KimA-GA

I found this Gastric Sleeve Food List By Stage that I thought that may be helpful. It’s close to mirroring what I received from my nutritionist with a few little exceptions (each plan can be so different!) Figured it might be a nice guide to refer to - might give you ideas for each stage to have variety.

Great work!! keep it up!! I know how hard it is. Be proud you are working it! what kind of diet are you following or just watching what you eat overall?

oh, my! that must have been very very frustrating! you are right, there is nothing that can be done but go with the flow as best as you can. we are technically going into fall, but here that doesn’t mean much. it’s still around 85F/29C … A tv station posted on facebook this morning that it’s 100 days till christmas and the average afternoon temperature for christmas is 55f/12C …. tho we do have about a month it gets chilly in january I am impatiently waiting for things to fall into place. Done all I can, now it’s up to everyone else !

I have heard that it is difficult to say the least if there is an exclusion to the policy.. most people self pay in that case.. (and fyi school employees in Georgia have bariatric surgery covered now.. I have GA teachers insurance via my husband who is a district employee)

the bubbles in carbonated drinks have a pressure to them that can do things to your stomach. (hence burping if you drink them too fast) the bubbles you are seeing in the shakes are non pressurized air trapped so should be fine!

great job with the hard work (and it’s soo hard)… just keep on and things will fall into place… also talk to you out psych about his opinion of your recovery. maybe there is more he sees or he isn’t really seeing your whole picture. i am only about 9 months in “remission” (seven at the time of psych eval) … this past week has stress tested me and the “worst” thing i did food wise was turn to an extra serving of sugar free jello and ate it in a stress snit… it is freeing not to be held back due to the compulsion anymore…

i have BED but made big strides before the bariatric surgery process started and eve tho I am still in a new reality my psych eval wasn’t too concerned. I strongly suggest no matter what you look into why you binge with a therapist or in another therapeutic manner BEFORE surgery. I had circumstances come together which made me able to face my demons and am now better for it. BED goes so far beyond food. Food is only a symptom, not the real problem. feel free to reach out anytime in PM or on here (anyone/everyone) anytime!

sigh.. I should not complain, but yep I am… I am in limbo and cannot get a date for surgery yet because I have two insurances; one that does not cover bariatric a at all and one that does. I just had to get my denial letter to the surgeon because they can’t seem to get a copy. Now it’s time to wait for approval in round two (the one with coverage). My surgeon had October 5/6 as surgery in the first request but with the (what should have been expected) delay it could be the end of october or november … It just is less than ideal timing for my work and everything else (tho being on alternative diet for holidays doesn’t bother me so far, because i will eat different no matter what happens). Maybe I am just being impatient and standing under a little black rain cloud of my own making … but the frustration is real to me! anyone else experienced similar?

frustrating to have dates moved!! my surgeon hasn’t given me a date yet … just beginning of october

Honestly, I told my husband Chinese and Italian are out till post op able… but I have contingency that I have researched in case that’s where we go. for chinese most things have cornstarch (high carb) or other breading and sugar… (even beef with pea pods is high carb due to cornstarch in dish)…ordering from a menu I can get egg fu young patties, no rice and no gravy. It’s one of the very few low carb options. (Unless they will do stir fry with no thickeners and a non sweet sauce) italian, my contingency dish is simply an antipasto appetizer as my meal and just avoid any non keto parts… I looked up each restaurant I could go to and get dishes and substitutions that fit my eating plan. Having an app on your phone helps to look up things on the fly… I use carbmaster and it works well… may take longer to order, but worth it

Yes! There are so many things I have not been able to do with my weight, I am looking forward to be under weight limits for things!

wow, cant imagine how stressed and bad that must make you feel… did it start right after surgery? have you had your doctor or screen you for nutritional deficiency?? especially post op that could make a big difference …i hope you find an answer

Some cycles I have no food differences, but some (like this one lol tmi) it comes with lots of cravings as hormones fluctuate. Often it’s sweet and junk foody cravings.. (been resisting but hard!) Also been wanting more volume, but been adding extra veg to satisfy that.

simply the act of putting down my utensil after each bite makes me take my time chewing.

the body does that sometimes. you can’t worry about daily fluctuations, more like weekly trends. remember - 1 gallon of water weighs 8 lbs - so if you are retaining or lost up to gallon of water from your body that could cause the number to fluctuate or keep it from going down if you are loosing fat. do you do body measurements ?

pre-op here… even tho I know this is what I want, I have natural doubts and reservations about undergoing a major surgery. I have been writing my whys. Why do I want surgery? What will it get me that other methods won’t? What sort of life will it allow me to have in six months? a year? Five years? also, what am I most afraid of? How likely is it or how would I deal with it? it helps me to write it out like that and process it mentally.

