CowgirlJane

Oh bummer. I am going to hip doc on Friday to get my prognosis. Went to a different plastic surgeon on Monday regarding breast issue and she has a different recommendation. Tough decisions for me now. In treatment probably is Amazon, I keep getting them mixed up. I liked it alot. I don't eat much dairy...had ice cream last night, a very rare treat, and I have a tummy ache this morning! I think plant based eating is a terrific idea for many reasons. I still need my Proteins but I do eat alot of unprocessed plants - veggies in particular.

I have attracted my share of the emotionally stunted. It is a strange world. I am early 50s and my age range is filled with people who must be going through the midlife thing...otherwise I cant explain it. I am taking some time off from the whole topic and then when I dive back in I am shifting strategies because this isn't really working....

Compression garments! body shapers! I used a pair of firm support capri under wear for support and compression post plastic surgery

@@VSGAnn2014 Was it Dr Kessler that wrote the book about this? Essentially it is the idea that we CRAVE that salty sweet crappy stuff but we don't necessarily actually LIKE it. There is something very strange about how this works. Anyway, the summary you posted was right on target for me. If I eat better/healthier that is what I want. I don't mean to say I am perfect, but eating well most of the time really helps reduce cravings and stuff. I often joke about how I couldn't resist a snickers bar (one of my old very bad habits) but in truth, the thought of one of those makes me feel kinda sick. I'd much rather have a small piece of very fine chocolate than the king size snickers these days...

In the early weeks - I had all sorts of strange sensations. That "acidy feeling" felt more like a gnawing hunger, it was not in my throat or chest and it did not taste or feel like acid. I am not the only one - this is a common phenomena to have acid mimic feelings of hunger. Honestly, everything you have described falls in the range of what I have heard as normal. I did NOT feel the restriction/benefit of the sleeve until I was about 6-8 weeks out and on full solids etc. Everyone is different, but it is pretty normal to feel strange at the stage you are at and I know that I followed the guidelines to a "T" knowing that I was still healing and couldn't accurately tell how "full" my stomach was. It has only been 2 weeks. The part that puzzles me more is the shape of your sleeve. My understanding is that there are "receptors" at the bottom and top of the stomach. One of the reasons that we eat Protein, literally first (I am talking once you are on full solids - not at 2 weeks out) is because that denser food satiates better due to the location of those receptors. I am not sure if the shape of the stomach impacts it, but I thought they were all more or less banana shaped. I am no medical expert, so maybe I am wrong - but I thought that was the standard sleeve stomach shape. I would be interested to hear what others know about this.

My sleeved stomach was a size 38 bougie with no special oversew (to the best of my knowledge) so I assume they are similar sized. My "sensations" and feelings of fullness were way different early weeks... vs several weeks later... vs now. I genuinely think some of us don't "feel" the restriction at first since the nerves haven't healed yet. It will be interesting to hear what your doctor says... but I tried really hard to eat small portions and I think it has helped keep some of that feeling of restriction. Of course, every surgeon is different and we are all different, I hope you get a good answer.

Cured sleep apnea; I feel way more confidence about how I look but in no way does losing weight "fix all". In my case anxiety actually amped up for awhile after I got to maintenance. I theorize that obesity and overeating were kind of a"mood stabilizer" for me... after it was gone I had to learn to feel it and deal with it!

I do find that the TYPE of food I am eating makes a big difference. I also personally experience thirst as hunger - so make sure you are well hydrated!

Patience. That super tight restriction some report is due to alot of swelling. I was told that i may not feel normal sensations due to nerves cut during surgery and to eat by the spoon and measuring cup and clock the first 6 weeks. If I were you, I would really try to follow the quantity guidelines, at your phase probably under 1/4 at a serving (as your nutritionalist). Are you being treated for acid? AT first the stomach creates acid for a full size stomach and it is too much. Acidy feeling can feel like hunger. I strongly recommend you get on a quality PPI (not just tums) for the first few months anyway to see if that helps.

For me, out of house, out of mind. People talk about willpower... well, if you can make a good decision ONCE (at the grocery store) it saves you from having to make that good decision a million times a day. I quickly found that "snacking" on like sandwich meat just wasn't that appealing...haha. Overtime, the lack of availability of the bad habit reduced the reliance/craving on the bad habit. Even 4 years post op, i still have trigger foods and I just watch them closely, avoid them generally... or if I do have them, in a quantity controlled setting. Example, I never buy a package of nutter butters or a snickers bar cuz I am pretty sure I would eat them. I just don't have them around and I don't have to "test" how strong my willpower is....

