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I think so, Oregondaisy. I'm guilty of doing the math to reduce the portion size down to the six M&Ms I snag from the candy dish on the way out the door, or the 1/2 tsp of sour cream I add to my eggs just so I track it all. It's up to you and it really is kind of a pain sometimes to input new foods into the MFP database. But for me, it was a truly effective way to really stay on top of every bite. I don't know about you, but when I'm stressed (or on my cycle) I can graze an extra 200-300 calories a day easily. Or more! A handful here, a dollop of sour cream there, an extra piece of bacon there...and before I know it, I've exceeded my daily goals all while telling myself that I'm right on track. Good luck. This is an ongoing issue for a lot of us and we all have to find the best ways to manage it. ~Cheri

It's pretty normal to feel "hunger" during full liquids and this fades in most cases by the time you reach purees. It's important to do a few things early on. First and foremost, you really need to follow your surgeon's plan and I'm pretty sure chicken isn't on it. The post op diets exist to help our sleeves heal and you definitely don't want to risk a complication. I know you're not trying to eat a large portion and you didn't mention feeling discomfort, but curbing this behavior as much as possible is probably the best thing you can do right now. Secondly, as you progress on this journey, learning the difference between actual, physical hunger and head hunger or the emotional desire to eat is critical. The reason for this is that your capacity is going to increase eventually. And not addressing the desire to eat will haunt you later because grazing is fully possible with a sleeve. You can't eat a box of Cookies in one sitting, but nothing will stop you from eating one an hour later on! If you're not on a PPI yet (think Nexium or Prilosec) I urge you to contact your doc and get a prescription or to pick up an OTC box and take one daily. All that acid in a newly sleeved stomach (or even a vet stomach, like mine) feels exactly like a rumbling, hungry stomach. Make sure you don't have an easy solution that you're overlooking. This is the most challenging part (physically) of the process, in my opinion. If you take nothing else from what I say, just take heart that it passes more quickly than you think and you'll soon be frustrated that you can't eat more than a few bites of soft foods! Other than the things I mentioned, I think you're on the right track with already tracking your intake and pushing shakes. Good work, swift healing, and try to stay positive. ~Cheri Oh, and there's nothing wrong with egg drop soup, BTW - it's a yummy way to eat a bit of Protein on liquids, in my opinion. Even better if you spice it up a bit for variety!

Not during my sleeve surgery but yes, I got one once when I was put on an IV for severe dehydration due to a stomach virus. It was incredibly painful and the infection spread down the vein all the way to my hands and even moving my fingers was painful. Once I was on antibiotics I felt relief within a few days, though that bruised feeling remained for a while and it took a while for the actual bruises to heal, too. I'm sorry you're going through this and I hope you heal swiftly! ~Cheri

Tiffykins is sorely missed by those of us that remember her. She was a HUGE part (she and Oregondaisy) of my choosing the sleeve over the band. I lurked a long while here (and on OH) before making an account and followed her story closely. I especially miss her input now that I'm pregnant post sleeve! And that kinda brings me back...Tiff got pretty burned out. Her life picked up and got very busy with not just one, but two little ones post surgery. I feel that if revisiting VST isn't fulfilling or rewarding or enjoyable in some way for us vets, we'll eventually fade away completely, taking our experience with us. A community of mostly newbies and folks in their first year isn't going to be the same as a varied one. I just want to avoid getting burned out completely. I admit, I'm a hormonal pregnant woman with some very serious family crisis issues right now on top of an international move and a house hunt for a place 500 miles away. I'm sure that some of the stress I'm feeling in my personal life is reflected here in my posts on VST. I can't help that. But the real heart of my argument is the same and I think that I've felt this way from the start. ~Cheri

Nah, you're not going to need it. And I've seen sleeved Iron Man competitors on here - you'd have to work REALLY hard to be an extreme athlete because diet is tricky with a limited capacity, but honestly we have lots of athletes here that do just fine post op. All the rest of my stomach ever did for me was allow me to eat an entire cheesecake or pizza in one sitting...something I don't ever want to do again. ~Cheri

