Elizabeth21

@@AussieSam -- It sounds like you need a break and that your two week plan is a sort of vacation idea. You've been at this a long while. Perhaps you should consider adding more FUN to your day to day life. I find having something to look forward to makes the "grind" of everything else whether it is the food plan, work or whatever in life easier to deal with. You deserve more than just a vacation. To sustain your success I recommend that you find more FUN! Good luck!

Thanks for this tip! I tried these and I am managing to tolerate them. Finally getting some vitamins!

I haven't and won't be telling my mother either. I have only told a very few people. My kids know I had abdominal surgery but I just claimed hernia repair with some complications. It's been much easier than having to justify or explain it to anyone. When people ask about how I've lost weight, I answer "high Protein, low carb." The only exception was to a good friend who asked who might benefit from WLS. You owe nobody any explanations. Good luck.

@@Bob B, I have experienced a great deal of professional apathy also. WLS takes a lot of physical, mental and emotional effort. I recommend that you look into some counseling to help you with your long term plans and explore options. You might also consult with your doctor about your Vitamin levels. Depletion of B Vitamins, especially B12 can affect mood, energy and motivation. As for the taste for food, I have learned that this tends to change over time. By the end of a year most can eat whatever they want, just less of it. So, don't give up yet on the possibility of enjoying it again. Meanwhile, be nice to yourself. Sometimes work is just work for a season of life. Good luck!

The first month is definitely the worst. It was 8 to 10 weeks before I really felt more "normal" in terms of activity and strength. After about 3 months I could pretty much eat or drink whatever I chose to -- of course not a lot of it. I have been keeping track of the non-scale victories. Try to focus on all of those things that you are going gain from losing weight. Remember life pre-op was challenging. If it wasn't you wouldn't have chosen surgery. Now you will still have some challenges, but they are different challenges, and, hopefully you'll be facing them with a healthier you! Good luck!

I have found that lying on my side helps when my stomach gets upset. Also a couple of Tums may help. It will pass. Hang in there.

Well, I'd like to say do not despair! My understanding is that statistics show that 80% of us maintain most of our weight loss long term. Better odds compared to only 5% with just dieting. Of course I'm hoping that those numbers aren't just a load of .... stuff .... given at the seminar.

@@VSGAnn2014, thank you for the feedback and the video link. Both were very helpful. The video directly addresses the "how" of the regain and increasing appetite. At 5 1/2 months out, this was good information to get to incorporate into my plan. I knew/know the sleeve is not magic. Learning the pitfalls will hopefully enable me to avoid slipping into them. Thank you.

Yeah, that drinking thing is going to be my challenge too. Trying hard to gain more peace in my life so I need less "relief" drinking and other ways to socialize without having to eat/drink. Too bad honeymoons don't last!

I often felt the plus size "fashion" was just another punishment for me. Hello, I gained weight. I didn't lose all sense of fashion. What's up with all the beach/big floral fabrics? Like now I'm overweight, so I'm going to beach parties everyday? I need work clothes for the office! Ugh! So nice to be able to find some real clothes again and feel presentable!!

Thanks all for your input. The demons are not telling to me to eat like before. The demons are telling me that I will not physically be able to maintain this plan because even if I eat less, I will gain, or, I will become starving again and not be able to continue eating less. I'm not sure I can agree with the baby tummy analogy because our stomachs grew with the rest of our body. We did not stretch them out. What did get stretched out was my metabolism and hunger signals. The reason I chose the sleeve was that I was told the part of the stomach that got removed affected the hormones that produce hunger signals and that affect the metabolism. As a result my hunger would lessen and my metabolism would be able to reset so that I would not have to fight both of these things to lose weight and maintain the loss. So, I guess my question is: Does the hunger come back in full and the metabolism reduce again so that even if I'm eating less than 1,000 calories a day I will remain overweight?

Hi All. I've had several stressful years up until now including juggling 2 full time jobs and a family. I had this surgery in December with a spleen injury complication that really slowed recovery. I'm finding it difficult to motivate myself to get stuff done at work now unless a deadline is approaching big time. I'm not sure if I'm just burnt out, or, if I no longer have the "joy of escape" through food and alcohol that I'm not able to push so hard. Lately life feels shorter and shorter and I'm not having much fun. Maybe since I'm beginning to feel like I'm making (potentially lasting -- finally) progress in my weight issue, my other issues are in sharper focus. In a way I feel like I'm doing personal housecleaning and I want all of the "rooms" picked up. Anyway -- any work motivation suggestions? Thanks.

