Daydra

Thank you! I'm all good. It really is a fairly minor thing. I never had pain and only realized something was off when I called doc about dehydration and they were way more concerned that something was going on than I was. Sure glad the doctors know more than I do... Who'da thunk?! :-) I probably would have had increasing symptoms in the coming days if it hadn't been addressed (at least that was what I was feeling like last night). But even so, I hadn't thrown up because of it (came pretty close while brushing my teeth the last few days, though...), swallowing would just create this mildly nauseous, feeling that I was starting to do my best to avoid. I probably only got in about 300 cal/day for the last 4 days. Certainly not ideal, but I really wasn't in a ton of distress. Now I have a couple more liters of Fluid on board and feel like I have a good platform to go from. I truly was far more worried about the dehydration than anything going on with my sleeve. The only thing about that that truly scares me is a leak, and my symptoms didn't give me any reason to think it might be that. Thanks so much for the caring and support!

Or Coscto...

Me three! Losing weight at any time in my life has been greatly affected by my sleep (or usually lack thereof)

FIrst: Congratulations! Second: I have never seen any reason to invest time and effort to maintain a relationship that doesn't give you what you need. Life is far too short and we have far more important and rewarding things to spend our time and energy on. In your position, I think that I would step way back, at least for now. I think that you are right to continue to treat her with respect. Perhaps someday, she will realize what has happened and acknowledge it. At that time, you may or may not feel that rekindling the friendship is worth it. Best of luck. I'm sorry that this friend has not turned out to be such a good friend after all.

Update: Endoscopy went fine. Doc was able to straighten tissue out mostly, but I have some torsion as well that he wasn't able to fix with the scope. Despite that, I feel loads better. Nausea seems to be gone and I feel like I can drink. I was just asked to pay close attention to how I feel and call right away if I start feeling worse again. I have a followup with my surgeon on the 9th if I don't need to be seen earlier. Even if it does get worse, it is not a horror story type of complication. Still could possibly do a balloon dilation if necessary or a pretty simple laparoscopic procedure to address. Healing/scar tissue caused the issue. Hopeful that I will maintain relief and this will be the end of it. Thanks for reading!

Your numbers don't show anything to be discouraged about. Your resting metabolic rate should be around 2400 right now, so unless you were working out ridiculously hard and eating nothing, it would be impossible to run a 3500 cal daily deficit to lose 1 pound a day. You also need to realize that your body is periodically going to take some time outs to do some readjustments throughout the process. 32 pounds in 7 weeks is actually really good! I was at my 1 month post op and the nurse totally checked me for pooh-poohing that I'd only lost 16. Hang in there, you are doing the right things, the weight will come off. We really have a big tendency to be too hard on ourselves and expect too much, so be kind to yourself and take heart in the knowledge that you are doing the right things. As far as the vomiting and having a hard time getting down food and Fluid goes... if you haven't called your surgeons office yet, I would really encourage you to do that. You really want to know if there is something creating this situation, particularly this far out, and if you continue to struggle with fluids in particular, you are eventually likely to end up with dehydration that will need to be treated. I'm at 5 weeks and just found out today that my difficulty getting any kind of volume of fluid/food down without nausea and the resulting dehydration is caused by a kink in my stomach. I'm going in for an endoscopy tomorrow, doc believes passing the scope through should straighten it out and solve the problem. Also had to get a couple liters of IV fluids. Good luck! You are doing great and I hope that you are able to determine and resolve the cause of your symptoms!

I wouldn't think so... Even Ina Garten's recipe only calls for 1/2c bread crumbs and 1/2c mayo for 6-8 servings. The rest of the ingredients are crab (duh!), veg, egg, herbs, and seasonings. How long were you comfortable after eating it before you felt like you needed to eat again? That's probably the biggest tell. You might have started the 2nd crab cake and found yourself full or stuffed just a bite or two into it...

