meggiep

Ughhh- yep I am losing hair, big handfuls...and I have thin hair to start with so it is getting mighty thin. Dang it. But I am getting thinner too- so it's a tradeoff!

I absolutely thought that. I have had such a hard time losing in the past and I thought I would be the ONE it did not work for. I still sometimes think of myself as a slow loser compared to others, and have weathered two stalls in my three months- but somehow I am here three months out and 61 pounds down. The sleeve works as long as you do the work, I promise. For me, that means counting everything, logging everything, keeping to under 40 net carbs, drinking the Water, getting the Protein, exercising, blah blah blah...the usual! ;-P I have posted this article many times (thanks to Swizzly who posted it first) and it really helps explain the chemistry of stalls and that you are really still losing weight.... hope it helps! http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

I think it might have something to do with whether or not you do the emotional work.If you don't work on the things that gave you issues with food you can fall back into the same problems. Slider foods are easy to eat and they taste good. I think weighing regularly and taking action if you gain a couple of pounds will keep that from being a problem for you. It is slipping into denial and the old ways of eating and eating around the sleeve that causes weight gain. The sleeve is a tool m that is all. It would be nice if it guaranteed weight loss and maintenance but that just is not true. We are the captains of our sleeve ships and I for one am committed to not joining that weight gain statistic. I think if you set a firm policy to weigh, and to take action if the scale creeps up then you will be fine. It will take you a while to determine what your maintaining intake looks like but trust yourself!

Goal #1 - weigh less than my husband! He is currently at 208 as he gained 5 pounds on our Hawaiian vacay ;-P I am at 223......and working hard! He jokes about trying to get to Onederland and making a happy dance video about it on MY You Tube channel! Goal #2 Onederland Before my trip I had this fantasy of doing it by the end of summer- September 21st. We'll see.... Goal #3 170 My doctor's goal- which he actually changed from 160 recently- I am not sure why... Goal #4- seeing where I end up! The exciting thing is being confident I CAN do this, and can keep it off. I love my sleeve!!!

I am thinking we may be looking at September!

Wow! Red velvet sister I am so proud of you! Interestingly when was in Hawaii this past two weeks I really did feel like I looked almost normal! I liked the person I saw n the mirror, I felt pretty and I wore a sarong and a flower in my hair and just really felt good. I don't now why I am able to grasp this- maybe because I did not weigh for 10 years and so my time of knowing I had gotten to such a high weight was relatively short lived? I am still 60 pounds away from my goal but I feel like I look good! I so want that for you too! You need to tell yourself how great you look every single day.

Hayward or Vacaville for me please! I am home from Hawaii and would dearly love to meet up. Saturday August 27th would be best for me so my husband can come!

I figure I will do it- just wondering if it is already out there! If not, I will post them when I do them. I am so wanting to try so many of them but I am also pretty obsessive about logging...

unjury chicken Soup is a huge help to me- you do need the hot Water to be 130 degrees or lower to avoid clumping but that is nice and warm. I add 12-16 ounces of water as it is a bit salty wit only 8 ounces but it is very comforting and is 21 grams of Protein in a serving. The extra water counts to your liquids so this helps too.There are tons of different dry powders too that you can mix in creative ways to help get more protein in. I still, eleven weeks out, set my phone timer to remind me to drink. It is so easy to fall behind otherwise. In doing that I am now able to drink three liters a day. I know everyone says it but it gets better and better! I have lost 55 pounds as of today and I feel fabulous.

My surgeon prescribes a twice daily medication to protect against gall stones that I am to take until the major weight loss period ends. I know it is a hazard after the surgery. I t sounds like that could be your problem! I would have it checked out asap.

