Amanda131

Kristy- I can't say whether you've screwed up, but it doesn't sound like it. I actually had more weight to lose than you and my doctor never even put me on a pre-op diet other than the instructions to not gain any weight. What your describing sound quite healthy. You may want to forgo the olive oil and chicken on your salad from here on out since my understanding is that the diet is supposed to be really low-fat and that would also help your peace of mind. If your really concerned, call your nutritionist and set your mind at ease. I became panicked before surgery that my liver was going to be too big since I wasn't put on a diet and so many on here were. Fortunately, the doctor later told me my liver was "gorgeous" but that didn't help when I was freaking out the night and morning before wheeling into the O.R.! Best wishes on your big day! Amanda

You'll both do great! Don't be surprised if you find yourself really tired even before lunch. If you're capable, schedule a nap for when you get home. Amanda

Hi Cherrybell- You are not alone! Like 2bslimkim and Foxbins, I never had any struggles with liquids. Actually, I haven't struggled with reintroducing foods either. I've yet to have a situation where anything didn't agree with me or I was unable to get the day's worth of Protein in. Like you, it scared the hell out of me. I think I even put up a post similar to yours! To day is my two month anniversary for being sleeved and I've managed to lose almost 50 pounds so the lack of struggles with food and liquid must not be much of a problem. Like the others, I also sometimes feel guilty when I see how much others are struggling. I am just going to thank the good Lord for this small blessing and keep on doing what I am supposed to. Best of luck on your journey! Amanda

Congratulations! That is such an amazing feeling. Be warned, you'll go through those clothes in your closet faster than you ever imagined. I thought I had at least six months worth of clothes in my closet and I'll probably be through them in less than three. It's a good problem to have.

For the first time since surgery, I let the mindless, almost binge-like eater out of the box. I don't know why for certain that I lost the battle today, but I have some guesses. I am in Texas where educators and police officers are being laid off like crazy. Guess what hubs and I do for living? Yup, cop and educator. My husband took a 20% decrease in pay right after I had surgery because of this and I found out this past week that my job is being reorganized in a terrible way. I knew going into surgery that I had some emotional issues to work out with food. I even kept appointments with a therapist. I also worked to lower my stress level during this adjustment time. So, the work issues starting immediately after leaving the hospital were unexpected and unwanted. I am still working to learn to handle my emotions without food. Added to all this, I had to travel for work three days last week and sat in a hotel conference room with elaborate Desserts and working lunches where I couldn't bring my own foods. I thought I did pretty good while I was there and worked out everyday yet I was hit with a three pound gain when I got home. I've been losing so fabulously that the increase really sucker punched me. So, today, I think I let a defeatest attitude win. I ate more than I should have and a few things I never should have touched (Damn you Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs). Tallied up, I hit 1400 hundred calories. A high for me. On one hand, I am freaking out a bit because I know I can eat more than most and I am terrified of doing this again and ruining all I have acheived. On the other hand, I ate relatively healthy stuff if you take the candy egg out of the equation so I feel I scored a small victory. I know what I should be doing, I just wanted to confess to a group that understands. Thanks for reading. Amanda