Thanks everybody! I have an answer to the mystery... Not a stricture, fortunately. I have a kink. Fluoroscope showed kink causing me to reflux and empty more slowly than I should. Certainly answers why I felt like it was impossible to get enough Fluid throughout the day despite always having a bottle of something with me. Doc said that usually just doing an endoscopy and passing the scope into the stomach straightens it out and solves the problem so I can continue on my merry way. Sooo... we scheduled my endoscopy for tomorrow morning and with any luck, my kink will not be a pain in the arse! They gave me a couple liters of IV fluids. I've peed a lot, have less of a headache, and feel slightly less fatigued, but am still having some nausea. Seems to flare when fluid or food hits my sleeve or I'm slumped for a few minutes, so it's probably just sensation from my kinked sleeve. At any rate, hopefully starting tomorrow, I can start getting consistent fluids on board and can start having regular meals again! Thanks again, all! VSGJourneyGrandma, If you are newly having trouble getting things down, definitely call your doc. They want to hear from you and want to make sure that it gets figured out. My doc said if I ever feel worse about something as time goes on instead of better, that is definitely the time to call. Even if it were to be a stricture, they can usually do a balloon dilation or something to stretch it out. If you are struggling with fluids in particular, you'll eventually hit a point of dehydration that you'll need treatment, so better to check it out early rather than late. I probably waited longer than I should have, but I didn't really realize anything was wrong until I got hit with the dehydration symptoms. Good luck!

Yeah, I kinda miss that eating couch :-) Thanks!

Thanks. The slouching thing was an afterthought, but yeah, it would fit. I guess we'll see tomorrow.

Then why are you here? This whole exchange started because you made an insensitive comment and I called you out on it. I thought perhaps I could provide a different point of view that might cause you to at least rethink your judgement of others. My mistake...

The 3 week stall.....If you just had surgery and your weight loss has already stalled, read THIS I lifted this link from Butterthebean's signature (thanks for the lend!) If the link doesn't work, look for one of his posts and it's there. I think you're right on the BMR calc. That lines up pretty close to where I'm usually at, and I wear a Bodymedia Fit, so I know how many calories I've burned each day. I don't believe that you have been on a very low calorie diet long enough to have had any major effect on your metabolism, though, our bodies do learn to do the work we ask it to do as efficiently as possible (with the least calorie expenditure). This is one of my biggest fears. I don't want to get down to goal weight and be forced into a 900 cal/day diet for the rest of my life to prevent gain. I want to be able to be healthy, train, and race, and not being a small girl, that's gonna take calories to provide the kind of energy I will need. All that being said, sometimes the math takes a hiatus and doesn't line up for periods of time. I've been running an average of 1800cal daily deficit and over the last 10 days, I've only lost about 2 pounds, but according to the math, it should have been more like 5. We're going to have periods of time that are like that, but an 8 pound gain? I don't know, but that sounds like there's something else going on. I've never had a problem with sugar either, but most, if not all, of the surgeons recommend eliminating, or severely limiting sugar. I don't intend to go so far as to eliminate it, but I will reduce it significantly. I have to be honest, though. I haven't done a ton of research as to exactly what it does to the body, other than the effects on blood sugar, which can in turn create cravings. The good news about cutting sugar, though, is that many people will go through a short withdrawal phase, and then the cravings disappear, so it's a habit that is *relatively* easy to kick. Also, some people have allergies to sugar. Our bodies response to it might not be noticeable when we are heavy, but might be after surgery and we are trying to squeeze every pound of loss that we can. Yeah, all calories are not equivalent when you consider the different effects the macronutrients play in nutrition, and about a zillion other variables that are only partially understood so far. They're really only all the same if you look at it from a purely physical standpoint and not a biological one. One Calorie provides the energy released from food that is equivalent to the energy required to increase the temperature of 1 kilogram of Water by 1 degree at 1 atmosphere of pressure. Doesn't really tell you a lot about how it interacts with the body... Yikes... going too far again... I think the most important thing for you to figure out is exactly what's causing you to gravitate toward selecting the sugary drinks instead of what you know to be healthier options. If you can address that part of the equation, you've got half the battle licked right there. Good luck! Keep working toward the goal!

If that's bruising, it's waaay more than I had. If there's any chance that it might be redness and not bruising, you had better call the doc. My discharge instructions said to call if I was any redness around the incisions larger than a dime. Also to call if I had shortness of breath, fever over 101, rapid heart rate, anxiety, pus, or persistent vomiting. I really hope that you feel better soon! Definitely don't just assume that it's okay. They would much rather hear from you than have something go wrong, or even have you worry about it if you don't need to!

