Lissa

I know I'm not around as much lately, but I just popped in and someone had liked an old post of mine. While scrolling through the thread, I saw names I remember from way back and some newer names. What struck me as AWESOME, though, was the tickers at the bottom of everyone's post. Each and every ticker shows some tremendous weight loss for every person on the thread. FYI, the post was "Anyone have a Relatively Easy Recovery". I'm stunned at the high numbers everyone is showing (including me! YAY! ) IF anyone ever doubts that the Sleeve works, just scroll through a few of the older threads and look at those tickers. It's a ticker tape parade!!!

You ARE marching in that parade!

I see no problem with someone else's before being my after pic. I started at 352 and I'm holding steady at about 120 pounds lost. I've seen "lightweight" sleevers who started at 230 and lost down to the low 100's, but that's not my reality or my goal. I think each of us looks for their own ideal body image. I'm very very close to mine. My original goal was 170; surgeon's goal was 190. I'm comfortable where I am, though, and, while I'm still trying to eat right and I'm exercising, my goal now isn't the number. It's the health benefit and how comfy I am in the body I'm ROCKING these days.

You're talking about the Vena Cava filter for blood clots? I didn't notice it while it was in and didn't feel any different after it came out. I'm still mad at the OR nurse because he wouldn't give mine to me. I wanted to have it gold plated and make it into a necklace! LOL Mine did catch clots and saved my life.

I hated protein shakes. I drank a lot of broth.. .be careful and get low sodium broth in the boxes so that you can nuke up an ounce or so at a time to drink. Less protein than the shakes, but easier on the sleeve. Didn't Dr Garcia give you guidelines to follow regarding stages for food? I believe I moved to full liquids at one week, soft puree at 2 weeks, soft food at 4 weeks and solids at 5-6 weeks. I didn't do red meat, caffeine, lettuce, or raw veg until at least six months because my sleeve wouldn't handle any of them. Good luck!

MistySJ, I remember that one. I think it is called the Daniel Diet. Supposedly, if we ate like the Old Testament people ate, we'd never be fat. Of course, that completely ignores that they were nomads who walked miles in the hot sun every day and worked like slaves for every bite of food they ate... or that they didn't have modern methods of food storage, preparation or preservation. I have a sister in law who has done that diet several times and swears by it. "I always lose 40 or 50 pounds on it"... then she gains that back with extras as soon as she starts eating "normal" again. I keep telling her I'm not "on a diet". I have changed my way of eating completely.

I don't use anything artificial to curb my hunger. I still concentrate on dense protein first, then veggies (raw carrots or broccoli fill me up quickly). I'm satisfied by the time I finish my 4-6 oz of protein and a couple of bites of raw veggies. I love steamed broccoli as well, and I can usually only fit two or three pieces of that after my protein.

It's very common. I drink a cup of decaf coffee most days to help combat this. It works for me. I've seen others post other solutions... this is a common question and you may get quicker responses by doing a search on the main page.

Laughing cow has a weird consistency to me. I much prefer the baby bels and cheese sticks. I eat them as snacks.

Heavens, I've done almost every fad diet out there. Atkins, Cambridge diet, South Beach, Slim Fast, Grapefruit, Fen Phen, 1-food per meal diet, grapefruit, speed pills (in my teens/20's), Water Loading (great for the kidneys, you drink three glasses of water before every meal...theory being you won't eat as much because the water fills you up, UGH). You name it, I've probably tried it. I even did several self-made plans where I allowed myself three pre-made frozen meals a day that totaled 800-900 calories. I'd lose weight, but I gained it back always, with bonus pounds.

Sliders are any food that does not cause you to feel full... and that can be anything. Dense protein is the only food that fills me up quickly. I ate egg salad last night and discovered that it's a slider for me, despite being a good source of protein. I'm very glad that I weighed that food before sitting down to eat! I had 4 ounces of it and could have probably eaten 4 more ounces! I'll have to be wary of that one.

I also had to wait six weeks until all my incisions were totally healed both after my sleeve and my laprascopic gallbladder removal. I remember waiting anxiously for the six week mark so that I could soak in the tub!

