TheGamer

So I went in to a stall just after my 3 week post-op. It's been hanging around for a week and a half now, no big deal. What is a big deal is that even though I'm religiously following orders, I'm noticing weight creep. It's not much, but it's about a pound and a half since last week. I'm doing everything I was told to do - I'm exercising (walking) 20-30 minutes a day, I'm getting in at least 70 grams of Protein, under 100g of carbs (way under!), very little fat, and taking all meds and Vitamins. On average, I'm eating about 500-700 calories a day, which leaves me at least 2k caloric defecit on a daily basis. Now I'm getting frustrated. I know I'm supposed to wait this out with the patience of a saint or something, but I am neither patient or a saint so it's going really poorly. I've tried various tips and tricks to jump my metabolic rate and I'm just... ugh >.< Nothing's working.

3 weeks? o.O Doesn't my body know I have a schedule to adhere to? My body really needs some quality control or something =|

Yeah, I was forbidden to lift anything heavier than 25 pounds for six weeks. I'm not allowed to do any exercise more strenuous than walking. I would talk to the surgeon and find out what your post op restrictions will be.

Me too! For me it was just sugar free hot cocoa with unflavored powder in it. I've tried tons of others and for the most part they just all taste disgusting. I've noticed that my reaction to a lot of foods (not just protein drinks and powders) has changed. I'm really not even the same things I did before surgery because I can't stand it.

My nurse explained to me that warm liquid actually helps the muscles of the stomach relax and that it will help ease whatever you're drinking down. I lived off hot things my first couple weeks.

Ugh, I wish I could. The taste of Isopure makes me gag. For some reason post-surgery I've been really sensitive to the taste of anything protein drink related and it usually isn't pleasant.

Yeah, unflavored protein powder was a lifesaver for me (and stil is) as far as getting in my 70. I use Nectar unflavored and mix it with hot cocoa or ovaltine and I can hold that down really well. I think I'll always need to rely on some sort of shake/drink to get my grams in until I'm ready to chow meat full time.

I get impatient, too. Mostly it's because I'm taking these tiny little bites and my body is used to eating, not nibbling. The body is good about telling you "NOPE", that's for sure

Haha, no. The surgery was done at Baptist East in Louisville. He did it with DaVinci robotic assist and everything went really well. They're great about pre and post-op care and are really responsive with any needs or questions.

People who say things like that are people who are just either stupid, ignorant, or (in this case I suspect) jealous. There's a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that for many people, it's almost impossible to lose weight the traditional way. Nobody would consider surgery just to get 10 or 15 pounds off, and I'm sure everyone here (yourself included) has a list of tried and failed "diets" a mile long. Do what you need to do, look fabulous doing it, and be proud of what you've done!

I'm in the same spot. I've been stalled for about a week and a half now. Just keep at it. I've noticed that even though I don't see any scale progress, I do see body and clothes progress. I can fit in jeans I never would have worn pre-op! One thing that may help you is to start taking body measurements once a week so that even if the weight loss isn't there, you can see that you really are losing.

Until it's more than just a date, I don't know if there is any real reason to say anything. For the most part I'm like you, being really private. I don't care to have people in my business, regardless of what that business is. With people I don't have to deal with on a daily basis I've been pretty general about the whole thing. When they ask what surgery I had, I tell them it was gastrointestinal and let them draw their own conclusions. I suppose, though, that being up front is a good way to weed out the jerks who'll judge you for having had a weight problem

I had mine with Dr. Oldham from Bluegrass Bariatric.

XD I described clear liquid Protein drinks to my mom as "tasting like ass." Her reply? "How do you know what ass tastes like?"

I've heard some people say that they'd chew on something and spit it out, just to get the chewing sensation.

I was in for two days, went home around dinnertime on day two. Honestly I felt so lousy that all the things I planned for came to nothing. It seemed that all I really did was sleep, wake up, walk, sleep, wake up, walk. This was all on standard pain medication, though.

Well, just found out today that they're wanting me to go back in for an EGD because when I eat most things I get nauseous. They just want to check and make sure that the stomach size isn't too small. Yay more hospital! *rolls eyes*

Sounds like you're in a stall/plateau. I would love to be down 130 in 7 months, personally. There are a lot of tactics for dealing with stalls, including upping calories for a bit, changing up your exercise routine, and then just plain giving your body time to adjust. Remember, your body's default thing to do when it's losing weight is to fight to hold on to it, because it's sure you're dying of starvation. Keep it up, you're doing great

Basically you substitute your meals with the shakes. I would recommend calling back and asking them for more specifics, because that sounds terrible they didn't provide you much guidance. You want to get a Meal Replacement shakes. My surgeon recommended Bariatric Advantage shakes, unjury is popular too. My two weeks went like this: shake made with Water and a little fruit or milk (not fruit AND milk, too many carbs!) in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I had about 1/2c of steamed broccoli every day. I could have up to 5 shakes a day, but I found that after the first week, I was having trouble eating even 3 of them. If you've been instructed to take any supplements, make sure you get those in, too. Get your 64 oz of water a day and remember that even though it's going to be hard, it's worth it

Not that I'm advising a crash-diet or anything, but you could always try to substitute out some shakes for meals. If regaining is going to put your approval in jeopardy, then I'd put it off, but you can always talk to your NUT about it. Call them, get the answers you need.

One thing to keep in mind is that VSG is a relatively new procedure, medically speaking. My personal example - I had my first post op appointment with my GP to check up on my high blood pressure and neither HE or his nurse had even HEARD of the procedure! One of the reasons to choose VSG is because you can get your full nutrition much easier than RNY or more extreme surgeries. I think if you spend your time around the board you'll find very few people who regret having VSG done.

For me the magic number on both counts was two weeks. My surgeon wanted me up and moving around every 2-4 hours to help avoid blood clots. They also put me on Lovenox shots (to prevent blood clots) for 10 days after I was released from the hospital. Leaks can happen after two weeks, but my understanding is that it's far less likely.

You should have a plan that was given to you. My surgeon required that I get 70 grams of Protein in a day. I could have as few as 3 shakes or as many as 5, but my total caloric intake was under 1000 calories. Check your particular plan requirements to see what they say. broth I'd drink hot, because the idea of cold broth just sounds gross. Don't forget about tea, too. Tea is amazing.

Personally? Nah. I had a ton of problems finding things I could hold down after surgery, so I got permission to bump up my schedule. After a while, I've started to let my body tell me what does and doesn't work just so I can get in the nutrition I'm supposed to. Trust me, if your body doesn't like what you just did, you *will* know! Butter's got a good point, too. Use your brain. I don't think mushy canned veggie matter will do anything, though. That's just me.

It's difficult, but you can do it. Remember, none of us would be in a place where we'd be taking this step if we didn't all really, REALLY love food, so everyone here can sympathize and understand.