Indymom

1. Are you tracking everything you eat? Is it possible you're taking in more than you think? 2. Are you doing low-carb? Seems like a lot of people who hit stalls can reduce their carb intake and that can help jump-start additional weight loss. I personally haven't had carb issues (yet) but always keep that in mind as an option. Good luck to you!

@ReallyRosy, once you start on the dense Proteins (particularly the meat) you won't be bothered by 2 oz per meal. I was amazed at how full I felt after 2 oz! I'm at 4 oz now and sometimes can't finish that (I usually do 2-3 oz meat and then an oz or so of veggies) - I make sure I eat slow and savor the food, and also make sure to really eat things that are seasoned well and have lots of flavor. That helps with the mindset of not having a LOT of food on my plate. Another good trick is to make sure you serve your meals on a very small plate (I actually use a small saucer) and I "fill" my plate like I used to pre-op - so it looks like a nice serving even though it's pretty tiny.

Thinking back to immediately post-op, seems like I was in a bit of a fog or daze for the first couple weeks, even when I went back to work. Make sure you keep those fluids up and getting your protein targets will help as well.

I posted on another thread too, but yep - cheated my face off yesterday. Didn't really hit the desserts but oh, the carbs!! I'm not doing super-low carb on my meal plan, but I know I didn't get my Protein target because I enjoyed far too much stuffing, potatoes and snack foods through the day. Did entirely too much grazing. Back to work tomorrow and back on track!

I had my surgery early on a Wednesday morning (8:30 a.m.). My surgeon said I could go home if I wanted to on Thursday afternoon, but I was so tired from them making me get up and walk every hour the first night, that I asked to stay another night (I would have had a rough time trying to rest at home with my 5 year old, husband and dogs!) and there was no issue with it. So I stayed 2 nights but could have just stayed 1. I'm glad I stayed the extra night, though, it made a huge difference once I got home, I think.

Glad you found something that worked! When I was still doing Protein powder, the only thing I could tolerate was either the Syntrax nectar unflavored or the GNC unflavored, mixed with decaf coffee and milk (and a little splenda or nonfat vanilla coffeemate). It still wasn't great but I could choke it down. Luckily I'm getting all my protein from food now and have bid farewell to the protein powder!!

It's such a great feeling to pull those old jeans on! I'm glad I kept some of my skinnier clothes, I hate spending money on things I'm only going to wear for a brief period of time. Congrats to you!!!

My surgeon wants me to continue my PPI for the first year. I was originally on omeprazole 20 mg twice daily, but continued to have issues. I'm now on Dexilant in the morning and an OTC Zantac at night - no acid problems at all. As long as I get my protein in, I don't have hunger issues (other than the occasional bout of head hunger).

I always swore I would never have weight loss surgery. I work in health insurance and had also seen first-hand evidence of people who had catastrophic problems with RNY surgery. I've also known a number of people who had RNY and gained back a large portion of their weight. I scoffed at the idea of "needing" surgery for weight loss and kept telling myself I would lose it as soon as I got the willpower to put down the fork and get my a$@ to the gym. In October 2010 my mom had lap band surgery, and I was encouraged by her early weight loss and decided to look into surgery myself. I originally was set on lap band as I knew I didn't want RNY. When I went to the consultation at my surgeon's office and then met briefly with him one-on-one following the presentation, we determined banding wasn't a good option for me because of my ulcerative colitis. He talked to me at length about the sleeve and although I had gone into the consult insistent upon not being cut, once I talked with him about the procedure and then did a LOT of research on my own (this site, along with OH, was a godsend) - I decided it was honestly a great option for me. I had my surgery in August and have lost 60 lbs in 4 1/2 months. My surgery was a breeze, recovery was very manageable and other than a few laparascopic scars on my belly, I would swear I never had surgery (until I try to eat more than 4 oz at a time!!). Other than a brief bout of illness due to my colitis over the past month, I've had more energy and feel better than I have in years. I'm thrilled with the outcome of this decision.

I've started to lose a little bit of hair now (at 4 1/2 months out) but not so much that it's freaking me out yet. I have a TON of hair so frankly I'm ok with some of it coming out anyway. I'm not planning to take biotin or any other hair supplements, because I already have issues with facial hair and I don't want to have to tweeze/wax more than I already have to!!

I was SUPER-BAD yesterday. Or at least it felt that way to me. My family does a traditional turkey dinner but before dinner, of course we had plates of Snacks out to pick at. I found myself grazing during the day, although I did try to focus on summer sausage (yikes the fat!), cheese and veggies/dip. I had a fair amount of the oyster cracker snacks that are made with ranch dressing mix, and those were a heck of a slider food for me. By the time we sat down to dinner, I figured I had already exceeded my normal calorie targets for the day and certainly hadn't hit my Protein goals. However, when I served my dinner I focused on turkey & green Beans, and had only a very small portion of potatoes/stuffing. I also didn't have any dessert (luckily there was nothing too tempting and I was pretty full from dinner at that point). When I sat down and reflected on the day, I realized in my "old life" I would have not only gorged myself on all the snacks during the day, but then I would have eating a huge plate of food at dinner (and seconds on the carby stuff too, most likely). Overall I feel like I did not sabotage myself or my sleeve too much given the fact that this was my first holiday post-sleeve (I missed Thanksgiving due to illness, and it was probably for the best!!). It will probably take me a few days to get back on track, but I feel very confident that I survived this holiday with minimal damage.

