Feel free to look at my diary, it is open. You can friend me. 3 1/2 months out, 68 lbs down

Hi there! Welcome. Feel free to add me. I have a private diary but I am happy to offer support and/or advice. Good luck on your journey.

Hi! Sending you a friend request.

Sending you a friends request I had my VSG done 12/10/14 lost 61lbs so far and very happy with my new life. To be honest it was rough at first but it will pass just hold on!!! And welcome!!!:bigsmile:

Sent friend request.

Hi everyone I had my sleeve done 4/4/14 8 days ago im down 24lbs. Im having a very hard time not eating, im not really hungery but i want real food any tips or advice would be wonderful.

This is the head hunger, otherwise know as food addiction. Most of us are obese because we do not eat food only for nourishment but we use it for medication. We use it to medicate boredom, stress, depression, fatigue - you name it. We come to expect to eat in certain locations and situations. You have to keep reminding yourself to accept the process. You will be eating tastier food soon and like you said, you are not hungry. Ask yourself am I craving the healthy proteins (salmon steaks, roast chicken) that will be 70% of my diet forever....or I am I craving the rich carb heavy items that I am not supposed to eat anymore? I completely sympathize, I woke from surgery with head hunger. Hour by hour the 1st 6 wks I had to remind myself, sometimes saying it aloud "I am not hungry-why am I thinking about food". I also found that any taste of wheat, rice or potato (high glycemic index food would create huge head hunger) which reaffirmed my decision to no longer eat them. They are my trigger Kryptonite foods. If I don't eat them head hunger becomes a rare thing. My surgeon wants them at 5% or less of our diet anyway because they don't have enough nutrition to offset their high calories and they take space needed for protein. If you are still on puréed you can purée many meals with a little chicken broth, just pass it thru a sieve. My favorite was moo goo gai pan, 1/2cup drained of the gravy puréed with low fat, low salt chick broth. I also loved Gordon Ramsey's butter soft scrambled eggs,check out the YouTube video. Egg drop soup, puréed Italian wedding soup. Publix tomato bisque with tbsp protein powder mixed in. Cherry tomatoes dipped in hummus, lox mashed up with yogurt cheese and served with guacamole. Tuna creamed with cottage cheese. Puréed pot roast served wth puréed peas and sour cream. In my opinion, far better to purée your own food. Good luck

Hi Jackie. You shouldn't be scared of the diet part of the surgery. The liquid and pureed stages don't last for very long and from my experience, you really don't want to eat that much anyway. I was more afraid of the surgery itself, but all went well and I am now two months out. I started soft foods about two weeks ago and find that I can eat just about anything I want except for very hard or tough foods (like nuts, seeds, dry, stringy meats or raw veggies).

The diet is a process that aids in both recovery from surgery and learning new habits - like eating smaller volume, eating slower and chewing foods thoroughly. I find this to be very helpful now and not something I even have to think about - it's just "normal" for me now.

When I look back, I can now see more clearly all of my previous bad habits that contributed to my obesity. I never thought I really ate "that much", but now I realize that I did. I also ate too fast and just washed it all down with water or another beverage.

I have to say, that in just two months post surgery, I feel fantastic and my life is already better. I eat better quality foods. I am exercising, which I never did before. I am starting to have more energy and focus because I'm not eating so many carbs or sugar.

You have to decide for yourself if the surgery is right for you, but you definitely have to commit to the lifestyle change. Losing weight is just the "prize" you get in the end. But if you are unhappy with the new choices and lifestyle you'll have to do, then surgery might not be for you. I say this because I notice a lot of people whining and complaining post-surgery about what they can't eat and I seriously have absolutely NO ISSUES with that! If I wanted to keep eating like I did before, then I shouldn't have had the surgery.

Good luck with your decision. For me, it was the best thing I've done for myself in many years and my only regret is that I did not do it sooner!

Thank you for your kind words. I am more scared that I won't have the ability to stick to the liquid diet. Can you tell me why you chose the sleeve over the band?

I am going to be completely honest with you, the surgery was rough for me but that was me personally. I have had other surgeries and this was definately the worst pain wise and recovery. But with that being said, it was worth it for me and my situation. You have to realize this is a REST OF YOUR LIFE committment not a I think I will do this today change. I know as it is still hard for me 5 months in to not want to say today I will take a day off.... NOPE your stomach and body will not let you, can you cheat and undo your surgery sure, but really who in thier right might would want to have major surgery, remove most of a major organ then do not do what you are suppose to do? I just do not get it at all....
It is easy all the time, nope and most of the time can be a struggle but it is a WONDERFUL tool to help you get things under control. I thought the worst part for me would be missing breads nope the are gone and I am okay with leaving it that way until I have lost my weight completely.
Another tip from me is if your "plan" or approval process does not require you to lose weight DONT just instead get in what you want as after the surgery it is nose to the grind stone for the remainder of your journey. I do know eventually it will get to the point where I can eat anything but at 5 months I am still not there and have to be really careful. But dropping over 70+ pounds and about 4 sizes I have so much more energy and self worth now. So I personally can say it was worth it for me....I think each person has to decide what is thier level of committment and realize also there are reason we are addicted to food and try to weed those out so we do not go back to the food later on. And the exercise does play an important role in losing the weight and keeping it off in the long run. Have a plan to exercise at least 5 times a week in place otherwise it will be more of a struggle, and last take measurements. I want to shoot myself for NOT doing this in the beginning as you will find when the scale does not move the tapes do... LOL

Hi AllViv78,

I am a total newbie. My surgery is 5/13 and tomorrow I start my clear liquid diet. Dr. Cirangle of San Francisco is doing the surgery. I am very hopeful regarding the outcome. I'm older than most, 66 yrs and have about 75 pounds to lose. I would love to hear from you regarding lessons learned and how you are progressing.