MinaT

I drink out of a med cup. The doctor gave us a huge supply of medical cups that are 30ml (one ounce). If I try to drink out of a Water bottle it causes too many gas bubbles and it feels like my esophagus is all weirded out. I do drink out of a regular glass, which I can do my shakes out of or skim milk, but when it comes to water, I need to sip out of the med cup still. If you don't have those, try using a shot glass. The one ounce cup I get 3 sips out of, and now I can do it in 2 sips. After 3 ounces of water in a row (sip after sip) I need a break. Good luck, it gets better over time.

I got a strict doctor, we all should follow our doctor's advice, I do find it odd that people at 5 weeks are eating regular foods, because I don't think I could, but I would do just about anything for pureed Tuna...and a pickle

It could be hunger, but it's almost always acid, gas or the seldom talked about healing pains or thirst. I had that a lot at first. I never thought of it as hunger pains because after just a little bit of liquid then I would feel full and it was the same pain that I felt when I thought I was hungry. It happened to me when I was in bed at night a lot and it's like a tightening, or a wave type sensation sometimes or a flipping, which is reminiscent of a growling of a hunger pain, but I knew I wasn't hungry. If you think of it is healing pains then it doesn't mess with your head so much. Make sure you take your antacid, your gas-x, drink Water and realize it may be healing pains.

When hungry try 1/2 cup skim milk, which is filling, instead of eating 3 meals, change one to a shake. It stands to reason that at 8 weeks you probably shouldn't be eating high carb foods and most are sliders. I Think back to 8 weeks ago and what you went through to have 85% of your stomach removed and remember you can't undo it, and there's no where else really to go after this and since the sleeve is only a tool it's up to you to go back to giving this 100% effort. I wish you guys the best of luck. I'm sore still at almost 5 weeks out, I am still on full liquids and I would still do the surgery again, but I think back to how far I have come over these almost 5 weeks and I am in this 100% because I can't go back to any other way of life. Good luck.

Start making changes now before surgery is my number one advice. Chewing your food well before you go on your liquid pre-diet, quit your coffee and all carbonated beverages now, watch your carbs from now until your pre-diet. Don't drink with meals, wait 1/2 hour after meals. Practice these things. Practice getting 64 ounces of Water in. If you are going to have a "last meal" don't do it the day before your pre-op shake. Start working in getting a Protein shake in for Breakfast, a light lunch (perhaps cheese, tuna and then a sensible dinner. Learn to eat your protein first, your vegetables second and your carbs third. The more carbs you eat the more carbs you crave and the harder it will be to do the pre-op shakes. Going off caffeine and carbonation during the pre-op phase is horrible, so do it first. Spend less time worrying about surgery and more time giving yourself positive affirmations, that you can do this, you are worth it. Write a list of all the reasons you are doing it. Tell yourself if you are going to do this you are going to put 100% effort into it. Remember no matter what, each day is better than the day before. Also remember that the sleeve is only a tool. It is YOU that controls the tool and you are not going into this surgery lightly and you will be able to be in control. The more times you say, you don't think you can do something, the less likely you will be able to do it, so learn to stop the negative thinking. Go into surgery with a smile on your face and a positive attitude and it makes coming out of surgery a more positive experience. Know that after surgery you will most likely weigh a few pounds more than the day you had surgery. It's normal. Stall's happen, keep eating right and the stall will break and you will eventually lose. When stall's happen measure yourself. Good luck and best wishes to you.

would probably be a good idea to buy unflavored Protein like unjury to add to the soup to get protein. Potato soup can be a bit high in carbs. I am almost 5 weeks out and I am still not allowed my favorite soup which is Tomato soup. I was told it's too acidic though I know people have it. All surgeons & nutritionists are different, mine is extremely conservative though.

