mswillis5

I fly A LOT for work. Because I fly so often, I'm usually upgraded to business class, but when I'm not, I couldn't work because I couldn't put the tray table down well enough to put my laptop down and see the screen. Yesterday I wasn't upgraded on my 5 hour flight so I assumed I wouldn't get any work done, but I was able to put down the tray table AND pull it towards me so I had no trouble seeing the screen. Also, plenty of room in the seat (and the seat next to me was empty to boot! I worked for several hours until I went cross-eyed from the boring work and took a nap.

I want to preface this that I am not an expert, but I also didn't notice how much water/liquids you are currently consuming. I know that if you don't get enough Water in, that you will retain it until you have enough. If you are eating the proper calories which it sounds like, you wouldn't be gaining actual weight. Are you working out more? If so, then you might also be gaining muscle. I hope this helps but that is all that I can come up with. If you do continue with this weight gain problem, then checking with you dietician/surgeon may be a good idea as well.

Had to look after niece #3 yesterday but before my brother went to a parent information session at her new school, we had a late lunch early dinner. My niece wanted Mexican & the only thing on the menu without chilli I could eat was … calamari (why is it always calamari?) as they could omit the chilli salt. It was a starter & the waiter said several times it was a very small portion & I’d want to order something else - good grief!! I ate most of it with some help from my niece. Also drank most of the passion fruit & lychee margarita. 😁

Not sure if this exactly counts as a non-scale victory since it involves scales...!
I haven't had the joy of experiencing this yet, but I just realized that now I can get weighed on the actual scale at my primary care physician's office, rather than just tell them what my weight is because I'm too heavy for it. That is exciting but not something I can share beyond here and with my husband!

So I have experienced some good NSV's like many of you during these past few months. Stuff like fitting in restaurant booths better, fitting clothes better, not having to worry so much about weight limits on certain things, the car seatbelt not making that dreaded sound cause it was pulled out too far.........lol.......etc. But this weekend I had something else happen that took me by surprise.
So since surgery on May 19th I lost 62 lbs and since March the total is 81 lbsl! Even though those numbers sound good and I can see some changes in me, whenever my husband says stuff like, "Wow, I can't believe how thin you've gotten!" etc. I always reply with how I don't see it and how I still have lots to go. He always says I don't give myself enough credit, etc.
Anyway, this weekend we were out and about and we decided to stop and have lunch and as I approached the restaurant door, I was taken aback by the figure/person I saw in the reflection. It was almost as if I didn't recognize myself for a split second. It was strange. I usually wear my old baggy clothes still but this day I decided to wear leggins that actually fit and were NOT baggy, I had my heel boots on, a nice sweater, etc. I was feeling really good about myself.
Well, the next day we were out again visiting a lake/park. This particular lake has different boat rentals like kayaks, canoes, etc. Things I could never do cause of my weight. So we went inside to inquire and, low and behold, I was actually UNDER the weight limit!!! I was so happy I could barely contain my excitement!! So we walked outside, me in front of my husband, and he again commented on my weight loss and how I've been looking and so I told him to take a few full body pics of me so that I could see what he sees. He took one of the front and back. Now, taking a photo of my whole body has always been a HUGE NO NO and everyone knows it so I was scared to see the results. Well when I looked at the pictures I actually burst into tears!!! It was such an unexpected reaction from me that it caught us both off guard. My husband was asking and hoping they were tears of happiness and I told him YES! That it was the first time in decades that I could actually stomach seeing a photo of myself that I was Ok with.
I cried some more and hubby comforted me and told me how proud he was of how well I was doing and how happy he was that the surgery was finally helping me lose weight when so many things I tried never did. He said he was happy I was getting healthy, that I was off some medication, and my labs were coming back great. He also reaffirmed that my weight was NEVER an issue for him and that he loved me always, no matter how big or small I am and I told him that I always knew that but that it was always an issue for me. Which is why I had the surgery.
I guess it was the combo of the catching a glimpse of myself in the reflection, the better fitting clothes, learning I can now kayak and then seeing myself in the photos that it just really hit me. I have a ways to go still, like I always tell him, but I am FINALLY starting to feel happy with what I am seeing. It feels really good!!

