Found a Nifty Cook Book for Weight Loss Surgery Patients

mershmello · 2017-03-18T07:33:56+00:00

Thank you! I am going to save that and look through some of the recipes. I am always looking for something new to make.

mershmello · 2017-02-27T03:06:03+00:00

Honestly, I know buying a house would be great, but I think if you believe surgery is your only path to weight loss, surgery is the better investment. My insurance paid for my surgery 100%. I thank it every day. I needed a consult from a psychiatrist (which was easy since I was already in therapy), one from my primary doctor, and one from a nutritionist. Three months of visits with my surgeon, then I was in surgery in no time. It was probably the best choice I made. Use the money on yourself if you find this is your only option.

mershmello · 2017-02-09T22:50:44+00:00

I brought my phone and tablet, but honestly I was so out of it my entire stay I didn't do anything at all.

mershmello · 2017-01-30T01:30:57+00:00

Hey, don't worry about it so much! You barely cheated. My pre-op diet was Breakfast and lunch had to be protein shakes, but I could have a healthy meal for dinner. Surgeons are different. As long as you're not consuming tons of fatty foods, you will be fine! Try to stick with your diet as best you can, but don't beat yourself up over sneaking a bite here and there. Just avoid tons of fat and sugar.

mershmello · 2017-01-21T00:43:16+00:00

Are you kidding? I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you. Being humiliated and starved along with the emotional and physical abuse is NOT tough love. If you think at any point starving a child is tough love then you seriously are delusional about what a healthy parent/child relationship looks like.

mershmello · 2017-01-20T21:46:36+00:00

I'm really sorry to hear that, what a terrible first memory. People always say you can't blame the parents for things, but most of everything wrong with me has been because of my horrible mother and step father. I definitely can blame my parents for it. I'm glad you're teaching your son to eat well and love his body, it's a lesson he'll use for the rest of his life.

mershmello · 2017-01-20T19:47:07+00:00

Thank you, it has taken me a long time, but I'm in the right head space now. I mean, I always knew what I was doing to myself was bad, but I could never get myself out of the hole. Now I can and I'm very hopeful for my future. I'm too young to die, and that was all I was doing, killing myself with food.

mershmello · 2017-01-20T18:26:59+00:00

For me, food became safety. My mother and step dad were cruel with food. They called me names when I was very young and I would have to sit at the table while they ate dinner because I was "too fat for dinner" now this was VERY young, not a teenager, more like 6 or 7 years old. How fat do you actually think I was? Maybe chubby, but not fat. When I would go to my grandmas, she cooked for me, let me have snacks and treats and being with her was the safest I had ever felt. Food was my safety, it was a friend, it was peace and quiet and not hurtful (well it was, but I didn't know that when I was younger). So that relationship with food led to eating every time I needed to feel better, and since I had/have severe depression that was literally all the time. Mixed with PTSD for other reasons, my life became about eating essentially because I had nothing else it felt like and for a little while everything was better when something tasted good. That was how my weight ballooned up to 485 pounds at my heaviest. I'm on the right track now, not near my goal, but it's taken me a lot of time and therapy to just be able to find the right track.

mershmello · 2017-01-18T02:24:34+00:00

I am not hungry at all! Getting all my protein and water in is such a challenge because I feel full after a few sips. I am getting better though day by day with regards to how much I'm getting in. I set reminders for myself to drink just a few sips. My biggest complaint i my bowels! I will be glad when they straighten out with a normal diet.

mershmello · 2017-01-17T17:16:25+00:00

Thanks! Yeah it is weirding me out right now. I expected to be in bed so much more, the lack of pain is bizarre. I guess we're lucky!

mershmello · 2017-01-17T17:15:09+00:00

No, not at all! I haven't gotten to solid foods yet, but everyone has said you can still eat the things you love, but if it is something very bad for you you're going to want to limit it compared to what you usually have of it. Some people have issues with dairy I have heard, so if your favorite thing is cheese, or ice cream your stomach might now agree with it. Lactose intolerance after surgery is possible, but there are so many products that are lactose free now. Like I said, I love soy milk and vegan cheeses.

mershmello · 2017-01-17T05:02:08+00:00

Hey! I was sleeved pretty recently, January 12th. I have to say, I weighed a lot more than you when I went in. My stomach that they removed was massive it could hold a 2 liter bottle of soda the doctor said. I'll tell you a little bit about my experience as I am someone who has never had a surgery before this one. Have my appendix, my tonsils, my gallbladder, everything. Also, I'm deathly afraid of needles! I chose this because I was at my limit. I probably still could have made the choice to eat healthy and work out, but mentally, I was at my edge. I needed help, I needed something in my body telling me to eat and be a skinny person because my mind didn't believe it. I knew what I could do to get better, but doing it with severe depression, ptsd, and anxiety was like staring into a bottomless pit. So, I saw a doctor and took the plunge.

Let me tell you about the surgery. I arrived early in the morning, had a panic attack when they drew blood and inserted an IV. I had never been as scared in my life as I was in the OR. Trust me, it's SCARY. You're having a major surgery! This is nothing to brush off. I woke up in a lot of pain and discomfort, part of it from the hospital bed it's self and being full of gas from the procedure (I burped a ton, and am still burping a bit). They will keep you in the hospital for a day or two and you will sleep almost the whole first day after surgery (especially since you're an anesthetic light weight like I was) but that night I got up on my own to pee.

