PdxMan

I'm sorry you are feeling this way, but do know that a far majority of us felt exactly the same way early out. I hope you started reading this forum awhile ago and realize that most likely, what you are feeling is perfectly normal. Did you have a hiatal hernia repair during surgery? Very common to have this done, too. If you don't know, perhaps ask your ENT tomorrow. The lump feeling in your throat will go away soon. Have you been drinking and eating smaller amounts slower? That was key for me. Also, I would change up the temperature of my liquids. But, as you have figured out from your paramedic friend, getting your liquids in at this phase is important. When you are dehydrated, it is just so difficult to do anything.

Marci, I have been reading posts from you for awhile concerning your struggles. You make a post such as this: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/304629-why-am-i-still-obsessed-with-food/ and I'm guessing you interpret my post as someone who finds themselves as perfect. I am not perfect. Far from it. Perhaps you can help us ... how can we respond to posts requesting help and give suggestions, which we find worked for us, without coming off as being perfect? A lot of folks use tough-love here and I am one of them. When I make suggestions, I am not judging. I understand the struggles. I get it. Why do I come to the forums and post? I have better things to do than find a place where I can judge others. I post because it reminds me of my struggles and what I must do. I was self-pay as well. This isn't something I could maintain on my own. I needed this tool and I need this forum to get a daily reprieve from my abusive behavior. If someone doesn't need this, then I don't understand why they would even be on this forum in the first place.

Not a bit ... Hmmm ... must be @@Madam Reverie There are so many ladies on here with a wicked tongue which she could be masquerading as. Please ladies, don't get me wrong. I think Rosie has a great sense of humor.

You hear of VSG folks being able to eat normal portions? I can't say I have ever read that. I know of folks who had the expectation they would have less capacity, but that arena is an issue in of itself. So, would you say you have adapted the eat slower, chew more, take more time in between bites, or is this something you are still working on?

Can you give us some details? What surgery did you have? When did you have it? How are you preparing the chicken? Are you taking small bites? Are you chewing more than you did pre-op?

I am 33 months post. At about the 6 month mark, I was finally able to eat red meat and kale, 2 foods I consider to be about the hardiest and most difficult foods to digest ... even with 100% of my stomach. But, I would say it was another 3 months before I was comfortable eating these and having more than one bite. So, to answer your question directly, for me, it was 9 months. Also know that while I can eat any and every food, there are a lot of foods I choose not to eat. Those would be breads, for the most part, as well as rice. There is just no nutritional bang for that buck.

33 months out here. At about 9 months out, I was at what I am able to eat now. Last night's meal - chicken bake. Chicken breast on top of par boiled macaroni noodles (I have a 9 and 10 year old ...) with cheese and broccoli and asparagus. I ate about 1/4 chicken breast, 1/4 cup mac and 1 and a half asparagus spears. Went to a meeting, came home two hours later and had 2 more fork fulls. Done. Like MichiganChic, I never vomited once. I had one episode of sliming, but that was at 6 weeks out. Would you say you take time in between bites? Do you chew more than you used to?

Well, I do not drink at all, but as far as never having beer again ... I don't believe VSG is a death sentence to enjoying an occasional brew. My Dr told me no alcohol for the first 6 months, and you'll read postings on here from folks saying they are just empty calories. Well, if we made a list of all the foods we still do eat which are empty calories, I would need a larger monitor to see them all. Much larger. Then, of course, there is the carbonation factor. Going on 3 years out, I enjoy the occasional root beer or a few sips of Sprite. The carbonation definitely restricts the size of gulps I can take, but I still enjoy them. But, back in the day when I did drink, as I recall, a nice porter or stout didn't have the carbonation of the lagers. I would think a Guinness on occasion would fill the need. I'm sure @@Madam Reverie would agree.

Did you research ketosis? This is quite common right after surgery ... Do you have a metallic taste in your mouth?

Article: http://www.eonline.com/news/511407/rosie-o-donnell-reveals-she-underwent-weight-loss-surgery-following-heart-attack

Search this site or just Google ketosis. This happens when your body undergoes a drastic drop in carbs. Acetone is secreted by your body, especially in your saliva, which is just nasty. Once you get your carbs back up, it will go away.

I did not know she had VSG ... I wonder if she is lurking on the boards amongst us ... @@LipstickLady ... is that you?

Anniversaries and expectations are a bitch. I know I will fail more often than succeed. Would you consider letting him read your post?

