Got my surgery date: October 22, 2018....and now the wait... Would love to gather a cohort here to go through this with!!!

1 hour ago, FlyAwayFree said:

Ok so I sort of feel lucky but also weird. I am 2 weeks postop as of tomorrow. Since the beginning of my 2 week liquid diet I have lost 36 pounds. I just got through a 5 day stall where I didn't lose a single pound. My weight loss is rapid, really really rapid, for which I am grateful. I had my postop appt on Friday and my surgeon said that since I am able to get in all my Protein and liquid, and that I have a good metabolism and dense muscle mass, he thinks its fine. However, I am worried about when this little honeymoon ends. During the 5 day stall I found myself down and depressed and worried if I was doing something wrong. I know I am doing just right and my body is just settling into the huge fast weight loss I just had, but I still have those little voices and feelings that I am not really gonna lose weight, that this wont really work for me, that I am not good enough to be so lucky. Anyway, I have been a bit emotional the last couple days, and down. I have something else very difficult and sad I am going through currently and of course can't eat my pain, so I expect it. Just, I wish I could relax and enjoy this, without second guessing myself, without feeling like I don't deserve it.

Now, I am not particularly the whiny type usually, but I figured I would reach out here since you guys are going through the same kinds of things. Can anyone else identify with these feelings or should I be worried that this may not be transient, that I need professional help now and quickly.

Thanks guys, this stuff is harder than it seemed like it would be in some ways, and easier than it seemed like it would be in others. I appreciate you guys sharing and being awesome!

Hi Flyawayfree. My surgery was 10/26 and i am now on my 7th day of stall, no weight loss for an entire week. I am taking away my EVIL scale and bringing it to my friends house where i will only weigh myself every two weeks. For me, the scale is messing with me too much mentally and is not healthy for my mindset. That being said, i have been extremely emotional the past 3 weeks. I don't know if it is related to the hormones that are now missing from the part of our stomachs that were removed or not. Some days i wake up empowered and the next day i find myself with crying spurts without the entire day. I too am also going through a personal situation that is sad.

You are not alone. Every night right before i go to sleep i say to myself repeatedly (not out-loud) "Every day, in every way, i am getting better and better". Its helps me, hope it helps you......

Team,

I ordered this great barbaric cookbook off Amazon. Each recipe shows which of the four phases we can eat: F-Full liquid, P-Puree, S-Soft Food, G-General Diet. There are other barbaric cookbooks on Amazon but they include bread/rice which we cannot have on this diet. Great recipes and pictures, What to toss from your pantry and what to stock up on. Lots of helpful information, i learned a lot.

!

2 hours ago, pdamoci said:

Team,

I ordered this great barbaric cookbook off Amazon. Each recipe shows which of the four phases we can eat: F-Full liquid, P-Puree, S-Soft food, G-General Diet. There are other barbaric cookbooks on Amazon but they include bread/rice which we cannot have on this diet. Great recipes and pictures, What to toss from your pantry and what to stock up on. Lots of helpful information, i learned a lot.

!

Thanks for the info. I love cookbooks and this one looks like a good one!

7 hours ago, FlyAwayFree said:

Ok so I sort of feel lucky but also weird. I am 2 weeks postop as of tomorrow. Since the beginning of my 2 week liquid diet I have lost 36 pounds. I just got through a 5 day stall where I didn't lose a single pound. My weight loss is rapid, really really rapid, for which I am grateful. I had my postop appt on Friday and my surgeon said that since I am able to get in all my Protein and liquid, and that I have a good metabolism and dense muscle mass, he thinks its fine. However, I am worried about when this little honeymoon ends. During the 5 day stall I found myself down and depressed and worried if I was doing something wrong. I know I am doing just right and my body is just settling into the huge fast weight loss I just had, but I still have those little voices and feelings that I am not really gonna lose weight, that this wont really work for me, that I am not good enough to be so lucky. Anyway, I have been a bit emotional the last couple days, and down. I have something else very difficult and sad I am going through currently and of course can't eat my pain, so I expect it. Just, I wish I could relax and enjoy this, without second guessing myself, without feeling like I don't deserve it.

