Making changes post op

Hi Butterflyfallen,

this is exactly what I mean! I do the same thing, eat some nibbles, then feel full, wait until I can fit more in and go for it..constant grazing. I am having to consciously stop this and it's hard. Not I try and limit myself to fruit between meals - I mean I know fruit is sugar, but I don't tend to pig out on fruit (unless it's dried!) So I will have a nectarine and be done with it -seems to work for me.

Like you i have said 'no' to lots and lots of food this season, and it's is hard- I have had no pudding, or shortbread or chocolate, I have been do diligent and it feels so unfair sometimes!!

At least you are aware of it now, it took me until 14 months out to start to work all this out!

Good luck!

Jane xxx

i'm 3 months out and still get hunger pains. It's not head hunger or gas like alot of ppl get, for me my tummy rumbles. I eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks which is usually some prunes or something low cal. I was really good for the first couple of months and am only recently starting to struggle with keeping away from "naughty foods". Xmas certainly hasnt helped. Ive had to give away all the bad foods i had from xmas - chocolates, shortbread etc. In saying that, i dont go out hunting for bad food. I dont eat mc donalds - used to have this a few times a month, since surgery ive had 3/4 of a cheeseburger, and it was delicious but i keep away. Ive had pizza twice since surgery only as i didnt want to cook and my partner felt like takeaway so figured it was the most cost effective choice if i was going to have takeaway. At the moment im very much struggling with eating, and then eating again later when im not actually hungry but can fit food in. This is my biggest struggle at the moment. Grazing. For example ill be at a friends house, have some dip - feel full but then 30 mins later can fit more in so i do. I need to quit this. I eat relatively healthy outside of this and exercise at least 4 times a week. But i think grazing is the biggest detriment to the sleeve working long term and i need to get on top of it now. I already feel like i can fit more and more into my belly in one sitting. My dr said in 12 months i should be able to eat about an entree size meal, and i sometimes feel like im close to that already!

Asimov wrote:

Sorry - A little bit confused here - are you addressing this to me?

gottarhyme wrote:

The funny thing is, Sarah, is that you DO make those healthy choices!

I am occasionally naughty with the lollies, but over all, I follow the sleevers rules:

1. Protein first

2. Try to drink water all day (sip sip sip!)

3. No more than 1/2-1 cup of ANYTHING at a sitting.

That's about it! If you DON'T follow this, then you will be sick and in pain, because physically, you just cannot eat what you used to, AND you REALLY won't want it! Trust me! Been there!

Weight Watchers will not help you post sleeve. You will not be able to physically eat all the food they want you to eat!

Go to the post op page for recipes and menus for the three stages Sleevers go through post op, which are:
1. Liquid
2. Soft Mushies
3. Regular diet (protein first!)

Listen to your Dietitian, and check in with her if you have any problems.

It really IS that simple!

Sorry I had a BLONDE moment! I have two cousins, Rebecca and Sarah, and I obviously typed Sarah instead of Rebecca! This is my second blonde moment today! Sorry! Not like me at all.

My apologies for the confusion!

Good to hear Isis! I wish I knew then what I know now -I would have made more of an effort and relaxed a lot more about ensuring I ate, ate ate! I was, like a lot of new sleevers paranoid about making sure I ate enough, but looking back on it, I shouldn't have worried, it works out in the end. That paranoia was what really got me snacking.

But you are spot on,w hen you say, it still is the best thing to have done. I have HEAPS more control of my eating that I used too, I cannot do the damage I once could ( I could easily put on kilos in a weekend - I could eat so much) and now the hunger is more manageable and my portions sizes are so much better!

Thanks for the support!

Janelou x

My timeframes were exactly the same as yours Janelou... the tastes and hunger came back at 9-10 months post-op (I'm now 15 months out) and now I have to be actively careful. I haven't gained, but I bounce - 1 kg down, 1 up, 2 down, 1 up...

I miss being a new sleever who physically couldn't eat too much or the wrong foods really. Ah well, it's still the best thing I have ever done for myself and I am much more fussy about what I put in there now, whereas before I would have just eaten whatever and to hell with the consequences!

