putasleeveonit

That is so true. I didn't believe my sis when she kept saying to exercise. Sure enough, I've found that unlike before surgery, working out has more impact on my weight than what I eat! I can eat 400 cals and lose nothing, but I can eat 1200 calories with 20 minutes of jogging and I lose weight. It's crazy and a little confusing! Although I consider myself to be a slow loser compared to others, I'm on track to hit goal by 6 months--my goal was to lose at least 11 pounds a month and so far I've lost 38 pounds in 3 months. I feel like I may need to buckle down, put the scale away, continue working out but put more emphasis on diet. We'll see. Good luck!

I am just about 12 weeks post op, and I feel really great about my progress so far. I love my ticker because it describes how my journey feels right now: I feel great! The clouds are gone! The storm is gone! The excess weight and inches are gone! Usually at this weight I wear a bigger clothing size, but I'm fitting into clothes that usually fit when I'm 5 to 10 pounds slimmer. I've been jogging (in place on the Wii) for 20 mins about 3 times a week on average, and I've tried to keep my protein intake high. Of course, I'm not doing as well with the holidays, and I'm also very sick right now. I just wanted to post a positive blog about my experience with VSG surgery. I think it was my best option for losing weight without being able to sabotage all of my progress in 2 weeks! Good luck to everyone and happy New Year!

(Don't read this if the mention of food triggers you...) Tomorrow, I will be 9 weeks post op. I've experienced a lot of ups and downs since getting the surgery... Right now, I'm under a LOT of pressure. One of my best friends is getting married in February, and instead of getting measured for my dress in person, I told them to order my dress in size 10! Mind you, I began my journey at size 16/18. I expected that by next February, I would be at least 45 lbs lighter than my pre-surgery weight; and in the past, I wore a size 10 at that weight. So I'm really worried about screwing up things by not being able to fit in the dress. Of course, whenever I feel stressed, my inner saboteur emerges. I've tested the limits of my sleeve in astonishing ways. I'm ashamed that I reverted to certain behaviors so soon after surgery. For many days, I've felt like a complete failure--like I had myself chopped up for no reason. I learned that my sleeve can tolerate just about anything. Prior to surgery, I was hoping it would stop me from eating most foods, especially the ones I like. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The one thing I haven't tried yet is bread, but I've tried pies, desserts, ice cream, and even pasta! After feeling sorry for myself for a few days, I decided to pick myself up and try again. Unlike before surgery, the damage from my trysts with junk food was minimal--although I'm sure my momentum was thrown off quite a bit. The first thing I had to do was hide my scale for a while. For some reason, I get thrown off--regardless of what the scale says, good or bad. So I took a break from the scale. Secondly, I had to remind myself that everyone warned that WLS required work. People worked their butts off to get to goal. It wasn't going to come easy. So with that in mind, I've cleaned up my act. It's only been a few days, but I feel really motivated and I'm avoiding traps that have taken me off track in the past. The thing is, I know I'm impatient, but the popular way of eating to get the goal around here didn't seem to be working for me (Atkins style eating with 60g protein/less than 30g of carbs). Maybe I just needed to give it a few days, but the stalls sent me spiraling out of control. I ended up having to modify my plan to low calorie, low fat, low carb, high protein. I know that way of eating is controversial, but it works for me and I'm taking the proper precautions (potassium supplement every few days, vitamins, and plenty of fluids). I hate that it feels like I'm on another crazy diet, but at the same time, it takes a lot just to get in the little bit that I eat. I couldn't eat more even if I wanted to while on this plan (for me it's an either or thing---either I'm all on plan, or completely off with no concerns for protein intake). At some point soon, I will have to get counseling. I've been putting it off. The woman I want to see is also a hypnotherapist... I don't think counseling alone will be enough. OK, I'm done blabbing for now!

Sprinkle a serving size or less of No Salt (Potassium Salt) in 33 oz of water every few days.

My family knows. I am sharing this info with the people I know who struggle with weight loss. My 10+ year struggle caused so much pain in my life, and so many missed opportunities. If VSG allows me to get my life back it's only fair to share that information with someone who is also struggling. I have not shared it with friends who do not struggle with weight. They just don't understand what it's like to struggle with weight loss, and they think the solution is simple (the solution is simple on paper). I've complained about my weight, and yo-yo'ed up and down for over a decade, and my fear was that if I got the surgery and failed to reach my goal and/or maintain my weight loss, it would be extremely humiliating.

I'm taking OptiSource Post Bariatric Surgery Formula which is manufactured by Nestle. The taste is good, and the reviews are great. 4 a day are required--I set my alarm to take them 4 hours apart daily. The cost is about 24/month if you take them everyday. Amazon has a subscribe and save option which lowers the cost. Here is the link: optisource Vitamins

I know the feeling.I've been cranky too! Keep us updated on St. John's Wort!

I have tried a lot of her videos, I like the ones that combine walking and jogging. If you like jogging, try 4 Fast Miles, or the Walk/Jog one. Just a heads up--her voice can be annoying at times. I would do the video a lot more if the music was better and there was a way to keep up with the steps without having to hear her talk.

47 pounds in two months?! You're doing great! Stop worrying because that adds stress which could lead to a stall. Also, keep in mind, people lose weight at different rates based on starting weight and metabolism. By the way, I'm approaching 6 weeks post op and have only lost about 25 lbs.

Get plenty of vitamin C and Zinc in.

Wow! I hope things get better for you. Hang in there, and thanks for the tip!

I'm soooo happy for you! Congratulations!

I know stalls suck! I'm in one right now. but look at it like this--you've lost 55 lbs in less than 4 months! That's amazing!

I thought about that for the first time the other day. I found an interesting youtube video by Dr. Alvarez that covers it:

Same here! I added cals and more fat and the scale is moving again, despite my TOM approaching!

Interesting... I'm going to try adding more cals/fat through shredded cheese. We'll see if it works! Thanks for sharing the article!

So, against my better judgment I've been weighing in everyday since surgery. The first week I was very disappointed because when I finally weighed in on Day 5 or so, I had only lost something like 8 pounds. I thought to myself, "I could have lost this in two days doing Stillman's Diet!" Then I got over it and the losses continued, and now I've lost 17.2 lbs. The thing is, for the past few days, the loss has been lower and lower until this morning when it only showed a 0.2 lb drop. From my pre-surgery research, I know all about the stalls that occur 2 to 3 weeks post op (I am on my first day of Week 3). Still, I can't help but feel like I need to eat a little more. I'm sick of the liquids every day! I'm ready to jump to purees! And it doesn't help when I see that people who went to other surgeons are starting solids now! I'm now wondering what if any harm would come by fast-forwarding this process...

I've been looking at videos all day! I'm not terribly obese (BMI 35) but I'm a compulsive overeater and I've struggled with yo-yo dieting for the past almost 13 years now. Should I tell the surgeon I need my sleeve to be extra tight or do they do all sleeves the same size? Sorry if this seems like a silly question! I just need to be stopped from overeating!