dramagirl28

Your therapist wants to empower you to think about these things and come up with a plan, not scare you away from the surgery. So I would urge you to think about. How WILL you cope with your feelings? I got a little depressed right after surgery because I was a big comfort eater. I liked to eat to make myself feel better, and also used food to celebrate. I simply can't do that anymore. It's hard to retrain yourself after so many years of that behavior, but if you stay positive and maintain a "can-do" attitude, you will find a way. If you think that you can't deal with your feelings, then you won't. It's all up to you.

Those chips sound good! Where do you find them? I don't mind drinking Protein Shakes. I buy ready to drink shakes at costco that I like and they are 30g of protein, but I find that I have to use it as a Meal Replacement because it's so filling and I'm concerned that two meals a day is not enough real food. I'm eating exclusively protein right now. I don't even have room for veggies. The only carbs I get are from sauces I put on my meat. There's no way I could get in all my protein unless I snacked between meals, which I don't want or need to do. Just wanted to see if I was normal. Thanks for the input.

I think it's most important that YOU can tell! Good for you and congratulations on the outstanding progress! Sometimes people are just too shy to comment on weight loss because they think it's a touchy subject. It doesn't mean they aren't noticing.

My NUT said to start getting off caffeine 2 weeks prior, just because you don't want to have a headache while you're recovering. I think I switched to half caff for the first week and decaf for the second. My surgeon told me that the alcohol just needed to be out of my system before surgery, so a couple days.

It happens to me too. Can't eat much for breakfast and am not even hungry, but eat something anyway, eat a normal meal for lunch, and i can sometimes eat more at dinner, depending on what it is. Some foods are denser and fill me up quicker than others. But I do feel hunger like I had hoped I wouldn't. If I'm hungry after dinner, I'll grab a Babybel cheese wheel or something. I think that if we feel hungry, we should eat. But, we should make good choices, and avoid eating when we're NOT hungry like we did pre-op. Maybe you should do smaller meals more frequently? Also, sometimes if you're not drinking enough fluid it can masquerade as hunger. I think that's part of my problem too. 64oz was a lot for me pre-op, let alone now.

I'm almost six weeks post-op and starting to date. I've been pretty open about my surgery at work and with friends and family, but I don't know what to say or when to say it to a brand new date. Getting into weight issues seems a bit heavy for a first date, but on the other hand, I've got to say SOMETHING about why I'm eating so little and why I can't go to happy hour. I am a very social drinker and intend to go back to drinking socially when it's safe for me to do so, so I don't want to say "I don't drink" because that's not who I am. I also don't want to start out with a lie. Any advice or suggestions?

All really great ideas! I guess I just got flummoxed because a guy just recently asked me out on a first date specifically to go to happy hour and I didn't know what to say. I said something vague like "I'd love to get together" and then later suggested we check out a coffee shop that one of my friends keeps talking about. He agreed and didn't ask any questions.

My NUT said to avoid bread, rice, and pasta (note: avoid, not eliminate), but a healthy diet does need some starch, and potatoes were listed with other starchy vegetables. Everything in moderation.

Hi all, My surgeon did not prescribe a ppi and I had some issues with acid. They told me to just take TUMS but that didn't work so well. So I bought Prilosec/Omeprazole over the counter. The instructions say to take one a day for 14 days and then to stop, and I can take it again in 4 months. I took my last pill two days ago and I am already feeling the acid rearing its ugly head. I know a lot of you are on a prescription for Omeprazole so I basically just want you guys to tell me it's ok for me to go get another box of the OTC stuff until I can get in touch with my surgeon on Monday. I think the otc stuff is 20mg and a lot of your prescriptions are for 40mg, or 20mg twice a day, so I'm hoping it'll be safe for me to continue with the one 20mg per day which works just fine for me. I know you guys aren't doctors and I need to talk to mine, but any input would be appreciated. Thanks, Rachel

Thanks everybody. I suspected it would be fine but it's nice to get some reassurance!

I doubt you'll want to read. When i was in the hospital it was a struggle for me to find the energy to focus on my cell phone long enough to text my friends to let them know I was ok. You'll sleep a lot, maybe have the tv on but probably won't pay attention to it, sleep some more, sip and walk, sip and walk. Make sure you have clean sheets on your bed and a stockpile of dvds. Another tip: strained canned Soup is kind of gross. Have someone run out and get take out soup for you and strain that. It'll be a lot fresher with a much better flavor. Oh, and get some herbal tea. It feels really good on the tummy. Good luck!

The hunger pangs might be from acid production in your tummy. Are you on a ppi?

We were sleeved around the same time I think. Fat free refried beans with cheese, low fat chili, or soup with a little extra salt is good for my salt cravings. I know what you mean about only having sweet things. It definitely gets old. I already have halloween candy in my house and i'm not tempted at all.

