emily_0192010

I am at the end of week 2 I haven't been able to get to the gym because the weather has been horrible here! So I guess we are at the same point! I am not looking forward to the 3 minutes!! SCARY! Have you tried it yet? How did it go?

Are you worried about the 3 week stall? The key with that... expect it! It's gonna happen at some point! Stalls are completely normal and almost an essential part of our journeys. When it happens just keep drinking and working on your Protein and don't worry about the numbers. Eat what you can when you can and don't worry about the rest right now. Let your sleeve take care of you! Honestly, the stall is going to happen at some point. I don't think anyone on this forum who is more than a few months out can say they have lost every week. Congrats on being two weeks out! The hardest part is almost over!

I had a hard time with that as well. Over time that went away, but it also helped sometimes to drink powerade zero or propel water. It seemed to help me a lot in the beginning.

I'm so happy for you!!! This is awesome! It's always the one that take us by surprise that mean the most! Congrats

GREAT job with the exercise! I didn't start exercising until recently. I don't know how you do that much on the elliptical! I can do maybe a few minutes and then i'm exhausted. I'm doing well on the treadmill though! Keep up the GREAT work!

Welcome to the loser's bench!!!!!! I also had a hiatal hernia repaired... but I didn't know about it until my follow-up a week later. I have no idea whether it impacted my pain levels or my progression with liquids. Good luck and I'm happy to hear that you are doing well!

I just started exercising as well. So far I have not stalled at all, but I was actually coming out of 2 months with very, very small losses. I'm curious as well to see what happens. I am really hoping that I don't stall of course, but I won't be surprised if I do.

I have not tried the unjury, but I have an unflavored one from GNC that I add in to my greek yogurt. It is unflavored, but it DOES have a flavor. I have to mask it with other flavors (I add in splenda and espresso powder to my yogurt) or else it has a very bad taste to it. I cannot add it in milk, etc, because of this. I really wanted to try the unjury, but I haven't had the money.

Surgery: 9/19/2011 Weight loss: 120 lbs Calories- between 600 and 800 per day Protein- between 70 and 90 a day (working on upping this) Supplements- celebrate Multivitamin with Iron, sometimes B12 Exercise- yes, upped my cardio and will be starting to use equipment soon (just joined a gym). But for the first 7 months- not really.

My surgeon told me if I wanted "pretty scars" to wait a full 6 weeks, but if I didn't care I could bathe as soon as two weeks (as long as the surgical tape had fallen off already). However, that was just "lounging around lazily" in the pool type thing, NOT for exercise. His advice on that? "If it hurts, don't do it". Of course, you should ALWAYS double check with your surgeon to see what he/she says. I"m glad to hear you are doing so well!!

My surgeon had only done about 30 sleeves "on his own" when I first met him. But before they do one on their own they do tons of them alongside other surgeon's who do have experience. I was slightly worried, but I was fine I figured, someone has to be number 30... we can't all be in the 300+ range! And a good thing about NOT losing too fast... you tend to not have as many extra skin issues. Losing it fast is not necessarily healthier. I figured, it took me 20 years to put it on... a couple to take it off is reasonable no matter how impatient I am!

((hugs)) Sometimes people just lose a lot slower than others. I know it is frustrating, but instead of looking at the overall picture, take it pound per pound. Make you goal "i want to lose one pound" instead of "i want to lose 100". It makes it easier! In the meantime, make sure you are focusing on 1)protein, 2) Water and 3)vitmains. Don't worry about carbs, calories, etc. Get those 3 in and don't worry about the numbers. Stop eating after a couple bites, if you are full.. stop. What I do, is I weigh out my Protein for that meal. (that way I know what I need to eat to hit my goal) and I work at it. If I can't get it in one sitting then I put it aside for a couple hours until I finish it. Also, make SURE you are getting in your water! This is *huge* for me. If i'm not drinking, then i'm not losing! Good luck Melissa! You ARE doing great. Try to be patient with yourself. And don't stress over it... stress can keep you from losing as well (I learned this the hard way)!

Great job!! As for the difference in cup size, chances are you weren't wearing the proper one before hand. I noticed in the bigger sizes, that there is much more "wiggle room" in the sizes then there are in the smaller ones. Still, a great feeling to know you haven't lost "there" (at least yet lol). And YES... 49lbs in 9 weeks is great!

I did not start losing sizes until I lost nearly 60 lbs... but once I started to I actually skipped sizes! As I lost more and more, it took less and less weight "in between" sizes to go down. So, it took 60 to lose the first size(s)...then it took 30, then 20, etc, etc. The last two pant sizes were actually only a difference of 10 lbs (but I stalled a lot, so it was over a couple months).

I can't say more than what has already been said soo... (((HUGS))) You will get through this! I'm warming up your spot on the losers bench

The way I approach carbs is this, IF I have hit my Protein goal AND my Water for the day (or I know I will, like if I pre-plan my day) then I don't worry about any additional carbs. In fact, when I am in a stall, I usually UP my carbs for a couple days in order to break it. It works, most of the time. As for your body feeling yucky, I went through that too. Sometimes it helps to drink a Powerade zero or propel water. The electrolytes and Vitamins (if they have vitamins) might give you a boost. Plus it counts as water so you can't go wrong there. Congrats on talking to the counselor! That is GREAT and I'm happy to hear that you have that support. Good luck and thanks for sharing

I have become VERY caffeine sensitive since having my sleeve, so I chose to switch to decaf. I started having some here and there about 3 months post op. I was never a huge coffee drinker, but I chose not to since I was already having trouble getting in all my required Water. I didn't want to mess it up by adding caffeine. So, overall, I see no reason why you wouldn't start adding it back in eventually. I know quite a few post-sleevers who love their coffee!

