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I’m into charcuterie for summer meals. I got some mini boards at Dollar Tree. I’ve been playing around with horseradish and mustards to change it up. I tried some pickled peppers and olives for flavor. In the winter I like hot foods and cook up big orders of chicken and meatballs, freeze and use as needed. I love a salad but it can get boring and early on after WLS they were not digested. Cue pictures of cute charcuterie boards now lol. We’re having pre-cooked shrimp on ice for dinner tonight!

Oh my I am so sorry this is happening to you. I had at least 6 months of this, day in, day out. They tested me for a stricture but found my stitch line was swollen and inflamed and although I could swallow liquids slowly, solids were difficult. Now I still take Lansoprazole twice a day and antacid when I need it. It sucks to be the 1% that has difficulties. I found that artificial sugars, some protein substitutes, rich meats and iron in the vitamins were not for me. I didn't reach my liquid or protein goals but my team were sympathetic and monitored me. I was told to focus on drinking. I tried to eat 6 - 8 tiny meals a day. Every time I had a day of vomiting I would go back a step to liquids. I had a lot of thin soups, tiny slivers of cheese and milk. I tried to eat as clean as I could which wasn't hard with the tiny little amounts of food I could eat. I am occasionally sick now but its because I overeat, forget not to eat grape skins or eat too fast. Now I just give my stomach a days rest and continue. I am used to the feeling of pre vomit and I will usually deal with it. For some reason a popsicle sometimes works

I'm right at 5 months, and over the past few weeks, it has become HARD. In the beginning, I was dropping weight, had zero interest in food, and was totally motivated. But since the beginning of July, I've lost a pound. Actually, I've lost and gained and lost and gained that one pound multiple times. I've started feeling hungry sometimes again, and that's triggering all sorts of bad behaviors like getting up when I'm trying to avoid work (I work from home) and looking in the cupboard for a snack, not to mention craving sweets. It's been a constant fight. Not getting that reward of watching the scale dropping all the time kind of saps the motivation, I think. And the novelty wears off and you start to realize that you're in this for the long haul and maybe you start to rebel a little. You're not alone. You say you're afraid of being judged, but you are judging yourself every time you do things you know you shouldn't do. You said it yourself. You're disgusted by what you're doing, but there's a reason you're doing it, and figuring that out is going to be the key to stopping it and changing. I feel like there is probably a voice you hear in the back of your head telling you that you can't do this. Maybe there's literally someone saying it to you in your life, but most likely it's a voice in your head from a long time ago, one that sounds like you but probably was someone else when you first heard it. For me, it's my grandmother, and to some extent my dad. Never happy, never praising. Expecting perfection and scolding "for your own good" over every little thing. Ridiculing my weight despite being overweight themselves, but also overfeeding me because that's what they knew. Food was the enemy, but also a reward from emotionally stunted caregivers who had no other way to show affection. When you can never fully meet expectations at a young age, you learn quickly that you will always fail. That may be the role you've played in your family. Maybe it's everything, or maybe just one thing, like being overweight. And when you start to succeed, it feels frightening because it challenges everything you have been taught to believe about yourself. If you're not "the fat friend", who are you? Or maybe being "the fat daughter" kept a jealous family member happy because you weren't "competition" that way. There are so many reasons we get into these patterns. But the point is, the patterns feel normal and safe. So you make sure you don't succeed and change too much or for too long. You're used to being disappointing to yourself. You can live with that. But admitting you're capable of succeeding and changing is really scary. Allowing yourself to challenge the roles other people want you to fulfill is the hardest thing you can do. At least that's my experience. As for how to change, my first suggestion is talk to your team. That's why they're there, and they know what's going on because they've seen it before. Face it head on. Nothing they say is going to be any worse than what you are saying, and doing, to yourself. If you can get set up with a therapist, even better. Second, get every source of temptation out of the house. The alcohol. The junk food. Whatever is making you stumble, get rid of it. Do your shopping online from now on, or curbside pickup because it is way easier not to give into temptation that way. You can't binge on what you don't have. But skip the gym. It's really only about 10% of your success, anyway. Focus on water, protein, and vitamins. You don't need the false guilt of the gym to make everything worse. And third, get help from people you trust who are close to you if you can. Accountability is key. If going out to eat is an issue, tell your friends or family that you need their help not letting you go out to eat. Explain why you can't be around snacks, or why you won't be ordering alcohol, and ask for their help. If you trust even one person in your life to tell what is really going on, tell them. You need another voice cheering you on instead of just your own head bringing you down. Bottom line, something about what you are doing right now feels comfortable to you. It's a pattern that you can live with, even if you hate it. Something about what you were doing when you were following the rules was making you uncomfortable. Figure out what and why. You can't change your habits until you change that voice in your head, and until you can love yourself and cheer yourself on instead of being your own worst judge. But you have to believe you're worth it and be willing to do things that scare you in order to get past this fog and get to where you want to be.

