Webchickadee

So sorry to hear about your GB troubles! I can understand your pain though........ I had a terrible motorcycle accident in 1999 and about 1 month after (while I was still in hospital recovering), I started developing extreme abdominal pain repeatedly over 2 weeks. They did not diagnose it properly and discharged me to a rehab hospital. 3 days after arriving, I woke up one morning with intense lower back pain that progressed into excrutiating pain by the mid-afternoon. I was curled up in the fetal position on my bed waiting for the transfer ambulance to take me back to the hospital! Lovely green bile vomit in the ambulance and several more hours in the ER while they figured out what was going on. Then Fentanyl (yes, the meds they give women in labour!) to control the pain. They told me my GB was inflamed and once it was under control with antibiotics, I could go home and recouperat from the accident and GB attack. Elective surgery "in a couple of months". The next 3 days were a fog of morphine, at which point I was woken by the head trauma surgeon to tell me they were taking me to the OR. A "quick" 40 min laparoscopic cholecystectomy turned into a 4 hour procedure. It seems they missed the fact that the intense pain 3 days earlier was due to my GB exploding! Another 12 hours and I would have become septic and probably died! The good thing was I recovered EXTREMELY quickly after the surgery. They discharged me after 4 days (and that was super cautious on their part, seeing as they had almost killed me..) and I was back to my old self in a couple of weeks! They figured I must have had a small asymptomatic GB stone that impacted into the wall of the GB from the force of the accident. Left there to fester, it became infected and eventually ruptured the wall of the organ. Not at all your typical GB scenario. I did note after that surgery that I had some significant digestive difficulties that never really resolved completely. Any fatty foods (even only slightly fatty or deep fried) would cause very sudden unpleasant loose bowel movements approx. 30 min post-meal. This continued right up until my VSG last year, and now I very rarely eat fatty foods and almost never anything deep fried, so it's much much better now. No problems with pain, nausea or anything else that is symptomatic of GB issues. Eating more healthy meals, in much smaller quantities has essentially given me back a normal digestive cycle (with the exception of bowel movement frequency which is still only 3-4 days due to the small quantity of food I now eat). Ask your surgeon if he can re-use your VSG incisions! They will be a VERY close match to what you need for the GB removal. If you have reasonable scarring and not to many adhesions, you should find the GB surgery fairly straight-forward! Good luck and please let us know how things are going!

Congratulations! You look fantastic! And the best thing I like about your new picture is the wide smile on your beautiful face! I can appreciate what a milestone this is for you Tekara3927! I recently reached Onderland myself after not being there in nearly 25 years...........(and spending most of that time in the high 200s, and low 300s)...... Keep up the fantastic work!

It's hard to scientifically link these two events together. You mention that you were in a "stand still" with your weight loss. Perhaps you were in a short stall and it coincidentally moved the day after your alcohol consumption. As well, as Groovinchikin mentioned, alcohol will cause dehydration, but 8 oz of a single alcoholic drink would probably not cause large-scale dehydration. Now if it was 8 oz of alcohol, that would be a very different story (and a source of concern, especially within 3 months of your surgery (you should probably be avoiding alcohol completely for min. 6 months post-op!) There are other factors that could influence your weight change as well that you haven't mentioned. How is your digestive tract schedule? I know that due to the smaller amount of food that I eat, even now after 10 months post-op I only have a bowel movement every 3-4 days (without using supplements to speed up that schedule...). So if you have not had a movement for several days, then have one perhaps on the day of your alcohol ingestion, it may APPEAR that the alcohol consumption is the cause of your weight drop, where the change is actually due to your elimination of 1-3 lbs of waste from your colon! Also, you mention that you are not eating much. That is not good! While we are trying to lose weight, what we really want is to lose excess body fat, not just weight! By not eating, you are not giving your body the proper nutrition it requires to maintain your muscle mass. The body will break down muscle BEFORE it breaks down fat (as biochemically it is an easier physiological source of energy). This is known at catabolism. If you are not ingesting the correct amount of Protein to maintain or rebuild muscle, you will lose weight but suffer tremendous lean muscle loss, strength, agility and fitness. Our HEART is our most important muscle.......and it is NOT exempt from the catabolic process. Eat protein! Then vegetables (you need the Vitamins and minerals!) and lastly, good carbs if you have any room left. I highly recommend you review your diet, examine why you are consuming alcohol so close to your surgery date (and eliminate it!) and reset your focus on health for the long term. Your weight loss goal will come with time. You want to be in the best shape of your life to enjoy it!

