dropdeadweightdiva

@@Cathyjo The only way you will put on muscle weight is through exercise and weight training. You will feel stronger, if either of those things is not on your itinerary than instead you will lose muscle, and once allowed to begin exercise it's your best option to combat that. Losing muscle makes you feel soooo weak. It will slow the scale because muscle weighs more than fat, but it also burns fat so it's more than worth the gain or stall on the scale

Good luck, you'll do great!

Great job on the loss!!!! I was right there with everyone on the holiday weight gain. But I got it under control and did 9 days of liquids and you would not believe how much stronger my restriction is again now. It's like being fresh out of surgery. I did it because I read a post from someone who thought they'd stretched their sleeve and their doctor put them on one for 2 weeks. They did xrays and there was a substantial difference between the before and after, feeling like I do now I believe it. Strongly recommend doing it if you feel like I did about the quantity of what you can eat.

Agree with @@BLERDgirl, get a measuring tape and tell your scale to 'suck it'.. lol Different things work for different people as far a stalls go. Stay away from carbs, Up your Water, Avoid dairy, up your exercise, depending on your calorie intake sometimes upping those will break your stall choosing healthy options. As long as you are making good choices the stall will break, but unfortunately it can take months although this early out it likely won't. Remember too that until it stops for a good 2-3 weeks it isn't really considered a stall, more a biting annoyance Good luck I am not suggesting that you do all of the above things, only that the individually listed ideas above are different things that have worked for a large number of sleeve patients that I know, not necessarily in specific combination with one another. These are suggestions to break stalls not to put into place longterm.

The best Protein depends on your body sometimes. Some people end up preferring or tolerating a whey based Protein powder better. Best protein if you aren't on a liquid diet will come from actual foods. Lean meat, chicken, fish, milk is a good source as well as legumes, lentils, quinoa.. As far as the shakes go a lot of people like the Premier Protein, but in the states unjury is #1. Look at their website online, they have tons of flavours and you can buy a variety pack before committing to buy any one flavour. Syntrax nectar is popular as the flavours are fruity instead of the usual so a nice change. I believe they also come in a trial flavour pack. Those are a few I would look into if I were you. Good luck @@dropdeadweightdiva thank you I am required to take a nutrition class and have to be cleared by the nutritionist for insurance. I am doing a low carb 1500 calorie diet. My dr said after surgery my goal will be to stay at a 500 to 800 call diet. And to gets lots of protein. I have no idea where to start with protein what's best the already mixed or maybe the can of powder dose it matter? I guess I should try to taste these things before hand. Thank you so much for the advice!

Mine was 3 weeks, 4 shakes/day about 900 calories from them.. 1 cup raw green veggies, no dressing. All the low calorie, clear, non carbonated drinks I could handle. If you aren't doing fluids then focus on lean Proteins, and fruits and veggies. Try to be very low carb, if not cut it out completely. If you do carbs then make sure they are whole wheat. I would keep your calorie intake at 1100 or less if you can.. and maybe for the last 2-3 days consider the liquids switch.. eggs are a good breakfast option and turkey sausage, or turkey bacon, or lean bacon.. do a google search you'll get a ton of ideas there on high Protein low carb options

@@HappyinHollywood I understand you frustration at stalling. The unfortunate thing is that the length of stalls further out only gets worse. As long as you stick to plan they will break. But be prepared further out you can stall for months at a time. Good luck.

I agree that you need to get your head in the game before surgery and I don't agree with crash dieting, but I also don't consider an all liquid diet a crash diet. A lot of us post ops go back to fluids for a short time everyone once in a while as a restart or cleanse or whatever you want to call it. You said you meet with the surgeon in 2 weeks, but if you are like most of us your surgery could still be months away. I remember myself months before surgery and I fell the wagon as well for a period of time. None of us had this surgery because we're perfect. If we could stay on track all the time before surgery we never would have needed the surgery. I am not condoning breaking the pre-op diet etc.. but a ton of bariatric patients go through a 'food' funeral before having surgery. I don't think it's fair to assume and judge that one can't be successful because they let their head drop out of the game for a while. Early out from surgery you do all the right things, but later on when you are a year or two years out you may not be quite so on task all of the time. Do the best you can, most importantly make the commitment to a better life, the reality is if you do self sabotage you may not qualify for surgery. Only you know if you are ready for surgery, if gaining weight over the holiday makes you yourself question if you are ready then and only then is that a reason to re-evaluate your decision. Do not let the consequences of poor eating habits or another's opinion dictate your decision.