My plastic surgeon is working to get a panniculectomy approved for me through BCBS IL, but no answers yet. He seems to feel that they will cover it because of the issues I'm having with my pannis and because we've been diligently documenting them since early in my WLS journey.

I didn't not get weighed at the hospital prior to surgery, but I did weigh myself at home that morning and write that number down for posterity.

Dave, Welcome to VST!! You're starting a wonderful journey that will change your life and make you feel at least 20 years younger!! I had knee problems and tons of co-morbidities (sleep apnea, asthma, high cholesterol, blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, rheumatoid arthritis, and on and on) pre-op. I couldn't walk from my front door to my car without pain and being out of breath. In 22 months I've lost 120 pounds and all of the co-morbidities except the sleep apnea, which has improved tremendously. I'm now capable of walking any distance I like, including two or three times up and down the mall if I so desire. My knees don't hurt and I breathe easily. You will have similar results, I'm sure. Good luck on your journey!!!

You probably won't get that full feeling until you actually hit soft foods. However, the signs are VERY different after surgery. Right after surgery, mine mimicked gas pain in my upper left shoulder area. As I progressed, I went through stages where I would sneeze, hiccup, and finally, burp when I was full. I've learned that any type of burp is my STOP sign, even if it's just a tiny little bubble. Even if I'm chewing a bite of food, I dare not swallow it because that burp means my sleeve is DONE accepting food. I try now to eat until I'm not hungry rather than until I burp to avoid problems. You'll learn your signal(s) as you move through the stages. Good luck!

I LOVE this quote from your psych! This is one of the things I have learned and the reason I am always mentioning that therapy is a huge help on our weight loss journey. I truly believe that we cannot be mentally healthy after WLS without some time spent dealing with the issues that made us obese, whatever they may be... and it's not all about the food. We've allowed food to have a much larger place in our lives than it ever should have occupied and it's a huge mental shift to put food into the "food is fuel" place that t-dog mentioned earlier. Many of us are just as addicted to food as an alcoholic or drug addict is to their poison of choice. I'm really happy to see that you have recovered without permanent damage and that you are moving forward in a positive manner.

My initial motivation was strictly medical. I wanted to be healthier and avoid having the same medical issues I had pre-surgery. Once I started seeing results, i.e. biceps and stronger thigh muscles, smaller butt, etc, then I was motivated to keep going because I wanted to be better. At this point, 21 months post-op, I'm exercising most of the time just because I can. There is NOTHING like the feeling I get when I hit that endorphin rush after a really good workout!

I've used my card once or twice in 21 months, but I usually either order a meal and box up half or order an appetizer only, to be delivered with everyone else's meal. Most places are fine with substituting a vegetable (usually broccoli for me) for the fries/rice/potato portion of the meal. If they aren't, those items just go back to the kitchen untouched. Well, if I'm being totally honest, I'll usually eat a couple of fries or one bite of mashed potato, but not until after I've finished my protein portion of my meal.

I've had several previous knee injuries, so treadmill kills me, too. I started out on the bike, 5 or 10 minutes at a time and worked my way up to the elliptical, which doesn't jar my knee when I use it. You can get amazing results from weights, it's true, but cardio is really good for you. Hopefully you'll find something that won't aggravate your personal sore spots, which is what I had to do as well. Good luck!

I wore a big muu muu type dress to the hospital, took it off and put on a hospital gown. When I was discharged, I put the same muu muu dress on. The only clothes I took otherwise were big undies and a sports bra. I did, however, take a heavy cape that I used as a robe, blanket, and (rolled up) a prop for my arms when I was sleeping.

Oh, I concur with Kirk that counseling might be a good idea. I went for nearly a year after my surgery to a therapist and I think therapy was just as important on my journey as anything I do food/water wise. I'm a totally different person mentally than I was pre-VSG, and it's not all related to the weight loss.

My only thought about treating the discomfort is to walk. Walking helps disperse the gas pain and often helps me after I've eaten a meal that made me uncomfortable (i.e. eaten too much). Perhaps it will help you get past the discomfort from that hot dog. At the least, it will help distract your mind and might allow you to drink more water to help it pass through into your small intestine. Good luck.