Joiebean

This is just the post I needed today. So, at the beginning, my husband was great! Very supportive...wanted to take care of me. He made sure I had all the right foods and was moving around, etc. Now, over the past few weeks, its like he's completely changed. He doesn't want sex as much as before, even though I am almost 45lbs lighter, he keeps asking me to help him eat better (which, when I do he gets this look like I"m being judgemental, and if I don't, he feels like crap and asks why I didn't tell him to stop) and when I get dressed now in some of the new...SMALLER....clothes I have gotten, I ask him how I look and its hardpressed to get even a 'good' let alone a 'great.' This morning I got a "its fine" which is pretty much what I get now. It just seems like he's gotten depressed....i'm not sure why...he's 6'3 and weighs maybe 220...which is tall and lanky. He's got a tiny beer belly, but no one can even tell. So I have no idea what's going on. He just doesn't seem to want me anymore. He's still a nice person and all, just disinterested.

Tall 1/2 caff coffee with one shot of sugar free vanilla flavor and soy milk. Add a little cinnamon to the top and its fantastic!!

Welcome!!! Keep on dancing!!!

I need to vent for a moment. I hope you don't mind. My coworkers and husband all seem to be high-freakin-maintenance right now, and are stressing me out.....which in turns makes it really difficult for me to get any food down at all. My husband is just tense for some reason so it makes me tense and my coworkers....well.....I'm leading four different projects right now (oh and btw I am about 20 years younger than everyone else on my team, but my boss put me as the lead designer on these projects.) One project is going seamlessly because that coworker is a great collaborator and we've realyl become partners in this project rather than me leading. Another...I doing on my own, but getting constant feedback as to what needs to be fixed and mind you there is a crotchey old women who thinks she is the website designer god, who, however, is just not willing to stay current with new trends, nor will share her knowledge with me at all, yet keeps trying to undermine me. Its nothing that enrages me, more befuddles me. But when all stacked on top, including the pressure that I put on myself to create quality products, it makes its self aware now by me not being able to eat. My stomach just clenches and won't allow food down (well at least not without a good amount of pain.) I'm not so sure there is a resolution, but I thought maybe if I got it out it would help.....

That's it I just love being able to cross my legs and not have one just placed on top of the other like I used to have to, lol. Although my knees are a little boney now, lol.

OMG!!! I have been dancing around 200 for awhile but wasn't going under. So I just stopped weighing myself and this morning I thought I'd give it a try and WOO WOO!! 197!! I cheered so loud I woke up my husband!! lol. Still a ways to go but woo woo!!! Onederland baby!!

It will get better everyone. There is a really common occurance called water nausau (I always spell that wrong.) But if you put a little juice or crystal light in it, that will help it go down better. Also string cheese and greek yogurt is awesome for mushy food that is satisfying. But that will depend on your lactose tolerance. I have also used lactaid a lot because it is just easier on my stomach than regular milk. If you like indian food, you can also try the tandoori freezer meals (just stay away from the rice part.) They have vegetarian paneer tikka masala that uses tofu instead of chicken and its a spinach mushy consistancy (like a lot of indian food). I've found dense meats can be hard on the stomach. If you do try meat, go for dark meat cause its easier to get down. Also mashed up avacado and small pieces of lightly cooked shrimp soaked in lime juice work really well with a mushy diet and taste great. These are just some tips that worked really well for me. I hope maybe they will help you too. OH and one other thing a book i have says, which is totally true for me, is to drink something warm in the morning cause it will help gentle waken your stomach and prep it for liquids and food. I usually either have some decaf coffee or warm instant cream of wheat using light soymilk and sugar free syrup.

Yeah, I think the problem is in your surgeon's expectations. How do you feel? Do you feel healthier? Do you have more energy? Have your eating habits improved? Are your blood tests coming back with positive results?? I think those are the things to look at. My surgeon is a BIG proponent of NOT looking at the scale for results, but rather your overall health. Here's a little story my boss was telling me the other day and I think its pretty profound, in a very simple way. So you think you have 'only' lost 45 lbs right? Here's a little reality check that will be sure to help you realize how much that actually is. Next time you go to the gym, stack 45 lbs of weights on the floor. Now pick them up, carry them across the room and back. Now, put the weights down and walk across the room and back without them. Take notice of how much easier it is. THAT is what you have taken off your bones, your heart, and everything on your body. THAT is a HUGE DEAL girly!! YOU have done that with your own will power and strength. Try not to minimize it. You have done SUCH good for your body, regardless of what your surgeon says. Keep at it and more will come when your body is ready to lose it.

oh and the process of actually eating will get easier. Along the same lines, you'll learn what goes down okay and what doesn't, and you'll just steer clear of those foods. But it will get easier.

