I had my surgery in August and I only seem to be losing a pound a week. I thought I would lose more faster. I have trouble chewing my food long enough and I still want sweet things. How do others deal with these things. Should I go back to the doctor because I'm losing so slow? At my last appt. they have me coming back in 4 months.
Gail 70 new to this website
- Thread starter Gail70
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Pat99
Member
Gail-46 lbs. is certainly a lot of weight to lose since August. I have read elsewhere on this site that some members plateau once in a while. Give your dietitian or doctor a call if you are concerned. I'm sure they will provide advice without you having to wait for your next appointment. As for the sweets, try eating a small piece of fruit, fruit cup or sugar free pudding. I am a diabetic and had to give up sweet junk food. For some reason, plums work the best for me.
Pat99
Thank you for replying to my thread. Your advice is helpful. I have kind of been afraid of fruits because of the skin. zi will try more fruits and lo cal puddings. I found out tonight that eating shrimp scampi is not a good idea! I am hoping that by next August I will be down to 140.
Thank you for replying to my thread. Your advice is helpful. I have kind of been afraid of fruits because of the skin. zi will try more fruits and lo cal puddings. I found out tonight that eating shrimp scampi is not a good idea! I am hoping that by next August I will be down to 140.
Pat99
Member
Gail-rather than risk having issues with the skin from fruit, eat a fruit cup or use canned fruit instead. You can even puree it in a blender or small food processor to make it easier to pass through your pouch. If you like smoothies then put a little fruit in a blender with some yogurt and an ice cube. This makes a nice sweet snack without going off your meal plan.
Letrell
Member
Welcome to the group! Pat is right, call your surgeon's office if you are concerned. I wouldn't be if I were you. If you are following the menu plan, you are just fine. Everyone does plateau at least one time. Not to worry. It'll kick in and you will be amazed....think of it this way....you will never weigh as much as you weigh at this precise moment. *smiles* Every day you will lose a bit more. Before you know it, your goal will be reached.
On the sweets thing, I see it a bit differently. After surgery, as we all find out, our taste buds totally change. You put canned fruit in front of me now...canned anything...I push it away. It smells nasty to me and takes like...aluminum. I eat fresh everything. And if I want a piece of chocolate, I dang well have a piece. But here's the thing. Your pouch is not going to like sugar....that's one of our blessings. I eat 1 piece of candy, I'm fine. I eat 2 and I think...should I eat more. I pop one more in and I groan and tell my kids or wheover is with me, "next time I eat M&M's (or whatever it is), remind me it hurts"....then I just want to go lay down for half an hour til the pain passes.
Sugar makes me get all sweaty and clammy and hurts my pouch. If you want a piece of candy, and you aren't going over your calorie limit, I say go for it. But, be honest with yourself. Do you really want it? Do you do it every day? Be mindful of what you are eating and enjoy life. It only gets better.
Take care,
Letrell
On the sweets thing, I see it a bit differently. After surgery, as we all find out, our taste buds totally change. You put canned fruit in front of me now...canned anything...I push it away. It smells nasty to me and takes like...aluminum. I eat fresh everything. And if I want a piece of chocolate, I dang well have a piece. But here's the thing. Your pouch is not going to like sugar....that's one of our blessings. I eat 1 piece of candy, I'm fine. I eat 2 and I think...should I eat more. I pop one more in and I groan and tell my kids or wheover is with me, "next time I eat M&M's (or whatever it is), remind me it hurts"....then I just want to go lay down for half an hour til the pain passes.
Sugar makes me get all sweaty and clammy and hurts my pouch. If you want a piece of candy, and you aren't going over your calorie limit, I say go for it. But, be honest with yourself. Do you really want it? Do you do it every day? Be mindful of what you are eating and enjoy life. It only gets better.
Take care,
Letrell
Thank you for your advice and caring
I am glad to have heard from both of you. I feel better after reading what you wrote. I have a hard time being patient sometimes. I will get more canned fruit. That should help. I find I'm tending toskip lunch because I'm not feeling hungary then but then I'm starving at supper time. I'm working on organizing my meals so I don't skip and I have trouble in the evening with snacking if I have skipped lunch or if I can't eat much supper. I'm afraid of meat because I got a piece of beef (from beef stew) stuck in my pouch. It took hours to finially come up and was very painful. This ia all so new and I am feeling my way trying to work my way to balance. Gail70
I am glad to have heard from both of you. I feel better after reading what you wrote. I have a hard time being patient sometimes. I will get more canned fruit. That should help. I find I'm tending toskip lunch because I'm not feeling hungary then but then I'm starving at supper time. I'm working on organizing my meals so I don't skip and I have trouble in the evening with snacking if I have skipped lunch or if I can't eat much supper. I'm afraid of meat because I got a piece of beef (from beef stew) stuck in my pouch. It took hours to finially come up and was very painful. This ia all so new and I am feeling my way trying to work my way to balance. Gail70
Letrell
Member
Gail, before you dive into canned fruit, I would highly recommend you try fresh. Canned fruit...canned anything...is filled with sugar and preservatives and sodium and a mess of crap your body really doesn't need.
