McButterpants

Look at you!!!!!! Congrats! Keep up the great work.

Butterthebean has a great link to an article on stalls. It's worth the read: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.UukFkBaTNdg Stalls really suck - I had my first one for 10 days between weeks 3 and 4. I followed the advice I received on this forum - follow your plan and get in your Water and Protein. I also suggest hiding the scale and bringing it out once per week. I was weighing every day and getting more and more discouraged and frustrated. My husband took the scale away from me and gives it back once per week. That has saved my sanity. You're doing great - look at your ticker! Let your body figure out what's going on. You do your part by following the plan. Your stall will be over soon.

I had my surgery on an outpatient basis - in admitting at 6:00 home by noon the same day. I didn't have a drain. Doc fixed a hernia - he didn't charge me more, it was a "courtesy" for him to repair it while he was in there. He wouldn't have given me a discount if there hadn't been a hernia.

wow - thanks for sharing! You look great! Congrats.

I agree with Reverie - there's nothing to be ashamed of. While our journeys to 200, 225, 250, 275, 300 and more were all different, it's our action to our individual numbers that draws us together. Like your husband, mine said nothing about my weight ever. I would have been angry had he said something - I knew I was fat, I didn't need him reminding me of that fact. I always kept my weight a secret from him - when I told him I got to 256 pounds right before surgery, he was shocked. Really shocked - that's how much he weighs. I told him, "Honey, you and I have weighed the same for 8 years now. I can tell you the exact day that I caught up to you. We went to the doctor's office together and the nurse commented to me that I weighed the same as you." It was not my proudest moment. My biggest denial wasn't about the number of my weight....It was the size. I was jamming myself into size 20 jeans. I refused to by a larger size. In reality, I was probably was a snug 22 or even a 24. Gasp!!!!! I used to have to lay down on the bed in order to get my jeans zipped. I had to lose about 20 pounds before those jeans fit comfortably. So you were 290 vs. 270 when you started - on my driver's license, I'm a svelte 200...a number I haven't seen in about 14 years! You're here now and you're amongst friends. Best wishes to you!

You look great. And down to a 12 from a 22 - an inspiration! This is such a long journey - and really for me the emotional/mental part is so much harder than I expected. There are days when I don't want to be a weight loss surgery patient; I just want to be "normal". "Normal" in that I want to eat what I want, not wait to drink before or after, and most importantly not think about where I am at for the day on Protein before making my decision on what to eat. I know what I just wrote IS my new normal, but sometimes, I want to rebel against that. I hope things get better for you. You should be proud of your accomplishments!!!!

I'm weird I guess...I wait. :-)

Roo - this statement really resonated with me. I have thought a number of times in the past few weeks, that at 204 pounds I look smaller than I did when I was in the 170's (and gaining). It's weird. I put on a top that is seriously 15 years old and it almost fits - I weighed about 170 when I wore it on a regular basis. My butt is smaller than it has ever been, I think...at least it feels smaller! I attribute this to FAT LOSS...not just weight. We're actually losing that fat. It's not Water weight from the first weeks of a fad diet. It's not lean muscle mass because we are starving ourselves for the 20th time in our adult lives. We are burning away those fat stores and we are seeing our bodies change in ways they have not changed before. Isn't that great?!?! I know I am going to have to work hard to lose this weight - I'm going to fight for each and every pound. And that's OK. That's my penalty for not getting this under control 20 years ago.

I think taking your measurements is as important as logging your weight. I took my measurements right before sugary, then again at about 8 weeks - when I was losing particularly slowly. OMG - what a boost. I found that I had lost 28 inches (I measured neck, each bicep, each forearm, bust, chest, waist, hips, each thigh and calf).

Awesome stories, guys. About a month after surgery, someone told me I was looking younger (this person didn't know I had VSG). I looked back at some of my pics and I do look much younger - my face isn't bloated and that sickly gray color. My make-up enhances rather than tries to disguise the dark circles under my eyes. Yesterday I got another compliment from someone I haven't seen in a couple of months - she said, "You look fantastic!" It felt good. I replied, "I feel fantastic!"

I drink from the Camelback-type Water bottle I was provided by the surgeon....But now straws? The water bottle you gave me has a straw!!!!!!!!! LOL

On the subject of Water...pre-surgery, I drank plain water all day long. I loved it. Post-op, I couldn't stomach it (at 10 weeks out, I still can't - it's like drinking liquid sandpaper). I tried the first three days to drink plain water and ended up getting dehydrated - you won't want that. I started drinking Propel Zero and Vitamin Water Zero and it went down much better. The doc also suggested Powerade Zero, but that didn't taste good. I still drink a lot of Propel Zero - the Vitamin Water is a little too sweet for me, so if I have that, I have to water it down. Once I got on track with something I could drink, I just sipped, sipped, sipped. Immediately after surgery, I sent the alarm on my phone to remind me to sip - at first it was once every 5 minutes, that worked for me. As I was able to handle more, I sipped more. In the beginning, it's a full time job to figure out what your schedule is. Water, shakes/protein, sleep, walking, etc. Once you catch your stride, you'll do great.

I went to dinner at Cafe Rio last night - we needed something quick and I didn't plan ahead to eat at home... I ordered a Single Taco Meal - I had my taco made with roast beef and had them hold the rice, but would like pinto Beans on the side. I ate the inside of the taco which included cheese, the roast beef and some lettuce topped off with some pico. I ate some of the beans, but not a lot - maybe one tablespoon. I even ate some of the shell, but knowing I don't feel well after I eat a lot of carbs, I took it easy. I was completely satisfied.