I agree with the others - it's good advice to get on top of it BEFORE you get sleeved. It sets you up in the best possible way to meet your full weight loss potential and change your lifestyle permanently. Don't be ashamed of your demons, we all have them :)

Hi all,

it's not the first 10 months to worry about- that is the easy bit. In this time, however tray and deal with the emotional eating, because believe me at 16 months out, I can eat a lot. I can snack my way through at least 2000 cals a day if i am not careful. I took the first 12 months for granted - and didn't realise that after about 10 months, your appetite comes back, your hunger does too. I mean it's not like it was before, but it is there compared to when you are first sleeved. At first, yuo cannot imagine ever overeating, but it does and can easily happen.

My tips;

- get on top of snacking - NOW! At first, you tend to 'graze' because you feel A) you can (how delightful!) and B) you THINK you need to to, but looking back, I would never have starved if I had stuck to 3 meals a day and a snack in the afternoon -I think for me it was such a wonderful period to graze as previously grazing had got me in trouble. (the thing is at the very beginning, you are eating such tiny amounts, you can get away with little treats etc)

Now the grazing 'snacking' has again got me into trouble, I put on 3 kilos recently, just having snacks here and there, our bodies are getting so few calories for so long, that when you can start eating more, your body just goes 'woo hoo, we can put on some of the weight we lost!' I lost the 3 kilos, by going back to 3 small meals a day - protein and carbs ( vegies, fruit etc) and fruit if i need it between meals - works for me.

Do whatever you have to do to get on top of the unhealthy eating patterns, because it does not get any easier -it is the easiest to control your eating at the beginning of the sleeve, it only gets harder the more you can eat - the more time passes, the more difficult it becomes (in my opinion)

Good luck!

Janelou

I am hardly a "successful," sleever... I only had mine done in Sept.

Still, my tastes have pretty much instantly changed.

First thing post-op, you can't physically eat junk food anyway, and it hurts to eat/drink (well did for me), so I wasn't really in the mood to eat anyway. Plus, I wasn't hungry.

After you can eat everything again though (or most things), I've found that my tastes have just changed. I was the type who'd drink a 1.25L bottle of coke a day if I could. I often did. Now I don't drink fizzy drinks (I might have a few sips, slowly) because they don't feel so nice, but they also don't taste nice either. I've tried a burger from Maccas - the things I'd previously LOVE to eat. Now they're just kinda average. I don't really enjoy them. Sausages don't feel comfortable, so I don't eat them. KFC makes me feel a bit queasy, so I don't eat it.

etc etc. It's very easy to avoid these things when they make you feel a bit icky, and also when they don't taste so good anymore.

I can eat chips (like, packets of crisps) and stuff, but I can only eat a small amount, so if I have some, I don't freak out - it's only about 1/2 one of those multipack packets anyway, so not many.

Sorry - A little bit confused here - are you addressing this to me?

gottarhyme wrote:

The funny thing is, Sarah, is that you DO make those healthy choices!

I am occasionally naughty with the lollies, but over all, I follow the sleevers rules:

1. Protein first

2. Try to drink water all day (sip sip sip!)

3. No more than 1/2-1 cup of ANYTHING at a sitting.

That's about it! If you DON'T follow this, then you will be sick and in pain, because physically, you just cannot eat what you used to, AND you REALLY won't want it! Trust me! Been there!

Weight Watchers will not help you post sleeve. You will not be able to physically eat all the food they want you to eat!

Go to the post op page for recipes and menus for the three stages Sleevers go through post op, which are:
1. Liquid
2. Soft Mushies
3. Regular diet (protein first!)

Listen to your Dietitian, and check in with her if you have any problems.

It really IS that simple!

The funny thing is, Sarah, is that you DO make those healthy choices!

I am occasionally naughty with the lollies, but over all, I follow the sleevers rules:

1. Protein first

2. Try to drink water all day (sip sip sip!)

3. No more than 1/2-1 cup of ANYTHING at a sitting.

That's about it! If you DON'T follow this, then you will be sick and in pain, because physically, you just cannot eat what you used to, AND you REALLY won't want it! Trust me! Been there!

