gettinthinner

My post op instructions said 6 months. My friend who lost 180 lbs. says she was told to wait one year. She now has drinks but has wine with ice as she says it goes straight to her and she gets drunk easily. I was tempted but have decided to follow the six month waiting period. I recently had out of country guests visiting and it is with them that I generally used to have my 2-3 drinks every few months so I guess if I could resist my drinking time with them, then I can wait the six months.

have you lost 80 lbs in less than 3 months? If so, what is your secret?

I saw my gp last week as a 6 week post op visit and one of the things she told me was that I should be getting all my Protein requirements for the day in before noon. I was assuming that she mainly meant the Protein shakes. I didn't ask her why and now I am wondering why and wondering if anyone else has been told to do this. I seem to question almost everything my gp tells me and would like confirmation as to whether this makes sense. Also, I saw a post today about not drinking a half hour before eating and note that my post op notes from surgeon only state not to drink a half hour after eating. Again, since I like to make sense and reason things out, I am curious why we should not be drinking? Does it stretch the pouch, does it fill us up too much? What is the reason. I am following the no drinking after eating but it sure is a difficult habit to break. I often want a sip or two and am not a big drinker but seem to crave a drink with my meals. Thanks for your help.

Here I am writing you again. Just wondered about your comment about the body processing only 23-30 in a two hour period. How does that work if I drink a 45 gram smoothie in one hour? Am I not getting the benefit of that protein intake? Also, on another topic, I can't find the directions that someone kindly posted about how to add the weight loss ticker to my profile. Can you tell me how you did this? I confess to not being very computer saavy. Thanks.

Thank you for the helpful explanation. I would prefer to drink my two protein shakes apart, one in morning and one in the afternoon. I am always hoping that they will help to stave off hunger.

I am going to follow you site. I have to confess that I am 7 weeks post op and have not done any exercise. I hate exercise and live in the Caribbean. It is too hot here to walk although I could go early in the morning but use the excuse that I want my husband to join me. I won't feel safe walking alone. But I know I need to exercise. Why can't I get started? I am ashamed of myself for being so reluctant to start. I hate to join a gym but almost feel I will have to because staying home all day, I just don't use the dvds or the exercise bike. I have some weights and a Wii fit but am still stalling. I must read some posts I guess and get myself more motivated.

I find these forums so helpful. It encourages me to hear how you have lost enough weight and are happy and may reach your goal. I find I am so impatient and when I see that others have done so well I remind myself that it took time to put on my weight and it will take time to take it off. I like reading about positive atttitudes as it keeps me on track. I have lost 40 lbs. and feel much better about myself. But I can't wait to be writing that I have reached my goal weight. I have 33-35 lbs. more to go. I only seem to be losing 1-2 lbs per week now and maybe that is where patience is required. My big stumbling block..... I have not started to exercise. I live in the Caribbean and it is so hot and humid. I just can't wrap my head around wanting to be sweating. I have never liked exercise and need a good kick in the pants to get me started. Any ideas? I think I know the sensible answers but still I am not behaving sensibly in this regard. Any tricks?

I agree with another writer... I still get hungry but when I eat I am generally pleasantly surprised that it doesn't take very much to fill me up and take away the hunger. I still find I have cravings and that's a bit difficult. I have yet to crave cottage cheese, tuna, egg, ie anything healthy. I crave steak, pizza etc. OH well, the benefits far outweigh the cravings. I find it is a lot of mind work involved. We have to also keep reminding ourselves of our goals. Sometimes some pep talk is needed.

Yes, the Gladiator is what I have bought. I try to make my own as I discovered that the fruit they add in the shop has syrup. Good for you starting the Protein shakes prior to your surgery. What do you add to your recipes? I add banana and or strawberries to the chocolate and vanilla powders but haven't experimented beyond these few ingredients. I like the shakes when foamy but no so keen once they return to being watery.

I am seeking advice/knowledge about the use of gum. I have never been a gum chewer because my mother said it wasn't ladlylike. That may be true. In the past if I put gum in my mouth I automatically swallowed it as to me, food goes in and then gets swallowed. But since my surgery I have found I desire some flavour that gum could provide and suddenly I seem very able to chew, chew, chew and in huge wads. However I wonder if this is bad for my stomach as I swear that as I chew (and indeed it is not ladylike with my big wads), I feel as if my stomach and bowels are being blown up like a balloon. It feels like air is being pumped directly into them. Is this possible. I had no notes from my surgeon or gp about dangers of gum chewing. Any ideas? Also, I was instructed not to use a straw. I have a habit of drinking from a cup with a lid and straw and forgot about this cautioning until about two weeks post op and have stopped using a straw since then. However yesterday when I saw my gp at 6 weeks post op she said I wasn't getting enough liquids which is very true and that I should carry around a cup and keep drinking from a straw as often as possible. So what's the story on the straw, yes or no? I was never explained why I shouldn't use one and now not sure why I can use one. I don't want to do anything which might cause my stomach to stretch. Any advice would be much appreciated.

