readytolive

Hi Sunny,

Congrats on your new sleeve! Some people start with refried Beans and a little cheese. I didn't do so well on the mushy phase and dove right in to regular food but it's not for everybody. chicken is dense and you need to eat it very slow and chew it really well! Otherwise I would have nitrate free turkey sandwich meat and string cheese. Just eat new foods very slowly and your sleeve will tell you if you can tolerate them or not.

Good luck to you!

Wow! This was just the thread I needed to read! I have been feeling this way during a 3 week stall. It is so good to know this feeling of "this won't work for me" is common and that even the people who have already reached their goal felt this way at one point. Thanks everyone!

Well Mystee.. I totally understand! I have been doing the same thing but it's probably when we need to be in here reading the most. I have read many people have a dreaded 3 week stall. So... I'm looking for relief around the week of the 7th of this month. We will see! I did notice that you are in ONEderland so congrats for that!

You cannot believe how I sound so like you. I have had this stall that is lasting forever and it is about to drive me insane. Keep thinking I am losing all this hair and can't eat much and don't have much energy all for 40+ pounds. I am so frustrated at this point. I stil have 60 to go and see no end in sight an no weight lost for so long after closing in on a little over 3 months. SO FRUSTRATED to the point where I have been avoiding the forums becuse I have no positive news to report.

I'm almost a month out.. how much do you think I should be eating? Here's a common day:

Breakfast - 1/2 - 2/3 Protein shake (would have 30gms Protein and 160 cal if I finished it)

2 egg whites or 1 scrambled egg and slice of bacon

Lunch: turkey and slice of string cheese

Snack: popsicle or maybe a few pepperoni

Dinner: an oz or 2 of chicken and a bite or two of something else the family is eating

snack - rest of Protein Shake from the morning and a 2nd popsicle

Hooray for breaking your stall!

I lost 10 lbs the first 2 weeks post op. Then nothing for another 4 weeks. Finally last Friday, the scale stared moving again. I weighed this morning and since Friday, I've lost 6 lbs. So now I don't feel like my surgery was a failure. Those stalls are very frustrating and make you so discouraged but when they break, you feel like jumping for joy. Oh and I guess tomorrow I need to update my ticker which has been stuck on the same number for so stinking long.

This is a good article to read about stalls: http://www.dsfacts.c...or-plateau.html

Good article.. thanks I needed to read it!

Hi Ashley.. I'm right there with you. I had surgery 7/12 and started walking right away which helped me heal well. I lost 15lbs right away and then I've been fighting the same lb or 2 since 7/17! I am only eating about 500 calories a day and getting in Protein and Water. I do 30-60min of cardio a day and it makes no sense to me why the scale isn't moving. I'm trying to listen to the "your body is just in shock" advice but I still have that fear in the back of my mind that I'm the one super weight loss resistant person that won't lose weight no matter what. I'm going to kickboxing tomorrow morning and taking out my frustration on a punching bag. LOL! Hang in there!

Hi there..

I have the same problem with itching when I over do it on the whey based Protein. Sometimes your body just gets on overload of something and develops an allergic reaction. I look for veggie pea Protein and that helps keep the itching away. Just a thought.. see if it works for you.

Hi Adri,

I don't know the answer to your question but please do post what your nutritionist says! I am 3 weeks out and would be surprised if I'm eating 400-500 calories a day and the scale is not moving! I was wondering if I hit that "starvation mode" that people talk about where your body stops losing weight if you eat to little. I googled it and just found a bunch of articles and posts stating that wasn't true. I am really curious how much we should be eating. Especially since I'm walking 30-60 min a day and not losing. I guess I'm learning just how resistant my body has been to weight loss and why I could never keep motivated to stay on a diet before!

My doc was in Mexico so there isn't an opportunity for follow up really. I don't think I have a steri strip cuz I don't know what that is?

I am a little over 2 weeks out and my incisions are closed and scabs have fallen off. The paperwork said I shouldn't swim for 6-8 weeks, do I really need to wait that long? I thought the concern was over infection of the incision points but someone else is telling me it is to not overstretch the stomach muscle and rip your stiches. Is that right? I've been walking since the day after surgery and doing some light cardio this week already. How soon can I swim?

I have the same problem! I am trying to keep up the Protein Shakes. Mostly I don't want to eat because I don't want to stop drinking Water, I'm still having a hard time getting enough in since it's summer in the desert and I want to work out. I'm 2 weeks out also and have started back with 30 min cardio sessions. Curious when people started back with weight training or at least body weight training?

That is so funny! I bet that was one of the first exercise books I ever bought as a teenager. I haven't thought about it in decades! Will have to take another look. Thanks for the tips!

Thanks Kelly for the clarification. I have found that to be totally true!

Soft calories are soft liquidy foods in essence. These caloric liquids or soft foods increase the onset of hunger too soon before the next meal. Yogurt, ice cream, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, Soups, etc.

They don't stay in our stomachs long and should be avoided after the full-liquid stage as much as possible. We should focus on more solid forms of Protein.

Hope this helps!

