PdxMan

At your stage, yes, very normal. Everyone is different, of course, but your stomach is very swollen from the surgery, as you can imagine. Some folks are more swollen than others. As the swelling goes down, your capacity increases, so ... it does get better. (and no, when this starts to happen to you, you are not stretching your sleeve)

Remember the stomach is the mechanical part of digestion. You have a brand new staple line there. Guess what happens if it doesn't heal thoroughly? Do a site search on Leak. It's a hospital trip in the waiting ... and for what? What is the benefit of progressing faster?

So, start by reading as much as you can in this, the Fitness and Exercise forum. Stay away from the Protein shots unless they are 100% whey protein. Here is a link to a good thread here. Don't worry about getting big. Not to be Downer Debbie, but it's not going to happen to you. Sorry, but only a few people really have the genetics and/or are willing to put in that kind of time. Check out Staci. Just know that it is not going to happen fast. These things take time. Be patient and work hard and it will happen.

When you say, "Having trouble", what does that mean? Doesn't taste good, hard to swallow, comes back up ... all of the above?

I loved me some Soups. Grab your favorite one and throw it into the blender. I had three soups that I lived on: Turkey Chili Lentil Ham Chick Veggie I cooked them up well, then blended them. So much flavor, which I was just DYING for. At restuarants, I would ask them to puree it and they always did, no problem. I remember a clam chowder that was AWESOME! It was still a bit chunky, so I got some quality chew time in as well. Soup ... it's whats for dinner ... and lunch ... and dinner ... but it doesn't last forever. I still eat these soups now, just not pureed.

It's time for a purge. I'm talking cupboards, drawers, glove compartments ... anywhere there is a stash. Put your brave face on and grab a trash can and start dumping. If you find you can't do it, your issues may run even deeper and some counselling may be necessary. If it isn't in the house, it can't go in you mouth. There is an old saying, "Sit in a barbershop long enough, you're going to get your hair cut." If you don't want your hair cut, then GET OUT OF THE BARBER SHOP!! Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Did you have a hiatal hernia repair? I did and that is how swallowing was for me. I just kept up with the Lortab to ease the pain. If I were you, I would try to have an hour where you didn't swallow anything, then start with the Lortab. Slowly. It took me a good 5 minutes to take one dose sipping it out of the syringe. After half an hour, the effect should be settling in and you should be able to slowly sip small amounts of Water. Gatorade worked best for me ... at room temp. There is a lot of trial and error, and it can be frustrating for sure, but just keep with it. It WILL get better.

TJs is our primary grocery store. They always have samples going, so be sure to check them out. It is always something interesting. Things I wouldn't normally think to make or buy. We buy all the nitrate free deli meats and hot dogs. Whole wheat pastas, Peanut Butter, chicken nuggets ... you name it. You can't go wrong there.

We look forward to you sharing your experience, strength and hope as that is what this site is built on. Welcome to your new life!

Welcome to the site and congratulations on being sleeved. It is really difficult to compare your results to anyone elses. There are just too may things to take into account to do an apples to apple comparison. Your startIng weight/BMI, weight loss history, age, gender, exercise level, fitness level ... I would definitely recommend you not trying to compare yourself. We don't know you and can't say if your progression is "normal". That being said, 12 pounds lost and kept off is awesome! Have you ever been able to do that before and know that those 12 pounds are never coming back? I followed the same advice as your nutrition classes suggested. I had to pull back a few times as my stomach was tender for awhile. But I kept following the rules of not drinking before, after or during eating and I always started with lean Protein before moving to veggies. I started exercising and running. As long as you stick to the rules, you will lose weight. Are you going to lose it as fast as someone starting out with a BMI of 80? I don't think so. I you going to lose it slower than a person who started out with a BMI of 30? I don't think so. You are going to lose at the rate you are going to lose. Follow the rules and it will be quicker. Break the rules and it will be slower. Good luck and welcome. Please keep us posted on your progress and don't forget to use the search functionality in the upper right hand corner if the website or under Option on your mobile device.

I don't think there is a *too much* amount. I was walking several miles every day as I HATED the pain in my shoulders and wanted to get off of the pain meds as quickly as possible. Do you feel comfortable walking outside? Can you go out early before it gets too warm for a good, long walk?

Do a search on the term slime. MANY threads out there. On the website, search functionality is in the upper right hand corner. From a mobile device, I believe it is under Options. For me, it wasn't WHAT the food was, but rather not chewing enough or eating it too rapidly. It is something you definately don't want to repeat, through ...

You timing on your post is awesome. I was just thinking about how I have noticed folks changing their avatars to pictures after they have lost a bunch of weight. I know I waited until I did and I know so many others have, too. I think it is a great statement that says we are moving in a direction where we are proud of ourselves and our achievements. (And how we look!!) Congratulations and welcome to the PICTURE!!

Dooter and Emlefe have said it all. Just know that your stomach is still swollen and will be this way for awhile still. Everybody is different, so I can't tell you exactly when your swelling will go down, but it will. As the swelling goes down, your stomach capacity will increase, so don't freak out thinking that your stomach is stretching. It isn't. It just isn't as swollen as it was immediately post-op. I figure I was pretty swollen for 3-4 weeks as I couldn't eat or drink much of anything in this time. I set alarms for myself to remind myself to eat. It worked until I found my new routine. But don't worry. You are not going to stretch your sleeve. Do a site search keyword stretch to see a TON of threads on this topic.