First, my thanks to the OP for posting her personal experiences in an attempt to help others. The intent to help was there. And yes, it's absolutely useful for long term success to cement those good habits when food is unappealing and eating small amounts is your new norm and the first six months are ideal for those changes to start taking place. Second, people need to realize that when someone offers advice here on what worked for them, they're doing exactly that. YMMV, right? What works for one doesn't work for all of us, and expecting that one person has THE WAY to lose weight and ALL OTHER WAYS ARE DOOMED TO FAIL is silly. Do your research! Listen to YOUR body. Track YOUR intake, YOUR results and most importantly, listen to YOUR surgeon. That's the only way to know what works for YOU. Third, this is relevant: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/67736-understanding-the-phrase-honeymoon-period/page__hl__%2Bunderstanding+%2Bthe+%2Bphrase There are as many different approaches, diet plans and exercise programs here as there are members. Know that and try not to panic yourself OR attack someone if theirs isn't the same as yours. And I'm sorry, but I do not believe VST should be catered to the lowest common denominator - the person that would starve themselves to lose weight or the most sensitive person in the room isn't the norm, and I don't know that couching my responses to cater is necessary for this site to function as the support site it's intended to be. Good luck, folks! ~Cheri

For about four months I avoided it completely, doing the way low carb thing. Around six to nine months I was working on incorporating a more "normal" approach to diet and would add in healthy whole grains to boost my carb intake. In maintenance, I don't avoid bread at all, but I eat it in balance and moderation, knowing that it will cause problems if I overdo it. In the beginning, half a thin slice of toast was enough to stuff me all on it's own. Sometime around a year I was able to start eating a half sandwich made on homemade sliced bread or a whole grilled cheese made on the same bread. Bread can cause me issues, particularly the nice, fluffy rolls that swell after you eat them, so I have learned to be satisfied with a bite or two. But for me, avoiding rice, Pasta or flour tortillas is more important than avoiding bread. Those foods hurt me if I'm not extremely careful, but I've learned how to eat bread in moderation and besides, I'm a serious baker and really wanted to find a way to make my breads work. Your experience will be completely based on your sleeve, your dietary limitations and your ability to exercise moderation. Good luck! ~Cheri

Hey, time flew! Best of luck to you and swift healing. ~Cheri

I hate Spanx but lots love them. They just make me overheat and don't suck in enough for my tastes. I can't give advice on the arms but for a high waist cincher I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Rago shapewear. It's old school - quite retro - but leaves a great line under my clothes and pulls everything in, revealing MY shape, not the shape of my skin. I like the Rago 821 as it has super firm control and really pulls it all in. It goes from directly under my bra to the top of my hips and nobody has ever realized it's under my clothes. I have one in nude and one in black so they work under anything. It all depends on how much you want from your shapewear. If you're looking for some moderate smoothing, things like Spanx or the Maidenform shapewear will work. If you want something that really shapes you, search out the retro shapewear. For some folks it's too uncomfortable but I love it. Then again, I wear custom corsets, too, so I'm used to and enjoy that constriction. Good luck! ~Cheri

Thank you, PdxMan. Not only have I long enjoyed your posts, your perspective and the fact that I feel that like me, you try to balance genuinely helping people with convincing them to help themselves, but I guess I needed validation from an actual vet that's been here a long time, too. As for Nicolanz's response that seems to infer (oh so politely) that I should leave VST since I don't want to play by the exact same set of nicey nice rules she feels should run the site, I find that incredibly offensive, regardless of how you delicately worded the notion. I get on VST mostly to help other people. I've only posted a handful of posts in over three years asking for help...and sadly? I got very few responses each time. But it's draining to log on and see I have seven messages and six of them are questions that are currently being addressed or people asking me to do their research for them. Why? Because I DO care, and I DO want to help people and I feel an obligation to respond to everyone that takes the time to message me, even when I have more important things to do or I've already tackled the topic a dozen times. As people that do converse with me via PM know, I do my best to give the same (wordy) thoughtful and helpful responses when the question is something I have actual experience with or feel I can help with, and to date, I've ignored only ONE PM I've gotten...and it was a bizarre one asking me to do things that have nothing to do with VST. If I scare people off or make them insecure about PMing me, odds are good those are exactly the people with exactly the questions I didn't want to answer. And as this is a community that numbers in the THOUSANDS, I have every confidence that they'll be able to ask the question of someone more approachable that can answer the same questions with a smile on their face after several years. When you've spent more than three years here repeating yourself over and over again, come back and revisit this conversation and I'm sure your perspective will have changed. I love VST. I got very little feedback the few times I reached out while I was working towards goal, but I try to give back because of how that felt. But I am sick to death of the constant nicey-nice police patrolling every post out there dictating how exactly people are required to respond or ask questions here. I am not deliberately rude or offensive and I give really thoughtful responses that clearly take a lot of time. If my personal pet peeve is that people can afford the time to send a PM or make a post about a question, but not the time to actually see if it's already been answered seven million times before - sometimes the very same day they post! - well, that's understandable to those of us that have actually been here a while. Frankly, this is the very same lack of ownership and responsibility that bothers me about the entire process - people that don't want to do the work to make the most of their sleeve are here in abundance, too. They want the easy way. And that often translates into what I call (and try to avoid answering) "lazy posts" that address things discussed and beaten to death here. I promise - a thread about the three week stall is just as relevant if it's ten days old or a year old. I avoid a huge majority of posts nowadays just to avoid the frustration this brings. But then those posts wind up in my PM box, and that's why I very nicely and politely asked for advice, from EXPERIENCED VETS, on how they deal with the same thing. If I have to weed through and avoid posts, people can do the same thing if my posts offend them. There's a block button for a reason. I don't think there's a good reason to use it and never have, but if it makes people have the kumbaya experience they long for on the VST site, it will certainly help them out. To the vets that took the time to respond with thoughtful responses that actually address what I asked, I appreciate that. And Amytug - great idea, and one I'm definitely considering. ~Cheri