Now, I am not particularly the whiny type usually, but I figured I would reach out here since you guys are going through the same kinds of things. Can anyone else identify with these feelings or should I be worried that this may not be transient, that I need professional help now and quickly.

Thanks guys, this stuff is harder than it seemed like it would be in some ways, and easier than it seemed like it would be in others. I appreciate you guys sharing and being awesome!

@FlyAwayFree when I was at my pre-op psych eval, the psychologist asked me on a scale from 1 to 10 how certain I was that I would get to goal. I said 8. He looked at me and was a little surprised. When further prompted, I told him I had been on many diets since I gained 65 pounds during pregnancy, even had the lapband placed (lost, then gained when the fluid had to be removed), never seemed to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, and once I approached it would maintain that weight for about an hour before my weight increased again.

I am pragmatic and even though I see so much success here, I wasn't sold because I can lose weight like a champ...maintaining it is a-whole-nother story...but now I am convinced. I have NEVER lost 20# in the first month (have your EVER lost 50# in a month?!), never been satisfied with such little food, never not (forgive the double negative) craved chocolate, pizza, chips or ice cream....UNTIL NOW! This time really is different. I am really taking advantage of this tool that has been given to me (I had better since I electively had a procedure to remove 70-80% of my stomach), internalizing the new healthy habits and while I am just a month out, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...and it is not a train! Here's to 15 years of weight to lose (my baby is no longer a baby)!!!

In addition to the support you can get here, therapy is a good thing! Take advantage of any resources at your disposal! You can do this!

Edited November 11, 20187 yr by ElectricBoogaloo

Surgery date: 10/31/18
Height 5’9”
Highest weight 298
Surgery weight 270
Current weight 262
Goal weight 195

I just want to weigh under 200lbs once in my adult life. Lol. I’ve been over 200 since I was 14. I’m 43 now.

It took me a while to figure out how to get all the fluids and protein but yesterday it just all clicked. Yay! Now I just need to get cleared for purée foods so I can get some more calories in! Currently only getting 350-400/day and with all the walking I’m doing it’s leaving me pretty exhausted. ? this board has been a great resource to me and I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences.

I can get my 60g of protein in but struggle with my fluids. What's worked for you?

Popsicles, sugar free popsicles. And,I prefer the tropical,ones, not so SWEETIE, al though the others are okay.

On 11/12/2018 at 05:01, kathy060464 said:

I can get my 60g of protein in but struggle with my fluids. What's worked for you?

Hiya,
I filled up a big bottle an then had a juice glass (so it didn’t seem soooo overwhelming). ? then I set a timer and had to drink a glass every 30 minutes. Protein shakes, milk and broth all count towards fluids so I added those in as well. Lots of folks on here have had good luck with the protein waters (Isopure 40, Protien20 and premier clear). I loved them pre surgery but find them too sweet right now. Hoping to start incorporating them again down the road. Water is super important. You can do it!

I don't like the taste of the passion fruit Isopure I have but since it counts for protein AND water, I get it down. Has anyone tried coconut or ice tea flavor? The water I love is Hint Water. I can easily get 2-3 of those down a day.

17 minutes ago, JessLess said:

I don't like the taste of the passion fruit Isopure I have but since it counts for Protein AND Water, I get it down. Has anyone tried coconut or ice tea flavor? The water I love is Hint Water. I can easily get 2-3 of those down a day.

I haven’t tried the Isopure. Have you tried the premier protein clear liquid? I like the mango/orange flavor. It has 20g of protein in it.

Sleeved: 10/26/2018

Height: 5’1

HW: 278

SW: 264

CW: 244

GW: 140

Constipation going on 3 weeks ….