I am trying to get all my Protein from food now (SO tired of protein drinks) so I feel like I'm eating a lot too, but like you I'm staying around 700-900 calories and 60-75 grams of protein. Are you waiting to drink at least 30 minutes after you finish eating? Are the liquids you are drinking calorie-free/sugar-free? If both of the above are "yes" I think you're in pretty good shape, and the people who are around you will get used to your new eating style soon.

@runner - I find it very strange that your nutritionist/doctor said no cheese ever. It's a very good source of protein, and though it can be high in fat there are lots of lower-fat options available. I buy 2% cheese and most of the varieties have 6-7 grams of protein in each 1 oz portion.

Check the nutritional info on the lunchmeat, I think 3 slices might be no more than an ounce or 2. A babybel cheese is just under an ounce as well. I was eating about 2 oz per meal in my second month so it sounds like you are on track. eggs (or egg whites) fill me up faster than other Proteins.

turkey pepperoni chips are really good. I sometimes dip them in whipped veggie or chive/onion light cream cheese, or in the light laughing cow wedges.

If you're allowed to have soft cheese on your meal plan, add a little shredded cheddar and bake it for a bit until it gets bubbly. This is AWESOME!! I make small batches of this and instead of using crackers/tortilla chips to dip, I use sliced cucumbers or carrots. It's also good just by itself.

I was a stomach sleeper and when I was pregnant with my daughter I obviously couldn't sleep on my belly. I used a body pillow and it helped me side-sleep very comfortably and almost feel like I was sleeping on my stomach, without any discomfort. I imagine that might be of some help in this situation too?

I had gained 14 lbs while I was still in the hospital, and it all came off and then some really quickly. It's totally water weight and nothing to worry about.

I've read lots of different responses to this question. The part of your stomach that was removed in surgery is the "stretchy" part, so fundamentally the remaining stomach (your 'sleeve') should not be able to stretch much. You will have less restriction the farther out from surgery you get (my surgeon told me that by the time I'm at maintenance I may be able to eat 6-8 oz at a meal), but will eating a bad food choice or overindulging once cause your sleeve to stretch out permanently? Highly unlikely.

I still enjoy many of those 'tempting' foods, but I find that I'm satisfied with a bite or two when in my pre-op life, I wouldn't have thought twice about eating an exorbitant amount of "bad" things (whether sweets or just carb-heavy holiday fare). I've mostly avoided the sweets at work, but I will probably have a tough time on Christmas Day when we have savory snack foods out all day (like crackers & cheese dip, sausage and cheese trays, etc.).

Congratulations, what a huge accomplishment!!

Because of the way my meal plan progressed I didn't really have a 'first meal' so to speak - I do remember when I could start having raw veggies and LOVED my first salad. I also was glad when I was cleared for spicy food, it really helped when I could make pseudo-buffalo wings (with grilled chicken) and could add salsa/pico de gallo to my meals.

I love to get a side salad with grilled chicken on it . . . at this point I can usually eat most of the chicken (they usually put about 3-4 oz on most salads, by my estimation) and then I pick at some of the other veggies and lettuce. Sometimes I'll get a cup of Soup with it (I really like restaurants that have a soup/half salad combo at lunchtime) - if I do that I can usually take half the soup and half the salad home. Just remember to order your dressing on the side! If I'm bored with soup/salad, I sometimes get a burger without a bun, or chicken salad/tuna salad without bread. Italian restaurants are always a challenge because I LOVE pasta! Yesterday I went to an italian restaurant (not by choice, was entertaining for work) - they had a Pasta dish that sounded way to good to pass up, it was a pasta dish with grilled chicken, veggies and a spicy balsamic cream sauce. I picked out all the chicken and veggies, had a few bites of the pasta, and took the rest of the pasta/sauce home to my husband. He's REALLY enjoying my new sleeve too . . . .he gets lots of leftovers!!

Does your doctor's office not have a nutritionist on staff? I was required to attend a 6-hour pre-surgical nutrition class where they gave me a binder full of the meal plans for first 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, etc. At one month out I was only able to eat pureed foods like refried Beans, soft scrambled eggs, soft cheeses, canned tuna/chicken, etc. My nutrition class also provided all the Protein and liquid requirements, along with my Multivitamin requirements. If your surgeon has not provided any of these things he has done you a great disservice and I would highly recommend you call his office and demand more information. You may be putting yourself at health risk by eating certain foods too early out, or not getting enough protein and/or hydration. Good luck.

Glad you've been enjoying your babymoon! Welcome back and have a great trip.