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And as someone in the veterinary field I can tell you most people only listen to about half of the instructions we give them (if we're lucky) The vet will tell them something, I will repeat it, we will send them home with those same instructions in writing and they STILL don't follow directions. We get a phone call later asking the same questions we've already answered. Or a frustrating call two weeks later wondering why their pet isn't better only to find out they never filled the Rx we gave them or only did treatment for a couple days rather than the full two weeks. And then throw in the "but I read on the Internet....." and "my friend's vet said....." excuses and It makes me want to strangle them. It's incredibly frustrating and I feel like I'm wasting my breathe most of the time. Client compliance is a major problem. We have whole continuing education conferences addressing the issue. I'm sure it's similar in human medicine with patient compliance. Yes, it's often a lot of info but you also need to take some responsibility for your own health and well being. READ what they send home. ASK QUESTIONS if you don't fully understand. Spend some time on the Internet. With the internet's access to almost unlimited information, there is no excuse for going into an ELECTIVE life changing surgery without knowing all the facts, including how varied different programs can be.

You are describing head hunger and mental cravings to a "T". "Daydreaming about food". "Drooling over food photos". This is DEFINITELY head hunger. Sounds like you are eating plenty to satisfy your actual needs. Are you feeling weak? Fatigued? Light headed? Hard time concentrating? These would be physical and mental signs that you are actually lacking adequate nutrition. And if you really are hungry, you will be satisfied with anything from yogurt to pureed veggies to Soup to a Protein shake. If it's something specific you're "hungry" for, it's head hunger. And the cravIngs never go away. It's a battle you will fight forever. You need to find a way to retrain your brain for long term succes. But you can help lessen your sweet tooth by staying away from carbs. They just make you crave more carbs. And also be aware that many of the artificial sweeteners out there affect your brain chemistry the same as real sugar, so they can create cravings, too.

I never went to the ER either. I called my doctor when the first one was happening (I pretty much knew what it was but didn't think it would hurt THAT much). He basically told me to suck it up but if it lasted more than a couple hours I should probably be seen. Luckily it was over in about 75 minutes. The other 3 lasted from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. I was literally dialling a friend to come take me to the ER for that longest one but then it gradually stopped. As for ultrasound, I did them myself all along and although there was sludge, no stones actually appeared for almost a year. Once I saw them I had to schedule an "official" ultrasound with a radiologist to get the surgery/insurance ball rolling. Good luck with yours! If I had it to do over again I would have had surgery a lot sooner. Actually, I would have had them take it out with my VSG . Would have only been an extra $500 rather than the $5000 deductible I'm out again this year.

Muscle Milk cake batter Protein powder + cottage cheese tastes like cheesecake. I also love cottage cheese and peaches. It's a snack my mom always made for us kids.

I was told 60-80g Protein and 64oz Water MINIMUM. And to stay away from bread, Pasta, rice, sweets and alcohol. That's it. The nut even laughed when I asked about calories and fat vs nonfat yogurt. She said I will be eating so little that as long as I was getting my protein and water and following the guidelines I certainly didn't have to worry about calories, fats or carbs. So I never did bother to count or track or measure. I get my protein, I drink my water, take my Vitamins, I eat healthy and eat smart. It's very simple and at two years out and maintaining 10 pounds below goal, turns out she was right. I was, however, concerned about not wanting to be low cal for very long....didn't want my metabolism slowing down. So I did "spot check" my calories a few times. I was never below 500 and mostly stayed at 600-800 the first 4 months, was up to 1000 at 6 months, 1200 by 8-10 months and last I checked, about 10 months ago, I was maintaining at 1400-1600 calories. I've never counted carbs or fat, so can't help you there.

Like Kathy said, I only wish I could go back to those days when I was never hungry. THAT would make this surgery truly a miracle!

