rdt210

3/28 5'8" SW 247 CW 232 (on 4/22) 15 lbs down at 4 weeks

Kauai is a great place to stay healthy! Restaurants have amazing fresh fish and fruits and vegetables. I have been there many times and you will absolutely love it...it is truly paradise. What part of the island are staying in?

4 weeks out (surgery date 3/25) Down 15 lbs (only weigh once a week on Monday's) Started at 247 Weight on Monday was 232 I'm 5'8" Started exercising last week. 20 min elliptical 3 times/week, working myself up Average 600 - 800 calories a day and at least 64 oz Water I take all of this twice a day: generic Prilosec, Centrum chewable, B complex, and calcium citrate gummies Great thread - very interesting!

It sounds like it's working for you! I'm 4 weeks post op today and down 15 lbs. Last week I started averaging about 750 calories/day and get 60-75 grams of protein/day. I'm curious to hear what your nut says.

I was sleeved on 3/25/13. I only weigh myself once a week (on Mondays since that was my surgery day). Weeks 1 and 2 were fine - lost about 11 pounds. When I weighed myself on week 3, I was UP .8 of a pound. WTH?? But, I learned from these forums that it was perfectly normal and seems to happen to just about everyone. I resisted the temptation to step on the scale during the week, and when I got on this morning, DOWN 3.2 pounds. Total for my first month post-op is 15 pounds, and I'm very happy with that (and no, I don't think I'm a slow loser). Oh, and my calories increased from 550-650 a day to about 700-800 a day this past week prior to my weigh-in. My surgeon wants us to shoot for 850 during the weight loss phase. I think that might be a little too low - I have my 4-week post op appt tomorrow and will ask about that. Hope that stall breaks for you soon!

I've often thought about this... and I wonder if it's the change in us that makes it seem like people around us are treating us differently. I'm a firm believer in whatever you put out to the world is what you're going to get back. Even at my heaviest I looked the world in the face (didn't walk with my head down trying to be invisible) - always had men holding doors for me, would get a smile back from someone if I sent one their way (male or female), and would chat with whoever was standing next to me in line. I just think if you act like a shrinking violet, that is how you'll be treated. With new-found confidence we may take more chances and open up more - and the world will treat you accordingly. Just my little two cents...

I just started taking the CitriCal gummies and they're not too bad. I found that a lot of the chocolate or caramel flavored chews contain calcium phosphate and my doc wants me to take calcium citrate.

I did, and I think that's normal. Why would an otherwise healthy woman (I had no cco-morbidities) willingly remove 3/4 of her stomach? During my 6-month pre-op phase I didn't really diet because I actually had to GAIN about 10 pounds to get my BMI to 40 so my insurance would approve. After showing up to a doctor's appointment in my heaviest clothes and leaving my (heavy) shoes on and keys in my jacket pocket (which I also left on), I was at the right number. That gave me about 2 months pre-op to aim for a 1600 calorie/day diet. I wished I could have done that for the 6 months. Anyway, in those 2 months I managed to loose about 6 pounds. I was tracking everything in My Fitness Pal and thought "I could just continue on doing this - do I really need surgery... maybe it will work this time". Like most folks here, I have dieted since high school and lost/gained more pounds than I can count - and always more gained. I think I started to become complacent about my weight. My all-time high was 275 in Sept. 2010, and I had lost about 60 pounds through a 12-step program (not OA, another one). I got all the way back up to 258 by Jan. of this year. I knew in my heart that it would only be a matter of time before I passed the 275 mark and would be staring 300 in the face. But the thoughts still kept going through my head... do I really look THAT bad? People still compliment me, so how bad can it be? Then I'll walk into a restaurant and have to wedge myself into a chair that I pray I will fit into. Or I'll walk into a meeting and I'm the biggest person in the room. I don't even want to get started on flying or dreaded trips to the mall to find something, anything, that would look half-way decent. I knew I had to do it. Sooooo.... I will be 4 weeks post-op on Monday and I am very happy with my decision. I was fortunate to have a relatively easy time with everything (I'm not going to lie though, the first week pretty much sucked). I have not had one second of buyer's remorse. But by the beginning of the 3rd week I started feeling like myself again and now I feel great. I think starting on the B-complex last week may have played a part in that. I have progressed really well through the food stages and have tolerated everything I've tried. I have had no nausea (I continued to take the nausea meds they gave me for 2 weeks post-op just to prevent it from coming on), and I have not thrown anything up. I started using my elliptical this week and though I'm not at pre-op time or resistance, I'm getting 20 minutes in. I have my 1-month follow up on Tuesday and am hoping to be cleared to go back to the gym. I also chose not to tell anyone about the surgery (except my husband and 3 very close friends). I have gone out with people and have not had a problem. I find that just because we're so focused on food doesn't mean everyone else is - most people couldn't care less what you're eating. Anyway, that was a long-winded way of saying "yes I had second thoughts, but am very happy with my decision to go through with it." Best of luck to you as your date gets closer.

