McButterpants

"You're getting too skinny!" That makes me laugh. Where was your heartfelt concern when I was slowly committing suicide with knife and fork!?!?!

I agree with Fluff and Bufflehead...comparing your weight loss to someone else is setting yourself up for failure (and not just in weight loss - that's true in just about everything in life). For the stall question - I understand it to be two weeks with no loss defines a stall. I was sleeved on 11/14 and hit a stall from 12/13 - 12/26. I lost no weight. It sucked, I'll be honest. It played with my head, even though I knew it was going to happen. I thought I was prepared for it - I wasn't. I didn't got off plan, however. I got back to basics - 3 meals and 3 Protein supplements as my doctor's order state. I upped my Water intake and I exercised. Those are the things I COULD control. Best of luck to you!!!!

Sandisleeve - hoping things get better for you very soon!!!!!!!

Here are a couple of examples from my doc - every doc is different...If you have questions on what's allowed by your doc, you should call his office for clarification. My doc gives out handouts with every stage. Cream of Wheat or oatmeal w/ skim milk pureed lean meat, poultry or fish (blend w/ low fat cream Soup or broth) pureed cauliflower or green Beans pureed cottage cheese pureed pears blended soups soft scrambled egg (mix an egg w/ some milk or Water - it will make it soft)

Congrats!!!!!!!

I had a much easier recovery from VSG than I did from c-section. I took a total of 4 pain pills after surgery - mostly so I could sleep. Walking was the best medicine for me - it helped with the gas pains and it helped keep me busy. The 2 week pre-op diet does suck. But you can do this. January 7th is right around the corner. You are so close! It's normal to be nervous - hang in there. You're going to be OK.

I'm sorry - I didn't realize this was under the Plastic Surgery forum - I was talking after VSG.

Are you pre-op or post-op? Pre-op I would add some fruit (about 1/4 of a low glycemic fruit like blueberries or strawberries). Post-op I add PB2 to chocolate and vanilla shakes. sugar free puddings and jellos are good to add as well - my favorite is a vanilla shake with about 1 tablespoon of sugar free pistachio pudding dry mix. Do you have anything else or can you purchase something other than strawberry? I also have the sugar free flavored syrups. I mixed the chocolate with hot Water (less than 140 degrees or you get a clumpy mess) to make hot chocolate. Good luck - shakes really do get old. When they do it's time to get creative!

Me three...I didn't attend Thanksgiving dinner this year (I was two weeks post-op). I remove myself from bad situations where I feel like I can get out of control easily. Identifying your thoughts and feelings will get easier, I'm sure. Chewing food then spitting it out causes issues as Laura states - it's a slippery slope. It can cause stomach issues with the saliva and acids as well as emotional ones. Hang in there!

I was cleared for walking immediately after surgery - any distance was OK, just don't push it. I was told to stop when I got tired. I was up to 3 miles about 2.5 weeks after surgery and my doc was OK with that. Nothing strenuous, just walking at a moderate pace. I hope at my 6 week appointment next week I get released to do all exercises. Best of luck to you!

I had a very nice Christmas with my family, even though the crud my son had (ER visit on Christmas Eve) was so generously passed on to me. At any rate, I ate a few things off plan which was planned, however I ate more than I should have of the "forbidden" foods. I'm back on track today with no issues - no desire for those bad foods. I hopped on the elliptical for the first time since surgery - I was only able to do 15 minutes, but it felt good! The balance of my work out was 45 minutes on the treadmill. I did a total of 3.5 miles today - my highest post-op. I'm at 42.6 miles to my 54 mile goal - 11 more to go for the month!

I'm doing well on both the protein and the water the past week - it's hard work, isn't i?

I think you're looking for something in this thread. I'm not going to provide what you're looking for. Drama. I will state to the others that read this post...I'm scared. Yesterday I ate a cookie, 3 homemade caramels and Chex mix and I didn't have a physical reaction. I ate roast beef, some potato and a dinner roll...nothing. The only thing that upsets my sleeve is the bariatric Vitamins. So while I'm not screaming (or posting) "Oh my god I had a cookie, Is that OK?" or crying in the corner, I believe I have cause for concern. I'm scared because I believe the limitations with regard to the types of food I eat I will not be provided by my sleeve. It scares me that there appears to be little my stomach won't tolerate. I will get the portion control from the sleeve, however, as evidenced by yesterday, I can eat around it. Like Roo101769 states above, I'm not going to bash anyone for eating anything and certainly not for something I have done myself. While I enjoyed my Christmas day with my family and I did enjoy my Snacks, I am moving on. I have made my plan for the day - 3 meals, 3 Protein supplements and a trip to the gym. Happy Holidays, all! And best wishes for a very, very good 2014!