From my post in the thread a ways down below this one: " Ok everyone here is what I came up with for the wonderful RIcotta Bake, so delish on purees or anytime I think! I could see adding a layer ofr ground turkey when I am on a fuller diet. Anyway, this nutritional info based on using full fat ricotta cheese, regular parmesan (I used shredded from Costco) a large egg, and low fat mozzarella cheese, as well as my particular fave vodka/marinara sauce for the topping . It is also based on dividing the complete dish into six servings, which is about perfect for my 1/4 cup ability here at three weeks. So if you want to eat more, multiply my totals x 6 and divide it into the number of servings you want it to be. Obviously if you use low fat cheese all the way around it will change. Like Eggface I prefer full fat for the most part though I don't mind low fat mozzarella I am all about the flavor! I use Spark People to feed the ingredients in and create the recipe and then got the nutritional data- easy! Hope this helps anyone obsessed with having the right thing to log every day like me! Serving = 1/6th pan Amount per serving Calories 160.7 Total fat 10.9 g Cholesterol 74.0 mg Sodium 335.8 mg Potassium 74.0 mg Total carbs 3.1 grams dietary Fiber 0.3 grams sugars 0.9 grams Protein 11.5 gram " Since them -I actually changed the recipe for me- half the parmesan, a 1/4 cup more mozzarella, and 4 ounces of ground beef under the tomato sauce now that I eat meat. It is still my favorite go to protein tasty meal.

Woo hoo! And you are more than half way there! Wondering- does your 60 include a pre-op diet? I only ask because I always include my two weeks and am wondering how four months will look for me! xoxo

Try setting a timer (your phone?) and every fifteen minutes drink just a few ounces- it can really work- I SZTILL do it- every 8 minutes now and manage 3 liters a day now. See if you can find a palatable Protein drink- maybe the unjury chicken broth ( add more Water than they say to cut down the saltiness and add even more fluid) it is warm and soothing. If this continues, even with an antacid- see if you have a problem that needs care- one of my You Tube friends started not being able to keep anything down and it was a stricture. Hugs to you for the problem!

Are you sure it is hunger? I have not had hunger since the day of my surgery. Are you on acid inhibitors? Sometimes there is a pang from acid that can feel like hunger. Many VSG peeps lose their hunger since ghrelin is no longer produced- ad I feel for you who still have hunger! When I think I am hungry- usually from smelling something nummy (the apartment house down the street perpetually has barbecued burgers and steak cooking- I swear!) or seeing something- I stop and ask myself- are you truly hungry?The answer is always no- I do not get hungry and have to actually remember to eat. Check into the antiacid. Also- all of our sleeves are different in capacity depending on our surgeons. Mine is VERY conservative- uses a small bougie and stitches close to the guide. I am pressed to fit 1/4 cup. Honestly I am jealous if you can eat more! It is so restrictive to eat Protein and rarely have room for vegies and fruit. I just can;t fit much in and rarely go over 600-700 calories. Be glad you can fit a bit more, log your food to keep track, and rock those sleeves!

Hang in there! Seriously- I too had to stay in the hospital extra time because I could not get anything down. My first six days were h-e-double hockey sticks. I could not drink without pain and could not imagine how my life was going to be. On my fifth day it became easier to drink and the clouds parted and the sun came out. Gradually, making sure to get Protein and Water, I moved forward and now I can eat anything (just in tiny portions!) and I have lost 53 pounds. Remember you did this to save your life and don't pressure yourself to be where you are not. Hugs to you!

I finally got to my surgeon about this one and he disagrees. The fundus is removed and that is the location of the ghrelin production.

I don;t think your info about a chicken breast having 90 grams of protein is correct! Chicken has 5-6 grams per ounce. You would have to eat at least 15 ounces of chicken to get 90 grams- my stomach holds 1 1/2 to 2 ounces MAX and then I am stuffed. I eat three to four small meals- and you do need to make some room for vegies and fruit. Until I can eat more (I am 10 wees out) I cannot see being able to get all my protein from food. Since protein is such an important part of the chemical process- I still have two protein drinks a day- one chocolate mixed ith decaf and one Unjury chicken soup.