That's what great about this surgery. You WILL be able to eat all your favourites again (in very small quantities). Once you've hit goal, you can treat yourself to a bit of your old favourites now and again to satisfy the craving. As long as you're not over stuffing yourself (which is easy to do with such a tiny stomach!) and leading back to old bad habits. Moderation is something many of us did not have prior to the surgery (which is why we ended up needing the surgery in the first place!). With the new small stomach, and months (for some even 1 year +) of developing new eating habits, coping skills, and a healthy mindset, we are more likely to be able to "give in" to an occasional small treat to bring that moderation into our lives. It's about balance to fully enjoy our lives. I'm approx. 10 months post-op and still 60lbs from goal (down about 125 lbs), but I have a small treat now and then and it keeps me from feeling deprived and "locked in" to a strict and miserable diet. This is just my new life! And if I really want to have that treat, I can always just increase my exercise that day to work it off (which I actually enjoy doing now!).

Clothing sizing is not linear! The smaller sizes are more closely spaced apart and as you go higher, there is more room between sizes. Otherwise, when I decided to have the VSG (10 months ago), I probably would have been a size 46 (at 319 lbs), rather than the size 26-28 that I was actually wearing! I have now lost about ~125 lbs and wear a size 16-18 depending on the style. That's about 5 sizes over 125 lbs (or about 25 lbs/size). That it's improving now, as I seem to be able to go down 1 size for about every 15 lbs lost (roughly). It also depends on where you are losing from and what your body shape is. I carry a lot of my weight in my legs/buttocks/lower abdomen. So I can move down in pants size for my waist, but my legs and butt are still too big to be comfortable!

Me too! I can put my hand around my shoulders now! And I don't have rounded shoulders (with my bra sliding down all the time!) anymore! I actually have square (ish) shoulders now! I totally understand why skinny people use shoulder pads now (never used to make any sense to me before!).

Ditto! I've been wanting collarbones for decades. They are finally starting to appear......along with my hip bones, shoulders and forearms. No more "fat pad covering!". LOL

You look fantastic! Keep up the great work! It's not about how fast you get there........it's about making your goal and staying there (for life!).

There is considerable discussion regarding the safety of gum in the VSG patient post-op. There is a good post (and comments) regarding gum chewing here on VST: http://www.verticals...no-gum-chewing/ as well as on some other sites: http://tinyurl.com/cv3ysfy http://tinyurl.com/cj3g94s So I guess the official word is "it depends!" Some programs say "yes", others say "no", while others make no mention of it whatsoever. I personally still chew gum on ocassion. No more or less than I did pre-op. It helps my breath (especially if I've eaten something with onions or garlic). It does not create too much excess saliva for me (though it does for some people) and no problems with swallowing air either (again, for me personally). Once you're settled into a good routine that's not changing too quickly (I would say several weeks into solid foods), if you want to try chewing gum (and it's not disallowed by your surgeon or NUT), then go for it. With caution......

I agree that it's not recommended. That is the way that many people begin serious eating disorders such as bulemia! I fully understand your missing chewing though. I went through the same thing. Someone suggested to me in my early days to chew on ice cubes. It worked great! I got to really chomp down, and it added to my Fluid intake! Just a thought............

