NMJG

What Butter said. Doubtful you did harm today, but not a good habit to get into.

You are freaking out. A 15 lb loss in a month is great! Stop comparing. Also, a good tool is to calculate what % of excess weight you have lost instead of lbs. It is much more accurate. Happy Christmas!

Went on a bike ride for three hours with hubby today! I have not been on a bike in 10 years. I was pretty wobbly for the first half hour, but after that it was smooth sailing (or riding). Who woulda thunk?

Well, I will state that IMHO massage is good for sleevers, so there

Honeymoon is typically known as the first 6 months after VSG. In this period you tend to lose the fastest, your hunger is the most controlled, exercise has the greatest effect on fat reduction, and the quantity you can eat is much more limited. You can certainly lose after this period, but it is a time when you can drop 50% + of your excess body weight relatively easily compared to later. You still must work during your honeymoon, keep your carbs down and protein up, get your fluids in, and start exercising. The payoff is big, so patients are advised not to waste their honeymoon. This is info from my doctor. Others may have a different definition.

Here is a wonderful craft idea for the whole family that's green and lots of fun! Save all those Protein powder envelopes. The multicolor fruit flavor ones are the best! Fill them with packing peanuts or tissue from packages you receive. Tape the top closed. Attach a hook and hang your ornament! Bahahahahahah.......

I had my 4 month check up yesterday. I'm down 40ish lbs. since surgery, which I thought was not great, but my surgeon was thrilled. He said pounds are irrelevant, it is the percent of excess weight that is a true measure. Mine is 40% of excess weight gone since surgery and that is apparently right on track. For someone with a higher BMI, that might be 80 lbs., but the % is the key. Gamergirl has said this a number of times, and it is really a good way of looking at it.

Lesson learned: Don't compare your rate of loss to others

I have been trying the new Swansons infused chicken broths. The Mexican Tortilla flavor is out of this world. Hot and Sour is good, too, but a bit much the first week after surgery lol. At last, liquid diet with flavor! They are very low calorie, low fat. Great for a pick me up.

I had the full run of tests, ekg, bloodwork, psych eval, etc. My insurance paid all of it. I am glad they did all the tests, just my opinion. I felt very well taken care of at all times. At the end of the day, not everyone comes away from this surgery doing well. I'm just glad I had the surgeon and clinic that I did, especially reading others' posts.

I have UHC too. They were great all along. It's really good that they send you to a Center of Excellence for WLS. You read some surgeon horror stories on this board. If you have to travel for your surgery, they will pay for hotel, etc.

Great article! Frightening...

These reviews are hilarious!

Revs, that's a pretty dodgy article. I guess the Mail is like our National Inquirer.

Try Unjury chicken broth protein powder. Great break from the sweet drinks.

Congratulations, Fran, you are a success! What a difference. All your hard work has paid off.

What a wonderful thread. Laura, I am so happy for you. I see my dr tomorrow for my 4 month checkup, hope he is as happy as yours is. Congratulations, Miss Skinny!

Seela, that's so nice! You've been working hard. Good to get some notice.

Best wishes to you, Jane, and thank you for being here. Would love to see pics.

I've had metabolic issues. It was always hard to lose weight and after menopause it was impossible. I would diet and exercise and nothing happened. I take thyroid meds, but they don't help that much. One of the reasons I chose WLS is because it sort of resets your metabolism, if you will. It confuses your body and can jump start weight loss again, at least that is what my doctor's literature indicated. After 4 months I can say it works, at least for me. I lose slowly for WLS, 2 lbs a week average, but I'm losing, and I believe it will stay off this time because of my new tool. It is hard to believe after a lifetime of diet failure, but it really works if you follow the plan, eat what your nut tells you, and stay on track. Now, if you frequently go off plan and don't use discipline, the weight may not come off and/or you may gain back your losses. It happens a lot, unfortunately. The mantra around here is "the sleeve is a tool, not a cure." We all do a lot of head work here to work through our food issues.

Myfitnesspal for me too. I like being able to scan barcodes with the phone app, and I like the recipe builder that figures out the nutrients. Lots of people here use it, so you can have friends on it and share your food diary if you like. For a pedometer I use the app Accupedo on my phone to track my walking. There are quite a few pedometer apps.

Hey, I really sympathize. Perhaps if you could educate them more on VSG, take them to a seminar at your clinic or show them one of the youtube videos by various bariatric surgeons. Best of luck with a difficult situation. They obviously love you very much and just want what is best for you. You need to show them why this is the best thing for you and how you made your decision.

I lose very slowly compared to others, but I just have to refrain from comparisons. I lose around two lbs a week. I've had two stalls, but lost inches during those times. I stay on program and exercise moderately. I'm happy with my loss after 4 months. Doctor took me off one of my blood pressure meds this week. Butter is right. Lots of people have unreasonable expectations and it is so sad to read their frustrated posts. Some folks lose 100 lbs in 6 months, lots don't. Good luck!

I'm there with y'all. On weekends when I sleep in I freak out because it's 11am and I haven't gotten in any fluids or protein. That is one thing I didn't realize about the sleeve; how much time you spend thinking about what you are going to eat or drink and the planning for it. And if I don't plan for it, I get dehydrated, don't get in my protein, forget to eat, and generally feel crummy. Guess this is the new normal.

It is likely what you are eating. At three months, you should be on solid protein, chicken, beef, etc. if you are eating that first, as you should be, you will fill up after a couple of ounces. Softer foods are much easier to get down. Is that maybe what is going on?