I think at one month you are still quite swollen and it should get better. I can only eat 1/4 cup maximum, that is my surgeon's plan. With a Protein drink in the morning, and 3-4 meals plus unjury chicken soup in the evening, I get 500-700 calories, and all my protein. You really do need to work on that protein! That will protect you muscles- if you get your protein the body turns to fat cells for burning but if you don't it will feed on muscle. Keep looking for a powder you like and add things to it- bananas, Peanut Butter, berries, sugar free syrups, etc. It just is something you need to do with such a low capacity to protect your body! Keep looking until you find something you like- there are gazillions of different ones, you need to push yourself and just find one! DON'T worry about carbs at this point! You need to up your calories first and foremost. Get s/fpudding cups, eat yogurt- get the calories in. You can really damage your body by not nourishing yourself properly right now and your weight loss will slow down anyway so this is important. It is hard to get back on track when you become malnourished. Good luck to you!

Oh sweetie I am so glad you got all this dealt with! I think the B12 will really hlep with energy and the wellbutrin will help your depression. That one made me a bit too jumpy but they will find the right thing for you and things will get much better. Hooray! It must be a huge thing for your body to adjust to all that weight loss- huge! Just remember that MIchelle had a lot more to lose than you do! Think of it as a percentage of what she had to lose. Then do that percentage of yours! It would be about 30-32 pounds in the same amount of time. WHich would be awesome!

I am so sorry to hear this Michelle! I myself have bee depressed for a couple of weeks- and I already take an anti -depressant for life long depression- but this is a new feeling- and I too have had bouts of anger. My doctor mentions in his seminars that often people who have never been depressed before suffer from it as the fat cells do dump hormones as mentioned above. Short term use of an anti depressant is not unusual and is normal for losing weight at such a fast pace. Hope it works out for you!

I read on my Dr.'s information site that it is a good idea to call your insurance company and ask about the specific procedures before going to your first appointment. I decided since I can't get my first appointment until the sixteenth (seems like years ;-P) and I have gotten so attached to the idea of having the sleeve that I had better find out- if they don't cover it I needed to either choose another surgery they do cover or figure out how to pay for surgery in Mexico. I was so scared- coming here has me so certain this is the surgery for me! I gave the CPT code and they put me on hold and then came back to the phone to say that as soon as a Doctor approves a patient for the sleeve surgery and they satisfy the doctors requirements they DO cover it! I am THRLLED! From what I understand, they require two appointments with a nutritionist, two seminars, and two visits with the doctor- if it is up to me they will all occur sequentially thus: noon the dr, 1pm the nutritionist 2 the doctor 3 the nutritionist and that night my second seminar! )) This is great great news! I edited this since it was moved to the insurance forum to mention I have Blue Shield of CA through the JACL - I have the ***. I was petrified it would be considered experimental! As a self employed wedding photographer I pay $809 a month so it is nice to have it give back!

32 bougie here and 1/4 cup is IT for me- almost 10 weeks out. No matter how I try- 1/4 cup is my world. ;-P My surgeon has had one fatality in his 11 years of doing bariatric surgery. An RNY patient was released from the hospital- went home and at pizza as soon as he got home. He did not die immediately but did die. WTF? To do that....unimaginable!

Use a timer to remind you to drink- I do and I am up to three liters a day now! Read this- it will explain stalls and make you feel much better! http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html I post it so often it should be a sticky!

My doctor uses a 32 bougie- my sleeve is tiny- even if it triples in size I will only be able to eat 3/4 cup! I am actually amazed how little I can eat. O that part I am not worried about! EVen though right now he seems to be a little sadistic I know in the future I will be glad. As for the grehlin- I am going to ask my doc about that...

It seems like it also varies with the time of day...and from day to day! I can usually eat a 1/4 cup of cottage cheese with room to spare so I ate that today and then ONE ripe apricot- and was in terrible pain. It shocked me! I really try to avoid that feeling and it sneaks up and bites me when I least expect it. I know one thing- no way could I eat 1/4 cup of cottage cheese AND an egg- but my sleeve, Thumbelina, is very tiny and 1/4 cup is my world.