I wouldn't trust my NUT as far as hormones go, but my research support KZBen's NUT. If you think about it, it makes sense. The stomach is still there with RNY, so ... but of course, there is controversy whether or not there really is a hunger hormone, so ... (I think there is, but who am I?) I'm guessing you are researching sleeve vs RNY, which I highly recommend. Good job doing your homework. Search the site using the search area in the upper right corner, if you are using a web browser. Use search terms such as: RNY, bypass, GBP. There are lots of good posts out there about why others have made the sleeve their choice for WLS. Good luck with your research

I used to do the same thing before I got the add on device for my Kitchenaid. With that device, I don't have to core or peel the apples. I can do a case of apples start to finish in less than an hour. I just wash, quarter and boil. The device squeezes the good stuff through the strainer leaving the skins, seeds and all that core stuff behind. It is pretty awesome and if you and your family enjoy applesauce, then I recommend this device. Check out the picture on the link I gave above. Applesauce comes out one side, core/skin stuff comes out the other in a continuous operation. No stopping to blend or anything. Yeesh! I sound like a commercial. Now all of my ads are going to be for Kitchenaid stuff. I then put the sauce in quart jars and then can them the old fashioned way. I do up about 35 jars a year which is about 5 cases of apples. We eat them all winter long and give them to friends/family. I have about 4 jars left now. I have also done the pear sauce, but there is so much water content, it really separates. Not a bad thing, but you don't get the yield you think you are going to get.

I make my own applesauce every fall. I use Gravenstein or King apples, so my recipe is based on their sweetness, but there really isn't much to it. I quarter the apples and boil them until they just start to get soft ... about 5-7 minutes. Then, I have the extruder attachment on my Kitchenaid. I push them through that. In a 5 quart bowl's worth of sauce, I add one cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. A few dashes of citric acid (preservative) and that's it. It's soooo good. While you may think, "Wow! A cup of sugar!" Remember, that is over a 5 quart quantity, so each quart is getting 1/5 of a cup. Not much sugar at all. I make about 35 quarts each fall after picking season. Pick em in the morning and have them canned by noon. The Kitchenaid attachment makes it soooo easy.

NICE!!! Share your best piece of advice one year out. What would you suggest to someone who was, let's say ... 6 months out and struggling with a stall. Congrats and thanks for being a great member of the community.

I still like that full feeling, too, but it doesn't drive me as hard as it did. The overwhelming urge to satiate that desire which was an 800 pound gorilla on my back is now a 50 pound spider monkey. But not as cute. Hey, I just noticed I'm 3 days older than you. Whoo Hoo! Coming up on our one year surgiversary.

You can just do one session with a trainer to get a routine. Yes, you can have those that stand over you and yell at you, if you'd like, but that is expensive and I know you have some smarts about you, so once you are given your routine, you can follow it yourself. San Dimas ... you're going to have a ton of them at a variety of price ranges. Make a few calls, let them know what you want and see what they charge. This way, when you are working out, you are doing so efficiently and not wasting your time and efforts.

Just be sure to read all of the fine print. I would hate to find out later that I was on the hook for all kinds of expenses because there was a clause saying that, "If you have had WLS, you are responsible for reimbursement of all expenses, blah, blah, blah." ... because you were never a realistic candidate for the stated purposes of the show. But, like others have mentioned, talk to them about it. It may be another angle they may be interested in exploring.

Great article. Thanks for the link, Dad.

I think I was one of those with a sensitive stomach early on and I had no problem with watermellon early on. Probably was my first real food to think back on it.

Lissa, I could not find the article about Stacy, but I did read the article "Good Enough." Also a great one. I am bookmarking that site. Straightforward and no BS. Gotta love it. Catracks, I guess my question for you is what are you looking to do? Loose weight or become fitter? While not mutually exclusive, there is a difference. I'm guessing Lissa's article about Stacy probably delves into that. If you are not going to be happy being 150 pounds with musculature, then you are going to want to focus on more of a cardio plan. but if you are OK with the previous, then it would be a different exercise routine. I would suggest a personal trainer to give you a plan to meet your goals. But as Lissa says, ditch the scale. If you are exercising and doing the right thing food wise, then what do the numbers on the scale mean?

This is an interesting topic as everyone is different. If you do a search on the site for the word hunger, I'm sure you can glean a ton of information already shared. For me, I had to set alarms to remind me to eat. Even at 11 months out, after not eating for 14 hours while waiting for the fasting blood draw, I was not hungry like I was pre-sleeve. I could have easily gone several more hours without eating whereas pre-sleeve, I would have been obsessed with what I was going to eat next. But I was fine and waited until my normal lunch hour to eat. I had a terrible relationship with food pre-sleeve always snacking and eating until I was beyond full. I liked the feeling of being full. Now, that sensation is totally different, so my desire to reach that feeling has pretty much disappeared.