look at enjoying appetizers or side salads - some places will also allow people kids meals! or look at the a la carte options; instead of a meal a meat and one side or just a side may suit you. most importantly enjoy yourself!!!!

sharing my experience especially for those (like me) who have never had procedures like this. Had a lot of worry going in over anesthesia, what he would find (hiatal hernia or defects) etc. My pre-op upper endoscopy was yesterday. I got a COVID test Sunday to prepare. I got to the hospital for my 7:30 am checkin. No food or drink after midnight. My Mom brought me since I could not drive after. Check in was pretty simple, mostly confirming insurance. I was sent over to the lab for a pregnancy test (lol very negative lol) and was brought upstairs to my room. In the room was a flurry of activity. I got undressed to my underpants and put a gown on. They tested my blood sugar, put in an IV and confirmed medical details. Then the anesthesiologist came in and went over more and did a quick airway exam. I was bumped from second to first because the medical staff got me ready quickly. a lovely nurse wheeled me up to the procedure room at 8:30 am. The room was chilly but that felt lovely to me. warmed blankets were available if desired. They rolled me on my side up high on some pillows. i was given a few doses of meds in the IV and breathed a full face mask of oxygen and… was out. Next thing I know I hear voices telling me I am done and everything looked great. They wheeled me back to my room and I got back at 9:05 am. I got a glass of grape juice and zoned out for 30 -45 mins before I was actually in less of a twilight state. dr came in and went over what he saw. slight anatomical abnormality that would not impact things and as he put it “everyone has things that are slightly off from textbook anatomy” … my hiatal area was loose but no herniation. looked good and safe for surgery. A few mins after 10 they said I could get dressed and get my discharge paperwork. before 10:30 I was in the car heading home. the top of my throat had a slight irritation post procedure. Kinda like when you have a minor post nasal drip from allergies that irritates your throat. That got better throughout the day and was nearly gone by bedtime. i ate and drank normally the rest of the day, but didn’t have a lot of hunger. i was a bit sluggish and tired feeling the rest of the day. Actually napped (unusual for me) for a little bit late afternoon. so overall not bad experience at all. quick, pretty painless.

Loose skin is something that many/most will have to deal with post op in one way or another. I know there is a point that surgical removal of loose skin is the only way to deal with it. But what can you do pre and post surgery, if anything, that can help minimize the excess skin issues???

I take chlorthalidone (diuretic for blood pressure) and spoke with my dr about post surgery with it. she said to keep taking it and break daily dose in half if i start feeling dizzy

you will do great!! picture all the things you will do in the new chapter of your life after the 6th!

check with your insurance. Some have blocks from providing care directly related to a self pay procedure, even years after the fact. That could be why you are having trouble.

I watched most of it last night - will finish it today. Really good detailed reasoning and physiological and psychological information. I especially liked the information about why alcohol effects you differently after surgery - that has been super helpful in understanding. Addictive personality is in my genes (Strong genetics in Finnish decent) and I have always been cautious with alcohol (but ignored the food aspect till now). will continue vigilance after sleeve .. but know myself enough it will probably be an occasional indulgence

@ShoppGirl thank you for asking. I have done a lot of therapy over the years and simply i was not ready to use what I learned then. My life circumstances just did not allow me to make the adjustments without pretty much having a breakdown or loosing things I wasn’t willing to loose even tho it was hurting me. About a year and a half ago, my mind and body realized that my life circumstances had changed and I could start processing all of that and making my life better. with this year, I finally was able to start implementing the tools and tricks and skills I had learned in therapy but wasn’t able to implement because of other pressures. I feel right now that I am on my best mental footing in twenty years. I am clearer with my desires and boundaries. Frankly, right now I think a new therapist would just muddy the waters because I am doing more on my own than a therapist ever did, but using techniques that I learned from them. I have about six journals that I have filled this year which really mimic what therapy was for me. But now instead of spinning wheels and just staying alive, I feel totally different and am starting steps towards living again. If I stop making progress or hit a hard bump I am more than willing to go back to therapy, but I just don’t see the benefit right now for me. I haven’t binged since very early this year. I stopped the behavior and I am not just white knuckling my way through but finding forgiveness and inner peace to keep the urges from happening. i have been setting boundaries around the things that were causing me to eat my feelings. I am standing up and not accepting the gaslighting or other bad behaviors anymore. I never really understood before what being “ready” meant. It almost brings me to tears of relief when I think about how amazing it feels compared to the struggle. I am ready and walking the path and it feels good, even with the emotional work pain. I wish everyone could find their “ready” because it just makes life easier, even when doing hard work.

@ShoppGirl thank you for that reminder!! so easy to forget how that stuff adds up