Keep drinking your Water. Are you drinking out of a med cup (one ounce cup?) If you don't have those, try a shot glass. If you drink out of big glasses or water bottles you tend to take in too much air and they are so bothersome. Another thing I drank that helped me was decaff peppermint tea with a packet of Truvia in it (whatever artificial sweetener you like). It tastes good warm, but when it gets cold if it takes a while to drink it, it still tastes good. The cold decaff tea is what helped me get down colder water. It seemed room temperature at first went down better. At 5 weeks out I still don't like drinking out of a water bottle because I get too many air bubbles. I hate my Protein shakes that I loved 7 months previous to surgery. It's been rough. Also, with my doctor we are still on full liquids for 5 weeks and I hope Monday to be moved to purees. Good luck, and I do know what you are going through. Good luck.

Up my protein, I get my water in, get up to 3 miles a day (it's been 100 out and I haven't been walking as much). Weight. Current 207 - Goal 185 pounds.

I have the same pain on the right side in an area that has no incisions it's between the big incision above my belly to the right and the right incision - almost just to the right of the belly button. I have some severe neurological issues and often times I think it's raining on my legs and arms and it's sunny out. It's misfiring. I also have Trigeminal Neuralgia due to a tumor on the root in my brain. The heat and blinding pain sounds neurological to me. Take it easy and you may want to try to desensitize the area but touching it.

Karen and Gene, we got this though, we know about the stall, we are still doing what we are suppose to be doing. Monday will be 5 weeks and I know most people are on Pureed foods before 5 weeks so it's starting to get old and I hope I am ready to move on. I did lose 1.5 inches of the swollen belly in the last few days, thank goodness.

I know I need to reward myself, right now things are a bit tight with the surgery, and my medical bills. Six Flags at Halloween. I know I need some time to heal up before I go and hey, I will be able to fit in the seats I use safety pins for my pants and luckily I saved some smaller clothes from the 90's lol. I will need a new winter coat for sure, and all winter clothes. All my winter clothes are 4x & 3x and I have been wearing 1x's or safety pinning 3x's. My underwear are a joke and all bunched up and I definitely need those. A real pedicure (I haven't had one since I got remarried in 2001) would be awesome.

Blondee, as long we continue to do the stuff we're suppose to do this stall shall soon pass. Good luck with your appointment on Monday. I'm afraid I'm not going to be down much by that which means, I lost most of my weight the first two weeks and the last two have been nothing but a crawl, so I feel you there. It will come and best wishes. Iwannabe, good luck to you at one week out it's still so tough. Worry mostly about your water intake, you aren't going to become protein deficient for a while, I'm still struggling at 40-65 grams a day, and I try hard. I'm about 345 - 465 calories a day and I think I need to up my game up but it's hot and today I am so behind on my liquids because of phone calls etc. I pace on the phone and my schedule was out of wack. I did the pool this afternoon for a little bit and I love being in there, I am suppose to walk but I did a few leg exercises and getting in is awesome, getting out pulled a bit on my right side again. It's a little concerning. I'm going to relax a bit this afternoon and hopefully it won't be bad so I can get in this evening. I'll just try to walk and do not leg exercises. Maybe my tummy is moving more than I think it is. Have a great day and I hope everyone is doing well.

I like the teeth whitening. Though I quit drinking cofee, I have been drinking tea which also stains and I would like my teeth whiter. I lost 90 so far, and I haven't rewarded myself at all, I'm thinking Fright Fest would be a good start and we're talking about Disney World next year.

Just be careful how much of anything you actually purchase. After surgery your taste buds can change and things you loved pre-surgery will not be so great after surgery and vice-versa. Also, if you find a syntrax nectar you like, check your area for "Vitamin Shoppe". I purchased Syntrax Nectar 2 lb. tub of Fuzzy Navel for $33.00 which is much cheaper than buying through Syntrax which is $59.00.

Stress, heat, lots of things can contribute to a stall. Not getting enough Water in. I didn't get the 3 week stall and on Monday it will be 5 weeks and I'm having a little stall.