For surgery on the NHS, it has to be shown that the patient is fully aware that the surgery is only a tool and that the patient has realistic expectations of life post-surgery. We have to show and understand that we are prepared to put in all the necessary work (daily vitamins and regular blood tests, to adhere to the rules of eating both immediately after surgery while we heal and then the lifelong commitment required to maintain their losses) I’m glad that my NHS Trust has hoops to jump through if I’m honest, as it inspires confidence for me. Would I love surgery now? Of course! I’m I mentally prepared for it? No, I don’t think I am. The past couple of weeks have shown me that I do respond to emotional situations by trying to soothe myself with food. Will I be able to do that post-op? Very, very doubtful as I would be worried about undoing both the surgery and the psychological readiness I know I need to undergo said surgery. I do read some posts on various forums that do give cause for concern as a pre-op patient, just as Tek identified above. I’m in no position to advise but it is comforting that the more experienced posters do their utmost to give advice and guide the user in contacting their surgeon, doctor etc or to re-read the advice they should have been given 🙂

--- It could be that a lot of people (like meeeee) may have been attributing symptoms to dumping syndrome when it was foamies, IBS, food intolerances, etc. But also just from a social-stats standpoint, people are more likely to complain about their bad times than come celebrate when things are just progressing normally/fine/ok. As for fruits, my personal experience would caution that as you're introducing new fruits to your diet, eat them with a protein you already know you tolerate well. The protein could help the fruit's sugars from just hitting your stomach straight up. And at first at least, maybe lean more towards fruits with good fibre content? I had a lot more luck with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries at first than other options. Even now, I can eat black cherries if they're mixed into some greek yogurt, but if I try to eat them on their own or with oatmeal it's just too much on my system (at this stage). (And just FYI: blueberries with natural peanut butter? So fricking satisfying. On it's own, or on a cracker / toast if you want that bit of crunch)

Thank you! It does feel amazing. Yeah, the three months were horrible! I was beyond discouraged and starting to get angry, you go through all this and follow the rules - giving up delicious foods, increase activity- you expect to lose #'s. I expect it to slow down to a trickle (just didn't expect it at 6 months PO) I was prepared for it at around the one year mark. Maybe I'll get an extension since I had to suffer through the three months 😉 and it won't slow for a few months into my year!!