Oh for goodness' sake, no need to flounce. If you don't want to be on VST, it's as easy as disabling your notifications and not visiting the site. If you want to limit your activity it's up to you. Only you can make the choice to let replies you don't care for bother you. In more than three years I've seen my share of rude or insensitive posts and had some directed at me and even made a few myself. But by and far I've read thousands upon thousands of polite, helpful and genuine posts here from people simply trying to help one another. If you choose to let the very few outweigh the benefits of the very many, that's entirely your choice, certainly. I've needed a few of my own VST breaks over the years and it's fine to step away and come back later. In the real world, we have to deal with people that aren't as friendly as we'd like, too, and we don't get to just block them or delete them from our lives. It's a huge mistake to venture onto a public forum full of strangers and expect people to answer your questions in a particular way. Saying "that's not the kind of support I was looking for" doesn't cut it here. We are a community of thousands of people each with a different view and experience and yes, a different way of phrasing things. It's one thing to be trolled or called names, but pointing fingers at people because they didn't respond with the cuddly hugs that were expected is unfair and unreasonable. I encourage you to "try to stay" but the reality is that people come and go here. Grace and I don't always agree but it's a fact that she spends a lot of her time here on VST trying to help people and she'll definitely tell the hard truth (from her perspective), and she should not have to apologize for that. Not all support is rainbow sparkly. Some people here respond best to a nice, swift, virtual kick in the pants. Clearly you're not one of them. ~Cheri

I think that what you're facing is the time to deal with the emotional side of weight loss. For long term success and health (mentally, as well as physically) this is something we have to do. Many folks don't tackle it until maintenance, but I think the earlier you can face some of this, the better. It's no fun to be the slow loser. And frankly, the "I lost 100 pounds in six months" posts get a lot more traffic and attention. It's easy to compare and feel disappointed. Beyond that, we set goals for ourselves and when we don't meet them it's frustrating and disappointing. It took me 17 months (no pre-op diet) to lose 105 pounds and reach my goal. There were times when I wanted to bang my head against the wall. And I won't lie - even two years out, sometimes I want to shake people for venting about "slow loss" when they're shedding eight and ten pounds a month...when many months I lost one or two pounds and experienced two nine week stalls. If you're doing the right things for your diet and you're still losing (even slowly) then you are on the right track. It's just not the express train we hope for when we start. If you give up and quit, you will not make yourself any happier, and you'll still be unhappy with your body. I have achieved goal. And even if I weren't pregnant right now, my normal goal weight is overweight. It bothers me, sure. I'll bet that part of it is excess skin, sure. But it took me a while to wrap my head around the fact that I was not going to be the girl complaining that I was losing too much weight. And it took me a while at goal for my body to reshape a bit and for me to really learn to love and appreciate my new, smaller body. No, it's the the swimsuit model body I secretly hoped to have. But I've done a great job and worked hard and it shows. I look a million times better than pre-op. Try to be forgiving of your body. One year post op and not at goal yet isn't enough time to get used to this new you. Friends like that are either not your friends or are letting their own insecurities out and hurting you in the process. And honestly, unless you can tell people how they make you feel, they do not know (or at least can pretend they do not know). Women are competitive. We all want to be pretty. Too many women take this too far and feel that if they aren't the prettiest girl in the group, they can't be friends. If you search VST you'll see plenty of posts from people that lost friends over WLS. It's sad and it's silly and shallow, but sometimes it can't be helped. And yes, people DO treat us differently when we lose weight. Sure, I'm more outgoing and fun now. But that doesn't explain everything. Plain and simple, people are drawn to pretty objects and don't even realize how hurtful it is when they're the same people that didn't have time for us when we were large. It's hard to learn how to have a voice. I can say that one on one counseling or perhaps some self-help books (or other weight loss journey stories) might really benefit you here. Many of us hide in our fat and hide our feelings with food. I was absolutely in denial about how I was sabotaging myself until several months post op. It's very hard to overcome emotional eating and poor habits like binges or grazing if you don't deal with these issues. And even if you do overcome the food habits - you still have to find new, healthy ways to express yourself. This is something we can tell you that you need to do, but only you are going to be able to find a way to do it. I did grow a backbone post op. I really felt I'd had one before, but it wasn't until I realized that I was important and worth fighting for that I really started to stand up for myself. In my case, family was an issue and I basically cut out all of the baggage I didn't need in my life. It was hard - it was really, really hard to confront things that had been deep down bothering me for most of my life. But it was so liberating and so freeing once I did and I encourage you to do whatever it takes to reach the same point. What's the purpose of losing weight if we remain trapped in our bodies and our emotions anyway? This isn't just a physical journey for those of us that have battled obesity most of our lives. I wish you good luck. There are some emotional eating and binge threads out there if you search and they have some great stories. There's a thread in the Vet board right now that you can read about dealing with the emotional side of weight loss. Don't give up on your journey, either the physical or the emotional one. Life at goal, and a life that's happy and healthy and free of all that past garbage is really amazing and wonderful. I'm finally a happy person and yes, it's partly tied up in the weight loss. But more than being a physical thing, it's really the emotional burdens I finally put down that the weight loss made me confront that made the difference. ~Cheri

