Hi guys!

I had Gastric Bypass surgery on September 1st. I am 30 pounds down (since the start of my 2 week liquid, so 15 pounds down since surgery) being 3 weeks out, I am on "puréed/soft foods". I am really struggling now that I am fully recovered from surgery and back into the real world. I'm 19 years old, in college, and work part time. I am struggling with not just going and getting Chipotle before class or eating something where I work (Cheddars Casual Cafe, it's a restaurant). I've followed the rules pretty well up to this point (except I had Macaroni and cheese but I didn't know it wasn't allowed until my NUT told me it wasn't) but today all I could think about was Oreos after watching a girl eat some in my class. When I got home I ate 2. I feel so awful about it. I'm worried about when I go back to normal foods, being so young all my friends do is meet each other for dinner. I'm scared I'm not gonna be able to control myself or eat the right things, I just feel like I can never go out to eat again or something.

I guess I don't know why I'm posting this, just venting.

I wouldn't call you fully recovered less than a month out from surgery. You feel better and more functional, but inside there is still plenty of healing going on.

I get the struggle, grab and go eating is so much easier. Analyze the menu, maybe there is something Protein rich you can have. Eating out is not a no no, but planning is a must.

And I eat an Oreo occasionally, but I don't encourage it so early out.

At your stage, the most important elements to the program is meeting the minimum daily requirements for Protein, fluids and Vitamins. food is secondary. This is because your body is converting stored fats into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Don't worry, you will not starve to death. Weight loss is achieved by portion control. In the beginning you are limited not only to what foods you can eat at each stage but also most importantly the volume of food you can consume at each meal. So if you really want to lose the weight stay with the program. After you lose the weight you will transition from a "Weight Loss" phase into a "Maintenance" phase. For me this took around 6 or 7 months. This happens quite naturally. You just stop losing weight. This time interval may vary by the amount of weight you need to lose. This also varies by the type of surgery. RNY is quick whereas Sleeve is slower. In the maintenance phase the goal is to maintain the weight that you lost. This is done by hunger control. Here are a couple articles that I wrote about my experiences:

http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

@@jocelyndavisss There's no doubt about it, I sympathize that it is going to be a struggle. People in their late teens to early 20's generally eat lots of things that at this point you can't or shouldn't, and they eat it in quantities that you probably never will again (or hopefully not). I know this is easier said than done, but you are going to have to learn to eat differently than the people around you. You will probably not be able to avoid the situations where people are eating things you shouldn't.

At three weeks post surgery (and in the pureed stage), you are pretty limited in going to restaurants. Even Soups need to be regarded carefully, since they often have things (like chips or clams or potatoes, etc.) that you shouldn't have at this point.

Later, when in the regular foods stage, going out to restaurants will be easier. As @@dhrguru said, analyze the menu at places you go out to and see if there are alternatives that work for you, or share a plate with someone else (since the amount you will be able to eat will be so small). You will always have to be careful of fried foods, Desserts, carb heavy stuff (like mac-n-cheese, Pasta, pizza crust, hamburgers, etc.), and so on. Protein will be king, and you will want to eat it first before anything else, followed by fruits and vegetables, and finally if room left carbs.

Yeah, I know, totally different from what your friends are eating, and probably makes you feel upset, left out, deprived. I get it. Unfortunately, with the path you have chosen (which is a great path, and a wonderful decision for your health and for how you will feel I am sure) you will eat differently from them. But maybe you can also be an inspiration to some of them to eat more healthy too!

Just focus on how good you will feel when you can wear fashionable clothes, do outdoor activities with friends, and not worry about people judging you because of your weight.

And congratulations on your weight loss so far. That's excellent! I'm sure you are proud of yourself, and you should be!

Good luck, and my positive thoughts go out to you. You can do it!

@@jocelyndavisss There's no doubt about it, I sympathize that it is going to be a struggle. People in their late teens to early 20's generally eat lots of things that at this point you can't or shouldn't, and they eat it in quantities that you probably never will again (or hopefully not). I know this is easier said than done, but you are going to have to learn to eat differently than the people around you. You will probably not be able to avoid the situations where people are eating things you shouldn't.

