Needing advice and suggestions :)

Hi Everyone,

I am new on here and also 1 week 2 days post op. While last week was by far the toughest week of my life I think that things are finally looking up or seem to be. Each day gets a little better I guess. It's not the pain nor have I been sick. I feel perfectly fine. Everything I feel is going on in my head. I was wondering how others felt and dealt with this post op? I feel like I have lost something that was my crutch for so long and right now finding a good healthy habit to replace it is really hard since I am so tired and sore. Food was my source of comfort and its what I did and now it has been ripped from me. Even though I am not really hungry mentally I feel hungry and sad. I feel like I made a bad decision by doing this and should have just tried 1 last time to do it on my own.

I am also wondering if you guys can recommend anything to eat for patients 2 weeks out. Tuesday I get to start eating things like pudding, oatmeal, soup, etc and I didnt know if anyone had any good recipes to share.

I would so appreciate it if anyone would share and maybe shed some light and hope on this situation that I feel is so crappy.

Someone tell me there is hope for brighter days???? :)

The first two weeks were really hard for me too. I also questioned my decision, but I kept going back to my reasons for deciding on the surgery to begin with. I didn't want to look back 6 months or a year from now and be in the same place. I had a list of all my reasons. I think part of the hard part is that in the first few weeks I felt like I was starving, you don't have a ton of weight loss yet and your emotions are all out of whack. I am now 3 1/2 weeks out and I feel so much better. It gets better every day. I tried to take as many walks as I could and I found that helped. I will say that I think sugar free popsicles saved me during this phase. I think because of the cold they made me feel better. I also really tried as I could eat more and more to really focus on protein sources. I didn't do oatmeal or pudding - I kept to protein shakes, sf popsicles, protein chicken broth I got from unjury. Things like that. When I could move on to mushier I focused on cottage cheese and then moved on to soft scrambled eggs. Things like that - I didn't want to set any bad habits for myself with eating too many carbs since I know those are an issue for me. Sorry this was so long - it does get better. You have taken a really brave step for yourself and said that you are important and worth it. Just keep working your program and you will do amazing!

Hi there,

i have just posted today myself about being so frustrated at 5 months post op and got lots of great and helpful feedback. Yes, I too had moments where I asked myself why oh why did I do this. I love food and at the same time I realized that I am a food addict. Yes, it is like a drug for me. Any reason to eat was a good reason, everything revolved around food. 

And then, wham, it is gone. No more sitting and eating long meals and munching in front of the TV and eating for whatever reason you can come up with. It's like you lost your best friend. 

I motivate myself by focusing on why I did this, my diabetes is almost gone, I had an enlarged liver, it is back to normal size, my left heart chamber is enlarged, still is but my heart works easier and my hips and knees hurt less. 

Also, I extended my life expectancy and that in itself is a major motivater. 

So, now look at food as a source for a new life and for living. You want to eat so you can live and survive and not look at you want to live to eat. Does that make sense?

We need food so we can continue to live and exist but that is all we need it for, no other reason. All the emotional stuff is your psyche playing tricks on you. Find a support group and stick with it. Don't give up and recall your goals you set each and every day.

Good luck Hon.

Hugs,

Rita

I too have been riding that emotional rollercoaster with you!!!  We should get a special on 2-for-1 rides or something.  :)  I am currently four weeks out and everyone on here had to listen to me boohoo about my epic weightloss stall and being so moody.  It is like you lost a best friend and I know it sounds crazy, but you do kind of mourn the loss of food.  On week one, the tv was really my friend, well that and the recliner!  hehe.  But once I hit my second week, all of a sudden the energy started hitting me and we were up and out of the house.  I felt like I was on cloud 9.  Had swung way to the opposite side of the emotional cloud.  One thing that I am doing to keep my mind occupied and off food and off that blasted scale is to pick up on some of the hobbies that I have either been too busy (working) or too fat to do.  Definitely taking advantage of the extra energy I have been presented with.  Also, I know it sounds crazy, but I'm cooking like a crazy person.  Yes some may view that as counter productive or even an odd form of torture, but Hey, my family still has to eat and the foods that I am cooking now are way healthier for them.  Way less salt, concentrating more on things that are palate pleasing!!!  I keep repeating what others are telling me. Keep your head up and keep plugging along.  Not to mention, our old friend food, was not that good of a friend to us....kept us fat and eating and keeping us from being healthy and doing things with our family.  So I'm making my "friend" get healthier and revised too....and maybe just keeping her on the Christmas Card list!  ;)

Ladies!

Thank you all so much for your responses and support. I can relate to everything you are all saying. I know I am processing and mourning the loss of food which was my best friend no matter how stupid it sounds. I really just feel like I lost something so close to me. When I think about it though you are all right it was such a bad friend. It gave me nothing positive. I am going to work hard to re-create that relationship with food so that its a healthy one and promotes all around healthy behavior. I am excited to start trying new recipes. My dietician suggested refried beans, light sour cream or plain greek yogurt and salsa mixed together. YUM I can taste it now. Right now living off of sugar free popsicles, lemon water and protein is getting very old. Tuesday cannot come quick enough. THANKS AGAIN :)