Dehydration? It could also be an issue with dairy. Time to call your doctor, just in case there's a more serious issue. ~Cheri

The surgery alone doesn't make us high risk. Other factors that might not have resolved with weight loss surgery (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) can get you classified that way but if you're not of "advanced maternal age" and are in generally good health you'll be treated like a regular pregnancy patient. Which for me, was a bit upsetting. After a set of twins complete with bi-weekly visits and ultrasounds, I was a bit discouraged to only be seen once a month and get "just" one ultrasound. Such is life with a normal, single pregnancy! ~Cheri

shakes are fine according to my doc and for a while were the only way I could get real Protein due to morning sickness. Shakes didn't bother me but just about all food made me sick for months. They're a fantastic way to up your nutritional stats and add calories to your daily intake. Congrats! ~Cheri

I never had a great experience with any pill - too sensitive to side effects, even when trying different varieties. I had a Mirena and for controlling endometriosis it was wonderful and the side effects were less than with pills. If you're at goal or close, it might be a great option for you. A lot of women have it and love it - but when mine was in I could not lose weight at all. Once it was removed, I got pregnant as soon as I tried, so that was not an issue. For my needs, NuvaRing was the best form of birth control and it's what I'll resume after this pregnancy. It controls my endometriosis without any side effects or weight gain and it's simple to stop using - no need to have it removed by a doctor. I might also consider Mirena again but I'm not certain. My Mirena fell out post VSG and was replaced once before I finally opted to have it removed for good due to sluggish weight loss. Because I'll need to lose what weight I've put on in pregnancy I'm not sure it's the best option for me at this time. But for light/almost nonexistent periods and controlling endometriosis pain? It was by far the best treatment I've ever had. I'd think on what you've used in the past that's worked well for your body with minimal side effects and choose a similar treatment. NuvaRing is easy to try for just a few months. I'd stay away from pills unless you've had a great experience with them before and had no side effects in the past. Good luck! ~Cheri

I guess all I'm really saying is that for me, at least, (probably because our main fertility issues were related to my husband) that my success was the same before and after surgery. But if your fertility was part of the issue, it's reasonable to hope that weight loss could improve your fertility and that you'll have a better outcome this time. Just stay positive and don't drive yourself nuts testing too early! I'm due in just over four weeks. Hopefully you'll have a success on your early attempts and have this experience for yourself soon. Good luck and keep us posted! ~Cheri

It happened to me, too. Naturally, it happened in a size that I had purchased ahead of time, so I wound up giving away never worn clothes when I flew past. I skipped the 12s entirely and only spent a few weeks in 9/10s...I pretty much went from a 14 to an 8 even without losing a significant amount of weight between sizes. It's one reason I always caution people against buying clothing ahead of time based upon where they think they'll be size-wise. ~Cheri

