Bessieboop1981

Thank you for your kind words Conman, I am 6 months post op now and have lost just over 4 stone, I feel great and I'm in a much better place mentally. That being said, I still have a long way to get to get my head completely there. Considering I have had a problem with food my whole life, 6 months is not a great deal of time to fully adapt to the changes that are happening, I'm getting there though! I am also learning to be more accepting of myself when I slip now and then, which is one of the most important things because when I beat myself up about it I'm much worse around food! Thank you again for your reply!

Hiya Sweetie, You could try adding an extra protein shake to your day, you could sip it in between meals. Or how about a cappuccino or latte at around 100 calories. xx

Well done hunny you look amazing!

You are doing amazing but I do understand how you feel. In the very beginning I just wanted to lose the weight as quickly as possible but then I had an epiphany! I need to fix my relationship with food! I'm 10 weeks out so I'm still early days but I know that just losing weight is a sticking plaster for the real reason I used food as a coping mechanism. So I think I need to consider therapy! The food noise gets so bad for me sometimes its like torture! I will be so much more happier when I nail these obsessive food thoughts but it will take time, I've had them my whole life. Like many I have lost up to 6 stone and put it back on quite a few times before I took the plunge and had surgery so I guess I need to be kind to myself and learn to understand the parts of myself that I have ignored for so long. Are you counting calories? at the 5 week mark I was managing around 500 cals a day. I didn't have the protein drinks because I was fuller for longer eating minced chicken, tuna, eggs, lentils, cottage cheese and pureed foods for less calories, a quarter of a cup at a time. I still managed to get in my protein and at least 2 litres of fluids too. If I was a little under in my protein I would drink a clear whey isolate protein squash drink, they are around 100 cals and contain up to 22g of protein! I am on 800 cals a day now as my stomach has done a lot of healing since then. Everyone is different though and I know that some people still can't tolerate actual food at your stage, so listen to your body hun. Here's some ideas for purees for you, a quarter of a cup at a time is about right for the stage you are at but if you can't manage it all that's fine, its just a guide for you. Tuna and mayonnaise - 14 grams of protein Blended baked chicken. I would bake chicken in some tinned tomatoes and season with garlic and herbs then blend it. 50g of chicken has 16g protein Egg mayo - an egg has 6-7g protein Bolognese - use 5%fat minced beef and blend with a tomato based sauce or make your own - 11g protein Protein puddings available in all the supermarkets - 15-20g protein readybrek oats with some protein powder Fat free cottage cheese blended with peanut butter powder and some sweetener if you need it. Cottage cheese has 11g protein per 100g PB powder has 8g protein per serving Ricotta cheese bake - you can find the recipe on Pinterest and even on here! I wish you well on your journey my lovely. You are on a path of healing, mentally, physically and emotionally and you are doing amazing! Be kind to yourself the weight will come off and at 5 weeks you are still healing and probably holding extra fluid anyway. xx

Hey guys, How is everyone coping with life after being sleeved? I am doing a lot better than I was a few weeks ago but I still have a long way to go! My surgical wound that would not heal had to be packed by the nurses for a month. I'm 10 weeks post op and it has finally closed but it seemed to take forever! The head hunger is very up and down for me and torturous at times.... but I am starting to learn new things about myself when it happens. I am still very much navigating my way through dealing with it, I have good days and bad days depending on what's going on in my life. Depression is definitely a thing for me, I am very up and down. I have suffered with it on and off my whole life and at times I feel so lost. I am snappy with my poor hubbie and I am forever apologising to him. I have times where I feel as though I am crawling around on my hands and knees in the dark searching for the light switch that never seems to appear. I am distant at times even from my family but I don't want to be alone, probably because I don't wanna sit with my thoughts because I can't deal with them. I notice that when I am feeling low the obsessive food thoughts creep in to torture me. I am starting to look into getting some therapy for this, it may help. Anyway enough about me tell me about how you are doing! How much weight have you lost, how are you coping with your new lifestyle and please show us some progress pics! xx

I don't know you but I'm so proud of you! Well done! x

stunning! x

Hey lovely It sounds like your mind is going into overdrive with everything and that's understandable I get it I've been there so many times. Only you can make the decision about if this is right for you. The sleeve will not solve your issues with food but it will help you to eat a lot less, for most of us it is the last resort. Ask yourself if you can carry on living your life as you are now. There are risks with every operation, even with having teeth out. Instead of looking at the bad stories look at the good! It does take a leap of faith to do this I'm not gonna lie but for me it was absolutely the right choice. I am type 2 diabetic and I was heading towards insulin. I had high cholesterol and there is heart disease in my family. I'm off my meds now and I feel amazing, it's just the mental struggle which is worse some days than others but I'm getting there and I'm early days. Another tip I picked up is to stop the diet mentality. In the beginning I was calorie counting everything even a bloody pickle! Now I keep an eye on my calories but I try not to obsess because when I do that it makes my brain fight the control. If I'm hungry I have some veges or fruit and I don't count that. Life does get better after the initial shock of such a huge life style change. Many people continue to tell me that life gets better and I have learned that it does gradually. Be kind to yourself though hun and give yourself time. I wish you well x

