First Month after weight loss surgery
Hi Everyone,
My inforamtion I am talking about is based on my experience and my doctor who wanted me to have certain amount liquids the first month.
When some of these things started to happen to me, I thought WOW am I the only one that this is going on with. Well, let me tell you NO, I wasn't. So I made this list and try to post it at least once a month for the new people who have just had surgery, about to have WLS,or someone who is just sitting quietly out there reading these posts, trying make up their mind if they want to do this or not.
You have just had surgery and for a lot of you, you have read all the things everyone has posted on this site. They are helpful and encouraging. I spent some time with a lovely lady yesterday on the phone because she was sure I would have some of the answers for her. I hope I did and I think these are things that all of you can hear and use if you have just had weight loss
surgery. So I will post this from time to time for all the NEWBIES.
I am sure you have heard me and others say MANY times over "the 1st month is the most difficult month you will do." You have also heard me say that your brain will work extremely hard at play tricks on you. You read it and think oh sure,
I can deal with that—and some of you are sure that this will never happen to you. It will happen to so many of us and we aren't even aware it is happening.
This person was absolutely positive that she was just starving and was really hungry. She told me what she had been eating. She also said she was weak. I asked if she had been drinking her water and her answer was just like mine was that 1st month. "Well, I can't begin to drink all tha****er"—remember your new stomach will only hold about 2 oz. when you are trying to drink all this water. And like me she was having a difficult time getting in the amount of protein she should be having 70 grams—no wonder she was feeling weak. After your stomach has healed most new stomachs will hold 6 to 8 oz. of food or water. That is what we wanted permanent restrictions so we can lose weight.
So I will say this again, you MUST SIP on your water all day long when you are awake and the same goes for the protein that you are using—drink what you can and then sip the rest until you get it down. This is like having a job—you have to work at it OK.
You need the protein to help your body recover. Your new stomach has experienced surgery and is swollen and will only hold liquids about the size of your thumb. This is our relearning time, and for most of us we have developed some extremely bad eating habits. Our OLD thinking brain tells us that we need to be eating more food, and we are not used to clear liquids for 10 day and creamy liquids for 10 days and then mushy foods
the last 10 days. I want you to tell yourself this is only for 30 days and you can do anything for 30 days. It gets better as time goes one, I promise you.
If you think you are hungry and you are positive that you are having physical symptoms of hunger this is YOUR OLD thinking brain playing those tricks we have talked about. You now have to start learning to educate this OLD brain into being your NEW thinking brain. Ask yourself do you just "want to eat" or do you
really "need to eat" because it has been 3 or 4 hours since you have eaten anything. It is amazing what our brains can and will do to sabotage our old eating habits. You may be challenged by this OLD brains way of thinking for many years. For me I just have to have some self-talks with myself. We have an addiction and ours happens to be FOOD. There is no way around avoiding food, so we need to find the set of skills that will allow us to change our lifestyle. I eat to live, I NO LONGER live to eat! Food is not my main focus in life.
It does take some time to retain yourself in eating and I know that first month it is such a process just trying to get all the food in that you need to get in because of your new restrictions. In time it does get a lot easier. Some people mourn the loss of food, because you will NEVER EAT the quantity of food that we used to eat---YEAH that is how we are going to lose the fat and maintain that goal weight that we want to have for the rest of our lives.
These are the things that you will deal with in that FIRST MONTH and I am trying to be fair and honest about them.
Hugs,
Suzanne
My inforamtion I am talking about is based on my experience and my doctor who wanted me to have certain amount liquids the first month.
When some of these things started to happen to me, I thought WOW am I the only one that this is going on with. Well, let me tell you NO, I wasn't. So I made this list and try to post it at least once a month for the new people who have just had surgery, about to have WLS,or someone who is just sitting quietly out there reading these posts, trying make up their mind if they want to do this or not.
You have just had surgery and for a lot of you, you have read all the things everyone has posted on this site. They are helpful and encouraging. I spent some time with a lovely lady yesterday on the phone because she was sure I would have some of the answers for her. I hope I did and I think these are things that all of you can hear and use if you have just had weight loss
surgery. So I will post this from time to time for all the NEWBIES.
I am sure you have heard me and others say MANY times over "the 1st month is the most difficult month you will do." You have also heard me say that your brain will work extremely hard at play tricks on you. You read it and think oh sure,
I can deal with that—and some of you are sure that this will never happen to you. It will happen to so many of us and we aren't even aware it is happening.