Trust me, it will pass. I'm 2 1/2 months out and when I was 3 weeks out, I felt the same way. Don't know about 3 weeks, but maybe in the next few weeks, if you like sushi, try getting just the sashimi (tuna and salmon) without rice. It is SOOO easy on the stomach, is packed with protein and tastes awesome. And it is pretty soft and mushy. And the ginger with it really helps with digestion. But you will get passed it. However, its not that you will go back to what you used to eat (some do, but...) you'll just become accustomed to what works well with your new stomach and what doesn't. For example, I can't eat fried food anymore. It immediately turns my stomach and I get sick. So i just don't eat it. And I choose fish over anything else because my new sleeve LOVES fish....something that I liked before, but wasn't head over heels about like I am now. So while I say it gets easier, its more that you will become more comfortable with what your sleeve likes and dislikes and you will just start to gravitate towards those foods. I hope this helps

I'm looking through the topics today, and it seems like a lot of people are having some tough days lately. I thought maybe we all could take a moment to look at the happiness that our sleeve's have brought us. For me, my energy is through the roof. Well maybe not right at this instant, but I can sustain energy much longer and do SO much more on the weekends. How about you? Share something that has made you so proud of yourself lately?

That's great Lilee84 and mommy794!! Doesn't it feel awesome! Lilee, I totally understand about the energy and being able to run around with the little ones. And I am very jealous that you were at the beach!! That's my favorite place to be, even though I live in upstate NY! And mommy794, I hear you about the jeans!! I just want to fit into the 14's I bought. Give yourself a pat on the back for getting into 10's!!! Woohoo! See, it was worth hanging onto them right!! I have a pair, size 10, that I have kept since college 10 years ago just because one day, I WILL fit into them again!! Thanks for posting! Dooter, isn't that awesome??!! I did the same thing with a pair of work pants. Its like there should be music playing and a choir singing 'allalujah!" SUCH a great feeling!! Keep it up!

Okay, so is it just me that gets seriously constipated at least once a week?? Sorry if this is TMI, but its like I can feel all the 'stuff' backed up in my stomach/intensines...whatever organ that is. I think its maybe because I'm not drinking enough, but I'm getting as much as I can down. Any other remedies people know of? I've tried Colace and it doesn't do anything and Dulcolax....yeah...like pain much?? Won't be using that again. Does prune juice really work??

Oh and does anyone else find it hard to get food down when constipated? Its like my body is just saying "no more!!! Get rid of some first!!"

I just have to point out that, while I liked fish before surgery, I absolutely love it now. I really didn't like shrimp before...love it....didn't like salmon...really love it. Sashimi is now my dinner of choice or I go to the fish market or grocery store and get a small hunk of it for dinner. And because I eat it more, my husband eats it more....in turn making him healthier too. And the best part, while it tastes absolutely fantastic...probably cause I'm lacking the nutrients fish offers....it is SO easy on the sleeve. Chicken is okay, but can make me nauseous at times....fish never does. Anyone else found a healthy food that they used to dislike "before-sleeve" but is now your go-to?

Oh, sweety, I'm sorry. I know it sucks. (and I'm not someone who uses 'sweety' ever, but I really do feel your pain....well remember the pain and it can be awful.) Tell your doc that your pain meds aren't doing anything. Your doc will do something. I found Toradol and Percocet was the best for me since i was allergic to Lortab and morphine. But tell your doc and I'm sure he/she will figure it out. And everyone on here is absolutely right too, you want to get up and work that gas out. That can cause a lot of discomfort too. Also it might help to not lay down. It hurt so much for me to lay down that I stayed in a sitting position for the first two weeks. Slept in a sitting position as well. the pain meds couldn't cover up the pain when I was laying down. I hope this helps!! And you'll get through it. We all did and we all know how much that first week sucks. Come on here and vent when you need to...that's what we're here for.

