JamieLogical

@@Bonawanabfree I think you're right that part of the problem here is the term "starvation mode". People are taking it literally, when really it might be better called "preservation mode". When you have a drastic reduction in caloric intake, you body wants to preserve itself. And while it is true (obviously) that your body will burn fat stores for the fuel it's no longer getting from food, it will also drastically lower your metabolism in an effort to preserve that fat for as long as possible. The mistake people are making is assuming that their metabolism will remain constant, whether they are burning food or stored fat for energy and that is simply NOT true. The switch to burning fat for fuel changes your metabolism as a mechanism for self preservation.

I had a two week pre-op diet that consisted of 3 Protein shakes per day and one green salad with calorie-free dressing. I was also allowed sugar-free Jello and popsicles as Snacks. I honestly didn't bother with the jello or popsicles. My body figured out pretty quickly that they didn't have any calories, so they didn't satisfy my hunger. If anything, they made me hungrier. Things that got me through.... I stopped exercising the second week. I just had NO energy and trying to keep up with exercising was killing me. The other thing I did was go to bed SUPER early and just sleep a lot. Can't eat when you're asleep! Post-op, the main thing I would recommend is not to over-prepare. Protein Shakes and things you think you like pre-op may not be as appealing post-op, because your tastes can change. I ended up with a whole bunch of protein powders I never used. Plus, you'll be up and about pretty quickly and shopping is a good way to get some walking in. So shopping for what you need AFTER surgery can be a good excuse to get out of the house and do something. Once I was on my soft-food stage, I used my food scale and some 2 oz. plastic containers I bought a LOT. So I highly recommend those. Here are the containers I used. They were perfect! http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Blocks-Freezer-Storage-Containers/dp/B004QZBEFK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429621196&sr=8-2&keywords=oxo+2+oz.+container

I've only been seeing my PCP since I was sleeved in Mexico. I do have email and phone follow-ups with my surgeon's office, most specifically the nutritionist, but my PCP has handled all my post-op vitals and blood work. I saw her a 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, and I'm scheduled to see her next week at 8 months.

I switched to the bariatric multivitamin pre-op.

That's how I feel about my PCP! So lucky to have her!

I think that's part of what scares me. I feel confident and good now. I'm afraid of what I might feel like if I do lose another 20 pounds. Will I feel "too" skinny?

I spent one night pre-op, one in the clinic, then two more in the hotel post-op.

You may not be getting enough Protein and eating too many carbs. Granola bars, fruit, salad, tacos... all have carbs. Maybe try tracking your food through an app like SparkPeople or MyFitnessPal for a few days to get a better sense of what you're getting in terms of calories, carbs, and protein? If you are eating 6 times a day (which is how often I eat), I can't figure out why you would be hungry unless you are getting too many carbs and not enough filling protein. Protein definitely fills me up more and longer than anything with carbs. While you shouldn't worry about limiting calories, you *should* worry about getting enough, especially if you are planning to increase your exercise frequency and intensity. You need to be sure to get enough calories to sustain your workouts.

We definitely need some more information before we can start offering advice. Try to answer the following questions: What are you eating? How often are you eating? How much are you eating at a time? How much Protein do you get on average? How much Water do you get on average? Are you exercising regularly? If you are exercising regularly, how long, often, and what are you specifically doing? Did you follow your surgeon's post-op nutrition plan?

Wow! You are two full months out and only getting in 350 calories, plus you are working out??! That seems horrible! You really really should be getting more calories than that. Especially if you are exercising. At two months out you should be able to eat solids, right? I was allowed solids at 40 days. What meats have you tried and how have you handled them? I get my protein daily from Protein Bars, Protein shakes, cheese sticks, greek yogurt and meat. I have meat for lunch and dinner every day. How are you with eggs? That's another good source of protein that is usually pretty easy to stomach.

