McButterpants

I was sleeved 11/14 so I'm almost 5 weeks out... Doc hasn't cleared me for real coffee yet - I will ask on my next follow up on 12/30. All docs are different just like they are with their pre-ops. My local doc is very conservative...My surgeon was the polar opposite - he was like, "Introduce real food as soon as you can!" I have decided if I'm going to have decaf, that I will allow myself some honey in it...I put a couple of tablespoons of fat-free cream or coconut creamer, 1 teaspoon of honey and a little splenda (not even a whole packet). It's pretty good.

That's really deep for an early Wednesday morning! (It's early where I am at least.) :-) I have been thinking similar thoughts to this lately - am I ever going to be able to accept myself - not just the physical me, but the entire me? Will I ever be at peace - or will there always be this nagging "you're not good enough"syndrome I have? OK - I'm going to go have a cup of coffee and ponder the meaning of life! It's decaf, so it's going to suck - maybe that's not a great way to start! Have a great day, RJ!

Initially my gas pain was in my stomach from the surgery (they pump air in your abdominal cavity during surgery). I also had pain my left shoulder, which I understand is normal. The pain wasn't unbearable, but wasn't relieved with pain killers - the best thing for it was walking, walking and more walking (I was pacing around the condo the first couple of days, then was able to venture outside for walks). About 4 days out, I had gas because I wasn't having a bowel movement - I needed to have one, but couldn't. On day 5, I took some Metamucil and a probiotic to get things moving. The pain I felt was uncomfortable, but nothing really bad. The pain in my stomach felt like I had done 1000 sit ups; the pain in my shoulder felt like I just slept wrong on it; the BM pain was no more than regular constipation. I only took 4 pain pills after surgery.

My NUT said you will still experience solid stool - just not as much of it. That's post op as well.

Even though I didn't have surgery in Mexico, I didn't have it locally - so I had the same dilemma. My PCP is not qualified to do follow up care - my PCP is great, however she's not a bariatric surgeon or nutritionist. I figured my best bet would be to go to the local bariatric surgeon's office for follow up care. I have the surgeon who can check me out post-op and a NUT at my disposal. I assume if you're traveling for surgery your insurance won't cover anything weight loss related - your follow ups locally won't be covered by insurance either. You may get away with going to your PCP if they code the insurance as something other than weight loss. My local bariatric doc will give me a list of labs that need to be done so the PCP can order them and get them covered by insurance. Your follow ups with a local surgeon can get costly if they aren't covered by insurance (mine are $185 each visit - follow ups for me are 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and one year).

I was sleeved on 11/14, so I'm a little a head of you. I had a serious slow down between weeks 3 and 4 - I only weigh once per week, so I don't know exactly when it happened, but I lost about 4 pounds in those two weeks. Doesn't sound bad except for I was losing much more than that prior to that. I think I'm back on track now - I allowed myself an extra weigh in this week and it shows I'm already down two pounds. I am trying not to get hung up on the scale - but it's hard. My husband hides the scale from me during the week and brings it out for my weigh in on Thursday mornings. A couple of things that help me - I track my intake. I don't know if I'll do this forever, but for now, it helps me keep an eye on my protein and carbs. Carbs are my downfall. It will also help tell you if you're getting enough calories. Are you exercising? Walking is great exercise at this point - move your body, that will help as well. Hope this helps! Good luck to you.

Oh yeah and I had a lot of them!!!!! You name it and I ate...twice! But, it got tiresome thinking about it. I started my 2 week pre-op diet a day early just so I could stop thinking about it. I think it's normal. I will tell you this, however...at 4 weeks out, I don't miss those foods to which I said goodbye. It's weird. I was a Pasta and bread lover and right now, neither has any appeal to me (whole wheat pasta is on my approved list and I could care less). I made my yummy yeasty dinner rolls at Thanksgiving when I was two weeks out and I had no desire to eat one. They smelled good, but that was about it. I think it's healthy to say goodbye, but don't go overboard. I started prepping for my surgery 4 weeks prior to surgery at my surgeon's suggestion - things like eating slower, taking smaller bites, mindful eating, integrating shakes, cutting back on caffeine, etc. Those will help you when you're post-op. Good luck to you!