I SEMI-disagree with this statement.
You absolutely CAN binge eat if you wanted to, but you will likely bring it all back up (though for some, they can actually keep it down)
As others have alluded to above, OP may want to seriously consider some sort of counselling if this is an issue. The surgery only limits your stomach capacity. It doesn’t limit your ability to physically put food in your mouth, or chew, or swallow….
Good Luck! ❤️

Some food porn series from the past few days (NOTE: I also had several salads, but they all look the same so...lol)
PART 1:
A few girlfriends and I decided to go all fancy one afternoon and went to get our High Tea on at one of the old school hip hotels in Toronto. There were all these super cute sandwiches and finger foods and like a 32739239283 page BOOK of the different types of teas to choose from. I ended up drinking a mimosa, and eating a 1/2 scone with jam and creme freche (which I had actually dropped on my arm, but ate anyway, LOLOLOLOLzzzzz)
Estimated for scone, spreads & mimosa: 450 calories
 

So, I absolutely love to bake. It de-stresses me more than anything. Easy when visiting my parents since all of my family is nearby but when you live alone, it’s good to have folks that will take goodies off your hands gladly. Have a friend that is a teacher so she takes the extras to school (and she has people come in her classroom all the time to see if there are any Cookies ). Yesterday I made brown butter chocolate chip snicker cookies (there is a mini snickers inside and chopped snickers on the top). I ran out of snickers so the last 5 cookies were regular chocolate chip (and smaller as you need double the dough to make the ones with something inside); I kept one of the chocolate chip for myself which I will eat today and the other cookies were all out of the house last evening so no temptations.

So... what to write here.... Well, been a large guy all of my life. I am blessed to be pretty extroverted, and can laugh at myself. After becoming a Dad and realizing how my weight was impacting enjoying life with them, I tried different diets and what not. Was really excited to join one of these weight loss places in town that advertises great results only to see how cost prohibitive it was and felt more like a scam. Decided to pursue bariatric surgery. Given little to no other health issues (HBP only) my surgeon and I decided on the Sleeve. In the middle of the pre-op diet (so much fun). Surgery is set for the end of September.

So, I didn’t take a picture of my food( didn’t think about it), but I had boiled shrimp with egg whites…. OMG I managed to eat 8 shrimp large in a sitting and two eggs which is amazing for me. Next time I will definitely take a pic! It was so good!

I realize this is my 3rd food post on here in the span of about an hour, which speaks my unsatisfied munchies.
Well, finally found something that hit the spot! 20g chunk of double smoked gouda wrapped with a slice of prosciutto: 150 calories. Ate it all. I should be good now!

Oddly enough I also never lie to strangers or casual acquaintances. It feels very low risk for me.

However the people I interact with often or know well is another story. I’ve learned to read the room.
If someone earnestly/ privately asks I usually just tell them. They are also so happy to see someone in person that is happy with the their results and doing well/not struggling.
But I’ve also had experiences where people very publicly/ loudly (nearly shouting across a room) ask how I lost weight. These interactions feel disingenuous and shaming so I don’t take them seriously. I usually tell these people the most complex set of layered diets and activities (Keto, fasting, glucose monitoring, cheat days, mercury retrograde, belly dancing, etc.) in great detail until they are satisfied. Those people can speculate but will never get the (whole) truth from me.
BTW Congratulations on your success!

First…. I 100% support YOUR decision to tell people about your surgery or not. I am in no way saying you should or should not….
I recently went on a trip and on this trip I had to show my old ID a few times. When I applied to TSA PreCheck I got a triple take when they looked at my passport photo vs the new me… so I explained… then on the trip I just decided to preemptively say “yeah I’ve lost a lot of weight since then” when they looked at my ID. Twice I had the person (quietly) ask “mind if I ask how? It’s none of my business I’m just wondering.” Both times I told them the truth, both times they said they’ve been thinking about it. Both times they smiled when I told them how stupidly amazing I feel and how I wish I had done this sooner. Both times we held up the line entirely too long while they and I both opened up about our weight issues and weight wishes. They were great moments and they wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t open up to them.
My wife does not want me to share my story with her side of the family and I’ve respected her wishes in that regard. I don’t personally care if they know but she has her reasons and that’s good enough for me. I totally understand that someone you know and will see repeatedly is an entirely different story….
But a stranger I’ll never see again? Someone who is like I was and clearly is looking for help? I’ll never lie to them. They deserve to know that traditional diets are damn hard if not impossible for most of us. I feel like it would make them feel worse about their own diet failures and their self esteem if I lied about how I did what I did. I’ll share my story with anyone going forward with joy, because I’m so happy about it and I want them to feel this way too. I gave both of those people info on this forum and my username. If you’re here reading this now, welcome. I’m glad you made the effort. Please don’t feel the need to introduce yourself just yet. Read, absorb, self reflect. But welcome nonetheless. I’m happy that you’re here.