I was sleeved on the 3/25 and the gurgling has already subsided quite a bit. It kind of had me freaked out for a while but I'm glad it's calmed down already!

I was sleeved on 3/25 and have lost 10 pounds so far. Today starts week 3 and I was UP .8 lb - I guess the "stall" has happened to me. I'm also curious how many calories everyone is taking in. I average between 500-600/day and am getting 55-60 grams of Protein. I do feel like my energy is back, though I still get really tired at the end of the day. Had a very busy weekend and could not keep my eyes open past 8:00 last night - so I went to bed and slept til 5 AM! Needless to say, I'm feeling really good this morning!

I need to take them with food or they upset my stomach (this was true prior to surgery also). So I do one with breakfast and one with dinner.

I felt what I thought was hunger early on, but it was always followed by heartburn or reflux. At my second week I started taking generic Prilosec twice a day (per my doctor) - it took a couple of days to really kick in and is now totally gone. Now, I feel what I think is real hunger - usually about 3 hours after I eat and it comes on suddenly. I'm still on purees/soft, but after I eat about 1/4 - 1/2 cup I'm very full and don't think about food at all.

I'm 5'8" and my highest weight ever was 275 in 2010. I was sleeved on 3/25/13 and weighed 246 and now I'm at 235. My initial goal is 175, and will re-evaluate when I get there. I think I will probably reach for 155 (I'm 44).

Yay! Happy to hear that! I've just been writing down what I eat and not logging it in MFP. Your post made me curious, so I just logged the past three days (I'm on puree/soft diet phase, surgery 3/25), and was surprised to see my calories are around 550, and protein was 52-63. I thought my calories would have been higher. That low of a number kind of freaks me out, but I eat when I'm hungry (about every 3 hours) and stop when I'm full. So I guess that's where I need to be for now.

I'm in the same boat. I had my surgery on March 25 and I'm going to Cabo at the end of May for 10 days. My instructions state that I will start a regular diet about 2 weeks before I go, so I'm thankful that I will be able to experiment with some stuff before leaving. My biggest concern is that these trips always revolve around eating and drinking (and this trip also includes a rehearsal dinner and wedding) and only my husband knows I've had the surgery. I need to double check with my doctor, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to go in the water by then - it's going to be HOT! I seem to remember reading to not swim or go in hot tubs for 6 weeks. I'm already looking forward to being so much more comfortable during the plane ride and in my clothes. Good luck to you!

I was sleeved on March 25 and am on puree/semi-soft diet. I have an all-day meeting this Friday and I'm trying to figure out how to get my food in. It's a typical business meeting agenda - start at 9, and will probably go like this: break around 10:30 - 11 for 15 minutes, lunch at 12 or 12:30 for 30 - 45 minutes, another break at 2 - 2:30 and wrap up at 4. I will have no problems with my liquids, as I will be able to drink all day. I plan to bring all of my food with me and eat a little something at each break, but obviously can't rush it. Has anyone had to deal with this at this stage? Any suggestions are appreciated!