Great update, Lara, and congrats on your success! I think a lot of where you're at (even considering a new baby) is pretty close to where I was at two years post op. In fact, just about ten days before my two year anniversary my husband and I opted to use the rest of our frozen embryos to have another little one (she's due in a few weeks now) so best of luck to you two on the fertility frontier. I still get nagged about my plate not being empty but I ignore it all. I also watch bread and rice (and Pasta, and tortillas) because they do tend to swell on me and cause discomfort all of a sudden. And I can't possibly drink after I eat, even when I want to, because it makes me terribly uncomfortable. And yes, even at more than two years out, I sometimes forget that I can't do those things. Congrats - you have so many positive things in your life right now and so many reasons to be happy with your choice to be sleeved. Enjoy it, you've earned this! ~Cheri

Good luck and hang in there. I had two serious bouts of bleeding in the first trimester. One was heavy like a period (with clots) and my husband and I were very upset and sure it was over and we were going to lose the baby. In our case, it resolved and we've had no issues since. I'm now 35 weeks and can't wait to meet our little girl. So try to stay positive. I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. Try to stay as calm and positive as you can about the pregnancy. I'm sure they told you at the ER that there isn't much they can do (that's why my doc told me, anyway) because that early on they can't really stop a miscarriage. But do keep your eyes out and do try to take it as easy as you can. My OB told me that pretty much, even going onto bedrest won't change the outcome if the baby isn't going to make it, but he did say to avoid sex for a short time if I saw bleeding or felt discomfort and to try to relax as much as possible. Best of luck to you. This is definitely an emotional time for you but your best bet is to stay as calm and collected as possible, and just try to stay positive that everything will be okay. ~Cheri

Oh, the 2ww is insane, no matter what treatment you had! Hugs, and try to just relax and stay positive. We skipped right ahead from TTC for four years to IVF w/ICSI once they finally diagnosed our issues (severe MF infertility). We did one round of IVF w/ICSI before I had my VSG that resulted in our b/g twins - now five. We froze five eight cells and did a frozen embryo transfer in July that resulted in our single pregnancy this time around. I can't say the weight loss did anything as far as my comfort or ease getting pregnant, though I know that they say fertility increases and pregnancy is easier when we're smaller. I got pregnant at over 200 pounds with twins and didn't have any serious complications or concerns. I got pregnant this time at 139 pounds. But I am definitely pregnant via fertility treatments after VSG and it did work on the first attempt again. Good luck and again, try to stay positive. It's easy to make yourself crazy while you're waiting to test. Read as many success stories as you can and hang in there. ~Cheri

Yeah, this feeling lasted until I had been at goal for a while. I think it's pretty normal. The frustrating thing (for me) was getting used to people treating me differently when I felt pretty much the same. ~Cheri

Congrats! You'll do just great, I'm sure. You already had a really moderate and healthy approach to diet, and that helped me transition into pregnancy pretty well, too. The only thing is that it takes SOOOO long from finding out the great news to actually welcoming the baby! Nine months is far too long to be pregnant, in my opinion. ~Cheri

...clearly this is still an issue. Bumping to help the folks that don't seem to have this information prior to surgery. ~Cheri Who are these surgeons that operate and don't bother to warn their patients about this common issue?

I'm seeing SO many posts about the same exact thing lately and it seems like it takes half a dozen responses before someone touches on the easiest answer, one that will drastically improve quality of life for a newly sleeved person. Expect to be on a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) after surgery. If your surgeon does not bring this up, please be proactive and ask about being on one. If he/she doesn't prescribe one as a matter of course, generic over-the-counter PPIs (NOT antacids) are available and quite inexpensive. PPIs are Nexium, Prilosec and Protonix; antacids are Pepcid, Tums or Rolaids. Many, many people have posted that Prevacid does not help, despite falling into the PPI category. It didn't do anything for me. The feeling of hunger immediately post op? Most often it's acid and a PPI will control it. Burning heartburn or acid reflux post op? Get on a PPI, not an antacid. A really noisy new sleeve? Could be acid and a PPI will help. It could also just be a healing tummy, though, and is very common. Do you feel pain, pressure or like food is coming back up when you lie down? It's acid. Take a PPI, and don't eat immediately before you sleep. Sleep with your head inclined until the PPI controls the problem. Everyone is different. I was only in need of a PPI for 3-4 months post op, though in times of stress (and apparently, pregnancy), I feel the need for one short term. More common seems to be 6 months of use and some people need them for a year. If you're taking the time to research the sleeve, arm yourself with this information. Be prepared prior to surgery! I cannot express how much this one simple thing can affect your quality of life. I hope this post makes the need for one even more visible, and leads to fewer newly sleeved patients living in pain or discomfort, and then complaining about their sleeves! Healing is a tough process with the soreness and seriously restricted diet already and there is no need to complicate matters when there's an easy fix. Good luck and congrats on your choice to be sleeved, ~Cheri