LumpySpacePrincess

Thank you for the reply. I do track, and my nutritionist has access to what I log and she says everything looks perfect. She's very confused as to why I'm not losing. I am hesitant to increase my calories, because when I increase them I start to gain weight like crazy. They increased me to 800 calories for about a week and I gained 12 pounds so they quickly lowered me back down to 500-600. I'm just angry because my family sacrificed so much for this. My son doesn't have a proper winter coat because I had to use all our savings for this and I can't find work again until I can stand on my feet for 8 hours, which I can't now. He doesn't have winter boots, didn't have a Christmas this last year. Everyone convinced me that he would be ok because next year mommy would be able to do so much more with him. I'm not forseeing that kind of future for either of us anymore. He already gets teased in school because he has "the fat mom".

I am two months out, four months since the start of pre-op, down 65 pounds but still exactly the same size...a 3x in tops and a 24 in jeans. Thought it was just me so I went clothes shopping last night to see and anything below those sizes is just too tight still.

One thing that's good to remember is that your surgeon wants to get paid! They want you to have the surgery because it is a paycheck for them, so they will do everything they can to make sure you get approved. The office staff at surgeon's offices are experts on getting these procedures approved. Even if you are denied, it usually comes back with an explanation that you can then remedy and re-submit. Most of the time they will not submit your paperwork unless they are fairly certain you will be approved. Good luck!

Instead of serving what you think you can eat, measure or weigh out what you feel you should eat and stop there. I know I can currently eat more than 1/2 cup of certain things, but I only ever serve myself that 1/2 cup. It helps a lot, especially with softer things. I've also noticed that if I go a few days where I limit solid food and drink more Protein shakes my restriction comes back. Just a thought. I also think the gain might be because of increased weight training. As your muscles create tiny tears in the fibers, more Water will be retained to help repair them. The combination of muscle gain and water retention will lead to a gain. Plus, my surgeon has always told me that 5 pounds either way is not significant; the body will just do this from time to tome.

My weight loss has slowed down considerably since surgery. I am a little over two months out, and the weight is just barely creeping off. I actually lost weight faster and more consistently on my pre-op diet than I do now. There are days when I feel like this wasn't worth it. Does anyone else feel like this? (I know there are those who will ask, so yes I am eating within my NUT's guidelines, eating only 11% carbs from low-glycemic veg, getting in about 80g of protein per day from solid foods, and about 20g of fat. I exercise hard 7 days per week.)

I know every nutritionist is different, but mine gave me a chart about how many calories I should consume from the start to after one year. For your time out of surgery, you should be taking in between 600-800 calories per day max, with a minimum of 65g of Protein per day. Meals should be no more than 3/4 cup each. I would also cut out the grain and the fruit. You'd be amazed at how much that spikes your blood sugar causing insulin to be released and storing fat. When I see my weight loss slowing down, I go back to basics. A couple Protein shakes per day (I like EAS Carb AdvantEDGE since they are only 100 calories and 17g protein each), then three small solid meals consisting of only protein. I also agree with BearMan that more exercise does not equal more fat loss, but if you are exercising because it makes you feel good then go ahead and do it. I hope this helps!

One of the reasons I chose the sleeve over the other options was because all the surgeons like to say "You won't be able to feel hungry after surgery. We remove that part of your stomach." Except, I'm always hungry. Like the kind of hungry where you feel like your stomach is being turned inside out. This goes on 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. I even feel hungry WHILE I'm eating! I talked to my surgeon and she just said "It happens to some people, and its normal." Um, what? What happened to no hunger? Sales pitch, I guess. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my surgeon. She did a fantastic job). I knew hunger was going to return eventually, but this soon?? So frustrating! My carb content is pretty low (around 30g per day) my Protein intake is really good (80g per day average, all from solid food), and I get in all my recommended Water. So what gives?? Some told me it was reflux that felt like hunger, so I doubled my Prilosec and the hunger has not gone away. It isn't head hunger; I have no appetite, its just the physical sensation in my gut. I'm actually pretty annoyed when I have to eat. Grrr....

Thanks for the input. I don't know how many surgeons do this, but my surgeon requires I have blood drawn once a month to check Vitamin levels. My last post-op appointment (about two weeks ago) they told me I had no nutritional deficiencies, and my bloodwork was like someone who had never had surgery. I do track what I eat, but in terms of having my meals "balanced" I still have to stay within the guidelines of my program. Protein first, then veggies if I still have room, then anything else. In order to get all my protein in from solid food (required in my program at this point. No shakes allowed), it often means I'm not eating enough veg to really get any nutritional benefit from it. I take my supplements and they seem to be working so far.

I thought this for awhile, too, but no it is really physical hunger. I'm eating 6 times per day, so I don't think I could fit in any more Protein than I'm already taking in, since my surgeon wants me to have those two veg servings and one fruit serving per day.

My surgeon and nutritionist have always said that two Flintstone's Chewable vitamins are just fine. At least you don't have to wait for them to dissolve and they taste OK.

Vitamins and exercise, at least for the last month. I've had the flu twice in the past month and just when I thought I was going to get back to exercising, I pull a back muscle. I'm only 7 weeks out, but I wanted to make the most of this time. Every time something happens it chips away at my motivation to exercise.