I had my band removed (after over 10 years!) in Sept 2011; revised to sleeve in Dec 2011. I lost over 150# post sleeve and maintaining. You have received much great advice so I won't rehash that (go back to basics, Protein, track, get hydrated, etc etc) but I will say that sleeve vs band were very very different "sensations" for me. forgetting about the first few months post op - I am talking now over the long haul, they felt different. For me, the band was much MORE restrictive, but I didn't feel satiated. I still felt hungry but i was much more prone to vomiting due to the fickle and intense restriction if I had any fill. It drove bad habits (I started eating easy foods like sliders as opposed to dense protein and veggies for example) but i can see that for some people it REALLY helped them eat less, The sleeve feels less ":tight" - I don't get pain or any of the other sensations but it is more like i get satisfied on a small amount of food. A key lesson somebody told me about the sleeve was to not "seek feeling full". I think that was partially because at that point, niether my brain nor body had any idea what a normal feeling should be! I retrained myself to seek "no longer hungry". That helped alot. The other thing that helps alot is eating moderate carbs and eating according to the "rules". If I go back to eating junky food, my hunger goes way up. If I eat correctly, my appetite is VERY well controlled, even 4 years post op. It is a complicated balance and I guess we are all different.but that is what has worked for me. Best of luck to you - it isn't easy and I think you are so smart seeking help to get on track for your goals.

Do what you enjoy, start small/reasonable and build up. It is no fun to over do it your first week and then quit! I was very obese when I started, so Water aerobics were my first work outs. I loved it, felt so good. I stopped doing it when i wanted more intensity, but it helped me lose the first 70# or so!!!!

When she advised me I just needed better cookbooks, instead of weight loss surgery (seriously, I was TWICE a normal weight/size) I decided my primary care doc no longer met my needs. This was not the first time she was incredibly unhelpful and unsupportive but it was the last.... changed and never looked back.

@@Oregondaisy Let me get this straight..You are vegetarian but don't like vegetables? I can only take so much raw and plain. My favorite ways to eat veggies are part of a salad and roasted. Roasted vegetables are out of this world. You might try some different things like that. 162.2 this morning. My"goal" for the week was to be down to 162, so I will take it! I am losing a slow 1# a week but I am really noticing the difference. My clothes fit better and I am getting hit on several times a week. I am in a non dating mood BUT I am always trying to figure out what weight suits me best so I consider that a certain type of feedback. (Never seems to be from guys I would even consider though.) i have such damn skinny friends (like 5'7" and 115#) that I always seem huge by comparison. Anyway I am aiming to get back to 150# which gives me some bounce room to stay under my 158# goal. Remodel is progressing...new floors this week.

I think that habitually using"appetizer" size plates and utensils helps you reset your brain on what is normal. My house is in remodek so my son and I went out for breakfast on Saturday. I ordered eggs benedict and it was very easy for me to feel completely decadent eating less than half of what I was served because my point of reference has changed. I suppose I should give credit to my smaller tummy but I feel like it is the brain reset that really helps now that I am years post op.

Measuring spoons and cups, appetizer sized fork and spoon, small plate. I am 4 years out and maintaining and I still use those "tools"

I certainly can relate. Being "normal" was a key aspiration for me. While i may not be able to define it, I knew it when i saw it. It remains a powerful motivation for me in maintenance. Yes, I use the scale, health indicators, etc but just knowing that I will fit in any chair, any store will carry my size, I am no longer invisible to strangers and nobody ever gives me a "look" while I am eating.

Please don't take this wrong, but your weighing ritual kinda strikes me as a bit unhealthy. I totally agree with dilgence, but it has to be balanced against living a happy, anxiety free life. I am way older than you and had a lifetime of bad habits to overcome. One of my bad habits was keeping fat clothes "just in case". When I lost my excess weight I got rid of/gave away/threw away all of my very big clothes. I did also get under goal, and am now back around goal. I do have pants in a couple of different sizes because I love "perfectly fitting" pants and this is comfortable for me. Also, as a trimmer person, small changes in weight do make a differnece of how fitted no stretch pants fit. However, just like having plastics to get rid of excess skin, I just didn't need those 3X pair of pants anymore and never will again! I think it is reasonable to keep clothes in your size range (maybe that is your smalls and extra smalls?) but keeping your old clothes that no longer fit your life seems to me like exccess baggage - I say donate em and be free of that stuff!

In my opinion, if you don't have acid reflux OR diabetes, they are both probably good choices. If you have those condistions, current evidence is that bypass is a better choice. My BMI was 52 when i revised to the sleeve and I have gotten to a normal weight/size and maintained for a few years now. The challenge in making this decision is that the sleeve has been around along time but not well studied for LONG term results. It appears to work "about" as well as the bypass, but the long term data just isn't there. At a high BMI, many surgeons nudge you toward the bypass because there is a clearer, well documented long term results history documented. I had my own reasons for choosing the sleeve and I think some of it was my bias against the bypass based on personal experience. I have known 3 bypass patients close enough to see them from pre surgery, through maintenance and they all "Scared me" 1. Died. but to be honest, she died because she was a diabetic who became an alcoholic drug addict after losing all that weight. It was absolutely terrible - in her 40s and died in her sleep. This was about 10 years ago. Lets be honest, that had nothing to do with bypass vs sleeve. 2. Horrible horrible recovery. But, this was mid 1990s. It only recently occured to me that her surgery was "open" not laproscopic. At the time, I thought the horrible recovery was due to the "rerouting" but I bet it had more to do with it being open surgery 3. The surgery and weight loss really aged her. She looked terrible post weight loss and never got to a normal weight. Again, to be fair, I don't know the reasons. This is someone I worked with about 5-6 years ago. She may have had other health problems and frankly most bypass patients I have seen pictures of or have met since then look great. I recognize my own biases and my views have changed. Now, 4 years post sleeve I tell everyone that I think they are both good procedures. I think they are both excellent choices versus remaining morbidly obese and suffering the increasing health issues over time. The bypass has more documented history, many more studies, and resolves reflux problems. Sleeve has been amazing for me, and many others too... but there are no 20 year studies either.

