Lisa821

My opinion is that its all the fluids they pump into you before/during/after surgery and your body's natural reaction to surgery. I heard it put this way "all your body really knows is that it was attacked by knives. It doesn't know the purpose behind it. So now its processing everything in healing mode. This is very different for us cuz people don't usually walk around in a constant state of healing mode". Your body will figure it out as it finds its way to homeostasis. You will drop weight, I promise. I'm 2 months post op today and have lost 38#. I had a long stall at 3 wks, which everyone does so be ready for it, but wt loss picked up. I've had other wk long stalls but they always break and I dropped wt. Meanwhile I'm always losing inches. Seriously keep track of inches. It will blow your mind. Big hugs!

Ahhh yes the Chinese Buffet....oh how I wanted to believe I could eat that. Oh my husband and I went there. He woofed down 3-4 plates while I slowly nibbled 3-4 bites. I was sad at first but then it occurred to me how sad and miserable I would feel after I ate 3-4 plates in my past. I thought of those moments of clarity when I knew that most of my overeating was just stuffing emotions and creating my chubby layer of protection from those who had hurt me in my past and may prevent others from hurting me in the future. I could then see that my sleeve was giving me the time to think about my food and the feelings attached. In the past it was just a frenzy of stuffing food in fast to get the false sense of control and protection. What I learned is when I chew slowly and mindfully now that I have the sleeve, I am aware of the fact that my food is fuel. Everyone is different but that is how I transitioned out of head hunger. Best wishes and big hugs!

When I decided I wanted the vsg my hubby, who I love dearly, said "oh good now I will lose weight too". My jaw dropped. I wasn't even sure I heard what I thought I heard. So tryin not to be offended, I calmly asked him if my over eating is the reason he is overweight. (He's like 60# overweight) he said he eats when I eat so yeah it was the cause. After I had the sleeve he noticed how much more in volume he eats than I do and claimed he was having a food funeral cuz now he will start eating less. Tomorrow I will be 2 months postop, down 37 pounds and he hasn't lost a pound or changed anything about his eating. I brought it up and asked if he still agreed with his earlier hypothesis. He said he still agreed with his earlier thoughts and when I get "thin" he will care more and change his eating. I said well I'm not fat. Then he quickly said " you're not thin either". I was hurt by this and his cracked hypothesis. Please share your thoughts. You are my friends and possibly can talk me out of feeling bad. I just dropped below 200 and really want to return to that bliss. I'm 5'6" and 198. Maybe not thin but I don't think your hubby should say things like that. At minimum send me a big hug. Big hugs to you all!

Thanks everyone! I do want to clear one thing up, I never mentioned a thing about his weight until he made the comment that my overeating was the cause of his. In fact, I gave nothing but compliments and encouragement. And since the comment, which was last February, I haven't said anything until yesterday when he brought it up again. So as I type this it becomes very clear to me that his attitude is definately an "unsettled" feeling inside him and has zero to do with me. My self esteem is just still healing, I guess.

Yes how our weight loss journeys effect others is so facinating. I wonder if my hubbub fears I will leave him. We have been married for 1 1/2 yrs. We both have been married before but I think we are an excellent match. In fact, we met on match.com! He has been very supportive until these comments that, I think, are more focused at him. I'm not really sure how to handle it but I know I will bring it up to my therapist. I usually take things to heart and maybe I shouldn't in this case....then again I should stand up for what I believe in. I know I did not force any food down his throat. In fact, I think I might have mirrored his eating cuz i had gained 27 lbs since we moved in together. No, but really. My point is that there is no way to prove anything either way AND it doesn't matter cuz we each are responsible for what we stick in our mouths.

Yes how our weight loss journeys effect others is so facinating. I wonder if my hubbub fears I will leave him. We have been married for 1 1/2 yrs. We both have been married before but I think we are an excellent match. In fact, we met on match.com! He has been very supportive until these comments that, I think, are more focused at him. I'm not really sure how to handle it but I know I will bring it up to my therapist. I usually take things to heart and maybe I shouldn't in this case....then again I should stand up for what I believe in. I know I did not force any food down his throat. In fact, I think I might have mirrored his eating cuz i had gained 27 lbs since we moved in together. No, but really. My point is that there is no way to prove anything either way AND it doesn't matter cuz we each are responsible for what we stick in our mouths.

Thanks everyone. He actually said that I wasn't thin about 10 minutes before I created this thread. I agree that it was his excuse and now he's scrambling cuz that excuse is gone. I also agree that his ego is a big part of this. If he truly believes its MY eating that makes him fat, his ego is definately dinged. I do know I can't fix that for him, he has to work this issue out on his own. However, I can just focus on my own issues. I still have issues...lol...they become more obvious when I can't drown them with food.

Yep it's true! I finally dropped below 200. I never even saw 200. From one weigh in to the next, a week apart, I dropped below 200! It is so cool. I haven't been down here in about 3 years. Even then I was only under it by 3 pounds and it only lasted a month. I had been on Atkins and very quickly spring-boarded up to 230. I really hope I get to stay in onederland from now. I'm eating what I should and have added swimming laps. Oh yeah and my heart burn/acid thing is getting better. Take care and have a safe New Year's Eve!

Still under 200 today. Lol....I guess I must have thought it was a fluke or a dream?? But nope, I'm still in onederland. This is great.

Thank you everyone!! I use Omeprazole twice a day and GasX strips if the feeling is more of a bloated sensation.

I havent but you should call your doctor immediately! We need to pose all questions to our doctors right away. That is part of their job. It is ok to post what they said but please call your doctor now. I'm a registered nurse and that is my advice.

