Izuri

My eyes still think my stomach is still pre-op size. Every time I go to get food I'm like well of course I could handle this much! It's like nothing. And then halfway through I'm like ohhh....can't eat the rest. It's really pretty goofy.

I have this problem too. I switched to Centrum chewable and it really helped. I have also heard of people having better luck with flintstone's chewables, but I never ended up trying those since Centrum worked for me. I think it was just the super high values of Vitamins all at once kinda overloaded my system.

I think if your doctor says you should keep increasing that you should probably follow his advice, as long as you're not eating a super large amount. Maybe you need to eat small amounts more often? I can only get in about 2oz of soft food per serving right now, but my NUT wants me eating six small meals a day. It's hard to get in, but when I do, I feel much better. There is a really awesome thread about stretching here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/48540-worried-about-stretching-is-it-easy-or-hard-to-do/page__hl__stretching which kinda calmed some of my nerves - I was pretty worried about it too before reading that pretty much everyone is eating similar to me and that everyone is worried about it. As far as your stall - just tough it out. I know it's so much easier said than done, but it happens to just about everyone. Measure! Maybe you are losing inches. If you are really that worried about it, switch some things up. Try new exercise, try new foods, up your Protein, down your carbs, up your Water, up or down your exercise, get more sleep. There are an incredible number of factors that influence our weight loss. In the end though the biggest factor is really just time for our body to adjust. It will start up again soon! =)

When I was 17 (about 210lbs) and a senior we were going to Cedar Point for our senior trip and I couldn't fit on the seat for the millenium force..Neither could a friend, so at least we got to sit out together. They made us try the test seat (Which is better than waiting in line and finding out that you don't fit I guess) in front of all our friends, it was mortifying. I cannot wait to go back someday and prove to myself that I beat that ride. I haven't had a lot of restaurant embarrassments thankfully. This is probably because I avoid them a lot of the time. I do worry often whether or not I will fit in a booth. I dread going to Outback because I have to squeeze so much into the booths that I feel super uncomfortable.

I would call Cigna, they have records of where they are in the process. I know I had a little trouble getting people to get back to me. It's very frustrating, but I'm sure they're incredibly busy too. If you have been calling for more than a week or two, I would think about seeing if there is another person in the office that you can contact. It will eventually go through, hang in there!

You look fantastic! And only 27 pounds from goal? That's incredible =)

Mid-September - That will be here before you know it ! I didn't have PCP monthly meetings, but once the ball got rolling on getting stuff done, it didn't stop, it was a crazy rush of medical appointments and emotions. Before you know it you will be on the other side watching the pounds drop off =) Hang in there - and if you're the type that likes to journal and then eventually look back, keep a log of how you're feeling. I'm only 3 weeks out and it's already interesting to look back and see how things have changed already. I can't imagine what it will be like to read back through what I've written once I'm a year out and see how truly far I've come. Plus, I'm hoping reading through all my excitement will jump start my enthusiasm if I get down during stall weeks.

I agree with UTGal - You never know what your body will be at tomorrow. Plus, some surgeons are less strict than others, and I think that if he sees you have been complying with his instructions that you will be fine. I think usually pre-op weight loss is half about decreasing medical risks and half about making sure that you are willing/able to be compliant with the directions, and less about an exact number (Heck, I fluctuate like 3-4 pounds over the day because of Water sometimes). If you are really stressing about it, you could always call their office and speak to a medical assistant and let them know. They will probably give you the ok to come in anyway, but maybe it will give you a little peace of mind.

I just wanted to say thank you for that picture. I had been contemplating this for a bit and just hadn't gotten around to looking up any pictures/literature on it. It is really neat to be able to see the different sizes and I probably would have forgotten to look on my own =)

