MinaT

Awe, eating healthy is the best thing for you, punishing yourself isn't that healthy for you at all. Many people that are overweight end up self-sabotaging themselves by thinking they aren't worth it and saying #@*( it, I suck and then eating a bag of cheethohs, ice cream etc. Drinking the shake was a smart move. It is you correcting a mistake you made. You know you should not have had the donut, no matter how small it is, so you made a correction. Next time you crave chocolate, have a chocolate Protein shake. The issue is that you feel so bad about yourself still. Nobody is out to punish you, you need to drop the guilt but make wise decisions. I think drinking the shake was brilliant because it is a cause and effect. You ate a donut, you felt bad so now you are going to do something about it. Next time, don't eat the donut, eat a sensible dinner and you won't have to feel guilty. To me, doing anything that makes me feel guilty is just not worth it. I am stuck at about 450 calories, and I myself know I need to up my calories and eat a little more and I feel the self-sabotage because I'm more afraid that if I do, I'll gain weight. I know as long as I keep upping my exercise, it will be fine, but when you hit a stall, like I have hit and you know you are taking in all your protein and as low* carbwise as you can go when having a Protein Shake and skim milk and a small amount of cooked vegetables that eventually the weight will have to leave you. Give yourself some slack but try a healthier alternative next time and be proud of how far you have come. PS: I do get the guilt, I'm dealing with it without eating the donut, you are not alone

I had to do the upper GI, this will be quite important to help you figure out if you have a hernia, this way they are prepared in advance. I get endoscopes every 2-3 years so I didn't need one because I still had the previous ones on record. These are normal for a lot of people. During surgery they use a bougie to help guide him and it's always best to know what you are getting into in advance. If you have never had these, neither are bad. The endoscope they use twilight, knock you out and do the scope and you may have a tiny minor sore throat for a day. The worst part of the endoscope if the prep the day before if you need one. I usually get colonoscopies and endoscopes done same day so not sure if it's the same if you are just having one done. The upper GI, they take xrays, you then swallow some chalky stuff (which isn't all that bad) and they take more xrays. Best of luck.

Love love positive things like this. Best of luck to you both. Usually day 3 & 4 are the hardest, but both of your attitudes are so wonderful during this stage, that I hope you keep the positivity throughout the journey. It's definitely worth it.

If I wanted to take ambien I could, however something you may want to keep an eye out for is Ambien sleep-eating. I weaned myself off of ambien a few months after I started the six month pre-approval process. Guess who was getting up in the middle of the night and having a Protein shake, eating an apple, eating a bag of popcorn and blaming it on her kid? Me. My son informed me that about 3:00 I was getting up in the middle of the night and eating. I was taking my ambien at about 10:00 pm and falling asleep about 3:00 am, so right after I would fall asleep I would wake up. He said he would talk to me and he knew I wasn't really there. If you notice that, wean off them, see if you can switch to tylenol pm's for while and then get off those. I was exercising daily and I go to bed and I fall asleep within 1/2 hour now. The ambien didn't help and all it did was make me gain weight. There's a ton of articles on it and this was one of my biggest issues. I never ate Breakfast, lunch and I always ate a normal dinner and I packed on so much weight and it didn't make sense. I didn't do it every night, and of course the foods I ate weren't bad for me, but eating like that in the middle of the night, without even realizing it is so bad for you. Especially when you had no metabolism because you don't eat breakfast and lunch. Best of luck to you and I hope you can sleep better soon. https://www.google.com/webhp?rlz=1C1FDUM_enUS485US485&sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&rlz=1C1FDUM_enUS485US485&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=ambien%20slepe%20eating&oq=&gs_l=&pbx=1&fp=d6725f746f57f9b6&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1920&bih=955

At four months out I would probably schedule a visit with your female doctor to check on your hormones. You are too young for menopause, but you could be having an issue with endometriosis or something else or your hormones may be a bit out of whack. Constipation really can be an issue too. I'm suffering that pretty bad at 6 weeks out only and I was doing so great pre-surgery. I started back on metamucil and can't get down more than a tbs. of Milk of Magnesia without wanting to hurl. I think the weight loss is great but it seems like you are doing all the right things and maybe it's a weird stall or maybe your hormones are messed up a bit. Best of luck to you.

