Flamingowatcher2023

I was the same way and, to some extent, still am. My bypass surgery was 5/24. I lived on Oikos greek yogurt for about 5 or 6 weeks because other foods, no matter how pureed (YUCK!!!) or how gently cooked, would get stuck right in the middle of my chest. I would generally do a lot of pacing and deep breathing until the pain and the danger of throwing up had passed. My doctor said it was perfectly normal and would get better with a little time. As usual, he was correct. I still can't eat most meat, though some have started going down without pain. It gets a little better each day. I rarely ever ate because I enjoyed food but more because of stress, boredom and habit. Foods I used to enjoy, like pizza, don't do it for me any more. I don't even particularly like french fries now. Never thought that would happen. I do still miss my sliced apples. I will continue to try them occassionally. Just give it time. As you heal, you will be able to enjoy a broader range of food.

I am a very fit and well 64 year old.

You CAN do it and you WILL do it! I spent about 4 years in the prep stage, including the year for COVID and 2 years for recovery from a badly injured leg and a switch in programs (read: Surgeon). I thought it was NEVER going to happen. All that said, I started at around 320 lbs and was down to 254 before surgery on 04/24/23. I just kept the mindset that I would be damned if they used me slacking off in the loss department as an excuse to put off the surgery one. more. time. My incentive was arthritis and fibromyalgia all over my body. Oh. And an ankle that wouldn't heal properly for 2 years - to include a large danger of losing the foot. Any weight I could get off was weight that wasn't pulling on my body. You just have to decide what your health is worth to you.

Oh yeah - please don't make the same mistake I did and purchase tons of various products to eat, drink and, whatever, in anticiaption of surgery. I threw out a couple of hundreds of dollars worth of product that I found I had absolutely no interest in consuming.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

So - here is the real reason I stumbled into this forum tonight. Has anyone else noticed that their skin has a very bitter taste? That sounds a little weird. It's not like I go around licking my skin, but I do touch my lips with my fingers more than I realized. At first, I chalked it up to hand sanitizer and then my hand soap. But I use several different types of soap throughout the day. And I admit, I tasted my hand soaps and lotions to see if that was my problem. Nope. So, then, in addition to tasting funny(???), yesterday everything started smelling like there was coat of fuel on it. I was in my car when I first noticed it - the car is only a little over a year old - so I checked to see if the air intake was set to outside air. It would make sense. I live in a city and there are always stinky vehicles around. But, nope. It was on recirculating inside air. Then I notice it at home. I was tempted to check to make sure the pilot lights were still lit in my stove. But nope again. I have an electric stove. My next avenue to explore might be a vitamin or mineral deficiency of some sort. Please feel free to "weigh in" on the topic.

I would rather have the WLS and all it entails than spend the rest of my life digging my grave with a spoon. No regrets!

This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it WILL pass.

@jenniferx4 I totally get it. I also have 5 kids, and I think the summer may not have been the right time to do this. I wasn’t expecting to be hungry immediately after surgery. I made a smoothie for one of my girls, and ended up drinking about 1/4 through a straw. I know I will get to the point it’s worth it, but I’m not there yet.

So much this.

Respectfully, and with no malice whatsoever, suggesting a therapist for auxiliary support is NOT bashing, in any way, shape, or form. ❤️ ESPECIALLY in THIS forum.
Alot of us recognize (or eventually come to recognize) that there is alot of head work to do for long term weight loss success. Food addictions, emotional eating, self-medicating, self-worth, body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, anorexia/bulima are just some the the many, many issues our community tend to suffer from en masse.
Yes, there is diet and exercise, your nutritionist and your personal trainer can help you with that (as can the members in this board). As for whats going on in your head, thats what the therapist is for. The folks on here can offer a sympathetic ear and suggest anecdotal solutions, but the real work can be done with a GOOD therapist (unfortunately i also do recognize good ones are hard to find).
anyways, good luck, and just know its not an insult here when someone suggests a therapist...it's actually a sincere effort to help.
❤️