JamieLogical

During full liquids, I was lucky to be getting more than about 400 calories a day in. Once I was on soft foods, I think I got it up closer to maybe 650. Then once I was on solids, I pushed hard to get over 800, because I had told myself I wasn't going to start intense exercise (more than just walking) until I was getting at least 800 a day. Now I'm up to about 1200 a day, which really helps me sustain the level of cardio I'm trying to do, now that I am running a lot.

2-3 hours is my requirement for eating. If I go 4+ hours then baaaad things happen. I get super "hangry". I don't even feel physically hungry usually, I just start getting mean. My husband and I were on vacation with my parents back in May. You know how it is on vacation. You are out and about and out of your routine, so you aren't necessarily eating on the same schedule as usual. My mom started carrying turkey snack sticks and peanuts in her purse and handing them to me when my hangry started to show. Sure enough, it was always right after I'd passed the 3 hour mark since the last time I ate. I didn't even really notice my shift in mood as much, but she noticed it right away.

It doesn't bother me fundamentally, just that I eat so small, yet lose no weight. In my mind there should be a direct result of eating so little lol. I'm getting used to it, the only thing that really bothers me is that I've lost 30+ pounds yet only just now lost a pant size and 2 shirt sizes. It makes me frustrated and laugh at the same time because when I reach goal weight, I'll still be a "high" pant size. The sturdy ethnic stock I'm from is no lie haha. Yeah, I'm 9 pounds from goal and still in size 14 pants.

I just looked back through my email and see that I received mine on 9/13/14. My surgery was 9/1/14. So it was just under two weeks. They do all of their note-taking in Spanish, so it makes sense that it would take them a little time to have it translated to English. The surgical report itself is two pages and goes into a lot of detail about materials used and whatnot. Then there is one page that is a scan of my EKG graph. And one page that is a scan of my lab results.

Sounds like we're in a pretty similar spot. I have lost 62 pounds with 9 more to go to reach my nutritionist's goal. I'll be 10 months on the 1st. The last two months have been sooooooo slooooooow. But the scale did finally budge a tiny bit this week, so I'm feeling a little better about it. Still hoping to make goal by he 1 year mark.

You should have received instructions from your surgeon and if you didn't, you should call the office. I wasn't allowed anything more intense than "brisk walking" until 6 weeks post-op.

Everyone will give you a different answer, so it's best to ask your nutritionist. My NUT wouldn't give me carb or calorie goals, just a Protein goal. So I put protein first and try to reach my goal of 100 grams a day and that doesn't leave a tone of room for carbs anyway.

I requested them soon after I got back from Mexico and once they were translated to English, they sent them to me via email as a PDF, along with scans of my EKG and labs.

I agree with @Kindle. That post is pure gold. Stressing about all the things we can't control is just a distraction and an excuse not to focus on all the things we CAN control!

I checked with my insurance and maid sure that any post-op visits to the ER or anything would be covered once I got home. I also spoke with my PCP about it pre-op and she set an appointment with me for one month post-op, along with blood work. I have since had blood work and office visit with her at 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, and 8 months post-op. My next is scheduled for 1 year. All of my blood work has been perfect and she's been thrilled with my progress. Oh, and my surgeons office gave me copies of my surgical report, EKG, and blood work from the day of my surgery to share with my PCP as well, so she has all of that in my file.

I felt that way many times in the early months. At almost 10 months out now, I very rarely regret not being able to eat like a "normal" person. I'm pretty used to the types of foods I can eat and how much of them I can eat now. I rarely get frustrated about that. I do, however, still often get frustrated with the scale's refusal to budge!!!!

I have not. It was pretty excruciating over the winter when Sam Adams Winter Lager was available, because that's my absolute favorite! I did have part of a beer milkshake at Red Robin! I'm just so terrified of the carbonation, I don't think it's worth it.

@@FitFunFamily I'm glad you reported it and it seems others did as well and that your bariatric clinic got the hint and changed their recommendations. I'm not saying that psychologists should be blanket approving WLS patients. There are some people who truly are psychologically unprepared for surgery and it is good that most programs require psychological evaluation. But the psychologists involved should be well educated and well informed about the issues they are counseling on!

@@SaintTeresa Not every fat person eats their emotions and I don't think many people believe that to be true. However, it IS true that MANY overweight people did get that way by eating emotionally and socially. We are the ones for whom appetite suppressants don't work. Actual, physical hunger has very little to do with our eating. There are ways to chemically limit and control physical hunger. Those things don't work for emotional eaters.

@@jadama22 Are you allowed to try out other brands of protein shakes? My NUT recommended a specific brand, but I didn't like it so I asked her to give me some guidelines for choosing another brand and was able to find one I liked much better (EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control). You are going to depend heavily on protein shakes to get all your protein in during the liquid phases post-op, so it's important to find some options you can tolerate.

I can't help you with the hernia repair, so I don't know how long your abdominal pain will last. But I can promise you that you will be able to eventually drink more Water without pain/discomfort. Twp ounces is a LOT post-op. I was supposed to aim for 1 oz. every 15 minutes in those early days and even that was a challenge. But I really turned a corner with water consumption at about 2 weeks post-op when most of my internal swelling had gone down. Everything in these early days is about patience. You WILL feel better little by little and soon enough you will look back and be surprised at how FAST you felt better. It's just that in the moment, it seems like eternity!

Congrats!

@@KDM74 Yikes! That's pretty pricey! I was able to do a lot of that in one surgery for about 1/3 of the price by going to Mexico.

Welcome back! It's fantastic that you've been able to reach and maintain your goal weight. Are you mostly just wanting to focus on building some muscle and becoming a bit leaner?

Oh, it's all downhill from here. The happy drugs will take care of any of your last minute jitters and soon you'll be under. Coming out of the anesthesia sucked pretty hard core for me. Make sure you ask for some ice chips to suck on, because your mouth/throat will be sore and dry, but you won't be able to drink anything yet.

The pain from VSG is pretty minimal, so that likely won't limit your return to work. Even those with severe pain, it usually doesn't last more than a couple of days. The real issue you will be struggling with is fatigue. I went back to work 15 days post-op, but it really really sucked until I was allowed soft foods at 18 days post-op and could start getting in some more calories. Working all day and only consuming about 400 calories a day was just not cutting it.

It's important not to compare yourself to others on these boards. I know it can be hard, but everyone's journey is unique. You have had more success with the sleeve than you did with the band, so hold onto that. Take a look at where you might be able to make improvements in your diet and activity. What works for one person may not work for someone else, so experiment with different protein, carb, and calorie totals. You're 44 pounds lighter than you were 10 months ago! Take pride in that and work to continue to make more progress.

Yay! Be sure to post and let us know how everything goes!

I had to take lots of naps in those early days. Just make sure you are getting up for short walks every once in a while too and staying awake long enough to get some fluids in.

Two weeks is the typical rule of thumb, but it could be more if you are also having a hernia repair or something like that at the same time.