It could also be the Vitamins. I actually don't have a strange smell anymore since I lost so much weight. I used to shower 2-3 times a day because I always felt so dirty and stinky because I was so heavy. I do notice though that my first urine of the day is a little stronger and then after my b12 it's a little stronger but the more Water then it goes away. I also had a hysterectomy so maybe I don't have that other problem. Best of luck.

I get it trust me. I still don't like my Protein Shakes, which I drank for Breakfast every single day for 7 months before my surgery. Nestle Pure Life is suppose to be one of the purest of the Water bottles and it tastes funny to me. The only thing that doesn't taste terrible to me is plain cold skim milk, and decaff peppermint tea with truvia. Your taste buds changed a lot and I hope something start tasting better for you. I'm 6 weeks out and it was a struggle from 2 - 5 weeks, thankfully things are looking up and I can get the shakes down, I still don't like the taste, but they don't make me gag anymore. Best of luck to you.

What a person will lose is based on so many variables. Some people do low carb, high Protein during the pre-approval phase, so they already have a head start and lost their beginning Water weight. People with higher BMI's and more weight to lose and men will usually lose faster than women at first. A lot of people lose weight steady and don't get the dreaded big stalls. A lot has to do with how much weight you have to lose. Some people are built differently and are less "squishy" and have more muscle mass and tend to build muscle easily, I am one of those. Two people that weigh exactly the same, are the same height and eat the same thing, will not lose at the same rate because body types are different. Many people gain weight after surgery due to the IV fluids, inflammation and swelling & gas. I had surgery at 229 and when I got home 6 days after surgery I was 235 and I had like 100 calories a day for 6 days lol. The most important thing though is no matter what you weight, what body type you have, if you follow the rules and drink your water and follow the nutritional plan, you will lose weight. Best of luck to you.

Well since you have to wait, if you haven't started working on behavior modification, now is the best time. Quitting out carbonated beverages, caffeine, working on taking a walk daily, and work on Protein first, vegies, second and lower down on your carbs. Also, sign up for something like myfitnesspal.com and learn how to use it (make sure you change the settings (it automatically sets you up with 1200 calories, 157 or more carbs and only 40 protein, add 2 more levels one for sodium (to keep an eye on sodium levels and then one for potassium (if you start getting leg cramps you can see how low you are on potassium). *EDITED to say a good start is 800-1000 calories - 45-75 carbs and 80 grams of protein a day. I mostly stayed at 850 calories a day during the pre-approval phase. Make sure you start getting your 64 ounces of Water in and chart your daily exercise, walking etc. Another good thing to practice is to eat dinner, and then wait 1/2 hour after you eat to drink your water. If you are doing all this right now, GOOD FOR YOU!!! I had to go through a pre-approval stage and started in November 2011. I didn't get approved for surgery until May and I had surgery June 4, 2012. I lost 10 pounds a month during the pre-approval section and 10 pounds during the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. I weaned off caffeine and didn't drink pop but weaning off that once you get your approval will suck, if you wait until pre-op phase. Sometimes if you can get off the carb overload before surgery it helps. If you are already doing all this, way to go, if not maybe this would be something that will help you in the long run and keep your mind occupied. Best of luck hope you hear soon.

Oh I know the liquid in and liquid out is hard, but there will be a day you miss it and constipation can be pretty painful and uncomfortable too. I'm using metamucil, suppositories and I have tried Milk of Magnesia but it made me gag and I can only tolerate 1 tablespoon of it without getting sick. I have to be careful having too many artificial sweeteners such as sugar-free products like sugar-free popsicles, s-f pudding, s-f Jello makes me have a gassy belly and gives me headaches. Eventually it will slow down, I promise you but please be sure to get in your liquids because you don't want to be dehydrated if you are going way too much.

