DoOver

I feel hunger at 3 hours after I eat too. It does depend on what I eat. If I eat something like pork roast it will stay with me much longer than if I eat a slice of cantaloupe. But I definately feel hunger. I don't mind because if I want to disregard it, I can satifsy it by eating maybe 3 bites of food. I honestly think it would be a bad thing if I didn't feel hunger as I get caught up in work and stuff and would probably just forget. And I still fight to make sure I'm at my protein levels so I need the reminder. But not all of us got that lack of hunger feeling.

When were you sleeved? I think I'm typical. In the beginning I actually used an egg timer because it hurt if I ate too fast. Now, just shy of 6 months out I eat pretty much as I did before. I think the thing that changed more is that I do think I take smaller bites and chew much better. I also measure my food and when I'm done, I'm done. But I have a pretty small capacity yet and pretty much have to stop. I have tested this and I really don't see any difference between putting time between bites or just eating. Food doesn't digest that fast and if you can only hold 4 ounces, you can only hold 4 ounces.

I have discovered Kay's Naturals and absolutely love them. They are soy snacks. They take a bit of getting used to but I"m so happy I have something to crunch on that's of value. The cinnamon pretzels I get are something like 12 grams of soy protein, 12 carbs, 4 grams of fiber (yea!) and only 3 sugars. The reviews are sketchy because other folks are comparing them to high test treats like real pretzels. But after 6 months of nothing like that, I love this alternative. If anyone want to try them, they are cheapest on Amazon. You have to buy a box of 12, but I decided to take a chance as I've wasted so much $$ on protein drinks I'll end up tossing, what was one more $12 purchase!

I had a co-worker who did low carb. I'm just guessing that she probably dieted from 340 something down to about 275. She said she was able to eat 60 carbs a day and was still losing. If you can do some moderate exercise along with the 80 carbs a day (and maybe tweek the program a little on the higher carb meals so that you don't eat a bit of the carbs) I think you will still lose. And frankly, moderate loss is better than no loss on gain while you are in this window.

I'm guessing you are laying down at 11:30. For those of us with acid reflux, laying down is not our friend. On the nights I have issues, it's about 1 a.m. when it kicks in. And I also only have serious issues while I'm laying down for a length of time. And while I agree that you should not use a PPI unless it's absolutely necessary, there are both acid reducers and PPI's that are over the counter. Not sure they should be, but they are. Some people believe that if you start using them, the body has a very hard time weening off. Just FYI.

I think it will get better for you. If you carry weight on your stomach, my surgeon said the acid reflux (which I also mentioned in another post I was not prepared for) settles down when you lose that weight and the pressure is no longer on your stomach. I completely understand the all consuming issue. I got so sick of watching the clock and trying to do everything right. It gets easier and better. Would love to hear how you feel at 6 months.

I actually find a plain McD's low fat cone a good thing when I'm really craving something sweet. With a tight sleeve, I can only eat about 1/2 and no cone. I ask them to make sure they make it small. I've had 3 this summer. I still would not trust any thing as strong as carmel topping. But what I find odd is that even my surgeon warns about "slider foods" and I haven't found one yet. Probably shouldn't admit this, but I kind of wish I could find one. It's odd to not be able to process even about a 1/3 cup of ice cream without feeling stuffed for a half hour. I probably should add I'm not all that crazy about ice cream so I don't think this will lead me down a slippery slope.

Absolutely. And I'm not exactly tearing up the track weight loss wise. But I'll get there. The problems are small things I'm learning to manage. I promise you, you won't always have no issues aside from being 100 pounds overweight. But nipping it in the bud might mean all of your future issues are little things to manage. You should do that for yourself. If you decide on this, just make sure you trust your surgeon and program. Then move forward.

Do you have company insurance? I'm wondering if you know anyone personally who's been approved by your plan who can guide you.

Interesting. I also ached horribly in those first 3 months. I didn't know if that was what was waking me up but it kept me from being able to fall back asleep. 90% of the ache was during the night, not very noticable during the day.