If I only ate when I was hungry I wouldn't have eaten at all for the first 4-6 months. I wasn't painful or nauseous or anything like that. Everything went down just fine, in teeny tiny amounts. It's just that I was never hungry or thirsty. Eating and drinking was such a chore. I had to get IV fluids 3 times due to dehydration from uncontrollable diarrhea during my 3rd month postop (I got C. diff from a dental procedure) and I can seriously say those were 3 of the best days because I DIDNT HAVE TO DRINK ANYTHING! But still, I forced myself to eat and meet Protein and Fluid goals every day. I don't think I was ever under 600 calories and that was only for the first couple of weeks. Getting in your protein is definitely more important than only eating when you are hungry. Besides, I didn't want my body to get used to a low calorie intake. Didn't want my metabolism slowed down which would make maintenance that much harder. Not to mention the benefits of protein on healing and hair loss.

1) Order whatever looks good. Eat what I can. Take home leftovers. I usually get 4-5 meals out of a single entree. 2) coordinate with the others, order a bunch of appetizers or a couple Entrees and we all share. I usually don't get leftovers but it's a good option when "everything" looks good! 3) split an entree with someone. Eat what I can and they get the rest. I have friends lining up for this option cause I eat so little and they get most of the carbs. I never get leftovers 4) if it's fast food I get a burger or chicken sandwich or roast beef (love Arby's) or taco or burrito and eat it minus the bun/tortilla. Never order fries but will definitely steal some from someone else.

Thanks all! Back to work yesterday and all went well. I thought I'd be tired or sore but it was actually great to get off the couch where I had forced myself to camp out all weekend. The hardest thing is making myself not lift stuff cause it's just such a natural action and something I normally do 50 times/day. My belly is still too swollen to wear jeans, but fortunately I can get away with wearing sweats or scrubs over my long underwear. With single digit temps (both positive and negative) no one cares what you wear around here anyways, as long as you're staying warm.

Geez, sorry you guys have had such a hard time with your gallbladder surgeries. I just had mine out due to stones 6 days ago. i was discharged 2 hours after waking up and went shopping on the way home. Went to grandma's for Thanksgiving the next day and ate a little bit of everything. Laid low for the weekend just because I was supposed to and went back to work yesterday. Other than my belly being swollen (looks like a basketball) and slightly sore ab muscles I have no pain. My belly button incision is a little tender because that's where they repaired a hernia I didn't even know I had. Haven't taken any pain Meds since the first day. Took me 4 days to poop, but that's pretty normal for me after any surgery due to the anesthesia. I was looking forward to maybe losing a couple pounds because I wouldn't want to eat much but that sure didn't happen. BTW, I did start taking a bile acid supplement before meals the day after surgery. I sure hope you guys start feeling better soon.

So sue, did you ever do the cottage cheese test?

@@Inner Surfer Girl my apologies for trashing your wonderful thread. I will crawl back under my rock now.

Sorry, but reading the same posts over and over and over gets frustrating. I mostly dont bother to answer anymore, because I've already posted the same answers a dozen time and it's obvious no one bothers to read them. The same question always show up within a couple days. But I just had surgery so I've got nothing better to do this weekend but lay around and piss off people online. (I already got all my Christmas shopping done) I use the mobile app, too. For search just tap in the upper left corner and select Search from the menu. For all the forums, tap the upper left corner and select forums from the menu. There are 4 main forums but If you tap any of them a bunch of subforums come up. The stall forum is under the General weight loss forum. Take some time to browse through the site, you will find a ton of information that will be helpful to you. BTW, this thread is IN the stall subforum.

STAY. OFF. THE. SCALE. (and not losing for 3 days is NOT a stall)

And not only do they not use the search function to see that their questions and fears have already been addressed a zillion times, they don't even bother to put their post in the stall forum where it belongs. [sigh] ....it's hopeless. Newbies just won't ever change.

You are just driving yourself crazy for no reason... Hey, here's a theory....maybe hairloss is the result of everyone stressing over stalls and not losing "fast enough", not the actual surgery!

