So when you say "it's not been easy"

 
But then there is the the "School of Brandilynn"......

Depending where your at:

- Introduction to the Mindfuck and WLS

And the step by step series....

- Mindfuck 101

- Mindfuck 102

- Mindfuck 103

- Everything you wanted to know about Mindfuck...but were afraid to ask.

frisco

*snort*

Ahhh...  bless the folks who do not have to be schooled.

Me?  Its a Continuing Ed thing, complete with credits!! 

 
Me......

I'm a student of Brandilynn U at the Mindfuck Center

Not a graduate.....

School is in session.....

frisco

I wonder if we do graduate do we get diplomas??? I never got one from a real college.. but I did get a minor in life with an emphasis in drinking sadly they don't offer real diplomas for that!!! DAMN IT!!

Yea baby, Its a tombstone that says HA!  and only 4 pallbearers instead of 8 or 10.  :s

 The mindfuck, for sure. Surgery was not a big deal, fluids have been relatively easy. I did have a few days of really struggling with protein, but I think it was the dairy aspect. Changed that around to Unjury unflavored mixed with crystal light (ordered another drink mix with sucralose, which should be better. I hate aspartame!). 

The biggest issue is the brain stuff. I have found things in the deepest bowels of my brain that have shocked me. If I *thought* about food, I would want to eat. I can't do that now. The amount of "tasting" I was doing while I was cooking. I have to slap my hands constantly. Eating out of boredome. Overeating because things "tasted" good. It is a constant conversation with myself, scolding, pats on the back. Eating too fast (three babies really ruined slow eating for me). Really noticing the "full" and "satiated" cues. Total mindfuck. I do giggle at it often, though, especially when it just gets too ridiculous in my head.

~Colleen

What wasn't easy for me, in addition to losing my coping mechanism of stuffing myself with carbs to quell bad feelings, was the physical results of surgery.

What do I mean by that? I have been dealing with pretty bad GERD/reflux since I was let out of the hospital. I currently take 40 mg protonix twice a day, 20 mg pepcid twice a day, sleep on a wedge pillow, and I still occasionally have to use gaviscon. That is very, very hard to deal with emotionally and physically.

I also have not been able to drink water, plain water, since surgery. It's getting better, but I still have to put a squeeze of orange, lemon, or lime in water to be able to drink it.

I was also lactose-intolerant after surgery, which meant I had to search for a way to get in my protein, and it was hard to find a non-dairy protein shake. I eventually did, but it took a week, and then I had to order it and wait for it to arrive, etc. That is actually going away, though, so now I can drink milk and have whey-based shakes.

Eating is a chore, and sometimes I struggle with the quantities I can eat now, and sometimes the foods I have tolerated really well will all of a sudden make me feel like ass. Eating is stressful now, because I don't know what will happen when I eat something. Will it go down ok? Will it make me sick? (Yes, I am chewing the everloving hell out of things, eating slowly, and measuring) I also have not lost as fast as some because when I was trying to figure out the GERD/reflux, I was eating gluten-free crackers and pretzels and the like to try to feel better, so I was not able to eat low carb, and I was probably much higher in calories than I should have been.

My skin also decided to freak right out and I am oilier and pimplier than I have been since I took accutane.

I still feel like a fat person, and I can't really see much difference when I look in the mirror, even though when I look at my progression pics, there is a difference. So would I do this surgery again? I don't know. Ask me in a few months. I am grateful for the 35.5 lbs I have lost, but I don't always feel like it's been worth it, especially when the physical side-effects of GERD/reflux are bothering me or when I see all the posts of people who have lost almost twice what I have in the same amount of time, even though I know I should not compare to others. Add on to that, only two people have told me that they noticed my weight loss or even said anything about how I look these days. It's really disheartening.

And just in case anyone is wondering, I am seeing a therapist (I had one before surgery). So there you go, that's why this has been hard for me.

Good answers here.

The eating out is tough. I miss eating out like a normal person. But if I eat too much, I feel sick so it has been like Pavlov's dog in getting me to watch my portions. I went to Applebees the other day and finally portioned out my food before I ate and boxed the rest up.... So much better for me. I had the 7oz steak with the shrimp on top and the broccoli on the side. all I ate at the restaurant was the shrimp. The rest was three meals of stuff at home.

So the tough part is the mental game and I am just harnessing it at about 10 weeks out. People ask if I would do it again and I say it isnt for everyone, but it has been good for me.

For me, the hard part was the first few days after surgery! I was soooo nauseous and I felt like nobody else was going through what I was (even though many WERE). I was really afraid of the first weekend because I am more disconnected from family and friends over the weekend. I made it through with the help of folks on OH and my buddy, Kelley, who had surgery with me.

Now, I can eat just about anything... But I keep carbs low and absolutely don't do sugar. I'm losing slowly, currently stalled again... But have made the changes in my life that I needed to in order to lose the weight. I really love to cook and have found so many new recipes to try! It's re-learning to love food in a whole new way!!

To me, not easy means it wasn't magic. It's not like something just came over me and *blink* the weight came off  - nothing to it. No, you have to keep your head in the game. For me, since I'm only about 4 weeks out it's a daily process. I have to remember to drink enough and get in enough protein. Is it a chore? No. Is it hard to do? Nope, not a bit. But it IS part of the process. I think about my dietary needs a lot. But this isn't easy. It's a process, a journey. Do I like the journey? I sure do! I'm learning so much about myself. I was given a powerful tool and I intend to use it, not squander it.

If I were to say it's not easy I would mean just what I said earlier - it's not magic, it's a process.