ShoppGirl

In addition to that, it’s pretty uncommon but some people really do retain their hunger. Many on here who have experienced this said that warm liquids such as tea and broth help them to feel full.

Ooh and just be sure not to do what I did after my sleeve. I got all the way down to 18 pounds from my goal and I felt like such a failure that I let it derail me. Hopefully you will keep losing and don’t stop trying BUT, also have in the back of your mind that you have already done incredible and are far more healthy than you were even if you don’t reach this arbitrary number. I have a girl in my in person bariatric support group who did the same thing over TWO POUNDS. Our brains are very powerful and it’s great to strive for a goal but also be flexible and not crazy like I was and think it was a total waste and throw it all away. After I gained it all back plus some I would have done anything to be 168 or 178 again. Granted the sleeve was not appropriate for me and I probably wouldn’t have maintained at the 178 I bounced back to for long anyways, but I’m just saying that I gave up far too easily. Just a word of caution from someone who made that mistake.

So I went to Publix yesterday and they had some baked goods on sale BOGO because of the holidays which is hard to pass up. They had some muffins that I really like but of course I do not need any, never mind 8. I asked the lady do they freeze well and she told me that they come in frozen so she isn’t sure if I should freshen then again. So I asked if I could have some that were still frozen from the back and she got them. By the time I got home they felt more like refrigerated but I guess that’s okay. I put them into a freezer bag and saved one to eat right away. Something like that may be an option for temptation. I know for me it’s easier to resist if i know I can’t have it right now because i need to defrost it anyways. I will have some fruit or something instead.

Well if you’re only eating one salad every two days and buying another on the third you are probably eating too little calories and your body is in starvation mode which sometimes you can actually gain. BUT, if you were to eat THAT same salad a couple of times a day and had breakfast too you would probably be eating too many calories to lose. Salad is very deceiving. They can actually have more calories than a bacon cheeseburger meal if you just add the good tasting stuff without measuring and counting and nutrition wise you aren’t getting a whole lot of what you need in a tiny portion of one salad as prepared. If I was you I would talk to a dietician about what choices are healthier options and how much protein you need. What you’re eating even though it’s a salad which sounds good is not the most nutritious option. First start by measuring and tracking what you’re having in an app. You would be surprised what you learn about what you eat by doing that. Most prepared salads have more than a serving of things like full fat cheese and croutons and the dressing packets they give you is far more than one serving as well. it sounds kinda silly but if you bring home your favorite salad and take the time to deconstruct it just once you can measure each thing and figure out exactly what’s in it (assuming they make it the same way each time). It’s always best to make your salad at home if possible so you can use lean or reduced fat protein and lower calorie dressings and choose healthier toppings but if you have to get it while your out you can use less of the dressing and ask for them to go light on the cheese and skip the croutons. Also, opt for grilled chicken and if possible ask for an extra fillet of chicken or two and add that to your leftover lettuce for your next meals. I do that at chic fila all the time. I make two meals out of a salad by getting a second fillet of chicken and making a grilled chicken Cesar salad with my leftover lettuce. But your focus will always need to be protein first since you do have a tiny stomach. Ask your doctor your personal goal but You should get probably be getting around 3-4oz of lean protein a meal and then fruit and veggies and then the lettuce is a filler if you have room. I prefer to bring my salad home so I can take off all the toppings and add just a tiny bit of lettuce and put that into a container. I prefer the toppings to the lettuce anyways. Also a good way to use less dressing is to mix any salad in a bowl like you would do ceaser salad and you get a bit on all the lettuce using less than you would if you just pour it over. And try to avoid the sodas like mentioned above. If you must eat and don’t enjoy water, try to find a drink mix that you like and keep a box of drink packets in your car to grab when you go in. Order water and mix in your drink packet. It’s way less calories and it’s cheaper. Note that the drink packets do have artificial sweeteners and there is evidence they aren’t the best for you either so plain water is best but they do have some made with stevia which my dietician says is the best option if I must have them. Tru lemon is one of the better ones. So many of us think we are making good choices when we are eating a salad or soup but they are not all created equal. And just eating a tiny portion of a less nutritious food isn’t the best option because you may lose weight this way but you’re not getting all the vitamins and protein your body needs. If you don’t get enough protein you may actually just be losing muscle mass and as we get older that is really hard to build back up. If you aren’t doing strength training this can be really bad. Measuring and putting things Into the Baritastic app and really looking at how much protein is In something and how much fat and carbs are in there as well as added sugars has really helped me to learn what foods are more nutritious choices. I think my protein goal with my sleeve was 60 grams minimum and with the SADI revision it is 90 grams. I was told that protein was the very most important thing but you also need to get fruits and veggies for the vitamins. And check your labs regularly to make sure you are getting what you need. I hope this helps.

