Foxbins

You look great! Congratulations on your success!

Hey Rootman-- Just my 2 cents, but I didn't pay 9000 dollars and have 85 % of my stomach removed to stop short of goal. This is the easiest weightloss I have ever experienced and I'm not stopping until I'm at goal and maybe 10 lbs below, for bounceback. I KNOW I can gain weight, I have 40 years experience doing it, but while the pounds are still coming off easily and I am still motivated to stick to a strict plan I'm going to go for it. Funnily enough, I didn't feel this way three months ago--then it was, well, I just picked a number for goal and I'll see how I feel when I get close. Now I have decided I am getting there and beyond. Yes, my collarbones and hipbones are prominent, but no more so than other late-middle-aged ladies I see. Do I look sick? No. Do I look gaunt? Yes, in the face--my chubby cheeks are gone and gravity is pulling what's left lower. Plastics are probably in my future, so another reason to be as thin as possible--so that they can take up all the slack!

The eating part is okay--a few spoonfuls is supposed to fill you up, and before you know it you will be able to eat more. People's stomachs heal at different rates and some folks can eat lots more early after surgery, others, not so much. The water thing, though, you need to address. Plain water can taste nasty. Some people report having good luck with Crystal Lite added to it, or drinking low-cal Gatorade, or bottled water. One lady hated the taste of artificial sweeteners in Crystal Lite and drank Kool-Aid made with sugar. I don't think that's necessarily a good thing, but she needed the fluids and her calories, like yours, were so low that she could use sugar and still lose. Try something besides water that's water-based. Dehydration is something you want to avoid.

Sounds delicious! Eat really slow, put down the spoon between each sip, talk in between sips. You don't want to overeat in public.

Real Age 53.7--actual age 56.6. Not bad for a former fatty!

You are still swollen and I bet that is your full feeling right now. For me, it was sip, burp, wait. Sip, burp wait. Sip, burp, done. Fifteen or twenty minutes later I started all over again. It gets better as the swelling goes down, you can take more sips without that "back of the throat" feeling.

My B12 sublingual tab was $10 for 300 of them and at my last labs my B12 level was above the high end of the range. Looks like I'm absorbing them fine. I am pretty sure you'd absorb more from a concentrated tablet than from B12-rich foods, though they couldn't hurt. Just saying what works for me, I'm not a physician.

I wasn't hungry either, still aren't, but I was sick of popsicles and broth and Gatorade and juice didn't sit too well full-strength. I did loads better with Soup and shakes.

You want to be between 122-148 and that's hard on a bike unless you are going uphill or pedaling really fast. Higher than 148 and you will be in anaerobic territory, good for races when you want a sprint to the finish, and lower than 122 and you aren't really doing your heart the most good although you are burning more calories than just sitting around. Keep it between 122-148 (a couple higher or lower won't matter, and as you get more fit it will be harder to get it in that area) and you will be making your heart and lungs stronger and increasing your stamina and endurance. Your monitor probably has a way to set alarms to let you know when you are above or below your target rate. It's a great tool!

I drank decaf the first month and then (horrors!) I drank regular coffee--I justified it to myself by saying that because I put cream in it, I was diluting the acidity, but basically I needed the jolt in the am. I haven't died so far or had any problems whatsoever. As for feeling good about myself, I feel GREAT! I was so embarassed by my obesity that I shut myself off from lots of things and now I accept every invitation and feel loads more self-confidence. Yes, your profile pic shows.

I was on thin liquids at two weeks out, so my calories were limited by the few options there are for that stage. That said, I don't eat 900 calories today and i am 7 months out. I eat 600-800 calories a day, protein first, and usually I'm around 700 by bedtime. I do not think your stomach is healed yet and it probably is not sending you "full" signals. I encourage you to measure your food, 1/3 to 1/2 cup per serving, and then stop if you have finished your measured portion. Part of your plateau is probably due to your body readjusting to an initial drop in water and glycogen stores but yes, I also think you are eating too much.

I emailed and said I was tolerating clears fine and could I have thin liquids on day 8. I got the okay and added protein shakes, skim milk, soups, and anything that was the consistency of water but opaque.

