McButterpants

Awesomeness! What a great success. I just got my labs back and my cholesterol has been reduced by 30 points in 11 weeks. Unbesleevable!!!!!!!! Keep up the great work! Congrats.

Grrrrrrrr..... you look amazing! You are rockin' that mini, girl. Congrats.

I had a problem with plain Water after surgery (before surgery, plain water was great). I got dehydrated on Day 3 - it sucked, you don't want that to happen. I drank Vitamin Water Zero and Propel Zero - I could stomach that better than plain water. Doc also said Powerade Zero was good. The first few days I set the alarm on my phone to go off every 5 minutes - it would chime and I would take a sip. I hope things get better for you!

I agree with the statements above...do NOT compare yourself to others. When you do, someone is going to walk away from that conversation unhappy. With that said, to get back on track... Get back to basics. Get your Protein in. Get your fluids in. Log your foods so you can confirm you're getting your protein and liquids in. Exercise - it's not only good for your body, it's good for your mind. No snacking.

Hi there and welcome. I had my surgery done as an outpatient - I was in at 6:00 am and out by noon. I had no complications and very little pain. I took four pain pills, but mostly to sleep, not due to pain. My recovery was uneventful. As far as caregiving - I was self-sufficient on about day 2 (so if I would have had a hospital stay, that's about when I would be released). Caregiving could probably start around day 4 or so, but I wasn't cleared for lifting more than 10 pounds until about week 4, I think. Best of luck to you! This is a great forum to get information and network with people who are going thru the same thing you are!

I think I would have waited until about week 5 or 6 for a Disney trip, so I could enjoy it. I could probably have done it sooner, but not had as much fun. I tired easily thru week 4 - I needed a nap most days. I walked for exercise before surgery and was able to walk right after. I walked a lot - it's the best medicine for recovery. I was able to walk about a mile the week after surgery and went up from there. If you're going to wonder around Disney, you need to be in good shape! I'm at Week 11 right now and going to San Francisco next week - I'm planning on walking every where. I feel great. I feel like I can walk up and down those hills with ease. If you work at it, you'll increase your stamina pretty quickly.

Your mom's reaction was like my dad's...He just couldn't understand why I would want to do this to myself and was so concerned. Now, 11 weeks after surgery, he is so happy for me and asks questions about my diet and how I'm eating. He will ask me if something didn't agree with me because he can tell I'm uncomfortable - something he wouldn't have noticed before. He now calls it a necessary medical procedure - he didn't think of it that way before. As far as caregiving - I needed and wanted someone around me the first 4-5 days. Not to wait on me hand and foot, but offer support. While I recovered quickly and had no complications, it was nice to have my husband right by my side - he could make those quick trips to the store to get the different kind of Water or whatever I needed. If my caregiver was my mom, she would have driven me crazy, but I would have appreciated her there with me. Good luck!

I felt better at about day 4 - I felt human again at day 5. It's going to suck - keep your eye on the prize. Be as patient with people as you can be. It will be over soon and a distant memory. One thing that helped me was decaf green tea (I wasn't allowed caffeine). I drank a lot of green tea. Best of luck to you and hang in there! This is just one of the steps in a very long journey.

At week three my NUT told me not to worry about calories - focus on the Protein and fluids. What you list doesn't look like a lot - you'll be able to take in more soup and thinned oatmeal; it will pass thru fairly quickly. Once you move to a puree diet, you probably won't be able to take in 1/2 cup, more like 1/4 cup or something like that.

I ordered from Jimmy Johns last night and got an Unwich for the first time. Same sandwich, no bread, wrapped in lettuce...it was actually pretty good. I felt like a sap paying that much for the sandwich! LOL

The longest part of my surgery day was when they wheeled me into the staging room - I was the first patient of the day. I in there all by myself. There was a TV and I watched it a little, but not much. My patient coordinator sat down with me for a little bit. I actually took a little nap - the drugs must have caught up to me at that point. I remember them wheeling me into the OR and starting to get strapped in when a voice above me said, "Breath deep and count to 3" I remember counting to one. The next thing I knew I was awake and in a different room. I asked the nurse if he was done operating and she said "yes". I asked if she was sure - she offered to show me the incisions, but I declined.

You'll be fine - your body is going thru a lot...your time of the month and drastically cutting down on calories. Make sure you're drinking plenty of Water and following your plan. You're going to do great. Don't panic - that could lead to bad decisions or going off plan. You're body is going to lose at it's own pace - you can only control what you put in your mouth.

Congrats!!!!!! How exciting.

I did purchase Toppik and I love it. It will hide the thinning spots. If you go to their website and watch the videos, it works exactly like that - I was skeptical at first, but it really does work and I feel more comfortable. Even my hairdresser couldn't tell I had used it! I also went for a shorter, layered cut.

