SleeverSk

Me Too!! and my front teeth now "rub" on the inside of my bottom lip

There's a lot to unpack here. Let's start with why we're told to eat slowly:
First of all, recognize that you had a bunch of nerves cut. There are multiple ways your digestive system signals your brain that your are full, but these nerves are the immediate feedback mechanism. Unfortunately, that immediate feedback mechanism is basically broken for a while after surgery. The other signals that you should stop eating are mostly hormonal, but these take a lot longer to activate. (20 minutes is often thrown around, but this is dependent on lots of factors like what and how much you ate.) Bottom line, if you eat faster, it's easy to eat enough to make yourself really sick before you ever get the signal to stop. Obviously this is problematic partly because your stomach is smaller and will fill up faster than it used to, but you also need to remember that early on after surgery, your stomach is also really swollen and inflamed. An inflamed stomach can't stretch like it's supposed to, so there's not a lot of difference between empty and over-full. Taken together, the eat slow recommendation is primarily to keep you from making yourself sick. A secondary consideration is that your team wants you to learn "mindful eating" where you're much more aware of everything that you consume. Being mindful of your consumption is correlated with better outcomes for bariatric patients.
Hopefully that answers your original question. I want to touch on something else that's a bit of a personal pet peeve: you mentioned, and I hear a lot of others worrying about "stretching their new stomach". There's more myth than fact here and this idea really needs to die out.
The truth is that stomachs are designed to work like a balloon. They stretch out as needed, but when empty, they return back to their original size. Can you make it stretch it out to the point it allows you to eat more over time? Yes, and that's exactly what should happen! This is one of the reasons every bariatric plan I've ever seen allows you to slowly increase how much you eat the further away you get from surgery. You need this to happen so that as you get to maintenance, you'll be able to eat enough calories to maintain your new healthy weight.
What you're not going to do is somehow "ruin" your new smaller stomach just because you overate once or twice. It would take overeating a lot over time for excessive stretching to happen. I think what sometimes happens is the inflammation starts going down and people find that they can eat more than expected. Remember, the stomach stretches as needed (up to a point), so they start to panic.
That does not mean there's a problem. It actually means that things are progressing like they should. If this is you, just stick to plan and you'll be fine.

To add to @SpartanMaker’s great response, a few things I’ve discovered that have worked for me.
Often, because of the delay of your fullness signal, by the time you feel full, you’ve often already eaten more than you need. I’ve found I sometimes have a very slow signal. I can unexpectedly feel full an hour or so after I finished eating. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It’s one of the reasons I still eat slowly. If my meal has cooled I’ll simply reheat it. It’s also why I don’t rely on feeling full to stop my eating. My goal is not to feel full but that I’ve eaten what I (my body) needs. I ask myself if I really need the next bite or if I just want it (I share this a lot). It’s how I’m more mindful of my eating. I often pick up my fork or spoon, ask myself that question & put my cutlery down again. I do this whenever & wherever I eat - at home, at family & friend’s, at restaurants. I may eat that bite a few minutes later or I may not eat any more at all. Portion size is also a big consideration. I don’t always eat all of my portion but I never eat more than my portion.
Also don’t be afraid to set aside your portion if family demands stop you eating all your meal. You can always eat some more or finish it later on. Treat the unfinished meal as a snack or as eating several small meals. You’re not exceeding your caloric intake for the day by doing this. Many have found this to work for them.

I am about 12 weeks out from the sleeve. I have more variety and fewer restrictions. However, I have noticed I stopped eating slowly. I still use a baby spoon to keep my bites small but stopped timing my bites 1 minute apart like suggested by my team. I think I stopped because I was tired of my food being cold after a few nibbles. Also, I would stop eating not because I was full but because it took so long... I'm a busy mom of 4 kiddos. So I really picked up the pace. I've noticed it's easier to overeat due to delayed hunger signals but I still have never vomited or been in pain. My full signal seems to be pressure in my stomach/chest area.. almost the same signal I had if I overdid it at a buffet before surgery. However this feeling only lasts about 20 mins now versus hours before surgery. My question is why do we eat slow? Is it just to avoid delayed hunger signals? What are the cons of not slowing down?
I'm still pre-weighing my food so I know I'm not eating more than I would if I ate slow. Could I have stretched my sleeve already? I do consistently have the stuffed feeling after eating the last few weeks.
Sent from my SM-S115DL using BariatricPal mobile app

Somehow I’ve become a random food photo dumper but enjoy (ate all of these ones). This was several days of meals.