The 200 calories isn't the issue the liquid definitely is. What is the exact problem with getting your liquids in? Does it knot up as it's going down? Are you getting too many air bubbles and it feels like your esophagus is twisting and it hurts going from the esophagus into the tummy? Are you using a med cup (1 ounce cup) to drink? If you don't have those, how about a shot glass. Measure it first and see how many ounces are in it so you can keep track. For the first 5 days I was suppose to keep a list and chart each 1 ounce i drank. Each one ounce = about 3 sips. If you use a 2 ounce shot glass consider that 6 sips. Is the problem cold Water? Have you tried any sort of decaff tea? I had a problem with water the 2nd day out and I drank Bigelow Decaff Peppermint Tea with Truvia (any Artificial Sweetener will do). The Peppermint actually soothed my belly and my throat and esophagus. It tastes good warm and even during the night when I had the fan on and it got cool it tasted good. This helped me to get down my water. Do not drink out of a water bottle. It causes too much air at first and really HURTS going down. I'm at 6 weeks out and I'm at 450 calories a day and I'm trying to pick it up but I'm getting 59-65 ounces of Protein in and all 64 ounces liquids. Dehydration is really really not good for you, so try to pick up the liquids, try sugar-free popsicles, sugar-free Jello, broth, for protein try a few sips of Isopure. I used the med cups they gave me and I kept one with water and one with tea, I finished my 3 sips of tea and then I would work on the water. Repour my tea into a med cup and then do it that way. Just do your best, but you need to try to get more liquids in than 8 ounces. Keep the water at your nightstand when you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night - try to get one or two ounces in then. I eventually could get 3 ounces in by sip sip sip (pour) sip sip sip (pour) sip sip sip (pour) but even at this time I can't do a whole 4 ounces in a decent succession. Best of luck to you and if the liquid intake doesn't pick up soon, contact your doctor's office, they may want to check you out and make sure you don't need to a quick IV.

Be grateful, very grateful, I got sleeved on June 4th....and I just got to soft food today, I was on full liquids for 5 weeks and then purees a week. I didn't start "soft foods" yet because I was having a difficulty with purees until the last 2 days. Good luck

Congratulations!! You are doing an amazing job. It's so great to see such positivity and I'll join you in doing a happy dance.

That's also normal and I had it pretty severely. What are you drinking out of? Are you trying to drink out of a Water bottle? Glass or a med cup? Med cups are 1 ounce (30ml) cups that medicine usually comes in. Many Dr.'s or hospitals give you them to sip out of right after surgery and they often send you home with a stack of them. If you were given them, sip slowly out of them, try to aim 3 sips per one ounce. I did a lot of testing on how many sips (pour another ounce) sip sip sip (pour another ounce) sip sip sip to see how much I can get into me comfortable before feeling too full. The answer with the water was 3. When I would try to get the 4th full one ounce cup in the next sip I was like blah........... If you were not given the one ounce med cups, you can get a large supply of them for Jello shots at a party store in pretty colors or just use a shot glass. Make sure you measure how large the shot glass is and if it's a 2 ounce shot glass, know that should be like 6 sips. Trust me when you sip out of something smaller you take in less air and you end up with less bubbles and that weird twisting between the esophagus and stomach pain. I had a complication with my surgery so I think I have a little more narrow opening than others. Some people seem to do better with warmer or room temperature water. I normally did my med cups one with water and one with Bigelow decaff peppermint tea and Truvia. The tea went down better than the water and I couldn't handle cold water the first few days. The tea would get cold overnight in the hospital (I was in 5 days) and I would sip on it and I loved it cold too and I believe that's what helped me get down the water. Remember sip not gulp. I can drink out of a water bottle now at 6 weeks out, but I tend to prefer drinking out a glass now, I seem to control the size of my drink and don't end up gulping and I definitely take in less air. Best of luck to you all.

