MrsG

Think of your stomach as a funnel. The food gets in there and starts to digest pushing it slowly to your small intestines. When you drink you dilute your food making it get to your intestines quicker which in turn makes you feel hungrier quicker. By prolonging water the Protein sustains you longer. Hope that helps. There is a youtube video about the funnel thing. Pretty cool.

I agree, you can drink a lot more and faster with a straw. My dr said not for 6 weeks. I think I did at 5 and have ever since. I like it because I can get more than the 64 oz recommended when I use straws. See what your dr says tho because they're all different

My not regret is I didn't do it Sooner. I'm 39 and have been overweight my whole life. I wouldve loved to have had it around your age, it couldve saved me years of more yo yo dieting and getting no where. I've dieted since age 11. I agree with the poster who said by having this surgery it doesn't mean you can never do pizza or drinking with friends, it's just done in moderation. It is a lifestyle change for sure, you will have to change how you eat and view food for the most part. If you feel ready to do that I think it's great! It's a great tool, but one you have to decide to either use to the best of your abilities or not. Good luck!

I didn't blast it on facebook or anything, I didn't want anyone to know before surgery only my husband, parents, brother and a close friend knew. Now I'm not too worried about it. I still don't advertise but if someone asks then ill decide if I want to divulge that information. I've told a few more friends and they are pretty supportive. I haven't ever disclosed my weight to anyone but my mom and husband. Then it did occur to me that when ppl ask how much I've lost and they see (to me anyway) how big i still am, they can figure it out that kinda bugs me. So I guess a part of me is ashamed still. Not about the surgery itself but how large I let myself get before doing anything, ya know? I do find it's easier to tell strangers than ppl I know which I think is weird.

I take ibuprofen and I always make sure it's with food. It's ok with my dr, I would ask yours.

Scrambled egg for me too! I put mushrooms in mine and a little seasoning salt and it's bomb!! I've eaten that every day for 3 months! Sometimes ill eat it with a little hummus too.

Omg I'm totally having this problem!! But seriously, I think mine is an age issue because I'm turning 40 this year! This last year I've had back trouble, found out both my knees have severe arthritis &my memory is going! Woo hoo, welcome to 40!!! Lol!

Lookin good!! You can totally tell! Keep it up!

Thank you Mistysj. To Southernsoul I can tell you that I had surgery on 1/15, I've lost 80lbs since surgery and before this unfortunate event in which I tore my cartilage my knees were doing great. In fact I was noticing that they didnt hurt as much and felt better when I was exercising. I really think getting some weight off does help. No it won't reverse the damage and arthritis we have but losing weight does make them feel better! I'm sorry about your knees! I hope wls helps your knees feel better too and you're able to hold off on replacements as well!

Don't feel bad OTR!! We're only human and messing up is part of life! I think it's good you reaching out for support! The great thing about the sleeve is you can mess up and still get back on track. You know what to do, get back to the basics! You can do it! I know you can! You did it before!

Well I can tell you this....I just tore some cartilage in my knee and I have to have surgery. I went to an orthopedic surgeon who is awesome. Anyway, he looked at my X-rays and he a tally looked sorry for me when he told me I have severe arthritis in BOTH of my knees. I wanted to cry. He said I actually need knee replacements. The problem is that I'm only 39, he said that's way too young. His plan is to fix my cartilage then do something to stave off replacing my knees til I'm older I'm thinking cortisone shots. Point being is I've ruined my knees from being overweight for so long. I felt so depressed after my appt. he was very nice tho and commended me for having weight loss surgery and thinks I will be doing much better in a few more months as the weight continues to come off. As far as internal damage, I do wonder about my heart. I mean carrying all this weight and making it work so hard for so long I'm sure has taken its tole and probably knocked off a few years. I guess all I can do is go forward from here. I mean if diabetes in some ppl can go away and others get off bp meds that's got to mean something right?

I agree. We've been there and had people gawk at us which is even more important to show compassion. Everyone's story is different. Maybe they've given up or don't care or maybe they don't have insurance or money to be able to have surgery. Overweight people already get the looks and judgement from others who have never battled their weight. The last thing they need is someone who used to be like them looking down on them also. If you see someone eating like that, instead of getting angry stop and thank God you were blessed enough to have lived long enough to have such a wonderful surgery. One that gives us a second chance at life.

Woo hoo! It's a great feeling, isn't it? Way to go!

Omg me too!! Dr says take 20 mins to eat? Who needs 20 mins? I do it in 5... It's awful! I work in pharmacy and not a whole lot of time for lunch so inhaling food after so many years is a hard habit to break! So yeah, I'm workin on it still!

Because you lose it faster with wls which doesn't give your skin too much time to adjust and go back. When you do it yourself, it takes longer and it's slower giving your skin time to shrink with you. And typically you exercise more when you do it on your own which I think makes a difference too. I exercise to try to tone things up but I'm still losing faster than I can keep with.

I do pedicures! I love them and if I've been good with my exercising I like to treat myself to one. The last gym I was a member of had a sauna and hot tub in the women's locker room. When I would have a really great workout I would treat myself to sometime in the hot tub and sauna! I loved it! It was a great way to unwind and relax and just feel good! My current gym doesn't have one and I now live in a small town with no hot tub gyms! which is why I do the pedis now! Love the youtube! I subscribed! Awesome topic, I'd love to hear other things ppl do too that are not food related!

It did for me.....

I was told no caffeine for the first 2 months then after that I was told to go for it. I enjoy coffee several times a week. Did your doctor say no caffeine ever again? is that why you thought you would be lectured? Did your dr say that was the cause of your pain?

I was told take no longer than 20 mins to eat. That's the amount of time it takes the food to digest and start to reach your small intestines. If you keep eating, it keeps digesting allowing you to fit more food. It usually takes me about 10 mins to eat, slowing down for me has been hard to adjust to. Keep measuring, that is very important so you dont overeat and hurt yourself. Also, I eat about every 2-3 hours. Make sure you're drinking your Water too, that will help with your hunger!

This part does suck! Big time! We've all been there. But know life will get better! Wait til the first time you get on the scale and see a big weight loss! It's then that it's all worth it! Hang in there and try to just concentrate on healing.

That's because now you are living on the other side of the sleeve and going thru it! I really think it's normal and a lot of post op ppl experience this. I had an "off" week around 2 months out. It passed but I just felt really sad and depressed andmy weight loss and life in general were doing great! I would say that if you keep feeling this way for a period of time or it starts affecting your life to see a dr. But to have days like this is normal.

Very good reminder!

Prior to surgery I had reflux all the time! I took Zantac on a regular. After surgery I was put on omeprazole 40mg for 3 months. Since my prescription has run out the reflux has not returned which makes me VERY happy!