Lissa

You also look about 30 years younger, and I can tell you're a youngster!

Yay!! Congrats on the halfway mark! You do look great!!!

I haven't read any posts from anyone about cheating after surgery. I keep seeing the ones from folks who are cheating on the pre-op diet. I feel like they are cheating themselves, but I know I wasnt' perfect on my own pre-op diet, too. I'm so concerned about developing an eating disorder that I think it's wrong to even chew and spit during the liquid stage. Of course, I've been told that the "Chew and spit" IS an eating disorder on the order of bulimia and it's actually called cupping.

Ophelia, You've already figured out what to do. Go back a step and try again tomorrow or the next day. We all heal at different rates and your sleeve may not be ready yet. As for the volume, that's about what I could do at your stage. My surgeon actually recommends going back a stage any time you have sliming or vomitting. After I got sick the other night, I did full liquids the next day, just to make sure Rex was okay.

OMG (((jasleeve)))

It does say whey Protein on it, but the FIRST protein is Hydrolyzed COLLAGEN, which means that is the majority of the protein in the shots. Here's the ingredient list: Other Ingredients: Purified Water, Proprietary Protein Blend (Hydrolyzed Collagenic Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate, Casein Protein Isolate), Malic Acid, Branched Chain Amino Acids (Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine), Natural Flavors, FD&C Red 40, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose. Contains Milk Ingredients. It also contains sucralose, which can cause diarreah issues for some people. I missed that before. While on liquids, we definitely don't need more encouragement in that area! I was given some protein in a tube in the hospital as well. I plan to ask my doc for a sample of that on Monday, but it only had 15g of protein per tube and looked a lot like the tubes that icing comes in these days.

I took 8 days off, but I have a fairly sedentary job. With your job, I'd have probably taken 3 to 4 weeks off. Good luck!!

That depends on what your body can handle. Pre-op, I think I was constantly sipping/drinking/eating popsicles. Post-op, I had to make myself drink, but I did it. If your surgeon didn't give you any restrictions, then keep going on the liquids until you're satisfied.

I say it's time for a trip to the ER. You sound dehydrated and it doesn't get better by itself. It's a vicious cycle of gagging and spitting until you can't drink anything. Go now, please, and let us know when you're home and fine.

Joiebean, 4 days out from surgery? I did really well to just get my Water in me. My doc told me to concentrate on the liquids and add the Protein as I could tolerate it. I definitely don't think that I could have done everything your doc recommends that soon. Mr. Worm, the protein shots contain collagen protein, which is NOT available for our bodies to use. It's not a good source of protein for us sleevers. whey protein is the one recommended by my Nut. You may want to take one of those protein shots in to your Nut and see what he or she recommends regarding it.

Welcome to the loser's bench!! Glad to hear that it went well and you've started your journey!!!

I do the 30 minute rule on both sides of a meal as well. And it's been tough, but worth it. A few nights ago, I took a drink within 5 minutes or so of finishing my meal and I vomitted. That's the first time for me, and I plan to make it the last time as well.

Yay!! You're doing really well!! I still think you've got a great smile and you're looking younger and younger!!

I know someone who has lost over 250 and is still losing.

I doubt many people will actually say anything negative to you at PF. Especially if you go in and do your own thing. I lived in an apartment complex with some pretty buff people when I first started using the treadmill. The only time anyone said anything to me is one night when I went in to do my treadmill time and the guy told me my treadmill wasn't working. No negativity. Basically, put on your workout clothes, hit the gym, use your iPod or mp3 player, and do your thing. Most people won't say anything, and probably won't even look at you. Most of them are more worried about themselves than what you are doing. You will get such fast results between the sleeve and the exercise that most of the gym rats will be asking you for advice before long anyway! Good luck!! This is one where Nike is right: Just Do It! Waiting until you've lost all your weight before going to the gym is like waiting until you get your degree before going to class. Use the tools.

LilMissDiva posted a boot camp in Post Op Questions that you might want to try. It involves going back to basics in order to jump start weight loss again. Of course, you need to determine if you are really in a stall, or if you are losing inches instead of pounds right now. Every time I "stall", I start looking for the NSV's. I dropped 10 pounds almost overnight about 10 days ago, and haven't lost an ounce since. However, I've dropped another pants size and I'm seeing the results in my waist and hips. I've upped my workouts a bit, added more Water and am staying strict on eating my Protein. However, I don't really consider this a stall because I'm visibly losing inches. If you haven't measured yet, this would be a good time to do so. Then you have something to compare it to if/when you "stall" again. Good luck with your journey!

I agree with the others. It does sound like you have a food allergy. My son had allergy induced asthma as a child. We finally did a pretty strict elimination diet to figure out what he was allergic to rather than put a 2 year old through the trauma of the scratch testing on his back. As we added foods back into his diet, we found out he was allergic to several common food dyes. I was amazed at all the foods that contained those dyes! Certain brands of green Beans had food dyes in them! The post-op liquid diet is definitely a clean you out one, between all of the Water and Clear liquids. Pookey is right that you should introduce foods very slowly. Maybe it's something simple, like breads and Pasta, which shouldn't be too hard to avoid. I'm glad that you are having such a high energy level and such positive results already! That's the best possible outcome, IMO! Good luck!!

I hope she's not insulted! I just thought she was a FORMER very big girl! Since I'm working on being the same, I thought it was a cool name!

AllForMy4, The feelings you're having right now are entirely normal. I think everyone hits that wall and has to figure out how to climb over it. As for hubby, I'm sure he's not sabotaging you deliberately. He probably thinks he's being nice and bringing you all your favorites because you'll "never" be able to have them again. What he doesn't realize is that you will be able to have them, it will just be in smaller amounts. He may not have even thought it out that far, but just be acting on instinct... you know, the old "protect your mate" thing. Good luck!! If you're really worried, call your surgeon, but it should be okay.

CC, I love that combination. Some unlucky judge is gonna be eating a salad made with that stuff, right after s/he gags on pudding made of the same thing. They will, however, cut the guy who used it all in an omelette.

Libbe, I feel stupid, cause I thought her "vbg" stood for very big girl.

I read that book and didn't related the VBG to VSG at all. Hmmm, maybe I need to check my reading comprehension skills! I know nothing about VBG, so I can't comment on that. But, I know a little bit about VSG, and it involves some fairly new techniques added to an old surgical procedure. Removal of all or a portion of the stomach has been done for many years for things like stomach cancer and ulcers. My late mother in law had most of her stomach removed because of stomach cancer. The difference with VSG is that the techniques to remove part of the stomach have been advanced to the point where the surgery can be done laparascopically most of the time. The stapling technique has also evolved into a fairly simple procedure wherein a tube (bougie/bougle) is passed down the throat into the stomach and the surgeon uses an automatic stapler/cutter to close off the removed section and the remaining section, then removes the excess stomach through a laparscopic incision. In traditional stomach surgery, the patient is opened up with a midline incision and the stomach is removed. My mother in law had a long scar on her tummy and she said the doctor hand-sewed her stomach closed after removing the cancerous part of her stomach. I do believe that her remaining stomach was more restrictive than my sleeve is. Most of the WLS procedures that involved stapling or re-routing the stomach before left the excluded part of the stomach intact in the body. That did not keep people from getting ulcers or cancer in that section, nor did it remove the part of the stomach that produced ghrelin, which is the hormone that makes us hungry. So, you have someone with an intact urge to eat, but without the stomach capacity to eat enough to eliminate the hunger. My sister in law had a gastric bypass and says that she fights the actual hunger every day. Those WLS surgeries also often involved re-routing of the intestines and, sometimes, removal of the pyloric valve. That's the valve at the bottom of your stomach that releases your food into the intestines to be digested. Sleevers keep their pyloric valve, lose the ghrelin, and can eat most foods safely, although in smaller quantities than before. Some never get the hunger back, some do. Overall, though, VSG is safer, with fewer side effects and guaranteed complications than most of the other WLS surgeries available, In my opinion anyway! I think that's a fairly complete description, but please, anyone, correct me if I've given erroneous information. Good luck with your decision!!

MissTxDiva, I have no advice on what not to say! I told my psych that I have tons of addicted family members (food, drugs, alcohol), that I knew I had a food addiction, what my behaviors were, and what I had done to overcome them. After she told me that I am guaranteed to become an alcoholic post surgery, she still gave me approval! LOL I think they're trying to weed out people who would do something stupid like eat a whole pizza the day after surgery. I think 99.9% of us are smarter than that! Good luck!!

Lisa, Congrats on the half way point!! I like your sleeve's name, too!

I have 25 and 21 year old sons. IMO, they are just treading Water on careers, marriage and families, but I'm doing a lot of tongue-biting right now. I just pushed the 21 year old out of the nest HARD when I bought my new house. I left him in the apartment we had been living in and told him it was sink or swim time. Mommy is out of the business of supporting him now. I've spent years telling my youngest to "Get a job", to "Get an education", etc. He's done none of that. So, I'm hoping that he'll step up and at least support himself now. If not, I'm going to have to clamp my mouth shut and let him sink. Sometimes, that's what we have to do. Back off our kids enough to let them see the situation clearly for themselves. Besides, it's amazing how much smarter I have become since my oldest turned 25. Apparently, in his eyes, I finally got my brain back. I lost it somewhere around the time he turned 15.