lark60

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but the sista's do deflate with any weight loss surgery. How much is relative to the individual's body structure and how you carry your weight. I was a 44 DDD before surgery and now wear a 34 B.

I can totally relate to your frustration with the situation. When I was going through the pre-op process I hit a road block that was to this day one I am not sure I did the right thing about. I had seen my PCP to get the referral to a contracted surgeon (the usual step one). I called the surgeons office and was told I had to go to a seminar before they would set the intake appointment. The seminars were held once a month so I scheduled for the next open date (which was 2 months from the phone call). After the seminar I made the intake appointment (another month wait). The labs, consults and testing took another 3 months to complete. When I had my surgery date, 9 months had gone by and I figured, not too bad of a wait to get the surgery. Then I went to the surgeons office for the pre-op "physical" and was told my insurance wasn't covering the procedure at 80 % but only 65% and they required my portion be paid before they would confirm the surgery date. I made several calls to my insurance and the long & short of the phone tag was that the surgeons office did not complete some paperwork on their end and lost the preferred provider status. I was told I could "restart the process" with a new surgeon or continue with the current provider but have to pay the non-contracted provider rate. I wanted the surgery to be done and over with so I paid the non-contracted provider rate. Just before the surgery, the surgeon requested to be allowed to perform a new procedure called the spider technique and he would take out my gallbladder while he was doing the sleeve (I had gallstones and knew the weight loss would most likely cause a flair up) After hearing about the spider technique (one incision) and that he would remove the gallbladder through the same incision I agreed to let him do the procedure (I was to be his first "live" patient for this technique and the first he did 2 surgeries in one per the doc). Now the one thing I didn't think about was the fact that he was now a non-contracted provider. Also I did not get a prior auth for the gallbladder surgery. SOOOO...... After the surgery I got the bill for his services (and his assistant) My insurance didn't cover the gallbladder procedure and I was stuck with an extra 7000.00 expense. I am still fighting with his office about the non-contacted status and that I should not have to pay this bill since they didn't fill out a form and they didn't get the prior auth with the insurance before the surgery (how was I supposed to know all the medical billing stuff) I thought he made a deal to take out the gall bladder if I let him perform the surgery with this new technique. Guess I was wrong.

I wish you all the best. I still struggle with the fear of weight gain and find that there are days (like today) where I cannot stop eating. Even though I am choosing Protein first and trying to keep track of what I eat, I get over whelmed with depression and then "the moose is loose" in the kitchen. The food I have in the house is "safe" but when I go to my parents home I have even a bigger challenge. Tonight I was offered a mini bag of popcorn only to realize it was kettle corn. Like an idiot, I ate the bag (didn't want to offend dad) and then I was nauseated. I am still on the weight loss diet and loose about 1/2 lb a week. Though I am getting closer to my goal, I fear the day when I start gaining. I know this is a life long struggle and the surgery is a tool to help meet my goal. Fighting the head/mind games will be an ongoing battle for the rest of my life. It helps to read that others have the same struggles.

SW 168, GW 160, CW 163. Total loss 5 lbs. Missed goal by 3 lbs.

Every time I go to my parents house to visit (which is frequent since they are elderly and I am the one checking on them regularly) I have to pass the fresh baked home recipe oatmeal raisin Cookies. My dad makes them with extra raisins and walnuts. He also uses all brown sugar in the recipe (talk about keep one regular, one of these a day works for my mother!) I resist the temptation "most of the time". Last week I gave in and ate one. Then I experienced dumping syndrome and now I can resist them. Racing heart, sweating, feeling of pending death will keep me away from the cookies.

Well I guess I can try to remember the stats to answer your questions. 1. How long was your 'clear' liquid stage? 1 week 2. How long was your liquid stage? 2 weeks 3. How long was your 'smooth/mushy' stage? about 2 months though I stuck with soft foods till about 6 months because I couldn't eat (i.e. tolerate) anything fresh till then. 4. How soon did you transition to 'regular/normal eating? If you ask my friend and relative, I have not transitioned to "normal eating" because I eat so little at a meal. Not sure I will ever eat the way I did before getting sleeved. If your questions is when I transitioned to "normal food" I would say I have been eating "normal food" since the beginning, just choosing foods that met consistency requirements for the stage. What I mean is that I never choose to eat baby food (some NUTS recommended this for the first soft foods but I could never get past the idea so I choose foods like yogurt, eggs, cheese and tofu) 5. What was your SW? Just as it states on my stats 265. 6. How much had you lost at 1 month? 25 lbs 7. How much had you lost at 3 months? 49 lbs 8. What was your total loss at 6 months (using SW)? 70 lbs Hope the answers here help you in your Quest.