Well, I am not 3 years out yet, and pretty much everything that I would suggest has already been said (getting back to basics). So... ((((((((((hugs)))))))))))!! You can do it! You've already taken the right steps to getting this under control by coming here and asking for help. If its true that you've made some poor choices, then guess what? It's fixable because you chose the right things now! I would work on going back to basics before thinking about another surgery! Good luck!

I did not have any "food funerals" before my surgery... I started my "pre-op" diet about 4 months before my surgery, so my desire for the bad foods was very low. My pre-op diet was simply very, very, very low carb. Post surgery I won't deny myself anything. I rarely "crave" anything, so it isn't a big deal when I do, if I have a coffee frappuccino from starbucks (with added protein! did you know they can do that?). I'll take the cal/carbs hits. Or if i'm with my family and they are having ice cream... give me some too! The difference? i'm satisfied after an actual serving size and I don't feel the "omg I have to more now" feeling that I used to get. I can walk away from it now. For the most part, I'm really, really good about my diet. But I felt that if I always deny myself or even "wait till maintenance" that I would end up sabotaging myself. My surgeon's partner likes to compare us to drug addicts (he includes himself in this analogy, I hate it, which is why I didn't chose him lol). He says carbs are our drug so we have to stay away from them completely. I would agree, IF it was possible. We actually need food to live, so instead of denying something 100%, I find it better to limit it. That way the urge doesn't become overwhelming. At least for now, it seems to be working for me.

Hello Great job on doing your research and not just giving in to your surgeon (even if you do eventually chose the RNY). I chose the sleeve because: - no malabsorption -simpler surgery=less complications -no foreign object in my body (compared to band) -great weight loss results -options available to switch to RNY if for some reason the sleeve should fail - long term health results of others who have had sleeves or their stomachs partially/completely removed due to other reasons (cancer, ulcers, trauma, etc) My biggest problem with the RNY was the malabsorption aspect. Great for weight loss, horrible for nutrition. I was 20 when I was sleeved (21 now, 8 months out) and the last thing I wanted was to be tied to prescription and/or over the counter vitamins/supplements for the rest of my life. Plus, dumping?? Not my thing. (though some sleevers experience this as well, but it is much less frequent). I have currently lost 120lbs. I never set a goal weight with my surgeon, so I don't know if I hit his goal or not. But I am only 5 lbs away from being in a "normal" weight range for my height... and I consider that successful! My personal goal is still about 25 away, but I am not worried about NOT hitting it. I am still losing consistently. I also have only recently added in exercise. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions

Hey everyone So I chose to follow a low-carb diet while I'm in "losing mode". It was what my surgeon and his team expected and it seems to work well for me, as the weeks that I am "high-er" carbs I don't lose as well. I have recently decided to up my exercise though, and I am not sure how to adapt my diet to accommodate the extra fitness. Everywhere online says carbs, carbs, carbs. Is there a way to eat properly while exercising (or before/after) that won't completely blow my diet? I have nothing against carbs, but I still struggle to get my Protein in so I really don't want to use up any space with food that is lacking in protein. I wanted to follow the low-carb until I hit my goal weight (about 28 lbs away) or my year mark, whichever comes first. Thanks for any advice!

Great job!! Plateaus happen, don't let them get you down! You are doing awesome pushing past them!

Awesome idea!! I always timed it "i have to finish this bottle before 11, this bottle before 4... this bottle before 8" etc... it didn't always work lol! I have a re-fillable bottle and sometimes I would forget if I refilled it or not!

LOL... just be patient! It takes time for your body to fully "wake up" from anesthesia... It took me a couple days too!

Hello First off, whichever surgery you decide to chose has to be the best on FOR YOU! If you are not sure and confident with your facts then I highly suggest that you go to an information session yourself. And then another, and another, and another, etc, until you get to a point where you are secure and confident in your choice. You also need to be secure and confident with the surgeon you choose. I also wanted to share that I had my surgery when I was 20. I'm 21 now (8 months post op) and I've lost 120 lbs so far (80 since surgery, 40 pre-surgery). I was also worried about having a healthy pregnancy post-op. My surgeon (along with my NUT and weight loss counselor) assured me that I would be absolutely fine. There are quite a few people on this board who have had successful pregnancy's, and I believe even a couple people who became pregnant not long after having their surgery. The chance of a leak is very minimal. Yes, it can happen. But look at the facts. Ask your surgeon directly if he's had leaks and if he has why, and how you can work together on preventing them! As for the longevity of the sleeve, you're right that there isn't very much info out there... but that is true about the band as well. The sleeve will be with you much longer than the band will! So many people have to have it removed and it can leave behind horrible scar tissue and damage to your stomach. If you have any specific questions or just want someone to bounce your thoughts off of, feel free to PM me anytime! Good luck!