alwaysvegas

I took two weeks. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/336625-question-on-returning-to-work-after-surgery/?hl=%2Breturn+%2Bwork http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/335761-only-off-7-days-from-work-is-this-too-soon/?hl=%2Breturn+%2Bwork http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/324617-return-to-work-from-home/?hl=%2Breturn+%2Bwork#entry3666539 http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/313385-recovery-time-when-can-i-go-back-to-work/?hl=return+work#entry3541307 http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/310816-2-wks-vs-3-weeks/?hl=return+work#entry3507940 http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/286222-going-back-to-work/page-2?hl=return+work#entry3220844

Liquids go through very quickly. If you were to drink "too much" you would simply throw up. I'm a fast eater also and tend to cut all my food into small chunks as I'm preparing to pack them for work or for dinner. Solid foods will tend to keep you feeling full for longer and the nutrients are also much healthier than shakes, so try to get in solids if you can. Because you're feeling restriction with more dense foods, that means your sleeve is doing its part, which is awesome! Good luck to you!

Why do you think you won't be able to eat certain foods? I'd say most people can eat the same foods they could before surgery. It's all about choice and moderation. No need to food funeral it. Best of luck on your revision!

I certainly had (and still have) the fear that I will gain the weight back. My initial fears were: My sleeve is too big...liquids were going right through me. I was able to drink over 100oz the first week of surgery. Oh, but then I hit the purees and I felt how restrictive my sleeve truly was. I'll have terrible head hunger. I was really worried when I woke up from surgery that I'd still feel hungry. Nope, not one bit. Not for several weeks. I feel more head hunger now, but physical hunger is still non-existent. I think the difficulty is distinguishing between head hunger and physical hunger. I can now easily tell. I'll eat till I burst the sleeve. This goes along with the hunger. I feel perfectly satisfied with 4-4.5 oz of food. I'm actually more satisfied than I was with 3-4 cups of food pre-op. That can't possibly be explained until you experience it. My long-term fear now is that I'll become complacent at my goal weight and return to old habits: less exercise, more carbs, calorie-dense foods. I'm very habitual and if I have a donut one day, I'll have it every day for weeks. I've made it a big goal to keep realistic about my expectations with the sleeve. I try to never lose sight that it's a tool and doesn't given me free reign to eat anything that I can get into the sleeve.

When I got below 200 lbs (yay Onederland) I really got a bit of body dysmorphic disorder going on. I was wearing large clothes because I didn't think I would fit into mediums. Then co-workers started telling me my clothes were 'hanging on me,' which I didn't really think was happening. When I was around 180lbs, I had bought a cardigan in a medium and a co-worker said he really liked it. I asked him if he wanted to try it on and he said, "Dude, that's way to small. It'll never fit me." Now, in my head...I thought he and I were the same size. He's same height and around 220lbs. But he tried to put it on and couldn't even get his arm through the sleeve and that was a huge eye opener. And I said, "Dang, I thought we were the same size," and he said, "Uhhh, no. You're like 40lbs lighter than I am." Oh. Even when I bought medium clothes, I kept telling myself, "Well, they make clothes bigger now than they used to. These mediums are probably really large." There's an interesting website where men and women post pics of themselves based on height and weight. I found it very interesting and helped me "see" what kind of range I fell into with the understanding that our body types do vary. http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.html I discussed how I was seeing myself with my behavioral therapist and we agreed my mind would fit my body soon enough. I wasn't starving myself thinking I was still "too fat" or something bad like that. My head just wasn't seeing a thinner me.

Big congratulations on your weight loss success! I posted a topic a month or so ago about how I also lost weight in Vegas. Crazy, right? http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/332366-i-lost-weight-in-vegas/

Wonderful news! Congratulations and continued success!!

I waited about 5 months. Alcohol does hit faster simply because the tummy is so small that there's rarely food in it. So that makes me a cheap date. Of course, I'm a guy and we're mostly cheap dates. Most everything you eat/drink is "as tolerated" unless directed otherwise by your physician.

Two weeks after surgery

When I first started my journey last year, I would go to the gym and hated the mirrors everywhere. I tried to distance myself from them whenever I did cardio. But I'd be pumping away on the elliptical and catch a glimpse of myself and think it was someone else, then the dread realizing it was me and how much I had to lose. I thought I looked like a rhino in sweats. About a year later...I remember the first time I caught a glimpse of myself wearing a medium compression shirt and I still thought it was someone else at first. But this time I was elated to realize it was me. So, this is a bit vain, but I now do cardio right next to the damn mirror! And I look GOOD! I used to avoid looking at myself in the mirror. I don't even have any pre-op photos, except my driver's license. I deleted any photo that people sent of me. Now it's like I'm re-introducing myself to myself. It's very strange. But a good kinda strange. Best of luck to everyone.

Congratulations! I loved the pre-op diet in retrospect. In addition to shrinking the liver, it's a fantastic start to your pre-op life! The first few days can be rough, but I kept telling myself, "Fat is stored energy. I will not starve!" And it got easier and easier. And I lost 25 lbs between pre-op and post-op diets. Fantastic! It was so strange from eating 3-4 cups of food in a sitting to just having Protein shakes, broth, or popsicles. But once out of surgery, I didn't miss the food at all. It was like night and day. Once I was on purees...everything tasted wonderful. I quickly learned to love the small portions. You're gonna love your sleeve!

It might be Gibson. I bought it a set on FirstAuction *years* ago because all the dinnerware was "irregular" (aka) warped. I actually donated all the dinnerware, except a few plates to Goodwill after surgery. I only eat out of appetizer plates/bowls now. I'll check when I get home!