The hunger or cramping feeling or tightening or wave feeling like grumbles in your stomach can actually be acid, gas, or it could also be healing pains. It feels the same. It's like your stomach is always grumbling as though it's hungry, but just like when you cut your finger and it throbs, so does your stomach. Drink some Water, make sure you take something like pepsid or whatever your doctor put you on, take a gas-x, get all your fluids in and as long as you are getting in your fluids and clear Proteins and you feel it, realize it's most likely your stomach healing. It definitely helps to realize that. When I was hungry, it felt the same as when I forgot my pepsid, or when I was thirsty, heck when I was full it felt the same way and when I made sure all things were taken care of and I hopped into bed and it did it, I was almost comforted to know that feeling (that resembles hunger pains before the sleeve) is actually my tummy healing. Perception is also a powerful tool. Welcome to the loser's bench and I hope every single day is an easier and better day.

Congrats, welcome to the incredible shrinking lady club!!! You are doing fantastic!

Way to go!!! You look wonderful and you should be so absolutely proud of yourself!!! Keep up the great work!!! You are definitely using the tool well.

I think we all do. I know it's hard to be at a bbq especially at only 3 weeks out. I'm on Purees and I'll be six weeks out tomorrow. Just keep going back inside your head to why you are doing this. Next year, you will be able to have a smidgen of each of the stuff you are missing this year, next year you may not even miss some of the stuff and you will find other ways to enjoy yourself and hopefully food will be more about nourishment and the BBQ will be more of a happy event to visit with family, friends. It is very hard, I agree with you. I went to one on 4th of July which was my one month anniversary and I drank Water, while other's drank, ate and my husband had the biggest plate of food and ate three Desserts, sitting next to me. Admittedly, I hope he ended up with a big pile of constipation the next day, but I sat and smiled while everyone ate and drank and was merry. Next year, it will be my year, this summer I work hard and next summer, will be different. Keep your chin up and realize one thing. You are doing this at 21 years old. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. Some of us are 49 years old and wish we were as smart as you to take care of this issue at 21. Be proud of what you have done and keep striving to put 100% effort into it and you will succeed.

Just call the number on the card, they can look it up or send you to the right department. Even if you aren't the primary you are allowed to call on your behalf. Good luck to you

Actually the hair loss would be more from dehydration than from lack of Protein. Please contact the doctor tomorrow regarding the nausea because dehydration is your worst enemy and the doctor will need to know about it. If you can't drink Water, have you tried something like decaff peppermint tea with your favorite artificial sweetener. Are you sipping out of a small cup (med cup or shot glass) so you are taking in less air? Try getting some sugar-free popsicles in, don't drink out of a water bottle (you take in too much air and people tend to gulp. It takes a while before you start losing hair due protein deficiency and even the surgery. It doesn't come from inside your scalp, it usually starts breaking off about 3 months down the road once it leaves the hair shaft and then you are brushing, combing, drying your hair, kind of like when you get really sick and then about a month later you notice weird ridges in your finger nail. I have Lupus and I am prone to hair loss, but I also have colored hair, and I have been in the pool a lot and the heat, sun etc. is going to make for some hair loss and I'm at 6 weeks. I'm believe dehydration is the culprit, and it can hurt more than your hair, so please talk to a doctor. If you aren't taking something for acid reflux, perhaps they can give you something, I take pepsid and try some different things to drink like a decaff tea you may like, colder or warmer water, popsicles, even sugar-free Jello is better than nothing. ps. please keep us posted on how you are doing. I'll say a prayer for you.

I was also told the first 6 weeks. I was on full liquids for 5 weeks and Purees the 6th week. So much information out there, but it's all different from doctor to doctor. Good luck to you. I think as long as you keep chewing your food really really well you should be past the danger zone.