I am over 10 months out and still don't get the 96 oz the surgeon wants me to drink daily. On a good day I will drink 48 oz (including the Water to make my 2 Protein shakes) and on a bad day I maybe get 24 oz of liquid. I try to sip water throughout the day, gave up on the "not drinking liquid 30 min before eating" but try not to drink with the meal or the 15 mins after eating (most the time I am so full from the whopping 1/2 cup of protein/veggie combo I couldn't drink anything) I do know that for me, if I drink too soon after eating, I get hungry sooner than when I wait to drink after a meal or Protein shake. SOOOOO, I try very hard not to drink after eating (or during the one meal a day that isn't a protein shake) because if I get hungry before its time, I tend to snack on protein and my daily calories creep up which slows the weight loss. I have tried to drink water when I feel that hunger come on between meals but find myself trying to drink too fast and then I get nauseated. Not sure which is worse, hunger or nausea.

Though the amount of food eating at one time is limited, you can (unfortunately) still binge eat. I say this not because I have this problem but rather I know the psychology behind binge eating. Once an episode starts, the person will eat till the urge stops. After VSG the quantity is limited to 1/2 cup (unless you eat slider foods that seem to never fill one up) but once that "full" feeling subsides, you can continue to eat till the full feeling again. I would imagine one could continuously eat all day till the urge has been satisfied. This behavior needs professional counseling and one should not assume the surgery will force you not to eat through the problems.

SW 168 GW 160 CW 164 No change this past week. Too much stress I guess.

Ok, I understand things change as time goes by and it is normal to be able to eat more food at a meal but I just had WHOLE grilled cheese sandwich. I was caring for an elderly neighbor and without thinking, I made both of us grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch (I was not in my kitchen and NOT THINKING) I sat down to eat the sandwich and before I realized what I was doing, I had eaten the sandwich (I talking 2 slices of whole wheat bread and a slice of cheddar cheese, of course butter on the bread too) I have not been able to eat 1/2 slice of bread since the surgery without feeling like it is stuck mid esophagus. Maybe the butter let it "slide" through, maybe since it's grilled, melted cheese. I fear I will slip back into my old food habits now that I have eaten a full sandwich (yes I know I can "make the right food choices and limit the quantity" but I have been in a panic since lunch) I know I am a stress eater and have worked hard to limit stress recently (quit work was the major thing) but I feel out of control. I have been buying all kinds of sugar free Snacks to prevent an all out milk dud attack and limiting the "treat" to one when I do have a treat (usually at night which was one of my old habits). I just needed to vent. I know I will get back on tract, destress some more and pay attention to meals (especially when away from my own kitchen). Thanks for reading.

nope, but I didn't have stitches either. one incision and glue was the closure. Never had trouble with stairs post op.

If I read your stats correctly, you should still be on a liquid diet. Sipping the Protein shakes slowly will allow your tummy to signal you when it is full (3 oz was the max I could take in for the first 3 months post sleeve). Sipping Water between the "3 meals" (again which should be liquid meals for you at this stage) will keep your electrolytes balanced and help with the scar healing from the surgery. I did not feel hungry (and still don't even 10 month post surgery) but had to get into a routine of eating 3 meals a day. There were a few Saturdays when I would get so busy with projects that I would forget to eat or drink water. I paid for it later with feeling weak, nauseated and palpitations. It would take me hours to sip enough water and protein (I would sip a mix of water with clear protein mix from Profect) to get feeling better. This is part of the learning process post sleeve. Eating once a day may have "worked" in the past but now you need to learn a new way of eating. This will help you loose weight and the habits you form now will last the rest of your life. Good luck with your journey!

People around me started commenting on my weight change at about the 30 lb mark. I didn't see a difference in my appearance until I lost 100 lbs. Yes, I know I was in "new clothes" but they were the "old clothes" I wore before so to me I honestly didn't see a big change. I am now wearing "real new clothes" because I have never worn a size smaller than a 16 before I was married over 35 years ago. (granted it was a youth size 16 but I had never bought "adult size clothes" till I hit over 200 lbs) My family are happy for me regarding my weight loss, I am still focused on loosing that last 39 lbs. I do finally see that I am smaller when I look in the mirror (though the sagging skin is not a pretty sight so I avoid looking at myself in my birthday suit too often)

not enough water intake after exercise or stretching.

I was a "bread-aholic" before the surgery and would eat a whole loaf of french bread before getting home from the store (so I would buy 2 loaves). Since the surgery I have avoided any carbs (bread, Pasta, rice and potatoes) so I can work on loosing weight. Since I have been a slow looser, adding carbs (even fruit) has not been something I want to do. My parents found a low carb pasta and so I tried it last week. I was not able to eat a full serving (go figure since I can only eat a 1/2 cup total for a meal) but did enjoy the pasta. (dream fields pasta products) I have eaten out a few times and will pass on the bread products so I can eat more Protein. I made the mistake of forgetting this rule while at Red Lobster and ate one of the cheese biscuits before the meal was served. I was not able to eat the meal at all. I felt shaky and nauseated. After having the meal packed to take home, I realized what I had done and that was a wake up call for me. No bread products! Maybe after I am to goal I will try to add a small amount to my diet but not till I hit that goal. Honestly I don't miss the bread and am happy that I am getting closer to my goal weight.

