dramagirl28

I find that some days I am hungry every two hours, and other days I just eat three meals. I've read different surgeons have different recommendations. Just curious what works for all of you.

Here's my Halloween picture and a before picture. I'm just over two months out but there's a huge difference in my face.

Keep in mind that people who post with their problems are looking for help and suggestions, and there is help to be had! I have posted about being hungry but someone suggested I double up on my Priolosec dosage and that works for the most part. I'm a little hungry sometimes but so what? I eat 2-4oz of food and I'm full! I can guarantee you that whatever "problems" you might have post-op will be WELL WORTH trading to get the pounds off.

Today I was able to zip a pair of boots up over my calves!

I'm 9lbs away from the 100s and also feeling skinny in a 16! My sleeve has been pretty accepting so far except with grease (which i'm thankful for), but I haven't tried too many foods yet. No salads, no sweets, no bread/rice/pasta. I'm basically just eating protein. and whatever veggies get scrambled up in my omelets. I can't decide if I'm hoping for a sleeve of steel or not!

You said you were drinking 4 sips per minute? This is way too fast. You should be drinking one sip every 5 minutes or so. It does take forever to drink 1/4 cup. But that's normal right now. Slow down and heal.

I could easily have two plates and two desserts at Thanksgiving. Thank goodness for my sleeve! Sometimes I literally felt like a bottomless pit. Even when I was uncomfortably full I felt like I could eat that last bite or two left on the plate. Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me so thankful for this tool. I guess that's what I'll be thankful for this year!

I am at the end of my second month. I lost 22.2 lbs the first month and "only" about 10lbs this month. I'm happy with the amount of weight of lost and I know I can't compare statistics with anyone, but my question is, did any of you have a slower weight loss month early on and then have it pick up again later, or is it pretty much only going to decrease from here?

I feel you on the snacks! I wish they didn't sell them. I guess it's a better alternative than a bag of chips but they're not filling at all and a poor food choice in my opinion. I've never tried OA. That's something to think about. Do you weigh in there too?

I'm a 8 weeks out now but my pharmacist told me NOT to open the capsules... You might want to make a quick call on that one and make sure it's ok. It gets better, I promise!!! The first week is hell but man oh man it feels sooooo good when you get into your skinny jeans!

Thanks Foxbins! This is exactly what I was looking for! I'm good with some months being slower than others as long as I know next month could be better.

You need to get up and walk some so you don't get blood clots, but don't worry about exercising until you can do it comfortably! When I started walking it was more like strolling, and I would get really sore after so I just waited. I started on my elliptical machine at about 5 weeks but was told to do just the legs (no arms). I go at a leisurely pace, barely break a sweat. I'm 8 weeks out now and am content to just be moving for 30 minutes a day and not concerned with doing a supercharged workout.

Really tiny bowls!!! Ice cream dishes or the little plastic kiddie ones. And only fill them half way... seriously. Several different Protein shakes and powders, and recipes for the powders. You do not need to just add Water or milk. There are lots of things you can do to to dress them up. Ultimately you just have to find one you like drinking, and you won't know that until after surgery. Make sure all your laundry is done and there are clean sheets on your bed and your kitchen is clean. I did a major cleaning overhaul before I went under because I knew I wouldn't want to do it for a while. During the liquid stage, canned Soups tasted absolutely awful to me. They were too salty and left a weird taste in my mouth. I got take-out soups and strained them. It felt wasteful to dump the chicken and veggies or whatever was in it, but it still lasted me several meals usually. My favorites were french onion, avgolemeno, and wonton. I echo the pillow thing. It's pretty hard to get comfy that first week when your belly is sore, especially if you're a side sleeper like me. The #1 thing that helped me through all of it though was THIS BOARD. I read as much as I could and pretty much knew what to expect. It seems like everyone has a unique experience but at least you know what's possible, so when you're crying your eyes out for no apparent reason, you know that you're not alone.

I find that I still have a sweet tooth. I think about the pies that will be around during the holidays nearly every single day. lol Luckily my will power is pretty strong and I find that the craving passes quickly.