I feel sometimes like I'm able to take in way too much. I never stretch my meals longer than 20 minutes, but there are some things that I can already take in up to 1/2 cup of. Seems like the more moist/watery the food, the more I can put in. If its dry or stiff, I can still take in about 3oz before I feel full. Is this a good amount for this stage?? I'm OK'd to eat everything except bread, rice, and Pasta and I typically eat a lot of Protein dense foods, like chicken thighs, lean ground beef (7% fat), tuna, and crab. (By the way, if you haven't checked out snow crab legs, do! They're enormously high in protein for very few calories! 3oz of snow crab meat has 23g of protein and less than 100 calories!) Might also be important to note that I don't drink with my meals, as per instructions, and wait for 30 minutes after eating to drink. Am I eating too much?? Averaging about 500-700 calories per day, 40 carbs, and 75g protein.

My surgeon told me that at 6 weeks everything is pretty much healed and scar tissue has already formed around the staple line, but that leaks are still possible up to a year out if we overfill ourselves too often which pushes against the staples. BUT she did tell me that we will definitely know if we had a leak because we would be very, very sick and probably calling her in a panic or heading straight to the ER. If you otherwise feel fine other than your dizziness (maybe vertigo?? or too many bp meds if you are on them or the wrong kind), then I wouldn't worry about it. Also, I feel you because I am a fellow hypochondriac. Even though I logically know I am fine, the internet can make it seem like we have all sorts of fatal stuff going on! A good phrase to remember when dealing with your health: When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras! The most simple answer is usually the correct one. I hope you can start to feel less anxious about this topic soon!

Packet sent in last Thursday, and still no word. Was hopeful after hearing people say it only took 24 hours for them to get a response. Called HBCBS NJ and they said they won't give me an answer over the phone, to wait for a call from my surgeon's office. I'm a stay-at-home mom right now so my days are wide open and I honestly don't know what to do with myself until I hear back!

I'm only 7 days post-op, so I know I shouldn't be thinking like this yet, but I'm starting to think this isn't going to work for me. I'm not going to stop following the instructions I was given; after all its not like I could (or want) to go back to eating the way I was before. However, I don't seem to have lost any weight, my shape is the same, everything fits the same, my face is the same. Not even my boobs have shrunk, which is usually the first thing to go. I am very healthy, had a relatively short recovery (I was driving and back to normal by day 5 and no pain today), and follow all my instructions to the T. Have I made a horrible mistake? Does anyone else feel like this??

I would have thought that before surgery, too, but my surgeon said that the IV fluids aren't really retained because the catheter that drains your bladder is constantly emptying, and fluid is only retained when there isn't enough. I have been going to the bathroom regularly, too, so I know its not that. I also feel like I can take in way more fluid and food than others, though I stick to the recommended amounts.

So I started drinking Water earlier and as usual, I stop when I feel my sleeve is done. Except, I felt like I could keep drinking. I didn't get my usual "full" sensation from the water, no bubbles, nothing. I stopped after I realized how much I'd had in such a short amount of time, but now I'm worried that I have ruined something. Is it just swelling around my stomach going down? Is it possible to bust your sleeve on water? Is it OK to be able to drink normally without needing to use medicine cups or stop every few sips?? Thanks!

So freakin' excited!!!! I have my final consult with the surgeon Thursday and we will set my surgery date! Hopefully it will be very soon!

Oh...my...glob...I am going to be so freakin' hot! My luscious lumps will be in all the right places. I know you want this body, but you can't have it! lmao

At 33, I've been struggling with my weight for 30 years now; that's right 30! I'm sure many of you have been struggling for equally as long, so our elation at being able to get this procedure that will change our lives for the better seems like something you'd want to shout from the rooftops to everyone you know, right? I wish I could. I'm actually afraid of the judgment that may come along with it. I told two friends early on when I was just considering the surgery, even before I went to the seminar, and they refuse to speak to me now. Fellow obese girls who probably feel like I've abandoned them in some sort of fleshy sisterhood, or that my future thinner self might be judgmental of them. Although this is not the case on my part, it does make me worry about sending a widespread message to everyone that I'm doing this. There is a certain amount of shame, at least for me, that has come with this decision. It is like I failed at something that I should have been good at. I know its my body, my insulin resistance that went undetected probably since childhood that has fuelled the fire of obesity for so long. I know, logically, that for those of us who choose this path it is not that we were lazy, or didn't want to diet, or didn't try. In fact, I find that most of us have probably stuck with diets and exercise plans far longer than our naturally thin counterparts. I know every diet you can think of inside and out. I am a fat war veteran, and this surgery is like my war reparations for battling for so long. It pains me to think that I can't tell everyone I know without feeling judgment, abandonment, or guilt/shame. Maybe it won't be that way; maybe everyone would be happy and supportive. I just cringe at the thought of telling everyone before I get my surgery date on Thursday and then having to retract that statement if something goes wrong, or the inevitable replies of "Oh, you don't need that! I'll give you a diet that will make you slim, and all you have to do is walk." I'm just wondering if anyone else has felt this way, has kept this news from the others around them. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and make a facebook post to let everyone know. Maybe if I just rip the band-aid off, the scab of shame will come with it??

If you get really worried about it, there is something called ParaNil that you can buy on Amazon that will kill intestinal worms, though I think its extremely rare for things to get to the point in the video, and you would have to be consuming a lot of raw and very undercooked meat. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I almost squeaked by with getting in this coming Monday, but then they discovered my surgeon is teaching a class, so the soonest they could get me in is the 25th. My surgeon was thrilled with my 22 pound loss on the pre-op diet, so I guess I'll continue that until my surgery since its really not that bad. Feeling kind of lonely, though, because everyone I know is at work and I have no one to tell but you guys! haha