My cousin hosts an annual cookie day and it’s this weekend. I decided a few months ago that I wasn’t going to go all day and make cookies. I am just going to pop by and say hello but that was enough for this year. It’s all about baking and that’s not my thing anyways but it’s for the kids so in terms of food there is nothing I can eat and there will be drinking too. There will probably be about 15 kinds of cookies (a few dozen of each) plus the sugar cookies the kids decorate all just sitting out on big tables and the whole house always smells so good. I know they are going to tell me to have a cookie and to take some home with me. Wish me luck not giving into temptation. Anyone else have a particular event that they are nervous about this season??

One thing I forgot to mention is that I also decided to just tell the women at my yoga class a vague version of what I am going through. Not because I am seeking attention or pity as some people may believe but because the doctors told me that with the first phase of chemo I need that I would no doubt be losing my hair and not to even torture myself trying cold caps because they wouldn’t work for me. I didn’t want to have to miss any days trying to hide that when it was inevitable that they would find out anyways. I can’t wear a wig to yoga without dying of heat stroke even if I can find one that doesn’t irritate my head and won’t fall off doing downward dog. Also, I have to wear a mask until class starts and I’m at my mat and far enough away from people. Also, with the chemo i do get a little dizzy at times and physically I have to take a tiny break once in a while which doesn’t go unnoticed I’m sure. I just decided that I have no clue what is going to happen with my body in days to come but I’m going when I can and doing as much as I can. I’m not missing something that is good for my health, weight loss journey and that I really enjoy just to try and keep something a secret. I have spent enough of my life hiding because of my weight and I have finally broken free of that. I’m not going back in that dark place ever again. I am usually a pretty private person so it was a big choice for me with sharing about the bariatric surgery and now with the cancer, but so far I am happy with my decisions for both. I just told them that I don’t want them to make a big deal about it that we are there to relax and do yoga, but I just didn’t want to feel awkward wondering what they must be thinking so I was just getting it out there. It was partly because I did the same with my revision surgery and it has worked out positively for me. With the sleeve I didn’t tell anyone outside of my best friends and that wasn’t successful so with the SADI i decided to try something different. I told the women in my crochet group and the one craft group because I have known them almost two years now (but not the one I joined more recently). They do ask how I’m doing or congratulate me on my weight-loss and ask what I’m eating and about my exercise, I briefly answer but then I will say enough about me we are here to craft and ask what they are working on today and that seems to work pretty well. So with yoga, now, I hope I can just walk in with my hat or wig and take it off before class begins and do my thing and when I take more an more breaks they will just ignore me. I’m sure it will feel really weird for me the first time when I’m bald because it was when i had to go really short and I was thinning with a head band covering most of the bald spots but everyone already knows about the elephant in the room now and hopefully we can just focus on YOGA. Food for thought for those with the decision about cancer and for those on the fence about whether to tell about their bariatric journey as well because people who see you once or twice a week notice things and they are probably wondering. It has worked for me to just rip off the bandaid and move on.

Oh, I forgot to mention for breast cancer if someone is considering reconstruction afterwards, which I am, the cosmetic surgeon said there is no rush for his part. They are going to put in expanders during my mastectomy and they can stay in a pretty long time safely. This means that I can wait until I reach my goal weight to do the cosmetic part. The way it works. Is they put in the expanders in and they are like deflated balloons that are sewn to the chest wall and slowly inflate them a little bit at a time each week until you find a size that suits your body. But if I’m still actively losing, that may be too big so they can also deflate it if I want to until I find a size that is comfortable for me and my body is settled and then schedule the surgery. Since that’s just the cosmetic part, the cancer will already be gone. Well, I know that when I lost weight with the sleeve, I had bounced back weight. So I think I’m going to stick with the expanders for a while and just make sure that my body doesn’t change before I commit to something in a surgery. They did say that if you gain a significant or lose a significant amount of weight and the implant shifts or whatever that they will do surgery again, but of course that’s costly and painful and I’m already just about sick of doctors so I’m sure by then I won’t want to do that. Anyways, that is an option someone else may want to consider as well. Some doctors tried to push doing both parts of the surgery in one, skipping the expanders and just putting the implants in right away, but my doctor did not recommend that for my situation.