I take fish oil, D3, B12 sublingual (methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin), Calcium and a multi. Other than the B12, all of my Vitamins are whole food based, not chemically synthesized "bariatric" labelled. My multi contains Vitamin K. My calcium also contains Vit D, magnesium and vitamin K since they are synergistic and absorb better when taken together. I also take my multi with a tablespoon of Peanut Butter or coconut oil to help with the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins. I just had my gallbladder removed and my surgeon had me discontinue the fish oil and calcium/vitamin K a week before surgery because of their affect on bleeding/clotting. I was allowed to start them back up three days A friend of mine ended up in the hospital with low potassium, but he had bypass, not VSG, so that's a whole other can of worms. I get my potassium level checked with my regular bloodwork twice/year.

Stalls happen anytime, anyplace and last for any length of time. Other than the infamous 3 week stall I don't think there is a pattern. And, BTW, a loss of 1.4 pounds is not a stall. The fact that you are measuring tenths of a pound suggests to me up you are too obsessed with the numbers. Relax, enjoy the journey, count your NSV's, explore some new recipe ideas and stay off scale for awhile. I guarantee you will keep losing if you are eating on plan.

So sorry you are having such a hard time. What does your surgeon say? Have you had a scope or upper GI study? Sounds like a stricture or twist. What you are experiencing is NOT normal and your doctor needs to find out why you are vomitting...this is not an acceptable postop reaction. If he won't help, find another doctor that will. Doesn't even have to be a bariatric surgeon. your PCP can send you to a gastroenterologist.

Don't worry, your body will stop losing. As time goes on you will be able to eat more and your body finds a balance between calories in and calories out. It takes a lot less calories to maintain and function as a 150 pound person than a 300 pound person. Most people have a harder time reaching goal than those that have a problem of losing too much. Once in maintenance you just adjust your calories as needed to lose, maintain or gain. As for hair and skin, there's really nothing you can do. Hairloss is gonna happen or not. Getting in all your Protein may be the best deterrent, but not a guarantee. Many people take Biotin and use special hair products but lose hair anyways. I did absolutely nothing (except always get in all my protein) and I never lost a single strand. My hair is actually longer now than it's ever been, likely due to much better nutrition than preop. It's really just a crap shoot. And worrying about it actually adds more stress that will only make you more likely to lose hair. And loose skin is gonna happen or not. Genetics and skin elasticity determine that. I had a lot of loose skin on my face, neck and upper arms that has tightened up over time. I still have more wrinkles and look older, but I can live with it. However, my loose butt, boob and thigh skin is still VERY saggy and nothing but surgery will fix those areas. But I have no plans for plastics. I used all kinds of "anti wrinkle" creams and lotions Claiming to help with stretch marks. I doubt they really did anything except make my flabby skin really soft. After all, if they actually worked who would need plastic surgery? Good luck to you both! It's very cool you are doing it together and have your very own surgery buddy

It's not about nutritional value or calories....soda and fruit juice and koolaid have loads of calories but they are definitely liquid. It's about physical state and how it passes through your sleeve. My surgeon said if I can drink it through a straw it is a liquid. For example, drinkable yogurt like Siggis or kefir were liquids but Greek yogurt was a puree. Protein shakes are liquids, and you will actually absorb the protein better if you drink them slowly throughout the day.

Talk to your surgeon about trying a different medication. Some work better than others and everyone is different. If your surgeon won't work with you, talk to your PCP or a gastroenterologist.

I can't say it any better than the previous posters, but since it can't be said enough, here it is.....get in all your fluids, get in all your protein and stay.off.the.scale. It really is that simple.

Well, for me, I had WLS in order to be healthier. Taking a drug that raises my blood pressure and increases my chances of cardiac disease kind of defeats that purpose. Thanks anyways, but I'll stick with a healthy diet, smart food choices and physical activity to keep my weight off. THATS what I signed up for. And if a bariatric patient is having difficulty following the guidelines, their doctor ought to be prescribing counseling or therapy, not drugs. And what I gather from the OP, this is someone early out of surgery, not someone struggling with long term weight gain. She only has two posts...one asking how soon they can drink soda and the other how soon they can take amphetamines for a little "pep". That was the scenario I assumed from the post and what I based my response on.

Cocaine works great for this! Pretty much has the same appetite suppressant, CNS and cardiac effects as phentermine, so why not?! I can't BELIEVE your nut actually recommends using drugs to lose weight....guess it makes her job pretty easy.