vikingbeast

My clinic has not had a dietitian/nutritionist on staff for months now (part of the Great Resignation, I guess). So they've been contracting with people, and I finally had had enough of it.
She asked what I have been eating. I track religiously, down to the teaspoon of mustard (which probably isn't necessary, but...). So I told her. It came to about 850 calories. She absolutely lost her mind, whipped out a booklet, and told me I'm to be eating no more than 1/3 cup of food five times a day. I pointed out that I run or work out literally every day, that I am going back to a pretty physical outdoor job, that I'm losing weight steadily, and that eating this amount gives me the energy I need.
I asked how I was supposed to get the Protein goal the surgeon gave me (80-100 g a day) on that little food, and she told me to stop being difficult, that I was obviously going to just gain it all back (lol, on 850 cal a day, lol lol lol), that too much sodium would spike my blood pressure and heart rate (lol, it was 114/74 during intake with a resting heart rate of 54), etc., etc.
So I fired her. At the top of my lungs. Which meant that a bunch of other people came running and there was kind of a scene.
I don't care. I asked a friend who's had VSG who she uses for a NUT and she recommended her folks, so I signed up there and will be given macros to meet by someone who has experience with athletes who've undergone bariatric surgery. I'm not going to be wedged into a one-size-fits-all kind of thing because she's reading from some Nth-generation copy of some manual.

A corral is an animal pen usually made of metal or wood fencing. It's easier to show you than to explain it—it's the thing on the left in the photo. (The cattle, by the way, are outside the corral in the picture—the hay is inside the corral, which is why the cattle are right next to the corral. LOL.)
And if you aren't near a gate in the corral, you go up and over the corral fence to get into or out of the corral. But when I was much fatter, I had to go up and wait for my center of gravity to settle before I could swing my legs up and jump down the other side.

I got over the corral fence without heaving and having to stop and readjust my center of gravity... just went up and over.

My clinic has not had a dietitian/nutritionist on staff for months now (part of the Great Resignation, I guess). So they've been contracting with people, and I finally had had enough of it.
She asked what I have been eating. I track religiously, down to the teaspoon of mustard (which probably isn't necessary, but...). So I told her. It came to about 850 calories. She absolutely lost her mind, whipped out a booklet, and told me I'm to be eating no more than 1/3 cup of food five times a day. I pointed out that I run or work out literally every day, that I am going back to a pretty physical outdoor job, that I'm losing weight steadily, and that eating this amount gives me the energy I need.
I asked how I was supposed to get the Protein goal the surgeon gave me (80-100 g a day) on that little food, and she told me to stop being difficult, that I was obviously going to just gain it all back (lol, on 850 cal a day, lol lol lol), that too much sodium would spike my blood pressure and heart rate (lol, it was 114/74 during intake with a resting heart rate of 54), etc., etc.
So I fired her. At the top of my lungs. Which meant that a bunch of other people came running and there was kind of a scene.
I don't care. I asked a friend who's had VSG who she uses for a NUT and she recommended her folks, so I signed up there and will be given macros to meet by someone who has experience with athletes who've undergone bariatric surgery. I'm not going to be wedged into a one-size-fits-all kind of thing because she's reading from some Nth-generation copy of some manual.

My clinic has not had a dietitian/nutritionist on staff for months now (part of the Great Resignation, I guess). So they've been contracting with people, and I finally had had enough of it.
She asked what I have been eating. I track religiously, down to the teaspoon of mustard (which probably isn't necessary, but...). So I told her. It came to about 850 calories. She absolutely lost her mind, whipped out a booklet, and told me I'm to be eating no more than 1/3 cup of food five times a day. I pointed out that I run or work out literally every day, that I am going back to a pretty physical outdoor job, that I'm losing weight steadily, and that eating this amount gives me the energy I need.
I asked how I was supposed to get the Protein goal the surgeon gave me (80-100 g a day) on that little food, and she told me to stop being difficult, that I was obviously going to just gain it all back (lol, on 850 cal a day, lol lol lol), that too much sodium would spike my blood pressure and heart rate (lol, it was 114/74 during intake with a resting heart rate of 54), etc., etc.
So I fired her. At the top of my lungs. Which meant that a bunch of other people came running and there was kind of a scene.
I don't care. I asked a friend who's had VSG who she uses for a NUT and she recommended her folks, so I signed up there and will be given macros to meet by someone who has experience with athletes who've undergone bariatric surgery. I'm not going to be wedged into a one-size-fits-all kind of thing because she's reading from some Nth-generation copy of some manual.