One month out - I'm here right now, just over 4 weeks post-op. I am functioning OK, but I still get tired very easily. There are 5 people that know I had surgery (mom, dad, hubby, son and best friend). You wouldn't know by looking at me that I have had surgery. I haven't had to tell anyone I've had surgery and no one has asked. I've had a couple of close calls with things hitting my belly on my incisions. There would be an issue with picking up the children - you can't do that. I'm not sure what my lifting restriction is right now, but it can't be a small child. Having help around the house would be nice if she's willing to do that. The biggest thing will be she is going to notice your eating/drinking habits. You basically are eating or drinking something all day long. If you're not drinking a shake, you're drinking Water, then you're eating - she will notice a difference in your eating. I assume she thinks you eat more than one scrambled egg - that's all I can eat at this stage.

He is surely a keeper - I don't think anyone else would put up with my **stuff**!

How can someone say that nice The same way he told me my a$$ is getting smaller!!!! LOL. We've been together for 18 years - He is not romantic, he doesn't whisper sweet nothings in my ear, he's basically a big child and makes me laugh.

I can see a difference in my hands - I'm just over 4 weeks out. My rings fit better than they did before. My husband commented that my fingers don't look like little sausages (in a nice way). :-)

Hi there. Just know that you're going to go thru just about every emotion possible during the new few weeks. I was excited, anxious, scared, etc. I had 2nd thoughts numerous times (including in admitting). I had fits of crying. I had thoughts of "Why am I doing this?" But one thing that kept me coming back - the reasons why I did this. I actually sat down and wrote Pros and Cons - I kept it and referred back to it a number of times. It also helped me to prepare - like I was working towards something rather than just thinking about it. Think about prepping for your pre-op diet - my doc wanted me to start prepping at 4 weeks. Somethings he suggested: 1. Ween yourself off caffeine. 2. Drink 64 ounces of Water daily. 3. Practice mindful eating techniques - don't eat in front of the TV; eat in a calm quiet place. 4. Limit snacking. 5. Practice chewing your food - chew 20-25 times. 6. Slow down your eating (I downloaded an app called Eat Slower - I set mine at 1 minute between bites). 7. Start weighing, measuring and logging your food intake - not necessarily limit, but get in the habit. I wish you luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

Wow - I need to get my a$$ in gear! I took the last few days off - tired on day, the other two days (spent all day at the hospital with my mom waiting for surgery). At any rate - no excuses...gotta get my butt moving today. Heading over to the gym right now. I have to do another 25 miles this month for my original goal and 30 for my revised! I dug myself a hole!

I'm a little over 4 weeks. My NUT wants 3 Protein supplements and 3 meals per day. With that and trying to get Water in - it's a full day. That's weeks 3-4 and 4-5 (3-4 is puree and 4-5 is soft foods - basically the same food, just not pureed). A sample menu for me is something like this: So Breakfast is 1/2 scrambled egg and 1/2 Jimmy Dean turkey sausage Snack is a Protein shake (I might do a Health Wise hot chocolate - 15 grams of protein) lunch is 1-2 ounces of lunch meat with 1/2 ounce of cheese Mid-afternoon - protein shake dinner - 2 ounces chicken salad w/ low fat may or greek yogurt and mustard Snack - another protein shake That's about 600-800 calories - I had a day in week three that I got up to 900 calories, but that day I had a long walk on the treadmill and burned over 400 calories. I was tired and hungry. I can't tell you about exercise, because I'm still only walking. I'm going to put a call into the doc to see if she'll release me for anything more than that...I'm getting bored on the treadmill. Hope this helps!