The reason it is recommended is it tastes decent and is low sugar/low carb and has pretty good flavors. Around here we have Fred Meyer stores that carry Kroger brand

I have a very skinny friend, like she hides her chicken legs she is so skinny kind of person. She has trouble eating enough (those dang cigarettes kill her appetite I think), BUT she always thinks she has a belly roll. she is my age, but never had kids and has never been overweight and she doesn't have a belly roll. The thing is, we are exposed to so much media that makes a 50 year old feel like a loser if they don't have stomach as flat as a skinny kid. Anyway, I love her dearly and one thing I have learned is she is probably less secure about her body even though by any reasonable persons standards its thinner/better than mine! So, I just let the "oh my god look at that belly roll" comments slide....

I am so upset. Remember I had all those tests done on the breast problem? well, one of the labs the In Network Doc used was "out of network". According to my explanation of benefits I owe the lab nearly $4,000. I don't even know how it is possible one lab test could cost that much AND I didn't get to pick the lab. I have been trying to work this for a month and am very discouraged. This is completely ridiculous.

@@ItsTheNewMe Yes I was a revision. Banded in 2001 at 272, never got under 200#. About 18-24 months post op I had to have all Fluid removed due to intolerable reflux and vomiting and i began the regain train. My highest weight (recorded) was about 2005 when I weighed 332 at weight watchers. I lost 85# add hung out in the 240-260 range for many years. I got pretty depressed after my sister died and my weight shot up into the upper 200s ... i would diet like made and lose 30, but then would regain 40.... you know the story. When my band was removed I weighed "about" 300#. The day I started my sleeve preop diet I was 308# and is my official start weight in Dec 2011 I went on to lose 150# in 14 months post sleeve and have been maintaining in the ballpark of my goal ever since. I learned alot of lessons along the way. The band failed me, but i also didn't really know how to eat correctly to be successful at this whole thing. I have really taken to heart the knowledge that the WLS tool was critical to my success (I could not lose massive weight presleeve) but my own choices behavior are at least 75% of the credit/winning the battle. I am quite sure you will do great, it is just a hard time those early weeks/months. I didn't feel good until about 12 weeks post sleeve... i wasnt in misery that whole time, but I didn't feel good.

Folly, I am worried about you. during my losing phase, I did FEEL like a big deflated balloon and having someone say that to me might have really discouraged me. I am years post op so my body dismorphia is pretty well resolved but at the time... oh boy. I found notes describing myself as a melting snowman. However, i took some pix of myself in a swimsuit, after reaching goal and preplastics - know what - not bad for a middle aged lady!?! I didn't look like a big balloon or a melted snowman, and I looked much better than I did obese. I am sure your husband is a loving man, but he was clearly attracted to an obese figure that isn't healthy and may have a hard time adjusting as your body becomes more "normal". I don't know if you are into counseling, but i want you to have maximum success and regain the best health possible and that mixed feeling about appearance can be devastating. It might be good to have a professional experienced in body image stuff to talk this over with.

Follow your surgeon's/NUT recommendations but a few comments from my end (I am 4 years post op) Staying hydrated will help keep you from feeling awful. I found that Vitamins made me not want to eat, so I had to experiment around with timing and type of vitamins. Vitamins are really really important, but fluids are more important these early weeks. Those early months I spent lots of $$$ on liquid versions because pills sat in my tummy like a rock. That got better over time though.. My suggestion to help with fluids is try herbal teas (not really tea so allowed) served warm or even cold - depending on what you prefer. I found that herbal tea, served warm really soothed the tummy AND helped me get fluids in. I cannot emphasize enough, if your acid is not under contol, you will feel awful, in a weird gnawing kind of way. Some people experience it as hunger, some people experience it as just awful. I took proselec the first 2-3 months post op and haven't needed it since. First few months were unpleasant, to some extent you have to kinda roll with it. The mental aspect of this is to try to not let it "get to you" and make it worse by getting anxious or overly worried. When I focus on my misery, i seem to have more misery. That in no way diminishes your concerns, you SHOULD be seen by your surgeon and make sure there is no problem, but i encourage you to focus on why you did this, visualize success, visualize being trimmer, healthier, more energy etc... because eventually you will get there.