It's the stall, sad but true. Just have to wait it out. It sucks but I promise it WILL break and the scale will drop. Probably drop like more than if it kept falling at the rate u were going prior to the stall. It did for me. 6lb drop in the week following my 3rd week stall. It's hard, but try to get ur mind off it. I was completely fixated on it so yeah.....I'm just saying I wish I had been able to get my mind off of it. If you can, ur a much stronger person than I.

I did it!! I actually worked out today! I stretched, road the recumbant bike for 15 min, then swam 12 laps in the pool. I swam continuous but there were some laps that were very slow paced. I picked up the pace when I could. The weight room was packed so I skipped it. It felt great to actually exercise. Mentally, emotionally, physically.....all good!! My next tiny goal is to do it again tomorrow. Baby steps for me....baby steps.

I would say "this too shall pass". I had the same problems when I was in your shoes. I am now about 7 wks postop and things do taste better etc. I have been able to get back to drinking one kind of protein shake (EAS Advantedge Chocolate Fudge). However, I have been able to pass up the goodies people bring in to the office, evening snacking, coffee and pop. Which are things I should skip anyways. That period, that you are experiencing right now, gave me a break from junk and helped me try other things and discovered I like savory and healthier food more. So although it was unpleasant to go through, it was very good for me in the long run. BTW, I do agree it's from Ketosis.

Thanks for responding to my questions. I have heard of Zumba but haven't tried it yet. I have a membership at my local YMCA and will have to call to see if they have Zumba. It sounds like I would like it. Wow that's great that you have 11 kids! I have four of my own and two stepsons. I know what a busy mom's life is like and many times I forget to schedule in time to take care of myself. Any tips on how to change my thinking in order to make my exercise a priority? I do the usual...tell myself "you are better able to be a mom if you are healthy and fit", "you a better example for your kids".....well I'm sure you know. You ARE an inspiration to me so I'm not surprised that others tell you that as well. I should have started my exercise a week ago when I was give the "ok" to go for it. I have been busy AND procrastinating....I have lots of excuses. Some are legit though. I do work 40 hours/wk and have a 30 min(one way) commute. Plus I do a second online consulting job and work 10-20hrs/wk on that. Also, I'm about 7 wks postop and have had intense fatigue since week 2. That's a huge battle cuz the last thing I want to do is work out. A friend on here suggested I work out in the morning, just get up a half hour earlier. I have tried by the fatigue keeps winning. I snooze my alarm three times in the morning. Prior to my vsg, I NEVER hit snooze. I figure things should start to balance out soon. I'm taking my vitamins and eating/drinking the way I'm supposed to. So if I don't exercise yet am I failing to work the plan? Or is this just an adjustment period? I wonder if there are people who never exercise since being sleeved. Anyways, that's for posting your story! You are awesome!

I am 7wks postop and can eat about 1/2 cup of food at a time. Per my diet instructions, I eat 5 meals a day and drink liquids in between. In the beginning it didn't bother me that I ate something frequently because I just don't get much for calories. I still don't get much for calories and I always start my meals with proteins first. However, I feel like I'm getting paranoid about how often I am eating and the fact that people ask me questions about my eating habits. I have read about other people being told to eat three meals a day and wonder if that's the way to go. At the same time, I barely get in 750 calories a day with my 5 meals and liquids. If I cut out two meals I would have to add higher calorie foods to the three meals and start drinking some calories. I choose low cal or no cal liquids. Personally I have always been the type that prefers to chew her calories. Maybe I should change that thinking. Also, sometimes I wonder if I'm drinking liquids the whole time between meals, am I just "poofing out" my sleeve? And, if so, is that good or bad or what. Ok, so I admit I can completely over think things. So if I'm being neurotic please just talk me down. LOL. Thanks everyone.....Big hugs! LIsa

Oh my goodness!!! You look fabulous!! I hope I look as great as you do! We started at the same weight and I hope to be at the same goal weight as you too! I have a couple questions, if you don't mind. How tall are you? What kind of pattern, if any, did your weight loss follow? Like, did you steadily lose or did you run into stalls? What kind of exercise routine did you follow? I am just so happy for you! You are one hot lady! Big hugs! Lisa

I had my sleeve done in MX by Dr Almanza and they provided bottled water. If the place you are going to doesnt, then I would say you should bring your own. Good Luck with your surgery and happy holidays!

Thanks you two. I do hope to tone up....well maintain my muscles and only build a little more. My membership may have a perk where I get "X" number of sessions with a personal trainer. I should check on that. I will swap that stretching with the initial treadmill warm up. I used to be up on all this work out stuff but its been a long time and a lot has changed. You two are great! Congrats on ur success and I wish u even more success to come!! Lisa

I also did not know what to choose as a goal weight. I have been overweight for long, all I remember is my lowest weight while dieting. That was 182#. I remember feeling really good about the way I looked then and that was only 53# from my preop weight and only 22# from my weight right now. Wow! That thought just blew my mind! On my surgery day my surgeon asked me how much I would like to lose. I told him at least 55#. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and said I will likely lose 80-90#. So I decided to set my goal at a 90# loss. However, if I don't get there I know I will be happy because I've only lost 31# so far and I already feel great relief of my back and joints. Overall, this proves to me that my goal should be based on how I feel at the time. I will know it when I get there. Big hugs! Lisa

Diva, thanks for the suggestion! I didn't think about a home workout. My mind was thinking about the gym. LOL. I could get up early for Yoga cuz I have it on DVD. If I wanted to do weights at home in the mornings, I would have to buy some. How many pounds should I start with? I think I would need like a kit where I could get a set of weights plus a beginners workout DVD. How much time should I spend on a morning workout since I'm just beginning? Any other tips? When the weather is nice here in Minnesota, which is only like June and July (just kidding), I can go for an outdoor workout too.