ShoppGirl

I am SO incredibly sorry to hear this news. I can not even fathom how difficult it would be to remain on track while going through something like this. I am glad you reached out and posted here. You know a weight loss surgery journey definitely does not happen in a bubble and it’s important to have support through the real life stuff that could so easily make us feel like we failed. I say you do what you gotta do to get through a time like this. Even if you stay on plan a percentage of the time you will get back on track with food when you are feeling more like yourself. I would focus more on keeping up your activity when you can muster that. Mentally exercise creates endorphins, socially it gets you out of the house while still giving you the headspace to think and breath and in terms of habits that’s the more difficult of the two to get back on track for many of us. Another thing a doctor recently told me for my journey was to set a date that I plan to be completely back on track. Just an arbitrary date I make up, but sort of like our surgery date it gives our minds something to prepare for. Not that you need to worry about setting any date now, but when you are ready. This was for me because my medical situation is getting better and I feel like maybe I’m giving myself a little too much latitude at this point. My obese brain seems to be rationalizing my having that brownie so to speak. I think the idea is that a date gives my brain a chance to prepare and also keeps other distractions or excuses from allowing it to go on forever which was my concern I asked for help with For now, I hope you are surrounding yourself by loved ones and friends that can offer lots of support. Journaling and crafting may help also. Not that it’s at all comparable but My crochet was a tremendous help throughout my recent journey. And it doesn’t have to be remotely good to be a really great outlet. I remeber making mandalas in a college class using construction paper and glue being surprised after an hour at how relaxed I felt just gluing paper together. They also have coloring books at the oncology center as part of the integrated medicine program. Seems silly but It really can help us process emotions. That and journaling are both helpful for me. Remeber, your bariatric journey is your own and every path has unexpected turns. Trust that taking care of yourself is part of honoring your loss, not moving away from it ❤️

Wow, that does not sound like fun!! I guess they have to rule out the basics before they can get insurance to pay for the more extensive and usually also very expensive tests. It sucks because it drags things out while we are suffering but it sounds like you are a champ for hanging in there and you have a solid plan. I hope you get an answer soon.

What if you do some exercise post dinner to see if you can “walk off” the gas so to speak with a walk around the block or a stationary bike or the like. It may not get rid of it all but I bet it would help some.

I do not have an answer or know of any forum that would be more specialized, but maybe you could reach out to a larger clinic and try to do a virtual appointment. I have recently been doing that for my cancer treatment and it has worked pretty well. Moffitt has done a “second opinion” a couple of times and basically whatever they’ve suggested the local doctors have carried out for me in terms of treatment. I did have to go the first time in person, but I think that’s usually only required if you need to be physically examined. If it’s not something they need to literally touch you for they should be able to just gather your records, but I believe it has to be in your same state or your physician has to be licensed in your current state where you will be during the appointment. I actually have developed iron deficiency anemia, and I don’t know if it’s because of the bariatric surgery or my chemo treatment because I was diagnosed only three months post surgery. I have also had problems with potassium during my treatment, but I think that’s due to a kidney issue I seem to have developed most likely because of immunotherapy. It’s not fun getting infusions or needing them. Another thing that might help a tiny bit would be to get a port installed to make the infusions a little less inconvenient if they use a power port, they can infuse it quite a bit faster although I’m not sure if Insurance will cover it for your condition, but it’s worth asking. I hope you find an answer here. If not, I’d keep posting the different forms because it’s just a matter of the right person seeing this I’m sure. Best of luck to you.

Well my win lately is keeping up with my nutrition as best as possible with an insane schedule. Lots of medical apps and meds that make me crave bad stuff are real obstacles right now and I slip….a lot, but I don’t beat myself up. I get right back on that horse so to speak and control what I can which is from that moment forward instead of just thinking I ruined it all and going back to the old ways of just thinking I can’t do it and giving up. A slip is just that…a slip and it doesn’t mean we can’t get back on track. So weird that this is so difficult for some of us to believe.

Well I’m glad you have had a couple of better weeks and that you are doing the workbook a journaling. I recently learned that writing with pen and paper 15 minutes a day actually helps in terms of cognition also so that’s an added bonus. Typing only uses half of our brain but handwriting uses it all. Keep working at it. You have already accomplished so much. BE PROUD!!

