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Hi everyone! I am brand new to bariatric surgery and have only just had my first consultation visit.

I am concerned that my food allergies are going to prove this journey even more difficult than it would be without them. My 2 food allergies are dairy and any and all sunflower products (seeds, oils, lecithin, etc.)

Does anyone else have "rare" food allergies and are coping just fine? Or is it actually going to be harder? My doctor says I should be okay because I will be working with the dietitian. I am just curious to see how others have been coping 😊

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Hi,

Welcome!

I also have a dairy and fish allergy so it was a bit harder for me to find a more varied diet. For the yogurt I was using Siggi's plant based yogurt but have since moved over to Kite Hill plant based greek yogurt. Less carbs, less calories and more Protein. For my drinks I use Evolve mainly. I used to use Orgain and OWYN but I think those both have sunflower in them. Just make sure you read the labels and you will be fine.

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Shouldn’t be too difficult. A dairy or lactose allergy is quite common & there are so many plant based dairy substitutes for cheese, milk, yoghurt, butter, etc. & plant based Protein Shakes available these days (thank you vegans) it should be easy. (Watch the coconut ones though as those I’ve seen often have a higher fat content.) The Protein content may be something to be conscious of too but as your doctor said, your dietician should help you out with that. As for the sunflower seed products, which is more uncommon, you’ll probably just continue being vigilant with ingredient labels.

Actually some people develop a temporary lactose intolerance in the beginning & simply swap to plant based dairy products & shakes without compromising their weight loss.

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For dairy, go with alternative milk (my favorite is unsweetened vanilla almond milk) but there's also cashew milk, hemp milk, soy milk, etc... Healthier and non dairy. Avoiding sunflower products actually isn't too hard at all, and being that you will have a dietician, you should be fine. I have a shellfish allergy, which sucks since I LOVE shrimp and lobster and crab legs. But all in all, it's not been an issue to eat around the food allergy and be compliant with my diet and feel full and satisfied.

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Hi! I began having an allergy to milk, which passed step by step due to drinking it daily. It just disappeared. I don't know if it's possible, and maybe now I have a real health problem, but I still don't consult any doctor.🤷‍♂️

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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