Ah, this is one of the best things I learned here. Unflavored does not mean tasteless. My unflavored actually has a very strong taste and needs to be masked pretty well to be used.

I agree that the acid reflux threw me for a loop too. I'd never experienced it before and thought it was the same as indigestion. It way isn't. I think I just wish I'd have understood how bad true acid reflux is so that I would have been making an informed decision. And I think that when you tell your surgeon you've never experienced it, he should clue you in that it's not the same as simple indigestion. For someone who already experiences bad acid reflux it really could be a decison factor in going a different way. Otherwise, I would never have bought the specialized things you read about so many people buying in the "what will I need" threads. The "need" is a very brief window of time and I could have done just fine without the things I did buy.

I have given this thread a lot of thought. I have to say I now understand the "my body, my choice" argument a lot better than I did before. My option is to remain private. I've very grateful I made that choice. I am losing very slowly. I lost as much in the 6 months before my surgery dieting as I have after being sleeved so no one has noticed anything remarkable. I've also lost large quantities of weight before to where this isn't any different to them. I do not want to be responsbile for anyone else's decision. A friend came to me about 8 years ago and tried to talk me into gastric bypass. She'd had it 3 years earlier and lost 150 pounds.She may not have meant it that way, but I felt pressured. Remember what it's like being fat and having someone come and try to fix you? That choice didn't seem right to me and I didn't appreciate her "come to Jesus" moment of sharing with me. Now, I'm sleeved and she's easily gained 1/2 of what she lost back. She no longer offers solutions to people. And I know there's at least a possibiliy that in 5 years I'll be dealing with rebound weight gain. I see it every month in my support group. Everyone should have a responsbile primary care doctor who should be talking to them about surgical options. If they are not, they need a new primary care. And if you are thinking about going into major surgery like this without having been medically cleared, that's also a bad decision. Everyone I know, and I'm not exaggerating this, has access to the internet and there are multiple WLS seminars advertised and offered in our area by 4 different medical facilities each month. I just don't think I need to be putting myself into anyone else's life as an advocate for gastric sleeve. I don't want that responsibiliy and I don't think it's my job. As this thread starts out by saying, this is just my opinion.

My house isn't that big. Unless he put it in the trunk of his car and actually took it from me, I don't think it would be long before I'd find it and be weighing. But I'm past the every day thing and only weighing maybe twice a week. My scales move so slowly I'm afraid I'd use it as an excuse to eat something bad. I play those head games with myself.

Every day I get on the scales I want to smack the snot out of one of these diet experts you STILL see saying "calories in calories out". I'm a very slow loser. Very slow. I am pretty much maxed out at about 750-850 calories a day. Like you, I was eating much more, my average in the months prior to surgery when I was "dieting" was still 1850 per day. And I was losing at EXACTLY the same pace as I have post sleeve. If you do the simple math, it does not make any sense. And yet you still hear the experts telling people it's as simple as calories in and calories out. Having just gone through another 3 week stall, I can assure you it isn't. I just hang onto the fact that I don't think I will ever gain it all back this time. Losing will be slow for me, but I think that with the restriction I will have some time to get back to a sane mind before I really gain too much down the road. That's always been my pattern before. I'm basically a healthy eater who would have 4 really bad days in a month. Those bad days are now controlled and they pass now the same as they did before, just with very little damage done. I'm just saying this to encourage anyone else in a stall or losing slowly. It all adds up! And we will get there too. And regarding the scales, go buy another set and hide it from the roommate.

Melatonin made me feel more drugged than anything I've ever taken in my life.More than the anestesia from surgery! I could not shake it off the next day. I tried it 5 times. The dose that worked to bring on the sleep wanted to keep me asleep for 18 hours. So I went to 5 mg. ambien also and have no complaints. It's one of those things where there are many solutions, you have to find what's right for you. I was lucky that it really let up late in my 3rd month post sleeve.