There should also be a state insurance commisioner or dept that may be able to help. Just type in “state of _____ insurance…” and you should find a few places to try. It’s gonna take some time for sure but take good notes of who you call and talk to and when and if you leave messages or if they say they will call you back put a note in your calendar for the day after you should hear back so your can follow up if they don’t call. Tell them this is the second time you called and you talked to so and so on such and such date and they were supposed to do X. Write out your exact story in a concise but detailed manner and ask everyone where you file a written complaint and send it to them. It’s pretty tedious and it’s certainly not fair you should have to do it but it may work.

Still struggling with some bad choices since thanksgiving. It’s not all the time and I am not gaining or anything but I’m not losing much either.. I do have some other stuff going on and I’m on steroids which is not helping I’m sure but I’ve got to figure out a way to break this carb cycle regardless. I know that the key to it for me is just white knuckling for a few days until the bad cravings go away but I just hope that I can work this out before Christmas and I guess I will have to choose my nutrition over all the holiday yumminess. 😢 On a good note in spite of a crazy busy schedule I have continued to prioritize my fitness and I’m doing good there. In the past I would’ve just thrown in the towel and went back to my old ways completely. I Hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying their holiday season.

You know what. I was doing so well and feeling so good with my nutrition and exercise. Then Thanksgiving and some medical stuff happened and I have been allowing some bad foods to slip in and i Am starting to notice I’m waking up more at night and waking up feeling fatigued. It’s honestly not worth it. The food that nourishes your body is such a good way to think of it because bad food is like cheap gas it just doesn’t make our bodies run very well and can cause engine failure. Ha. I think I just thought of that. Or I heard it somewhere and just think I did. Anyways, good for you with your nutrition. It is pretty amazing to realize the difference between a lifelong diet and a lifestyle change

Some people are just pigs. I wish it hadn’t happened to you at all, but you know what, better then than down the road when you may have been settled In with the guy expecting forever. I hope you find someone who wants you for YOU!! They do exist, just gotta try and ask the right questions and hope to weed out the jerks. I think if I was looking for someone new I would probably show them pictures and my extra skin and see their reactions as soon as it started to get remotely serious just to judge their reaction. If it’s all about how good you look now (basically implying gross before) or how you have such a pretty face or hair, etc you may have your answer. I wish you the best of luck in finding your Mr right but in the meantime keep up the good work on your own health and happiness.

Some of the protein drinks did leave sort of a film on my lips that you may be thinking is chapped lips. If they are not tender it’s probably just the film. I also got it on my tongue with some of the brands and it was pretty gross looking but came off when I brushed of course. If you are prone to chapped lips be sure to have something with you in the hospital though. Many people complain about that there. Really not sure if it has to do with the surgery in some way or just because it’s so darn cold but it does tend to be an issue. Good luck on both of your surgeries.

Well said. I would just add that a good source on you tube is Dr Matthew Weiner. He explains the surgeries, pros/ cons and risks very well. This will help you prepare for your first visit. Like @Justarwaxx suggested, though, try not to stress too much because your surgeon will help you make the right decision. My Dr said that there were two good options for my revision and it was up to me. He sent me home to do my research and follow up with questions at the next visit. He didn’t rush me to make my decision though, you most likely won’t have to decide at that first visit but make a list of questions and if you feel confused don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. It is a lot to take in and they understand that. You can also post questions in the Pre-Op area on this site. Lots of really good people on here will try to help you by sharing their experiences to guide you every step of the way. Best of luck ❤️

So I am four months post op from my revision and I just had an MRI for something unrelated but my dr said I have fatty liver. This is very puzzling to me because I get my labs every 6 months and nothing has been off to indicated elevated enzymes and of course they were just in there and didn’t think it looked bad?? Google does say that “bypass” and rapid weight loss are risk factors on one site but I would like to think that would be a temporary issue that resolves itself? I am going to call my surgeon first thing tomorrow but I’m just curious to know if anyone else has had anything like this. I recall a few people saying their liver labs came back elevated and their bariatric teams were not concerned but what about imaging?

