Marbear

good question, I'd like to know with certainty, too. I've heard that when you are hungry, or think you are hungry, ask yourself, "Am I hungry enough to eat (insert healthy food like carrot, boiled egg, etc.)?" If yes, then get food, if no get water and do something else. I still feel what I think is real hunger (it's uncomfortable!), but then I think i shouldn't be hungry and worry that I'm faking it. Much less than the hunger I felt pre-op, though, and oh how nice to feel full so fast!

Some of these looked really good...

Yes kettlebells YES! Start with Ryan, he can probably help you find someone legit in your area to help with training, if you are so inclined. http://rjkettlebell.com/ I can't sing his praises enough, and I am super picky when it comes to trainers. Like annoyingly so. Have fun!

Your family sounds really supportive and loving. How cool your grandma is wanting a Jonny tattoo. For counseling, does your husband's employer participate in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)? If so, that could be some free counseling sessions. Also, you might look for some bereavement support groups for parents in your area. Social workers at local hospitals (especially if there is a children's hospital nearby) or other children services areas should have contact information for you. I'm so glad you have gotten such kind and supportive responses here. I read your story; you have been through so much. If you want to PM me I would be happy to look up the services for you and send you the contact information.

I am almost 4 months out and haven't had any 2nd thoughts. Honestly if I don't lose another pound, the mental health benefits of not having constant hunger, getting full really fast, and just generally feeling less stressed/more in control about all aspects of food have made it worth it for me. The weight loss is of course awesome, but I didn't realized how much food stress I was carrying around into all aspects of my life until it was lessened.

http://rjkettlebell.com/about/ For those of you in the vicinity of Arlington VA, I can vouch for this trainer all the way. Very correct, knowledgeable, professional, and not intimidating at all. He's good with all levels of fitness. I'm sad that I don't live close enough to work with him regularly and wanted to share the love. Kettlebell training is where it's at - full body and fun!

starting weight 240 current weight 204 current goal: get out of the deuces! surgery 3/25/13

I like that idea, also dropping the protein shakes. I'm not very comfortable dropping the PPI, though (protonix), as I've been on it for years with no issues, and I'm worried it would get worse if I stopped taking it now. This isn't reflux I don't think, i just don't know how else to describe the discomfort. I would like to come off it closer to goal weight, though! The burning sensation is less today, but the bowels are still revolting. I did finally take Immodium, and that has helped. Today I've had 2 protein shakes - Bariatric Advantage and also one from Muscle Pharm. Turkey, banana, 1/3 of a Clif Bar, and more turkey. I'll leave off the shakes tomorrow and see how it goes. Thanks again for all the feedback!

I haven't had the obligatory poo post yet, so here goes: Sleeved 3/25/13, I've been compliant with surgeon instructions regarding food. So far I have had NO issues with my sleeve and new foods - love it! However, this week and part of last, I've started having some issues with my guts. My stomach feels like it's burning in the evenings, i have mild intermittent nausea, my intestines make lots of loud noises, and I am having frequent bouts of liqui-poo and gas. Truly, my butt is peeing about 4 times in the evenings. It's not getting better and I'm wondering what I'm missing. I'm not getting dehydrated and I'm not throwing up, not running a fever, etc. so it hasn't even occurred to me to call the doctors office this week and ask...I just figured my body is still adjusting from surgery. But tonight my stomach really felt like it was burning so i took a 2nd Protonix, drank a little bit of Metamucil (that helped settle things, burning lessened). Is there something sinister going on? Not really having pain but now I'm getting a little paranoid about leaks, ulcers, and gallbladders and such...of course right before a long, beautiful weekend. Other info, if it helps: I am taking a prescription acid reducer (Protonix) every morning. Drinking Vitamin Water Zero instead of water, as it just seems to go down easier (although it burned last night and tonight), also lots of chamomile tea, mint tea, etc. I have never had a problem with dairy and eat cottage cheese, cheese sticks, etc. with no issue. Last night i drank some buttermilk to help with the queasy burning feeling and it did help. Taking my bariatric multi vitamin with food early in the day, no probs with that or Calcium supplement that I can tell. I haven't changed my diet (Protein shakes, cheese, tofu, amaranth, fish, eggs, chicken, etc. all chewed well). At this point I'll happily cut out the dairy, but i am only having this problem in the evenings, and I have dairy early in the day. Is Vitamin Water Zero acidic or hard on sleeves? Thoughts & suggestions please? I'm getting a little nervous about this.

yes, all my shakes are whey protein isolate. I've been looking up non-dairy shakes and plan on getting one this afternoon. Or maybe I'll just eat eggs until this is figured out lol.

I'm taking a prescription acid reducer, Protonix, so there should not be very much acid there. I'm on chewable bariatric multivitamin 1x per day and chewable calcium 2x per day, and these vitamins were given to my by the surgeon when at my 1 week checkup post op.

