SMO

Sleeved 2/4. Down 20 pounds total. 18 the first two weeks and then nothing for two weeks and then 2 more this last week.

I am. It seems as if my energy level is different day to day. Some days I wake up and leap out of bed and others I feel like I could sleep all day. If I get all my minimums in the day before, I feel more energetic the next day.

I am just 34 days out and the only foods on my forbidden list are raw veggies, skins of fruits and veggies, corn, nuts, seeds and alcohol or carbonated beverages. I have eaten chicken, pork and beef and have tolerated all of them in small amounts. Most of my protein is still coming from protein drink. I can only eat 1-3 oz of solid food but can drink 8oz of liquid in a few minutes. It is still hard work and planning to get my minimums in everyday.

Bariatric Advantage tastes metallic to me, too. I thought I would not be able to have surgery if I had to drink BA. Then I tasted unjury and felt I could live with it. I think it may be the Vitamins in BA that give it that taste.

Near the end of the liquid phase it does get VERY hard. I got to the point that I cried when I was faced with another protein shake. For the first two weeks after surgery, all I could have was protein shakes, water, decaf coffee/tea and V-8/tomato juice. Other people had it worse with only clear liquids. If you are tolerating the liquid diet well, you do have the option of asking the NUT to transition you early to the next phase. Many of us transition ourselves early, but that has risks so it is better to clear it with your doctor.

String cheese is considered a soft on my stage 3 diet.

I know there are uninformed, thoughtless, or just mean spirited folks out there who say things about the surgery being the easy way out. I have no doubt that there are folks who will make snarky comments. I went to lunch with my secretary one day last week and saw a table full of my co-workers sitting at another table. Some of them were looking with obvious interest at my food. Lucky for me, I don't give a damn what anyone thinks. And I am blunt enough that I doubt any of them would criticize me to my face. I agree this is a choice each of us has to make. If you don't choose to share. You should not feel guilty about it. For me, it was much harder to tell my parents than it was to tell the folks at work. It took my mother meeting a sleever at the farmer's market before she came around.

I am with you, Dean. The conflict still escapes me.

You need to tell the doctor. A little clear ooze is normal. Full on bleeding, probably not.

Yep. Every doc is different. Mine says from the day after surgery for 2 weeks, limited liquids and then 2 weeks to 3 months, softs including at least 60 grams protein but excluding raw veggies, fruit skins, corn, nuts and seeds. At 3 months, anything goes but protein first, always. I asked my nut about carbs (I am 33 days out) and she said less than 40. I am eating between 400 and 600 calories a day and 60 to 75 grams protein a day with 15 to 25 grams carbs.

I was also very open. Altering my schedule to be off for 15 days was going to impact a lot of people and the folks I work with are like hound dogs on a scent if they think there is a secret to sniff out. If I told one person, everyone would eventually know, so I was very up front. Several people cornered me alone later to ask specific questions. At least one person has gone to the initial seminar after I 'came out'. I think that is nice.

Also, at a week out, have you recently quit taking pain meds? Sometimes withdrawal from pain meds can cause some strange symptoms. If the symptoms are alarming you, it wouldn't hurt to call the doc.

Rapid heartbeat, headache and limb weakness sound like they could all be consistent with dehydration. Are you well hydrated? Do you think your blood sugar could be low?

If you are a month out next week, you are in the dreaded week 3 stall. I am 33 days out and spent from day 15 to day 29 in a stall. I lost 16 pounds pre-op and 18 pounds from day 1 to day 15. Then nothing for two weeks. On day 30 I lost a pound and on day 32 another pound. You cannot expect a pound a day throughout the process. Here is how I look at it: it took my eight months pre op to lose 16 pounds and only 33 days to lose 20 pounds. That works for me. I promise you that you are not stuck forever. Just go with it and watch you body continue to shrink even while your weight stays the same

And I wrote my previous post before I read the entire string and I see you lost weight that week! Awesome. Thanks for sharing. It made me think about my own feelings when I feel like I have overeaten.

We are all so scared of food. OP, you did exactly what a normal weight person would do. One piece of pizza and one piece of Danish and a couple of chicken wings is not gluttony. I imagine myself, in the mythical future, beyond the rainbow, eating like a normal person. What you ate strikes me as a normal amount of food chosen by a normal weight person who decided to treat herself. My notional "normal weight person" would probably then go back to more careful eating the following day, but she would not feel like a failure over one meal. Please be kind to yourself.

My answer is 16.5%. I am 5'2" HW 257, SW 241, CW 221. I am 32 days out. I calculated using 136 as my goal.

I am 32 days out so I consider myself a newbie. I did not think anyone was saying newbies don't know what they are doing. I took it to mean that the instructions from the doctor about what is appropriate may change depending on what stage you are at. Since I can only eat 2 oz at a time, I might need to eat more frequently than someone who can eat 5 oz.

My doctor initially scolded me when I told him I was eating "all day" until I explained that what I meant was a protein drink at 7am, an ounce of cheese at 9am, 2 oz chicken deli meat at noon, 2oz cottage cheese at 3pm and another protein drink at 6pm. It adds up to about 400 calories most days. I find it hard to believe that I am overeating or grazing. But if I am going to get in 60grams of protein, I cannot help but eat every few hours.

Sometimes you just have to push the envelope. Now it is out of your system.

The doctor warned me that stool is often foul smelling during the liquid diet phase after surgery. If you are in the early stages, never fear, constipation will soon be your boon companion. What you are suffering now is normal according to my doctor. I would suggest that you get some A&D ointment and apply it every time you go potty. It looks like Vaseline. If you put some on the toilet paper and wipe with it, it will immediately soothe the area and keep you from being burned the next time you go.

I am 33 days out. I have not had hunger like before surgery. I sometimes feel a sort of hollow feeling in my belly but a boiled egg or a piece of cheese fixes me up. I don't crave sugar or fast food. I have had an easy time of it so far. Sometimes I have to make myself eat. Good luck!

Some blood work might be in order to see if you are suffering any deficiencies or anemia. When my iron stores are depleted, I am exhausted and foggy headed because my blood cells cannot carry sufficient oxygen. You heart rate seems normal. If you are worried, it would be best to see the doctor.

I think it was about 5 days for me and I lost it all at once. 6 pounds in one day, then one or two a day until day 15 and then NOTHING for 14 days. My scale did not move again until a couple of days ago. I lost a pound yesterday and a pound today. HW. 257 SW 241 CW. 221

Congrats, but oh, did I get a chill from your story. My husband has been teasing me about fertility and weight loss surgery. I keep snapping back that I am 47 and that even my fertile-Myrtle grandmother had her last baby at 44 (as did my husband's mother). But then I keep coming across stories of 50 year old women having babies. And now this. I feel like it is an omen. That does it, no sex for me!