Im glad to hear it hasn’t been a big issue for you. I have a family member who just died from it so it scared me a bit. I bet the pain is for sure the most difficult thing to deal with nowadays. Everyone is so afraid to prescribe pain meds. I guess what really doesn’t make sense to me, though, is that my liver enzymes were always normal pre surgery and now that I am 4 months post up exercising like crazy and eating great I have it?! Just seems backwards. I did read that “bypass” and “rapid weight loss” are risk factors but would that be something that’s just temporary and not the typical presentation I wonder.

I do the really lean beef with 2% cheese as a cheeseburger wrap on them low carb wraps and that doesn’t make me have any crazy cravings afterwards. They even sell really small ones if your portions are still tiny. Do you have any low carb wraps available to you? It tastes kinda dry to me so I spread a bit of avocado on the wrap but if you need a lower fat option you could also do like salsa or some pico de gallo with the lettuce to add some moisture. Or a yogurt dressing. I don’t know why I am just thinking of that. I would probably really like it with the yogurt ranch.

Idk. I just feel like it’s almost not worth it for me to have been craving the processed carbs for a week. I think if I do have anything for Christmas I just need to get the leftovers out of the house so I can’t have them the following days.

Haha. I am literally walking as I’m typing this. In my house just back and forth because it’s too cold outside right now because I gave in and had Mac in cheese last night. Just a little but man the cravings are so strong for me after i have some. At Christmas I may just not do this to myself. It’s almost not worth it.

I am still craving carb heavy food and it’s been a week now. I swear for me processed carbs are the enemy. I can have any amount of healthy carbs without it affecting my appetite but processed ones just make me hungry for days after.icily I haven’t gained but I really need to Figure out how to get back on track. This is a slippery slope for me.

Not to confuse you further but consider the SADI surgery as well in your research. It’s fairly new. I started with a sleeve and had to revise because of immediate weight regain and I revised to the Sadi but the SADI can be done as a virgin surgery as well.

Most people say the buzz hits them quick post surgery.but they sober up quicker as well. I can see how it is nice to have a drink with dinner for me it’s just a waste. I never did love the taste of alcohol so if I’m not gonna get a buzz and it doesn’t taste good Why pay the price and why waste the calories. I think I am a totally anomaly though. I’ve been on these boards for a few years now and I’ve never heard of anyone else that has that issue.

I would suggest meeting with a cosmetic surgeon now and asking how much more your boobs can shrink for it to still be covered by insurance. I considered a reduction a while back but I have a tiny implant down in there from when I was in my 20’s and went up one cup size and I think the Dr assumed the implants were bigger then they are because he said he thought I would be dissatisfied with the size it would leave me. They have to take out a certain amount of tissue to do a reduction and bill insurance and they obviously cant count the implant. So anyways, if you wait too long you may be just under the threshold to get it covered or end up completely flat to get it covered. It’s just really important that you time it right to get what you want. To me its worth a copay to get some information and maybe even check in every so often and make sure your still on track.

The sugar alcohol mentioned above is a very likely Culprit but I’d that not it, Perhaps you are not highly allergic but sensitive to a certain type of milk and drinking it all day you are noticing it more than if you just had a glass a day. Or the type of protein too they make lots of different shakes with different proteins and soy alternative and all of that. A good way to try a variety is to check a large convenience store. Although I am not sure how many of the alternative styles of shakes they will have. Worth a shot though instead of buying multipacks of something you can’t drink.

I think nuts are a pretty good choice in moderation. The protein fills you up and the fat is healthy fat at least. I had to google wagyu because I had never heard of it. I will have to give that a try sometime. How did the cocktail go? I haven’t tried yet either. Post sleeve I was the opposite of most people and I couldn’t get a buzz even after like 3 or 4 drinks. I decided it was a waste of calories for me and haven’t drank since. Idk if that’s still the case post revision. I guess I may try eventually. Then again I haven’t missed it for a couple years so maybe I should just stay away from it.

How is everyone else doing with the cravings post thanksgiving splurge (if you did a little too)? I am having a hard time with all the yumminess still in the fridge. I broke down and had a slice of cake last night and of course feel guilty today. It hasn’t affected my weight because I have also exercised a bit more I guess but I still feel like it’s junk my body doesn’t need