Weight Watchers will not help you post sleeve. You will not be able to physically eat all the food they want you to eat!

Go to the post op page for recipes and menus for the three stages Sleevers go through post op, which are:
1. Liquid
2. Soft Mushies
3. Regular diet (protein first!)

Listen to your Dietitian, and check in with her if you have any problems.

It really IS that simple!

I worry about making healthy eating choices. I know what to eat, but eat what I want. Post op, I understand that can't continue m

Hi Rebekahp

I am only recently sleeved and had similar concerns as you but my dietician was great when I saw her pre-op and explained it all.

For me the biggest change was losing that hunger feeling. Literally I never feel hungry and am learning to listen to my stomach so I don't overdo it. Also since my op I have no cravings for sweet things and if I do eat these then my new little stomach rebels and tells me off. I am finding that my stomach is a lot happier when i only have savoury food (and also you lose more weight this way as well when making the right choices).

Good luck before the op and do what makes you happiest over this period (before the opti stage) as once you are sleeved you will become a whole new you!!

Alaskybarney

Hi Rebeka,

If you are booked for surgery in February, I don't see any reason why you can't look into weight watchers in the meantime - especially if it has been effective for you in the past.
You're not too far away from your surgery date anyhow - maybe you could start a modified optifast diet until then? Maybe you could get in to see your dietitian early and discuss it with them. Just a suggestion!

Cheers, Sarah

There are a lot of us who had these worries, so you are not alone! Janette and Kate are right, the dietician's advice is the most important thing post-op and I didn't find it hard to follow.

Before my sleeve I was a huge volume eater and a big stress eater. My cravings came back about 9 months post-op, but I don't give them the same weight that I used to. A chocolate bar is just a chocolate bar and yes, I do eat one more often than I should but I don't automatically go to food as my comfort anymore. Funnily enough, it's a big long walk I want when I have had a bad day. Before my surgery the surgeon's psychologist wanted me to do some cognitive behavioural therapy sessions regarding my emotional eating and so I did (despite being scared and having major reservations) and it WAS helpful.

Good luck with your exciting journey! :)

Agree with Kate your dietician can provide you with the structure you need.

I followed my dieticians guidelines to the letter after I was sleeved. I ate and drank what she suggested and in the amounts.

I previously lost 35kg on Weight Watchers in 2000/2001, then gained it all back and then some. The problem with any of those weight loss programs is they are not tailored to someone who has been sleeved. My suggestion, and feel free to ignore it and tell me to butt out, is wait until you have had your surgery and are at least 3-4 weeks post op and see how you feel. If you still feel like you need the structure go back to the dietician that your surgeon has recommended. He/she will at least be able to provide you with an eating plan that includes your sleeve. In the meantime maybe read some diaries of long term sleevers and it may give you some ideas of what to expect.

Thanks guys.

My issue is emotional eating which includes craving junk. My plan is to work on this in therapy. Being honest, I eat because I feel loney. Looks like I will need to find something else to fill the void.

When loosing weight previously, I found weight watchers great. Was thinking about joining them again, as I feel it provides me with structure.

I was a huge stress eater pre sleeve and worried how I would cope post sleeve. I haven't consciously changed anything and believe me stress still plays a huge part in my life. I just don't stress eat anymore. I don't crave the chocolate and chips like I used to. However I am only 18 weeks post op so perhaps those cravings might return, who knows. I will deal with that when and if it happens.

LOL!

Sorry for that...


The SLEEVE will make the changes for you honey. I know it is hard to comprehend NOT being hungry, and only being able to eat small amounts, but THAT is what the sleeve does!

You will be fine. There are men and women in here who have lost all their excess weight (me included) because we simply cannot eat any more like we used to!

Read some diaries and you will get a rough idea of what the sleeve can do for you.

My sleeve is happening on feb 22. Apart from not loosing weight, my biggest fear is not being able to make changes to my diet.

For the successful sleevers how did you make changes to what you eat post op?