I agree with @@CanyonBaby in that this is just the beginning of what is going to be a VERY tough period of your life. You have to keep your eye on the prize. Know that through all the ups and downs, in the long term, it WILL be worth it. I don't envy where you are now, because I remember how rough the next few months were once my pre-op started. But now, almost 8 months post-op, it feels SO worth it. Hang in there. Take it one day at a time. Just try to make it to the end of each day. Go to bed as soon as you get home from work if you have to! Do what you need to do to stick to the plan and make it through.

I don't think it's crazy to have the WLS after losing 170 pound on your own. Seems like you still have a ways to go and plus, you are looking ahead to the HARDEST part, which is maintenance. WLS is an excellent tool if you have the right mindset and if you've been able to lose 170 on your own, it really seems like you are willing to work hard and stick to the plan, so you should be able to be very successful with WLS. You need to make the right decision for YOU. Hopefully your family will come around eventually, but you can't let their reservations deter you from making your own decision.

Are you on a PPI? Acid may be the problem. But, it definitely took me a while to feel "normal" after eating. I also had a lot of trial and error in figuring out the right amount to eat to be full, but not make myself uncomfortable or cause pain. You will get there! It definitely takes time. Four weeks out is not very far. I wasn't even allowed solids until 40 days post-op and that was a whole other world of trial and error and learning. But by the time you are 3-4 months out, you will feel normal again, I promise!

Boost is not a very good option for a ready-to-drink shake. There are much better options out there with more protein and fewer carbs/sugars. I liked EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control, which I bought at Walmart and Target. Others here swear by Premier Protein from Costco.

Are you taking measurements? That may be a much more reliable way to track your progress than the scale. I know you said you don't believe in "starvation mode", but do you believe in anorexia? There is a form of it called anorexia athletica, which is when you are burning more calories through exercise than you are consuming (not accounting for basal metabolic rate). So if you are burning 800-900 calories through structured, formal exercise and you are only consuming 800-900 calories a day, you are essentially anorexic. You NEED to consume enough calories to sustain your exercise. While you need a daily deficit in order to lose weight, too large a deficit will definitely impede your weight loss and cause other health concerns. Another thing to factor in is that building muscle can cause you to retain some Water. As you push your muscles to the limits through strength training, the microtears you create will cause your muscle to retain water to protect itself and repair. This should NOT deter you from doing weight training, because that is ultimately VERY good for you, but it can cause some fluctuation in your weight as you step up the intensity.

It was NOT easy. That pre-op diet is the WORST. Hang in there. It does get a little easier after the first couple of days. Not "easy", but "easier".

I would love to be able to do that, but I can only stomach really really ice cold water. I had to switch to a double-walled thermos-style bottle to keep the water cold enough and that means it's not transparent. But since I made the switch, I know I'm getting enough water, because the bottle holds 24 ounces and I easily go through two of them while I'm at work. Then I drink at least 10-12 ounces while working out and at least two glasses of water after dinner. And that's not even counting the 3 cups of coffee I drink per day, which they Mayo Clinic says DOES count towards hydration, despite popular myths about caffeine as a diuretic.

Wow! Congrats to you! You are looking good and it sounds like you are focused on continuing your journey, which is amazing.

It's pretty common for EVERYONE to go through a bout of depression and regret in the early weeks post-op. With his complications, it seems even more justified. This surgery is a real life change and has a tough recovery period. I struggled physically and emotionally for the first several weeks and some of it continued even into the first couple of months. I did a lot better once I was eating solid foods (40 days post-op for me) and back into a regular routine. But there is definitely a period of emotional adjustment that has to happen. His relationship with food will never be the same. His life will never be the same. But he WILL eventually feel "normal" again and lead a "normal" life. It just takes a while to get to that point. I don't envy your position, just like I didn't envy my husband having to deal with the emotional and physical roller coaster I was on. Just hang in there and encourage HIM to hang in there as well. Have him come onto these forums and post his concerns and frustrations. We've all been there and sometimes just knowing you aren't alone can go a long way toward improving your outlook.

