johnlatte

good job on the couch to 5k. Stick with it and you'll be running full speed in no time.

Mark is spot on. Don't weigh everyday, it is easy to want to see a ton of changes right out of the box, but realistically it isn't going to happen. Get your water in, the more water in the more comes out. A lot of foods have a ton of sodium, you have to watch that if you are reducing your intake as it will cause you to blow up quickly. Also as your body adjusts to the surgery, it will do every thing it can to hold on to as much energy (fat) as it can. Are you doing some type of exercise, walking etc. Its not too soon to start moving about to get your heart rate a little elevated. It will happen, you just got to let the body get used to it.

I agree. Pre surgery, I never had to get up more than once during the night, usually around 3:00am. But I had untreated apnea, so I suspect that had a lot to do with it. I have had some issue at times with having a to go, but it not working so well. But again, I relate that to the weight. Now, I'm like the proverbial Russian Racehorse.. Go get yerself checked out. Could be an infection or an enlargement, something relatively simple.

There's a lot of controversy on this board and others around the whole soda - carbonation debate. As seen in this thread, it can take a passionate turn in either direction. My opinion is that if you want to, feel free to do so. If you don't want to do it, then that's fine as well. I chose the latter for a lot of different reasons. The biggest is that I am truly committed 100% to making this surgery work. If I have to make a sacrifice then I don't think that is too unreasonable. It is very easy to say that an occasional treat isn't a bad thing, and I suppose that may be somewhat true, but think about why we all are here. We had just a bite, then maybe a taste, then it was a sip, then it was small, medium, then large, then it was a Big Gulp, with fries and extra cheese. I think we all owe to ourselves and step back a sec and say, is this the best thing for me at the time? No, an occasional treat certainly isn't going to lead to a failure...or could it? It is really hard to say and it depends on the person involved and their definition of "occasional". We are all so different, and got to this point through different paths and reasons. But the bottom line is that we are all here. Cravings have nothing to do with the sleeve and everything to do with what's going on between the ears. Think of cravings as a bad habit. Bad habits typically lead to other bad habits and the cycle gets more and more bigger, small to medium to large to Big Gulp. OP what ever you decide to do, its what works best for you. I hope that you examine both sides carefully and make the choice that fits your weightloss journey the best. Good luck with what ever you decide!

about that amount of time. Basically it was to heal up inside, the bouncing on the pavement caused a little pain around the incision area. I think I waited about a month but not more than six weeks. I walked on the treadmill a lot in the mean time.

Unfortunately, the surgery alone will not remove the urge to eat nor will it completely remove all your cravings. The two are actually different things. Cravings aren't really hunger, but are brought on by emotions, stress and habits. Hunger is caused by the hormone grehlin that is secreted into the stomach. WLS will take away a lot, but not all feelings of hunger and ultimately they will return. The degree differs from person to person and you will still know when it is time to eat. You will still have the cravings if that is not addressed and properly dealt with. I would suggest a couple of things. First, you should discuss your "food addiction" with someone who is a professional in diagnosing and treating these types of disorders. Work with them to come up with a reason for your cravings and how best to address them. Second, find yourself a nutritionist that can help you build a plan for your recovery and ongoing success. Relying on the sleeve alone is really setting yourself up for failure, as it is not a magic pathway to immediate weight loss. It will restrict the amount of food you can intake, but there are lots of ways to eat around the sleeve. By addressing both the physical and psychological aspects of your obesity, you will have a better chance at making it to your goal. Good luck with your journey.

Really? Us? Nah...

It takes a while to heal and for the restrictions to become more prevalent. Maybe a couple to 3 weeks if you follow what your Dr. wants and not try to jump ahead. Once you are eating more solid (soft) foods you will start to feel the restrictions. Right now the best thing is not to worry so much about eating and just make sure you are getting in your proteins and liquids.

I agree with Jenn, waiting would be a good thing.

Most likely yes, but from a nutritional stand point, I would stay away from them. Full of sodium, fat and organ meats. For example a can of potted meat has 160 calories, 0 carbs and 11 grams of proteins, BUT has 840 grams of sodium and 12g of fat, 3.5 of which is saturated fat. There are better choices out there that will give you the nutrition you need, but not the salt and fat.

While this can get debated, potatoes are something that may have to be off your list. This is a high starch and high carbohydrate food that will not help in your weight loss journey. You should have a discussion with your nutritionist, but I have a feeling they are going to scratch all white starches, (rice, bread, pastas) off your list of approved foods. Doesn't mean you can't go out and eat them till your heart is content, but it won't be the best choice you could make.

Not really, chewing is something that you want to get used to. Most of us were guilty of gulping our food or eating too quickly. The sleeve is going to balk at swallowing large bites of food and you aren't going to feel well aftwards.