Same.
I eat alot of junky "meals", and sometimes i post them (i'm looking at you cheese popcorn dinners!), but i am afraid sometimes that posting these junky meals may be triggering for some people and may not be appreciated (or get judged: i drink alot of alcohol) i dunno....
It's true that i don't eat much in volume, but i do get up there in calories (like 2K a day)
like @GreenTealael proposed, i'll try to show more varied examples of what i eat (fair warning: they may not be pretty!)
i agree that the more people post what they eat, we all get a better idea of how varied we all are, and hopefully gain some acceptance and recognition that there are a whole host of ways to be...and that's ok.
❤️

That’s very sad to hear 😪.
I only post highlights of the things I’m eating (that aren’t boring) and definitely not every meal because it would be 6-8 a day. I’m going to try to be more transparent and post the full meals I have (including drinks and snacks).
I really hope no one is alienated by this thread. It is absolutely not the purpose to humble brag about how little is eaten. I don’t like unrealistic standards either. They aren’t helpful. I hope you decide to post more because representing all levels really matters especially for people who only see the small portions and think it’s the only “normal”.
Come back please ❤️

Yeah, I stopped looking at this thread because I always feel like I am eating way too much seeing how little some people eat before feeling full. But then I compare what I eat to what other non-surgically enhanced people eat and i think ok I don't eat that much really

Yeah, I stopped looking at this thread because I always feel like I am eating way too much seeing how little some people eat before feeling full. But then I compare what I eat to what other non-surgically enhanced people eat and i think ok I don't eat that much really

I can relate to an extent. I have yet to have any WL procedure but have had a few dental nightmares from 2015-2018. In retrospect, the thing I wish I got was second opinions. If it's possible to get a consultation with an endodontist, I think that would be a good thing. I regret letting the dentist I had before do my caps (without doing a root canal). I think it's possible an endodontist might have a better idea if a root canal is possible or not. The second dentist I got, whom I really like, when those teeth that had crowns abscessed, sent me to an micro-endodontist and he was able to save all my teeth and the existing crowns when my first dentist just wanted me to get them pulled. I do know implants need to be screwed into your jaw so that needs to be in good shape. I know it can be cheaper to let your general dentist do that kind of work, but my experience tells me sometimes specialists are best. Best of luck!

Yeah, I stopped looking at this thread because I always feel like I am eating way too much seeing how little some people eat before feeling full. But then I compare what I eat to what other non-surgically enhanced people eat and i think ok I don't eat that much really

Yeah, I stopped looking at this thread because I always feel like I am eating way too much seeing how little some people eat before feeling full. But then I compare what I eat to what other non-surgically enhanced people eat and i think ok I don't eat that much really

I wish I knew that pretty much at the 6 to 9 mark month the weight loss stops. I also wish I knew about the possible hormone levels being throw out of whack and what that could do to your metal health.

Me Too!! and my front teeth now "rub" on the inside of my bottom lip

Newbie here.....what is a BC control change?

Not A victory but a weird observation, I have noticed I have less earwax!?! weird I know but yeah.

Not A victory but a weird observation, I have noticed I have less earwax!?! weird I know but yeah.

I had a long 8 months to wait for this surgery and thought I was very prepared. I read this forum from back to front. 20 years worth of problems and advice. I didn't know it all though, I didn't know that hormones live in fat cells and when we loose a lot of weight quickly we had all these hormones rushing around our bodies like puberty on steroids. I was having a tough time of it with nausea and vomiting too. I cried for a week and did not know why. I asked for help on here and got it. The answer, too many hormones at a time when I was overwhelmed with trying to do everything right. I think you need anti nausea medication.
So, You are not alone. Its normal to feel like you are. As you have realised its big surgery and now you have to get to grips with it, there is no going back. IT WILL GET BETTER.
You wont have to chew food like this forever, it just helps your tiny stomach digest your food so that you get the nutrients from it. Your headaches could be from dehydration, its tough to get all the liquids and food in early on, it feels like it will never get better but it does. Just do your very best everyday to get your liquid and Protein onboard. That way you will improve every day and doing that will improve your mental health a little
Please seek counselling for your eating disorders, hopefully you can find one who understands bariatrics too. OR talk to us on here, you can rage, cry and get these feeling off your chest and it may help a little bit. We don't mind, the ones before us did the same for us. You are not alone