Small update, in case this is beneficial to anyone else going through the same stall & hunger issues in the future! I met with my Physician's Assistant (we don't see the surgeon post-op in my program - the PA does all the medical legwork) on July 8th since I was stuck in the high 240s for quite a while (roughly 112kg). The PA discussed what I was doing, agreed that I was doing almost everything right, minus somewhat larger portions at meals due to experiencing more hunger. We discussed GLP-1s (Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, etc.), phentermine, topiramate + phentermine, Contrave, and other medication options. Since my insurance would not cover GLP-1s (I do not have diabetes) and they'd all be crazy expensive out-of-pocket, we decided to give the phentermine a try. Note that this is not a good medication to add if you have any history of heart issues - I'm not a doctor, so anything I say is personal anecdote and you should always consult a physician for any changes in your own medications, etc. Phentermine is a stimulant and an anorectic, which means it reduces appetite and can increase energy. It will NOT cause you to burn more calories without increasing activity, so reducing the amount eaten is critical (and increasing activity helps, too). The PA had me do an EKG in-office that day, and since it came out normal, I was prescribed half of a 37.5mg tablet for the first 4 days, to increase to a whole tablet daily if I still had residual hunger and was tolerating the 1/2 tab well. I did end up going up to the full tablet, as I had no side effects (except for some anxiety the one day I had a cup of coffee in the morning...don't combine stimulants!!). The result has been that I've dropped 5lbs in the last 2 weeks, and almost a week of that was spent at an outdoor music festival where the food options were far less than stellar (think "carnival foods" - I tried to stick mostly to all-meat options as much as possible, but I did help my spouse with some cheese curds and funnel cake...). I do have Narcolepsy and ADHD, and the addition of a stimulant has been a bit helpful for those conditions, as well. Another plus was that it cost me roughly $7 USD to fill at my pharmacy with insurance, so it was far more affordable for me than the GLP-1s would have been. My hunger has been curbed quite a bit, and this has helped me feel satisfied eating far smaller portions than I was eating previously. I have a check-in with my PA towards the end of August, and I'm pleased with my progress so far! I had an annual physical with my General Practitioner last week, and my A1C says I'm no longer pre-diabetic 😁

A new week beckons… Laid in bed this morning, just taking stock of how I’m feeling and I actually feel happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that happy feeling for no apparent reason. The first part of my WLS journey is completed and now out of my hands for now so I’ve mentally put that to one side. I’ve started back at the gym and I’M LOVING IT!! I know the gym isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I truly enjoy it. I found something that works for me and can sustain it, which is really important for anyone trying to improve their fitness. I’ve been 3 times this past week and I’m not pushing it as yet, no matter how much the little devil on my shoulder is telling me to 😈 I’m aiming to go every 3rd day at the moment but will re-visit that in a few weeks time. Granddaughters party went as well as could be expected with other little kids there! I didn’t go mad food-wise - a burger, handful of mini sausage rolls, 1 Jammie Dodger, a cupcake and a small piece of cake. I actually threw a piece of quiche away which is a first for me and left the crisps, coleslaw etc alone! I know it may seem a lot but compared to what I would shovel away previously, it’s actually quite restrained! My body shape is changing, even if the scales aren’t particularly moving right now. I went through my gym stuff and tried on a pair of leggings that are size 18/20 and they fit! That was a bit of a surprise, especially as I couldn’t get them up my thighs previously 😮 Various other items are now ether too big or now fitting whereas before they were too tight. The jeans that were fine a few weeks ago? Can now get them off without unfastening them! I actually had to buy some smaller things this week. I’m not a fan of bras, they dig in and I find them uncomfortable. So I prefer the crop-top bralette type things (I’m a C cup at most) I’d noticed that I wasn’t feeling as ‘secure’ as I had before so decided it was time to update. I got a couple of vest tops with built-in support and a 3 pack of bralettes from M&S, all in smaller sizes and all fit - yay! It’s the simple things really that can give such a boost 🙂 Hairdressers tomorrow. I’m having a bit of a crisis with my hair at the moment. When I was accepted on to the Bariatric Pathway, I decided to grow my hair (all part of the ‘New Me’ vibe) Previously I had pixi-type cut and now it’s a short bob, just about at the bottom of my ears. However it’s lacking any body and looks really thin. I know my meds can play havoc, especially as I started a new injection back on November which can cause hair thinning after a few months. My hair hasn’t come out in clumps or anything, I’m just finding lots of stray hairs on things. I know that WLS also causes Hair loss, so I’m now floundering a little. I’m going to have a chat with my hairdresser and see what she comes up with but I’m really erring on the side of ‘chop it off’…sigh…it’s not easy being a woman at times is it?? I plan to tackle more of my wardrobe this week and get that thinned out. Has anyone else gone through their clothes and thought to themselves “what were you thinking?” Yeah, I’m having a bit of that. However it’s more of a case of I’ve bought something previously and it has remained unworn. This is what happens when you’re the size of a a house - you buy something because it fits, not because you actually like it. I definitely will be a damn sight more discerning moving forward. Have a fabulously productive week everyone 😉 Onwards and Downwards!