My doctor here in the States agreed to do the followup labs and referred me to a dietician (who was very little help). I had no sutures or staples to remove so no real post-op care. I had no complications but would have gone to the ER if I had. I asked trivial questions on this forum (like when does burping stop) and for more serious questions I emailed my surgeon's office and got an answer the same day.

The stomach makes something called "intrinsic factor" which is essential for the absorption of B12. Your stomach is mostly gone. You need more of the vitamin than they do because they can still absorb some in their stomachs.

I went to see Dr. Aceves in Mexicali alone and it was fine. I was picked up at the airport by a driver and driven to the hospital. The day of surgery I slept 90% of the time and peed the remaining 10%. Once up and about, I met the people who had surgery the day before me and we walked around the unit, pushing our IV poles. When it was time to come home, the driver took me back to the airport and I flew home. Aside from feeling tired, it was easy. During my stay, I slept so much that anyone who came with me would have been bored out of their skull. I felt perfectly safe, too. You will do fine. Oh, and you will need a passport or proof that you applied for one. I had one already so I can't help you with that.

I had a very itchy tummy and it was a combination of irritation from whatever they scrubbed me with for the surgical prep and the hair they shaved off my abdomen itching as it grew back in. No hives, though, thankfully. Hope you are feeling better!

Cathi, are you getting 60 gms of protein a day? I think you could find a better choice for breakfast than sugar-free pudding...maybe cottage cheese or greek yogurt? If your tummy hurts after you eat, slow down and/or eat less. At a month out I ate six tiny meals a day in order to get all the protein in. A turkey slice here, a couple of shrimp there, some Wendy's chili. Salmon is very dense, maybe try tilapia instead.

I changed into a gown (no underwear) before surgery and they wheeled me to the OR, I scooted over to the operating table, and they shot something in the IV to knock me out. They prepped by abdomen and stomach after I was out. I did not have ice chips and had a terrible dry mouth for a little while but I understand they would have given them to me if I asked. What they did do is speed up the IV drip and then my mouth wasn't dry anymore. They track input/output and it's easier if they just note how many IVs you have and how much you pee. I got Gatorade, tea, apple juice and chicken broth the day after surgery. Teeny sips tasted great. I wore my own robe over the gown to walk around.

I stuck to my plan, and it was HARD for me. One week clear liquids, one week thin liquids, one week thick liquids, and one week purees before beginning soft foods week 5 and anything I could tolerate week 6. I'm seven months out and haven't had a pita chip or any other kind of chip yet; I eat my hummus on cucumber rounds.

I tried to stop at 3 months and the first three nights were fine, woke up the following two nights with reflux, and the 5th day vomited a sleeveful of acid with very little warning. I started up again and haven't stopped, but I have osteopenia and need the acid...there is some belief among physicians that PPIs should be tapered when discontinuing them--from a full dose to a half dose, then then a quarter, and then stop. I think I am going to try that and see. Besides, if one omeprazole every other day works, then my pills last twice as long.

Hey, you made it to the loser's bench! Glad to hear that everything went well and you are up and about a little. Rest, walk, and keep sipping!

Please call your doctor. It might be a deficiency or it might be something else unrelated to your surgery.

I use sparkpeople.com for calorie counts and nutrient composition, but I actually write everything down in a little spiral-bound notebook that I keep on the kitchen counter.

Yes, I had that, and I read about someone else who experienced it too. I don't know why, I thought of a lot of possible reasons, but it went away after a couple of months and now things are back to normal, bladder-wise. Keep yourself on a schedule, every 4 hours maybe. I found that gave me some peace of mind and I wasn't worrying that I was getting distended and not feeling it.

I'm seven months out and there are days when my sleeve is picky. For example, deli sliced turkey breast has always been a quick and easy snack or "go-to" meal for me. The last two times I have had it I have felt sick afterward--and I did nothing out of the ordinary. Chicken usually doesn't sit well but I went to dinner at a friend's house and it was no problem at all! I just roll with whatever seems to be going on. It is curious, though--my old stomach was not picky at all.