McButterpants

I can't wait for spring and summer...I'm going to be able to shed the big sweatshirts and sweaters and start wearing shorts. People will notice then! LOL

Right on as always, gmanbat!!!! A pound of fat is about 3500 calories...I don't know about you guys, but I'm not consuming 3500 calories a day..or even three days! It doesn't make sense when you look at it rationally - You are eating so little food right now, probably less than 1000 calories. You're burning fat, I guarantee you are. Be patient - you're body's job is to make sure it functions properly. The only things you can control are what you put in your mouth and how much you exercise. Your body will take care of the rest...on it's time schedule.

Hi there. I'm coming off a one month stall - the entire month of February. Ugh. My first stall was between weeks 3 and 4 for 10 days. It sucks. Here's my suggestion for you - stop weighing. It's difficult, but weighing every day or multiple times during the week is counterproductive. Your body is constantly adjusting - maybe it wants to hold on to some Fluid because it thinks your muscles need it, that can cause you to gain 3 or 4 pounds. It doesn't mean you gained 3-4 pounds of fat! I had to go so far as to have my husband hide the scale from me and bring it out once per week. I want to weigh every day, but it's not good for my soul. Another thing - take your measurements. That's a more true representation of what you're losing - inches. We get in this mindset that we want to lose all the weight NOW - I'm guilty of this as well - I didn't get to 256 pounds overnight. It took a lot of work over the course of 25 years to get that fat. I'm not going to lose it in the 3.5 months since surgery.

your parents sound so much like mine. My mom is so supportive of my choice to have surgery, as she struggles with her weight too. so she can relate. she now has diabetes but has been trying hard to manage it with iet and is doing good. My father on the other had is partly the reason I have been holding off on this surgery. he is the one who thinks "I can do it on my own", he thinks I just need to get my heard in the game, he says surgery doesnt change your mind set, that comes from with in. These things he says are all true and thats what keeps me going back and forth with my choice. Im putting it off because of his belief in me. Im trying for him, but im just not getting anywhere. i have lost 5 lbs like 5 weeks, yo-yo back an forth with these same few pounds. Im done!!!!! The decision to have weight loss surgery is such a difficult decision. I dipped my toe in the WLS pool a couple of times and backed out thinking I could do it on my own, I need to try harder, etc. Something clicked last year - and it felt like the right decision for me and I changed my mind from the band to the sleeve. WLS is not a decision to take lightly - you have to weigh the pro's and con's and listen to those people that love you, but, at the end of the day, only you can decide what to do.

I was totally unprepared for the emotional/psychological aspect of this journey. I had not addressed my emotional eating, sneaky eating (eating when no one was home), stress eating or anything like that. In essence, I didn't address the real issues of how I got to be over 250 pounds. Since surgery, 3.5 months ago, I've had to address my emotional issues on the fly. Support groups and forums like this help.

I have been thinking this, too. If I remember right, our surgery dates are close (I was 11/14/13). I can definitely eat more than a month ago. But here's what I experimented with lately - if I use my Eat Slower app and set it to 45 seconds between bites, not only do I chew more and slow down, I eat less. Eating in a more calm mental state, allows me to more easily identify when I'm full. Another thing I keep thinking of when I eat - I only want to eat enough to rid myself of the hunger, not eat until I'm full. There's a difference. I have to remind myself to pay attention. Eating slower and chewing more helps. I think in the past few weeks, I allowed myself to get off track. Nothing bothers my sleeve, so I can just about anything.

Keep us updated on how things go tomorrow!

3 months after surgery - got buzzed on one drink. Had one the following day, same result. Cheap date!!!!! Sip slowly.

I'll tell you how I felt the day before surgery - S C A R E D. I almost backed out the day before surgery and the day of surgery. I think it's perfectly normal. Oh and I was mad the night before - like angry. Angry at myself for letting my weight get out of control. It was weird - that emotion came from no where! I can laugh about it now, but it scared me when I was going thru it. (My surgeon gave me a pass for dinner the night before surgery - No restrictions, go out and have a great time. What the heck - after a two week liquid diet? So the hubs and I had an awesome dinner together and celebrated - it will go down as one of my favorite meals and it had nothing to do with the food.) Here's what I did - I kept thinking about the reasons I wanted the surgery in the first place. I thought about my husband and son and how I wanted things to be different at home. I wanted to be an active participant in my own life. I wanted my husband to have a true partner in life, not someone he had to take care of. I wanted my son to have a fun mom that was full of life, not someone that watched everything from the sidelines. I also spent a lot of time on this forum - it's helpful to read what others are going thru. So, best of luck to you tomorrow - you'll do great. It will be over before you know it. Walk as much as you can - I paced around the condo until I felt like I could walk outside. Walking will help you recover quicker and will help dispel that gas they pump into you during surgery. You got this!!!!!

