McButterpants

Hi there, Sweetie....A Pop Tart? LOL...Who would think we would crave something like that, right? I had some yogurt pretzels in the house the other day and thought "It's OK to have a few." Yeah, who has just a few yogurt pretzels...I couldn't. I ate a lot of them - so many, my stomach hurt. I wish I could say "have just one of the Pop Tarts"...I'm not sure I could stop at that. I also find that when I eat carby things like that, that it affects the rest of my day and my want and need for more carbs. Let us know what you decide to do!!!!!! Sending much love to you, my friend.

I telecommute full time - I had my surgery on Thursday and worked 1/2 days starting the following Monday working a full day on that Tuesday. I got tired easily and it was nice to be able to only be expected to be on line for 4 hours. It gave me an opportunity to walk and take care of myself. I wouldn't have rushed back to work as quickly if I had to get up and go into an office - I wasn't ready. I was surprised at how quickly I got tired those first couple of weeks - this is major surgery, so your body will react that way. Best of luck to you!

To the "newbies" who are reading this post...don't stop posting your questions/problems/fears/etc. It will do a couple of things... Someone will respond in kind - there are lots and lots of folks out there that will help (there will also be people that respond that have no idea what they are talking about - take the good with the bad) It will give Revs another opportunity to post something in the rants section. Have a great Sunday everyone!

I'm right at 6 months...Here's my perspective. Am I really happy? Yes. Was it hard work? Yep. Did I wonder sometimes if this was the right decision? Absolutely. I am happier, healthier, more active physically, more engaged in my own life. For me, this surgery was a life changer. I'm healthier (blood pressure down, no more threats of diabetes, joint pain gone, reflux gone, I sleep better). I'm happier (my mood is better, my temper is in check). I waffled back and forth many times during the prep period before surgery - I even waffled the morning of surgery and wanted to back out when I was in admitting. I am so glad I went thru with it. Barring marrying my husband and having my son, this was the best decision I've made. Best of luck to you!

I'll tell you my story...No one, including my own family, commented on my weight loss until I hit the 50 pound mark. I couldn't believe it. Then I realized something - my weight was a bigger deal to me than it was to others. I thought of myself as The Fat Girl. Other's just knew me as...me. The people that know me, didn't identify me with my weight - I identified myself as my weight. Yes, I felt good on the day I hit 50 pounds lost that two people commented on my weight - they weren't people particularly close to me (the mom of my son's friend and my financial planner). My husband also pointed something out...I was wearing baggy clothes and it was hard to tell that I had lost so much. I documented my process by taking measurements and pictures - the pictures are a real help, you will see yourself getting smaller. It's awesome. You know you're successes - this is your story. You're doing great - hang in there. Next thing you know, you'll start getting looks. (I was out walking the dog the other day and caught a guy checking me out - that's a good ego boost!)

I agree with RJ...Revs is a great gal. She eloquently states her case and sometimes, in the rants section, will go off. She will defend her position and laughs at herself. Another side of Revs...She is a great supporter of the people on this site. When I was just trying to figure out if I wanted to have surgery, I came to this forum and asked the redundant questions. She didn't berate me for asking, she helped me and gave me advice. She will help anyone - she's a great gal with an incredible writing talent - some may disagree with her statements, but that's OK; we don't all have to agree with everything everyone says. It's in the rants section - rant back if you want! And just as we all have the right to not answer the millionth question on the best Protein shake, we all have the right to ignore this particular thread. Have a great Friday everyone...Keep posting, keep responding. We are all bound by this incredible journey (sorry, Revs, I couldn't resist). We are one big dysfunctional family - some days we play in the sand box nicely, some days not so much. Sending much love to everyone.

@@Mrs.Fox, You rock! Congrats on your success thus far. Results like that make it easier to give up some of the vices that helped us get to Obese Class XXL. Keep rockin' that sleeve!

I take Bariatric Advantage Vitamins and if I take them on an empty stomach, they make me a little nauseus. My doc said this is normal. (the vitamins are seriously the only thing that bothers my sleeve of steel!) So, I take the Vitamin with my shake or meal and I feel OK.

Revs, I was wondering when you write again and you didn't fail us....Please don't stop your rants. I think I have woman-crush on you. I agree with some of the other posters here...I just kind of move along when the repeated questions are asked, "Which Protein shake is the best?" or the irrational "My hair is on fire, what should I do?" "My incision is bleeding and oozing a green colored liquid - is this normal?" "2nd day post-op and I'm up 5 pounds WTF?" "3 weeks post-op and stalled - has this happened to you?" I agree with Revs on the point of putting forth effort to look thru some old posts - Yes, stalls happen at three weeks and if you spent any time on this site, you would see that everyone stalls at some point and the three week stall is real. OK - I'm off now...I'm going to weigh myself for the 5th time today to see if I've lost anything.

My surgeon required me to be caffeine free prior to surgery - that sucked, because I was a 4-6 cup of coffee per day person. But I did it because it was important. I wasn't much of a soda drinker prior to surgery, but I did enjoy some every once in a while. I wasn't a heavy alcohol drinker, but I did have a drink sometimes. So, I'm 6 months out...I do drink coffee, but not as much as I used to (I had to pinkie promise my dock that I wouldn't go back to old habits). I enjoy a Starbucks Carmel Macchiato, but it's a treat, not a habit. I drink 2 cups of decaf and 1 cup of regular every day. My drink is a DiSorrono and Coke...I've had two since surgery. The carbonation didn't bother me, but I stirred and stirred to try to flatten it. I can't see my drinking a lot of soda - it just doesn't make me feel good.