I would start trying to eat healthier prior to your liquid diet. So much of this struggle is mental and you will find that when you first switch over to a new eating regiment your emotions will go into overdrive. They say it's like going through adolescence all over again as your fat releases hormones as it's broken down. This is already such a mentailly exhausting process so anything you can do to lessen the extremeness of that I highly recommend. Of course there are other benefits to changing your diet that we all know. I also recommend you take an ample amount of before pictures if you are like I was and camera shy. Especially take a minute to either take your measurements yourself or have someone help you. I did my neck, both arms, chest, waist, hips, and both thighs... just for an example. As you lose weight you tend not to 'see' the difference until you have shed a sizeable amount of weight and taking pics and measurements regularly throughout is incredibly motivating and empowering for those 'down' times. I also suggest you take a bit of time to scope out stores in your area for their Protein shake and snack options so when the time comes it's just one less thing you need to figure out. Do your research to help allieviate any fears or at least put them into perspective as we all know any type of surgery has risks, but the health risks that accompany being overweight in the long run are much higher than all percentages of surgery risks. If you browse the site you will find stories of people who had complications, including leaks that still don't regret having had it further out. Of course there are some on the other side of that coin as well. Another thing I would consider is to take some healthy eating or nutrition classes if there are any available through your health network, if you haven't already. Delving into trying to understand what kind of an eater you are will help you recognize those reasons later and help you choose different activities to do when they crop up. Take this time to prepare because it really is helpful post op if you have a head start. Hope that helps

The insurance thing I am quite certain needs the specific type of surgery listed as I know people that had their surgery denied because they changed their mind and therefore their surgery was delayed until the switch was made. As far as which one that is a 50/50 choice. Agree with previous post that if you have any kind of acid reflux then lean is definitely towards bypass. I had no issue with it previously but now post sleeve it was horrible for me for the first 4 months and has tapered off dramatically but can still be an issue now and then. If you have a very strong sweet tooth then the bypass is the preferred option as I could graze on sweets all day long and my sleeve wouldn't argue. Although some sleevers do experience dumping. I have no regrets with my choice, but also have friends who had bypass that are thrilled with their results. Good luck, just do your research and take your doctors lean into consideration.

I am 5'4 and started at 287 so our numbers are similiar

I am on day 7 of a fluid fest to reign myself back in having done exactly what you did. Gained over the holidays. I am on 3-4, most days 3 glucerna shakes/day, nestea green tea zero, water, milk, and tea because I have a wicked cold right now. The good news is it works. The weight comes off pretty quickly because it hasn't been on for very long. In the past week I have dropped almost 6 of the 9 pounds I put on. Because you are pressed with a very short time line I would seriously consider trying the all liquids thing, and if it is not feesible than just make sure to avoid carbs, minimal dairy and focus on lean protein and fruits and veggies. Of course exercise will help. Good luck

Good Luck today Walk, sip and rest!

<script> //</script> Thank you very much for this, I take it but it still makes me nauseous so will talk to my nutritionist and if she gives me the go ahead I am all for trying it!

<script> //</script> Swimming is always a good option for reducing strain on the body. Weight training and abdominal strength training may be another option for you. My suggestion would be to consider seeing a personal trainer or physical therapist for some ideas on body safe exercises. One visit may cost a little but might be worth it in the long run. Other things you can try are diet options mentioned in previous comments. Good luck.

<script> //</script> Well today was your big day, and I hope it went well and you are resting comfortably. I am sorry I was too late in responding to this request. But if you have any questions let me know. Healing thoughts and welcome to the lighter side )

<script> //</script> This post may not be relevant to your situation depending on what you feel caused the weight gain. I can recommend the usual, mix up your exercise routine, challenge yourself more. Of course if you aren't weight training that can make a huge difference in loss. Another option is to drop your carbs and some downgrade their dairy intake, or maybe just count your calories for a couple days and make sure that you aren't overcompensating in an effort to lose and taking in fewer calories than you should or really comfortable with your eating and possibly taking in more than you think you are.. I am nowhere near your post op time line. But I can relate as during this absence from the site I threw myself off the band wagon and managed to put on 9 pounds in the last 8 weeks. Yep you read that right, 9 bleeping pounds. So for others early out or pre-op please know that this surgery is only a tool, it will not stop you from gaining weight when you make bad choices!! The stress, holidays, and the simple creep in of old habits is not uncommon a year out. Not excusing my choices by any means, I own it! So I started to attempt a back to basics program again. Only this time I threw out the 5 day pouch test for the moment, after having read a post on another forum that addressed something we all fear could happen. I still believe in the effectiveness of the 5 day pouch test, but it wasn't what I needed to address the feeling that I had stretched my sleeve during this crazy eat whatever, whenever that was sooo reminiscent of days gone by. I am not implying that this was your issue for gain, I can only tell you what I am doing now to try to drop the gain and kick start the remaining weight I still want to lose. So I am so grateful for her decision to share her story. She thought she'd stretched her sleeve and after review, sure enough she had. Her doctor put her on a back to basics diet which involved, I'm sorry for what I am about to disclose as no one is going to like it lol, 2 weeks of fluids only. Pre-op anyone? We all remember how horribly hard an all liquid pre-op is, the only thing that keeps you going is the thought of having your surgery cancelled or complications that you can avoid if you stick to plan. Post op, 2 weeks of fluids once you've started on 'real' food, pshhh who am I kidding, that's crazy talk. Well it took me 2 weeks of daily efforts to then actually succeed on day15 in having a full Fluid day. So for anyone reading this looking for a mentor that is always on task and always on the wagon, keep looking because I am not the mentor for you. Well my inspiration for this next little while, she buckled down and did it, and you know what it worked. The Xrays 2 weeks later were dramatically different. So I am now on day 6 of fluids and I can honestly say I already feel a difference in the restriction just in my fluid intake. It isn't easy and the first 3 days, well they sucked. No headache this time though, and after day 3 the hunger was substantially less than it was pre-op. I don't know that I will last 2 weeks, I will likely try a Protein based meal on day 8 and see how it feels.. and if I don't feel what I know I should, then back to fluids it is. I have dropped over 5 of those pounds in these past 6 days. Although as you likely know dropping weight that has only been on for a short period of time is definitely easier than those pounds that are longterm. I expect the loss to slow dramatically if I do continue for the 2 weeks but for me this is more about the overall condition of my sleeve and the weight loss is secondary. If I treat it better once it rebounds then hopefully that will help me to be smarter the next time the cravings start. We're all in this together, and what works for one, may not work for someone else. But most advice I find comes from a good place and as long as it seems rational then I figure it's worth a shot because the end goal is sooo worth it.