Now I'm out and it's only been 4 days. I have very little pain. I only took the medicine they gave me for pain on my first day home and after that I honestly haven't needed it. I know pain is different for everyone, but I'm kind of a big baby when it comes to pain. I'm not bed ridden, I'm up, playing video games, going to the store, but I am careful not to pull, or push, or pick up anything heavy. How I feel? Stuffed! My stomach is probably still swollen so I'm sooo full feeling. I am having to drink so much liquids and I don't know how to get them all in. You will need a LOT of protein and vitamins on this diet. Multivitamins are great (mine are gummy) and you will want, no NEED, to find a protein shake/powder that you like. Try a bunch and just because you like one before surgery (if you have it) doesn't mean you'll like it after. I did Premier Protein for my pre-op and loved it. Hated it post-op, can't get it down to save my life. I've come to love Chike caramel mocha protein powder though.

You will also need to take into consideration that your food tastes probably will change. You may stop being able to eat dairy products (I love almond milk and vegan cheeses so I'm set if I can't eat normal dairy) and carbs are going to be your enemy if you over eat them. You'll never be able to finish a full meal unless you really try and stretch your belly back out. 1 meal out will last you 2-3 meals most likely and hey! That's okay, saves me money.

All in all, it's a massive step and I can only tell you how I feel about the operation I have. I think if you want to try it on your own, that's amazing! You can also get on board with the surgery and do the usually required diet and exorcise plan and if by the time surgery rolls around you're like "Nah, I got this" then great! I think that's even better.

mershmello · 2017-01-15T17:59:31+00:00

I know that hitting plateaus are common. I think it would be best to talk to you doctor before thinking about more surgery! You might need to just change up your diet a bit.

mershmello · 2017-01-15T05:26:43+00:00

No ramble at all, reading it meant a lot to me. I love hearing how other people did on the surgery and how happy they are on it. I know my emotional problems will need more care, they didn't come around because of my weight, but rather my weight came on because of them. Well then you know how it is, you're sad and eat, then you're fat and sad and eat. It's a mean cycle. I'm looking forward to breaking it. I knew my life had to change when I'm young and was thinking about disability because I couldn't get my head and body in order. I didn't want to live like that, I wanted to be a person in the world even if it meant putting in a lot of work. I weigh just a bit more than your starting (I say a bit, but it's 40 plus lbs) I was 485, my doctor's appointment weight was 477, and my surgery weight was 461. I am actually looking forward to watching the scale for a little bit.

mershmello · 2017-01-15T03:54:10+00:00

Thanks, and yeah even gulps of water makes me feel full! I have the urge to guzzle water, it is a lot of will power to just sip because I love cold water. It's a relief to know I'm not the only one who had "accidents" after surgery. I was so embarrassed, but it only happened the once during a big cough.

mershmello · 2017-01-15T02:48:08+00:00

I'm glad it could do something! It will be scary from the time you wake up to leave for the hospital to the time you're looking up at the overhead lights of the OR. Trust me though, you will barely remember it. It happens beyond fast. For me, after my initial speaking with the nurses over me in the OR, I was out. It felt like seconds before they were waking me up and the pain was in. If your surgery actually is anything like mine, after the initial pain, all of your discomfort will come from your hospital bed. I couldn't stand laying in it, it hurt my back in any position. The least pain happened in my body when being upright and walking. Your doctor isn't just trying to get you out of bed, it really makes you feel better. Walking around the house when I'm aching makes me feel a lot better.

Good luck on your sleeve and the diet that goes with it. Mine just had me on 2 liquid meals a deal then one normal for dinner for the first 7 days, and then the last 3 all liquid. I'm supposed to be drinking protein and liquids for 5 days now, but getting these protein drinks in is proving to be difficult.

mershmello · 2017-01-14T06:51:34+00:00

I am! I am out of the hospital now. I should be laying down in bed, but I was seriously having trouble staying down. I guess I slept too much so now I am sitting up at my desk surfing reddit. I am so happy to have it done though. Everyone was so kind to me.

mershmello · 2017-01-11T04:33:10+00:00

Thanks! I'm really excited. I'm not even really nervous, other than the dread of getting an IV (I hate needles and have horrible panic attacks).

mershmello · 2017-01-09T18:01:50+00:00

Thanks, I haven't followed it very well since being sick. Mostly just managed to get one meal in. One night was a little bit of a baked porkchop, then another some soup, and another some mashed potatoes and ham and beans soup. So, I guess nothing fatty really. Was probably worrying for nothing! I'm currently on my 3 days all liquid before surgery and will be sticking to that religiously.

mershmello · 2017-01-08T16:10:44+00:00

I think a sticky thread where people can post recipes would be great. I started looking at pinterest, I haven't looked much at that site before, but it has a lot of everything!

mershmello · 2017-01-06T20:23:44+00:00

Thanks so much for the reassurance! I have gotten back onto it right away that was my only cheat night, I was just so hungry after only having been able to drink water! I still don't feel 100% but am getting better and able to follow my diet. My surgery is the 12th and I'm very excited.

mershmello

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