I agree with Suzy above - careful about stocking up. I purchased a huge tub of nectar Lemonade before surgery and now I can barely stomach it. Also, be careful with vegetables - I wasn't approved for veggies until week 4 and it was broccoli or cauliflower puree. At 10 weeks out, I can't eat a lot of vegetables (maybe 1-2 tablespoons per meal), because I don't have room after my Protein.

Are you kidding me..............I would have thrown out everything he said about everything!!!!!!!!!! For Pete's sake!!!! I ended up changing local docs - once I got to know him, I realized he wasn't the guy for me. His help and support ceased when I told him I wasn't going thru the insurance appeals process and chose my doc down in Las Vegas. He wouldn't even fill out the form that says if I was low risk, moderate risk or high risk. I assume he knew the risk since he was willing to operate. I'm glad I kicked him to the curb! LOL

I had/have a couple... coffee - I admit, I'm a junkie. Early on I wasn't supposed to drink caffeine. I would drink a real coffee 1-2 times per week. Now I'm approved for one real cup per day...some days I have 2. I had conflicting programs since I traveled out of the area for surgery - my surgeon was aggressive in introducing real food. My local doc wasn't. I kind would kind of pick and chose which plan to follow. Currently, I'm supposed to be doing weight training - I was approved in late-December...I haven't done it yet. An interesting story...the local doc that headed up the seminar I attended when I first started to explore WLS was a sleeve patient himself. I noticed when he walked in he was carrying a Diet 7Up. When he was reviewing the sleeve restrictions he said, "You can never chew gum. You can never have a soda. Blah blah blah" When asked how he can be drinking a Diet 7-Up he replied, "It doesn't bother me." When I went to my one on one consult with him, he threw out a piece of gum when he came in the room. Classic "do as I say, not as I do"!

I went thru a stall for 10 days between Weeks 3 and 4 - it sucked. I was not mentally prepared for it, though I knew it was coming. I weighed every day in the beginning. I loved to see the number drop every single day, then, like a punch in the gut, it stopped. What the hell????? Why is this happening to me. My "old" brain said, "You have to restrict more" because that's what I did for years. Here's the thing - your body is trying to figure out what you just did to it. There's a lot going on inside your body right now. If you look at it logically, there's no way you're not losing weight - you aren't consuming enough calories to stay level or gain. You just had major surgery - that has an impact on what's going on as well. My suggestion for you - hide the scale for a week or two, then bring it out once per week. You will be surprised how freeing it is (my husband did this for me and I am so appreciative). Follow the plan provided by your NUT or doctor - they know best. Be kind to yourself. Best of luck!

I lost about 8 pounds on the pre-op diet (2 weeks). I can tell you I felt like I lost a lot more - I was surprised at the changes t my body. I lost inches.

You are fortunate you were diagnosed very early - at least you know why you are the way you are....I was diagnosed with PCOS at the ripe old age of 42. I have lived with excess hair (feeling like a freak), irregular and very heavy periods (even though I told every doctor I came across), problems getting pregnant, unexplained weight gain, etc. It wasn't suggested by my PCP, but once I told her what I was doing she was so happy. She said, "You have worked so hard to lose weight and I believe you will not be successful on your own. You need this and I think it's the best thing you can do." (My only wish was that we would have talked about this years ago - I've wasted a lot of time!) I'm 10 weeks post op now - I'm off Metformin now (I stopped taking it the week before surgery - doc approved). I feel so much better - I have more energy. I said before surgery that I hope that my only regret is that I didn't do this sooner - it is. Best of luck to you - you will know if and when this is the right decision for you. You will feel it.

When I went to the seminar at the hospital I was convinced I wanted the LapBand. After hearing the surgeon explained the sleeve, I was more interested. I came home and did a ton of research on the sleeve and LapBand, I did not consider bypass due to the malabsorption issues, it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the complications that came with the band and I became increasingly concerned about having the foreign device in my body. My surgeon has virtually stopped doing the band. For me, the sleeve just "felt right". Once I made the decision, I didn't think again about the other choices. I liked that fact that, if something were to go wrong (stomach cancer that runs in the family or some other unforeseen disaster) that there is a Plan B with the sleeve. Though it's not reversible, you could go the bypass route if something went south with the sleeve. I wasn't planning for failure, I just liked the fall back position if something happened.

You look great! Congrats.

OMG - I did NOT want to go to the gym today. I had to get up at 4:00 am to get the hubby off to the airport. I was so tired and my legs were still a little tired from my 6 mile day on Saturday. I reluctantly did 3 miles today - it was the best thing, so I don't fall behind in miles for the month and then have to kill myself the last few days. I was bargaining with myself the entire time - just do 5 more minutes, then you can leave...then I'd be at weird distance, so I talked myself into going to the next .5 miles, then the time was weird, so I talked myself into going to the next 5 minute mark. Goofiness.

While I didn't have exactly the same experience, my original choice in doctor's was the wrong one. He was rude and ended up being mad at me because I didn't go thru the appeals process, I chose to self pay with a much more experienced doctor. His NUT was condescending and snarky. I was so uncomfortable with the psych because she stared at me, then tried to get me to go to a paid seminar she was giving. It was bizarre! I ended up going to the other bariatric office in for a consult and was welcomed, quite literally, with open arms. It's a great office from the doc, to the nurses to the NUT. What a difference. I hope you finally get to have your surgery - maybe all this happened for a reason. I wish you the best of luck!

The fuzzy slippers will definitely put him over the edge!!!!!!!!!!

An amazing dress! Now, is that what you're wearing next time you're gettin' nekkid with Mr. Man???????