2 months out and feel like I am spiriling out of control!
I am 2 months out and I am not learning anything I feel soooo lost and out of control! The clinic I went to said there was support and help that they offered the whole way, I havent gotten any of that in fact I was supposed to have a phone visit ( my first one) and they never even called! After the holidays I feel like I figured out what I could eat and what wouldn't make me sick and get away with bad things! am I a lost cause did I spend all this money just to be a failure 2 months out! I don't know what to do or how to get there I feel sooooo lost! How do I do this? How do I make this work? How do I lose the weight? How do I change my life? I don't want to be Obese for the rest of my life I don't want to feel like it is just my lot in life to be so either! HOW DO I CHANGE!!!!
When I learned how to fly I was taught that if you ever enter a spin (a leading cause of pilot death), just let go of the yoke and the airplane will straighten itself out. This doesn't work with all planes but in the trainer I learned in that was the case and it saved my life one time.
Well here is your first lesson: It's all up to you. Your VSG is a tool not a solution. You must use the tool correctly. Its not up to your sleeve, its not up to your surgeon, its not up to your nutritionist, its not up to your spouse/significant other, its all up to you. Let me repeat, the burden is 100% on you. You must educate yourself, you should learn how to cook healthy, you must stop yourself when you are about to do something wrong, you must exercise, you must purchase healthy food, you must constantly think about doing the right thing for your healthy, you must hold yourself accountable for failures and most importantly you must congratulate yourself on successes (not with food).
There are plenty of great resources here and on other VSG/WLS sites that you should have a pretty good picture of what you need to be doing within a few minutes of reading. Here is the basic blueprint: 600-800 calories per day, 80 grams of protein per day. 40 or less grams of carbs per day. Stay away from anything white. Eat 4 to 6 times per day in very small amounts. Make sure to get a MINIMUM of 64 oz of water per day. Make sure you get actively involved in this forum as well as a local support group. Make sure you get up and move. At a bare minimum take a 30 minute walk around your neighborhood. You can do that every day and even break it up to 15mins in the morning and 15 mins in the evening. That is a no brainer. If you like to work out the more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn. If you want to burn fat faster, get more cardio but make sure to include some strength training too as you progress.
If you feel like you need to snack or snack more often go for veggies (organic if possible) instead of anything you know you shouldn't be eating (chips, candy, pasta, rice, bread, ice cream). Here is a great alternative to ice cream: get some Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, take 1/4 cup and mix in a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder. That's it.
Its not hard but it is hard to get into just like anything worth doing you have to set your mind to it.
Don't be afraid to reach out to people on here. If you are unclear post a question. It can really be about anything. From what to cook to how to poop. These are the things that every person on here had had to deal/struggle with. A lot of these people paid some serious $$ to get a great package with nutritionist and psychological support. I had my surgery in Mexico and have considered going to a local nutritionist and psychologist in the coming weeks for additional support. I have read a lot on nutrition and have researched post-op diets. What I got from my surgeon was a bit vague so I had to dig in an find one that gave me more info.
Please feel free to add me to your friend list and you can ask me questions in the forum or private message or you can email me at [email protected] as well. You are not alone.
Remember your body needs #1 Water, #2 Protein, #3 Good Quality Foods, #4 Exercise, #5 Good Quality Sleep.
Keith has some great suggestions above :)
I just wanted to add that I am also two months or so (like 9 weeks I think) and seriously, I have not called my surgeons office once to ask for something because this forum has all the answers :)
When I run out of food ideas I read the 'what are you eating today VSGrs' thread that Ms. Shell usually adds. That will give you some food ideas and a lot of people post so you can get a variety of answers.
Right now my go to's are premier protein drinks, Krave pork and beef jerkies, sting cheese, deli meats and cheeses and tiny cans of V8
I also cook chicken with veggies for the family and everyone gathers around and eats (my husband looks like he has lost at least 20 lbs since I stopped cooking unhealthy lol)
Also check out myfitnesspal app it is for smart phones or online myfitnesspal.com! You can add me: sentheticangel
A lot of people keep their diaries open so if you get some friends on there you can see what people are eating as well. To be successful we need to track our calories, protein and water and this site makes it SO easy!
Once you get an idea of what you can have you can start planning your day. Always protein drink first thing so you can just get that 30 grams of protein out of the way. Then you can eat lean meats and veggies the rest of the day.
OHHHH and make sure you are getting a lot of fiber so you can go number 2... that was the worse thing until I figured out a solution for that (thats why I drink the V8)
Good luck!! And you have already done the right thing for yourself, coming here for advice! It's gonna be awesome, you will see!
Totally!!!!! That is the right attitude. Just explore the sites a bit and you should start getting the hang of it. Also the search feature in the upper right hand side is great, just make sure you include VSG if you are searching so you don't pull up RNY or Band people since their diets are a bit different :)
Hiya, just wanted to encourage you to use this site. I live nowhere near a support group and have found this forum to be a lifesaver. I have moments of weakness but I try my best to stick to the rules. I'm not perfect but I am trying. I paid out of pocket for this surgery (inheritance money) and I will not waste it. Also, I am accountable to my husband. Is there someone you can trust? Someone that you can daily report to about what you're eating/have eaten? Also (and I have heard it a million times and rolled my eyes until I did it), exercise helps so much!!!! I didn't start exercising until about 8 weeks out and I can tell a huge difference. I stalled for a month but the day I started exercising, the pounds started dropping again. (I'm 10 weeks out today) It was like it kick started my weight loss and now I'm not going back! Please don't give up. We're all here for you. Seriously!!