Start charting things on myfitnesspal.com Give yourself a special day a week or every other week. Not sure what your weight goals are or what your weight is but I was 299 when I started and I went into surgery 7 months later at 229. I did try hard but I had special days. I could barely walk up the stairs when I started, I was really not well at all. I went out to dinner, and overate at Red Lobster but I still ended up losing each month because I allowed myself to have one meal once in a while that was not keeping in line with the diet. Do your best to get 80 grams of Protein in, do your best to lower your carb intake. I did change the way I cooked for the family. I still ate rice a roni beef flavored once in a while, but I learned to eat my meat first, my vegetables second and I learned I ate less rice because I got stuffed first on the meat. I made tortilla Soup with turkey and I still added doritoes to the bowl, but instead of eating 1/2 a bag of doritoes I put a few on top. I added one protein a shake a day for Breakfast, ate something small like cottage cheese or yogurt for lunch then I ate a sensible dinner. I went out for dinner sometimes and the week before we were going I would make sure I did a good job and that day I would have my Protein Shake and my cottage cheese and then at dinner I ate what I wanted. The more carbs in the more carbs you will want. Nobody sat and binged on 10 steaks, so the more you lower your carbs, the less carbs you will crave. Some people are 200-230 - and can't afford to lose 60-70 before surgery because their bmi will drop, I needed to lose it and I'm glad I did. If you are going to have 85% of your stomach removed, and go through all the hoops you need to jump, do so with commitment. If you mess up, then you do, but at least strive to make an effort to lose 1 pound a month - 2 pounds a month. I know how you are feeling, but you won't hear from me, hey it's okay to gain weight during the 6 month pre-op. The sleeve is a tool only, it's still 90% will power and mental and it's up to you, the sleeve is not a stand alone cure. Good luck to you and if you have questions, don't hesitate to send me a message.

Most important thing right now besides the exercise is to lower your carb intake dramatically, get 80 ounces of Protein in a day, drink 64 ounces of Water, quit any type of carbonation, caffeinated products and learn to chart your food, water & exercise on something like myfitnesspal.com Make sure you learn to chew your food and do not drink anything with your meal or 1/2 hour after your meal. The closer the date comes, the more you will want to have your "last supper" type things. The best suggestion I was given was this....have your last favorite meal a few days before the pre-op shake diet. Don't do it the day before. Those that eat too much the day before they start the liquid pre-op shake diet (if you will have to do one) suffer so much more. You stretch your tummy out more, and the truth is more carbs in the more carbs you crave. Going from high carbs to the shake diet is TOUGH... The day before you start your pre-op diet (mine was 14 days of 3 shakes a day and sugar-free popsicles & sf jell) I ate a sensible dinner. I made sure I had my normal Protein Shake for Breakfast, had some cottage cheese for lunch, then I had a a salad with chicken. So, that's my best advice, don't carb overload the day before pre-op because those that do, seem to have the hardest time with the pre-op liver shrinking diet. Good luck to you and it sounds like you are doing great.