Of course you have self-control. I don’t know why we are convinced that obesity is a self-control issue probably because of the skinny people that have to lose 5 pounds and they do so by just laying off desert for a few days. Aren’t there other things in your life that you’d rather not due, but yet you do them. You go to do your exercise all the time, right, that’s self control. Obesity is an illness! It will probably be a lifelong struggle for all of us but it’s not something we need to bear ourselves up about. The guilt and shame may be stemming from something else entirely. The cravings too. If you say you are not hungry then it sounds like head hunger. If so, are you board, tired, lonely, sad, angry? Figuring out what you feel when the cravings happen may help you come up with a way to mitigate them. Did you see if you can find one of them workbooks for disordered thinking? People in here have talked about them. Maybe just search eating disorder or disordered eating. But most of all don’t give up. Even if you stumble, don’t do what I did with my sleeve which was to give up and throw it all away. Because once I gained it all back I realized that I was already happy with half of the loss but I was so hung up on a magic goal weight that I felt like a failure instead of celebrating my tremendous loss and my even more amazing gains (things I was able to do that I couldn’t before). Now, I’m at the same weight I was when I gave up before and sure, I would be happy to lose more but guess what? I’m still thrilled to be where I am and I am not beating myself up because I haven’t lost more. I will be thrilled to stay at this level of fitness. Maybe get that workbook, search online for a few more healthy recipes and even seek out a different fitness class just to change it up and see if you can get back into your groove. Is there anyone at your gym that can be an accountability buddy. That may help too. But I really think the shame and guilt stems from inside. Something mental that you just need to take the time to get to the bottom of. Maybe journaling when you start having these cravings.

I love it. And it must feel so good to know that you had that moment where you ALMOST slipped but you didn’t!! You were in control. Now maybe you should reward yourself with a small non food reward for your healthy choice!!

I don’t have any to recommend but I’ve seen people on here that have mentioned them. Maybe do a post asking for suggestions. I’m sure someone will have one.

Well there are always them workbooks on Amazon. They are probably like 20-30 dollars US. Maybe your team has one they would recommend. I mean we all know we need to eat better quality food less often and exercise more but with an eating disorder there is usually some mental work that needs to be done too. A therapist would be the easier way to get to the root of it but I bet a workbook written by a therapist could work too if you’re honest with yourself and really do the hard work.

Well we did informally commit to check in at least every August. I figured with email notifications some may see our activity and pop in to say hi. I just learned the hard way the first time that being on here was helpful to my being accountable and not being on here was bad for my progress. Little slips become bigger when left unchecked.

Have you talked to a therapist about she eating disorder? A lot of people on here swear by their experience with one and how it helped reframe their thinking about food. I honestly think that many of us that end up here have some degree of disordered eating if not a diagnosable version of it. There are also self help books but personally I think I would do better with the in person support. Perhaps with he work books in between.

I drink it without issues post sleeve and post revision but it’s not just about the caffeine it’s something in the coffee is acidic that can cause issues. I gave it up for well over a year with the sleeve and a good 8 months with the SADI. My surgeon didn't say I couldn’t have it post surgery just to cut it to one a day, but I am a Coke zero addict and I was afraid if I’m back on caffeine I would find myself in a predicament where that’s the only option and I will be right back to drinking a 12 pack of Coke Zero a day which isn’t good for anyone. I would talk to your surgeon about why he/she has that rule post op and ask if it’s okay to try it and at what point it would be safe to do so. You could always do decaf. It’s not bad once you have kicked the habit. I have iced decaf occasionally now because I bought a bunch of the cold brew packets in decaf by mistake (darn Walmart online in the phone pics are so tiny). I have it with a caramel protein shake and it’s quite delicious actually.

Not sure why this popped up when it’s 19 years old but it’s still hilarious and still and issue. Omg!! They are so tasty. On a serious note when you get to maintenance you can freeze them so you don’t have them just sitting there staring at you and you have to think in advance about defrosting them for a little while at least. I do that with the peppermint bark that I love and buy after Christmas. I buy the individually wrapped ones so it’s way easier to freeze and pull out one portion.

Oddly enough I looked and can’t find a Dec group. They changed the platform though and I will admit I still haven’t been able to figure my way around and find everything. There should be one. In the the pre op area. If you can’t fine it it’s fine to post anywhere but I just figured you could find others who had their surgery this month so they will really be going through the stages with you.