My spleen was lacerated during my procedure. It was very painful and yes, prolonged recovery. Nonetheless I would still have done the surgery again. The benefits from the sleeve far outweigh the temporary setback. Give yourself some time to heal. It will get better. Good luck!

Anyone take the Flintstone Vitamins whole? I know they are chewable, but I do not like them and the flavor seems to linger in the mouth. (I never had so much trouble with taking stuff before WLS. )

You might want to try taking some omeprozole to see if your "hunger" is actually acid. I had the same feeling and discovered it was acid reflux. Good luck!

I am glad you are going to see your doctor. Remember you are the customer! He should provide treatment and/or medication to assist you. Keep in mind that your stomach remains swollen for a while as your are healing after surgery. So, your stomach will seem to "enlarge" as you heal naturally. At seven weeks, it is still early in the process. I remember feeling impatient that I was not feeling better at two months. I know it feels like an eternity. It is going to get better. At almost five months and 84 pounds lighter, I am very glad I made this choice. Good luck!

Emerald Roast packages nut Snacks in 100 calorie count bags. They are a great go-to choice that you can throw in a desk drawer and/or purse to have on hand. I really like there Cocoa Almonds cause it gives just a little chocolate kick too. Also love the Quest bars.

I think switching to a Fluid diet usually results in this kind of digestive disruption. Ask your doctor/NUT for suggestions. I'm sure this has happened with many patients. Good luck!

Also, shrimp and/or broccoli may not settle as well early on. I have found that even with similar volumes of food the type of thing I eat can make a big difference. Also the timing of what I eat can matter. Remember you can learn from each experience! Good luck!

thanks I've been recently doing more research on the sleeve my issue with it is that it's still relatively new and there is not enough long term research on it What are your "long term" concerns? There is actually more long term data about the gastric sleeve than people realize. This procedure was done as part one of a two step procedure for years, and, eventually it was discovered that the success rate with just doing part one was enough that step two (re-routing intestines) was unnecessary. Furthermore people have had to have stomach reduction surgery for various reasons over the years for ulcers and cancer. Long term, people have done fine in terms of health. If your concern is about long term maintenance of weight loss the numbers for the sleeve are pretty competitive to RnY and better than the lap band. For me, the deciding factors included this: 1) the sleeve does not require as extensive surgery as RnY nor the need for supplements due to malabsorption and 2) the sleeve removes the part of the stomach that affects the production of key hormones and metabolic control so that your hunger is reduced and your metabolism can reset. The second factor was very important to me in terms of my ability to maintain the weight loss. I agree with the others. Continue your research and make the choice that best fits you. Good luck!

@@ThruChristICan, we all do not heal exactly the same, so please keep that in mind. In my case, I planned for four weeks off because, like @@wannaBthinsoon, I wanted to give myself time to deal with all the adjustments, and frankly, give myself the gift of time for healing. I am very glad I did this because I was one of those unfortunate ones that had complications from surgery (the surgeon lacerated my spleen). So I really needed the extra time. So, find out how much time off you can safely plan for and then I recommend that you at least have a contingency plan for just in case you end up needing some extra time. If you don't need it, then no harm done. Good luck!

I remember being disappointed that I was still so tired at 4 weeks out. But as mentioned above, this is major surgery and the body is adjusting and healing a lot!! Try to be nice to yourself and get extra rest as much as you can. You will feel a little stronger every week and the energy that you are hoping for is just a few more weeks away. Good luck!

@@sboston34, definitely call your doctor! You are the customer!! Tell him what is going on. He should be able to give you anti-nausea medicine and give you food suggestions. Hang in there!

@@gowalking you are exactly right! The NSVs are so important. I haven't weighed myself since my last appointment with the surgeon because the changing scale numbers can make me crazy. And it is enough to ask myself to put forth the effort to stick with this new eating style without the emotional roller coaster of the scale. There's already enough in life beating us up! Interestingly I was speaking to an out of town friend tonight and she asked how the weight loss was going. I told her I was doing well, but, she was really disappointed that I could not tell her how many pounds I've lost. I noticed that her fixation on the amount of weight kind of irritated me. She's thin though, so, my guess is that my explanation of how pleased I am with the NSVs was kind of lost on her. At this point I don't even want to tell her once I find out because I already feel I've succeeded a lot without "the number."

Be nice to yourself and be your own advocate!! You are the customer!! If you are uncomfortable or in pain, insist on getting the appropriate medication/treatment. Once you are able, sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk. And then rest, rest, rest!! Let your body heal. You've got this. Good luck!