Kindle

The MOM usually worked overnight for me. It wasn't an instant effect. Took it at bedtime and pooped in the morning.

Lost 100 pounds. No idea what my macros are. Don't count, don't measure, don't track. Never have. I keep a running tally of fluids in my head and typically drink 80-100oz. I have a Protein shake and Quest bar everyday which gives me 40-50g protein. Then I eat 5-6 times/day....mostly high fat/high protein things, but I do include a little fruit and non starchy veggies every day. And of course my fiber. I occasionally indulge in Desserts, candy, alcohol, bread, and rice, etc but it's certainly not an everyday thing. I'm one of "those" people who had surgery so I wouldn't HAVE to diet and measure and track everything I eat. If I wanted to do that I could have saved my $7000 and joined weight watchers instead.

5 gallon buckets and lye works better.....leaves no trace. And that comes directly from a police investigator! BTW, I have three cats and a good supply of batteries. Couldn't be happier.

I was never given calorie guidelines by my surgeons office and I've never counted calories. I lost over 100% of my excess weight and kept it off for over 18 months eating intuitively just how you described....high protein/high fat/low carbs. I do need to supplement with insoluble fiber (Apple pectin fiber and ground flax seed) to stay regular, but that's about it. Maybe I should have written a book

I didn't have any dietary restrictions other than the day before. Liquids only for 24 hours and was given a colon prep liquid to drink 12 and 4 hours prior. OMG was that horrible. Tasted like cherry koolaid that someone poured a cup of salt into. The worst part was I was only 3 1/2 months postop VSG and couldn't begin to drink all the colon prep they wanted me to. That and trying not to gag on it. The best advice I would have given myself (had I known) was that the colon prep kicks in a LOT faster with a tiny tummy than they advised me it would. Only took 20 minutes to produce "results", but luckily I was close to home! Good luck! Ugh.

I used the Eat Slower app, too. It worked great when I was using it. But alas, I am lazy and weak and wolfing my food is probably the worst bad habit I've taken back up. I'm always eating on the run and when I'm not I simply hate eating hot food that has cooled off. Since I've never vomitted, gotten sick from over eating or slimed, I guess I just haven't had any negative reinforcement to keep me from doing it.

Thanks @@VSGAnn2014 and @@OutsideMatchInside for your perspectives. As for the Water cooler thing, I'm in the same boat. I only have 1 coworker (my business partner) and we run with the same circle of friends, so the gossip fest runs dry pretty quick. So in fact, WLS forums add a whole other level of social drama to my otherwise boring life. And since I don't attend support group meetings or see a therapist or counselor, the online forums do serve as a touchstone to the WLS world for me. It's a place to commune with other "fatties" where I feel comfortable talking about all the WLS stuff my real world friends just don't get. (They do get the part about me not being PC, though ) Gee, I already feel so much better about my addiction. It's fun to rationalize!

Hey I resent that! Some of us are still here because we have transferred our food and alcohol addictions to WLS forum addictions. As dysfunctional as they are and as silly and idiotic some threads are, it's like a horrible car crash that I just can't help but stare at. Hello my user name is Kindle and I am addicted to online forums. LOL

On the topic of diet, do you drink a lot of sports drinks? A friend of mine had kidney stones 3 times in 18 months. They finally narrowed it down to all the Powerade and Gatorade he was drinking at work. He switched to plain Water and hasn't had a stone in over 2 years. Hope you're feeling better.....

We can argue stats and studies all day long, but in the end it doesn't matter for my success or failure. Whether 200 people in Italy or 20,000 people in the US lost weight and kept it off or gained it all back has nothing to do with ME. I control what I eat and whether or not I maintain my loss. With a few exceptions of certain medical conditions and/or medications that may affect weight gain, every individual controls their own success/failure when it comes to the numbers on the scale. IN general, Regain comes with poor food choices and bad eating habits. There is a big gap between the surgeons responsibility for a successful surgery and the patients responsibility for lifestyle changes. That gap needs to be filled with nutritional education and psychological support. Having a VSG and then eating Oreos or drinking alcohol in excess 5 years out is no different than getting a lung transplant and smoking cigarettes. Who's fault is it when that patient dies of emphysema/cancer/COPD? As a measure of success, of course they are going to look at weight as the main criteria rather than the comorbidities. After all it's called Weight Loss Surgery, not Diabetes Cure Surgery or Blood Pressure Reduction Surgery.

I was an alcoholic. Never thought I could deal with the stress of work, my grief and depression and life in general without drinking every day. I still have those things in my life, but now I face them sober. Turns out the alcohol wasn't really making anything better anyways.

Actually she said she wanted "to lose to 140", and apparently just hasn't updated her ticker.

Have you been working with your surgeon to resolve this? Any diagnostics done to see what might be going on? Kind of sounds like a stricture. Have you had an upper GI/barium swallow? Scope? CT scan?

I don't own a scale. I weighed at the doctors office only for the first 3 months. After that I Stepped on the scale at work 2-3 times/month just to have something I could put on my ticker. I've found using a scale much more helpful in maintenance than while I was losing. If you stick to your plan, you WILL lose weight, with or without a scale. But once at goal, weighing after a holiday binge or carby weekend has helped me keep things in check and nip any small regains in the bud. To weigh or not to weigh I think depends on your attitude towards the numbers. Some people have a disfunctional relationship with their scale. They fret over the numbers and make themselves miserable because they aren't "losing fast enough". (They need to stay off the scale). And others have a healthy relationship with their scale. They like to see the numbers but accept the fact there will be stalls and even gains along the way and they don't let the numbers upset them. In my case, I just didn't care. I had no relationship with my scale (kinda how I am with relationships in general). The fit of my clothes and NSVs were enough to tell me I was losing.