Surgery caused mine to start, however I didn't really get it normally. But then I got it again a month and a week later for about a day and then it went away. I think you could really expect just about anything in that department. (As you can see by all the varying responses!!) I was a low BMI too....so i don't think that being a high BMI or low BMI effects it that much.

Well let me first say, only you can judge normal cause we are alllllll sooo different in recovery. However, with that said, there are plenty of people who are just like you. If you are really worried about it, call your doc. That's what they want you to do. But I had a magic moment like that at one point and there are a lot of people on here who ask that same question "I shouldn't be able to drink this right? or eat this much?" Your body will let you know. If you had a leak/hole, you would learn about it quickly. You would probably start getting a fever, feel sick, have pain in your side. My doc told me that "if you get a leak...you will know it!" So just go by what your body is telling you and right now it sounds like its saying "I'm thirsty!!!!"

A few things that I found and did when I went back to work were: You will probably be beat after work. Good idea about going back on a Thursday. That's what I did and by friday afternoon I was SOOOOOO tired. I rested the majority of the weekend. So just don't be disappointed if you go back and realize you can't keep up with the same pace that you used to. Second, I bring all my food with me. I was the epitome of the opposite of this before surgery, I bought breakfast at DD, lunch at either a diner or chinese, and then dinner, we typically went out to eat. No wonder I was so unhealthy!! Anyway, I realized 1) I wouldn't be able to get all the protein in if I didn't bring my own foods and 2) those old places didn't really have anything sleeve friendly. I"m two months out and I still can't find much that I would want to eat there. I usually bring a shake and some greek yogurt and a string cheese. That gets me through the day and then I have a really lean high protein dinner with a little veggies if I have room. I am still having a hard time getting all the fluids in during the workday because I am so preoccupied. But we'll all get there. :-) Hope this helps. It really helps if you have an understanding boss and coworkers too. Cause your feet will probably be dragging for the first week. But the energy will come back!

So I have noticed that when I exercise, my weight loss stops. I am wondering if because I'm not eating a lot and then if I exercise, it reduces calories even more, if that can put your body into starvation mode. Thoughts?

Well that makes sense Lisa. Oh and as promised on another topic...I haven't been weighing myself as often as I used to. And I try not to judge my success by the amount of weight that has come off. I just noticed that there might be a correlation and wondered what it was.

I was so exhausted last week from work, that I thought I was going to be totally out of commission last weekend, but after a relaxing evening at home on Friday and a goodnight sleep, I was SOOO unbelievably energetic this weekend!! Its been such a long time since I've had this much energy. The past couple weekends have been like this too. On Saturday I did a ton of stuff around the house and at around 3pm I decided to redo our foyer floor, kind of on a whim, because we kept talking about doing it. By 4 I had the carpet ripped up and the slate tile underneath it ripped out, then went to lowes, picked out new tile and the guy there taught us how to do it, went home and got half of it installed by the time I went to bed. Then just out of sheer excitement, got up at 7:30 on Sunday and went right to work and had it finished by 9am. Then we completely cleaned the house and then, because of the great weather, detailed the cars. After that was done, we got cleaned up and went to a comedy show in town (where I ended up drinking wayyyy to much wine.) But still was able to get up, come to work and be productive. Gotta love the new energy!!! I was SUCH a slug before. My husband is sooooo happy with how much more energy I have...I'm actually pushing him to do more rather than the other way around. He kept asking me this weekend "How do you still have energy??" cause he was beat!! CRAZY I TELL YOU!!! CRAZY!! Anyone else notice a surge in energy levels??

Great post. I started at 239 and am .8lbs away from 199, so just about 40 lbs in two months. I was a snug size 18 and I am fitting into some 16's now. Not all....and yeah, different companies cut clothes differently.

.8 lbs to go. Although I was really bad last night and drank a lot. We were at a comedy show and that was the first real drinking I had done since early January. Sooo I may gain a little today. We'll see. I won't be doing that again for awhile though. Queasy stomach today.

Thanks Felicia!! He WON!!!! Yeahhhh!! It made him so happy :-) Its the little things. If anyone else voted, there are some people that voted that I don't know. Just let me know on here and I'll make sure to add the time to my treadmill time. 2 minutes for Felicia!!