Amidoingit

One thing I try to be really conscious of is avoiding "dieting". I believe fad diets, eating too little, etc... can destroy your metabolism and I think that was part of my problem pre-surgery. Years of yo-yo diets meant my metabolism (aka Calories Out) was destroyed. I am really trying to not do that this time around. I did have a little weight gain over the holidays and am trying to eat around 1700 a day with working out and the little I gained is slowly coming off in what I hope is a healthy way.

Personally, I have been to Aldi twice. Once to see what the excitement was about and the second time to make sure that the first time was not just a weird happening. Granted, I keep Kosher, so i was not expecting to purchase cheeses or meats there. (i only eat cheeses without animal rennent) But I did not find anything exciting or great pricing. The produce appeared old and wilted, and boxed items and pantry items were too close to expiration for my liking. I did find some European Condiments that were a "fun" purchase, and tons of snack items like chips and Cookies, crackers and Cereal.

Thanks for all the well thought out responses! I will use this going forward [emoji2]

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Thanks for all the well thought out responses! I will use this going forward [emoji2]

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You're right, summerset....getting folks to think about weight loss and disordered eating in any other way than...extreme dieting...is like hitting your head against a wall until it's bloody.
I'm not sure I care to do it anymore. The windmill wins.
And Sillykitty made a great point...many people FEEL any suggestion of doing it any other way...is criticism of what they've been doing. It isn't, but I know it's experienced that way.
There is a defensiveness that rivals politics and religion...when we talk about diets and weight loss.
Everyone is very fixed on what they believe...including me, I suppose.
I think this might be a major reason why we don't see more activity on the veteran's forum...there's a volitility that gets so negative.
And ya know? I like ya'll. I don't want to feel negative about anyone or anything here.
At some point, it's unhelpful to share your two cents, even when you try to do it carefully.
And at some point, maybe it's best to realize that.
Peace and best wishes to all.

Most of the veteran posts, lets face it.... are "Help, I've regained!"
And the response I see over and over and over and over is...
"Go back to basics...starve yourself at 1000 calories a day (or less)...start drinking protien shakes....do keto...blah blah blah"
I don't mean to criticize heartfelt advice...and I know some of ya'll are genuinely trying to help.
But why in the world would you tell someone to do the same thing over again....that didn't work the first time?
It seems nuts to me.
My two cents: see a bariatric therapist. Stop the self punishment. Stop the self sabotage. Stop the self harming extremes.
Get down to the real reasons you're addicted to food, what you're medicating with it...and work on fixing those issues.
If you do....making slow reasonable changes to your diet that have slow but steady results....will work.
You don't have to starve. You don't have to do very low calorie diets that hurt your metabolism, your bone density, and your muscle mass.
You don't have to be so freaking EXTREME.
Breathe. Make reasonable changes you can live with for a lifetime. No crash diets. They don't work. You know this. How many years experience do you have KNOWING that this approach doesn't work? Stop running from the real issues.

In your shoes, I would continue to wear pants and long sleeves in light weight fabrics or sun-guard fabrics. Rayon is very comfortable in hot weather.
I'm very pale and burn badly. I have been treated for actinic keratosis (pre-cancerous cells) and don't want to risk worse.
I never go out in the sun without a hat or clothing to block the sun. I NEVER sit in the sun and always seek shade. Even my swimwear is covering. I wear bicycle-shorts bottoms and 3/4 sleeve t-shirts in swimsuit material. I've even got capri length bottoms but haven't worn them.

SPF70 sunblock!

Ice cold Protein Shakes are the way to go! Ice cold Water and electrolyte drinks, too!

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I'm hoping to start dating again in about 6 or so months, I'm open to it but at the moment kind of just want to put energy into myself.

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Your local food pantry may be able to help. Skip the Pasta, rice and bread. Go with canned and dried Beans, canned meat, tuna, eggs and Peanut Butter.< br>
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I am just getting into soft food and also not a big cook. Found these Hormel beef tips and gravy during my pre-op diet. I just rinse off the gravy and have tender pre cut beef that you can heat up in the microwave. They were on the aisle between the meat and the lunch meat. Sort of reminds me of beef stew. Haven't tried the chicken yet - it was next to the beef tips.