Thank you for saying that! I worry that I eat too much, I too, eat every 1.5-2hrs small meals and my days are long. I also feel like all I do is think about food, and think about my next work out instead of enjoying what I look like. I think its become an unhealthy obsession. My cravings for sweets are coming back full force. Last night I ended up drinking a zero sugar Nestle hot chocolate 2tb for 25 cal with unsweetened almond milk and hot water so iI would refrain from eating Ben & Jerrys ice cream that's in the freezer. I have found myself with a TBL measuring spoon eating 1 or 2 different flavors. Then I freak out and weigh myself. Or the kids are eating M&M's ill grab 1 or 2. My restriction is not fierce even though I wish it was! I have only overate 1x and I haven't felt that feeling again and never want to, which is why I stick to small meals. No more than 3-4oz total. I was at 1000 cal for a couple of months it wasn't till recently I creeped up to 1300 but my body seems to be happier here. Last couple of days I have been eating 1450-1500 and still lost a lb. I do track everything even my little bites, licks and tastes but ya know they aren't super accurate. *sigh* I am an overthinker and this is not the first time I have lost 100lbs (did it with Weight Watchers in my 20's before having kids) and I gained my weight back after a year so I can't get out of my own head.

Be careful with chips as when you can eat a little more they are a slider food that can get you in trouble. Quest makes some protein chips that are pretty good. I like the ranch ones and my husband loves the loaded taco. They have them at Walmart or target and Amazon.not that I am recommending them this early out but everyone’s plan is different.

What do you mean. Did you reach your goal and start to regain or is it something else? I see you are about 40 pounds from your goal now so it certainly seems doable to turn it around if it’s regain. My first piece of advice as someone who regained all their weight and just had revision surgery a week ago is to reach out to your team. My second step would be to reach out for support here or otherwise and you have already done that. I did neither because I was too embarrassed and you can see where that led me. When I finally did reach out to them I wished I had done it sooner because they treated me with nothing but compassion and just wanted to help. For me the only real option was revision but you should have plenty others. My guess is their first plan of attack will be to go back to the basics. Reading labels, Logging your food and counting macros. Protein first, smaller portions and reaching your fluid goals. Seems like from your profile you are pretty active anyways but trying to Incorporate more activity if that has slipped a little. Just go back to it like you are just out of surgery. Well past the staged return to eating I guess but fairly early out anyways. Some people even start with the “pouch reset” Of a liquid diet for a week or two although most say that there is no real evidence that does much to reset anything. Make an appointment with your team now and start logging what you are doing for a week or so giving them a starting point and let them advise you of what you need to work on. There are other options now if diet alone is not enough but if you enjoy healthy eating anyways its likely portion size has increased a little more than you realize and that’s something you should be able to change. Once you do figure it out try to make changes one at a time if necessary to make them more manageable. Set lots of small goals to keep yourself motivated But most importantly keep reaching out to your support networks such as posting here as well as keeping in touch with your team. Your sleeve is still there. It will be a little harder than it was the first time but people have certainly done it. You have already taken the first steps Of recognizing the issue and reaching out here just keep taking steps and before you know it you will be losing again. Keep us Posted on any ups and downs so we can cheer you on. You can do it!!

