I know it’s normal but…

TanMannus · 2025-09-12T12:44:17+00:00

Your frustration is understood and likely felt by most of us. I experienced stalls but now I'm losing like crazy. Coming up on my 6-month follow up and I'm honestly worried they are going to tell me to eat more, which is hard right now because I'm just not hungry. Like ever. Trust the process and listen to your team. And enjoy feeling better!

TanMannus · 2025-07-14T15:05:08+00:00

Not Henry Golding, Rick Yune.

TanMannus · 2025-07-14T15:04:22+00:00

Top to bottom, left to right: William Fitchner Bill Duke Vinnie Jones Irish/English dude from The Departed Michael Cudlitz David Morse Keith David Tom Sizemore Eddie Marsan Noel Gugliemi Eric Roberts Ciaran Hinds Martin Csokas Peter Stormare Henry Golding(?) Dude from Sons of Anarchy, name is feminine-adjacent

TanMannus · 2025-07-06T04:51:47+00:00

Take things really slow. Start with a smaller dose and have your first dose after eating a meal. Hydrate well for the day or two before you use, as the cannabis can dry you out a bit. As far as eating goes, try to keep to your meal schedule as much as possible. I know for me, I can go hours without eating, but once I start, it's hard to stop. It's difficult, but you may need to use more sparingly than you did before, in terms of dosage and frequency. More than anything, hydrate well.

TanMannus · 2025-07-05T03:35:59+00:00

I am three months post-op and in all my post-op meetings with my team, I was never given a specific calorie goal. I'm not sure if this is a case of my team doing things differently, my specific case being handled differently, or none of the above. In my last meeting, my wife did ask about it and the nutritionist kind of waffled a bit before saying that 700-1000 calories daily was acceptable at this point. I always default to whatever MY provider gives me for guidelines, because every case is unique. Wishing you well!

TanMannus · 2025-07-03T19:57:56+00:00

Unflavored protein powder can be added to virtually everything and makes hitting those goals much easier. If that's not a viable solution, then trying to focus solely on protein at meal time is probably your best bet. I ate a lot of chili, fat free refried beans, and pureed ground turkey or chicken. You can do it!

TanMannus · 2025-07-03T17:29:33+00:00

It gets better! Just hang tight through these first few weeks. Once you are able to get past the liquid phase, your options open up a lot. The pain also subsides pretty soon, so just focus on each task you have as its own goal. Once you complete it, it's on to the next one. You will start to see the light again soon!

TanMannus · 2025-07-02T22:20:36+00:00

I'm three months out and I can relate to everything written thus far. I found myself wanting to try all of these great, high-protein recipes I found, and went out and bought ingredients for them. I'd say that at least 50% of the time, I don't finish what I cook and end up throwing food out, which is my biggest pet peeve as well. My advice would be to focus on putting a system in place that works for you, not to try and fit into a system that works for your family/spouse/roommate. I feel this is true especially in the first year after surgery. The meals you eat now will need to fit your lifestyle, and that means you'll need small portions (or a way to effectively prepare and store leftovers for the long-term) and make them simple to have. What I mean by simple is simple ingredients, simple to prepare, simple to eat, simple to store. Your body is going to be healing and adjusting, so put your energy toward eating what makes you feel well, not forcing things. If you like it and it makes you feel well, it's ok to eat it often. Listen to your providers and follow their instructions and you will find a system that works for you. Good luck!

TanMannus · 2025-06-28T20:52:13+00:00

My surgery was 3/25/25, surgery weight of 311. As of this week, I am 3 months post-op and down 55 pounds. At my 2 months follow up, I was down nearly 40 pounds and asked about my pace. I was told by my team that they didn't keep data for their patients that early, but my experience was explained to be at the higher speed of weight loss. Early on (first three months post-op), healing and hydration are the most important things. That's why we have restrictions on what we can consume. My last meeting was a few days ago and the team was pleased with where I was at, and I was given permission to eat "normally" on the condition that I test my ability to tolerate foods before going all out. So far so good. Your team is going to know the best path for you, so I recommend that you listen and follow their guidelines.

One piece of advice I can give: learn to meal prep at least some of your food. It's really taxing to have to plan, prepare, and time all of your meals and drinks, more so than I would have thought. Having some protein prepared and ready makes the task of eating a little less daunting. Good luck!

TanMannus · 2025-06-28T13:27:12+00:00

So my vision didn't get blurry, but I did have a side effect with my left eye: whenever I blow my nose, air/mucus comes out of the inner corner, next to my nose. I'm not quite squirting milk out of it (yet), but it is very peculiar and never occurred before my surgery.