<script> //</script> Will try to answer any questions you have based on my experiences. Any loss post surgery is great. Just try really hard not to compare yourself to others, as there is no such thing as a 'good' or 'bad' weight loss. Any loss is fantastic, and if you try not to let your expectations get ahead of your body then when you do 'stall' or slow down in on the scale you are more likely to stay on task then allow disappointment in a number get you down. 32 pounds in just 2 weeks is crazy awesome!!! But, should not be seen by others as an expected norm.

<script> //</script The reality is that you can stretch your sleeve, but not with fluids. It is sooo important to stay hydrated at the best of times, especially post bariatric surgery because there are so many other conditions that dehydration can cause. The only nutrition you are taking in early out is from those fluids, as often Vitamins are not introduced until solids are started. Fluids are absorbed into the body at such a high rate that they don't sit in your stomach for nearly as long as solids do and certainly nowhere near as long a Protein based solids do. So go ahead and drink away, just remember that it is important to sip as although you can't stretch your sleeve, you can expand it for a time which can irritate and potentially put pressure on the incisions. I do know people that can 'chug' fluids almost as well as they could pre-op. You likely have noticed the difference between feeling full post Fluid and post solids at this stage of your journey.

<script> //</script> I am certain at this stage of the game this answer will no longer be valid to you and I apologize for that. As I have said I am also one who has the hunger issue. Early on while you are strictly on fluids, whether it be clear or shakes, Soups, strained everything the hunger can be relentless. It isn't until you get to start on solid Proteins that you feel satiated rather than simply full as your new tummy adjusts. I still have hunger and sometimes it's will power over everything else, and if I fall then you just have to get back up and start fresh.

<script> //</script> I will repy privately and get that to you this week. Please don't be discouraged as everyone's weight loss is different and as long as you do the best you can to stay true to plan then over time it will come off, I promise.

Hi All, I am very sorry for my complete drop off over the last month or so. Admittedly whatever this lovely flu is that is going around it wreaked havoc staggeringly in my household and between that and Christmas I was just happy I found time to pee lol.. On that note I hope to be much more present from now on barring any new flu varieties that come to roost. I appreciate everyone for being involved in this post and thank those who took the time to help answer questions while I was gone.

During any surgery they inflate the area with CO2 in order to better see and separate organs, tissue, etc. that gas needs to work its way through your system and generally speaking walking and movement is the only thing that will get it moving. It can create a lot of pain, especially in the shoulder as it works its way through..Some suggest Gasx etc but for me and a lot of others it doesn't work or doesn't work as well as desired so walk walk walk...

Sorry for the late response, been rather busy myself.. 2 weeks. now 3 weeks post op.. don't stress over exercise all you need to focus on right now is healing.. walking is all I would put your body through this early out.. and that doesn't have to include a treadmill just the sidewalk is fine or a circuit around inside your house/apartment. You will definitely notice a difference in your energy once solid protein comes into play.. just make sure that you exercise lightly regularly so you don't lose muscle as the weight plummets for a while. I would leave your treadclimber for later.. that's why you can't do more than 5minutes, your body is telling you it's too soon.. you'll be able to walk further and just pick up the pace a little if you start to feel like it is too easy at your existing one. Again sorry so late.

To focus on fluids over Protein for the first week or two, use an app to remind yourself to sip and to help slow down once eating solids.. that the scale should not rule your universe, measurements are better....the scale will not drop on a daily basis so don't be disappointed when it doesn't..... Stalls happen and can last sometimes for months but they always end if you stay on task...... Be kind to yourself, guilt does you no favors...... Wait to try eggs, too many of us have a negative first experience too early out.... Introduce foods one at a time whenever possible so you know what doesn't sit well and what does.... Don't hesitate to call your doctor if you have issues or concerns post op...Listen to your sleeve and learn to recognize what it's trying to tell you...... Pay attention to the difference between head hunger, actual hunger and thirst... Most importantly, Celebrate the little things, the big things and all those things in between, (just not with food anymore) and know that you are worth it!!!!