I had serious doubts about getting the gastric sleeve a few days before my surgery. I expressed them to my husband but he thought I was just nervous and wanted to support me, so he urged me to go through with it. I hate it though. I hate my life now and I'm not sure if I will ever not hate it. I have a couple close friends and they did not feel this way 4 weeks post-op like I do. I cry all the time. I'm worried something is wrong and terrified of having to go through any kind of revision surgery. I'm an American living in Germany and it is so difficult to contact my surgeons office and get anyone who speaks enough english to help me. I started my WL journey about 4 years ago when we were stationed in Italy. I was denied a medically necessary breast reduction because my BMI was too high. So I was referred for weight loss guidance.First, I was sent to the base nutritionist (a perfectly in shape airman) who told me I needed to work out more and eat more whole vegetables. I had to work with him for 1+ years before being able to try any WL medications. Unfortunately that was in early 2019, and we all know how the next few years went. We PCS'd to a new base in Germany in 2020 and when I asked about the WL medications I was told that was not an option here. They recommended I carry on with my (now virtual) nutritionist. I wasn't losing any weight and working out would send my back into spasms from my H cups breasts. I was taking a combination of Flexural, Motrin, and Valium for my back spasms, only using the Valium when they were at a level 8 or above pain level (so less than 1 valium a month). Turns out not only could I not get WL meds here, I also could not get a refill on my Valium. I had used too much (less than 1 pill a month for a year). So any weight training was immediately phased out of my working out, which now consisted of only walking. This past summer I went back and told them I really need a breast reduction and if I had to go the WLS route then I was open to that. The provider (who has had WLS themself) was very on board with WLS. I told them that I had already done the nutrition part at my previous base, so he put in the surgical consult referral right away. After I met with the surgeon, who surprise, surprise wanted to operate (surgeons always gonna surgeon), my provider put in the referral for my surgery and stated that all prerequisites had been completed at prior base. Then boom... endoscopy and surgery scheduled. Now all I had said was that I went to nutrition at my previous base and continued it virtually. So I had no idea what other preqs there could be. I had a few meeting with the nutritionist here about the gastric pre/post op diet. That's it. I learned about the full liquid to clear liquid pre-op and clear liquid to full liquid to purees to soft foods diet post op. I was completely unprepared mentally and emotionally for this surgery. Not to mention I had done all my pre-op nutrition with the American on base nutritionist and post-op was with the German hospital nutritionist. They had completely different guidelines (like the Germans wanted me to start soft solids on DAY 5 post op and stop Protein Shakes immediately). I was in the hospital for 4 days with nurses who spoke very little English, so they would give me shots and pills but never tell me what they were giving me. I know a small amount of German, enough to get by with running errands and what not, so I understood one nurse when after I told her my German was minimal and asked if she could speak English, she got annoyed with me and told me I was never going to be allowed to go home. The patient liaison from base sorted it out and the issue was the hospital nutritionist would not do my consult without an in person translator that I needed to provide and I could not be discharged without that consultation. I felt like I was drowning; I still feel like I'm barely able to tread Water now at 4 weeks post-op. My end goal wasn't WL to be skinny. I just wanted a breast reduction. Before surgery I didn't have high blood pressure, diabetes, GERD, sleep apnea, high cholesterol...zero comorbidities. For all intents and purposes I was a healthy fat lady with giant boobs. So post surgery I was/am overwhelmed with regret. There's all these things I feel like I didn't know and wasn't prepared for. Like I knew I was going to be eating smaller portions, but didn't know about the tiny bites and chewing things until its mush in your mouth for the rest of your life. I didn't know that my stomach would be almost too swollen to drink water after surgery and that the german hospital only provided water and broth, no popsicles or Jello. So I spent my days in the hospital feeling nauseous all the time because drinking water made me taste blood in my mouth and that made me gag, all while my nurse tisked me and told me I was never going home. No one asked if I had a history of eating disorders (which I do) and how this surgery and diet are going to bring up old thoughts and feelings of self harm and negative self talking. No one weighed out if the possible negative side effects of the surgery were stronger than the positives. Pre surgery I took ZERO daily meds other than a daily Vitamin. Now I need an antacid and stool softener to be able to ingest anything other than water and not tear myself in half in the bathroom. I also need daily tylenol because eating anything gives me a massive headache. I don't even want to eat anymore. I spend 30 minutes forcing myself to take tiny bites of some high Protein food and then I spend the next hour actively trying not to barf it back up. Without tylenol I am running at 99F, but when I eat it goes up to 100-101. The doctor said its not an emergency unless its 101.5, which is hasn't gotten to yet. And even if it did, what would I do?! The hospital was horrible. My hand still hurts from where the nurse wouldn't flush my IV, so the port go blocked and all he Fluid and medicine soaked into the flesh of my hand, making it swell up like Wreck It Ralph. I had an allergic reaction that made me sneeze for days after surgery. No one would offer any help or advice about my sneezing. They told me to eat less, but I wasn't eating anything at all. I just hate this. I hate food. I hate eating. I hate the thought of chewing until something is a mushy paste. I hate life. I just wanted a breast reduction and now I feel like I've had a life reduction.