This is your decision and yours alone. You have the support of your husband, who I assume knows the risks. I find a lot of people with apprehensions about weight loss surgery simply don't know enough about it. It scares them. When I told my parents, I could see the fear in their eyes. My dad asked a hundred questions - "are you sure you've tried hard enough?" "are you going to be able to give up the foods you love?" "What is the surgery?" "What exactly are they going to do to you?" He was scared for me and I understood that. He was not on board. Now that he sees a healthier and happier version of me, he gets it and he now calls the VSG "a necessary medical procedure"! That always makes me laugh. He is so supportive - he asks me questions about what I'm eating, how much I'm eating and how things feel in my stomach. He sees me at the gym and sees that I'm getting in better shape and getting stronger. I needed to allow him to go thru the process of acceptance. You'll know what the best decision is for you and your family - your husband and child. Best of luck to you!

On the day I reached the 50 pound mark, I had two people say something about my weight loss. No one (other than the people that knew I had surgery) commented prior to that.

Sounds like an awesome trip! I flew last month - I have been so scared in the past few years that each time I flew I was going to have to use an extender. I was getting closer and close with each flight I took. There were times I probably looked like I was steer wrestling to get it buckled! I was amazed that 50 pounds lighter, I still had that fear and anxiety when I stepped on the plane. It's probably more habit than anything. It was awesome to sit in the seat and not worry about touching the person next to me. I was able to sit, cross my legs (!), buckle my seatbelt and be comfortable. I hope you enjoy your trip - it sounds awesome. And enjoy your new skinny clothes.!

I agree with JerseyGirl - it may be acid. There are times that I feel hunger when it's not normal for me - it will go away if I take an acid reducer. I didn't know this in the beginning and I confused this feeling with hunger, as well.

When I got into a real "bind"...Pun intended! LOL I used Colace.

Great story, Reverie!!!!! And even greater NSV's! You deserve it.

I was a 22 when I had surgery - I was in denial about this as I was wearing 20's. I had my surgery in mid-November and was able to purchase 18's right after Christmas. They were a bit tight - to the point I told my husband that he shouldn't dry them. Now, two months later, they are falling off me and need to buy new ones again. It's weird, though, I still feel like the Fat Girl. It's true what they say - this is a journey to fix your brain, too!!!!!!

You can set an alarm, then keep hitting the snooze or... You can download a free app called Eat Slower - You have the option to set a chime between 0 and 3 minutes. this is also a great app for when you're introducing foods.

Lynda is spot on. In the beginning, like right after surgery, I set my phone to chime every five minutes to remind me to sip. I couldn't take in much then so 5 minutes was good. As I found I could drink more I made different goals similar to what Lynda lays out above - a schedule and make sure you stick to it.

I love that last statement...so true. I'm not as smart as I thought I was!!!! :-)

I agree with the above...I'd make a call. Burning sensations are not normal.

Interesting question - my doc said based on the average loss that I would settle in at about 180 pounds. This was based on losing a percentage of my excess weight. I didn't want to hear 180 pounds - I wanted to hear 150 pounds. I left there saying, "I'm not going to be average. My level of effort won't be average." Here's what I didn't know - my body looks different as I lose weight as compared to previous weight loss. I believe it's because I'm reducing my body fat %. An example - I can fit into clothes at my current higher weight than I could at a lower weight. So, even though I set my goal number at 150 pounds, it's less important to me 3.5 months after surgery than it was when I first started.

That sounds about right - I think I was doing something similar to that.

I didn't realize it was associated w/ that patch! Interesting. Thanks for the info.

I agree - see if you can get into your NUT sooner. You should address this with a professional as soon as you can.

I was allowed 2 shakes and one lean and green meal - my doc wanted that meal to be dinner. My dinner was 5-6 ounces of lean meat and 1/2 cup of veggies. I remember someone here saying they asked their doc if they can split their meal into two and their doc approved. My doc wouldn't approve it. Sometimes my dinner was at 5:00 pm. It takes a few days for your body to get used to the new way you're eating, so be patient. I drank a lot of green tea (sweetened w/ Splenda) to help keep the hunger at bay. Best of luck to you!