10 Bariatric Mistakes - Do any apply to you?

[maggie409 765]

Great article... Thanks for posting

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I don't know where you got the idea that Water is "tasteless".

Water did taste funny and the texture was weird after surgery. I am five months out and water is just now tasting normal to me.

Plus, if you ever travel and taste water from a variety of sources and municipalities, you would know that water isn't tasteless. There are some places, like my grandmother's hometown, where I only drink bottled water because the tap water tastes so bad.

[onesleevedmamma 178]

Everyone walks a different road when it comes to why they gained weight, why they have kept it on and why they are choosing to loose it.

I didn't understand why I kept putting it back on before surgery. Everyone was frustrated. I was frustraged. It was serving a purpose though. food served a purpose. I hid from the world successfully.

I'm not saying everyone wants to hide from the world. It was just my reason. When I understood why I kept the weight and the pain of keeping it was MORE than the pain of letting it go (getting back into the world).... I had the surgery. Beat decision ever.

Am I perfect at food and Water? Far from it. I've had small cheats and days I don't get enough of the good stuff.

BUT IT'S A PROCESS. I know that. I'm leaning as I go about why I eat, why I cheat, why I sabotage and why I strive to do better. The emotional roller coaster that comes with surgery really isn't talked about enough

What I know for sure personally is that I cannot judge anyone for their choices. I spent too many years unhealthy and am still learning. I do great things now and really strive to do my best, but I couldn't do that until I was ready. Those people you point out... obviously aren't ready. They may think they are... but clearly not. It's not for us to judge, but to support healthier choices and be there for them when they are really ready to try.

Sorry this is long. I think that we often forget these things

[Trinn 139]

I have hated the "taste" of Water my whole life -- long before bariatric surgery. I've therefore spent decades being nauseous when drinking plain Water. If it's room temperature especially, well, it makes me think of trying to drink a cup of spit. However, there are zillions of ways to flavor water -- Mio drops, Torani sugar free, citrus wedges, herbal tea -- so I am able to drink water with flavoring. However, I refuse to take crap for not liking the taste of water -- I simply find it disgusting and always have, since I was a child.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

A lot of people say "talk to your NUT" which is good, but I don't believe there are a million different rules. I believe there is 1 set of rules, there is a right answer.

Sure some rules are pretty standard (crackers 4 days after surgery) but MANY vary by doctor and nutritionist simply because there are no controlled studies to back a lot of it up. It's what that doctor has seen provide their patients with the most success.

Some plans advance faster than others. Some allow alcohol at a certain point. Some allow flavorings in the Water. THATS why we refer people back to the doctor and nutritionist that they chose, hopefully because they trusted that doctor enough to have surgery with them so hopefully they are motivated to follow the advice/plan of the doctor they trust.

I completely agree with @jess9395. There is more than one way to "skin a cat". Your food plan should be catered to you individual makeup and lifestyle. I know some people who can eat soft boiled eggs on day 3. Why not? It's Protein and healthy fat. I am a vegetarian with severe food allergies. My eating plan is very different than most of the folks on these forums. Because my diet is plant based my carb intake is higher than most. Guess what? I have been able to lose steadily with no problems. In short cookie cutter treatments don't work because we are individuals, not clones. You should be having ongoing conversations with the medical team you chose to care for your unique needs.

[*Lexie* 1,486]

This is a good post. I followed most rules from the beginning and others I have gotten better at over time. The only one I actively break is drinking diet soda. I never drink during my meals or for a while after. But I will get sick if I do so that's an easy rule for me to follow. I will admit that I had a problem with grazing. I was a snacker before surgery and my bad habit carried over. More recently I started working to give it up and stick to 3 meals and 1 snack per day. Let me tell you, the weight started dropping like crazy. My habits have completely changed from a year ago but it all didn't happen overnight. Maybe I'm just a slow learner.

[IncredibleShrinkingMan 437]

Mistakes I've made (none of them happen with any kind of frequency):

-was so thirsty after spicy, dehydrating food that I gulped Water during the meal. I didn't lose any satiety and stopped eating right when I otherwise would have. No harm, no foul, although I've heard from at least one source that Water and food in the sleeve together can cause damage

-had some diet soda on an Amtrak train because I was very hot and needed something very cold and full of ice. It was a heavenly sensation, and I didn't notice any problems with bloating. I had about half of a can.

-have skipped the Multivitamin on certain mornings because it is really nauseating to take without food. I literally feel like I'm about to hurl for the next 30 minutes after taking it, so I have definitely missed some mornings, especially when in a rush.

-relying too much on the no-carb rule to eat anything else I want (starting 6 weeks out). The other day I hit up a Chipotle right outside my apartment (I know, sucks that it has to be right there, but so is a pizza place, and I would never even think of walking in there) and ordered a salad with no tortilla, rice, or Beans, but barbacoa, sour cream, cheese, salsa, and guacamole. I am still losing pretty rapidly, and playing in recreational sports leagues, so I didn't feel awful about it, but I assume there will be a point at which that stuff has to take a hike if the scale is to keep moving. Luckily, I could eat no more than half.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,899]

...."I pureed a cupcake...I'm in the pureed stage"...

I really hope you made this up, then it will be funny. But I wouldn't doubt it if someone did this.

It kind of reminds me when my children were little and they tried to convince me they ate some fruit (in the form of strawberry ice cream) when I asked them "did you eat your fruit and veggies today".

Edited September 21, 2015 by 4MRB4PHOTO

[downsizingdiva 459]

THE ONLY "RULES" I HAVE BROKEN, ABSOLUTELY HONESTLY, WOULD BE I STILL EAT TOO FAST. I DON'T KNOW IF I'M JUST GEARED TO DO IT BUT I JUST CAN'T SPEND 30 MINUTES EATING LIKE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO. I DON'T CAUSE MYSELF ANY PAIN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT BUT I KNOW I EAT WAY FASTER THAN DIRECTED. AND THE OTHER RULE WOULD BE MY OWN, I HAVE EATEN THINGS THAT WERE BREADED HERE AND THERE LIKE chicken TENDER OR A CHEDDER PEPPER, I HAVE DONE THAT A FEW TIMES BUT HONESTLY THAT'S ALL I HAVE DONE. I LOOK AT IT THE SAME WAY AS YOU WHY DO ALL THIS IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES????? I THINK IF I ATE SOMETHING SWEET OR bread OR SOMETHING I KNOW I SHOULDN'T I WOULD ABSOLUTELY HATE MYSELF. I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GOING TO HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE MY EATING HABITS OVER THE NIGHT OF SURGERY, I ACTUALLY DOUBTED THAT I WOULD BUT IT CHANGED ME! THANK THE LORD!

[curvybritt 53]

Great information in this thread!