It's not the raw number of calories. Even at 1250, OP is still running a significant daily deficit (I weigh about the same and burn roughly 2500cal/day on average, so OP would be running a similar deficit). I think it's far more likely to be the quality of the calories than the total number of calories. Could be partly some metabolic reaction to the sugar intake (speaking of which, OP, are the yogurts sugar free? Each one of those could add another tablespoon of sugar to your total), inflammation, fluid retention, who knows? Plus, OP is right in that "3 week stall" window, where the body may be replacing released glycogen and water. A lot of things could be happening, but my best guess is that cutting out the sugary drink and going back to basics will put OP back to the baseline. If there's still a problem, I would say it's time to talk to the doc.

Wow, dude, seriously? Telling someone they can't possibly succeed, so why bother isn't harsh? I am really glad that the OPs struggling sister isn't the one who posted and had to read that. I'm sure she feels discouraged enough without having to see this kind of unsupportive and discouraging comment. I think that we all have similar hopes to what you express, but your statement indicates that it's as simple as willpower. If that wasn't true before surgery, what would make it true after? It's way more complicated than simply calories in vs. calories out and is influenced by who knows how many different factors, only some of which we have good control over, or even realize exist. Lots of people regain after surgery and telling them it's too late, they've had their chance, isn't fair and doesn't help them turn things around and succeed. It's never too late to change your life.

Sorry about basically duplicating your advice... I was typing as responses came in, so I didn't see them until after I hit post...

Yeah, actually. I'm only a month out, and have noticed my arms and legs ache for no good reason, as far as I can tell. I haven't figured it out yet, but 2 possible culprits for me *might* be dehydration or low Iron. I've not been getting enough Fluid and i've been terrible with my Vitamin compliance... I plan to work to improve both and see what happens before I get too excited about it. Good luck!

I would recommend using a calorie tracking program such as Myfitnesspal, or whatever you find easiest to use. It will give you a better picture of your calorie consumption. Using McDonald's medium carmel frappe as an example: 550 cal, 9g Protein, 23g fat, 79g carb (71g is sugar, and you can divide that by 12 to get the equivalent tablespoons), and no Fiber. So, I'm guessing getting diarrhea was more likely due to the 23g of fat and roughly 6 tablespoons of sugar you consumed than drinking through the straw. My guidance is to aim for 25-30g protein in each meal, and 9g just isn't enough. I would highly recommend you find a healthier alternative for these drinks if you are going to have something like this with any regularity. I'm not one to recommend cutting fat and sugar too far, but you are really not doing yourself any favors here. WIth your described weight gain and diet, I would think that your sodium consumption would be an unlikely culprit, you are probably not exceeding the sodium recommendations. Best of luck and congratulations on your weight loss so far!

That's pretty harsh and I disagree. OP stated that the original procedure was in 96. That's a heck of a lot of time that's passed, and let's face it: life situations change and people change. Plus, that long ago, education, aftercare, recommendations to address emotional issues that contribute, and nutrition guidance weren't what they are now. Lastly, assuming there wasn't a medical reason contributing to regain, we can learn from our mistakes.

I'm the kind of person that will never work out for the sake of working out or the abstract "getting in shape". I will, however, train for a sport or race. If that sounds like you, you might think about finding some kind of sport. I started training with a group of women of all ages and sizes for triathlon in 2009, and it's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Best of luck to you and congratulations on your hard work so far! The best advice I can give you is to find an activity that you love and think is fun and "train" for it. Finding a group of like-mindeds can make the whole process extremely rewarding and can provide accountability. I'm also far more likely to skip the gym if no one is expecting me to be there. I'm guessing I'm not the only one that will do things for others that I might not do for myself... :-)

First the support: You have lost 44 pounds in less than 3 months. That is awesome! When was the last time you did that on a "diet"? That is most definitely not slow! I was at my clinic this morning for my 1 month post-op and the second I started in with the "my weight loss hasn't been stellar..." and wanted to proceed that I knew it was because my body is kind of in freak out mode, my nurse started waving her arms and looking like she was getting ready to howl. She reminded me that my weight loss was excellent (16 pounds by their records) and that the goal is 1-2 pounds/week, not 5 or more pounds/week that we all wish for. We are ALL to hard on ourselves! Now, the snark: I think the next time someone asks me when I'm due, I'm going to break into phony hysterics and tell them how I'm sterile and will never be able to have kids and that I'm just fat. (all true, but not distressing for me...) Maybe that'll learn 'em... Seriously, congratulations on your loss! You are doing great. You are not slow. You are you, and the only you there is, so keep up the good work!