In some of my old meetings, people would mention that they were thinking about having surgery, and there was an uproar about how you should do it "the healthy way" and how people who have WLS have all kinds of problems and how they just don't have the determination to do it the old fashioned way. We all know the truth about WLS and it's really not up to anyone else to judge us. Personally, I feel I am so committed to weight loss that I am willing to use EVERY tool out there to help me get healthy, and that includes both surgery and WW (and this site) for support. When I join WW I will be a lot closer to my goal, so I don't feel like I will be misleading anyone by not mentioning my sleeve. The truth is I heat healthy and I exercise every day, and since I won't be there from the beginning, they're not going to watch me drop 100lbs, they're going to see me work of 10 or 20. Having been through WW multiple times not to mention every other diet on the planet, I feel like I know A TON about nutrition and exercise and the people in that meeting could benefit from things I have to share just as much as I can benefit by having that weekly boost of encouragement and help with emotional issues. For me it's not about the food plan anymore, it's about keeping my eye on the prize.

I was on again off again with WW before surgery too. One time I lost 70lbs and gained it all back. I plan to join when I get closer to goal just for the accountability of weighing in every week and for the emotional support. Once you get into maintenance the meetings are free, so it's like free weekly group therapy for food issues! Just a tip: don't mention you've had WLS... they tend to get a little aggressive on that topic. As far as the points go, I'm not sure that I'll follow their eating plan. We've got our own dietary guidelines to consider. Just eat what you're comfortable with and enjoy all of the food finds they talk about!

The stall will break. Just focus on taking care of yourself emotionally. I'm sorry your ex was not supportive, but you sound like you've got your chin up. Good for you!

I feel like my head hasn't caught up with my stomach yet. I tend to pack too much stuff in my lunch for work just in case I get hungry (and I do still get hungry). I only put a portion on my plate that I know I can eat because it's still hard for me to not clear my plate. I have to be really careful not to plate up too much. Fast food still appeals to me but I know I shouldn't have the bread/tortillas so it's easier for me to skip those things. I did have a chicken strip once and all that grease on my tummy felt so awful the temptation is less. Watching everyone around me eat quickly just makes me feel like the odd man out. I feel sometimes I keep everyone at the table long after they're done. I do have one "normal" friend who eats slowly like I do and eats small portions, but for the most part my friends and family eat like I used to.

Sleepiness after eating is one of the symptoms of Dumping syndrome which is more common in RNY patients but can happen to sleevers. It looks like you're eating pretty healthy though so I agree with the previous poster: try slowing down.

I am on regular foods and one day I was strapped for time so I ate a chicken strip (breaded, fried, greasy) figuring, hey, at least it's protein. WRONG!! I was sooooo sick and lucky to have not thrown it up.

I had a couple tiny sips of a non-carbonated mixed drink at six weeks and it did burn a little but it didn't make me sick. I don't know how comfortable I would be experimenting at a party just because you don't know how you're going to tolerate it. Believe me, I understand the draw though! I am SO looking forward to bringing wine back into my life.

For you long-termers, are you getting all your protein from food or are you still drinking shakes? I'm six weeks out and just started solid foods, so I started tracking my intake. I eat protein for every meal and because I can only eat 2-3oz I am nowhere near my protein goal. How do you do it? At what point were you able to do it?

I only drink one shake per day because I can get some protein from food. I just bought the vanilla yesterday actually! Can't wait to try it.

I drink Premier Protein shakes from costco. They only come in chocolate but are so good. You can buy them online directly from the manufacturer in strawberry and vanilla as well, which is what I'll do if Costco stops carrying them. I checked out the protein shots and they have a protein blend in them that I've read isn't easily digested by our sleeves. The Costco shakes have a blend of milk protein and whey protein concentrate, which I imagine is different than whey isolate which is the ideal protein from what I read. They seem to keep me strong though so I'm going to stick with them.

How do those protein shots taste? Where do you get them?