BeachWithMyBabies

I'm almost 1 month post op, so I'm just out the gate. I used to LOVE wine, but I've been a good girl and have had nada. I am a bridesmaid in an upcoming wedding and I REALLY want to imbue. Be honest. How have you dealt with alcohol? I don't want to go bananas and drink all night, but I'd sure like a glass of wine at the bachelorette party (this Sat) and one at the wedding (June 4). Go for it? One or the other? Avoid? Do you drink? Please put in your 2 cents.

I'm falling between 600-800, usually averaging on the higher end of that scale daily. I have a lot of muscle, so I start to go bananas if I eat too little. I'm also drinking about 7-9 cups of water a day. My carbs seem to average about 60-80 a day because I try to puree small amounts of veggies and banana/apple sauce into my meals to help keep variety in my diet. I can't do those shakes exclusively and I feel like a cave person only eating protein all day. Each day I give myself 2 tsp of peanut butter for fat or some avocado. I also mix my shakes with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk (hence the carbs), but I want the calcium, so it's a good trade off. No food intolerance so far, but I haven't had any sugar or bread to date. I seem to be losing about 1.5-2 pounds a week and, though I wish it was coming off more quickly, I don't feel deprived one bit. This is something I think I can stick with.

I'm 18 days post op today. I've gone from 214 at the time of surgery down to 201.1. And there I sit... all week. I know that is remarkable weight loss for just 3 weeks, but I was expecting to be in the "honeymoon" period a bit longer. I feel like I'm in a bad relationship - he's good to me for a few weeks and ignores me for one. It just seems cruel to teeter me at the precipice of Onederland. I want in that land really damn bad. I need some reality checks and pep talks. I've been battling dehydration for the past three days and really focusing on getting in my 8 glasses of water a day (64 oz). I also find that I eat an average of 800 calories a day - 60-70 grams of protein, 18 grams of fat, and about 35-50 carbs a day. Ideas?

I agree with Lara. The most important thing right now is getting your nutrients and hydration up. If whole milk will do that, do it for a week and see how you are feeling. You can always slowly step it down from whole back to 1% (I hate non-fat - I call it cow spit!) Your body is making a huge adjustment already. Puree up those hot dogs with a little cheese. Try a hard boiled egg blended with some tuna/salmon/canned chicken to make a puree that's high in protein. Just make the next week focused on things that taste good to you, that you can keep down, and have a high water/fluid content. I think you'll be golden! Keep up your amazing work. Your stick-to-it attitude is inspirational. You are doing everything right for you.

I didn't even see it this way. You are right! What a great way to look at it - much more motivating than that darn scale.

Thanks ladies!! Your entries made me feel so much better. I decided to step on the scale and guess what...? I did it! I'm now at 199.1!!!! Woot! So I guess I just needed to chill out after all. And drink my fluids. I think a lot of this recent stall was fluids and now that I'm back up to 8 cups a day, I think that it's starting to move. You are all so sweet and your words were so kind. Thanks for helping me calm down and see the amazing things I've already accomplished. It's too easy to just get focused on that end number that sometimes I need some reminders to look at what's already happened. Thanks for being such lovely reminders!

I too have 2 little kids - 4 and 2. I cried for a few days at the thought that this decision could harm me or take me away from them. But I think what I was most afraid of was the uncertainty. There are worse statistics every time you step in a car or on a plane. And then I realized that there was a higher chance of me not being there for my kids' weddings or graduations because of obesity than this procedure. Much higher risk. And that helped keep me focused. I also used Einstein's quote as a mantra: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If I backed out, then I would be trying diet and exercise again. And that just leads back to feeding my depression and thoughts of failure. And that's bad for me AND my family. So I went through it and I focus every day on getting in those nutrients and water to make sure I'm healthy and there for my kids. And you know what - I'm a much better mommy and I'm a much happier person. You know what is best for you. Just take a deep breath. You can do this if this is the path you want to take!

Thanks guys! Makes sense. I just need to have faith.