1. I don't have any kind of feeling like that I'm approaching full. I do sometimes (especially when I'm eating soft food) get a little burp/gas that happens about a bite and a half before I get pain. The pain is under my sternum and a little to the left if I eat too much. It usually takes a few minutes to go away. I have been trying to weigh everything before I eat so that I can avoid this. 2oz or less is what I can get in soft foods. I don't seem to have much of any problems with full liquids. 2. I feel like garbage sometimes too. I do think this is just our bodies adjusting. I try and remind myself that my body is used to like 3000 calories and I'm putting in 500-700 on a good day. We are constantly in a deficit and it's taxing. I do find that when I get in all my Protein and extra Water that I tend to feel better. 3. I am not gonna lie, sometimes I resent the people on food commercials, lol. It drives me nuts to watch them even though I'm not actually hungry. I try and flip the channel/turn down the sound/etc. I am still having problems adjusting to what I eat vs seeing what everyone else eats. Sometimes my mind feels frustrated that I can only do a couple oz, but I always end up glad when the scale comes down =) 4. The heavier you are, the faster your initial loss will be. Plus, early on we are losing a lot of water weight that has been built up. When you are in surgery/post-op they pump a ton of fluids into you, plus you are retaining fluids to begin with. You may not lose 20lbs in 11 days again, but it will keep coming off! 5. Are you giving yourself enough time to eat? I find that when I eat too fast I can get a little bit of nausea. Are you getting in all your water? Maybe a different flavor of Protein shake would help cut down on the nausea, or smaller amounts but less time between them 6. I don't have a lot of idea how much of sweets we can eat as I have hardly ventured into that territory yet. I tried a small amount of carbsmart breyers vanilla ice cream the other day and my stomach threw a hissyfit. I will be staying away from sweets for a while longer...lol. But we're all human! I'm sure we'll have some here and there. 7. I'm also on the no exercise until 6 weeks out so I've got about 3 weeks to go. I have been walking at least once a day and on good days I'll go out twice a day. I walk 30 min - 1 hour depending on how I feel. Some days I get no exercise in. I asked my doctor if I could do the elliptical since it was close to walking (at least it was in my mind) but he said that you use your abdominal muscles to stabilize yourself on it and he'd like me to avoid that. Pretty much he said walking was my only option for now. 8. Are you allowed to make smoothies yet? I know they were allowed on my full liquid diet. I made one with fage 0% greek yogurt vanilla flavor, bananas, strawberries, one scoop of vanilla Protein powder, and a bit of skim milk. It went down good and tasted pretty good. Plus the protein in it was fantastic! I think it's one of the only days I went over protein goal, I couldn't believe it. It sounds like you are doing awesome - hang in there!!

Highest - 325 Surgery day - 321 Today - 298 =)

I got the bullet a few weeks ago and have used it several times. If you're just using for one person or smoothie/shakes, it's awesome. I debated the other two blenders mentioned on here too because they looked pretty nice also.

I confess: - I have a hard time eating every 2 hours like my NUT wants me to - I miss being able to gulp down a glass of Water when I'm thirsty, I never feel like I'm catching up to my dehydration when I am sipping - I haven't slept well since surgery, pre-op I never had sleep trouble - Sometimes I feel like I cheated myself because I never really had an 'official last meal' from my favorite restaurant - I have avoided social situations so far because I am not sure how to handle eating in front of people outside of my family - I am not one to talk much and hate awkward silences - I have never been a healthy weight as an adult, and am a bit afraid of it I wanted to add a couple good ones, obviously I was feeling a little blah this morning and I'm feeling much peppier this afternoon =) - My mood is in general far better/more stable than pre-op - If I could go back and do it again, I totally would - I love being able to walk and am looking forward to keeping up with friends this fall!

I could never get the tickers on this website to show the right date counting down to my surgery so I gave up on them and am using an html one from another site. I think if you click it it will take you to the page. I was very frustrated when every time I set the date on the ticker I made here it'd reset it to another date.

How many days of liquid diet did you have to do? No pre-op liquid diet required except 1 day of Clear Liquids the day before surgery. Nothing by mouth the morning before surgery. How much weight did you lose during it? 4 pounds How many days (if any) did you have to stay at the hospital? 1 night, left the next afternoon Did you have any complications? None so far (Knock on wood) How long after surgery did you try to eat normal food? (non-puréed, etc) At two weeks out I was allowed to start soft foods and I will be on those for the next 3 months. How soon after surgery did you feel mostly or fully back to normal? Most days I'm feeling about 80% (I'm 2.5 weeks out). Here and there I have a day where I feel beat. Please share any extra comments about things you weren't expecting or tips: Gas-X strips have been a lifesaver. Heating pads and walking also help break up the gas you have post-op. I guess I also didn't expect with having no hunger it kinda makes it a chore to eat. I hate eating every 2 hours and I have to set an alarm to make myself. I wish I'd gotten myself into a better schedule of that pre-surgery so it was a habit. I am a little worried when I go back to school that I will have trouble making myself fit in Snacks that I need to get through the day.

