AliveAgain

My insides sang and growled like I couldn't believe! Nothing truly painful, but loud and obnoxious. It went away completely after 4-5 weeks, lessoning a little each week. I think it's just gas rumbling around and digestion working a little harder with the liquid diet. Nothing to worry about.

A continuation on the post that I forgot to mention earlier: My surgeon pointed out that ANYONE losing weight on ANY PROGRAM -- Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, you name it -- has the ability to regain some or all of their weight back once they stop using the program. Really, VSG is like a program in that removing 80-90% of the stomach just a tool to keep you honest with your lifestyle changes. And yes, to have fast weight loss in the first 3-6 months as the stomach heals to it's new "normal" size. But when you strip away the surgery, you get all the same factors you have with any other diet regimine: Eat right, exercise, drink plenty of Water, reduce stress, get adequate sleep, and be happy. Do those things, and you should be fine 2, 6, 20 years down the line!

Google "avocado chocolate pudding". Heaven!

It's very sad and very true. I lost my last job for being overweight. The CMO flat out said to others that my "outward appearance" was "bad for the image of his team and the company." This is a company that promotes health and fitness of all things, just not for the obese I guess. Performance review, flawless. Deadlines, always met. Other people liking my work and attitude, check. But he didn't care, just wanted me off his team. The person they replaced me with has done nothing but screw up every project I used to be responsible for, but hey -- the guy is blonde, blue-eyed and very fit. Guess that's all that matters!! I try not to be bitter, but I hate how many people have problems looking past weight, gender, race, religion, political affiliation, whatever to see the value of an employee. I also look forward to (hopefully) a better career down the road!

I belong to my surgeon's support group that meets once a month, and there are many people in there that are success stories 2-6+ years old. Some even fell below "goal" and were able to keep that off over the years as well. They all live very normal lives, eat anything they want in moderation and smart portions, and still exercise -- though not every day or like they did when they were losing. They just live very smart lives now, and continue to come to the support group to help others and to keep themselves on track. Each and everyone will tell you that they don't have to do the Protein shakes all the time anymore, and they are able to eat a little of everything at birthday, holiday, celebration dinners; they could snack on potato chips and reintroduce soda -- IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO. They are a reminder that we will have to continue to be smart about our choices for the long term, or face the possibility of falling into old habits and putting the weight back on. Yes, you will ALWAYS have restriction and will never again be able to eat the Fisherman's Seafood Platter in one sitting, or the 16oz steak with side of lobster tail. But whether you eat 2500 calories in one meal or over an entire day snacking on calorie dense foods, and that done repetitively can lead to weight regain. (Of course, men need more calories than women, but you get my point).

Whenever I see overgeneralized "conclusions" in a title like that, I tend to steer clear of giving it much credence. Granted, I read it just to see if it had ANY interesting finds, but fell flat. The fact is you can be unhealthy or healthy at any size, depending on your definition of healthy -- physical, mental, or otherwise. I was obese for many years before anything showed up on blood or other diagnostic tests, and I actually had doctors who looked at me and would tell me, "I really expected to find SOMETHING with your weight problem." Aghast that I didn't have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, or other "common" factors they look for with the obese.

I've been eating avocado regularly since I started mushy foods 3-4 weeks post op. I eat about 1/4-1/2 of a smaller avocado (28-50g) once a day about 3-4 times a week at most. It is has many health benefits and is actually not a high source of cholesterol. It does have a source of plant sterols which can be called a "plant cholesterol" but in moderation, can actually help with high cholesterol. They came highly recommended from two Stanford cardiologists who said the amount I was eating was "just right" and not too much. For how little fat you get in a 1/4 cup serving, it's not enough to worry about. In fat, a healthy balance of the "good" fats can do wonders for weight loss. You can see from my statistics, it hasn't slowed down my loss. Granted, eating a 1/4 cup of guacamole with fried tortilla chips is not the same thing

Most likely, you'll be just fine. But definitely call your surgeon if you have sharp, sudden pain that last longer than an hour or any type of fever/chills. I thought every bubble of gas was a leak, but after some frantic calls to my surgeon he alleviated my fears by telling me, "You will know if it's a leak. It's far worse than the gas pain, like 10 times worse, with more symptoms of sweating, chills, nausea." I don't know if that's true, but he was always right for me. Solid or mushy foods at 12 days out will make you feel weird, that's normal. You still have a lot of swelling down there and it's going to revolt for a while. I wouldn't do it again, just talk to your doctor and nutritionist about the struggle to get in Protein shakes, see what they recommend. Perhaps you should try another brand that could be easier to get down? There are many brands that make more savory or unflavored protein that you can add to broths or strained Soups. I liked those better in the first month because the warmth of the Soup was comforting (then again it was February).

I am on MFP but haven't used it in a while I'm at that stage where I seem to be doing OK with "self" monitoring of what I eat, and I have daily diets that I rotate in a way that keeps me on track. I'll see if I can add you, I'm the same name as I am here. I have lots of bottoms and skirts in size 22, let me know if you see anything that interests you! (Sorry for the delay in response, was on vacation and the mobile version wasn't working well for some reason)

One thing I've learned on this forum is that every doctor has different diet restrictions and recommendations. That being said, I think it is very important to listen to your surgeon and be as compliant as possible with what he or she wants you to follow. My doctor had me on Clear Liquids for week one, full liquids for week two, introducing mushy food in week three, then some pureed foods by week four (though my doctor advised against pureed meats). Granted, just because you're given a green light to introduce something doesn't mean you'll be completely converted to that food and letting go of the previous stage. For me, I could only introduce a few mushy foods (cottage cheese, yogurt) once a day or so and was still doing mostly clear or full liquids in week three; and then in week four I will still increasing my mushy foods while just starting to introduce pureed/soft foods (eggs) a few times during the week. It will take time for the stomach to adapt to the new things you are introducing after liquids. I could not do solid foods like shrimp or sashimi until week five, and even then I was "full" off two shrimp or two pieces of salmon sashimi. Definitely could not do any fried foods or anything with flour, which a lot of New Orleans dishes have (i.e. jambalaya sauce, gumbo, etc.) For travel/vacation, I highly recommend taking Protein powder (like unjury or Nectar) and a Blender Bottle to easily mix with Water for protein supplementation.