You're only 3 weeks out - take it super easy on your tummy. I agree with everyone - stick with Protein shakes and puree for now. No more super solids - they are hard for your stomach to break down which might be triggering the rejection. Also, Multivitamins with no food can also make you super nauseous. I started keeping a blog with my favorite recipes so far (only liquids and purees for me still and my surgery was the same day as yours). Here is my link: http://beachwithmybabies.blogspot.com/?zx=30715bcb23b40bf I also shop online at a store with very yummy Protein Shakes. Here is the link: http://mydietshopz.com/shopbybrand.html The shakes have aspartame, but the taste makes up for the chemical. They are the only shakes I can stomach and they taste like desert. I can't stand any of the whey shakes from the stores - all gross to me. Each has Vitamins and minerals built into the shake (made for bariatric patients) and 15 grams of protein. I mix them with 1/2 a cup of Water and 1/2 a cup of 1% milk. Try just doing 3 or 4 of those a day with some other more solid Proteins that you can tolerate. So far I'm able to get in 60-70 grams a day without too much trouble. I too am struggling with water. I'm finally up to 8 cups a day (64 oz) but I work at it ALL dang day for the past 4 days. I'm still in the hole and might have to go in for an IV of fluids today. You might want to go into the emergency room and get fluids because it sounds like you're very dehydrated. That can also add to major nausea and that not being hungry feeling. I know it might seem fussy, but seriously, you need to go in for your health. I HATE the idea of going in, but I know I could get hospitalized if I let it go to far and I refuse to let my nay-sayer friends just be smug when I have to get hospitalized - so I'm getting an IV in secret!

If you are feeling overly tired, light headed, naucous, weak, dizzy, headache, dry mouth, dark yellow urine and/or vomiting, you are probably dehydrated. This is the list my nurse gave me and told me to call if I had ANY of these symptoms. Dehydration is the #1 complication at my doctors and they IV someone with fluids EVERY DAY. Right now I'm battling dehydration and I've been getting in 6 cups of water a day. I have 2 more days to get my lightheaded symptoms under control or I'm off to the office for an IV. Also, do your employers know about your surgery? You have a right to have water breaks - I'm sure if you had a doctor's note, you would be allowed to take a water break every hour. No one - not even your company - wants you in the hospital.

Another challenge is that our fat cells never go away - they just shrink. Our bodies are now programed to be able to store much more fat than someone who was not obese. This is why surgeons tell us that the average weight loss for sleeve is 60-70% of the total weight above normal to our highest weight. This is also why surgery was the final resort for most of us. Our bodies are good fat storage facilities. Just cause we're skinny now doesn't mean we can eat like someone who's been skinny their whole lives. That is why we need to maintain a much lower daily calorie threshold than someone who was not obese as well.

I know this will have a large range, but I'm trying to get an idea of how much weight people lost about 7 weeks post op. I just completed my first week and I'm down about 9 pounds (yay!) I am a bridesmaid in a wedding on June 4th and I need to buy my dress... and I don't know what size I'll be!! On average, what was your weight loss? Did your feet change at all as you lost fluids and bloat? Below are my specs just in case anyone is similar in body to me: Start Weight: 222 PreOp Weigh: 213 Height: 5'4" Thanks for all your advice in advance!

I can eat a 1/4 cup of pureed chicken veg soup in about 10-15 minutes. I know I need to slow down and work on it. It just seems like such small bites to be stretching it to 30 min to eat! I think a lot of this phase is learning what full feels like and not overeating. I had an overeating disorder, so I think my body doesn't get all the cues that it should. Compared to me, it sounds like you are doing picture perfect! Keep up the good work. And maybe share some of your secrets with me!!

It's amazing how confident about surgery I can be one day and then how much I can question it the next. My doctor likes his patients to lose 10% of their total body weight before VSG surgery. To help me with this, I've joined Weight Watchers. Ironically, when diets NEVER worked for me before, WW is suddenly working well. I've been losing about 2.5 pounds a week following the plan. Now I'm starting to question whether I do the surgery or not - which is VERY frustrating. Has anyone had this happen to them? My ego has sabotaged me before - I get cocky and then I think I can eat anything. At the same, my BMI is right on the border. I'm approved by insurance and my surgery date is in less than 2 weeks. Is this logical, or am I just trying to sabotage myself again?

I'm 10 days post op and my restriction seems to be really low. When I first left the hospital, it was work to try and get in all my liquid Protein and Water. I was hitting my protein minimum (paranoid about losing my hair later on, so I'm very anal about drinking it) and sometimes my water. However, now that I'm 10 days post op and my stomach swelling is down, I'm able to drink 1 cup of liquid fairly easily over 30-45 minutes. Is that too quick?? I feel like I should have much more restriction. I'm able to get in all my protein and water consistently now. I know that's good, but it seems like so many others are still struggling at my point. Sample of my daily food: whey shake (15 pro) + 1/2 cup 1% milk (5 pro) + 1/2 c. water = 20 grams sf pudding + 1/4 cup 1% milk to dilute + nasty gall bladder meds = avg 5 grams Whey shake (15 pro) + 1/2 cup 1% milk (5 pro) + 1/2 c. water + 2' slice of banana + 2 t. Peanut Butter = 22 grams sf pudding + 1/4 cup 1% milk to dilute + gall bladder meds = avg 5 grams 1 cup cream of broccoli (insert Soup here) soup = no pro, but tired of sweet by this point sf pudding + 1/4 cup 1% milk to dilute + gall bladder meds = avg 5 grams And then I try and squeeze in 6 cups of water in throughout the day BTW - my shakes all have less than 5 carbs in the pack and minimal fat. Does this diet look about right, or am I getting too much milk/carbs? I'm able to get this all in every day to hit my goals. I've lost about 9 pounds. Thoughts? Or am I just paranoid? I am so used to diets failing, I'm a little worried about it. Thanks for all your help!