I literally just posted about my clinic's nutritionist who wants everything measured. It's SO inaccurate... do you pack the rotisserie chicken into the container or not? That could double the weight!
Everything has to be in grams for me. My scale isn't sensitive enough for the tiny fractions of an ounce, so everything is in grams. 80 grams of turkey for me for lunch; a wedge of La Vache Qui Rit is 30 g of cheese. Etc. etc.

Update: I switched to Molina and saw a different surgeon. He said since I already completed the 6 month supervised medical diet, all I have to do now is the pre-op visit, that’s on 11/18 and then they will schedule me for surgery. He said most likely middle of December. Super excited :)

As of this morning's weigh-in, I am officially halfway through my weight loss journey—started at 392, wanted to lose 152 lbs., have now lost 76 lbs.
Here's hoping the second half is as smooth as the first half!
Thank you all for your guidance and support. I couldn't be doing this without you.

Since I am now halfway between my heavy weight and my goal weight, I thought I'd show myself. I lost 26 lbs. on my own, then 9 lbs. on the pre-op diet, and 41 lbs. so far since surgery (five weeks ago). I only "see" the changes when I look at before-and-after pictures. I'm starting to see what I'll look like further along and I ain't mad about it.

76 lbs. down, 76 to go.

Smokes, you look GREAT!

Since I am now halfway between my heavy weight and my goal weight, I thought I'd show myself. I lost 26 lbs. on my own, then 9 lbs. on the pre-op diet, and 41 lbs. so far since surgery (five weeks ago). I only "see" the changes when I look at before-and-after pictures. I'm starting to see what I'll look like further along and I ain't mad about it.

76 lbs. down, 76 to go.

I have anxiety issues anyway, and take supplements (ashwagandha and an L-theanine/GABA combo) for it. But you might want to make an appointment with a psychiatrist, because they're dab hands at fixing anxiety and dissociation, rather than relying on hospital tests.

The last two years have been insanely hard on everyone so it's no surprise that mental health care is becoming more urgent. Just take care of yourself.

As of this morning's weigh-in, I am officially halfway through my weight loss journey—started at 392, wanted to lose 152 lbs., have now lost 76 lbs.
Here's hoping the second half is as smooth as the first half!
Thank you all for your guidance and support. I couldn't be doing this without you.

From my experiences in Italy, it's not a problem to share if you explain. (Mi hanno operato allo stomaco e non posso mangiare molto... andrebbe bene se io con mio marito condividessimo il piatto principale, se ognuno de noi ordinasse un antipasto?)
However, you might have some trouble with Protein in the morning. It depends where you are staying.
If you are in a rented apartment where you must shop for your own food, of course, no problem, you can just buy the Proteins you want and cook in the apartment.
If you are in a tourist hotel, no problem, Germans travel to Italy in huge flocks and they tend to eat Brötchen (rolls), cold cuts, and cheese, you can just skip the rolls.
The problem will be if you are in a little pensione or a hotel that caters to Italians, breakfast is likely to be Cappuccino (never ordered after about 10 a.m.) with either bread and jam, or with a cornetto (like a sugary croissant, but either filled [ripieno] with sweet almond paste, cinnamon paste, fruit paste, or Nutella, or not filled [vuoto]). If this is where you are staying you might ask if they have any yoghurt for breakfast. Italians don't eat eggs, bacon, sausage, or ham for breakfast... US breakfasts confuse them.