This person was absolutely positive that she was just starving and was really hungry. She told me what she had been eating. She also said she was weak. I asked if she had been drinking her water and her answer was just like mine was that 1st month. "Well, I can't begin to drink all tha****er"—remember your new stomach will only hold about 2 oz. when you are trying to drink all this water. And like me she was having a difficult time getting in the amount of protein she should be having 70 grams—no wonder she was feeling weak. After your stomach has healed most new stomachs will hold 6 to 8 oz. of food or water. That is what we wanted permanent restrictions so we can lose weight.
So I will say this again, you MUST SIP on your water all day long when you are awake and the same goes for the protein that you are using—drink what you can and then sip the rest until you get it down. This is like having a job—you have to work at it OK.
You need the protein to help your body recover. Your new stomach has experienced surgery and is swollen and will only hold liquids about the size of your thumb. This is our relearning time, and for most of us we have developed some extremely bad eating habits. Our OLD thinking brain tells us that we need to be eating more food, and we are not used to clear liquids for 10 day and creamy liquids for 10 days and then mushy foods
the last 10 days. I want you to tell yourself this is only for 30 days and you can do anything for 30 days. It gets better as time goes one, I promise you.
If you think you are hungry and you are positive that you are having physical symptoms of hunger this is YOUR OLD thinking brain playing those tricks we have talked about. You now have to start learning to educate this OLD brain into being your NEW thinking brain. Ask yourself do you just "want to eat" or do you
really "need to eat" because it has been 3 or 4 hours since you have eaten anything. It is amazing what our brains can and will do to sabotage our old eating habits. You may be challenged by this OLD brains way of thinking for many years. For me I just have to have some self-talks with myself. We have an addiction and ours happens to be FOOD. There is no way around avoiding food, so we need to find the set of skills that will allow us to change our lifestyle. I eat to live, I NO LONGER live to eat! Food is not my main focus in life.
It does take some time to retain yourself in eating and I know that first month it is such a process just trying to get all the food in that you need to get in because of your new restrictions. In time it does get a lot easier. Some people mourn the loss of food, because you will NEVER EAT the quantity of food that we used to eat---YEAH that is how we are going to lose the fat and maintain that goal weight that we want to have for the rest of our lives.
These are the things that you will deal with in that FIRST MONTH and I am trying to be fair and honest about them.
Hugs,
Suzanne
Suzanne B
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
I hope to have surgery in September - I am printing this out to save and re-read whenever I need to (which will probably be everyday the first month). I wonder so much how things will be after the surgery - I sure don't want to fail - bad enough to go through the surgery but I'm self pay too. Thanks for taking the time to post.
On April 25, 2012 at 9:18 PM Pacific Time, Ohiogirl wrote:
I hope to have surgery in September - I am printing this out to save and re-read whenever I need to (which will probably be everyday the first month). I wonder so much how things will be after the surgery - I sure don't want to fail - bad enough to go through the surgery but I'm self pay too. Thanks for taking the time to post. You will not fail. I thought what if I am the "one person" that this will not work on. I didn't fail and I lost 105 pounds. The 1st month is the hardest, but you will do great. Just take it one day at a time. I am always out here if you need help with ANYTHING. I know what it is like, and I had some fantastic ladies who were there for me. So just remember I am just an E-mail away. I have a few other things that I have written that might be helpful to you. If you will send me an E-mail I will send them to you. My E-mail address is [email protected].
Hugs,
Suzanne
Suzanne B
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
On April 25, 2012 at 9:43 PM Pacific Time, Marabell wrote:
thank you Suzanne...appreciate the pearls of wls wisdom...it really does help to have these thoughts to lean back on during these days of the unknown
Gee thanks, I am always here if you have any questions or need something or someone to talk too. I know what it is like. And I wrote a lot of things down along the way so that I could share them with others. I had two really wonderful ladies who helped me along my first few months. And I know what it is like to have a person to be able to go to.
Hugs and stay in touch,
Suzanne
Suzanne B
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
On April 25, 2012 at 10:06 PM Pacific Time, amyl0528 wrote:
Suzanne, Thank you so much for posting this info. I'm having surgery next week and like the other person said, I will be printing this out. I'm so nervous I'm going to have a super tough time esp. the first month. I'm really trying to remain positive though. Thanks again :)
You will do just fine. It is a big step to take. It is also the fear of the unknown. We have failed at so many other things and we just want to be successful at this. I promise you that you will be successful. The first month is just a little readjustment of our brain. You have to have a lot of self talks with yourself. I am always here if your need something. You are doing the right thing! You are doing something that is going to change your entire life and all for the better.
Hugs and keep me posted to how you are doing.
Suzanne
Suzanne B
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
Eugene, OR
Dr. Aceves
10/21/2008
Start lbs 225
Now 120
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