gettingthere

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/02February/pages/metabolism-changes-during-weight-loss-diets.aspx A number of interesting facts in this article including a link for a weight simulator that allows people to calculate how many calories you need to cut from your diet to get to target. Interestingly, A clinical trial comparing low fat and low carb diets is recruiting in the US. I wish I could join but I don't live there. the link is in the article if you are interested.

Calcium and heart attacks link. As the link is with calcium supplements and not dietary calcium, i need to increase my intake through dairy products and decrease reliance on supplements.... So low fat cheese, milk, yoghurt etc..are back on the menu . I need to find a good vitamin D supplement now.

Hi there I am finally going to Australia! (Sydney, Ayers Rock, Cairns) I am really excited but also concerned. How will I cope with eating in restaurants every day for a month? How easy is it to get smaller meals there? I am going in autumn (UK time), Spring (Australian time). What do you recommend? any tips about where to eat? Thanks

Used something similar to Prilosec which is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Gave it up after reading a lot of articles about the link with osteoporosis related fractures.

Hi All, Officially 3 months since my op. and lost slightly over 40 pounds but I think the weight loss is already slowing down. I started eating more fish as I can eat less of it before I feel full. chicken and red meat don't work as well, strange isn't it! How are you all doing?

Hi Cath Glad all went well. I was wondering about your op. well done on your pre-op loss and I am sure you will lose a lot more fast. Good luck on your return to work. N x

Hi I am a slow loser too. I lost quite a bit of weight pre-op and since the op I lost about 2lb a week on average and I am happy with that, my skin will have time to adapt and it gives my head time to catch up with the changes in my body. I would suggest you stop looking at what other people are losing and focuss on how to maximise your own loss and stay healthy. After all it isn't a race (as most people on this forum will tell you!). There is no overall finishing line and time to get there. The only line worth concentrating on is the one in your head. I aim to keep up with my vitamins and healthly eating, exercise and keep to my 2lb a week until I get there. Once I am there, I will concentrate on staying there as healthily as possible. I congratulate others on their amazingly fast weight loss but it isn't for me. Trying to get fast results got me in a lot of trouble in the past as I put everything back on and more! Good luck

thinnertimesforum but it isn't very active and is for all wls

"Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip." And "Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork."

They gave me paper panties. the rest had to come off.

Well done on your weight loss so far! I usually wait and take comfort from the fact that it is only a week away!

Yes I did take it and as you say, in helps you fall asleep but my problem is staying asleep. Like you, I get up frequently to go to the bathroom (always have done, not sure why!) and once awake, I can't go back to sleep. On good days, I wake up at 4-5 am, on bad days as early as 1-2 am. Unfortunately 5-HTP doesn't seem to help with that.

Happened to me yesterday for the first time. Ate Tilapia fish and Veg. Definitely eaten too fast and too much. Very uncomfortable feeling and a lot of spit-like fluid coming up so I know what to do so it doesn't happen again!

Hi I am also from the UK and got the sleeve in December 2011. I am happy I did it. I lost 40 pounds but I have done that before and put it all back on. I look forward to seeing the weight drop knowing it won't come back this time, especially as I am now menauposal.

Only told my husband and my best friens. Just thought it was nobody's busi ness really.It has worked well. Weight loss is down to a successful diet (my usual new year resolution) although some nasty minds at work keep reminding me that I had tried that many times in the past and usually put all the weight back by September

Hi. I can eat a lot (800-1200 calories) too and have done so since I came off pureed food (I ate a lot more when I was on purees). I have never had problems with drinking my fluids either. I try to regulate the amount I eat by choosing dry protein first (chicken, red meats) and it seems to help me reduce the calories and amount I eat. I don't lose very fast, 2 pounds a week so far but I am happy with it. I am now 9 weeks in.

Scar tissue forms over the staple line so you can't see them anymore after it is healed. They stay in your body. My surgeon told me that minimum healing time was 8 weeks but it varies from person to person, that is why he doesn't allow solids until week 8.

I have just received my membership card to this club at 290. I didn't think it was possible but 9 weeks on I finally made it!

I agree that people will stop when they are good and ready. I was a very heavy smoker for 20 years and tried numerous times to stop before i eventually did. Before that, I was fed up of people telling me i should stop, I already knew that! People can look up the risks and make up their minds. Well done to those of you who managed to stop, good luck to those who want to stop but haven't managed it yet. I found this: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1024/smoking-increases-risk-complications-bariatric-surgery It talks about complications up to 14 months post op in smokers.

Hi former_vbg, what did your neurologist say?

Hi Jeanie, When you say "bad", how severe is the pain? So bad that you can't walk or function? I had my surgery a few days before you and I still have pain in my shoulder and upper abdomen. I saw my surgeon several times and he said that the healing process will take up to 8 weeks and some of this is normal depending on the amount of strain I put on the surgery site (i.e housework, exercise etc...). I haven't had a CT but would consider going back and demanding one if the pain was so bad that I can't move. Saying that, we hear on this forum of leaks where symptoms are just the shoulder pain (no fever) until they are eventually picked up way past the 6-8 weeks mark, so better be safe than sorry.

We need to know the good as well as the bad, so thanks for starting it! :biggrin5:

Thanks everybody! I have recently asked my nutritionist who said not to worry about it as it is short term. At this stage (5 wks post -op), I need to focus on taking in ENOUGH protein to ensure proper healing. I guess that is what I pay her for so I will take her advice and stop worrying about it!

Hope you all had a great Christmas! I am only Two and a bit weeks out and have no problems drinking. All the instructions from the nutritionist were about cramming as much protein as I could in the early days. I am still on full liquids so I have low fat milk and a number of protein drinks throughout the day. I usually stop counting after the 70 g protein mark. Today I looked in this and I had 700-800 cals and up to 120g proteins. Is there such a thing as too much protein? Should I cut down?

Oh the irony of it all! I won't mention this to my husband as one of the things that attracted me to this surgery was the reduction in hunger. If i start looking at ghrelin supplements, I can imagine the comments!