But that's only at the beginning. It's definitely not like that forever. It has to be that way at first because your stomach has to heal and your body needs time to get use to food again.

I love salad. My husband usually barbecues a few times a week and I just ask him to make a couple chicken breasts and I can add whatever to make it a meal. Fruit and Chicken salad or “Market Salad” and low carb ceaser salad wraps are both in the rotation. I haven’t tried fish on salad. I don’t like salmon that much sadly. I know it’s so good for me but I think I will try it with mahii. I really hope that I can tolorate salads post SADI. Someone told me that they cannot post DS. That and the ones that say they can’t do a lot of fruit scare me a little. In terms of healthier food, they are my faves. With the sleeve I didn’t have any foods that gave me issies though and the sleeve part is already done so fingers crossed I will be okay with them. I never thought of looking for keto homey. I eat it so rarely. Thanks for the idea.

I never did do a 5-yr anniversary post (which was like 3 months ago, oopsies). Here is a reply I made to someone's thread about being newly sleeved. I had alot of fun composing it - despite it going off an a total tangent - and thought it had a five-year-sleeve-anniversary type of feel to it so I'm putting it here! Am also adding my requisite swim suit shot, but this one is from vacay last month, and its NOT a full body shot, AND I'm half in the water, lol. Its too cold around here for me to change into one now and take a pic. Plus I'm lazy. So i give you: "5+ YEARS IN 1000 WORDS OR LESS": #### Begin #### Day 0: YES!! I'm alive! Weeks 1-2: Ouch, this kinda hurts. I detest all food and water! I'm sooo effing tired, im just gonna lay down here and be found in 3 weeks, half-eaten by wild dogs. Weeks 3-4: Oh wow, I LOVE water! Eating is such a chore. I don't want to do it. I lost HOW MUCH weight?? Whoa, this thing is gonna actually work! LET'S DO THIS! Those dogs will be very disappointed in eating me. Months 2-4: Am I ever going to eat like a normal person?? It taking me for-EVAH to eat my tiny cup of food. I am sick of people commenting on how I eat. Exercise is so much funner/easier when I'm not so big! Let me sign up for EVERYTHING! I LOVE new clothes! I am losing my hair! Who knew salad is my favourite thing on earth? Months 5-7: If one more person tells me to stop losing weight or asks if i have a disease I'm going to sic my wild dogs on them. I guess this is life now: eating tiny bits of food all day long...I guess I can do that, small price to pay for looking HAWT and feeling A-MAY-ZING. I wonder if anyone knows how full of myself I really am.... Months 8-10: OMG.I CAN'T POSSIBLY UP MY CALORIES TO MAINTENANCE LEVEL! HOW AM I GOING TO STOP LOSING WEIGHT! I AM GOING TO WITHER AWAY AND DIE! Month 11: Oh. So THAT's my maintenance calorie level. That's not so hard. I'm not going to die after all. Ok, Ok, I'll just take this ONE cigarette from you, handsome Italian guy in Italy...even though I quit cold turkey 10 years ago...it can't hurt, right? Month 14: Plastic. Surgery. Month 15: *cries* Month 16: Whoa, I'm looking even HAWT-er than before. How is this even possible? I wonder if anyone has ever exploded from being so full of themselves.... Month 17: Why hello carbs, I've missed you. bread, Pasta, Rice, we shall never be parted again! Oh, nice to meet you for the first time COVID! How long are you staying? Month 18-21: All skinny and plastic-ed up and no where to go. Eff you COVID. I guess I'll just do a little online shopping for stuff to wear when I am finally allowed out of the house. Sure, I'll have that martini for Breakfast. Hey, my hair is back to normal...and its even nicer than before. Go figure. Years 3-5: Huh. I stayed below goal weight this entire time and I am the picture of satisfactory health...does that make me awesome? I dunno...my closet is bursting with clothes...most of which I've worn maybe once or not at all. How am I still smoking??? It was only supposed to be one cigarette!!! I think I may have developed high-functioning alcoholism? Food intolerances? Who me? Nah, I can eat anything and everything, EXCEPT large amounts of sugar at one time cuz, you know, I may pass out on the couch. I may not eat as much as everyone around me, but I don't want to anyway, so there! But let me cook for you, bake for you, make copious amounts of food for you! And no, i AM NOT finished reading this menu in it's entirety...I'm about to order enough food for 5 people...you better be hungry! Today I take no medications other than for my acid reflux (which unfortunately came on due to my sleeve surgery). I eat carbs and (small amounts) of Desserts, I drink alcohol. My last physical/labs 6 months ago produced no concerns - other than an abnormal thickening of my uterine lining, but that has since resolved. I have ridiculous amounts of energy, I rarely fight with my husband, I handle stress and annoyance like a grown up. I'm digging life. Oh, and I still look HAWT. *mic drop* P.S. i also finally quit smoking 5 months and 14 days ago. yay me! hopefully I don't meet another handsome Italian with an extra cigarette in the future. Edited to add: P.P.S. sorry..i meant to just reply about the first few weeks after my sleeve surgery and food progression, but my fingers got a life of their own as I typed out my reply. plus it was kinda fun writing this. I may cut and paste this into a more appropriate thread if I find one Good Luck! ❤️ #### END ####