Hi SarahsMom- First, don't worry. You haven't described anything in your post that many before you haven't described feeling. Sounds like you're normal. Seriously, though, I see a lot of similarities between our post-op experiences. I also feared my stomach was too big because I could take in so much more than others. Alot of times it's because the swelling went down faster for us. And, if you're tall like me then you may also have a longer stomach which equals a bit more room. Remember liquids move through the sleeve pretty quickly, too. I'm betting that when you get to the mushy/solid phase you'll feel just how tiny it is. I also returned to work at 6 days post op. I had pains when sitting too. I found that my pants were rubbing an incision wrong and that sitting upright for long periods of time was just more than the newly operated abdomen could handle. I did a lot of leaning back in my office chair and took an extra 1/2 day off a couple of times to go home and fully recline. At 10 days out you're still in a difficult place mentally, in my opinion. The mental games really didn't let up on me until about 5 weeks out. Remember, you just changed your whole world and your head needs a little time to catch up! I did a lot of journaling, a few posts on here and actually even continue to see a therapist once every few weeks to help me deal with the emotional side of being a former overeater. If nothing more, write down why you choose to have surgery and when the mind starts trying to convince you to push your limits with food, refer back to that list. Don't get angry that you had thoughts about poor food choices, rather feel victorious that you had the thoughts and didn't act on them. Finally, 15 pounds in 10 days is rockin' awesome! That's 1.5 pounds a day friend! I only lost 20 in the first THREE weeks. Each of us will lose differently, but right now you're body is in a bit of shock over being invading, losing a giant chunk of tummy and being ripped off calorie wise. It may need a little time to catch up. During those rough first few weeks, I encourage you to focus on the future and how great you're going to feel as the weight drops and you learn to live with this tool. Best of luck! Feel free to message me anytime you need someone to talk/vent with. I imagine it's really hard to recover without your support network even knowing that you're in recovery. *HUGS!* Amanda

WooHoo! I am glad to hear you cleared that hurdle. And, how awesome that they were able to spot the adhesions and clear them up. What a great doctor to take the time to clean those up, check on the tummy and remove the gall bladder. Here's to speedy and relatively pain-free healing! Amanda

I have a history of bouts with anemia so I felt any malabsorbitive route wasn't the best idea. And, to be frank, I found the idea of dumping extremely unpleasant. As for the band, I get queasy looking at and touching my own scars- there was no way in hell I was going to be okay with a plastic port hiding under my skin. Eww. I also found the idea of the Ghrelin factory in the stomach being removed to totally make sense. Like you said, the gastic sleeve just made more sense to me. Plus, I knew that the sleeve can be a first step in RNY so if that became necessary down the road it would still be an option. However, I'm two months out now and I can't see that ever being necessary. Good luck in your journey! Amanda

Hey Hip- I also stalled hard in weeks 2-3, but I maintained the Protein focus and Water push and the weight starting falling off shortly thereafter. I would also like to note that I didn't start exercising until week 5 so that had nothing to do with it for me. I can't say that your body will react the same, but I thought a positive experience in a similar situation might be helpful. Stay strong. Those stalls play some seriously evil mind games! Amanda

You look awesome and have a rockin' sense of fashion to boot! I know who to message for advice now when it's time to purchase the new, smaller wardrobe.

Is there a possibility that you are going too low on calories and that has your body in a funk and refusing to let go of the pounds? That's happened to me and I've noticed a lot of posts on here that people have broken a stall by uping the calories. Just a thought. Stay strong, I can't imagine how frustrating this is for you.

I can't stand vanilla, chocolate or strawberry flavored drinks which makes finding suitable Protein drinks really difficult. I found the nectar drinks mentioned earlier and they literally saved me in the liquid phase. Carb free and 23g of protein make them super healthy. Tasting like kool-aid without a weird smell or aftertast make them flippin' awesome! I'm a big fan of the Crystal Sky and Fuzzy Navel flavors- be warned that the Lemon Tea flavor was pretty awful, though. Here's a link to check them out if interested: http://www.bariatricadvantage.com/catalog/categoryHandler?cat=Bariatric Advantage : Nectar : Tub&expand=1">My link You're resourceful and tenacious- I am sure you will work this out! Best wishes! Amanda

rossonmarcus- I am not sure of your insurance situation, but you may also want to consider talking with a mental health professional about your food demons. I also have lots of demons tied to food and eating. I chose to start seeing a therapist regularly before surgery to confront and deal with those. I continue to see her once a month now and I really feel that has made a huge difference with how I confront and deal with food. It's not a quick fix and I still have moments, but I feel I can finally see a day coming where I view food more as fuel than emotional savior. Good luck to you! Amanda

Early out, I found that I would suffer a similar pain if I ate/drink something too quickly. Something to keep in mind.

