Butterthebean

Here's a good article that explains why you have the 3 week stall. http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

It's been said before, but so many people have no real problems at all. It's just that people rarely bother to get on here just for the sake of posting that.

Here's something for you guys.....if they don't give you a catheter, you may have difficulty relieving yourself afterward. I didn't have a catheter, and I was happy about it until about an hour after surgery. I had to go and couldn't. Over the next 6 hours it just got worse. I could only let go of a few drops at a time. By late that night I finally started getting a little relief....gradually. By the next morning I was pretty much back to normal, but it was miserable getting there. They told me it was perfectly normal after this kind of surgery. I'm not sure if it was the same for you ladies, or just the men.

I am the same way. I haven't had a problem with anything I've tried so far. Count your blessings.....but it means you have to have more self control.

I'm not sure but you might try a different protein shake and see what happens. If that doesn't help I'd keep after your doctor. It does not sound normal. If you are eating food, your BM should be normal. Just because you are pureeing it, that does not affect your BM. If you chewed up solid food it would hit your stomach in the same condition as pureed food.

If you have a history with IBS, then quite possibly yes, it has something to do with it. Also, if your Protein shakes are triggering it, possibly you have become lactose intolerant. Many people do after surgery. Do other dairy products do the same? For me, the constipation didn't really start till about 4 weeks into eating solid foods. There is very little room for Fiber in our diet so....that's the reason alot of people are so constipated. Of the foods that you're eating, what are they? Mostly protein? If they are, I would think you wouldn't be having this problem.

Yeah, mine look exactly the same. No bikini for me this summer.

It hurts to eat because you just had major surgery on your stomach. There is probably alot of swelling internally as well. It's natural. Now if it's an unnatural pain, like stabbing pains, you should call your doctor. If you're thirsty, it just means you need to drink Water. Right now the water is the most important thing, walking 2nd, Protein 3rd. Very few people get in their protein the first week or 2. Many people don't get it in the first month. The point is to try your best to get it. It will get easier as the days pass.

Good to know.

Gustavo, you are right. There is nothing wrong with enjoying food. For me the challenge is finding food that I enjoy that is healthy. I found some, but I don't enjoy it as much as I enjoy fried catfish, pepperoni pizza, ice cream and Taco Bell. There is something wrong with enjoying those foods....they were killing me. If I could eat them in moderation I would never had needed this surgery. Maybe one day I could learn to eat them in moderation, but I will always fear that slippery slope.

We need to hang out because I have no friends like me now. They all want to sit inside and watch football or nascar. I want to be outside doing something all the time. I'm almost annoyed at my job because it's cutting into my workout time, and nobody understands.

Raven, you've already got your answer...but I wanted to say kudos to you for asking the right questions. It sounds like you have the proper mindset to be very successful with your sleeve.

It's mainly a problem for people who go on hunger strikes or massive starvation diets without exercise. Eating a proper diet (high in protein) and exercising regularly (and smartly), and you will not have any heart related problems stem from your sleeve journey. But the heart is a muscle and it too will atrophy with a lack of exercise and Protein.

Veronica, there are many reasons to give up caffiene....ulcers are just one of them. The risk is not great, but it is there. And since they are doing so much work to completely reshape your stomach, they want you to pamper it. That's why they tell you to cut out the coffee. Kicking a caffiene addiction is terribly difficult. But it can be done and many people here did it before surgery. Yes you will have no energy for about 2 weeks. It is a tough time. But it gets better once all those chemicals finally leave your body. After that, you will wonder why you ever needed it at all.

Uh....water is not empty calories. It's no calories at all, and it provides the most important element of life to your body.

What helps me is looking at the nutritional info on the package of the treat that I want. I don't know what ice cream sandwiches were eaten but I checked a few on my fitness pal and even the weight watchers brand were 30 grams of carbs each. That's 60 total for those 2 sandwiches. That's my motivation for not eating them right there. The other day I pulled into Sonic because my wife wanted a diet coke. I suddenly had the urge for some tater tots. Their tater tots are like little fried golden nuggets of sunshine to me, so I got a small order. As I drove away from the window, I put 3 or 4 in my mouth and dumped the rest in the trash can 10 feet past the drive thru window. I had to hurry and drive to that trash can before I got any more in my mouth. I could have eaten 2 big bags of them and I wouldn't have been any more satisfied or fulfilled so why not just throw them away.

One thing to keep in mind, we all have people in our lives that we care about. You have to weigh your decision to tell or not tell with the consequences of how your relationships might be affected later on when they find out. If there is someone who is going to be hurt because you didn't tell them, or didn't tell them before the surgery....I'm just saying take that into consideration. It doesn't have to be the only factor, but it's there. My wife has been my biggest supporter. She told her whole family. I don't really have any family to tell. I told my close friends and coworkers right before surgery. Since then, anytime someone asks me how I've lost my weight, I tell them about the surgery. Not one person has said anything negative. Most are curious. Several have responded back about a family member of theirs that had surgery. All in all I've got no regrets telling people. Already one coworker wanted my Doctor's name and number. If anybody doesn't like the fact that I had surgery, or thinks it's the easy way out, as far as I can tell they are keeping it to themselves.....and they should continue to do so.

Walmart just sucks the life out of everybody....even post surgery. That may not change for you. Good luck. You'll be on the loser's bench soon.

Looking great.

I made some chia gel today out of Water. Nasty. How can something with absolutely no taste make me gag? It's the texture really, kinda like slime with sand in it. So tonight I followed Rootmans advice and put 2 teaspoons in a SF chocolate pudding cup....now that was good.

Losing weight helps, but the real increase in energy is going to come from the improved diet and exercise. I'm 3-1/2 months out and I feel great. I'm ready to cut off the cable tv because I never sit down and watch it anymore. I'm always busy doing something.

I regularly eat 130 grams of protein a day, and I'm not growing a tail or anything.

How do you eat yours? Do you make the chia gel?

As has been stated, everybody is different. And some people are just naturally better at holding onto weight than others. I'm sure everyone on this forum falls into that category, so it's no wonder that all of us have the ability to defy the old "calories in vs calories out" logic. It's our super power. I would not try to live by the math, I believe it's better to eat a healthy diet and exercise everyday (or as often as your body and busy life will allow). Doing this, with the sleeve, the weight will come off. Also, those "calories burned" indicators on exercise machines are always wrong, so don't go by them if you are doing the math. You are better off going by time.

Carbs....it's sometimes the result of a high protein, low carb diet.