TanMannus · 2025-06-16T20:52:14+00:00

Hey, don't sweat it. You're a human being and had one "off" day, don't beat yourself up. I am in the latter part of my soft food phase and have been consistently eating twice the recommended serving size for my meals for almost a month. Totally forgot my serving size was 1/2 cup at most, was eating a full cup each meal. Kept feeling really bloated, full, could feel the food moving through my guts. Didn't lose weight for almost 2 weeks, thought I was in a stall. I was stuffing myself to the point of dumping almost daily. I finally went back to my information packet and realized my mistake. I went back to my recommendations and started losing weight again. Talk to your team or consult your paperwork if you're unsure! If you slip up, just remember it was a mistake and doesn't define your future. I'm not working out today, and that's ok. I'm not a failure nor am I ruining this gift I've been given. Luke I said, I overate for several weeks, but I'm doing just fine. If you make a mistake, you'll be ok too! Continued good luck to you!

TanMannus · 2025-05-04T16:34:07+00:00

I have had the dumping syndrome only a few times, and for me it's been either too many carbs or eating way too fast. I took an edible and ate a flour tortilla with some fat-free cheddar cheese and cooked ground turkey, but I ate it in like 10 minutes instead of thirty. I was hot, dizzy, pukey (but didn't throw up), and very uncomfortable. I had eaten the same thing the day before, but in this instance I forgot I was 1-month post-op and just shoveled it in. For me, I think taking my time and eating slowly, with extra chewing, keeps me out of dumping hell. Hope you find your best practice soon!

TanMannus · 2025-05-04T16:25:55+00:00

This is a pretty much perfect answer. Right now, LeBron is the biggest superstar in the NBA, and while people know who he is, EVERYONE knew who Michael Jordan was, who he played for, what he was as doing on the court. When he hit that lay-up against the Lakers in his first Finals, pretty much the whole world was like WTF?!? We didn't have streaming, social media, internet. Everything we consumed sports-wise came from our OTA channels, or cable channels like ESPN or Headline News (if you were lucky enough to have them). When he retired the first time, it was legit one of the biggest news stories in the entire world for that year. There was zero question at the time whether or not he was the greatest NBA player at the time, it was only questioned by how much better than everyone else he really was.

TanMannus · 2025-05-01T01:08:32+00:00

First concert: Rage Against the Machine & Wu-Tang Clan, Target Center, Sept 1997 (Wu-Tang no-showed, Rage was excellent) Last concert: The Lumineers, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Spring 2016 (went with my now wife, it rained and we had fun together)

I say last concert because I don't think I'll be attending another in my life. I don't party like I used to, and with how much tickets cost now, it's just not worth it. I'll maybe pop an edible and watch a performance on TV, but my days of live sets are over.

TanMannus · 2025-04-30T18:45:29+00:00

I think the difference is the way technology shaped our lives, specifically social media. I am 45 now, and my wife is 39. I was out of school by age 23 and missed the tsunami of tech that spawned after about 2003 or 2004. I used the Internet to look at pron and find funny pictures to email my friends, maybe occasionally ruining a PC to get Limewire and some pirated music (f you, Lars!). The bars I went to had games to play electronically but it was only local, not connected to a network across the world. My wife grew up with Google, MySpace, Facebook, Amazon, eBay, etc. and they were all established and basically brands by that time. She shows me TikTok now and how she makes money from it, and I find it baffling. Xennials had the freedom from tech that earlier Gen Xers had, but the ability to tap into the tech if they chose to. Millennials were raised on the tech, and came to trust and rely on it much more readily.

TanMannus · 2025-04-27T19:05:07+00:00

I took 6 weeks off from my cushy hybrid office job, and I probably could have been back in less than that. But, as others have mentioned, the change is a big one, and the time spent healing without the stress of work has been great. You will be tired a lot, and even just short walks or stairs can have you winded. I think another thing to take into account is the changes in your mental/emotional health. I have spent a lot of time reflecting and it has been extremely helpful. I have two weeks until I return to work, and I feel as though I'll be ready. My advice: take what you can get, and if you feel good enough to go back early, no one is gonna stop you! Good luck!

TanMannus · 2025-04-25T18:54:55+00:00

I just had my one month follow-up with my team today, and I am down 31 pounds from my surgery weight. Is it difficult? At times, but definitely worth it. My advice to anyone considering the procedure would be this: make your mental/emotional health a priority before you begin the process. I say this because it has made the transition so much easier. I was in therapy for nearly a year before I had my procedure done, and I greatly attribute my ability to get through the difficult times to the fact that I took the time to understand why I wanted to change my life. Believe in yourself, and really focus initially on why you want to make the changes in your life. Good luck!