I did i wanted potato candy and a pop. My mom also made me a strawberry rhubarb custard pie. I also made popcorn balls. We had a potluck i was looking forward to but I was the only one that brang food so that sucked i was looking forward to all you can wat lol. I also wanted one more piece of pie after fireworks, but it was after midnight so I refrained.

Hi @SpinozaI’m pre-op so just going through the tests and appointments before deciding on which surgery and then waiting for the date of surgery 🙂 I’m trying to get my head around the requirements of WLS - types of foods, drinking, vitamins etc plus trying to lose some weight in the meantime. @NickelChipfingers crossed I will be in it before the end of the year 😉 Had steroid injections in both knees yesterday in the hope of easing the pains I have. I’m not going to lie, I was a big, moaning baby last night as the numbing injections had worn off and I was hurting like a b***h. This, coupled with the ridiculously warm night (in the UK, we don’t do heat very well and we certainly don’t have the infrastructure or air con to deal!) made for a crappy night. But it’s eased a little today plus I’ve lost another 1.5lbs so I’m now in a lower stone’s bracket 🤩🤩 Lots of (careful) happy dancing this morning when I got off the scales! I’m hoping to lose another 3.5lbs as my first target before my dietitian appointment 21st August as this will mean I would have lost 2 stones since beginning this WLS journey at the end of May. we discussed knee replacement surgery at my appointment yesterday and I need to have a BMI of sub-40 before I’m considered for surgery. This works out at about 2 stones more to lose. I will get a call in 3 months to see how I’m doing. I won’t be referred until I’ve lost that weight as it will be refused. I do understand the reasoning so I’m not stressing about it. I will have a chat to the dietitian just to make sure that I would still be considered for WLS should my BMI be less than 40 as that was the reason I was accepted in the first place as I don’t have diabetes or anything that would make me eligible with a BMI of 35. Hopefully it won’t be an issue 🤞🤞

You are having a head moment. You know that you are doing everything right but your head is saying WHAAAT ! TF ! Just breathe for a moment and think. There are a few things to consider and you probably know this, Its a stall, Its water retention, you are over doing things and your body says no way or you have eaten salty foods. You have gained the pounds and you need to stay away from the scales for a few days/ a week. Its a tough ask I know, I am the worst at it. Watching the scale will screw with your mind. Keep to your plan and it will work its way right.

