JamieLogical

I'm impressed you went back to work so fast. I didn't go back until 15 days post-op and it was still a struggle to make it through the day! Sounds like you are keeping up the right attitude. If you can make it through these first few weeks, you shouldn't have any trouble with the months ahead!

I'm a couple months behind you. My surgery was Sept. 1, but I hear you on the frustration of the scale not moving. I'm approaching 6 months out and I see people on these boards at or close to goal by that point, but I'm only down 44 pounds with almost 40 more to go. I just try to remind myself that it's not a race and even if I'm not dropping the weight, the things I am doing now are making me healthier and stronger. Eating right and working out 5 day a week HAS to be improving my health, right? You look great by the way! I'm especially impressed with the way you are rocking those leggings and boots in that last shot!

I hear you! It's frustrating to be doing everything "right" and not see the scale moving.

I don't doubt that Dr. Martinez does some of the surgeries on his own now. He has worked as a surgeon at OCC since 2002, so it seems doubtful he wouldn't be perfectly capable of performing the surgeries unsupervised at this point. There's info about his accreditations and affiliations here: http://www.obesitycontrolcenter.com/surgeons/surgical-team/arturo-martinez.php

I never had the band, so I can't compare, but I DEFINITELY feel restriction with the sleeve. Yesterday I overdid it at lunch and I was in excruciating pain for a good 45-60 minutes as a result.

Oh yeah! Age and genetics are definitely factors as well, but you have no control over those, so I only listed the things you can actively do that *might* help.

@@freddie8_8 We all have to make our own decision for ourselves based on our own comfort level. If staying 4 nights in the hospital puts your mind at ease, then that is what you should do! There's no "right" or "wrong" answer here, there is only what is "right" or "wrong" for YOU.

Every surgeon is different. Just be sure to follow YOUR surgeon's instructions.

If it's any consolation. I lost under 15 pounds my first month.

It was Almanza.

Yeah, one of my MAIN reasons for choosing sleeve over band in the first place was that I was completely terrified of erosion or even slippage. It seems like with the banded sleeve, you get all the potential complications of the band with no clear benefit over sleeve alone.

Bring protein bars/shakes with you. And don't worry, most cruises do have healthy options available, it's just a matter of making good choices. Plus, when in doubt, they are sure to have meat! Eat meat!

Sagging skin is just a reality of weight loss. I lost 90 pounds "on my own" a few years ago and even though I never carried my weight in my stomach (always in my hips and thighs) and never had babies, I still ended up needing a tummy tuck. I also needed a breast lift even though I'd never had very large breasts. There are some things you can do to try to minimize loose skin but there are no guarantees: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.... you should already be drinking a lot of Water post-op, so this shouldn't be be an issue moisturize well supplement.... Vitamin c, vitamin e, Omega 3, and beef Gelatin are all said to help improve skin elasticity strength training.... muscle can help "fill in" the areas where you lose fat

You definitely should NOT be burning more that 400 calories if you are only eating 800. That would make you essentially anorexic. Look up anorexia athletica.... it's a form of anorexia where people intentionally burn as many or more calories through exercise than they consume. How are you calculating your calorie burn? It's an inexact science. If you are just going by the readout on the machine, it's probably woefully inaccurate. The most accurate methods are a heart rate monitor (only accurate for cardio) or something like a BodyBugg (has contacts that touch your skin and measure skin temperature and conductivity).

My nutritionist asked me a BUNCH of questions like what was the most I weighed as an adult, what was my lowest weight as an adult, how much weight had I lost on my own with diet and exercise, etc. She then set my goal weight at 165. I personally hope to get to 155, which is the upper end of the healthy BMI range for my height.

I never heard of anything like this. And why would you need to bring a note to take protein shakes on the plane? Just pack the powder in your carry on and buy water or milk to mix it with in the airport. That's what I did when I flew to/from San Diego to get sleeved in Mexico.

Here was my packing list when I went: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11I51ulCBco9cimQj882eV1KfMWodyiIO6X4gNaLpDDc/edit?usp=sharing

I think you got this! It gets a little easier after the first few days.

This is definitely true. One of the women who had her surgery the same day as me stayed an extra night at OCC because she was experiencing vomiting and nausea post-op. Don't be daunted by the prospect of staying at the Marriott post-op. You will be well taken care of there and if you need extra time in the clinic, they will keep you there.

I could do about 2 oz. in my pureed stage. I bought some little 2 oz. plastic baby food containers and used those to measure and store my food in. Here is a site that has some good recipes/suggestions for the pureed stage.... I mostly lived on cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, and the baked ricotta recipe from this site: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html Edit: Here's a link to the containers I bought. I found them at my grocery store: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Blocks-Freezer-Storage-Containers/dp/B004QZBEFK/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1424307595&sr=8-7&keywords=2+oz.+containers

I was allowed to start drinking coffee again at 30 days post op, just had to be sure to add milk or cream so it wasn't as harsh on my still-healing stomach.

Most surgeons provide printed booklets or binders with all of the nutritional guidelines. See if you can get a hold of one of those. If you don't mind my asking, who was your surgeon. It sounds to me like it might be a good idea to warn others away from choosing him for RNY!

I remember reading an article several years back from a former contestant where she talked about some of the strategies for weigh-ins: water loading, saunas, caffeine, etc. She said they actually weigh-in the morning of on a normal scale in an office with minimal/no clothes.... the big fancy scale on the show is just for show. And then one of the things that really surprised me was learning that a "week" on the show wasn't necessarily a week in real time. Like from the arrival at the ranch to the first weigh-in is more like 2-3 weeks. And then depending on what they have going on for that "week's" challenges and special events, the "weeks" could be more or fewer than 7 actual days between weigh-ins.

Wow! I guess you'll need to do some research and hopefully your surgeon provided you with all the information you need about post-op diet and timeline. I'm no expert on RNY, so I don't really know what the exact differences are in terms of what you are allowed to eat and when. I think in the early days, the idea is generally the same in terms of putting protein first and getting in all your water. Good luck to you and feel free to post any specific questions!

I am SO OVER the snow!