happy but its hard

Well, I am now 9 days post-op and super happy with the results so far.

I am down 9.6 lbs since surgery and 18 lbs since starting optifast. (The rest of my WL was on my own during the pre-approval process).

While these results are really pleasing me so far, I must say this is not easy. You are on a VERY restricted diet for many weeks.

2 weeks Optifast minimum (unless you were called in for a surgical cancellation - I was on for 9days)

2 weeks Liquid Phase (may vary at different centres)

2 weeks Pureed Phase (may vary at different centres)

2 weeks Soft Phase (may vary at different centres)

Thats 8 weeks MINIMUM of a very restricted diet. Thats hard! Hungry or not, your still mind-hungry and you still want the food you eat to taste good.

I realized today that I haven't had normal food since May 22nd and I still have a week of Liquid plus the other phases to go.

Yesterday I wanted no sugar added ice cream so bad (its allowed on the TWH program). Asked hubby to go get it. He went to the grocery store before going to get him and the kids their dinner. So, when he got home it was partially melted. Normally something that would be like, ok, move on. But yesterday, emotions high and me really wanting to feel like i got to eat something good - i literally teared up. Silly, i know. But i couldn't help it. I just feel like i want real food, even if it would be in tiny little portions. I want my tiny little portions to be the things I am craving.

I really want pot roast.

And wow, Food is now on my mind ALL the time. Literally ALL THE TIME!

I'm proud that I have followed the program to a T this entire time, but it is really not easy.

Vent over.

Hey, you're doing great, and I hear you on wanting real food in the early stages. Hang in; the time will pass, and you'll lose a lot more weight on these restricted stages. Enjoy them while you can.

I was on 3 weeks of Opti, then the normal stages that you described, and just when I started soft foods I had crazy pain after eating and had to start all over again at the full liquid stage, and go through the entire stages all over again. Real drag, but the time passed and I'm enjoying "food for life", and think I lost weight faster than I would have otherwise.

I can eat 60 grams of protein in one meal now, and I often look back at my early stages with longing, back when a tiny medicine cup filled me, lol.

the thought of moving onto another stage and going back to liquids due to pain is one that worries me. I'm sorry you went through that. I'm so glad to know that you are on the 'other side' now and things are better.

Kathy had a rough go for sure, but even for those of us that progress normally, there are always times when falling back to a liquid diet to let things settle again is the first thing we should all do. I got to a point where my pouch got a little unsettled and I resorted back to the puree stage to let things normalize again.

The edit button won't come up for me so I couldn't edit my post to add, I don't mean I can eat 60 grams of protein in one meal, but 60 grams of meat.

Hi,

Hang in there your doing great! I'm not going to lie to you, the first month is the hardest, or at least it was for me. All I wanted to do was chew, I missed that. Plus your right, your mind doesn't stop wanting food, so you have to deal with that to some degree. I wish I could have been on purees, but I had to do 3 weeks of full fluids, so never got the pureed stage.

Regardless, this is a very difficult and challenging part after surgery. I promise you its gets better. Once I could eat again, it got a lot better. I still miss foods that I cannot have yet, but 'eating' was nice after 6 weeks of just liquids.

Like I said hang in there, sounds like your doing great, we all deal with this. It will get better.

Good luck!

Thx Manda, im trying to remain positive. I told my husband today this is be much easier if I was a rich celebrity and was able to be away at a resort where they could cook my liquids and actually make them taste good and I could be surrounded by things to keep my mind off food and not constantly see and smell food that is in my house being eaten by my husband and kids .

You are doing amazing and you got this! I know that is not what you wanted to hear but this time next year your kids won't be able to keep up with you!

Keep going keep your eye on the prize. And you have to kick a$$ cause if you don't I won't!

you are SO going to kill it!!!! You are SO SO SO ready Lisa!!!

It gets easier once you transition to Solids again.

The feelings you have are one reason why I am happy I just stuck with the regular appointments as they became available versus speeding up the process looking for cancellations. Sounds to me like a little more pre-surgery/pre-time would have had you in a better mind set leading up to the different stages of progression post surgery but I also realize things just shook out differently for you regarding timeline.

That said, what's to stop you from trying the next phase a little earlier? I was on solids 4 weeks post-surgery not because I forced it, but because we were encouraged to progress on our own providing our bodies could tolerate the foods and I was/am one of the folks who could transition easily from one stage to another ahead of schedule. We're all different..so it's something you may or may not want to try simply to suppress the feelings of head hunger or what have you. Just make it a healthy choice and chew chew chew.

Being you are only 10 days post-op, I'd be trying the Puree stage by now if everything is ok and not creating pain or discomfort. Like I keep saying, we're all different and it's not a race.