So glad to hear that the blisters are okay. I’m certain you will love the proffee if you are an iced coffee person. You can do it with any shake if you do better witb another brand. I personally like the caramel and I’ve only seen it in the premiere but you could do fairlife In chocolate or vanilla too if they settle better for you. I really like their core power shakes. You can do it with any type of protein drink honestly. They do have a generic at Walmart in Carmel that’s cheaper and tastes just as good but the macros are not quite as good. For The coffee I got the Folgers instant singles packs.They have them at Walmart for a buck a box. I make a cup of hot water in the Keurig and mix it in and then put it over any big tervis cup full of ice. I use half for one proffee but if you really like coffee you may like it stronger which I would make it the night before and skip the ice. The protein 2.0 With electrolytes is 15g but the one without is 20g. I get the strawberry watermelon on Amazon. I actually was confused about the cause of the low magnesium. We talked about all the changes I had made and I thought she said it was the B-12 that can throw off magnesium but it was actually the electrolytes in them drinks. Anyways I cut back to one of them electrolyte drinks a day and took the magnesium supplement and the cramping is gone so just be careful with those that you don’t do too many. The crochet group went really well. It was so good to see everyone since it’s been 3 weeks. It was also pretty cool to get dressed in normal clothes and be able to see a difference in my body. I have lost 27 pounds and I couldn’t see it in my track pants and athletic shorts but I could see and feel it on my normal clothes which aren’t nearly as uncomfortable as I expected with the binder on. Anyways, they have been such good cheerleaders for me in all of this. And said they can tell that my mood is so much lighter and they are so glad that I am on the other side of it because they knew how stressful the decision to do this was for me. I brought my purée egg salad with me. I could’ve waited and ate it when I got home since I was only gone for 3 hours but I thought they would get a kick of my tiny two ounce container and they did. I told them that many people who got their stomach cut actually eat like 1 ounce at this point and they were amazed by that. They wanted to be sure I was allowed spices at least which I thought was pretty comical. I told them I was missing my Ms. Dash because it’s big chunks and one suggested putting some in the food processor to make it more of a powder which I’m anxious to try. I’m trying to stay away from salt since it’s been a month that I’ve gone without so if it’s ever a good time to kick it now is. Another lady also suggested a product called no salt. But I think salt is pretty sharp so I’m gonna try to just stay away from it at least for now.

Oh my gosh, me too! But: We got this!! I'm going to get my lab work done next week and I know it should look really good with as long a path I've been on to get to this point and all the vitamins I've been taking! I've been taking the Barimelts multi w/iron (dissolved crazy easily, best I've found) the Calcium from BariatricPal every other day, and some Multi-collagen Peptides w/Probiotics for like, two months. I also had to quit smoking cigarettes and with the help of Chantix I've managed to do it, and just passed my fourth month of not smoking! I use the Baritastic app for my food tracking. There's SO much to the process! I'm nervous and wondering if I'm going to end up feeling like a stranger in my own skin but I'm trying to keep focusing on my reasons for doing all of this - better health, longer life, better quality of life, etc. Feel free to message me; I can be bad about checking my emails but I found an app called Finch that is helping me keep track of everything, thank goodness, and reminds me to CHECK my email. Sorry for the delayed response!

