Can tolerate more than I think I should?

[summerset 5,261]

4 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

Simply put, following the plan you were given is the safe choice.

In theory, yes. In practice people seem to have all kinds of problems following their plan. Otherwise they wouldn't want to deviate from it in the first place.

[ms.sss 14,637]

im going to be a semi-dissenter here, based, of course, on MY personal experience.

disclaimer, disclaimer, etc., etc., and all that.

I did not follow my teams plan.

Instead, i went with what my body could handle and the results it produced (i.e.. i went less calories than recommended; i went less carbs than recommended; i went against the recommended macro distribution; i drank coffee, carbonated liquids, did not have breakfast; did not eat set meals but grazed throughout my eating window; all actions that were contrary to what was told to me by my NUT).

I also told my NUT everything i was doing.

in short, if something worked (and had no undesirable effects), i continued doing it, if it didn't, i stopped.

i realize this is not an approach that would work for everyone, but it did for ME.

I paid more attention to what worked in my favour vs. what other people told me worked for THEM, or what they thought i should be doing.

i'll say it now, and i'll say it again: there is no one size fits all approach for everyone, no matter what stage u are in (in my humble opinion).

as for the topic of willpower: i would say, for ME, it was more about conditioning (and still is). the surgery gave me the awesome gift of immediate (and sometimes aggressive) feedback when i ate too much, or too fast, or ingested too much sugar. All of which are things that got me to obesity in the first place.

The unpleasant physical symptoms of doing any of the above due to the surgery has effectively Pavlov'ed me out of being fat. Which i am immensely grateful for.

I am 4+ years out of surgery and have maintained below goal weight ever since i reached it at 7 months post op....all thanks to my absolute distaste for feeling overly full and dumping. well, that and my desire to wear bikinis, lol.

In short, do what works for you, use your team for guidance, and if something isn't working, stop doing it.

AND if you struggle to do the above, a good therapist would go a long way to help (which, granted is hard to find).

Good Luck! ❤️

[smc124 118]

I mean this in the most caring way possible, but I’ve seen many posts similar to this one and I can’t help but wonder if we are focusing on the wrong issue - not that you can tolerate more than you think you should but that so early after surgery you are testing the limits of what you can tolerate beyond what you’ve advised to (I’m assuming you wouldn’t be concerned enough to post about that amount you can eat here unless you’ve been otherwise advised to eat less ).

I completely understand the urge to move beyond purée. and how great solid food is.  And worry about your (and others who post similarly) safety as you push these boundaries and also commitment to long term success. I don’t know your backstory but many of us including myself got ti a place that required weight loss surgery due to pushing the boundaries of serving sizes in our pre-op lives. To go through this surgery, is in essence a self inflicted bodily trauma, only to revert right back to that food serving boundary pushing when you know it’s especially dangerous to your healing stomach indicates maybe there are some underlying food issues you could benefit from addressing in therapy.

Please I really hope this doesn’t come off condescending or as a lecture,it’s not my intention- I deeply sympathize with what you experiencing, I’m just genuinely concerned for your ongoing success and recovery.

[SpartanMaker 676]

2 hours ago, summerset said:

In theory, yes. In practice people seem to have all kinds of problems following their plan. Otherwise they wouldn't want to deviate from it in the first place.

Ah, but that's an entirely different issue.

I 100% agree that many of these plans are not always easy to follow, but someone's ability to follow what they were told is independent of my recommendation to stick to the plan.

Full disclosure, like @ms.sss, I have been paving my own way, rather than blindly following the generic plan I was given. I have a strong scientific background and understand human nutrition better than most, so I feel comfortable deviating from what I was given. I understand the why behind the recommendations and understand how to bend the recommendations without breaking them. There are a lot of people that have WLS and just don't have that sort of background or knowledge. As a result, I think it would be irresponsible of me to tell them anything other than "follow your plan", or at least "talk to your team".

Also, don't even get me started on what I think about some nutritionists and the advice they sometimes give that has absolutely no scientific basis other than what they were told in undergraduate school 30 years ago. At least those nutritionists have a working relationship with their patient that I just don't have.

Plus, to people here, I'm just some rando on the interwebs and as a general rule, forums, as good as this one is, are not the right place to be getting medical advice.

Edited February 10, 2023 by SpartanMaker
spelling

[summerset 5,261]

9 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

Ah, but that's an entirely different issue.

Indeed. But that's life.

I'm aware that a plan and following a plan are two different things. However, in the end you can't view them separately even though they are separate issues.

Quote

As a result, I think it would be irresponsible of me to tell them anything other than "follow your plan", or at least "talk to your team".

[...]

Plus, to people here, I'm just some rando on the interwebs and as a general rule, forums, as good as this one is, are not the right place to be getting medical advice.

Of course I wouldn't recommend anything else. And after all I'm just some random stranger on the interwebz as well. Plus possible legal issues and in general I'm not here to hand out medical advice.

[amylittlelbs 10]

Hi all, I'm also struggling with this. I'm sticking to my allocated 125ml sized portions but there's been occasions where I've eaten a bit more. Is that out of the ordinary, should I be worried?

I've tolerated puree and soft food stage really well.

I find myself quite hungry even though I'm eating little but often

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[Zuzanna 4]

I am able to eat a bit more than recommended and I’m worried about it. I’m week 3-4 post op and can currently have eggs, toast, tuna etc. a stage let purée. I can eat about a cup and a half of strained Soup in a sitting. I can eat a whole egg and a half a piece of toast in a sitting as well. Is this abnormal? Should I be concerned?

Hello LivDee,
I had a gastric sleeve 13 years ago, and yes I tested the Water on what I could eat or not eat. I lost nearly 50kg and then put half back on simply by drinking alcohol. I stopped drinking and went on to have a baby who is healthy and now nearly 8. I can tell you that even though you stomach may stretch it wont stretch to what it was before and I am still now restricted as to the amount I can eat. In most cases an entree size meal. It is also dependant on a few factors, the more protien in a meal the less I can eat, there are also foods i dont digest well. It is really important to always chew your food really well.
I was 142kg when I had the sleeve done and today sit at 114.9kg. I had made it to 92kg but when I added stupid calories like alcohol and sugar it will catch up and you can still put on weight. But the good thing is you can continue to loose weight but it does get a little harder with cravings when you expand you tummy.

The other thing if you haven't adressed it and I say this everyone starting this journey, look at your relationship with food and recognise always why and what you put in you mouth.
My relationship with food has changed but it has been a journey and not the prettiest one but I can recognise and analyse and make change more easily now than before.
I still have a way to go and will be going in for a sasi and to get my hernia fixed, but my headspace is even better today.
I guess in otherwords take it easy try and follow what the
Team tells you and be kind. Each day is a new adventure and take this as a jouney of empowerment and discovery about you. This really will change you so don't be scared to seek counselling if you need to as new situations will come forth that you have not dealt with and this can make you want take in the wrong things.

As for after op eating follow the stages while your stomach is healing if you eat too much it can damage it.

Its also great you are recognising what you feel is different and asking questions because that is how you get to know more about the new you.
Keep going you got this.

Best regards


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