BariatricEating.com Health & Nutrition

Post-Ops - Newbies

What on earth was I thinking?

It is normal for you to be second guessing your decision in these early weeks as you haven’t lost enough weight to justify the discomfort and misery you may have experienced or are still in the midst of. The benefits have not yet tipped the scales in your favor but all that is about to change if you just hang on and give yourself the time and materials to heal. It usually all comes together and really rolls after the first 8 weeks.

If you are a 'newbie' post-op you are probably wondering how in the world everyone else manages to eat all of this protein, drink all of that water, and take all of these vitamins and pills when you can barely sip an ounce or two of water before bursting. Well the truth is that none of us jump off that operating room table able to do all of these things. Start slowly, sip your water, get plenty of rest, and after a few days you can begin to think about eating a little soft food or drinking more than a sip of protein drink, or maybe chewing a single vitamin tablet. It all comes in time and you dont need to force the issue if you don't feel good. Too many people give up on protein shakes because they taste too sweet and put away the vitamins and calcium because they couldn’t take a handful of big ole tablets when they were just 5 days post-op! Start off slowly and work up to full amounts over time.

Remember that you have just undergone a major surgical procedure in which your stomach was cut in two, your intestines bypassed then reconnected in two different spots through either a handful of punched holes or a slash in your abdomen; it makes sense that a complete recovery will take time and that it is normal that the last thing you want to do is eat, drink and be merry. Your stomach and intestines are very swollen and tender from the trauma of this surgery. If you really don't feel well or have unbearable pain, don't hesitate to contact your surgeons office, but keep in mind that this surgery does not start out as a day at the beach. Focus on the long term results and soon things will fall into place for you.