Had my dietitian appointment this morning and it went really well 🥳 I’m a healthy fat person, which was good to hear. All my tests have come back good, no issues with diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease etc. We had a really good talk, told her about this forum and the ongoing support everyone receives, showed her my two food diaries - one pre-watching what I eat and one for now. She was very happy to read both, laughed at some of my comments regarding how I was feeling when I was eating, and congratulated me on the changes I have already made. She asked if I had a surgery in mind and why. I explained that I felt that a bypass would be more beneficial for me due to not feeling full, snacking etc, and she agreed. Thankfully she has no issues with me, and was happy to refer me to the surgeon, which was such a relief to hear. Honestly, I felt quite apprehensive and anxious this morning (thanks menopause 🤨) and was definitely snappy with hubby. I went in on my own as I didn’t want him to know what my weight was/is - does anyone else keep their weight secret from their other half? I know it’s just shame that makes me not want to tell him 😕 The dietitian thinks a reasonable target post-surgery for me is around 14stones (196lbs) but reckons I will sail past that as I am fully onboard with it all. I’m glad that she hasn’t given me an unrealistic expectation and I do feel it’s fully achievable. We discussed lowest adult weight plus weights my body had ‘stuck’ at previously. She also went through the post-surgery diet - will be 6 weeks on the purée diet due to having a bypass, and gave me the info for that. She also explained about the bounce back once the body has reached its lowest weight and that it did not signal a failure. Next steps: appointment with the surgeon, which should be September (eek, next month!!) After I’ve seen the surgeon it’s then the MDT weekly meeting for everyone to agree that I’m OK to go ahead. As long as they agree, I will get my surgery date which is looking to be either Jan or Feb next year. She’s put that I would like to see the surgeon ASAP and will take a cancellation for both his appointment and also for surgery as long as I have one day to get ready for the 3 week liver reduction diet. She warned me that I could be on the LRD over Christmas but I’ve said that it’s fine, I’m truly not bothered in the slightest. I asked about going away next September and she said everything will be done and settled down by then but not to buy holiday clothes until the last minute! Just to wait for the next stage now. I’m certainly glad I lost some weight pre-appointment though as the weight the Dr gave and the weight I was actually was a 5kg difference, and not in my favour 😮 I’m still 7kgs lower than the wrong weight given and it’s the initial referral weight they go off so I could coast now if I wanted to (but I won’t ) A relief all round!

I *usually* fall into the non cook side these days so don’t worry about being a pro chef on the Food Before and After Thread. The pandemic destroyed my love of cooking. I did too much. These days like to batch cook and eat the same things until they’re gone. I have zero problems eating the same things on repeat because I don’t really crave specific foods (except chocolate) I just get hungry in general. TBH I don’t use traditional sweeteners often but when I do it’s VERY sparingly and actually measured. I prefer buy premade glazes so I can control the calories. Most of favorite things are also the easiest, like air fryer naked chicken tenders. Just thin slices chicken breast spices and a little oil.

Problem with ignoring is the pressure that comes from realising you are getting majority of your protein from protein water in my case - can’t bear the PP post op and not real food

I definitely should be sleeping lol I have to get up at 5:30 for work and it's now 3:40am. Ugh... WHY do I do this to myself??? So many think that the prep before the surgery, and the recovery from the surgery, and the first 6 weeks post-surgery is the hard part. Then they can just go back to eating what they want, just in smaller portions. They don't really make any changes, unless their taste buds change or they develop any food allergies. And they don't incorporate much in the way of exercise because they just think the surgery and eating way smaller amounts will be enough. And a few years down the road, AFTER the work has been done and you're maintaining your goal weight for a few years, that might very well be the case for SOME (not all) people. I've even seen it on here. But that is most DEFINITELY not the case the first year, or sometimes (in my case, for example) not even the first 2 years (although I choose not to even try, personally. I like how I eat, live, look, and feel and it's not worth it to incorporate any of the bad foods I use to eat back into my diet "just because I can"). The first year or 2 is really for doing the work, and many don't realize how much goes into that. Like you said, reading it and living it are 2 very different things. The work still has to be done, but giving yourself grace in understanding why there's such a struggle with it can go a long way in helping deal with it and move on from it.

The finger food plate is a great idea. I love those foods. Idk why I don’t think of them outside of an appetizer for a get together. I had to google auberfines. I know them as eggplant. I have had them at restaurants and annoyed them but always shy away because I’m intimidated by preparing rhem. I guess I need to do some research because that sounds like a good alternative to zucchini lasagna. I have never thought of putting beans into an omelette. It’s sounds different but I will give anything a try once. Thanks for the book suggestion. I should check and see what’s free on kindle unlimited as well. Idk why a whole book of recipes is overwhelming for me but when I come across one thing that sounds good I have the guts To try it. I’m an odd duck sometimes. lol.