It's not really a specific "hidden menu". It isn't something that they keep under the counter that you have to ask for. Panera will modify just about any menu item to suit the tastes of their guests. Just just have to tell them what you want. I just did a one day internship at a Panera this past week, and we talked specifically about the "secret menu". It is just in the way you order something. Panera is big on making the customer's happy and this is just another way of doing so. You can order what ever you want, that is on their menu, any way you want it made up.

There are no specific "guidelines" as every Dr. or nutritionist follows a different path. Your best bet, sans a nutritionist, is to work out a plan that works best for your body and the amount of weight that you need to lose. For example, for me I am at 1100 calories with a 2 to 1 protein to carb ratio. That might not work for some (actually isn't doing me a lot of good either). I might suggest that you find a nutritionist in your area. Many gyms either have one on staff or know where you can find one. Many hospitals offer nutritional counseling as part of a wellness service. Even the local YMCA does it. It would be good to at least have a conversation that would get you going in the right direction. Trying to do this on your own, is going to be extremely difficult.

Regret wise I am sort of on the fence. Early on, I thought this surgery was a great thing. I never had an OMG moment, I was focused on getting the weight off and getting healthy. I've had a degree of success and have cut my obesity medications (diabetes, hbp, chol etc.) either out completely or at least by half. For that I am grateful. However, I think the love affair with my sleeve is shortly coming to an end. My weight loss has slowed tremendously to a very painful crawl and after 4 months, I have just managed to get to my half-way goal, I feel that it maybe improbable if not impossible to make it all the way to the very end as after 6 months, the weight loss really slows down. i could have very easily taken off the weight that I am losing now, faster and more efficiently. I've done so in the past. In a way the sleeve is making it harder, because I don't want to eat, so I am only eating smaller, less nutritional portions. One of the things that burned me out from all the other times I've gone down the WL path, was that for me, I had to work out like a triathlete just to see a modicum of success. So far the sleeve hasn't changed that at all. Five or ten years ago, that was okay, but I am a bit older now, and the body physically doesn't recover as well from a daily pounding of running, cardio and weight lifting that I have to do, just to see a 1 pound loss a week. There is also this sense of permanence that you really need to understand. This is the way it is going to be from now on. It isn't something that you can change down the road. You will be different, you will feel different, people will look at you and treat you differently. Family gatherings, outings with friends, holidays all take on a bit of a different meaning.I was at a funeral for a relative just recently and three different people asked me about MY surgery?? Really, is this the most appropriate thing to be doing right now? I am not trying to put any of this in a negative light. Rather I am hoping to show you the other side of the coin. I am truly grateful that for the success that I have achieved so far. However, I honestly don't know that 4 or 5 years down the road, I am going to be able to say that I don't regret doing this. I hope that I don't regret it, but I fear that I probably will. I wish you nothing but good luck in what you do.

I like the Quest brand. no sugar, about equal in carbs and proteins. The Chocolate brownie and the peanut butter ones are the best IMO. I bought a sample box on Amazon and have been trying each brand. Not a big bar person ideally, but these make a quick snack for on the run or the car.

Oh wow, I went through a pretty bad spell last week since it was my 4th month (11/20). I'm down 49, but wanted to be at 50 or more. Still need 50 to hit goal. i didn't expect to be at goal weight quickly, but a lot quicker than I am now. Have been pretty disappointed with the sleeve at this point. Feel like more weight should be coming off. I'm doing everything by the book, but still only losing about 1 lb a week. My biggest disappointment is that I am losing weight that I have already lost a bunch of times. I want to get to the other side of 200 so badly it hurts. Everyone here has been super supportive in saying that you shouldn't compare yourself to others, and they are 100% correct, but it is still hard when you are busting your butt going to the gym 5-6 days a week, logging everything you do, measuring everything you eat and watching every gram of carbs and protein for a lousy pound a week. I'm grateful for the loss, and I am grateful that I've been able to cut my meds in half, but I want to be where I need to be. Anywho, I guess all us slow November losers have just got to keep on keeping on.

A good friend of mine was on Sugar Dome. I watch Triple D and Chopped. Heck I'm a chef, so if working around food doesn't bother me, watching it sure won't

You look great, your bf need a warm glass of shut the hell up!

I've never stopped taking any type of pill or capsule. My vitamins and calcium are chewables because the absorb better but everything else I take is a cap or a pill. Never had a problem.

I've tried them and found them to be quite nasty.

Just to satisfy my own curiosity, why would they recommend something like this?

......and Laura kills yet another thread!

I was in the hospital about 31 hours. Got home. took liquid hydrocone for about 2 nights just to sleep. Never had any real pains, just couldn't lay comfortably on my stomach. Was up and about and driving within 3 days of surgery.

Sleeved on Tuesday, went back to work on Monday (I'm a chef and was on my feet for 9 hours straight) and hit the gym. Two weeks to the day flew to New Mexico from NC for an event. Never had a problem.