At three weeks post surgery (and in the pureed stage), you are pretty limited in going to restaurants. Even soups need to be regarded carefully, since they often have things (like chips or clams or potatoes, etc.) that you shouldn't have at this point.

Later, when in the regular foods stage, going out to restaurants will be easier. As @@dhrguru said, analyze the menu at places you go out to and see if there are alternatives that work for you, or share a plate with someone else (since the amount you will be able to eat will be so small). You will always have to be careful of fried foods, desserts, carb heavy stuff (like mac-n-cheese, Pasta, pizza crust, hamburgers, etc.), and so on. Protein will be king, and you will want to eat it first before anything else, followed by fruits and vegetables, and finally if room left carbs.

Yeah, I know, totally different from what your friends are eating, and probably makes you feel upset, left out, deprived. I get it. Unfortunately, with the path you have chosen (which is a great path, and a wonderful decision for your health and for how you will feel I am sure) you will eat differently from them. But maybe you can also be an inspiration to some of them to eat more healthy too!

Just focus on how good you will feel when you can wear fashionable clothes, do outdoor activities with friends, and not worry about people judging you because of your weight.

And congratulations on your weight loss so far. That's excellent! I'm sure you are proud of yourself, and you should be!

Good luck, and my positive thoughts go out to you. You can do it!

Thank you so much! This post made me smile and gave me some motivation! ☺️

@@toasty gave some awesome advice!

he is totally right--at your age, people are eating the most unhealthy they will ever eat!! The good thing to know is that it is just a phase and eventually everyone tries to change their eating habits to be more healthy.

You are too early in this journey to be trying things like oreos, etc. You will have to learn to be a bit more creative to satisfy yourself. You will have to learn that you can go out to eat with people but you can't have just anything. Eventually (but not yet!) you can have a burger, but not the bun. Some restaurants can wrap the burger in lettuce so you can hold it to eat it or you can eat it with a fork and knife. Edamame is a pretty normal thing to eat and is great protein! A cup of chili (make sure they don't cover it in cheese though and no chips with it). Learn to tell them ahead of time to leave those things off because once it is there in front of you it becomes much more difficult to not eat.

All restaurants have chicken which is my normal go-to. No Pasta. pizza is a tough one--at work, if they buy food for a group of us, it is almost always pizza because it's so easy for group lunches. I make sure they have some with chicken on it and I just eat the toppings, not the crust.

If I go to someplace like Dunkin Donuts, I get an egg sandwich but just eat the egg. You need to become one of those picky eaters! And don't apologize for it.

It is difficult at the beginning but you can do it. You just need to be strong and find interesting things to eat that are healthy and fit the program. Luckily Protein is the easiest thing to find at restaurants, though not fast food places. It's just best to avoid those as much as possible. Hard because it's so convenient,

I carry a bag of almonds with me, I carry a Protein Bar (that is a Meal Replacement, not a snack--which I just discovered! ouch!), I've actually found hard boiled eggs at rest stop deli's when on a road trip which is perfect!

Some good yogurt--Oikos Triple Zero is what the NUT's are now recommending.

Best of luck. We are all rooting for you!!

James it is very unrealistic to make assumptions as the "sleeve is slower and RNY is quick". We all lose weight at different speeds regardless of the surgery. For you it was "natural" to stop losing weight; it may not be for all. Just wanted to point out that there is no one right way for us all. Each of us have our own weight loss journey that can be so unique to us.

At your stage, the most important elements to the program is meeting the minimum daily requirements for Protein, fluids and Vitamins. food is secondary. This is because your body is converting stored fats into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Don't worry, you will not starve to death. Weight loss is achieved by portion control. In the beginning you are limited not only to what foods you can eat at each stage but also most importantly the volume of food you can consume at each meal. So if you really want to lose the weight stay with the program. After you lose the weight you will transition from a "Weight Loss" phase into a "Maintenance" phase. For me this took around 6 or 7 months. This happens quite naturally. You just stop losing weight. This time interval may vary by the amount of weight you need to lose. This also varies by the type of surgery. RNY is quick whereas Sleeve is slower. In the maintenance phase the goal is to maintain the weight that you lost. This is done by hunger control. Here are a couple articles that I wrote about my experiences:

http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf