Lissa

It's normal to have nerves when it's this close to surgery, but don't let them defeat you. You have done your research; you're confident in your doctor, and you are ready to make a permanent change in your life. You have to get through 1 day where you give someone else control over your body for a couple of hours and then it's a beautiful ride to a whole new you. This is worth it and it will lead to meeting your dreams and your goals. Don't talk yourself out of this. IMO, VSG is the absolute BEST thing I've ever done for myself. It's reversing the damage I had done to my body and it's given me a whole new lease on life. It can be yours...all you have to do is trust that you have made the right decision. Besides, surgery is the easy part. You get to go to sleep for a few minutes and wake up with a brand new tool to help you live longer, feel better, and look fantastic. Go for it! I'll keep you in my prayers, but you're going to do great! It would be unusual if you weren't experiencing a little bit of the jitters right now, though.

I was told to wait until six months post-op for alcohol in any form. I think I had a drink at 4 months out. If you're not back on solid food, I certainly wouldn't put any alcohol in the sleeve. Your staple line isn't completely healed and you might actually end up with pain or burning from the drink.

I think we all fight the urge to eat what we know we shouldn't. Know your triggers and avoid them, but don't deprive yourself to the point that you end up binging. Of course, that's not applicable when you are on the liquid diet. Then, you just have to stick to the plan. Good luck!!

I'm probably guilty of saying "muscle weighs more than fat" constantly! LOL I should be saying that muscle takes up less room than fat. Whoops! Bad on me!

Yay! Isn't it great when things are moving!! FYI, When I read the thread title I kept hearing the song "The Witch is Dead".

Welcome, Dana! Congrats on starting this journey. Six months seems like a long time, but it gives you a chance to do all your research and be sure your head and heart are ready for this journey!

decaf iced tea is one of my post-surgery favorites. I can get a lot of water in that way in a hurry. I sometimes drink a half gallon pitcher in a weekend, and I live alone!

The hormones are incredible after surgery, so it could very well be caused by that. You could also be going through a reaction to giving up food because you're on a liquid diet. Sometimes it takes our minds a little while to catch up with what our bodies are doing. You could also be reacting to the anesthetic from surgery. That, by itself, can cause some mood swings. Have your cry, then get up and do something. Shower and do your hair if that's all you can manage. If you're up to a bit more, do a load of laundry or some other small chore that makes you feel better about your environment. If you have a bit of energy, go do something... a movie, sit on a bench at the mall and people-watch, whatever floats your boat. I sometimes get to the point where I just don't think I can deal with ONE MORE THING... and the above is how I deal with it. I hope it helps you feel better.

There's no crying on VST!! You look phenomenal!

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2010/02/protein-ice-cream-101.html Go to that link. It's for the ice cream. While you're there, wander around her site. She has tons of great ideas for WLS patients.

I agree with MeMeMee. You must fuel your body, especially if you're working out a lot. Otherwise, your body will start using muscle for fuel instead of fat. Also, especially when you first start working out a lot, the body is trying to convert fat to muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Get off the scale and take your measurements. While your weight may remain static, your measurements will show progress. shake things up with your diet...add in more food, add in a few carbs, increase your Water intake. If you're already doing those things and not losing, then change the amount of food or carbs you're eating. Keep that water intake high, though. Do a different kind of exercise, even. Little changes may trick your body into letting go of weight. But, the biggest thing you (we all) need to do is learn to be patient. We didn't gain this weight in a day and we won't lose it in a day. Enjoy this journey.

First, Congrats on winning the contest!! Second, WOW!! You look amazing! Usually makeover pics make a gal look artificial, but you look like you, only better. They molded the makeover to highlight YOU. I love the blue dress on you as well. You look so skinny in that dress, too!

Mama, Every time I take progress pictures, I try to talk myself out of putting them up. Then I do it anyway because it helps ME to see how far I've come and I get lots of feedback from others who say that it's inspirational to them. YOUR pictures are inspirational to me. Thank you for posting them!!

Thanks, Ssillian!

Hey, if you really look at my during picture (cause I'm NOT done yet), you'll see that the arms and thighs are really starting to shape up. Yeah, I've got loose skin, but there's some major muscle in those two areas. I didn't post the booty picture, but it's looking pretty hawt too. At least in my opinion!

I do some straws these days, but I waited until about six months before using one. There's a great bbq place here that gives you a bucket of tea. Using a lid and straw is the only way to keep it cold and fresh tasting until I'm actually ready to drink after a meal.

That's a wonderful NSV!! Yay, Mom!!!

Congrats, Ashley!! Great work on taking off the weight AND on keeping it off!!

What was your doctor's recommendation for this? Did he give you specific guidelines? Thank goodness you had surgery when you did! Your weight loss will surely help to relieve the pressure from your liver!

All of you, try shaking things up if you truly feel that you're not losing well. Add in a few calories/carbs, or decrease both. Try not exercising for a couple of days if you've been really working hard, or, if you haven't been exercising, add in a little extra. I'm not talking marathons here, just add in 15 minutes on the treadmill or bike, or take away that same 15 minutes if you've been steadily doing it. Change the exercise you're doing. Sometimes you just have to shock your body out of a rut. UP your Water. Water makes us feel better, removes toxins, and helps flush that nasty fat out of our systems. The recommendation is 64 oz daily, but I believe that power-losers like Lil Miss Diva drank up to 100 oz a day during the losing phases. Make sure you're getting in your Protein and that you are eating ENOUGH. While it may seem that 500 calories a day is a terrific way to lose, it's not really. Your body need fuel to run properly. Without fuel, it holds onto every calorie it gets. I'm religious about the water and protein and getting in my Vitamins. Everything else is pretty flexible for me. I've had a couple of stalls and my losses have really slowed down since February, but I've been working out hardcore (for me) and I'm seeing results in my size and in my measurements. When I'm not losing pounds is when I see myself shape-shift. I'll take the trade-off.

Thanks, Kemo. I am pretty religious about my supplements, so that's good to know. I've been adding in a lot of bananas for pre-workout Snacks and trying to time it so that I eat my Protein bar/breakfast within the hour before I work out. I will definitely start either splitting that Protein Bar so I eat half before and half after, or adding in a Protein shake after my workout. I'm still about 65 pounds away from goal, but I think that gives me some raw material to work with as I lose. I still can't believe the amount of exercise I"m doing these days, or the fact that I'm enjoying it as much as I am.

Aww, Sexy Lady. I didn't even address that; I'm sorry. Yes, the pain will get better! It's tough to do, but the best cure for that is to get up and move as much as you can. Walking really helped me work past the pain I had, not to mention it started the toning process. Everyone experiences pain differently, so yours may feel worse than others right now. Do you have pain meds? If so, use them if needed. There are no awards for not using the pain meds. If you need them, USE them. In a couple of weeks you'll be feeling much better. In a couple of months, you'll be down 30 pounds and the joy of that will make this pain seem like nothing compared to the joy you're feeling. Good Luck!! :0

You don't want any Protein that is made from collagen. It's not "wrong"; the protein in collagen is just not available to our bodies. Why choke down a Protein Drink that's doing no good? I second that you should probably get samples or a very small amount of protein for after surgery. Lots of us find that our tastes change drastically early post-op. I went from being a chocolate fiend to hating anything sweet, seemingly overnight. I preferred the taste of chicken and beef broth rather than anything sweet. Now, at 8 months out, I find myself loving pickles in a way that's almost embarassing! All that Protein Powder I bought before surgery? I'm using it up very slowly as an alternative to coffee creamer and in protein ice cream, but 7-8 months is a long time to have stuff like that sit in your pantry just taking up room.

Okay, here's what I'd advise to anyone just starting this journey: 1. Take your measurements pre-op. Keep track of them as you lose weight. When you stall/plateau, and we all do it, take your measurements again. Stalls are when I seem to lose sizes and notice the inches going away. 2. Stick to your post-op diet religiously. Your doctor has prescribed this diet because s/he feels that it's the safest diet to avoid complications with your new sleeve. 3. Start walking as soon as possible after surgery. Always try to do a little more than you did yesterday. 4. The minute you're released to lift weights, start lifting weights. I do a lot of low weight, high repetition work and I started out doing 10 reps of the simplest arm exercises I could find. Biceps curls, triceps extensions, skull crusher. 5. Be patient. You didn't gain all this weight in a hurry, so you won't lose it in a hurry. It will still seem incredibly fast when you get to goal. 6. Visit a therapist to help you learn how to deal with the life changes from VSG. We wouldn't be here if we didn't have food issues. 7. Drink your 64 oz of Water daily. Get in your Protein daily. Repeat and repeat. 8. Join My Fitness Pal or one of the other food logger sites. It's tremendously motivating. 9. Look for the Non scale Victories (NSV) every single day. It will help you stay positive about your journey and will give you motivation when yours is flagging. 10. Stolen straight from FavoredOne... ENJOY THE JOURNEY. This isn't a race. You don't get extra points for not eating properly or for being the fastest/slowest/most average loser. Does that help any?

Take your measurements! That's my best advice for dealing with stalls. I have lost and then stalled, but during the stalls is when I lose inches and sizes. Have patience. If you were at a certain weight for a long time gaining weight, you'll be stalled at that weight losing it as well. Our bodies liked it at that weight before, and I think the body remembers. Good luck!!