Type "week 3 stall" into the search box in the top right-hand corner. You will have a better idea of why you're not losing right now........ As for milk, there are many different opinions. For myself, I prefer not to have the carbs from milk in my diet as a beverage. I drink coconut milk and almond milk (both unsweeneted). There's not much taste to them, but it does a good job of substituting for milk, and they are both low calorie and low carb. Protein powders mixed well for me with both coconut and almond milk when I was using powders (I drink ready to drink (RTD) shakes now, or eat protein bars). I still eat many dairy products (yum.....cheese and yogurt), so it's not milk that I'm avoiding, as much as the carbs in regular milk (whether it's skim, 1%, 2% or whole).

General anaesthetic plays havoc with your system. The shock to the body will cause the hair to fall out in the majority of patients. As well, the dramatic change in diet composition and calorie amount is also a huge shock to the body and one of the responses is the hair falling out. You are doing everything you can to balance that out and slow down the "falling out". Try not to stress too much about it. It will stop and you will have new growth. In time it will be as good as it was pre-op or even better, now that you're eating so healthy and exercising! I started losing my hair approx. 3 months post-op and it continued at a steady pace for approx 5 months (8 months post-op). I did get new growth starting around 7months post-op (little "spikies" that I thought were broken hairs, but are actually new ones!). Now my loss has basically stopped completely. My hair was thin beforehand and is quite thin now, especially on the sides and back. But I know it's growing and it will come back and be great in time. By this time next year I'm sure I'm be close to when I started this whole crazy ride. In the meanwhile, I've lost over 120 lbs and my entire life has changed for the better! So what's a bit of lost hair? It left with the excess lbs, so I'm happy!

If it's available in your area, you could try some Water additives such as Mio. They are zero calories, often sweetened with sucralose (not aspartame) and come in a variety of flavours. It's a liquid additive that allows you to control the amount of flavour you want and no messy clean-up with pouches to throw out or powders to dissolve. It's a life-saver for my husband and I! We have tried more than 10 flavours of Mio (there are only 4 flavours available here in Canada, but I've gone cross-border shopping to get the other 6 we've tried!). We carry them with us at all times (in our coats, my purse, the car, etc.) so we can make tap water or bottled water a restaurant more interesting. He's drinking 5x more water than he ever did before, and I have no desire for diet pop! You might want to try it out!

It may temporarily harm more than you think! You body has now become accustomed to low carb levels (I'm assuming you're limiting your carb intake so close to post-op). A sudden influx of sugar may create a "dumping" reaction. Dumping is much more common in patients that have had Gastric By-pass or have the Lap Band, as it is due to the uncontrolled release of high-carb stomach contents into the digestive tract through the exit of the "pouch". VSG patients don't have a pouch, but liquid sugars do flow into the intestines quickly and will give you the symptoms and discomfort that a true "dumping" experience would produce. As posted by the Mayo Clinic: Symptoms of dumping syndrome are most common during a meal or within 15 to 30 minutes following a meal. They include: Gastrointestinal Nausea Vomiting Abdominal cramps Diarrhea Feeling of fullness Cardiovascular Flushing Dizziness, lightheadedness Heart palpitations, rapid heart rate Signs and symptoms also can develop later, usually one to three hours after eating. This is due to the dumping of large amount of sugars into the small intestine (hyperglycemia). In response, the body releases large amounts of insulin to absorb the sugars, leading to low levels of sugar in the body (hypoglycemia). Symptoms of late dumping can include: Sweating Hunger Fatigue Dizziness, lightheadedness Confusion Heart palpitations, rapid heart rate Fainting There's no promise this will happen to you with your "one off" ingestion of a sugary liquid drink such as the fizzy tango, but there is a good chance and I don't think you would enjoy having this experience in a public place! If you really feel the desire to try out the fizzy tango, perhaps you could buy one beforehand and try it at home? That way if you do have a negative experience (such as dumping), you will be home and able to manage your reaction in private!