I can relate with being a slow looser. I was not to my surgeons goal at 16 weeks and he questioned me about diet, exercise, Water and Protein intake. I was following all the rules but wasn't loosing as expected. He concluded because of my thyroid disease I would not loose weight "fast". I don't buy the explanation because my levels are perfect on my current supplementation of thyroid medication. I am still loosing weight so I do not worry about how fast (even when each check in with the surgeon is frustrating when the staff comment on my weight loss). I admit the scale is a frustration that haunts most sleevers. When I am feeling low, I don't weight myself since I know that will just add to the depression. I will check my weight when I am "ready" and know that 1 lb a week is my average loss. Hang in there and know that you are on the road to a new lifestyle. How you get there is up to you so smile and cruse this site for support.

I too have lost 101 since surgery (we started at about the same weight and surgery date is days apart!) I have 39 more lbs to loose to get to my goal (guess I am shorter than you) and have people telling me I don't need to loose any more but I ignore them. My goal is to get into a size 8. I do love that I fit a size 12 at the present (though I have a few size 14's that are too comfortable to get rid of just yet) and I have worn a size 10 dress (plenty of hip room in a full skirt). I say loose what you want and let everyone keep their comments to themselves. PS: You need to update your ticker to show your success!

SW 168 GW 160 CW 164 Lost another pound!

I didn't try fruit until I was 3 months post sleeve and then it was applesauce. Since I try to eat Protein first, veggies second, fruit third, I never really eat fruit at my one meal a day. (unless I eat a salad and have raisins or craisins on the salad) Actually the only time I really eat fruit is when I add it to a shake for Breakfast so it is blended well (less risk of fibrous products getting stuck in my tummy) I add melon to the apple melon Isopure powder. I have added mango nectar to the mango peach Isopure powder shakes. Of course the banana and strawberries in the strawberry is a standard. I have also found an apple spice Protein Shake that tastes like an apple pie and have added applesauce to this one (plus extra cinnamon for flavor) I have added all kinds of fruit to a vanilla shake (blueberries and raspberries are my favorite with vanilla) I had avoided the citrus till last week. I had 1/4 of an orange for the first time and did not have any problems.

I have been taking the gummy Vitamins since the day after the surgery. Never had a problem with any gummy products (vitamins, Calcium, fiber, fish oil or B12 ) Now that I am almost 40 weeks out I am switching to tablets since the gummys are "getting old" (not out of date, just tired of the sweet and texture)

If you follow the rules and take things slowly, you will be ok. Listen to your body and don't over eat. Your sleeve can only handle so much and any more will actually sit in the esophagus (talk about heartburn). At this stage (your profile states the sleeve was last month) your stomach is still healing. This takes 6 months to have a mature scar across the sleeve. If you over eat at this stage you are at risk of rupture instead of stretching. As the stomach heals, the swelling resolves and you can take in more food. I am not talking a big meal like before the surgery. You should still be on liquids (most likely full liquids at the present) but when you start soft foods you will only be able to take a bite or two before feeling full. Thats from the still swollen healing tummy. As the swelling resolves, you will be able to take in more but limit the meal to 1/2 cup total food. I am almost 40 weeks post sleeve and can drink 1/2 cup of Water at a time (I started counting how many swallows I could tolerate at one time. In the beginning I could only take a sip at a time, then 3 regular swallows and now I count 7-8 swallows) When I drink the Protein shakes (11 oz takes me 90 minutes to drink) I don't drink anything else till the shake is down and another 30 min have past. lunch is my "real meal" and after fixing 20-25 gm of protein (usually meat or eggs or both) I add veggies to make 1/2 cup. My nut wanted me to get at least 3 servings of fruit a week so I can get the Vitamins so I add 1/4 cup of fruit to the blender for my Protein Shake in the morning 3 times a week. I have always worried that I would be able to eat like I used to before the sleeve but so far I have been able to stay on track. Now if I could just loose the last 40 lbs. I am a SLOW looser for sure. Good luck and stick with it, you will see a new you soon!

Pre-sleeve I was wearing a size 26 and 44DD bra. I hit 100 lbs lost this week. I wear a size 12 for most things, have a few size 10 dresses and the bra size is down to a 34C. My goal is to wear a size 8 (my daughter took me out to buy the "Goal wardrobe" after the surgery)

First check in... I have officially lost 100 lbs!!!! weight today 165. (I am a happy camper today)

Ok I finally found a pre picture so I will try to upload them. The teal dress is a size 10!