The lipo-suction just causes bruising all over, so that's what it feels like. Imagine you whacked yourself on something and it left a bruise that was tender to the touch. That's what my liposuctioned areas felt like. It took several weeks for the bruising to go away completely. For me, the muscle repair of my tummy tuck was BY FAR the most painful part of the whole thing.

In the first few weeks post-op, it was very challenging to drink. With every TINY sip, my body would go through this whole ordeal where first I'd get a constriction of my esophagus, causing pain right in the middle of my chest. The I would have this gurgling coming up from my stomach into my throat. Then I would usually have to burb. It was a chore to keep sip, sip, sipping through the first few weeks. Once my swelling from the surgery was better and I was healed up, it became easier to physically drink. Then came the challenge of timing drinking around eating, remembering to drink, and drinking enough. I was told to stop drinking 5 minutes before eating and not start again until 40 minutes after eating. So getting the timing right was challenging. I also just found that I didn't feel thirsty as much as I had pre-op, so I didn't remember to drink as often, whereas pre-op I had Water next to me all the time and drank it without really thinking about it. Post-op I had to intentionally drink. And finally, I had issues with water temperature. I had no problem with very cold water or hot beverages, but room temp water just seem to sit really "heavy" in my stomach and make me feel gross. I got a double-walled thermos-style water bottle that kept my ice cold all day long and that REALLY helped. Now I am approaching 8 months post-op, I have no trouble getting my water in. I can take big gulps of water and several gulps in a row. I usually drink right up to the time I eat (instead of stopping 5 minutes before), but I don't have any trouble waiting the 40+ minutes after, because I'm so full from my food, I wouldn't have anywhere for the water to go and I just don't start drinking again until that full feeling subsides, which is usually a good 45 minutes after eating (sometimes more).

Not for me, but I had no medical history to indicate it would be necessary.

I honestly don't know 100%, but I don't think she does, or didn't in my cast at least. I still had plenty of fat to lipo from all over my body, especially my legs. I had lipo from my upper and lower back, flanks, stomach, inner and outer thighs, inner knees, and calves. So there was plenty of fat to work with for my fat grafting. What would be the point of lipo-ing the intra abdominal fat? It wouldn't really affect the way you look, right?

Are you following your surgeon's nutrition plan? If so, I don't know how/why you are eating beef and carbs only one month post-op. You should definitely steer clear of the carbs! Most carbs are slider foods, meaning they move through your sleeve quickly and easily and don't fill you up. You need to be eating denser proteins to feel full. Also, carbs make you hungrier. The more carbs you eat, the more carbs you'll crave. It's a slippery slope and one you should be avoiding this early post-op!

Back in November 2009, my sister-in-law died of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 41. The theory is that her high weight and sedentary lifestyle led to the blood clot. Her death was the most devastating thing to every happen to my family and was a real wake-up call for me. I was 270 pounds at the time and I realized that I did NOT want to put my family through something like that again, so I resolved to lose weight. Throughout 2010 and 2011, I lost 90 pounds "on my own". I had plastic surgery in August of 2011 to remove my excess skin. Then the weight started coming back on. The problem is, I thought my diet was over and once I had my plastics, I was "done". I gained about 40 pounds and realized I needed to do something, so then I lost over 20 pounds. Then I gained another 40 pounds. Then I lost 40 pounds. Then I gained.... you get the picture. Jump forward to this past summer. Fourth of July weekend, I was back up to 260 pounds! Only 10 pounds less than my heaviest weight. I knew I needed to do something and losing and regaining AGAIN wasn't going to cut it. I needed a permanent solution. So I began researching WLS and found out about VSG. I knew that was what I needed to do in order to maintain my loss this time around. So I scheduled surgery for Sept. 1 and now, I'm approaching 8 months post-op and I am 1 pound below the weight I was at when I had my plastics! Still hoping to lose another 25 pounds or so, but if I don't lose another pound and just manage to maintain my current weight, I'll be thrilled!