So ... it sounds like you are doing all the same things you did before WLS, but are expecting different results ... right? As I like to say, things only change when I make a change. shake up your routine. Get rid of all the "crap" in your house. Another saying I like is, "If you sit in a barber shop long enough, you're going to get a haircut." Break the chain of continually going to the grocery store. Go for a walk, instead.

Have you read Alex's article: Plateau? Get Over It!? How compliant to the guidelines are you? Here is another good article about stalls: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.U1ATyPldWlY

The most commonly posted topic. Happy to report you are right where you need to be. I would suggest reading the forums a bit more. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/304610-3-weeks-post-op-and-no-weight-loss-helpim-getting-depressed/

minutes ago ... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/304626-4-weeks-out-but-stalled-for-2-weeks-im-worried/

So, I am coming up on 3 years post op, so I'll throw my 2 cents in here. Big Important Question 1: I agree. VSG is an extreme measure. Having 85% of your stomach PERMANENTLY removed is something that should not be taken lightly. I, too, have been successful at many diets often losing more than 40 pounds, but then gaining it all back plus 10 more. The diets were successful, but I was not successful at maintaining the lifestyle. I needed something which could help me change my relationship with food which brings us to ... Big Important Question 2: I also had/have a poor relationship with food. I used and abused food. It was my comfort and companion. I used it for celebration and sorrow. Bored? Let's just grab a few crackers and Peanut Butter. OK, just a few more. This was one of the more difficult areas for me to face. I mourned the loss of comfort food used to give me. I was left with my feelings and had to deal with them in a manner which I was not used to. Perhaps I could have chosen to just ignore or bury them, but I knew this would be coming and I wanted to get at some of the root causes for my morbid obesity. The sleeve has changed my fundamental relationship with food. It has been tough, but it was something I needed to do. As far as the process leading up to the surgery having effects years down the road ... it is all a building process. Everything is based on the work you do along the way. It is like building a house. It is only going to be as strong as the foundation and that is built early. Myself ... I tried to stick as close to the guidelines as possible. There will be many on here who will tell you that it is OK to cheat ... don't worry about it ... I'm sure that works for some people, but not for me. When I made the decision to have this life altering procedure, I also made a commitment to give myself the best chance at success. As far as what I have learned along the way ... that would be too long of a post for here.

Wow! How does Al feel?

I agree. I think it is when we start beating ourselves up over obsessive weighing is where we do damage to ourselves. I went to once a month after reading a post from someone posting ... in all caps ... about how they had gained 0.3 pounds in the afternoon from their morning weigh in. They lamented they knew they would be a failure at the sleeve. I also knew I was capable of that obsessive behavior and beat myself up like the poster did, so I changed my weigh ins. Currently we have thread from someone panicking about a 3 pound weight gain from the night before. Do they really believe they gained 3 pounds of fat overnight? Daily weighing, I believe, is fine if it is in the context as described by Irene. But we have to also monitor our brains and ensure we are not moving into unhealthy reactions to truly know what readings the scale give us means.

Search the site for the 3 week stall. This is probably the most often discussed subject here. Just know you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Read, read, read.

I am coming up on 3 years and I agree with what M2G wrote. Here is how I see it, and would respond to your mother. No, there is no guarantee that I won't regain weight 5 years down the road. I can pretty much tell you that I'm sure I will regain some. I have been maintaining at my goal weight for 2 years now and I know the only reason I would gain would be because of decisions I made to not live a healthy lifestyle. The fault would not lay with the sleeve procedure. So, what is different about that now than life pre-sleeve? Now, I have a tool which gives me the restriction and a constant little reminder of what I need to do. For me, I needed to get over the initial hurdle of being morbidly obese and begin to adopt a healthier relationship with food. The sleeve has allowed me to do this. I could have done another WLS besides VSG, but after researching and soul searching, VSG offered what I was looking for. So, no, there are no guarantees. But what I do know is my history of dieting and regain. I needed to break the cycle. Another thing I also know is that if I didn't do something, I was on a quick track to death. With morbid obesity, health issues only worsen with one inevitable outcome.

Nope. Just tell your Dr that you have a bariatric exclusion. They can code it as general health related concerns. I had the full gambit minus the colonoscopy and I was in the same boat as you.

The little image you see either on the web browser tab or to the left of the URL, depending on the browser and version.

Yeah ... I have to agree with awold ... you are looking for specific answers to an ambiguous question. If your intention is to start to get honest with yourself, then let's start here. You have been on here a couple months, now, so you should know this is a safe place. As surprising as it may sound to you, you are not unique in your struggles. What is your background? What is going on?