If your surgeon's office gave you med cups, use them (one ounce), whatever you do, don't try a Water bottle. If you don't have them, perhaps you can have someone get you disposable shot glasses or use a shot glass. For one ounce cups I usually got 3 sips per cup. After 3 cups, I would get full and couldn't do a forth and I had to wait a bit. Sometimes warmer goes down better or room temperature. Since quitting coffee and decaff coffee before surgery I switched to Bigelow (blue box) Decaff Peppermint Tea with Truvia. It even tastes good when it gets cool or cold. That will count as water also. It actually made my tummy feel good. I usually kept 3 med cups going at once. One with the Tea, one with water and one for the Isopure. I was in hospital for 5 days after surgery and after the leak test day after surgery I couldn't get the water down almost. It hurt me and it was bubbly and airy and horrible. I was able to get the Tea down and after I learned on the tea, I was able to do the water. It gets easier as long as you remember to sip. Now I can drink an ounce in 2 sips and I can drink more at a time, cold water doesn't bother me, I drink out of normal glasses and I can drink out of water bottle, but I do take in too much air sometimes. Welcome to the loser's bench and give your body time to heal and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Every day is better than the day before

I was waking up at 1:00 and then going down to the living room and sleeping on the recliner because getting out of bed was an issue for me at first. I noticed I peed every day 1:00am - 3:00am 5:30-6:00am Then I would get up. I am actually sleeping pretty now. I had a rough time about 14 days out (I also had a drain). I am also a stomach sleeper and I hate sleeping on my back. Once I got on my sides I did so much better sleeping through the night and 2 nights ago I got on my stomach. I have heard people say they got on their stomach the first week. I will be six weeks out tomorrow. Realize everyone heals differently. Ambien was mentioned...It works great for a lot of people, and for some people it really causes more issues. After I weaned off ambien by using Tylenol PM -then I stopped the Tylenol PM and had a 1/2 cup of skim milk before bed, I started sleeping better through the night. Reasons I weaned off ambien are many, besides it was just another chemical in my system, having sleep apnea it could be dangerous but the biggest issue, a lot of my weight came from it. I had been on Ambien for years. I didn't realize it but I used to wake up in the middle night while on Ambien and eat. I found a bowl of popcorn (with melted cheese on my desk) next to an apple core and milk. Sometimes it would be slim fast & apple. I accused my son of doing it, and it was me....I didn't realize I was sleep eating. He told me, Mom you get up every night. Since most of the time I would take the Ambien at 10:00pm and I would stay away until 3:00 - it was about 3:30 - 4:00 am that I would get up and do this, approximately 1/2 hour after I fell asleep. Ambien is known for this. So if you see yourself waking up hungry in the middle of the night or find weird food items somewhere, maybe finding something else to help sleep is a good idea. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it has been reported more and more frequently that there is a problem with sleep eating and ambien. Good luck and eventually sleep will be returned.

It's hard getting the Protein in. I used to drink Pure Protein 100% whey Frost chocolate that I got from Target and I couldn't stand it after surgery. I went through Muscle Milk Light, GNC brand, unjury etc. and it fought me every step of the way. I bought Syntrax nectar Fuzzy Navel (mixes with water) from Vitamin Shoppe and it was like $26.00 cheaper through them than buying from Syntrax. When the going got rough and I needed to get more protein in I added Isopure Orange to the Fuzzy Navel. I had Pure liquids for 5 weeks straight and it was rough on me because everything I liked pre-surgery I hated afterwards, but please know it gets better EVERY single day. The most important thing you need is your Water, then you work on your Proteins. I'm back to drinking the Pure Protein shakes, though I don't "love it" like I used to I can tolerate it now. Good luck to you and just keep telling yourself every day is better than the day before and before long you will be past this phase.

Good luck to you. You can do this. The first four days are the hardest. Keep your positive attitude and keep your humor and keep on smiling. Write down the reasons you are doing this and read it when it gets hard. Go for a walk when it's hard and brush your teeth (I know it's a common theme with me) but seriously the shakes are gross on the teeth I think and it keeps me from being hungry. Best of luck to you, you are already on the loser's bench by getting through this phase!