Christmas Blues
Dear everyone,
I got my surgery on the 8th and am still in the puree period until monday. All the junk food at work cause of the holidays has been maddening. I even broke the no solid food rule and had 3 oreos (I know, terrible but I got back on track) The worst part is tomorrow since me and my family are Jewish, we normally go out and get Chinese food for Christmas, which I absolutely love, so I'm feeling kinda crappy. I mostly just wanted to tell people who would understand, but if anyone went through something similar I'd appreciate any advice.
Stick to your plan. Put yourself in a position to succeed. And if you blow it and eat crap, eat something good, not a frikken oreo.
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.
on 12/24/15 4:37 pm
It sounds like you've got some serious head-hunger. Do you have a counselor who has a good grasp on eating disorders? There are all kinds of psychological ramifications from having bariatric surgery. Our relationships with food require confrontation and very deliberate adjustment. In my opinion, almost none of us got to the point of qualifying for bariatric surgery without having a long-term ED in some form or another. It's a treatable but chronic malady and you are not alone by a long shot. Good work getting back on track after the oreos. You've done a lot of hard work already and you deserve to be happier with your body. There are no foods that you won't ever be able to eat again, they just aren't available to you right now. When I had or have similar feelings, I remind myself that I've had beyond my full of every food my brain craves during times of stress lots and lots of times. Not having it this time gives me a(nother and another) chance to practice different coping mechanisms and every time I do, I'm reinforcing new and healthier synaptic paths that become more and more automatic over time.
Are you tracking all your food in an app like My Fitness Pal? I've found it to be immensely helpful.
I know that the Chinese food on Christmas is a fantastic and joyful Jewish tradition, and you don't have to lose it but you will have to change the way that you interact with it. Pulling the tofu out of hot and sour soup with to****kip the chives) and squishing it down with your fork before chewing it would mimic a pureed consistency and allow you to go out and have that experience with your family. This is a great opportunity for you to reframe the way that you eat during family events. Bring a 1/4 cup sized measuring cup in your pocket, ask for an extra bowl or teacup and measure out however much your doctors suggest eating. Anything more than that risks serious injury, and ringing in 2016 from a hospital sounds just terrible.
on 12/24/15 5:18 pm
We all went (or are going) through the same pre-op liquid deprivation. There's no way to get through it except by sheer determination and remembering why you're doing it -- to make your surgery safer and quicker and by extension, to make your recovery safer and quicker. That you're going through this during the holidays sucks, but it makes no difference -- stick to the liquids.
You can have the broth from hot and sour soup, but be sure to strain out the solids beforehand, so you're not tempted to eat them with the broth.
Good luck!
psychoticparrot
"Live for what today has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away."
Hang in there. I was sleeved on 12/19 four years ago so I was in the same boat. I also just had surgery on the stomach this past Monday, so I am paddling the boat we are both riding in right now. It is just food. In the big picture it really won't matter, even though it doesn't feel that way at the moment. When you are much lighter and healthier you will look back and be glad for this, really.
I am a little worried about your oreos. Please know that I say this with a kind and gentle tone, which can be easily misconstrued on an online forum. Your tummy is shredded hamburger right now with a very vulnerable staple line. Do not eat items off plan- it truly coud have catastrophic results for your health. Tomorrow might be a struggle, but do not give in!!!
I am able to look forward to options that are on plan. In my case I love Greek yogurt and Dannon has the light and fit version that are very dessert like- that will likely be eaten tomorrow. I love soup, so I will make sure a favorite is on the table that I can have. So in general, I just think about what I can have and then figure out something from that list that wil work.
On the other hand, we are hosting tomorrow and I already have a lot of desserts in the house waiting. I have almost no will power in this situation, so literally all of it will be either eaten by the family our sent out of the house. My stomach just can't take it right now. And I know myself well enough that I just have to get rid of it, and my family is very understanding and supportive.
If you have food pushers, be very clear that you cannot eat that stuff without major risk to your health and don't back down.
Good luck!
Surgeon: Chengelis Surgery on 12/19/2011 A little less carb eating compared to my weight loss phase loose sleever here!
1Mo: -21 2Mo: -16 3Mo: -12 4MO - 13 5MO: -11 6MO: -10 7MO: -10.3 8MO: -6 Goal in 8 months 4 days!! 6' 2'' EWL 103% Starting size 28 or 4x (tight) now size 12 or large, shoe size 12 w to 10.5 150+ pounds lost
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It's a major life change... and there will be a period of adjustment and some of the foods you ate or traditions may need to be altered. Next year there will be something at your family's traditional Chinese Christmas outing that you will be able to have... this year probably not so much. What you have to adjust or let go of is so worth it. I remember ugly crying on my bed July 4th 2006 as the smell of BBQ's all over the neighborhood came through the window... I was eating mashed up carrots with unflavored protein mixed in (I don't recommend it LOL) but... fast forward to the next 4th... small piece of steak, grilled zucchini, fresh tomatoes, 100+ pounds lighter, off 8 medications, all my obesity-related illnesses resolved.
Do not underestimate the emotional journey... I'd suggest finding a therapist and a local support group... some non-Oreo coping skills development ;) and people in your zipcode to get together with.
Best to you! ~Shelly
My rule for blowing it is similar to what Grim said; it has to be worth it. No crap pizza, processed cookies, etc. A $10 chocolate truffle from a boutique chocolate shop? A piece of a $30 gourmet pizza made on a wood burning stove? Worth it. Oreos, not so much. Of course, I have to be wary of this, because it's my opinion that herein lies a slippery slope especially during the weight loss phase.
Having done NYC chinese food for years, I am a chinese food snob now and the one time I tried to eat it post-op was blehhh, and I really couldn't stomach it. Having said that, there is a simple solution for pureed stage there: egg drop soup, or rangoon filling. The latter is more dubious nutritionally, but the former allows for a nice leisurely dinner with socialization without missing much.
I follow a ketogenic diet post-op. I also have a diagnosis of binge eating disorder. Feel free to ask me about either!
It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much...the life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully. -- Seneca, On the Shortness of Life
Gabe, hang in there buddy! I am on my 2 week post-op diet and Christmas Eve (when my family does our big dinner) sucked for me. I not only envied that all my family got to eat yummy foods and goodies but I felt like a freak eating baby food squash in front of my family and taking the tiniest bites. For the most part my family is supportive and no one made a big deal of it or made comments about the food being super good but it still sucked and I wanted a chocolate (we get nice expensive ones for Christmas not crappy ones) and I thought 'I could have one and let it melt in my mouth and it will be like liquid' but I steeled my resolve and said no. You can do this. It is not fun but just remember why you had surgery in the first place. I have mine so I could reverse my pre-diabetic status, so I could hike the beautiful trails in my area, run without getting winder after 2 steps and eventually have baby with my boyfriend (his daughter needs a little brother or sister hehe). Why did you have yours? Just keep that in mind when you feel weak. I am a big fan of affirmations, little sayings to help you have a positive outlook on your day. I advise you find a few of those or write your own and memorize and repeat them. My favorite that I wrote is: "Nothing can control me without my permission, especially food". This too shall pass. 
