SMO

How much water are you getting in? Are you having any pain or discomfort in your lower back or do you feel like you have to go all the time and then it is just a trickle?

Big sign you are not getting sufficient fluids.

I had to change shampoo and wash my hair twice for several days after surgery. That took care of the greasies for me.

Thanks. When I can have nuts again, I will look for that. Right now my carbs are coming from veggies and the occasional bit of fruit or cracker. I am just impressed at how few carbs she can function on. I was having serious concerns my first couple of weeks about being able to go back to work. I was drinking only shakes and Water during that time with some herbal tea and sf Popsicles. My brain just shut down. I am a trial attorney and I cannot just stand in court with my mouth gaping open because I cannot remember what I was going to say. When I moved to softs, I upped my carbs by 5 grams a day until I hit 25. As I said above, I also asked the NUT who said anything below 40 is good and to make sure it is not refined sugar carbs.

Wow! You are dedicated. My hat is off to you. When I ate 10grams of carbs or less, my brain stopped working. My NUT told me to just stay below 40. If I get 25, I am fine so I try to stick to that.

I am not offended, however, the post does strike me as a bit judgmental and veering ever so slightly into self righteousness. As Laura points out, we are all here because we lacked the ability to exercise self control when it comes to food. Presumably, that includes you. It may be premature for you to judge your fellow sleevers. As you pointed out, you are less than a week out. Your stomach is likely still swollen and the nerves have not yet come on line. You might find yourself feasting on crow yet.

I was on limited liquids for two weeks after I was sleeved on 2/4. After about 12 days, I cried when I looked at a protein shake. I was scheduled to start softs on Monday the 18th. On Sunday, I tried some cream of wheat and half a scrambled egg. It went down well. I had no problems. I saw the doctor yesterday and he said I looked fantastic, my vitals were perfect and I lost 25% more weight than his expectations. I am always nervous to deviate from doctor orders but I decided to go with what my body was telling me guided by common sense.

I am on softs and still learning how to recognize the satisfied signal. I also struggle with the issue of measuring what I 'think' is a correct amount and if I get to satisfied before the food is gone, being ok with stopping then. It still feels wrong to 'waste' food. A couple of times, I have had that one bite too many and felt some pain behind the breastbone. The good thing about that is that it is a teaching tool.

I hope your mom improves. My first few days post op my primary pain was stomach spasms. Every time liquid would hit my stomach it would seize up. Sometimes it did that for no reason at all. That started to subside after about 5 days. I also had a day of fever and chills. My husband is a nurse. I was off the pain meds by then so he watched my temp. It never went above 100 and went back to normal the next day. When I started soft foods at 2 weeks, I felt the pain of restriction then, which is different. I also have some occasional sharp pains in my abdominal muscles. They are healing now and I think that is normal. All the above to say, she will probably continue to experience some pain and discomfort for awhile. It will probably not be too hard to distinguish "normal" pain from something that needs doctor attention.

What kind of Gatorade are you drinking? Some of that stuff has a lot of sugar and sodium. There are unflavored varieties of Protein that you can probably add to a liquid so long as your doctor did not specifically forbid protein. Can you have decaf coffee and tea, crystal light, sf Popsicles? Anything like that could change things up for you and make things more bearable. My doctor sent me home on limited liquids for two weeks and it was hard. I gave in after the first week and had some tomato Soup (I was allowed tomato juice so I saw little difference) and I had no ill effects.

Sounds like reflux to me. Visit with the doctor. You may need more than one dose of your PPI or an acid reducer before bed.

More than likely, you are doing nothing wrong. I was sleeved 2/4 and I lost every day the first 15 days for a total of 18 pounds then nothing for the next 9 days. Very frustrating considering it is impossible for me to overeat! But, even though I was not losing during those 9 days, my clothes were getting more and more loose so something was happening. And then this morning, I got on the scale and I was down 2 pounds. Just keep doing what you are doing and the stall will break.

Like everyone else, I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but I lost 18 pounds the first 15 days after surgery (2/4) and then nothing until today. I was only taking in about 400 calories and about 60 grams protein and less than 20 grams carbs. So I decided to do a little experiment yesterday. I ate all day long, every couple of hours from 8am until 6 pm and I got in 600 calories, 38 carbs and 74 protein. Got on the scale this morning and was down 2 pounds.

You are safe taking whatever the doctor gave you for post surgical pain. I am a migraine sufferer who is also allergic to aspirin and all forms of NSAIDS. Limits me in pain treatment to Tylenol or opiates for really severe pain.

Eggs were one of the first things I ate. Delicious and I had no problem. At first I could only eat half an egg but I am 24 days out and I can now eat a whole egg.

I think the most dangerous part is for pre-sleevers or some in our first few weeks to read this and be influenced -- particularly during a stall -- that the thing to do is to quit eating entirely. Many people are very bothered by a stall and are vulnerable to ideas for extreme fixes. Many of us fell victim to faddish diets before and the temptation to believe that eating nothing is the answer will be too great for some to resist. To tell anyone in this group to do that is dangerous. I hope no one decides to follow this plan without visiting with their surgeon first.

I agree with you that the advice to "eat nothing" and to drink only water made me wince. Addicts live lives of extremes and many of us are addicts when it comes to carbs, fat or food in general. While I agree that it makes total sense to use the early days of non-hunger to lose as much as possible, I cannot see where a plan to eat nothing will foster a healthy, balanced relationship with food. Moreover, it is not a sustainable plan. A person eventually will have to eat. I also get the sense that the op's main goal is to get as thin as possible. If that is also someone else's goal, this plan might work. But I your plan is to maximize your health, get rid of co-morbidities and getting skinny is just a bonus, another plan might be better. I think to a certain extent, we all have to make our own way.

My surgeon told me right after surgery that he took 80%

I was also sleeved 2/4. I lost 18 pounds the first 15 days and nothing since. I was advanced to softs at 2 weeks. I can drink 8oz of liquid in no time but food is only about 2 oz at a time. I am eating a little something every few hours. It is the only way I am able to get my Protein in. I have an oz of cheese or a boiled egg or a couple of talespoons cottage cheese. I usually have a Protein shake for Breakfast and then I supplement with protein at dinner if I don't have enough. I see the surgeon for my first post op appointment Friday.

I liked it fine before surgery. After, my sleeve hates it. The smell makes me nauseous.

My BMI at surgery was 44.1. Today I am 23 days out and my BMI is 40.8. I have lost 18 pounds. All of it in the first 15 days. Stall since then. Since it took me 8 months to lose 16 pounds pre-op, I think 18 pounds in 23 days is pretty awesome. I wish I was losing faster but it is what it is. What is most important to me is that I feel good. I am not hungry. I had no complications. I can drink liquids normally and I have been off my CPAP since day 8. I have already seen so many positive effects that I cannot complain. Looking forward to my next blood tests to see what my cholesterol and A1c look like.

Me too! They are cracked and dry. I feel like I have returned to junior high putting on lip gloss and complaining that I am "bloated" after eating an ounce of food.

I think it has a lot to do with the lack of fat in our diet.

I am one of the ones whose sleep apnea disappeared 8 days after surgery. My machine is now packed away in the closet. I plan to donate it. My skin has also totally cleared up. I transitioned from teen acne to adult acne and thought I would die with acne. I feel more clear headed and energetic and I have only lost 34 pounds - 16 pre-op and 18 post-op. I think clearing all the sugar and caffeine from my body was a huge thing.

I lost 18 lbs the first 15 days and I have been in a stall for the last 7 days. I am hoping it breaks soon.