I wasn't given the okay to drive until after my 2 week appointment - I think in case I was still using pain meds. I did a short drive to the store about 4 or 5 days post-op and did fine. I don't think I would have been fine to drive home on my own because I was still on quite a bit of pain meds and had been on morphine in the early morning a few hours before I left. Not to mention the pain would definitely have restricted my driving. Some people have said that after a day or so they have little or no pain, so I suppose it could be possible - especially if you made sure you were off the pain meds long enough for them to wear off a bit.

Only 3 weeks? That's a big difference =) You're very pretty! Keep up the awesome work.

I am not married and don't have a long term boyfriend right now, so I don't have a lot of advice to offer. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you've had to go through that, because you really deserve to be treated well, heavy or not. In my opinion, it sounds like you guys have had a fallout in support/communication that would need to be remedied if things are gonna work. I hope things work out for you.

Wow - what a difference! You can really tell =) Congratulations on making it into onederland, I can't wait to see that 1 as a first number!

I am almost three weeks out and I still have pain/discomfort on and off but it's not bad. I am able to walk twice a day and I feel pretty good. I can actually walk longer and quicker than I could before I had surgery. I gave myself extra time off work just to make sure I'd be up to school in the fall, but if I had been pressed to go back, I probably could have. It's really been a fairly fast recovery.

My family has owned the regular power 90 series for maybe 5 years? I used it for about six months and my brother and father have used it for a few years now. It's not as hard as the P90X but does have 2 difficulties, and even when I was lighter it gave me a pretty good workout even just at the low level. I would definitely try something like this before starting the P90X, but that's just me. The dvd has gotten tons of use, and I would definitely recommend it. I'm a pretty big fan in general of the beach body videos (Except brazilian booty lift - I didn't enjoy that one as much, but my dvd player only wanted to play it in Spanish..)

I agree completely! Shaving has become some crazy contorted gymnastics act. I'd also like to see my toes when I stand up and look straight down - on that matter, i'd like to be able to easily reach them to paint my toenails.

To be able to feel like I've finally dried off everywhere after a shower - I swear I can dry like six times and I still feel like I've missed places Not worrying that new people are meeting my fat before me To feel more confident in getting out around people my age Being able to button my lab coat at work Not dreading having to squeeze out in front of people who are sitting between me and the end of the row at auditoriums/movie theaters/school classes

I'm 18 days out now and yes, I would absolutely positively do this again. It is a complete 180 on your life though, so being in the right mindset is definitely necessary. I have rough days where I mourn food. I get frustrated sometimes at how little I can eat. But it's still worth it to me. Not even 3 weeks out and I can already walk longer, farther, and faster than I could pre-surgery. I'm down about 25 pounds now. My blood pressure was creeping up and now it's not. I was having tachycardia in the evenings and now it's gone. It is by no means easy after surgery, but I wouldn't trade it. All of the board members who have had complications though, I just want to say that every time I read you guys posts I'm really impressed at how brave you are. It must take a lot to open up about something that was such a physical and emotional roller coaster. I really respect that you are willing to talk about to help others with their decision. I know reading posts on it before my surgery really gave me some perspective. We have some very strong people here, and i'm glad that things ended up ok in the end.

Do you really think you should have that? It's not that hard to lose weight. You could just try taking the stairs and parking farther away. You should try this diet, that diet, etc I know some of those they're trying to be nice, but...I dunno. Just because I'm fat doesn't mean I wanna hear your every diet tip without asking for it =\ I think I'm most looking forward to not getting the looks and judgments. Those things really stick with you. I have been lucky not to get a ton in the past couple years, but about six months ago a car full of teenage boys drove past me and they yelled "Hey!" and then all started laughing/pointing at me. Or when i actually was losing weight a couple years ago and had worked out one morning I took the elevator up a floor at school cause I was beat and the people walking behind me made a remark about how I should be taking the stairs. I will not miss those comments a bit.