I didn't really try drinking any alcohol until I was 6 months post-op. I found I got roaring drunk from half a vodka cooler! I didn't like the feeling and it left me quite dehydrated. So I didn't drink after that until we went to an all-inclusive resort in January (9 months post-op). By that point I had lost more than 100 lbs, was eating closer to 800-900 calories per day and exercising regularly (3-4 times per week at the gym, plus daily 4-5K walks). I found I tolerated the alcohol much better during our 2 week vacation. But it's not something that is part of my normal daily life. I will have a social drink (just 1) during special events, but I haven't drank anything since returning home from vacation (over a month now) and I don't miss it in the least. I was not much of a drinker before surgery, so this is pretty close to my normal drinking pattern pre-op as well. It is said that VSG patients must be extra careful to monitor their alcohol use post-op as there is a risk of "cross-addiction". We give up our addiction to food, and substitute it with an addiction to alcohol! Very dangerous and easily done! If you're going to have a social drink, try just part of one drink at first to see how you do, but I would certainly wait until you're at least 6 months post-op. You need to be solidly into a normal eating routine and above all, make sure you hydrate well before and after the drink, make sure your'e in a safe environment if you get drunk (it may not take much!) and of course, no driving. Follow your surgeon and NUT's guidelines regarding alcohol consumption post-op and you will be fine.

Is it diet? Other than being concerned about carbonation (which may not be as much of a factor with the ice), the next major concern is the level of sugar in the drink. If it's not diet, it's probably SUPER LOADED with sugar! I would stay away......... If you really must have a "fizzy" drink to slay your craving, buy a small diet carbonated fountain drink with lots of ice, Swirl it around to get most of the carbonation out, and just have a few sips. It's likely your stomach won't be crazy about it in any case and you won't really want more. But my advice would be to avoid altogether, if you can.

You and I are roughly the same amount away from our goal weights........you should think about playing this spring! I bet you would surprise yourself at how well you do! Look at how far youv'e come already! Seize the day!

So I did it! I just signed up for a spring co-ed slo-pitch softball league, starting in mid-April! I haven't played softball since I was 17 years old (I'm 43 now!), but I love the game and I've missed it alot! I decided last year when I had my VSG in the spring, that this spring, I would be playing again. And now I am all set to go! I finally hit onderland a few days ago, so I am confident I will be able to play fairly well and not get too winded or injured due to my size (the main reason I haven't played for so long). So exciting! I can't wait for April 15! WOOHOOO!

First thing to remember is not to compare yourself to anyone else. NO ONE has your body, your genetics, your stress, your mindset, your daily life. So you are comparing apples to turnips, if you compare yourself to others here on VST or anywhere else! Next, by my calculation, you are 9 weeks post-op and you've lost close to 36 lbs! This is 4 lbs/week. When was the last time (before your surgery) you were able to lose 4 lbs/week over a 9 week period (even with a 6 week stall?). Never, I'll bet! Your body is trying to work through the major assault it has been subjected to. The VSG is a significant trauma to your stomach, and the anaesthesia and post-op recovery is a huge insult to the rest of your body. Give it time to react, adjust and heal! Stop weighing yourself and concentrate on making sure you track your fluids, your Protein intake and seeing/feeling how your body is reacting to the subtle changes in your diet. You are slowly moving towards a more "normal" eating pattern. Pay close attention to what your body tolerates, what it doesn't like, how you feel when you eat certain foods, how eating at a certain time of day impacts you, how not drinking enough slows you down, etc. There is so much to pay attention to right now......don't let the stupid scale take all your attention and motivation away. The weight will drop off, if you stay on track..........it's mathematically impossible for it NOT to. But it won't happen on a schedule, it won't be linear, there WILL be stalls that you just can't seem to break. STAY THE COURSE. You will get there. VST is full of posts just like yours. You are not the first to go through this, you won't be the last and you are NOT alone, even right now! But we're all here to help, to listen, to give advice and to let you know that you will be successful. You just have to believe it, and LIVE it.......it will happen.