I was 22 when I had my gastric sleeve. It was in July and I was staying with my parents before going back to school in August after the summer break. This gave me plenty of recovery time. I didn't attend any social gatherings during the recovery. But it was the 4th of July the day before I flew out to get my surgery, there was a family bbq and I was on my liquid-only pre-op diet. It was terrible but I overcame temptation. Everyone was asking why I wasn't eating. But I just said that I had a surgery in a couple of days and couldn't eat anything. But at that moment I made a promise to myself.
"I will answer honestly whenever someone asks in the future, I won't hide it, there's nothing to be ashamed of"
When I got back to school after my surgery there were a couple of social gatherings where it came up, and I just said, my stomach isn't big enough to eat what is on my plate, when they would ask why I would say, "part of my stomach was surgically removed in July" and that is usually good enough. But when it isn't I just say, I had the surgery done voluntarily for my health to help me lose weight. I wasn't uncomfortable about it. I even had to tell my lab classes that I would need to leave periodically to drink Water (no food or drinks in labs). Inevitably I would have to say why.
Comfort is relative. If you think you will be uncomfortable because you're hiding the surgery, don't hide it. If you're uncomfortable because of all the food, bring your own. etc. Do what makes you feel best. If you aren't ready, you aren't ready, and that is fine. Like I said, I had a couple of months at home before having to join the world. I think that helped a lot.

If you read back through posts here, you'll see hundreds, if not thousands, of posts talking about how people were just simply... not interested in food after the surgery. Like, just didn't care about it and had to sip Protein Drinks to get their Protein in at first.
As I think I said earlier, I put myself on a pre-op diet so I didn't go from "full steam ahead" to "have a couple Protein Shakes a day" overnight. I cut out all sugar (the protein shakes are sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, I forget which—stevia maybe).
Last night, I held up my end of a bargain with my kid and took her to our favorite ice cream shop. I ordered myself a scoop of my favorite ice cream... ate a small bite... and went "ugh, why is this so sweet" and put the rest in the freezer for my kid to eat later.
It was a shocking moment, because I could easily plough through two or three big scoops of that stuff beforehand.
Your body will do the change. But if you think you need to test the waters, commit to two weeks' time on a pre-surgery diet. Maybe not the full liquid one, but one that's calorie restricted and very low carb. You can do two weeks. Anyone can do two weeks. But that's two weeks straight, not "I've been good for three days and deserve a little treat."
If you can't do that, then at least you'll know before you do this major, life-altering thing, and you could go seek help.
But you've got this. I'm sure of it.

The cravings usually stay with us we just learn how to recognise & better manage them or they’re not as strong. I think cutting a lot of the foods that fed cravings out of our diets pre & post surgery helps educate us & re sensitise our tastebuds to what may really be too sweet.

Yes, you should learn to cook for yourself. There are many bariatric cookbooks with simple recipes. Start with Soups. Vegetable soups are so easy. I'll give you a recipe in a moment.
My 70 year old brother has been learning how to cook and BAKE!. Amazing! I never thought he could do it. He's been doing a great job searching the internet for recipes and exchanging recipes with friends. You can do it too.
Now, here is the Weight Loss Magic Soup recipe, only 57 cal per cup. It's filling and delicious.
32 oz chicken stock
3 cups V-8 juice (you can use low-sodium V8 or even Tomato juice, homemade or store bought)
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 small onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 package sliced mushrooms
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen green Beans
1 can kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups shredded cabbage
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper, to taste
In a large frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
In a large crockpot, combine sautéed garlic and vegetables with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until vegetables are cooked. (I have made this in a large stock pot on the stove instead of in a crock pot, simmering on medium heat.)
This makes a large batch of Soup. If you would like to freeze portions of it to use later, undercook the vegetables just a little. Pour the soup into freezer Ziplock bags and let as much air out as you can. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the soup is frozen flat, it is easy to layer in your freezer and won't take up much room. To thaw, place the bag in the fridge for 24 hours and then reheat.
https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/weight-loss-magic-soup/

I had a sugar addiction! Some days I ate no regular food...just sugar! Now I treat sugar like an alcoholic treats alcohol. When someone tries to get me to have "just a bite" I simply say "no thank you." If they say "oh, but it's so good" I say "yes, I'm sure it is but I know what all that sugar does to me and I don't want to go there." I have never had a dumping episode because I am very careful. I do eat bananas, which are higher in sugar but they haven't bothered me.
I actually don't crave sugar anymore and sometimes find things too sweet. I used to put a whole pack of splenda or truvia in my coffee, after surgery could only tolerate a small sprinkle and now don't use any.
I'm almost 3 yrs post op.