I have had one instance of a clogged pouch. I had pulled pork and cooscoos. The combination was horrible. Will I ever eat either of them again? Not in this life. I eat pork, I eat rice. I will never forget the pain and discomfort with that clogged entry. I had it at about 1030 in the morning. After 3 hours in the hospital drinking the icky stuff I have to drink for upper gi's, it passed just as I was being taken for the test. Which was hysterical...they were all excited to actually SEE a clogged entryway. I actually felt bad about it. Could my body not have waited another 10 minutes? LOL
Anyway...you have to eat something. I say that because if you don't you could end up in my situation. My pouch has never stretched out to a healthy size. It's still 2 oz. So I really could care less if I eat. Hence, I have to pump myself with vitamins and try to remember to graze all day long to keep my body healthy. It is working...it all works itself out...but it could be so much easier if you can make it through this difficult time of not wanting to eat.
If you are "starving" at dinner time...that I can't comprehend. Are you eating carbs? If so, cut them down to minimal. If you eat bread, drink milk...stop both. Neither are necessary for nutrition. Both fill you with carbs and fat. Both of which, make you more hungry.
Are you drinking water all day? You should be drinking it faithfully. That should prevent the "starving" feeling. I am not permitted to drink water 30 mins before an official "meal" and 45 mins following an official "meal". This is supposed to make it so I can eat more. I usually end up eating a few bites, waiting 5 mins, taking a tiny sip of water, then regretting the water. I leave the table and over the course of the next 3 hours or so I finish the meal. Nothing says you have to eat it all in one sitting. My nutritionist pointed this out to me. As long as the calories, fat, vitamins are all consumed within the day, voila...life is good.
So maybe considering breaking it up more. This idea of 3 or even 4 meals a day is not the norm anymore..well...according to my surgeon and my nutritionist.
Think about it. Keep your chin up. Keep pushing forward. Most of all...listen to your body. You will do just fine.
Take care,
Letrell
I have had one instance of a clogged pouch. I had pulled pork and cooscoos. The combination was horrible. Will I ever eat either of them again? Not in this life. I eat pork, I eat rice. I will never forget the pain and discomfort with that clogged entry. I had it at about 1030 in the morning. After 3 hours in the hospital drinking the icky stuff I have to drink for upper gi's, it passed just as I was being taken for the test. Which was hysterical...they were all excited to actually SEE a clogged entryway. I actually felt bad about it. Could my body not have waited another 10 minutes? LOL
Anyway...you have to eat something. I say that because if you don't you could end up in my situation. My pouch has never stretched out to a healthy size. It's still 2 oz. So I really could care less if I eat. Hence, I have to pump myself with vitamins and try to remember to graze all day long to keep my body healthy. It is working...it all works itself out...but it could be so much easier if you can make it through this difficult time of not wanting to eat.
If you are "starving" at dinner time...that I can't comprehend. Are you eating carbs? If so, cut them down to minimal. If you eat bread, drink milk...stop both. Neither are necessary for nutrition. Both fill you with carbs and fat. Both of which, make you more hungry.
Are you drinking water all day? You should be drinking it faithfully. That should prevent the "starving" feeling. I am not permitted to drink water 30 mins before an official "meal" and 45 mins following an official "meal". This is supposed to make it so I can eat more. I usually end up eating a few bites, waiting 5 mins, taking a tiny sip of water, then regretting the water. I leave the table and over the course of the next 3 hours or so I finish the meal. Nothing says you have to eat it all in one sitting. My nutritionist pointed this out to me. As long as the calories, fat, vitamins are all consumed within the day, voila...life is good.
So maybe considering breaking it up more. This idea of 3 or even 4 meals a day is not the norm anymore..well...according to my surgeon and my nutritionist.
Think about it. Keep your chin up. Keep pushing forward. Most of all...listen to your body. You will do just fine.
Take care,
Letrell
Thank you for your advice and caring
I was happy to recieve your thread. I find it very helpful. I will try drinking mor e water. I know I don't drink enough. I am really afraid of eating meat. But I have been eating some very carefully. I will try the things you mentioned hoping to stop that feeling of being starved sometimes. Thank you again and please keep writing! Gail
I was happy to recieve your thread. I find it very helpful. I will try drinking mor e water. I know I don't drink enough. I am really afraid of eating meat. But I have been eating some very carefully. I will try the things you mentioned hoping to stop that feeling of being starved sometimes. Thank you again and please keep writing! Gail
Pat99
Member
Gail-Skipping lunch is what is causing you to feel starved by dinner. This will happen whether or not you have had WLS. But because you have already had your surgery it is imperative that you not skip any meals, period. If you don't feel hungry at lunch time just take a few tiny sips of your protein drink anyway. Wait 15 minutes and take a few more. Maybe you can get a few more small sips every 15 minutes until your protein requirements are met for lunch. I promise you won't feel starved by dinner if you do this. As I have mentioned in other posts, I am pre-surgery but I have already met with the dietitian twice. We discussed diet plans and also the consequences of skipping meals, etc.