Glad to hear that! Rest, relax and take care of yourself. I hope this quickly resolves itself. Amanda

Prayers and best wishes coming to you from the west side of Houston! Rest and take care of yourself. Amanda

I so wanted advocado. I mashed it up and it was awesome. I think the healthy fat helped with my energy level as well. I was all about the eggs, too. Although I was never a big egg eater before I am having a total love affair with them now. Good luck in that first foray- I remember how nervewracking it was! Amanda

I wanted advocados!

MeggieP- You are feeling the same emotions many of us have felt as we prepped for surgery. I reacted the same as you except I was a little more melodramatic. I started crying on the way home from the "last supper". When my husband asked what the heck was wrong I blurted that I felt I was voluntarily murdering the best friend I ever had! And, it's true. That's exactly what I felt like. The good news is that at almost two months on the otherside, although I still struggle at times, I am mostly at peace with my choice to end my toxic relationship with food. I think you have the perfect attitude of embracing and dealing with these feelings. You will get through it! *HUGS!* Amanda

Southern Sleever- You look FABULOUS! Way to go! Really, your face tells the whole story when comparing the pics. WOW. Coincidentially, I was in Austin, TX last week staying in a hotel overlooking Lady Bird Lake were LOTS of people row. Watching them, I thought that rowing looked like the most fun, awesome excercise ever. I think that I will be looking into that as my weight drops and confidence rises. Let me know how you're liking it. Yay you!!! Amanda

This is my first challenge. I am so nervous! I am setting a moderate goal since I've yet to stall and I imagine there's one waiting for me somewhere in the next 10 weeks. If I make my goal I will be at my lowest weight in TEN years. BRING IT! SN...........................Starting wt.......................................Current wt................................Goal ........................Lbs to Goal Amanda131.................303....................................................258.......................................225.............................. 33

Congrats! What a great motivator to keep you on track- you can do it! Amanda

Hi Ireland- I was on liquids weeks 1 & 2 and then mushy type foods for week three. On liquids I was all about the Protein drinks. At week three, I did a lot of eggs, ground hamburger, greek yogurt, soft cheese, cream of chicken Soup, black bean soup and nectar protein drinks. Now, I eat pretty much anything except most raw veggies, Pasta, breads and rice. I eat a lot of grilled chicken, tilapia, salmon, crawfish, shrimp, pot roast (frozen low-sodium individual packets at the grocery store are AWESOME), still eating my fair share of eggs (frozen omelettes rock, too), full fat cheeses, lunch meat with laughing cow cheese and greek yogurt. Remember, I did not struggle with ANY foods so I've been lucky in that aspect. Good luck! Amanda

You guys seriously ROCK. I came in from work to find tons of support waiting for me with plenty of GREAT advice to boast! I so appreciate this site and each of you. By bedtime last night, I was at peace with what happened but I really want to disect when this happens to look for strategies and techniques to aviod it in the future- loved the ideas you all offered. And, because in my overweight past I hid binges, I want to fully admit to and take responsibilities for these moments. Thanks for being the outlet for that. Ironically, I woke up this morning to a five pound weightloss. I'm guessing that like some of you suggested I finally dropped the sodium and Water weight. Whatever, I'll take it! In a side note: Have any of you noticed that you know all there is to know on why people stall, gain, etc. and can dispense great advice but when it's you gaining the weight you forget all of that good information? Thanks again for reminding me! Amanda

SpiceyMom- Thank you so much for that typo. I had my first all-out, horrible eating day and seeing Eater dinner while I was beating myself up made it seem hilarious for some reason. Thanks for that! And, a big congratualions on making it through the meal! I didn't have to do liquids before surgery, but I am sure that was a monstrous feat. In hindsight, I think a liquid diet pre-op would have been great preparation for surgery, I actually think I missed a great opportunity. Maybe this opinion from the "other side" of surgery will make your shake taste just a little bit better tomorrow. Amanda