Frozen chocolate Power pudding Pops You can make these with any flavor of Jello pudding. Just adjust the flavor of Protein powder and Torani syrup accordingly. 1 oz box Jello sugar free/fat free chocolate fudge pudding (box that makes 4x0.5 cups) 1/2 cup cottage cheese or greek yogurt (low fat or non-fat) 1/4-1/2 scoop chocolate Protein Powder. I use Body Fortress brand. 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or regular) (Optional) 1-2 teaspoons fiber powder (clear like Benefiber) (Optional) 1/2 teaspoon sugar free Torani syrup like S'Mores, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, or Caramel Silicone candy mold. I got two of these from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4UZLKE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Blend all ingredients together in a small bowl or large cup. I use a stick/immersion blender so that the cottage cheese blends well. Blend for about two minutes until stiff. Spoon into silicone candy molds. Freeze for about 3 hours minimum. They are a bit messy and melt on your fingers, but very yummy!

Biggest surprise was how well the phased diet plans worked for both weight loss and a safe surgery recovery. The different stages really eased me back into solid foods. My second biggest surprise is that I'm completely satisfied with 4-4.5 oz of food at a time. No regrets, except that this wasn't available 20 years ago.

20 years sooner. If it existed back then.

Warmest congratulations, but looks like you spent some good money on new clothes. You know you're gonna be too skinny for those clothes too soon enough. Ah well, you'll learn. I made my first mental goal to cure my co-morbidities: sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and pre-diabetes. Those were all cured within a couple weeks after surgery. I just did a home study to verify sleep apnea is cured, but scheduled for results next Friday. But fingers-crossed I'm cured there too. After my co-morbidities were cured (I was around 235 or so), I set a goal of a nice even 200. Well 199 to be in ONEderland. Once I hit 200 my goal was not to go for some super low weight I couldn't possibly maintain, but to try and find that balance between eating and exercise so I could maintain a weight forever. If that weight was 200...cool. But the weight kept coming off. I exercised a bit less and ate a bit more...trying to find a lifestyle that I could maintain long-term. And I think I've found my "landing weight." I may end up gaining a bit after a couple years due to eating more and I'm okay with that. I just didn't want to hit a "very low" weight, not be able to maintain it, and get frustrated when I gained back 30 lbs. Point is...try and do what you can do long-term (aka forever) once you get closer to any goal weight you set (or don't set). Try and find a reasonable balance. The goal isn't to be skinny, but do be healthy, and maintain it! But be sure an congratulate yourself and enjoy all the health benefits and non-scale victories along the way! Best of luck!

You've done so well pre-op that you are well on your way to a great surgery and recovery. Anxiety is perfectly normal. I didn't fear the surgery. I feared I wouldn't be able to "do it" after the surgery. I feared I would be hungry or feel inclined to binge it. In other words, I feared myself more than the surgery. For me, the surgery was easy (I just slept...I like sleeping), Then the first few days are a bit rough, but pain meds rock. The post-hospital recovery was faster than I expected. Because you did your homework, you know how the recovery can vary for people and also that the post-op liquids can be harder for some than others. Liquids are even more important than food. Fat is stored energy...we all had plenty of that. I know you'll look back and wonder what you were so worried about...as you're dropping the pounds to the new you. Best of luck!

I hate when too many people respond to a topic and I'm too lazy to read them all. I also hate when people hijack other peoples' threads. Which reminds me...I hated the Sopranos finale. Did anyone else? And Kim Kardashian with blonde hair...I mean REALLY? And why does Kanye always look upset? It all bothers me.

I also like Premier Protein pre-made. I used Insure Nutrition (http://www.insurenutrition.com/) and my insurance has paid for my drinks + scar cream + Vitamins for six months. The company will check with your insurance and will send your surgeon a form to sign. Some people had problems with this company, but I had no problems at all. For Protein powder, I like the Body Fortress brand (chocolate, Peanut Butter, strawberry, vanilla). I even mix the powder with Jello pudding to make some interesting flavors and add protein, of course.

Don't get discouraged during the pre-op. The head hunger is difficult for most of us, but the pre-op is a fantastic kickstart to the post-op weight loss. Feel free to rant on here if you're hating the pre-op and we'll help get ya through it! Best of luck and keep us updated!

Yes, it can be difficult the first few weeks. Water is more important than calories. Keep in mind that fat is stored energy, so you can go quite some time with minimal food. You can try Protein shakes as @ recommended. You might also look at Isopure drinks, which are more like Vitamin Water, though the taste is rather biting. Every day you will improve little by little, so hang in there!

Congrats on a great recovery! We can't tell you if you're hurting yourself. If you're not following the plan prescribed by your healthcare professionals then, yes, you might hurt yourself. At one week out I was just starting on purees and that was chicken with a light sauce in a blender. I also did quite a bit of broth soups with soft Protein like tofu and egg whites. Best of luck!

Congrats on the great weight loss so far! Yes, things slowed down for me and there were many stalls. Check out a post I made where I provided a graph of my weight loss over a year. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/335141-one-year-of-weight-loss-graphed/

"Lose" and "loose" are different words. lose lo͞oz/ verb be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something). "I've lost my appetite" synonyms: be deprived of, suffer the loss of; no longer have "he's lost a lot of blood" become unable to find (something or someone). "I've lost the car keys" synonyms: mislay, misplace, be unable to find, lose track of, leave (behind), fail to keep/retain, fail to keep sight of "I've lost my watch" loose lo͞os/ adjective not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached. "a loose tooth" synonyms: not fixed in place, not secure, unsecured, unattached; More (of a garment) not fitting tightly or closely. "she slipped into a loose T-shirt and shorts" synonyms: baggy, generously cut, slack, roomy;