First off, kulita, thank you for your service. That's awesome you found it was the toast, and glad you feel better! I'm doing just that - back to Proteins and reintroducing. I'm still feeling that burning even with the Protein shakes, so maybe my stomach lining is just raw and aggravated by anything right now. I've also cut out a Vitamin prescribed by a dermatologist - Nicazel. It is supposed to help with inflammation and breakouts, which I've been having recently. It's a B vitamin with minerals, and I've never had problems with it before. The surgeons office had said it was ok to take (I'm already on the bariatric multi with no problems). But I've cut it out; that was really the only new thing that I introduced recently. I am really having anxiety about these symptoms, and when I talked to my surgeon Sat. he was not very happy about getting called. I don't blame him, but that didn't help my mental health one bit. I haven't taken pepto yet, I'm not sure that's ok to take. I have taken Tums, but there was no effect. Hopefully today will be better!

I called the dr. office even though they are closed, and my surgeon was the on call doctor. He said it is probably something I ate, and to leave off dairy. But my stomach is on fire right now (first time it's been burning in the morning) and I haven't had any dairy yet. I'll go back to the first week post op diet like you suggest. In the meantime, any ideas for how to cool off my poor tummy? It burns like acid reflux burns, but I am taking the acid reducer. thanks so much for the replies!

My only option right now is going to the ER, and I don't feel like it's that urgent. Does this sound like that kind of an emergency to you? Thanks for the response.

Thank you for posting, I see this procedure in my future at some point. It looks really painful with the incisions, but shaping is GREAT! good to know about the time off work as well. ZaKiya - LOL! hilarious!

Well...if it helps, I've been sitting around like a lump all day lol. But now I guess I better go do something, since we're on the topic and all of that. Maybe watch TV while you are on your fitness equipment. Or just grit your teeth and get it over with...i think that's what I'll be doing today.

Never depend on motivation to get through exercise. For some, it's a job just like the 9 to 5. When i was utterly sick of the gym I found this quote and saved it: "No motivation however does not mean I won’t do the work. work needs to be done. I will never rely on motivation. Too risky" Full post on her blog: http://paulinefitnes...m/?s=motivation

Great job putting on the brakes, and I salute you for the open kimono post. That takes guts. I'm glad to see you've gotten some great encouragement and support here...now just grab those bootstraps...!

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-slow-eating Just discovered this site, there are a lot of good articles in there!

No advice, sorry...just cackling about pulling a shirt out of a crotchety.

Maybe an appetite suppressant would get you through since its short term - Byetta (injection, rx), pseudofed (12 hr extended release, OTC), or even Phentermine if your dr. will prescribe it. Mine did but it messed up my sleep so I didn't use it much. Obviously this isn't ideal, but it's short term, medically supervised, and better for your liver (I'm told). I realize that many people see the pre op diet as a time to practice post op eating habits, but that mentality didn't work for me because the hunger was so constant and overwhelming (even with 2 of the 3 aforementioned appetite suppressants!) Honestly, if i never lose another pound for the rest of my life, just having that very real, desperate, and constant hungry feeling gone has made surgery worth it.

I have used a Polar FT60 for years and still love it. Durable (truly - I'm hard on watches and this one just keeps going!) and waterproof; I wear it in swimming and showering. Regarding the chest strap, I run the sensor pad thingies under water before putting them on and it works fine for me. My watch has my weight, height, and VO2 max entered, but you can just do height/weight and still get accurate feedback. I like the Polar website; you upload your info and track if you want, or set up programs and/or goals for yourself. I love having my workout info so measured, it helps me structure my workouts and see improvement. While I'm working out I can set the watch to show my HR, calories burned, time, etc. Some days I put it on calories to help me push through a crappy workout, "Ugh this sucks, my everything hurts, holy crap 50 more calories and I'll be on an even number! Go go go...!"

I have hypothyroidism and despite lots of thyroid meds, I've had a really hard time losing weight for years. Surgery was 3/25, and 25 lb loss so far (includes pre-op loss of 10 lbs). Several nurses have told me that I will lose slower than people with normal thyroids, even if my thyroid levels read normal from medication. While this makes no sense to me (my TSH numbers are well below the normal range, which you would see in hyperthyroidsm...shouldn't weight just melt off??), it seems to be true because I feel like I'm still scratching and clawing for every pound. This is more and faster progress than I've had before, though, and I'm hopeful I'll be able to get to a normal weight one of these days. My endocrinologist said he would readjust meds as needed, but I hope we don't have that conversation for a long time. In my mind, any reduction of thyroid medication would just mean even slower weight loss. As far as the surgery, I was able to resume the thyroid medication within a day. Besides slower weight loss (for me, may not be everyone), I don't think there has been any difference in the process. I already had my thyroid issue diagnosed and treated before surgery, though...not sure if it would make a difference pre-op if they were just now addressing it.

I was very anxious to get back to work, and wanted to take a week or less off. But, I took a full 2 weeks...the beginning of the 2nd week I called and said I couldn't return yet. Although that made coming back to work much harder, I was very happy I took the extra week. It gave me more time to learn my limits and just focus on myself. I think coming back on a Monday after a Friday surgery is way too soon, no matter how well you heal. I talked with someone who had a lapro appendectomy around the same time I had my sleeve, and based on how he recovered, I think that surgery is lots easier to bounce back from than the sleeve. He was back to work in 2 days.

Nope, not hard on the eyes at all.