Are you tracking your food on an app like myfitnesspal or something like that? Look at your total day - carbs, Protein and fat. You may find something there. Maybe replace one meal with a shake to begin with to see if that helps. Get a shake that has 20 grams of protein and low carbs (like less than 5). I think the Atkins shakes have more carbs than you need, but I can't remember. Are you able to do any exercise? Like a stationery bike or anything?

OMG - you are my hero!!!!!! I'm giggling right now. Go Indigo, get your groove on! Go Indigo, get your groove on!

Someone in another group I belong to was allowed pureed foods really early as well. My NUT and doc want to me to make sure I'm getting adequate Protein - I can't do that with the little bit of food I can eat now (2 ounces of pureed chicken is a lot for me) - so they require 3 shakes or protein supplements (that totals 60 grams of protein) and I get my other 20-30 grams from high-protein goods. You can only do what you can do - I'd try some of your lighter density foods to see if that works better. Chicken was hard for me to do at first. Good luck!

Give up caffeine - if you are a soda or coffee drinker, ween yourself off gradually. (I went thru withdrawal when I tried giving coffee up cold turkey and it sucked - I had to ween myself off slowly, over the course of 3 weeks). Practice mindful eating - don't eat in from of the TV or while reading. Put your fork down between bites. There's an app called Eat Slower - download it (it's free) and set it to a minute - it will ding when it's time to take another bite. You will be surprised at how you will then feel your stomach (even pre-op) fill up and you can distinguish when you're full. Practice chewing your food - chew each bite 20-25 times. This is necessary post-op. Eat with appetizer spoons and forks - this will help you take the necessary sized bite early in post op when smaller bites are needed. Integrate shakes into your day - maybe once a day, drink a shake and get creative. Add sugar free syrups, sugar free jello/pudding, or low-gylcemic fruits like strawberries or blueberries. Cut back on your refined foods, specifically flour-based foods like bread, pastries, pastas, etc. I did a lot of these things 4 weeks pre-op - while nothing can prepare you for how things will go post-op, you can certainly help yourself out by trying these things and the things the posters above state. It's good that you're prepping yourself. You would be surprised at the number of people I spoke to at the surgeons office that had no clue what they were getting in to or what life would be like post op. This is a great forum to use as a resource. Best of luck to you!

80-90 grams but doc would like to see 100 grams. Yeah, that's not going to happen. I'm getting 70-80 pretty consistently - I'm just over 4 weeks post op

My doctor approved 2 tablespoons of food per day right after surgery - approved foods were things that would slide off a plate...applesauce, cottage cheese, sugar free Jello, sugar free pudding and surprisingly, scrambled eggs. But only 2 tablespoons per day. I struggled to get in the Protein and the Water, but actually having that little bit of food felt good, too. I would think that if your doctor's plan OK's real food this early, tuna salad or chicken salad would be very heavy and hard for your new tiny tummy to withstand and I can't imagine you would be able to eat much at all. Scrambled egg was a go-to for me. It never hurt my stomach. (I'm just over 4 weeks out and cannot eat an entire egg) What's on your approved diet?

It's funny how we view ourselves or feel our bodies. I was absolutely sure I wasn't getting smaller - it just didn't feel that way. I'm in the same jeans I was in pre-op and I'm down almost 40 pounds (I guess I was in denial pre-op about needing to buy larger jeans - they are very loose now). This morning I was brushing my teeth and I realized I was standing closer to the sink than I normally do - it wasn't that I was trying to stand closer to the sink it's that I CAN stand closer to the sink. I am not getting in my own way. Have a great day, guys!!!