Congratulations! You look great! Over 100 pounds lost - what an inspiration! (I will forgive the Kentucky shirt for this post only - GO DUKE!!!!!!!) :-)

My husband called me brave the other day and I threw me off a little. I didn't think of myself as brave when I was scared $hitless!!!! He said "It takes a lot of guts to do what you did and I admire you."

Congrats on your 40 pounds! I'm right at the 40 pound mark as well...I notice a big difference in my tops - all my tops are baggy and I need to get some new ones. I can still wear the same jeans I wore pre-op, although they are a lot baggier and I don't have to lie down on the bed to get them zipped up.

I'm at 39 miles to my (revised) goal of 54 miles. Did 3 miles on the treadmill this afternoon and burned more calories than ever before by increasing the intensity. Had a stressful Christmas Eve morning...my 14 year old son has had the flu and he fainted and collapsed in my arms this morning. We got him to the ER and everything checked out OK. Just need to keep pushing fluids and rest. I thought about what I would have done pre-op after a morning like that...I would have bagged out of the gym, I'm sure. I would have drank many coffees (light with sugar or honey) to get thru the day and eaten lots of food and Christmas goodies. Instead, when we got home, I made some scrambled eggs and turkey sausage, then headed to the gym. Came home and now I'm enjoying a strawberry protein shake and ready to wrap some presents. What a difference 6 weeks makes, huh? Merry Christmas everyone!

I hate artificial sweetener and I believe Splenda actually triggers hunger for me. I think everything in moderation is OK, however, you can't let one pudding cup become two pudding cups to making your own pudding and eating the whole bowl. I allow myself one teaspoon of honey in my coffee every day - it makes me feel normal in a very "unnormal" situation. With that said, I track everything I eat and drink. If I don't, I know I will let things slide - that's been my M.O. my whole adult life. The "Oh a little more won't hurt" syndrome.

How inspiring for you, at 71, to have this surgery! Best of luck to you!

I LOL'd at that...

Well said!

I agree with Fluff - exercising up front will aid in your recovery. I was working out or walking daily about 6 weeks before surgery. I believe I recovered quickly due to the fact I exercised prior to surgery. Post-op, I am a little over 5 weeks out and still only approved for walking. I walk 60 minutes at least 5 times per week. Once OK'd for more, I'll add the elliptical and weight training.

I had my surgery on an outpatient basis - I was out of the hospital by noon the day of surgery. I needed help that day and the next day (so if I had a hospital stay, I would probably be OK on my own on the day they would have released me). It was nice to have someone there just to assist - I tried to be self sufficient and not rely on help. I felt like I needed to move (it helped with the gas pains), so I didn't rely on anyone to get my drinks for me, I got up and got my own. I traveled to Las Vegas for my surgery, so we stayed in our timeshare - I wanted to be on the safe side, so we decided to stay down there for a week after surgery. That was total overkill. We could have flown on day 4 or 5 easily. My biggest issue was fatigue - I needed a nap every day for the first couple of weeks.

You won't feel your stomach is "missing". Your brain knows it isn't there, but it doesn't feel any different. I was surprised at how quickly I fill up - I'm amazed that 1/2 an egg and 1/2 a turkey sausage patty fills me up at Breakfast time. It's surreal the first few times you sit down to a meal and you think, "seriously, this is all I get?" Then you leave some on the plate because you can't finish it. I felt empowered once I started adding food into my diet. Empowered because I know that 1/4 cup of food is going to fill me up and I don't feel like crap from doing the latest fad diet. It's an amazing process.

Interesting discussion... My dad was initially really worried about my decision to have VSG. He didn't understand the procedure. He didn't understand what happens before, during or after the surgery. He was scared for me. He made a statement the other day that I thought was profound when he asked me to tell my brothers about the surgery (I have only told 5 people and my brothers were not part of that group). I feel my brothers will not understand why I did this - they are both skinny and have never ever worried about their weight. He said, "You had a medical procedure to better your health and increase your quality of life. There's nothing to hide. It's no different than a knee replacement." I thought coming from a 79 year old man who works out every day and doesn't have a weight problem, that was a great way to think about it. (Although it didn't change my mind to tell them!) I agree with Lipstick...I had to go thru the pain and risk of the surgery. I had to figure out how to sip 64 ounces of Water a day while trying to get in shakes as well. I had to figure out how to eat a scrambled egg again and chew it into a paste (blah) so it sits well in my stomach. I'm the one that had to endure the pre-op diet and the post op shakes that now make me want to puke. I'm still going to have to control myself because I will have the ability to eat around my sleeve. I am the one that is going to have to drag my fat ass to the gym and sweat. I will have to live with the fear of gaining the weight back and becoming that bloated fat chick again. And if anyone says that's the easy way out, then so be it. I know the truth - this isn't easy (and I can honestly say, I wasn't prepared for it.)