it. It's a great excuse to miss business meals, which are dreadful at best. So kids, be careful when you eat out. Remember your manners, no throwing up AT the table. And, if you're like me, only converse when you're not eating and only eat when you're not conversing. No toys at the table. Good luck, Tek