Since I am now halfway between my heavy weight and my goal weight, I thought I'd show myself. I lost 26 lbs. on my own, then 9 lbs. on the pre-op diet, and 41 lbs. so far since surgery (five weeks ago). I only "see" the changes when I look at before-and-after pictures. I'm starting to see what I'll look like further along and I ain't mad about it.

76 lbs. down, 76 to go.

You'll know a lot closer to then what you can and can't eat. Some people can't eat steak, because it's too dry. Some people can't eat Pasta or bread because it expands too much in their pouch. Everyone is different.
I will say this, though... you're likely not to be able to come anywhere close to eating an entire three-course Italian meal. If you don't speak Italian, you might want to take a little card with you that says something like Mi hanno operato allo stomaco e non posso mangiare molto. Per favore, mi serva piccole porzioni.

I've never felt so seen. Seriously. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I find myself convinced I'm going to, I don't know, eat an extra 200 calories and suddenly be back in the Big and Fat Men's store. I am trying to find someone to help me navigate this.
Add to this that even though I am thrilled by the weight loss, it does come with its own annoyances. [CENSORED], I wanted to wear this particular outfit and it looks like a tent on me! Ugh, will this skin resolve on its own? For fox sake, will I ever be able to shop anywhere but the Goodwill and Ross Dress For Less? (I'm cheap—I don't want to buy clothes I'll only wear for a month or two unless they're seconds.)

You'll know a lot closer to then what you can and can't eat. Some people can't eat steak, because it's too dry. Some people can't eat Pasta or bread because it expands too much in their pouch. Everyone is different.
I will say this, though... you're likely not to be able to come anywhere close to eating an entire three-course Italian meal. If you don't speak Italian, you might want to take a little card with you that says something like Mi hanno operato allo stomaco e non posso mangiare molto. Per favore, mi serva piccole porzioni.

Since I am now halfway between my heavy weight and my goal weight, I thought I'd show myself. I lost 26 lbs. on my own, then 9 lbs. on the pre-op diet, and 41 lbs. so far since surgery (five weeks ago). I only "see" the changes when I look at before-and-after pictures. I'm starting to see what I'll look like further along and I ain't mad about it.

76 lbs. down, 76 to go.

As of this morning's weigh-in, I am officially halfway through my weight loss journey—started at 392, wanted to lose 152 lbs., have now lost 76 lbs.
Here's hoping the second half is as smooth as the first half!
Thank you all for your guidance and support. I couldn't be doing this without you.

As of this morning's weigh-in, I am officially halfway through my weight loss journey—started at 392, wanted to lose 152 lbs., have now lost 76 lbs.
Here's hoping the second half is as smooth as the first half!
Thank you all for your guidance and support. I couldn't be doing this without you.

As of this morning's weigh-in, I am officially halfway through my weight loss journey—started at 392, wanted to lose 152 lbs., have now lost 76 lbs.
Here's hoping the second half is as smooth as the first half!
Thank you all for your guidance and support. I couldn't be doing this without you.

Since I am now halfway between my heavy weight and my goal weight, I thought I'd show myself. I lost 26 lbs. on my own, then 9 lbs. on the pre-op diet, and 41 lbs. so far since surgery (five weeks ago). I only "see" the changes when I look at before-and-after pictures. I'm starting to see what I'll look like further along and I ain't mad about it.

76 lbs. down, 76 to go.

I have anxiety issues anyway, and take supplements (ashwagandha and an L-theanine/GABA combo) for it. But you might want to make an appointment with a psychiatrist, because they're dab hands at fixing anxiety and dissociation, rather than relying on hospital tests.

The last two years have been insanely hard on everyone so it's no surprise that mental health care is becoming more urgent. Just take care of yourself.

Since I am now halfway between my heavy weight and my goal weight, I thought I'd show myself. I lost 26 lbs. on my own, then 9 lbs. on the pre-op diet, and 41 lbs. so far since surgery (five weeks ago). I only "see" the changes when I look at before-and-after pictures. I'm starting to see what I'll look like further along and I ain't mad about it.

76 lbs. down, 76 to go.