Just a suggestion on the hunger...sometimes acid will cause a feeling that we can confuse with hunger. You can take an acid reducer or proton pump inhibitor and that may help that feeling. You're doing great - congrats on your success!

I started adding a little bit of Oikos Frozen Greek Yogurt to my shakes - not a lot, maybe 1/4 cup or so and some ice. It thickens them up nicely.

My surgeon provided me a card that says something about allowing me to order smaller portions. I haven't had to use it yet. I haven't gone to an all you can eat place - it's not worth it. When I eat out, I share what my husband is eating or will order an appetizer (and usually share). I'm a cheap date now!

I'm not sure which is more important...I can tell you my experience: I wear a smaller size today at the same weight than I did 17 years ago. I attribute this to fat loss this time. Last month I lost only about 3 pounds, which was disappointing, but I lost 5 inches. (Most off my waist - I attribute this to the weight training I added last month.) Usually when I stall, I can see myself getting small in areas - like my February stall...my thighs shrunk. I have an unhealthy relationship with the scale - this goes back about 25 years. I am less reliant on the scale today than I was right after post-op. I have realized that my body is going to lose weight, lose fat or hold on to Water regardless of how much I want a smaller number to be revealed. I try not to give the scale that much power over me.

I love the unjury shakes - for me they are the best option for quality and taste. I would caution you from over-purchasing prior to surgery - for some, their tastes change and they can't tolerate a shake that they liked prior to surgery. The chicken soup was absolutely a savior when I grew tired of the sweet shakes. I didn't use the unflavored other than out of the sample pack.

No more drinking w/straws ever ,you get gassy & can stretch the sleeve out from extra air ingested. I respectfully disagree. Many doctors allow straws, mine included. Air won't stretch your sleeve. If that was the case, you wouldn't be allowed to eat broccoli, Beans and other foods that create gas. I use a straw all the time. I still can't eat more than 2-4 ounces, and I'm a year out. My opinion on straws - I think they are a bad idea right after surgery. I think they are OK once you're heeled and a couple of months out. My surgeon didn't say "no" to straws, in fact, the Water bottle he gave me had a straw. My local doc, and fellow VSG patient, said no to straws...he said this while he was drinking a diet soda thru a straw. Basically, a do as I say, not as a do moment for him.

I telecommute - I had my surgery on a Thursday and was back to work for 1/2 days the following Monday. I worked all day on that Tuesday. I got tired easily - working 1/2 days allowed me to take time for me and walk. I flew home from Las Vegas where I had my procedure - that was 7 days post-op. We flew all day and it didn't bother me, but again, I got tired easily. After about a week, I was OK to drive and ride in a car - prior to that, bumps really bothered me and I rode with a stuffed animal lightly pressed to my midsection. I would say, I would probably be OK to drive 4 hours a week out. Best of luck to you!

I will be 6 months out this week...my only regret is that I didn't have the surgery sooner. My life is so much better now - my blood pressure is down, I am no longer on the verge of diabetes, I no longer have low-grade headaches every morning, I no longer have joint pain, I am not tired all the time, I feel more attractive to my husband, I am no longer embarrassed...I could go on, but you get the point. This is a life-changing decision and waffling back and forth is totally normal. I did as well - I must have changed my mind 100 times between August, 2013 and November, 2013. I have had moments of "What did I do to myself!" I have had fleeting moments of "maybe this wasn't the right thing to do". I have moments of frustration that I can't eat more or faster or drink faster. Again, those moments are fleeting - doing those things helped me get to my high weight of 256 pounds. Only you will know if you're ready. You're going thru a process - it's completely normal. Do your research, network with people on sites like this. You got this! Best of luck to you.

@@sleeved215, you're going to be fine. Just continue to follow your doc/NUT orders - that's important and will lead to success. I also suggest to walk as much as you are able - it will help with the healing process and burn calories. Best of luck to you! You got this.

I am not able to gulp down Water - it causes major pain for me. When I work out, I make sure I stay hydrated before my work out and fill up a 17 ounce bottle for the work out...I usually finish about 1/2 to 2/3 during a 60 minute workout.

You're doing fine...be patient. You're body just went thru MAJOR SURGERY. Right now the scale is not your friend - I would suggest not weighing more than once per week. If you can handle it, I would not weigh again for another month. (I had my husband hide the scale and he brought it out once per week - it saved my sanity.) Your body is trying to figure out what's going on - you just removed most of a major organ, you're not eating anything and you just went under anesthesia. Be gentle on yourself and your body. The weight will come off, I promise.

Congrats on your success! You look fantastic.

Walking was the only thing that helped me - the first day after surgery, I just paced around the house.

A lot of new sleevers mistake acid for hunger. I did as well. Once I took a proton pump inhibitor (approved by my doc), that feeling went away. I find that hunger feel different now - it's more like "empty" than what hunger felt like before surgery. I know when I should feel hungry, so when I get that feeling, I pop a Tums and it goes away. Best of luck to you!

Right now, the scale is not your friend. Remember, you are still recovering from major surgery and that your body is trying to figure out what you just did to it. You're right, with the number of calories you are eating, it's not possible for you to have gained a pound of fat (remember, a pound of fat is roughly 3500 calories). When I was early out, like you, I had my husband hide the scale and he brought it out once a week. Weighing every day was not good for me - it created too much anxiety. Right now, you need to focus on getting in your fluids and follow your doctor or NUT's plan. Don't let the scale derail you. You got this!!