I'm at this stage too (surgery was 2 weeks ago today), and am still trying to figure out how much of anything to eat. So far, it seems that 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup at a time is the magic number. It takes me about 20 - 30 minutes to eat (I use my microwave a lot more now!), and I eat about every 2 or 3 hours. I start the day off with a Premier Protein shake to get a good protein base (30g). I really like cottage cheese, and I scramble an egg with a Laughing Cow wedge, and I made the famous "ricotta bake" and love it - like lasagna without the noodles. I started tracking what time I eat and how much so I can see if any patterns emerge. I'm fortunate that I've been able to tolerate everything.

I was sleeved 3/25 and I feel great. When I start to feel weak or lightheaded I have a cup of boullion and feel better immediately (that feeling is because of lack of sodium). I am able to drink as I did prior to surgery (I was not a guzzler or chugger before). I have tolerated everything I've tried so far (I'm on full liquids til Monday but had an egg yesterday and was able to eat half of it). Very much looking forward to refried Beans and the famous riccotta bake. I was very nervous about eating after reading so many posts from folks who can't keep anything down or can just eat 2 teaspoons and they're done. I really feel for them, but that has not been my experience so far at all. In addition to the other things I'm eating, I have 2 Premier Protein shakes a day and all my liquids as well. I am having a bit of a reflux issue, which I did not have prior to surgery so I will call my Dr on Monday to find out which ppi I should take. But even that's not horrible and one tums usually takes care of it. I hope that was helpful and best of luck to you.

I have found 2 websites that have a lot of these type of recipes: The World According to Eggface (which has been mentioned many, many times on this site) - she has lots of recipes for egg-based "bites" and a lot of them are on My Fitness Pal; and Emily Bites (hers is more of a weight-watcher friendly site, but has a lot of recipes that use wontons and are made in muffin tins). I think she has nutritional info for them as well. Here are links - enjoy! http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/p/links-resources.html http://www.emilybites.com/p/recipe-index.html

I had a cold right up to my surgery date, and as long as there is no fever they will proceed. Good luck!!

I'm a week out, but prior to surgery I started getting out of the habit of drinking with meals because I knew that would be a big change for me. I started taking Multivitamins a few weeks before, and cut out soda and stopped using a straw. I didn't bring much to the hospital with me - magazines (which I didn't even pick up once), a light-weight robe for my walks so I wasn't flashing everyone (something you can throw over your shoulders because you'll be hooked up to your IV and you can't stick your arms through anything). I brought a pair of slippers, but just ended up wearing the highly-fashionable non-slip socks they give you. I slept a lot and watched tv most of the time. I brought lip balm with me, but they had some on my bedside for me also. I wore the same clothes home that I wore there - baggy and stretchy!

Full liquids on my plan are strained cream or pureed Soups (no chunks), runny cream of wheat, unsweetened applesauce (not chunky), smooth, low-fat yogurt, sugar free pudding. I was able to start Protein shakes on the 28th and have been able to get 2 of them down each day (I use the pre-made Premier Protein Shakes from costco and put lots of ice in them - so I've been getting at least 60g protein a day, which is probably why I feel so good).

I feel great - what a difference a week makes! I'm doing well with liquids, etc. The gurgling takes a little getting used to. I sleep with my head elevated a bit and try not to drink anything for at least 1/2 hour before going to bed. I start full liquids today and have had no problems with nausea, vomiting, etc. So far, so good!

Happened to me. I was so nervous going to my pre op appt, but my surgeon didn't even bat an eye. As long as you don't have a fever you should be good to go. He told me load up on Vitamin c.

As long as you don't have a fever you should have no problem. I had my pre-op on Thurs with a week-long cold and very congested, and my surgeon didn't even bat an eye.