It just occurred to me that maybe why I like to chew on such a big wad is to be sure that I will not swallow it. I can't swallow a big wad but I could easily and out of habit swallow a single piece of gum or even 2-3!! I think this makes a reasonable explanation and perhaps in my case with my history of swallowing gum it is best to do it this way. I know it seems crazy. Perhaps if I can't learn to chew gum normally I should just give it up. However, I did challenge my md and said if it were true that gum stays in the stomach undigested for so long as the rumour had it, then when they removed my stomach they should have found it full, full, full of gum as I swallowed so many packages over the years and never had any problem that I was aware of. I figured the gum swallowing stories were old wives tales.

Let's not call it "eating" lol because I have only now seemed to learn how to chew without eating. I know people used to be shocked that I swallowed gum but I was always shocked that anyone would put something in their mouth, chew and then not swallow. Seemed crazy to me! But those days are over. I remember those big balls of gum and mm. they were also sweet, just like those huge balls one sucked on. I would have contests with my kids to see who could get those huge sucking balls done first. What a bad role model! lol. Now I seem to keep adding pieces, not sure why. Guess I am behaving like a child in doing so. I just haven't gotten the hang of chewing on such a little piece over and over again. I have tried an entire pkg of the big sized gum, not sure what it is called but of course it is sugarfree. I do find that it is nice to have a bit of flavour in my mouth if I am not eating. I seem to only do it after I have eaten too much and that is why I wondered if it was enlarging my stomach as it did seem to ease the pain of having that one spoonful too many. Do you have that struggle? I find it difficult to tell when I am full and it seems only to hit me when I have had that extra spoonful that puts me over the top and make me uncomfortable. I have never been sick though and I guess I should have been as I tried pureed spicy pork the week after I got out of hospital and also found that I put whipped cream in my bariatric brand of hot chocolate. I didn't seem to have read that dairy products were bad. Recently I saw someone mention something about that. I do find that my postop info and for that matter (pre=op info) was not very complete. It is difficult when seeing a local gp and then going off to another country to be able to have the surgery and then being followed again by the local gp. They do not perform bariatric surgery where I live in the Cayman Islands although I suspect they will one day. For now I was grateful to go to Florida and have a competent surgeon take care of me. I just wish the pre and post care had more information. I seem to have a lot of unanswered questions which is not good for someone like myself who likes sensible answers,. Thanks for your support.

I was so tired of dieting and losing the same 30 lbs and never ever getting to a thin me, even with the dieting. After so many years of this behaviour I decided I would gain weight to be sure I qualified for the surgery. I know this sounds absolutely crazy and I suppose very desperate. But I was feeling desperate. It was so easy to gain the weight because I was very tired of fighting the gain for so many years. I had to face the many negative comments from friends and family who said I didn't need to lose weight. But I knew I did. I got up to almost 200 which I have been off and on many times. Now how can anyone say that isn't overweight at 5'4 and according to all charts. But friends and family continued to tell me I was crazy to undergo such surgery. What I have discovered since having surgery is that it was absolutely the best choice I have made. Perhaps it is drastic but my health has improved sooo much and my bp, cholesterol, sugar levels, etc. are all way, way down compared to when I was on prescriptions meds for those conditions. Now no meds at all since surgery and those much lower, normal levels. I have finally figured out that this is something we do for ourselves, to feel better about ourselves and to improve our health. I still feel uncomfortable about letting people know I had surgery, because I met with such disapproval. My big lesson learned so far is that I have to do things for myself and to feel good about myself. it is time for me to take care of myself and my own needs and stop being "just" a wife and mother. It is ME time. It sounds a bit pathetic but it has taken me to age 55 to realize that I can do something that is for myself and not for anyone else. Time to look at my own wants and needs. I deserve better health, and I deserve to look good. I feel a lot better about myself now. I have to work on the idea of getting exercise but at least I can say that I now have a spring in my step.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. Straws: It sounds like so many people use them. If the only problem is increased air and burping then the benefits of being able to drink more via straws outweigh the burping. I have not experienced burping anyway. Gum: It also sounds like we are able to chew it. I guess I shouldn't try such big wads of gum. I should be more mature! I guess all those years of not chewing it has made me a bit silly. I always was told that I was weird in that I would automatically swallow my gum. Now I will be sure NOT to do so. I won't be cracking it either! I am just relieved to receive these answers as my big concern was not air but that the air would enlarge the size of my stomach by stretching it. If this is not the case then I feel relieved to know that I can use straws and chew gum. Hoorah. I don't really want too many restrictions. Giving up some of my favourite unhealthy treats is enough for now!

64 oz. only a week after surgery. wow good for you. I am six weeks post op and can barely manage 24-30 oz. per day.