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I had my surgery in Mexico. It was literally the best health care experience I've ever had. I researched the hell out of it and chose an excellent doctor and hospital. The doctor was trained and certified in the US, and had excellent success rates. If it's a quality hospital and up-to-date surgeon, they use the same medical practices as they do in the US. But because labor is so much cheaper there, the nurses hover over you and take such good care of you. I did have one issue when I had an allergic reaction to a medication and we had trouble explaining what was going on to the nurse, but then they went and got one of the doctors that spoke better english.

I'm absolutely sure that your friend has your best interests at heart. But she may not be well informed about this subject. Lots of people think bariatric surgery is a bad idea no matter who you are and where you do it. My mom was definitely worried when I told her I wanted to do it. But she talked to my sister-in-law, who is an endocrinologist, and told her "oh yeah, bariatric surgery works, it will add 10 years to her life."

And surgery in Mexico sure sounds shady. But there's crappy surgeons in the US too. No matter where you are getting surgery, you should research the hell out of it and choose someone who you trust. My mom was nervous about it, but she also went with me and helped me communicate. I was very happy to have her along since you often feel pretty bad right afterwards.

There's nothing wrong with re-evaluating your plan and making sure you're comfortable with your choices. But there's basically a 100% chance that someone who loves and cares about you will think its the wrong decision. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. In the end, it's your choice, not theirs. You're the one who is living in your body, you're the one who knows best what you need, and you're the one who looked into this and got the information and made the decision. That's how it should be.

Woooow u look great!!! Such an inspiration for me and I bet for many others as well!!! keep up the good work!! I love this site

I did a pre-pre-op diet for 4 days. Cut out caffeine, drank Protein Shakes and had sf Jello. Moving to the real pre-op diet was easy. Had my surgery 4 days ago!!!!. For 2 weeks post op it will be all liquids. It was helpful to me. Good luck!

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I appreciate this question/post. Thank you for this very real response, Creekimp13. We need more like this... straight forward and no sugar coating, so that others can make an honest, informed decision. Much appreciated!! Be well!

1. Figuring out what to do with the pissed off/sad feelings when food wasn't an option to self soothe with.
2. Grieving no longer liking foods I've used as a comfort crutch for a lifetime.
3. Being suprised that this is a lifelong challenge, a lifelong calorie count, a lifelong need to be mindful, a lifelong fight.
You don't "overcome" this. You learn more strategies to deal with disordered eating....every day....for the rest of your life. You learn more about how you ended up fat. You learn more about yourself.
Most newbies think of weighloss surgery in terms of....
First hurdle....getting surgery
Second hurdle..surviving post surgical diet
Third hurdle..doing extreme things to get down to goal weight as soon as possible. (terrible idea)
and at Goal....the fantasy ends.
The typical Newbie thinks goal weight is the yellow brick road happy ending with a rainbow over it. Goal Weight is arriving at the destination you will never depart from. It is THE END, the reward, Bliss, Victory, blah blah blah...
The problem with arriving at goal....is that you wake up the next day....and you're still you. LOL.
Look past goal. Goal isn't the end. You don't get fixed just because you reach goal. Your brain and eating aren't less disordered. You have to work through all sorts of weird behavior and fix the parts of you that need attention...the parts that drove you to morbid obesity.
That's the real challenge....living permanently with new eating habits, new physicality, and finding new outlets for toxic feelings that don't end up being self sabotaging.
The work is never done. I won't say it doesn't eventually get easier. But it's never done.
I will be working on this big life change....for the rest of my life.

One of the bigger challenges many people face is thinking the surgery magically fixes you (it doesn't), thinking that the surgery does the work (it doesn't, but you do), and thinking that you're cured somehow at goal.
You are just getting started.