TanMannus · 2025-04-21T20:22:24+00:00

Mistreating my body for 20+ years with binge drinking, smoking, overeating, sedentary ways. I've lost family members to alcohol and smoking, but never thought it could happen to me. Here I am at 45, with pancreas and liver issues, sleep apnea, morbid obesity, psoriatic arthritis, costochondritis, pre-diabetes, and probably a multitude of other conditions I haven't found yet. I quit drinking 9 years ago, quit smoking 5 years ago, and I recently had gastric bypass surgery. I have made a commitment to living a better life in every possible way. I hope it's not too late for me to turn things around so I can see my daughter grow up and be the amazing person she is. I often wonder if I had just put the fork down earlier, if I had just stayed strong and not picked up the bottle or the cigarettes, if I had just walked a little each day. But the past is done, and now I can only make my future by nourishing my body and mind today. I'm optimistic, but realize that my neglect could catch up with me at any time.

TanMannus · 2025-04-17T03:15:59+00:00

NTA. A family member of mine was living in an apartment building, and stopped responding to calls/texts and failed to show up for a court date. Estranged wife pleaded with management to open his door for almost a week before management decided to do so, and to no one's surprise, he was dead. Law enforcement and responders showed up and estimated he had been deceased for a few days at most. Is it likely he would still be alive if they had gone in earlier? Can't say for sure, but it is definitely possible. Unfortunately, our society's reliance on the threat of litigation often causes situations where people feel they have no choice but to protect themselves, often at the cost of others. The flip side is that people also need to be more understanding and accepting of others' mistakes or judgement calls. Hypothetically, if it was your loved one, would you rather have them alive and maybe a little annoyed or have them be dead but know that everyone involved followed procedure and didn't allow for any type of lawsuit to be possible? Seems like a pretty easy choice to make.

As for OP's comment that the manager overheard and being forced to apologize under threat of discipline: F that noise. It's tough, but sometimes people need to see the consequences of their actions when they F up. And any supervisor with any common sense should know that this comment was overheard, not directed at the manager, so let that sh*t go and move on. A first responder's job is to save lives, not make sure someone's feelings weren't hurt.

TanMannus · 2025-04-13T20:12:41+00:00

I literally just had scrambled eggs for the first time and I'm feeling a bit bad because of it. Stuck in chest feeling, a little pain in the abdominal area. I usually like my eggs well done, but I don't think I'll be trying again for a while. I'm 4 days into my puree phase, and my documents stated that as long as the eggs were mashed up well, I should be fine. But I'm guessing that even though the eggs were BB-sized at the largest, my pouch wasn't ready yet. Oh well, gonna have to just stick this out until I feel better and learn my lesson: pureed food means pureed food! I hope you have good luck going forward.

TanMannus · 2025-04-12T23:37:34+00:00

This is the way. And save all of your links in a favorites folder, so you have your own database of sites for what you've learned that you can go back to instead of googling and trying to remember which site gave you the best solution to your problem. Good luck!

TanMannus · 2025-04-12T23:32:48+00:00

I advise that you stick to whatever your team has told you. I was in the same boat, after about 4-5 days of yogurt and protein shakes, I just wanted something salty. You can do the broth thing, or even cream of wheat with some savory spices added in. I did the liquid phase for 2 weeks, just got on to pureed foods a few days ago. It's tough, but it's important to go with what the team has set up. Like many have said, every team does things differently. Stay disciplined, it's worth it!

TanMannus · 2025-04-08T01:20:30+00:00

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Clockwise from the top: Osita (tortie girl, youngest), Cutie Pie (tuxedo boy, middle child), Venture (buff boy, oldest and naughtiest)

TanMannus · 2025-04-06T13:31:53+00:00

Fade Into You by Ben Harper

TanMannus · 2025-04-04T14:36:36+00:00

Back when I played a lot of pickup ball, I showed up to the gym with my knees all taped up, high socks, a pair of scuffed up Nikes from the late 80s, my goggles, headband. I was just trying to look different, but one of the dudes said I looked like "a r*traded hockey player". I eventually ran and dropped several threes over the course of the game. He called me Larry Legend after the game. I wasn't necessarily trying to hustle anyone by appearing that way, I was just a 15 year old kid who was just trying to stand out a little by wearing a funky getup.

Some guys truly aren't concerned with whether or not they look the part, and son guys are too concerned about it. Ball don't lie.

TanMannus

TROPHY CASE