I make my Greek yogurt my dessert. I take plain Greek yogurt and flavor it with Torani or Dasani syrup and/or Protein powder. Raspberry, pumpkin pie and tiramisu are my favorite syrup choices and vanilla or cake batter are my favorite powders. Tonight I did yogurt, cake batter powder, PB2 and a bit of almond milk to thin it. Tasted like Peanut Butter cookie dough! This dessert is also the "carrier" for my daily Fiber and I always add a couple scoops of ground flax seed to the concoction so it's actually quite filling. I've gotta have the protein and fiber anyways, so its not adding anything unnecessary and fortunately it hasn't gotten out of control like my love for nuts and peanut butter did. My protein hot chocolate is always my goto for my chocolate fix.

I'm sure you're not in the mood for humor, but you remind me of a colicking horse. It's so frustrating and heartbreaking when there's nothing we can do to help with their pain. And I'm sure banamine and tubing with oil would not help you at this point . Maybe go for a ride in the trailer.....It might help you poop

I used milk of magnesia early on and it always helped, even though I'd still only go every 3 days and it was rock hard. But I eventually found insoluble Fiber to be the key for me. (The fiber gummies, Benefiber, etc are all soluble fiber and didn't do a thing to help) I add apple pectin fiber and ground flax seed to my Greek yogurt and Protein smoothies every day. I also eat All bran Cereal and Kashi Go Lean cereal. The result has been daily, soft BMs. Other people have reported good results with smooth move tea and prune juice. And don't forget to drink lots of water!

Yeah, I was "fat and healthy", too. 40BMI, High blood pressure but hadn't started Meds yet, daily pain in ankles, knees, and feet....living on tramadol and ibuprofen. But in my case, it wouldn't have mattered if I was 600 pounds, my insurance didn't cover WLS under any circumstances. So I went to Mexico, paid cash, had an easy, pain free recovery and lost 100 pounds in 8 months. Now I really am healthy. OB/Gyn appt yesterday had my BP at 98/68 and I haven't needed any pain meds in two years. Even if you have to go self pay it is worth it!

I chew gum every day. I keep some at home, in my coat pocket, at work and in my truck console. I reach for a piece when I'm feeling "snacky". Like others mentioned, I just don't swallow it.

Read your insurance policy to find out what their requirements are. There's just so many variations among individual policies.

There are also those that lost all their weight, kept it off and have no reason to check back in with their surgeons. I am one of those. Not to mention I had surgery in Mexico, so my 100% + weight loss will likely never get recorded. And yes, I will still be at this weight in another 4 years You alone would limit your loss to 70%, not any research study.

I only got IV fluids when I was severely dehydrated during my second and third month postop. Prior to that I was doing fine but I couldn't keep up with my Fluid losses due to 24/7 diarrhea from a C. diff infection. Gotta say I really enjoyed those days (even the getting poked 3-4 times trying to find a vein) because I actually got to take a break from drinking. However, IV fluids is certainly something I wouldn't rely on for hydration. They put you at greater risk for infection and can cause phlebitis which is uncomfortable to say the least. Frequent IV sticks can compromise your vessels and make it more difficult to place a catheter if and when you really need one. I'd just try and put more effort into drinking more. Keep Water by your bed. Drink till the moment you fall asleep. Drink 16oz before you even leave for work. Drink in the car everywhere you go. Keep a bottle at hand all day. Drink 12-16oz of decaf tea as a bedtime snack. Set a timer to drink every 15 minutes if you have to. Set goals....drink X amount before the next time you eat.

I had surgery in Mexico on a Friday and back to work the next Thursday. I am a vet tech and on my feet all day, bending, squatting, kneeling, etc. I was tired but felt OK. I was on full liquids for 3 weeks, so I had protein shakes and other fluids available to sip at all times. Adding pureed fruit to my shakes helped with my energy levels. I also had to respect a 20 pound lifting restriction for 3 weeks, but was back to the usual 40-60 pounds after that.

I told close friends and family before surgery. They were concerned with the surgery part but supportive of my decision. For coworkers, acquaintances, clients, etc, I simply told them when they'd ask how I was losing weight. Just a simple answer of "I had surgery and I eat a high Protein, low carb diet now". They would typically ask a few questions (no one ever heard of VSG, so I would explain the difference between that and bypass/lap band). But then the conversation would turn to other things. No one ever made a big deal out of it. Everyone has different comfort levels when it comes to talking about surgery, but for me I did not feel any shame in it and I simply wouldn't feel comfortable misleading people to think it was all "diet and excercise".

I gained 3 pounds at 6 weeks postop and sat there for a month. At the time I was taking a medication that made me very nauseous so I could barely eat and drink anything. I was getting 50-60g Protein, but Fluid goals were hard and I actually needed IV fluids 3 times. My calories were really low (under 600). As soon as I stopped the medication, I doubled my fluids and upped my calories to at least 800 and lost 8 pounds the next time I Weighed in at 12 weeks. So yes, gains can and do happen. Mine actually happened when I was eating less than any other time postop. Your hydration status will also influence daily fluctuations. I gained 11 pounds overnight the last time I got IV fluids. Like everyone else said, I'd suggest upping your protein and calories and making sure you are getting plenty of fluids.....64oz is minimum, you should shoot for 80-100oz. In the meantime, STAY OFF THE SCALE!