Sounds like things are going well. Good for you. I hope everyone else is doing well. I got okayed to get in the pool and walk around, which I have been doing. Getting in no problem being in no problem getting out - I do feel a bit of tugging and pulling on my tummy and that's due to that silly thing we call gravity. While inside the pool your body is compressed by the water, the 1/2 way in with the belly and 1/2 way out is not that comfy. My incisions are healed, but I have a few annoying white stitches (suppose to be dissolvable sticking out that will need to be trimmed which irritate me a bit. I'm still on full liquids, though I have gotten in some watery instant mashed with added unjury unflavored protein, I did try watery scrambled eggs (less than 1/2 egg (eggbeaters) and a few teaspoons of 1% cottage cheese (these are considered Pureed - but the protein shakes were gagging me and I had to try something). I live mostly on seriously pureed and watered down bean and bacon soup I can get in less than 1/4 cup of soup for dinner. I had Cream of asparagus last night, which was pureed first before adding skim and cooking. I can only get in 1/4 of a cup of soup a day, plus 1/2 small container of yogurt or 1/2 a sugar free pudding. I'm still hitting on 450-489 calories a day. I'm doing better on my protein. I bought the nectar, which I had yesterday but though I decided to try my frosty chocolate this morning to see if I am doing better than Monday, each sip is still hit or miss, but I'm getting it down better today than Monday. I try to get in 6-8 isopure a day too. I have had a lot of personal tragedies in my personal life which has been painful lost a friend and a beloved pet last week, but I'm trying to stay positive, though I admit I am getting cranky. 5 week post-op check up and meeting with nutritionist is Monday. I better....be allowed pureeds...I would like to try pureed tuna and I have had the stupid pouches in the fridge for 2 weeks hoping for the day I get to move along. Sometimes I worry that I will never be able to get down more than a 3 teaspoons of anything down at a sitting and I will always be abnormal. It's not really about the food, it's about the fact that I take a few sips of soup or 2 teaspoons of cottage cheese and I felt like I had a 16 ounce steak and baked potato. Poop talk below - beware! BM's are hard to come by. For those suffering liquid in liquid out, I miss those moments. I miss the gas and water. I am taking a prescription of amitiza (like colace) and resorted to suppositories for now and am waiting to see if I can start metamucil or something else soon, because ....I know I'm a girl, but I miss farting and I miss pooping. I have had severe issues with intestines in the past with adhesions around them, and I have had diverticulitis and I get polyps and I just know that going potty is good for you, not going potty is not good for you and that's playing with my head a bit. The weather is humid and hitting a 100 and nobody in my family really wants to go walking with me at night. I almost went this morning but it was already miserable out. I am going to attempt the gazelle again, but it pulled a bit too much on my tummy a few days ago when I tried. Unfortunately, I had a hernia repair and of course some pretty good complications so I have to take it light, but I would really like to get more exercise in. Weight loss has slowed to a crawl, I have weighed the same basically for almost a week (i've gotten on the scale in the afternoon to enjoy a 3+ on the scale just to be down the next day) and it's probably due to the heat and I'm going to cut myself some slack though it gets on my nerves a bit. Everyone says I look like I lost a lot more weight, so maybe it's inches though my tummy is still nice and swollen. I would think after 5 weeks it would have dropped by now. I have nice curves on my sides but 2 inches above my belly button is jetted out still. Obviously I'm healing slow, maybe my age and Lupus is causing me to be a slower healer. I'm still happy I had the surgery. I had a goal of 199 by July 18th, the way I was losing I was certain I would make it, but this up & down thing has me crawling. I hope everyone else if feeling well and every day is a little better than the day before. Good luck healing and enjoying the loser's bench.

Not having to wear a selt-belt extender. The door of the car not banging your hip, actually seeing your lap when sitting down, finding your first chest bone, seeing your toes, touching your toes, noticing my eyes are big now (seems the more weight I gained the larger amount of skin and puffier my eyes were, the smaller my actually eyes looked because of the weight around it. Noticing my cheek bones, sitting in a normal doctor's chair instead of standing around because I hated feeling wedged in. These are all mine recently, and oh my gosh they make me happy. I look forward to so many more!!

Just because one surgeon doesn't care about the caffeine content doesn't mean all surgeon's don't care. My surgeon, nutritionist, and nurse would hand my butt back to me on a platter if I had anything with caffeine in it. Right now, trying to get in 64 ounce of Water is hard enough, dehydration is one of the biggest causes of being readmitted to the hospital after surgery, it's a greater risk than a leak even! You can't afford to be dehydrated because most people at first struggle with their liquid intake. Since the OP is 3 months out, it may not be so bad for you, but it needs to be pointed out that someone that just had surgery drinking something with caffeine it could be dangerous. Also, caffeine can cause ulcers. Someone who just had surgery, who's stomach is just healing (it takes about 1-1/2 - 2 months for the stomach to heal inside and out completely) that starts drinking caffeinated drinks has a higher increase risk of developing an ulcer. Getting an Ulcer....when you just lost 85% of your stomach would be bad. I would ask your doctor or nutritionist.