Team,
I ordered this great barbaric cookbook off Amazon. Each recipe shows which of the four phases we can eat: F-Full liquid, P-Puree, S-Soft Food, G-General Diet. There are other barbaric cookbooks on Amazon but they include bread/rice which we cannot have on this diet. Great recipes and pictures, What to toss from your pantry and what to stock up on. Lots of helpful information, i learned a lot.
!

Thank you for sharing ill be sure to purchase

I'm not sure if one post on four topics is more annoying, or if four posts would be more annoying. Sorry if I guessed wrong. I'm not checking this site quite as often, now, and when I do come in, I mostly only ever look at this thread, to see how my October surgery friends are doing.

Carbs: I wouldn't say it's exactly the whole truth that we "can't have bread or rice," as a blanket statement. Like, no, not right now -- at least not unless your team said toast was OK, as some do. But long term, yeah, most of us will probably reintroduce whole grain bread and brown rice in small amounts. Some people might choose not to, but that's a personal choice, not a rule we all have to follow. Some plans (Kaiser, for instance) have people eating mashed potatoes now, so the "no carbs" thing is just one school of thought that some of the veterans on this site (and probably some nutritionists who are really into keto) push, but it is by no means a universal bariatric surgery rule.

Liquid: This wouldn't have worked for me right after surgery, but as soon as I was able to take normal-size drinks (as opposed to those super careful small sips immediately after surgery), I went back to using my favorite mugs with hot beverages that I really enjoy (decaf hot teas, decaf coffee). One is 20 ounces, and the other is 24 ounces, so I only have to drink three mugfuls per day to get to 64 oz. I find it a lot easier to get to my goal because it feels manageable ("three mugfuls" combined with "I like this beverage") than if I'm using smaller cups or forcing down plain water (which hurts, sometimes). Pre-op, I did the same thing with water bottles, sometimes with Mio or something in them, sometimes with cold herbal teas, sometimes plain. That's probably what I'll do next summer, when hot beverages are less appealing. ? I kind of expect my sleeve to be more consistently OK with water by then, too.

Goals: Did your teams give you weight loss goals? Mine didn't, for which I'm grateful, though I know the average for the sleeve is 60% excess weight lost. (Take your weight on surgery day. Find your ideal weight--I use one of the higher numbers, since I've always been heavy and will have more bone structure to support that than someone who spent most of their life thin. Subtract your ideal weight from your surgery weight. That is your excess weight. Multiply that by .6 to get 60%, and subtract that number from your surgery day weight. That is how much you can reasonably expect to lose and keep off, long-term--but it's just an average: some people do better, and some do worse.) So I've got that number in a spreadsheet, a year out from my surgery, and I'm tracking my progress once a week to see if I'm on track for that, with a little chart that shows how I'm losing extra fast right now, even with stalls. (To be clear: not everyone gets there in 12 months, and I don't fully expect to, since I'm battling arthritis, which limits my activity a bit. Many people lose for the first 18 months or so--faster in the beginning, slower toward the 18 month mark. Weight loss tends to be about done, at that point, unless you are really working hard, either athletically or with an extra restrictive diet.)

Motivation: I see people lamenting stalls. I wonder if the weight loss chart would help you? Because I had a week and a half stall, and I could still see clearly that my weight loss line was below a straight one year line to the average goal weight for where I started. Also, for your mental health, please stop weighing yourself daily if you are the kind of person who will be upset by a stall. Also, if you haven't already, take measurements. How many inches around is your calf at its largest point? Your thigh? Your hips? Your waist? Your neck? Your upper arm? Write all that down. When you hit a stall, pull out the measuring tape. Seeing those differences will help you see that you're still making progress. ❤️

39 minutes ago, CrankyMagpie said:

I'm not sure if one post on four topics is more annoying, or if four posts would be more annoying. Sorry if I guessed wrong. I'm not checking this site quite as often, now, and when I do come in, I mostly only ever look at this thread, to see how my October surgery friends are doing.