As for the canned fruit, eat away. I buy lite fruit with no sugar added because I am diabetic. I can guarantee that 99% of lite canned fruit contains only fruit, water and in some cases concentrated fruit juice to replace the sweetness of processed sugar. There is no added sodium or other junk. Some of the tropical fruits may have ascorbic acid (vitamin C) added as a preservative to prevent discoloration. The last time I checked, vitamin C is a good thing. *LOL* Sometimes I home can fruit. All fresh fruit is naturally high in acid, even more so than tomatoes. Hence, no preservatives needed except for ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to prevent discoloration in some cases. I never add sugar either. And because of the acid content you don't need to use a pressure canner which is further proof that no preservatives are needed. One more thing I should have mentioned in my earlier post. Fresh fruit should probably be avoided at this time since you are only 4 months out of surgery. My dietitian told me to stick with canned fruit because fresh does have a tendency to get stuck in the pouch opening. This of course will change when you are further out of surgery, perhaps 18 months or 2 years. Most people this far along can tolerate raw fruit and veggies as long as it is chewed thoroughly.
Keep up the good work and let us know how you are doing Gail!
As for the canned fruit, eat away. I buy lite fruit with no sugar added because I am diabetic. I can guarantee that 99% of lite canned fruit contains only fruit, water and in some cases concentrated fruit juice to replace the sweetness of processed sugar. There is no added sodium or other junk. Some of the tropical fruits may have ascorbic acid (vitamin C) added as a preservative to prevent discoloration. The last time I checked, vitamin C is a good thing. *LOL* Sometimes I home can fruit. All fresh fruit is naturally high in acid, even more so than tomatoes. Hence, no preservatives needed except for ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to prevent discoloration in some cases. I never add sugar either. And because of the acid content you don't need to use a pressure canner which is further proof that no preservatives are needed. One more thing I should have mentioned in my earlier post. Fresh fruit should probably be avoided at this time since you are only 4 months out of surgery. My dietitian told me to stick with canned fruit because fresh does have a tendency to get stuck in the pouch opening. This of course will change when you are further out of surgery, perhaps 18 months or 2 years. Most people this far along can tolerate raw fruit and veggies as long as it is chewed thoroughly.
Keep up the good work and let us know how you are doing Gail!
Thank you for your thread
I thank you very much for following me along my recovery journey. I appreciate what you shared with me. When will you be having your surgery? I hope it goes as well for you as mine went for me. I had no complications what so ever. My worst challenge in recovery is me.
I thank you very much for following me along my recovery journey. I appreciate what you shared with me. When will you be having your surgery? I hope it goes as well for you as mine went for me. I had no complications what so ever. My worst challenge in recovery is me.
Pat99
Member
Hi Gail. My surgery should be next month. At this time I do not know the exact day because I still need cardiac clearance. I see the cardiologist tomorrow morning and he will determine if I need a stress test. Even if I need testing it should be done sometime this month. My next appointment with my surgeon is January 5th for a final review of my med list and the MRI results from May which determined that I had 3 hernias. I had one of them repaired in June because it was causing digestive complications, not to mention extreme pain. If it wasn't for needing the hernia surgery I would have already had my WLS. Although I was a bit frustrated by the delay there is great comfort knowing I am being taken care of by a staff of very competent medical professionals.
You mentioned that you had no complications what so ever and I was glad to hear that. I am more worried about post surgical issues than the surgery itself. More specifically, I am concerned about pain during recovery. The surgeon already told me he may have to do open surgery but won't know for sure until he gets started. Open surgery, of course, is a more painful way to go. I'm 57 years old so it takes me a bit longer to bounce back. I'm also a bit of a coward when it comes to surgery *LOL*. I did recover from my hernia surgery very quickly even though it was huge and required polypropylene mesh to keep my large intestine in place. I was blessed to have an exceptional surgeon who took a personal interest in my case. I trust that my bariatric surgeon will do the same.
You mentioned that you had no complications what so ever and I was glad to hear that. I am more worried about post surgical issues than the surgery itself. More specifically, I am concerned about pain during recovery. The surgeon already told me he may have to do open surgery but won't know for sure until he gets started. Open surgery, of course, is a more painful way to go. I'm 57 years old so it takes me a bit longer to bounce back. I'm also a bit of a coward when it comes to surgery *LOL*. I did recover from my hernia surgery very quickly even though it was huge and required polypropylene mesh to keep my large intestine in place. I was blessed to have an exceptional surgeon who took a personal interest in my case. I trust that my bariatric surgeon will do the same.
Gail when you say trouble chewing your food long enough what do you mean?
Also, the surgery will never get rid of the cravings, it might alter them, but the cravings and old habits are the part that is hardest because those are the things you have to address and modify on your own.
You may want to avoid refined sugar alltogether, the longer you are not eating any of it the less you crave it.
1 lb of weigh a week is good at 4 months, from what i read - also it will be better on your skin!
Keep up the good work
Also, the surgery will never get rid of the cravings, it might alter them, but the cravings and old habits are the part that is hardest because those are the things you have to address and modify on your own.
You may want to avoid refined sugar alltogether, the longer you are not eating any of it the less you crave it.
1 lb of weigh a week is good at 4 months, from what i read - also it will be better on your skin!
Keep up the good work