Wow! That is FANTASTIC! That's a CRAZY amount of weight.........and in less than a year! You are doing so well, you should be extrememly proud of yourself!

I have finally arrived. My entire adult life I have been in the high 200's and low 300's. Being less than 200 lbs seemed like a pipe dream. The closest I ever came was in 2006 when I put myself on a strict 1200 calorie diet and started walking. By the end of 8 months I had lost 100 lbs and was walking 12K per day. Even then, I was 230 lbs. Then my mother died suddenly, my brother 5 months later and the stress just packed on the pounds. I gave myself permission to eat away the grief, and all it did was bring me more........ I had the VSG performed in Mexico in May 2012 and 2 days ago (Feb. 17, 2013), I finally reached that "impossible" dream: 199.7 lbs (and as of this morning, I'm 198.6 lbs!). My goal weight is 135 lbs and it was chosen based on the best BMI for my height (5'4" if I stand up VERY straight!). I don't know if that goal weight is going to be too high, too low, or just right. But honestly, I'm not that fixed on the number any more. The past 9 months have been a dream for me. I no longer take asthma meds (I was on 3 puffers and 2 oral meds and still was not under control). I can exercise HARD and no puffer needed! I am planning on starting running once the weather improves and I'd like to do a 5K by October 2013. Next year, I plan on doing the Tough Mudder. I KNOW I can do it. I used to be an avid cyclist, but gave it up once my weight started climbing into the the higher numbers. I couldn't bend over the handle bars because my stomach was choking the breath out of me! My legs couldn't move due to the size of my thighs. It was embarassing and demoralizing. This spring, a shiny new bike is on my wish list and I will be riding A LOT, going forward. I have always wanted to rollerblade, but never could take the weight on my feet, or balance well enough without breaking a limb or my neck. This summer, I'm buying rollerblades and lookout world, I'm going to speed by everyone (with full safety equipment on, of course!). I used to play competitive volleyball, softball, field hockey and soccer. But not since I entered university and became too busy, too big and too out of shape. This year, I'm joining recreational leagues for all of those sports, and I'm going to have a BLAST playing with my teammates! These are just a few of the things I've given up over the course of my adult life (I'm 43 yrs old now). My lowest weight ever (since being a teen) was 177 lbs. I KNOW I will easily pass that weight by the summer and never look back. I've got the life I've always wanted back and it's all due to the amazing confidence this surgery has given me. For the first time, I KNEW that I would succeed. No stall was going to stop me, no binge eating was going to derail me. I KNEW that once I started exercising, it would be something I would fall back in love with forever and the positive results would keep me going strong. I KNEW that I would be able to live life in moderation (I have a treat now and then and ENJOY it....no more guilty pleasures!). I fuel my body with my food, but I still enjoy it without the gluttony and desires I used to have. The surgery helped me change my body, and the amazing support of my peers here at VST have helped me change my mindset and outlook on life, food, exercise, moderation and the joy of living more healthy! Thank you to everyone for your on-going support. I honestly couldn't have done it without you. Your struggles, cheers, questions, answers, successes, failures, honesty, and faith have given me the strength, energy and desire to keep going. There's another 64 lbs left on my "goal scale", but I feel like a big winner already. The rest is "gravy" (LOL). And I KNOW I can do it.

Webchickadee

I also use mfp and fitbit. They are critical for my success!

I am 9 months post-op and eat about 850-900 calories daily but lately it's closer to 1000, especially if I've exercised that day. Some days it feels like I could eat all day long, though still only 4-5 oz at a time. I'm still losing and have 65 lbs until goal. I'm not worried. ...I still feel restriction and I want to be able to eat enough to maintain once I've reached goal and not keep losing!