Yeah, I've started the shedding...it sucks. My doc approved Folate and Biotin. There some some that believe those won't help, but the doc said it was OK. I'm also concentrating on getting the Protein in. My doc says that the body thinks hair is optional (I beg to differ) and it will take care of the vital stuff first, then if anything is leftover, take care of the optional stuff like hair. I'm also using Nioxin shampoo. I'm throwing lots against the wall to get it to slow down! My doc says that anything you lose because of the surgery will grow back. My hairstylist says she can see new growth, even though I'm still shedding.

F O R T H E B E T T E R!!!!! Let me count the ways... This has been the most successful I have been at any attempt to lose weight. My blood pressure is lower. I"m off Metformin for metabolic syndrome. I sleep better at night. I can exercise for 75 minutes straight. I'm a happier person - I smile a lot. I have more confidence. I like myself more - I am kinder to myself. I don't need to take a nap every day. I'm not as cranky. I am more social. I feel more attractive to my husband. I care what I look like - I wear makeup again. Is it all sunshine and lollipops? NO! Not even close. I can't eat the same foods that I used to. Some days I'd like a big cheeseburger and fries. Some days I don't want to be a weight loss surgery patient - it is time consuming and occupies a lot of space in my brain. Sometimes I don't have 20 minutes to eat an egg. Some days I struggle to get in my 80 grams of Protein. Would I do this all over again - absolutely. This was the best thing I could do for me and my family.

Being nervous is normal. I almost backed out the day before surgery, then went to the required pre-op seminar and went back to feeling good about my decision. Being around other people that were in the same boat made me feel better. Then, the next morning in admitting, I almost backed out again. I though to myself, "You can walk out of here and only be out $500." I was terrified. Then I looked at my husband and thought about all the reasons why I was going to have the surgery. I chose right then and there to go thru with it. That was the best decision - I had some buyer's remorse the next couple of days, wondering if this was the right decision, but I attribute that to not feeling good. Once I started feeling better, my outlook was better. You got this!!!!!!!

The first doc I went to said no to gum and soda FOREVER - this was a the initial introduction seminar - he came in chewing gum and drinking a Diet 7-up then said he was a VSG patient. Classic "do as I say, not as I do".

All docs are different - I have read where some docs don't require their patients to be caffeine free. You should check, just to make sure. In the beginning, immediately after surgery, I believe the concern is the acid in the coffee - it's hard on your new tummy - and the diuretic effects of the coffee, even if you're drinking water. In the beginning you probably won't get to your minimum water intake for many days maybe even a week or two.

When I was about 4 weeks out and the thought of another Protein Shake made me want to run over myself with my own car, I tried some Health Wise Hot chocolate (I get mine at mybariatricpantry.com). It has 15 grams of Protein, so not as much as my unjury shake, but wow, did it help me get thru a rough patch and get my protein numbers back up. I purchased the Marshmallow hot chocolate and added sugar free peppermint syrup. It was awesome! I use Unjury shakes - strawberry, Chocolate Splendor and vanilla. I have 5 or 6 sugar free syrups at the ready. I also have added sugar free pudding mix to my shakes - it adds a different flavor. Also, Unjury has a chicken Soup protein shake - it's good. I also purchased Health Wise Soups - again, about 15 grams of protein vs. 20 in a shake. Best of luck to you!

Ahhh caffeine withdrawal...it sucks. I was a heavy coffee drinker - not only was a I heavy, but I drank a lot of coffee. Sorry, bad joke. My doc wanted me completely caffeine free prior to surgery - two weeks before. About 4 weeks before surgery, I woke up and said there's not time like the present, so I quit cold turkey. That was a mistake. By noon I was sick and had a terrible headache. I drank a strong cup of coffee and felt better almost immediately. I decided then, to ween myself off coffee. It took me 2 weeks to do it...The first couple of days, I swapped out one cup with 1/2 caff 1/2 decaf. Then another cup w/ 1/2 caff 1/2 decaf for a couple of days. Then I cut down to one cup of 1/2 caff 1/2 decaf and one decaf. Just slowly cut back on the caffeine and it worked. No headaches, it was great. My doc approved me at 8 weeks to drink coffee, but I had to pinkie shake it was only going to be one cup of caffeinated coffee per day. I can't go back to my old ways. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your chart! I think sometimes we think that the weight loss we saw in the first few weeks will be sustained - it won't. This is a great representation. Congrats on your success!

I always go directly to the airline's website.

I fly Delta almost exclusively - that's just my personal preference. You can upgrade to Comfort Economy - it doesn't get you more room side to side, but more leg room. A lot of times there are open seats in that section because people don't want to pay. Sometimes you can upgrade for as little as $9.00 per leg. Arm rests on most planes go up - unless you're in an exit row. If I'm flying alone, I don't mind the exit row because most of the seats have permanent dividers - doesn't allow you to ooze over into the person next to you. If I'm flying with my husband, we just lift the arm rest. I never had to use a seatbelt extender, but did struggle a couple of times when I was a size 22 to get the belt fastened. I have seen people request them and the flight attendant has always been discrete in getting one and handing it to the passenger. It is what it is - if you need one, just get it and be done with it. Once it's fastened, no one will notice.