JeanZ_RN

Think about what an average is. Put 100 WLS patients in a [virtual] room, each of whom had the surgery a year ago. Find out what % of their excess weight each has lost. Add all 100 results, and divide by 100 to get the average. For the result to be 60-70% (or whatever the latest study says), there have to be many of the 100 who lost a higher % than that, and there will be many who lost less than that. Your result will be determined in large part by how closely you stick to your surgeon's/NUT's recommendations, and how determined you are. Another factor, as other posters have said, is what life throws at you while you're trying to stay on plan. I'm determined that I WILL get to my goal weight -- which I chose, BTW; it isn't something my surgeon determined. I think I'll be able to do it within 12 months of surgery, but even if I don't, I WILL get there eventually ... lord willing and the creek don't rise . Assuming I do make it, I'm going to be one of the 100 who will skew the results toward a higher percentage. But then I've been VERY fortunate that life has not thrown me any curve balls so far. And as another poster said... even if I don't lose any more weight from this day on, I'm still VERY happy I had the surgery. Best wishes!

I was taking Prilosec daily before surgery, and I've continued taking it since my sleeve was done last November (7.5 mos ago). I had a hiatal hernia repaired at the time of my sleeve surgery, so I have tried once since then to wean off the Prilosec. It didn't work - my heartburn came back within a day or two, so I resumed taking the med. I may try again some time to wean off, but it's not important to me either way. What I'm super glad that I no longer have to take: Insulin and blood pressure meds.

Have you had surgery yet? If yes, how long ago, and which surgery? Have you ever had this feeling before? How long have you had this feeling? Was the onset sudden, or gradual? Are you on any new medications?

It's because everything you're taking in is liquid or pureed right now. Plus, you may be getting full and just not be recognizing your new "full" signal because it's different than before surgery. Use this time to get acquainted with your new, much smaller stomach. You WILL feel full when you get to solids. Don't rush to get there! Your sleeve needs to heal! When you do get to try solids, be CAREFUL - eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and wait a bit after each swallow to make sure your sleeve is ok with what you just sent down. Best wishes.

At 1 week post-op, you're still dealing with the full liquid or pureed stage, right? That's a whole different ball game than it is once you're cleared to eat solid foods. Did your surgeon/nutritionist ("NUT") give you any written materials or instructions for post-op diet at the various stages? If so, re-read that and I bet you'll find the answer. If not, contact one of them right away with your question, because the answer is going to greatly affect how many calories you consume, which in turn will be the basis for your weight loss. One important thing to know is that the feeling of hunger COULD be due to excess stomach acid. If that is a factor, acid reducing medication (Prilosec, Nexium, etc.) might help. Best wishes.

Glad you had a good time! And you look BEAUtiful!

Congratulations! You look great - and your smile says it all!

When that lady mentions eating a lot, she may well mean that she's eating all the time, as opposed to eating large meals. The sleeve limits the amount we can eat at one time, but it does not prevent us from eating too often (grazing).

You have definitely helped me too! Thanks so much for all of your posts. Your photos are amazing - you look GREAT - and I agree that your hubby looks very proud of you... for good reason!

I love Quest bars - 20 gm protien, and only 3g net carbs per bar. There are lots of flavors; my faves are Cookies & creme, chocolate chip cookie dough and vanilla almond. I purchase them online, from www.questnutrition.com, because (a) I buy a LOT of them, and stores won't always have the quantities I want; and ( the ones I've bought in stores aren't as fresh as those I get online. For me, 1 Quest bar = 1 fully satisfying meal. For convenience and because I love the flavor, I would be quite happy eating a bar for 3 of my 4 meals each day. However, I've found if I eat more than 1 Quest bar per day, I stop losing weight. I don't gain any, but I don't lose any either. I think it's because I'm on the Atkins diet and the Quest bars probably have some sugar alcohols that interfere with that.

That is perfectly normal. After any insult to the body, including surgery, you're going to feel the worst at 24-48 hours after. It gets better - very gradually - after the 48 hour mark. At this stage all you can do is sip, sip, sip, take pain meds as ordered, and walk, walk, walk. Rinse and repeat.

My suggestion is Don't Snack. I eat every 4 hours, and I don't eat between meals. I eat as few carbs as humanly possible, so my meals are almost totally meat and cheese. I could add non-starchy veggies, but I don't like them so I just stick to Protein. The sleeve will ONLY keep us from eating too much at one time. It won't keep us from grazing, which is one sure way to stop losing and/or start re-gaining.

Like what? Do you mean some kind of pills/capsules that supposedly burn fat?

No, you don't have to limit Protein shakes like you will food. liquids go down much more easily than solids, so you can just focus on the amount of protein you need to get in. For most of us, at the point when we're just starting protein shakes post-op, the issue is trying to get enough (1) liquids and (2) protein rather than trying to limit the amount of calories.

Congratulations! Sleeve on!

"ONLY" 18 lbs in the past month?? Geeeeesh, that is a GREAT first month!

I have a different kind of NSV to report. I've been exploring a couple of dating web sites for the past month, and yesterday I made contact with a very attractive guy who had rated my profile very highly. He was only the 3rd guy I've contacted through one of the sites. (The 1st one stood me up for what was supposed to be our 2nd date and has not contacted me since, and the 2nd one didn't reply at all.) Well, this guy took offense at something I said and sent me a very rude reply. I was bummed. The NSV is... I very much wanted to eat chocolate to self soothe, but I did NOT give in. Yay me!

I'm 60, and had my sleeve done 7.5 months ago. I've lost 53 lbs, and have 21 to go to reach my goal weight. I hate exercise, and I've done very little of it - like only when I must do something to break a stall, and then it's only walking.

I agree with the other posters - 25 lbs in 6 weeks is GREAT. Take a look at my numbers, in my signature.

Congratulations! Your positive attitude is an inspiration!

I spent about 7-10 days pre op having food funerals, and it definitely made things easier for me post op. It helped me mark the transition between the old me and the new me, which was much more a mental and emotional transition than a physical one at that point. I'm glad I did it..

Wow! You look WONderful! Congratulations!

I have my hair dyed at the beauty shop once a month, and have for years. (See the white streak? That's the only part that's my natural color.) It hasn't affected my hair loss at all. I started losing hair faster at 3.5 months post op, and now at 7 months out the rate of loss has now slowed a bit.

Take your Before measurements and pictures. I didn't do this, and now I REALLY wish I had. Make a plan regarding when you're going to take your progress measurements and pics - eg once a month on your surgiversary? Look at others' pics on this site and notice what kinds of backgrounds make it easiest to see changes - like always standing in front of the same closet door so you can see later how much smaller you are in relation to it. You might want to keep the outfit you wear for the Before pics so you can let it hang off of you later and enjoy how different you look in it. Best wishes!

I did not have the mood swings that so many on this site have suffered from, and I attribute that to being on Citalopram (Celexa). It is one of the SSRI antidepressants, and it keeps my mood level. I've been on various SSRIs since the early 1990s, and some of my siblings have been on them also. It may be that even a few months on one of those would help get WLS patients over the worst of the mood disturbances. The countervailing viewpoint is that we need to feel our feelings and deal with the underlying problems rather than medicating them away. I respect that viewpoint, but for me continuing the meds was the better path.