The weather right now, the high heat and humidity is causing many a stalls right now. You think - wow, it's hot out, i'm sweating, I'm going to lose weight...wrong. Sometimes the weather has a way of causing you to hold onto more water. I lost 1-2 pounds every few days. Every day I weighed less - even if it was 8 ounces less I weighed less or stayed the same. I am drinking the same amount of liquids. I will be 5 weeks out come Monday. I gained 1 pound on 450 calories and my exercise = erased all those calories. One day it said I weighed 211 the next day back down to 207 then the next few days I have been 208.2 - 208.8. I am back down to 207 but I can guarantee you after I just watered the yard just now I am back to 208. The weather is often part of it. Eat & drink the way you are suppose to and eventually it will break. I first thought it was the full moon (I always weight more right before the full moon and right after) and that just happened too. I feel you, I was about to pop for a bit yesterday because I'm like seriously it's been days on end without any movement, but the daily weight loss had to stop, and the stall has to end too. Good luck.

Sending prayers that everyone is feeling better. Every day is better than the day before.

decaff peppermint tea helps too. Try not drinking out of a Water bottle and drinking out of a small cup, you will take in less air. Try switching up your Protein drink for something like Syntrax nectar (they have fuzzy navel etc.) Make sure you are not having a lactose intolerance problem. I used to take prescription Omaprazole 2x's a day. It's too big to take so doctor switched me to Pepsid which I take in the morning and at bed time. It helps a bit too. Good Luck.

I had 450 calories and I walked int he pool 1-1/2 hours, I walked an hour and it says I gained 1 pound from yesterday, 2 days ago it said I gained 4 pounds and the next day it was gone plus a pound. Water weight, gas, bloating, etc. sodium can all be factors. The scale messed with my head this morning...I gave it a whopping minute of being ticked off, then I let it go. I can feel more bones today than I did 3 days ago, I can visually see that I am losing weight, I noticed today my stomach is a little more bloated than it was yesterday so I have some bloating and I'm not going potty as much as I normally do. It's also hot....heat can cause water retention. Keep charting your foods on your myfitnesspal or whatever you use to keep an eye on the carbs or the sodium, and let it go. I really have a goal of 199 by July 18th and with my ups - no losses, downs and ups and barely downs I realize I may not be able to do it, but I'm not going to get myself too worked up because it's just a number, if I keep doing what I am suppose to be doing I will hit it, maybe not in the timeline I hoped for though, but it will happen. I got used to losing 1-1.8 pounds every 2 days, that's over now, now the real work begins.

Vitamin Shoppe had different Syntrax nectar 2 lb. tubs on sale for $33.49. Once you decide on a flavor you like. http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/controller?N=0&Ntk=SiteSearch&Ntt=syntrax%20nectar&Nty=1&D=syntrax%20nectar&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchall The price at Syntrax is $59.95. http://www.si03.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp Vitamin Shoppe does not have the variety sampler. I am drinking the fuzzy navel, I used very cold Water, plus ice cubes and mixed it in my magic bullet. It was very very frothy and I gave it time to rest and now it's more like a drink with a head on it. I didn't gag, it doesn't have that horrible Protein after-taste. It does have less protein that the Pure Protein Frosty chocolate that I was drinking. (I used to mix it with skim milk 25 grams plus the skim milk) but I will do a cup of skim milk for a snack at some point which will add more protein. This is so much more doable than the thick shakes that took me 4 hours to get down fighting as they kept coming back up. Thank goodness. I think I would like to try the tea or Lemonade next.