Speaking for the short term, it's not a problem at all as long as you are staying well hydrated. If you search here there is a thread that warns people off from Tums due to kidney stones. But in that thread, the person also says they were dehydrated. So I asked my surgeon and he said the Tums are fine as long as you are getting plety of Water. As the other poster says, you are not really absorbing the calcium, but you do need to make sure it flushes well out of your body. Short term (less than 3 months) this is the most gentle solution for your body to acid reflux. If it continues longer than that you may need to go heavier, but it doesn't sound like it's too bad of an issue for you. Regarding the night time reflux, I am 100% better if I stop eating 2 hours before bedtime. In that instance, I'm fine. If I eat after that 2 hours, I have relux almost regardless of what I eat.

Sorry if this ends up being a double reply. System is giving me some issues. I slept maybe 4 hours a night for the first 2 months. As my calorie intake per day increased from about 350 to about 600, the insomnia disappeared. I actually thought at the time it was my body reacting to the extreme calorie restriction and since it let up as I gained intake, it seemed to be the cause. At least for me.

I just bought my first one yesterday. I bought a new knit top in a 1X. I came home and tried it on and it fit but the type of fit where if it shrinks in the dryer, it would be too tight. So then I put on the compression tank I bought and put the top back on and I was amazed. It made almost a size of difference! It was not easy to get on, but once it was on it was very comfy. Unfortunately I bought it at an outlet type store and it was the only XL they had. I don't think I'll be wearing it while I'm mopping the kitchen floor but I will definately have it on for anything where I'm out among friends. For me, it's just that I'm that jiggly now. Not so much loose skin yet, just far from firm.

lol! Wouldn't it be great if we could bargain on this stuff! I'd give a cup size for the hair that's departed my temple area. On the up side, since I've also kept my boobs, I doubt too many men notice the thinning hair at my temples.

I think there's a big difference between believing Biotin helps make hair grow or believing that a biotin deficiency causes hair to fall out. Our program told us biotin deficiency causes hair and nails to be weak. In the first 3 months after this surgery a lot of folks are taking less than 600 calories a day on average and that creates an opportunity for all kinds of deficiencies. The biotin I bought was about $4 for the bottle. I think I'll take that financial loss since I don't think I need any help with my thinning hair.

Just a quick comment for anyone who's reading through this.... if you are on liquid you don't have to allow 30 minutes before and after. That window is really only necessary after you get off the liquid. And yes, you need to get your self on a schedule. I had a 3 month window where I would have never hit my protein for the day if I were not eating every 3 to 4 hours. Once my stomach healed, the drinking was not an issue. I was able to drink a glass of water in 15 minutes to stay hydrated. But having the schedule for the eating was and is important. I'm actually surprised there are so many folks who have had this surgery with no apparent training. My program had some weak spots, but overall you knew the rules by the time you were out.

I'm about 5.5 months out and my folks so absolutely not. They discussed weight gain with me and said one of the first things they ask is if you are eating and drinking together. They see a pattern there. I miss it a bit but not nearly as much as I thought I would. I miss it most when I am out with a group and see others getting to do it. Here at home, I don't think about it much.

I rode a motorcycle today. Last year this time I couldn't have gotten on one. I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I kept wondering if I'd gone through this whole difficult almost year to be thrown from the bike into a ditch. It wasn't as much fun as I imagined and I'm still wondering what other people see in it. It was bumpy and uncomfortable. That aside, I was able to get on a motorcycle. I'll take it.

I still have buyer's remorse about 1 day every other week. I'm over 5 months out. But let me assure you that if you stay hydrated and follow the basic rules, the initial window will pass and it does get better. Much better. Here's the thing for me. Yes, 1 out of 14 days I am not all that into this. I get sick of all the rules. I long for the freedom of the old days. But while I had no other health issues, my knees are absolutely shot. So I had to have this done and I had to lose weight. So one way or another in life, I was going to have regrets. It's just fact. So in spite of that occasional regret, it's still my" regret of choice". I can life with being pro-active and maybe not perfect a lot easier than having sat back and just lived a life riding the couch, fat and waiting to die. Be proud you took control It does get better. You might never be 100% regret free but in not too long of a time, you will be able to see it was the better choice to a life fighting obseity without this tool.