Carbs: I wouldn't say it's exactly the whole truth that we "can't have bread or rice," as a blanket statement. Like, no, not right now -- at least not unless your team said toast was OK, as some do. But long term, yeah, most of us will probably reintroduce whole grain bread and brown rice in small amounts. Some people might choose not to, but that's a personal choice, not a rule we all have to follow. Some plans (Kaiser, for instance) have people eating mashed potatoes now, so the "no carbs" thing is just one school of thought that some of the veterans on this site (and probably some nutritionists who are really into keto) push, but it is by no means a universal bariatric surgery rule.

Liquid: This wouldn't have worked for me right after surgery, but as soon as I was able to take normal-size drinks (as opposed to those super careful small sips immediately after surgery), I went back to using my favorite mugs with hot beverages that I really enjoy (decaf hot teas, decaf coffee). One is 20 ounces, and the other is 24 ounces, so I only have to drink three mugfuls per day to get to 64 oz. I find it a lot easier to get to my goal because it feels manageable ("three mugfuls" combined with "I like this beverage") than if I'm using smaller cups or forcing down plain Water (which hurts, sometimes). Pre-op, I did the same thing with water bottles, sometimes with Mio or something in them, sometimes with cold herbal teas, sometimes plain. That's probably what I'll do next summer, when hot beverages are less appealing. ? I kind of expect my sleeve to be more consistently OK with water by then, too.

Goals: Did your teams give you weight loss goals? Mine didn't, for which I'm grateful, though I know the average for the sleeve is 60% excess weight lost. (Take your weight on surgery day. Find your ideal weight--I use one of the higher numbers, since I've always been heavy and will have more bone structure to support that than someone who spent most of their life thin. Subtract your ideal weight from your surgery weight. That is your excess weight. Multiply that by .6 to get 60%, and subtract that number from your surgery day weight. That is how much you can reasonably expect to lose and keep off, long-term--but it's just an average: some people do better, and some do worse.) So I've got that number in a spreadsheet, a year out from my surgery, and I'm tracking my progress once a week to see if I'm on track for that, with a little chart that shows how I'm losing extra fast right now, even with stalls. (To be clear: not everyone gets there in 12 months, and I don't fully expect to, since I'm battling arthritis, which limits my activity a bit. Many people lose for the first 18 months or so--faster in the beginning, slower toward the 18 month mark. Weight loss tends to be about done, at that point, unless you are really working hard, either athletically or with an extra restrictive diet.)

Motivation: I see people lamenting stalls. I wonder if the weight loss chart would help you? Because I had a week and a half stall, and I could still see clearly that my weight loss line was below a straight one year line to the average goal weight for where I started. Also, for your mental health, please stop weighing yourself daily if you are the kind of person who will be upset by a stall. Also, if you haven't already, take measurements. How many inches around is your calf at its largest point? Your thigh? Your hips? Your waist? Your neck? Your upper arm? Write all that down. When you hit a stall, pull out the measuring tape. Seeing those differences will help you see that you're still making progress. ❤️

Your presence is missed. Take care of yourself, sleevetwin (on a different date)?!

Edited November 12, 20187 yr by ElectricBoogaloo

I often think Someday I shall be smaller than the unforgiving public's minds. For what seems like a lifetime I have been judged by the fat shell that they see. And some days I would like to be a little revengeful. There was a guy I was sorta interested in, overheard him tell a friend" I would date her in a ?beat if she didn't outweigh me!", you just wait Mr Bozo, I'm dropping weight like an anorexic sailor, and the day may just come. Then when YOU hit on ME, I'll say " Nope no thank you, I believe I CAN DO BETTER THAN YOU! " You know what, Karma is a female dog, what went around may come back to bite you where the Sun☀ don't shine!

7 hours ago, Frustr8 said:

Popsicles, sugar free popsicles. And,I prefer the tropical,ones, not so SWEETIE, al though the others are okay.

I just bought the Tropical SF popsicles yesterday and tried two flavors last night and wow... they are GOOD!