Breast reduction actually led me to considering VSG! I went to the plastic surgeon in October for a consult at my biggest (40I/J) and he told me he'd rather not operate on me at that size. He told me about VSG, his daughter had it done. Said I'd be better off losing weight, they'd shrink and "deflate" THEN do a reduction and lift at about 1-1.5 yr out. His biggest reason was that I was at higher risk of complications like losing the nipples and just general surgical risks. So I guess I'll be saving up for part two now that I'm down to a 34G :-)

Hi, I know you're looking for OTC and I'm not sure what to tell you. But I prefer to use a sinus rinse when I get allergies or sinus infections, it's just a salt mixture and warm water, very natural.

Hi 15Kgold, glad it worked for you. Let me know if you see anything you like! I have about 40+ new items I took pictures of and will be posting come next week, a few bottoms in 16/18 and more 1X tops. Cheers!

Healthwise makes great protein packets you can add to the more savory soups with 15g each. The only downside is you can't put it in soup hotter than 130 degrees or the protein clumps, which is not as hot as I like my soup. But the tomato, beef and chicken are all really good. I would sometimes use full tomato soups and puree with a hand blender to get the chunks out, or use a chicken and vegetable. I'd strain out the broth or cream, add the protein mix and puree the chicken/veggies to mush -- add only about 1/2 back in to save on carbs and volume.

You are very normal and human, happens to the best of us If I find myself very hungry, I usually grab something to drink (if it's not within 30-45 minutes of when I'm supposed to be eating). Usually you are actually thirsty or dehydrated when you may think you're hungry. If I find myself famished before a meal, I make sure I measure anything going on my plate (at home) or I "eyeball" what's on my plate with the palm of my hand (about 4-5oz) and eat no more than what's on my plate. Also, chewing very slowly, talking to everyone to give myself time between bites, or just putting the fork down helps you get that "full" feeling before you've gone past it. But believe me, I've done it as well when I'm with lots of people and don't pay attention!

Pasta of any kind: Spaghetti and meatballs, pesto, mac n'cheese, even simple butter and Parmesan. I allow myself a bite or two when my husband has it for dinner, so amazing!

I waited about a week to do short distance drives to the store, etc. They usually clear you when you've been off pain meds for 36-48 hours. But my doc advised against too much driving b/c braking for a sudden stop can put a lot of pressure on the abdomen, more than you realize. Plus, it was pretty uncomfortable to sit for long periods of time for me. Congrats on the weight loss!

This soon after surgery, you just go at your sleeve's pace. That being said, it takes some "work" to get in your fluids for the first 1-2 weeks. But it sounds like you're on it! When eating Jello, try to let it liquify in your mouth before swallowing - maybe that will help you get more in? Also, you can make jello with unflavored Protein (I use Unjury) for an added protein kick. You just add it the cold Water and mix, then don't add it to the "hot" water the Gelatin mix melted in until that water is below 130 degrees.

My Biggest Loser scale for measuring non-liquid food items and my Blender Bottles for sure!

I don't know of any liquid protein "readily available in stores" that are not sweet; however, Unjury makes a great chicken flavored that works well in water or broth. They make an unflavored that works in yogurt, juices, Jello but you can't drink it alone without another flavor to "mask" the protein flavor. I also used the Healthwise tomato and beef soups my doctor's office sold, also good in water, broths, or in similar soups (I sometimes used a French onion and strained the onion out or pureed with a hand blender). These all have 15-20g protein per serving.

Getting "let go" from the best job I've had in years for being too fat. My new boss thought I was "bad for the image of the company."

Yeah, I read somewhere that since your hormones go on break for that week, it's harder to see weight loss. But as soon as they start pumping again around day 4-7 (every woman is different), it should pick back up. I really wish I knew more about the chemical breakdown of hormones in the body and why that happens! Sucks to be a woman sometimes.

Yes, I am 1000% glad I did it and would do it again. I had no complications, just the usual stuff they tell you comes with the surgery. The first week is the hardest, the first month is the second hardest, and then it just got better and better from there. I've lost 82 pounds in 5 months with another 40-50 to go, not to concerned with exact numbers. I feel the best I've felt in 8 years (gained most of my excess weight in a single year) -- just got home from the gym, in fact. Did laps in the pool, treadmill, and some strength training. Could NOT have done that 5 months ago on my own.

I would agree that every meal needs to start out with dense Protein (chicken, tuna, turkey, etc.) Oatmeal has little protein compared to it's carb content, and salads just won't give you the type of nutrition you need right now on their own. How are your fluids? Are you drinking enough Water, tea, milk, etc. throughout the day? Often when we think we're hungry, we're actually thirsty or slightly dehydrated. Aim for 64oz per day, or about 8-10 glasses.

You've gotten great advice from many people. You get it now: Cut back on carbs (try going less than 40-50g per day for a week or so), up the protein to 70g+ per day, aim for 64oz or more in fluids, and kick the activity in gear for a while. You can do it!