I have noticed lots of people coming to the forums in distress because they regret having the surgery, I too was one of them. I wanted to share some of my own experience to reassure those going through regret that for some of us this is completely normal and part of the journey.
Its awful, you feel like crap and wonder what the hell you have done to yourself and for some we wonder if we will even survive this life changing decision we made. You may feel like you have ruined your life, you may feel like you will never eat or drink your favourite things again. You may think you will die of thirst or even starve to death, I am here to say you will get through it, you will feel better and you will eat/drink your favourite things again (even if you shouldn't 😉)
I had my final check in with my mental health care worker the other day and to hear her read back my "statement" and how I was thinking 7 months ago made me cringe, was that really me, was I really down that dark hole ? Yes I was but thankfully I am a long way from that place now.
What we go through is a number of things first and foremost grief, yes grief and you will go through all the stages, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance and for good measure throw some anxiety and remorse in there too. Then there is our hormones omg the hormones what a rollercoaster ride they send us on so hang on tight !! I remember a few bad moments, one that stands out is standing in the shower feeling incredibly weak from not eating or getting my fluids in screaming "why, why me why do I have to feel like this" (some of my friends had breezed through the surgery) lucky no one was home and I did feel a little better after.....so don't be afraid to cry, don't be afraid to shout and scream. Another outburst was at the family dinner table for fathers day screaming why did I do this ? why didn't anyone stop me? I told my team that they shouldn't have approved me and they hadn't screened me properly and they had failed me 😔.
I could tell of many more "moments" but I think you get the picture.
Some people especially those who have had an easy time after the surgery or haven't had the surgery wont understand why you feel like you do I mean you chose to do this right ? The hardest thing is even we don't understand why we feel the way we do, we wanted this, we paid the surgeon to have this done.
Yes its normal to go through a whole range of feelings and some are really bad but it gets better and easier everyday. It might start with 1 good day in a week then 2 until eventually good days out weight the bad you will feel like you are going 1 step forward and 2 steps back but you are still going forward. Be Kind to yourself let people around you look after you but also make an effort to look after yourself even though you don't feel like it. Soon you will get to a point where you no longer have that deep regret and you finally arrive at acceptance and from there you realise you wouldn't have lost the weight without surgery, your life is going to be fine, you can have that coffee and cake with friends , you can eat a meal with your family and your health has improved and you post your weirdest non scale related victory !!
You made it!!
You got through it !!!
There is no more regret !!!

Everyone is different, I suffered post surgery took about 3 months to come good. But you are aware of it, so you are a step ahead. It totally blind sided me

Everyone is different, I suffered post surgery took about 3 months to come good. But you are aware of it, so you are a step ahead. It totally blind sided me

And she found them

Sorry, I don't know what going on with my tablet every time I choose quote to reply the text highlights blue and I can type anymore. The reason I asked was last year I had a contrast ct scan done which showed a mass the radiologist wanted further investigation but my surgeon and gp both agree it was just scar tissue from the sleeve. I also had polyps before surgery. I think I will go back and ask for further investigation just to be safe. Thank you for sharing SleeveDiva2022

This was an area I thought the least about. After my RNY I was surprised that problem aspects of my mental health resurfaced. Hard to tell if it from malapsorbtion of medications or the fact that I was no longer in a constant carb coma.
This is an area that we still need to be careful of and make sure that your support system remains in place. Dont be afraid to reach out and discuss this with your doctor/psychologist.