I’m in the dreaded three-week stall and it sucks. I knew this was coming. I knew it was going to happen. I thought I even prepared myself for it. I have preached to others that it’s not big deal. That it’s your body saying, “Whoa, what the hell did you do to me?” and, “Your body needs to figure it out before it loses more weight.” I know all that, but it doesn’t make it suck any less and it doesn’t make me any less pissed off. There, I said it. I’m pissed off. I said it again. Rationally, it makes sense. My body is wondering if it’s a time of famine, so it’s not going to allow it’s self to lose any more weight until figures out that this is the new normal. This may take some time – I’m in a Facebook group where some people who had their sleeve operation in November stalled for three weeks. That’s a major blow to my already fragile psyche! After years of yo-yo dieting, when you don’t see the scale move, that when you find the donuts, or bread, or Cookies or (insert vise here). That is not an option. Eating a donut or other off-plan food will not only make me sick, even worse, it could damage my sleeve. It’s also not an option because I must be accountable for my actions. I need to be an adult. I will add that accountability and being an adult sucks, too! :-) So, I am writing this post as much for me as for anyone that reads it. The three-week stall will most likely happen. Try to prepare yourself for it, but know that no matter how much you prepare for it, it’s still going to be difficult when you go through it. What am I going to do about it? I’m going to keep on keepin’ on. That’s all I can do. I am going to stick to my plan – 3 meals and 3 shakes per day with 80-90 grams of protein; just as the doctor ordered. I’m going to continue going to the gym and walking on the treadmill. These are the two things that are going to help me achieve my goals. I cannot lose sight of that. I also know that this is temporary. My rational mind knows the arithmetic behind calories in vs. calories out. I’m consuming 600-800 calories a day right now and I’m burning about 250 on the treadmill daily. That formula will equal weight loss as soon as my body realizes we’re going to be OK. I just wish my body knows what my brain does!

I read on this forum where someone went to the Goodwill store and got on for $5.00 or check out ebay - I just looked and there's a bunch of nice looking scales for under $10 and free shipping. As M2G states above - it's one of those things you will use for years. I personally cannot judge how much I'm eating by eyeballing - my eyes will underestimate how much I'm putting in my bowl.

I collect and analyze data for a living, so I'm almost as neurotic as a lawyer! :-) Fear is completely understandable. I'll tell you part of my story...My husband and I traveled out of our area for surgery because I was self pay. When we got to Las Vegas 2 days prior to surgery we got a convertible. We drove around Las Vegas with the top down and I didn't enjoy it - not one minute. I kept thinking about my surgery- if it was the right thing for me to do and having those 2nd thoughts. Not only was I scared, but I was pissed off. I was angry because I let myself get to this point - how did it get this bad that I need to remove most of my stomach in order to lose weight and get healthy? Day 2 in Las Vegas I was going to call it all off. I was going to cancel the surgery and just have a nice vacation in Las Vegas, probably hitting every all you can eat buffet in town. Then I went to the mandatory meeting for patients having surgery the next day. Being surrounded by others in my same situation helped - I was still scared, but I felt better. Then on the day of surgery, while I was in admitting, I thought, "I could walk out of here right now and only be out $500." I was scared to death - I wanted to flee. Then I looked at my husband, who was scared too and I thought about my son back at home. I thought about all the reasons I decided to go down this path. And then I thought about my mom who has been obese her entire adult life and the medical issues she has because of it - that will be me. At that moment I CHOSE to go thru with it. I was still scared - I think that's perfectly normal. But recommitting myself in that admitting room, made everything else easier for me. Once I started walking down that hallway to start the process, I didn't have any more 2nd thoughts - it was determination that kept me walking. After surgery - for about 2 days, I had some buyer's remorse. I attribute it to feeling bad directly after surgery. Since day 3 I have had no 2nd thoughts or regrets about getting this done. At 4+ weeks out I can tell you this was the best decision of my life, barring marrying my husband and having my son. I already have a better life. I feel better, my blood pressure is already down and I'm not on any diabetes medicine any more. Only you can decide if this is the path you want to take. For me, I'm glad I didn't back out. I learned that I was stronger than I thought I was - I suspect the same thing will happen to you. I wish you luck. Please keep us posted!

Do you have a kitchen scale? You can measure out your food before eating, then measure it again if you don't finish. When I started out eating solids, I got spun up on trying to track every morsel that went into my mouth and you're right, it will drive you crazy. I figure if I capture most things, it's going to be as accurate as I need it to be.