I have had lots of trouble with constipation as well and the md. had given me some syrup to take at night. I couldn't swallow it as it was so sweet and yucky. Now I am going to try some herbal tea which apparently really does the trick. Don't have the name of it at the moment - sorry. I don't mind drinking Water or unsweetend additives to flavour the water but find I don't have enough time or room? to drink lots of water when I am focusing on drinking the Protein. I guess I have never been a big drinker. I am feeling a bit like yourself re: other people's eating habits. I hope not to be like a reformed smoker and in fact I too am jealous when I see that others can eat what I still wish I could. But I have told my overweight family that I will no longer buy chips and ice cream etc so what do they do... go out and bring back lots on their own. The story I used to get was that it was my fault for buying the stuff and if I hadn't brought the junk food into the house that they wouldn't be eating it. Clearly this was a big lie on their parts as now I am not the one buying it and it has quickly found it's way into the house. My family does not want anything to do with adjusting any part of their diets. Grr. I will not preach to them as I admit that I do wish I could still eat those treats. I am still working on adjusting to the new eating plan and accepting that it is better to be healthy. Congrats on your weight loss. I guess I have been lucky because I have tried just about everything and never experienced any vomitting. Perhaps this makes it more difficult to stick to the plan. Chips still tasted good but after a few I decided the cheating was not worth it and I have not cheated since. I am hoping that when I reach the 2 month mark I will have had the same level of success as you have.

I had a terrible time liking protein drinks and didn't drink any for the first month post op. I think this was very bad for me. Finally I too found one at a store where they make drinks. I am not sure if this is a chain but it is called Smoothie King and they make a protein shake with 45 grams of carbs. I bought their protein powder and now I am able to make my own drinks. However, I find I am at a disadvantage over my coffee drinking friends who go to Starbucks and other coffee shops and order lattes. My friend who lost almost 200 lbs. swears that this is how she did it by drinking so many lattes.

Thank you for the site to visit for bariatric recipes and the words of encouragement. I have barely been eating anything... not because I am not hungry but because I am afraid I won't lose weight. It is good to hear of your yummy menu and this will encourage me to try more food rather than just sticking to a few basic items. I tried to cook a large buffet style menu for guests with all healthy type of menu and it was good but seemed very strange to me to be thinking that way. It may take some practice believing that healthy recipes can taste as good as the ones with all the cream and butter! But I will stick to my plan which of course is to lose weight. TOday I saw the gp for my first post op check at 6 weeks and wow. The results were somewhat shocking. Off all meds since surgery yet my BP, cholesterol and sugar levels are WAY down compared to when I was on the meds. What an improvement. She believes my gout may also no longer be a problem although I had no testing done to show that. She tried to claim that this is due to not being able to drink alcohol but I pointed out (silly md) that I used to only have a few drinks once every couple of months so I don't think that small amount of liquor contributed to my having gout. It is amazing to see the change in medical results and the improvements and I remind myself that these are worth even more than the improved appearance. Thanks again.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I guess I can wait the six months before I am supposed to try beef. Dare I say I did already try a bit of crock pot shredded beef and it went down just fine but I am trying to be less of a rule breaker and more compliant so I will wait those six months. It feels like waiting for Christmas as I am very anxious to see what weight I can lose in these six months. At the same time I keep hearing from my local support group that something seems to happen after the six month mark and hunger really kicks back in and weight can be much more difficult to lose. I am hoping that by the time I reach six months I will have developed more self discipline and formed new healthier eating habits. It all seems relatively new and foreign to me and I think if I can get the hang of also learning this new act of blogging, I will receive good support from people such as yourself and hopefully one day I can also provide good advice for others going through this process.

Tennis at two weeks post op. I was told to wait six weeks before exercising. Now I have reached that mark and will have to dig very, very deep to motivate myself as I have always hated exercise. I am wondering if the WiiFit that I bought is sufficient as a starting point?

I am new to this website today and finding it very helpful. I too am finding it so hard to get in my water. I find with not being able to drink before or after eating (for that l/2 hour I was told) and then drinking the protein shakes. I drink two per day. I find it so difficult to drink the water and I just seem to feel it is a real struggle. Consequently I worry that I could be losing more weight if only I could drink more AND, I am SOOO constipated. I tell myself that I am not eating very much so perhaps I shouldn't expect lots of BM's but really I am only having a small amount once a week. I will see my gp for first time since surgery six weeks ago and hope she will have good advice for me.

I cannot reply about hair loss as I don't know anything about this. But I can relate to what you say about not being sure if you need the surgery. I struggled with this and actually gained weight to be sure I would qualify for the surgery. (I am embarrassed to admit this). I knew I was overweight and was always dieting to lose 40 lbs. up and down but never getting past the 40 lbs when I really needed to lose 60 lbs. After so many years of dieting and after listening to many friends and family who told me I was crazy and didn't need surgery - I finally had the surgery and I am very happy I did. I cannot give you advice but can tell you that I am happy that I have lost almost 40 lbs in six weeks. But do want to add that it is not an easy, easy solution. I hate my hair and perhaps a temporary hair loss might be a nice change. But I should not make light of your concern. I didn't really give that much thought before or after my surgery. My weight, health and thinner appearance has been my biggest concerns.