I've come to realize that I am also a sugar/food addict. I've read a ton of books, some of which I will share with you. OA, a 12-step program, is an excellent support group. I haven't joined OA but I know its out there and available to me.
I had WLS in 1990, received no nutrition guidance, and was pretty much left to my own devices. I lost weight during the post-op honeymoon, but as time passed I could eat more...and I did! I regained every pound I had lost and returned to my original set point, where it stayed for the next 25 years despite a variety of weight loss program. I could never keep lost weight off.
I only recently learned that my RNY can be revised. I wasted a lot of time, but I'm going to give it another shot. This time I have lots more information at my fingertips.
Pre-operatively I have sworn off sugar, flour, wheat, rice, starchy vegetables, and processed foods. The first couple of weeks were hard but now I rarely get cravings or head hunger. I've lost 43 lbs. since the first of April. I know that abstention is the only way to prevail over addiction. I intend to continue with this post-operatively also.
Since you already know you are a food addict, I recommend the following:
Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction, by Vera Talman Weight Loss Surgery Does Not Treat Food Addiction, by Connie Stapleton
Why Diets Fail (because youʼre addicted to sugar), by Nicole Avena & John Talbott
Baratric Surgery & Food Addiction, by Philip Werdell (written for the clinician, but I found it valuable}
You might find Kay Sheppard's books relevant, since she advocates 12-step programs: Food Addiction: The Body Knows and From The First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery
One more book that I highly recommend is The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients, by Colleen Cook. I've also discovered that there a plethora of Bariatric Cookbooks now. My favorite is The Bariatric Guide and Cookbook, by Matthew Weiner.

Fairlife Protein Milk. They have them at Sam's Club. Best tasting Protein Shake, I've tasted. 30g of Protein, 150 Calories and 2g of sugar. Tastes just like chocolate Milk. It really is a game changer for me.

Thank you to everyone for your support. I truly appreciate it. Reading the kind words made a really dark time manageable.
I wanted to give an update. I reached out to my mother in law who lives in another state. She'll be coming into town on the night of my surgery. She will pick me up after my surgery and stay for a few days while I recover. She's a loving and caring woman but, it was still tough to ask for something so big. She understands how difficult her son can be. As far as getting to the hospital, I've exhausted every possibility, and taking an Uber seems to be the easiest.
Nothing has been resolved with my husband. He still refuses to be a part of the process. He still insists if I exercise, I'll lose weight. I'm done trying to explain and plead my case. He just doesn't get it. I need to focus on myself and my goals right now. I'm in therapy. The suggested strategies for getting some peace are working.
I have one final appointment in a week to complete my 6-month requirement (yay!) and then it's the waiting game for insurance approval.
Sleeve and tube removal here I come. 😁

Stress can cause weight gain so my best guess would be maybe that? Because it sounds like what's going on right now would stress anyone out. Sorry you're going through all that and I hope you can figure it out and that little bit of extra weight drops off!

I want to preface this that I am not an expert, but I also didn't notice how much water/liquids you are currently consuming. I know that if you don't get enough Water in, that you will retain it until you have enough. If you are eating the proper calories which it sounds like, you wouldn't be gaining actual weight. Are you working out more? If so, then you might also be gaining muscle. I hope this helps but that is all that I can come up with. If you do continue with this weight gain problem, then checking with you dietician/surgeon may be a good idea as well.

Straw advice is one of those things that vary wildly by surgeon - some say to never use a straw, some only restrict them for a few months, others actually recommend them when patients are having trouble getting enough fluids. There's not actually any scientific evidence that straws are an issue for bariatric patients. See this thread: https://www.thinnertimesforum.com/topic/92638-straws-forbidden-by-my-surgeon-anyone-still-use-them/

It seems like if you get a Camelbak with the flexible bladder and burp the air out first, and have a bite valve on the end of the straw so it only opens when you take a drink, you'd actually get very little extra air in your mouth from the straw.

Oh man, I found that super annoying right after surgery as well. I've always been the thirsty type - when I was a kid at school, my friends used to tease me because I would stop at multiple drinking fountains when walking somewhere. It was super frustrating after surgery when I'd go for exercise and get really thirsty, but not be able to drink as much as I felt I wanted. I also would get a pain like you describe, which I think was very much because air was collecting in my stomach but it was very hard to burp it out properly. Those first few months especially, I would pound on my stomach like I was a baby when I got that pain, which would usually make me burp and start feel better. I feel like maybe when your stomach is so small, it's hard for the air to rise to the top and escape by itself.

I'm 18 months out now, and it is much improved. I still can't drink as much or as fast as I want to all the time, but the amount that I can drink at once is much more than it was right after surgery. I've mostly gotten used to it though. I am usually much better about taking Water with me when I exercise and drinking something as soon as I get thirsty, rather than letting the feeling build up until I want to gulp the water down. I've also gotten used to drinking more slowly without having to stop and think about it.