I am a month out and I do miss drinking with friends. I have gone out to bars a few times and I just don't have a good time because I don't feel like myself. HOWEVER, I know that this is only temporary and I will be able to drink again, so I'm not down about it too much. As far as dining out goes, I'm still on mushy food and there aren't a whole lot of options out there for me right now besides Soup. I went out to Breakfast the other day and ordered a scrambled egg with cheese and it really hurt my tummy for about an hour after only two or three bites. I think it was just too greasy. But I anticipate that once I'm on solids and have gotten the hang of eating, it'll get easier. Again, this is only temporary. I did go through a little depression for a bit right after surgery about the whole social thing, but I feel better about it now and I certainly don't regret getting sleeved at all. You just have to imagine a new normal. It's hard to believe, but it will come.

Today is my one month surgiversary and I am down 22.2 pounds, which I am calling a big WIN! I measured myself absolutely everywhere as soon as I got home from the hospital and then again today and I have lost inches everywhere! I'm wearing an old button-down shirt today and there's no puckering, and my favorite pants are sagging a little in the back, and it's even my TOM and I'm all bloated! I am so happy I got this done.

I quit cold turkey almost two years ago but i was only a smoker for two years so I imagine it was easier for me. I tried the e-cig but it wasn't anything like smoking and I didn't get that satisfaction from it. It's a waste of money in my opinion. I can't give you advice on how to quit, but I will say do absolutely anything and everything you can to try. The way I felt without smoke in my lungs was night and day compared to how it was before. The other thing I'll say is that the first week or two is the hardest part and then it gets easier. For me, the actual nicotine craving faded long before the habit did. Sometimes I still miss stepping outside after a meal or taking a relaxing break with a cigarette. I had to find other things to do for a few minutes of "me" time. Good luck.

I threw up almost immediately after I woke up. It was kind of foamy blood, which frightened me but it didn't hurt at all and they said it was normal. My stomach didn't contract to throw up, it just found its own way out. lol They gave me anti-nausea shots every so often in the hospital and I didn't have any trouble, but I don't think I'm overly sensitive.

I absolutely hated canned soup. It gave me a weird taste in my mouth. Try ordering soups from restaurants and just straining them. That way you get the yummy flavors of all the veggies and meat. My favorites were wonton, egg drop, french onion, avgolemeno, and albondigas.

Girl, you're doing great! You'll be into your skinny jeans in no time. Keep your head up (and keep off the scale)!

Seriously, there's nothing we can do about the stall. It will come of when it's ready to. I think of weight loss like a feather... when you drop it, it falls, but catches a wind and floats up a little before it falls some more. Just keep getting in your Protein, making healthy choices, and using your sleeve to it's full potential and the feather will eventually hit the ground.

I was sleeved 8/25 and have lost about 17lbs. I'm in the dreaded three week stall but I'm not letting it get to me. After so many years of dieting I am well aware the scale will move when it darn well wants to. lol I just started mushies last week and have been living on egg & tuna salad and ff refried beans. It's a lot easier for me to drink faster now but it still takes me forever to eat 1/4 cup. My energy level is back to normal except when I'm exercising. I can only do about 15 mins on my elliptical before I'm ready to fall over. I'm not getting all my protein in but I'm almost there. Fluids are harder for me. I guess the sleeved life is getting to be more normal.

I love the Premier Protein shakes from Sam's (and Costco). They have 160 cals and 30g protein in 11oz. They only had chocolate at costco but you can buy them online in vanilla and strawberry as well. To me they taste like the Atkins shakes, only a little thinner and with twice the protein. The Syntrax nectar powders are ok and come in lots of different flavors. I liked the Cappuccino and Vanilla Bean Torte best. If you search for shake recipes on this site you'll find tons of them. Most recently I've been mixing Vanilla with pumpkin puree and milk and spices to make a pumpkin pie shake, but you can use whatever powder you like best. Powders seem to be really individualized in terms of taste.

It sounds to me like you're doing great! Keep it up!

Everyone stalls around the 3 week mark. I'm experiencing the same thing. In fact, when I hit 3 weeks I had gained 4lbs. The 4lbs has come off but I haven't lost any more weight and probably won't for several days, from what I hear. However, I have lost 17lbs since surgery and I'm only just 3 weeks and two days out. Even if I don't lose a thing for another 3 weeks, 17lbs in six weeks is still 3lbs/week which is still accelerated weight loss. Did you take starting measurements? Try measuring again. You may still be losing inches if not pounds. Also try to think about how much better you feel, how you can get full on so little food, how you're not STARVING like on previous diets. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Hang in there girl.

Totally normal. I didn't go until I started drinking protein shakes, about 5 or 6 days out and even then, it wasn't really "going."