Making the decision to have Weight Loss Surgery is life changing for everyone. Most of us are so excited that we would eat and drink anything to lose weight and by looking at the products and food supplements we have ingested during our lifetimes we probably did eat just about anything. Those of us who lost 10 pounds on a diet to go off the diet and gain back 15 pounds are the people who have struggled the hardest and have been taken advantage of the most.
When I visited with the physiologist prior to my first surgery her list of possible diets was not long enough to cover all I had tried. She only had about 20 listed on her questionnaire. I had been on over 46 diet/diet supplement programs and only listed 46 because I ran out of room on the paper. I know many of you have been in the same situation. I did not really want to be that frank but decided if I was going to go through with the surgery I needed to be totally honest and open. Of course this was 10 years ago and the process has become more streamlined and the questionnaires are more defined.
I read through the literature that my Doctor provided. He recommended a medical supplement drink that was prepackaged and I had to drink it for 14 days prior to the surgery. This was full on nutrition but really was unappetizing. With the second surgery we visited the support group and learned about adding flavorings and spices to the packaged drinks to make them more palatable but I was so excited I would have drank chalk ground up if it would get me where I wanted to be.
WLS has come a long way and we are able to help each other and reach out much more than were possible even just 10 years ago. I am so thankful for the friends I have been able to make through talking about my journey. The social media can be a support group for the busy person, but should never be the only support you get. There are just too many emotional issues that only can be addressed by setting down one on one.
I look back and think how excited I was to make the initial decision for WLS. I know how that excitement propelled me for the first few months. I was so careful that I had lost 25 pounds prior to the surgery and dropped 80 pounds in 6 months. Those numbers look astounding to me now. How in the world did I do it?
We did not have websites with recipes and ideas on how to make food that would fit my needs. I looked for a plan that I could eat on that would fulfill my nutritional needs without being so weird that my family could not eat along with me.
For me the High Protein/Low Carb plan was the best. Even then I started with the protein first then vegetables, eliminating bread, rice and potatoes. Although mashed potatoes were some of the first solid food I did not eat them long before I realized that they would not help me in the long run.
Most High Protein/Low Carb plans work for “normal” people because they can eat a ton and it burns itself up. But with restrictive surgeries like Lap-Band or Sleeve we just can’t indulge in huge amounts of anything. We have to start with the protein first. This diet/lifestyle can also be hard for people that do not cook, do not like meat/chicken/fish and can be a little pricey if you are feeding a family, though I didn’t really believe this, so many buy food prepackaged that is more expensive that fresh meat and veg. I have heard every reason in the world not to eat fresh that I just take those arguments with a grain of salt! If it is a lifestyle change, it is a CHANGE that you have to live with.
There are those that choose to go to group diet programs. I did not like those before my surgery and definitely not afterwards, but many do well with the extra support and those programs are really high protein/low carb so they make it easy for some.
I was so afraid of gaining that I made sure that I stuck with the diet almost to my detriment. How did it become a detriment? Well, I kept drinking the liquid protein supplement every day for 8 years! I was so afraid to not get the minimum of 60 grams of protein daily that I clung to the protein drink like a Monkey to a Banana Tree!
When I wasn’t able to eat right I made sure I got the protein. Sounds like a good plan doesn’t it? Well, it was a crutch that did not really help me. I was having problems with the band and because I was not eating correctly it was hidden. I knew I was throwing up after every meal of solid food but I felt fine because I had the protein to keep me going. When I decided to look into having the revision, it was the first time I had honestly told the Doctor what was going on. I had x-rays done and there was no restriction, no mushrooming and the esophagus looked fine, except it was not! I had a hiatal hernia and would have had serious issues if I had not decided to have the band removed and have the gastric vertical sleeve.
Now, I know that those reading this are saying that can’t happen to me. Most likely it won’t but it made me realize that I had outsmarted myself by staying on the protein drink for 8 years. After having the sleeve I became lactose intolerant, sugar dumping was and is an issue and soy is not an option for me so normal protein drinks are not something I can fall back on. I get my protein from good old food.
I also find that by chewing my protein 5 times a day that my head hunger had dissipated and that when I eat I am really hungry and don’t have to force myself to eat. I feel better and more active and don’t crave carbs near as much.
I continue to reevaluate what I eat on a daily basis; I am at goal and have been for over a year. I am proud of the fact that I haven’t gained, BUT I live in fear of gaining and I think that is pretty normal for most of us. It makes us conscious of where we have been and where we want to be. If you haven’t reached goal keep on keepin’ on, it will happen. Not everyone’s body responds the same to the surgery and some of you have a lot more weight to lose than I did. I am down 150 pounds from 286 and at 5ft 2 inches there was a lot of shade cast by my body!
I hope that as you do your weekly food plans you think of ways to include solid protein in your diets by starting to get off the protein supplements and getting on to real solid food. Now if you are within the first two months of recovery you will be a little more restricted and definitely need to supplement during the healing process. Protein increases the speed of recovery, the regrowth of hair loss and will affect your mental attitude, don’t ask me how, I just know it does.
When you are learning how to live your new lifestyle know that others have gone before and are willing to share their knowledge. We don’t know it all, we just know where we have been and we want the success for all of you. My goals for my lifestyle is to live life to the fullest, enjoy every day, don’t sweat falling off the program but climb back on the next day and share my experiences and recipes every day, and finally, be discriminating on what goes into my new body!
*Suzette*
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