I told my husband first, then my parents. I also told my co-worker that shares a classroom with me. I built up the courage to tell my trainer. Then I waited a few weeks and emailed all my other local family. I still haven't told my family out of town. I have had some negative responses, but it's been empowering telling those people why it was the best decision for me. I teach high school and all my students know I went out "for surgery" and know it was outpatient (because I didn't want to scare them). I don't know if I'll be going into much more detail than that. I'm a pretty transparent person, so if someone asks, I'll tell them. The day before my surgery I started a YouTube channel to document my progress and I decided to post it on my Facebook. I have had the most wonderful notes of love and encouragement. All in all - very positive experience so far! It's nothing to be ashamed of, but it's also very personal and you need to do what will be best for your happiness.

I need some info and I'm in. It would be great to finally meet you face to face!

Thank you all for indulging my paranoia. It's so much more comforting knowing that other patients from other doctors are experiencing the same thing. I desperately want this to work, so I think that desperation is making me a little crazy. Guess my next YouTube video will be addressing that! lol "Post-Op Insanity" Happy Easter to everyone. May we all have strong will-power amongst the gluttons of the day!

I have barely had an appetite since surgery. I've been getting in my water and protein goals. Suddenly today I am VERY hungry. Tummy is growling and everything. And the left over pizza my family ate for dinner last night is causing me MAJOR cravings. So far, only protein and thinned down pudding for me, but my restriction seems to be much less today than yesterday. Is this normal? I was kinda hoping I'd never feel this hunger again. Trying my best to stick to liquids, but OMG I want pizza so bad. Oh... and I started my period. Perhaps Aunt Flo has something to do with this new craving??

My doc has put me on Gall Stone medicine immediately after the sleeve surgery. It's to prevent them from forming. I'm sure you can inquire with your doc. I need to take it with every meal - I think for 6 months or so. I guess rapid weight loss can cause gall stones, so this is a preventative measure.

I had my surgery almost a week ago and I've figured out a way to kinda sleep on my side. I also have lower back pain and I just couldn't get sleep on my back. I use the breast-feeding pillow "The Boppy". I put one of the ends underneath my stomach (I find the side of my tummy where my stomach is is much more comfortable than the side where I had the drainage tube - that is still a bit too sore). I put the other end between my legs. The pillow seems to relieve a lot of pressure enough for me to tip towards that side. Then I sleep on the couch so my back is towards the pillows. I'm also inclined a tiny bit with help from the couch. Once you get the right positioning, it's very comfortable and I've slept much better. I hope that helps you!!

I had the same feelings right before mine. This quote helped me figure out the right thing to do: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result." If you are like me, you've already tried dieting for many years. You can lose, but you can't maintain. The surgery is a totally new angle and it works. There are thousands of people proving that on this site every day. I am less than a week post op (had my surgery April 14th in the morning) and I feel great (already down 2 pounds in 4 days). I was super nervous going in, but once I came to in recovery, I was so happy. This feeling of relief and excitement overwhelmed me and I don't question it at all any more. It's my wish you get there too! Don't give up on yourself - your doctors have referred you to this for a reason. Trust your instincts and just keep chanting that mantra! You'll do great.

I have some wicked bloat going on in my belly. Any suggestions on how to get this gas gone?

I had my drain in the entire time I was in the hospital (2 nights). I think it helped with the gas because I never got those horrible gas pains in the shoulders a lot of people talk about. However, on the last day, it was really hard to walk and talk with it in. It really started to hurt. once they took it out, I was good to go! Even though it was annoying, i think I'd have it again if I ever had the option. Gas pains SUCK.

I was totally freaking out before I went into surgery. I had to relax and "white light" every negative thought until I got the anesthesia. However, once I woke up (and then fell asleep for another 6 hours) and then woke up again, I was so thrilled! I am so excited to start this journey. My experience was wonderful, my roommates were amazing women with insight and kindness and my nurses were 100% caring and fun. Not a bad way to start, I might say!