Hello there and welcome! I was sleeved about 8 weeks ago now and I spent countless hours, days and months before surgery stressing about every little thing that I read and heard. Right up until surgery I was still hyperventilating! I totally understand how you feel right now. Now I'm on the other side I have to say there are some major challenges for me to deal with. I have been big my entire life and this is like a baptism by fire to me. What do I mean by that? Well I knew I had a food issue especially comfort eating but I didn't realise how bad it was until after my surgery. Head hunger is my biggest enemy I crave food a lot of times during my day. Interestingly enough I don't really crave junk food anymore because I have avoided that from the get go, I just miss the comfort of eating more if that makes sense. I did feel really drained and miserable months before surgery, I was so afraid of things going terribly wrong too, but I was Ok and it was worth it. I don't regret it and I am still early days. I have lost over2 and a half stone in that time and I am feeling much better than I was pre op. Now, you say you don't enjoy healthy food but what do you class a healthy? You will eventually be able to eat chicken, lean beef and pork mince, fish, cheese, yogurts, protein drinks, protein puddings and much more. You will also be surprised how much your tastes and cravings change post op, I know! I didn't believe it either! I make a healthy version of pizza with my own low calorie wholemeal base and low fat protein cheese with ham. It tastes better than the one I used to have before and it is a much healthier version. There's literally loads of ways you can alter your favourite foods to make them lower in calories and healthier too. Get on Pinterest and tiktok there's so much content out there for bariatric surgery patients. The main thing I should tell you with absolute certainty is that the sleeve is a tool not a quick fix. You really need to be fully prepared for the changes it will bring. You will need to put in the hard head work and explore a healthier way of life, Be willing to try healthier food and you may learn to like it. You will not be able to eat unhealthy food and get all the nutrients you need from your diet. If you are certain this is what you want to do then you need to research. you said you don't like healthy food but you also said you don't know how to eat healthy. This is where your research will come in. I noticed you said that you can't find the discipline but when you have a smaller tummy you physically can't eat as much, you will be in a lot of pain and then you will throw up! I wish you all the best on your journey, it's a hell of a ride! x

Thank you for your time hun and you kind words xx

Thank you hun, I'm so scared to indulge in anything I shouldn't incase it completely derails me. I eat loads of proteins very little carbs too. I think it's just the huge life change that will take time to adapt to. I just want to feel normal and at the moment I don't feel like me x

Hey guys, The last few days have been super hard I just want to eat all the time I feel so empty! I know its mainly head hunger and at nearly 8 weeks out it is my mind fighting against the changes I have made. I miss eating more! I have had slight cravings for junk food lately but I will not eat it because I know it will do me absolutely no good and it will make me worse off. I haven't eaten any of it since before my surgery and have no plans to in the future. As a recovering food addict a little bite would be a massive trigger to eat way too much and I can't deal with that. I know I have been addicted to food pretty much my whole life but I honestly didn't think that my addiction was as bad as it clearly is. I don't regret having the surgery and having lost 2 stone 6lbs is amazing in such a short time, it's just so hard to get used to the huge life change. I am all in and will continue eating healthy unprocessed food because my body loves it and I feel so much better physically. It's taking my mind a long time to catch up though and I'm struggling. I have heard plenty of ideas about finding a hobby and doing things to focus my mind away from food but I need to face up to my food demons and learn to live with them. I don't want to avoid these feelings coming up, they need to be dealt with. So I journal when it gets too much and I post on here too. I'm just looking for some one who understands how I feel and who can tell me it gets better! Thanks again guys x

You go girl! Xx

You are doing an amazing job! It's been 5 months and you have turned your life around! Speaking about myself personally I have been a big person my whole life and I know that many people here have too. So that means We need to give ourselves a little bit of grace if we back track a little. What is important is how fast we get back in the saddle. Our old eating habits need time to die a death but we will get there, every day brings us closer to that. congratulations Neon Raven, be proud of yourself you are a warrior! x

Please feel free to message girls if you fancy a chat about the struggle,I get you! X