Kelly

I've learned that there are several differing opinions from docs and also that people progress and heal at different rates. Personally, I think the one whole week on each stage is a plan to progress you easily into a new way of eating and that is good. That being said, I also think it is conservative because they don't want to give you an inch and have you take a mile so to speak. I was healthy before surgery (no other co-morbidities) and I have progressed well thru the healing after my surgery. I think the veggies are nutritious but the main requirement needed is Protein so I would always eat that first. After about a week of Protein Drinks I had soft foods. A little bit of scrambled egg and cheese went down fine. I just made sure to take tiny tiny bites and chew really well! I'm two weeks out today and yesterday I had some chicken. It was also fine using the same technique. I started walking the day after surgery and have done so every day and I really think this has helped my recovery. I'm back up to 45 min or so like before surgery. However, the key is progress at your own pace...everyone is different. You know your body and your comfort level. So take longer if you need to, my advice is to just be sure and get protein. I notice I am much more weak and tired if I skip the Protein Shake so I drink them daily!

Hi Sue,

I had surgery on 7/12 and I still need a nap each day. I've been drinking Protein since 4 days out per my surgeon. I think part of the tiredness is also the anesthesia being released from our body. I think that takes a few weeks to get entirely out of your system.

Hi Kelly,

I just started eating soft foods this week and my weight loss has stopped. Interesting what your doc said, but what the heck is a "soft calorie?" How long did it take for you to start losing again? When you did was it like 1 lb or did several come off at once?

Thanks in advance and good luck Peony!

I was afraid to go to each new food stage as well. I was always afraid of getting sick on something. I wanted to stay where I was because it was comfortable to me.

However, I found that each new stage was just fine. Take it slow, chew slowly. You will know when you have had enough. If you are afraid to overeat, just take 2-3 bites and call it quits the first few times. That is what I did until I became comfortable. I was afraid of throwing up from overeating so I undereat my sleeve. Haven't yet felt full!

I do eat a lot more than I did in the first few weeks tho!

Just don't stay in the stage you are on. Move on, but take it slow. If you are suppose to go to pureed food, then puree you something and take a few spoonfulls and be done with it. In a few hours when you feel ok eat a couple more bites. You will begin to see that it is o.k.

I stopped losing on this stage of food and my dr. said it was because of 'soft calories". He said all of his patients do this and I would lose again when I was able to eat solid Protein. So, if you don't lose for a week or two, don't get discouraged! We all do it.

You will know what is right for you and you will be fine!!

Kelly

It's Friday and I had my surgery on Tuesday. The made me take pain meds until Wed night but I haven't taken any since they made it my option. I've been doing a lot of walking and that has helped. However, I did take my first oral antibiotic this morning and then threw it up about 10 min later. Not fun! Think I'll have to forgo that.

Congrats! Thanks for posting this, it is just what I needed to read as I sit here and wait to be taken to the OR. Can't wait to be where you are! i know I have so much more to do in this life and I've been just hiding in shame because of my weight.

I am 2 month 2 wks post op, the sleeve has been one of the best decisions in my life.

Hi Dawn, Thanks so much for the encouragement! I'll go into this much more relaxed! I'm packing now.. leave tomorrow to travel to Mexico. Can't wait to be on that losers / recovery bench with you!

Ready to live, I had a hysterectomy in 2008 and my experience was just like yours. Very painful and when they told me I had to get up and walk the first time, my whole body shook because of the pain and I could only make it two steps towards the door. I just had my surgery on July 7th for my sleeve and let me tell you, I had no nausea and hardly any pain -- Just a lot of soreness like I had done 1,000 ab crunches. I hardly used any pain medications and when they got me up to walk I did an entire lap around the hallway. I did exactly what everyone on here talks about, after my leak test I started sipping, sipping, sipping and I got up and walked whenever I could. If I couldn't sleep, I walked and by the time I came home on Saturday, I was feeling pretty darn good . I went into this surgery expecting, like you, the worst pain ever and actually was very blessed to have just the opposite. You will do great too. No one can understand that pain unless they have been through it, but this doesn't even compare.

Good luck on your surgery... You'll do great!!!

Dawn

Thanks for all the replies! So glad to know this is better than the hysterectomy! My sleeve date is 7/12 ..coming right up!

My date with Dr Kelly is set for July 26th. Anyone else going that day?

Hi there.. I'm going to see Dr. Kelly on 7/12! You bet I'm going to ask him the purpose of this crazy liquid diet.. groan!

I have done the HCG diet 2x and it is a challenge! I lost about 15lbs fairly quickly on it but then stalled. The second time I did it I didn't lose more than 4 or 5 lbs so I couldn't stay on it the full round. I tried to do daily walks the 2nd time and I found I just got too hungry! What the Hcg plan taught me is that food is way more enjoyable when you are hungry. I would savor my chicken and greens with a 2 tbsp of salsa like no other meal and it is still one of my favorites. It also can be very satisfying to eat an apple and strawberries at the end of the day can taste just like candy! However, I do believe it messed up my metabolism and I quickly put on the weight I lost plus 10-15lbs in the few months following. Of course, I wasn't going in for a sleeve after the HCG diet so that may make a difference. the first time I did the diet I did the drops which I think contained an appetite suppressant so I recommend that over the shots. The shots are supposed to be the "real" hormone but there really isn't enough proof that it has an effect on weight loss and I was much hungrier doing the shots then the drops. Good luck!

I have long thought the sugar substitutes were way more unhealthy the sugar. I find it curious to have them promoted on any medical plan.

Great News! I'm excited to meet someone going at the same time. My sugery was moved up to 7/12 but I will look for you there! Have you started a pre-op diet yet or when does yours start? I start on Thurs..