JamieLogical

1) Might be wise to start off with half a scoop and a 4 oz. serving. Especially in the first couple of days post op. I didn't have unjury, but I did have chicken broth and I could only finish a few sips in the first few days. 2) I started my bariatric Vitamins 2 weeks pre-op when I started my pre-op diet. Only time will tell if that will end up helping at all with hair loss. 3) If you can do purees and mushies at Thanksgiving, you could probably manage some mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (as long as there are no chunks in it), maybe some apples out of an apple pie, maybe a little of the filling out of a pumpkin pie.... Obviously these are not ideal options for your day-to-day living, since you should be prioritizing Protein and limiting carbs, but those would be options you could successfully eat and digest at that point. 4) I slept in a normal bed just fine the day I came home from the hospital (day after surgery).

That may be the case in the original poster's case, but it is definitely not the case in my situation. I was exercising MUCH more intensely pre-op than I am allowed to now. I am restricted to just "brisk walking" until 2 months out, whereas before the surgery I was doing some running and high resistance on my exercise bike. If anything, I'd expect to be losing muscle with such limited activity right now.

To be fair, you had a MUCH lower starting weight than most. Obviously the lighter you are, the more slowly you are going to lose. But I definitely feel your pain. Averaging only 6 pounds a month so early on would make anyone frustrated, no matter how low their starting weight was.

Interesting that it's so different from most of the post-op diets I've see around here! I was specifically told to avoid fruit until at least 18 days post-op, when I'm allowed to start having some soft, peeled fruits. I'm now over 5 weeks post-op and still not allowed to have fresh fruit.

I'm not up three pounds, but I have gained the past two days in a row. I'm also 5 weeks out, but I've been exercising for a couple of weeks now. I have no idea what is going on. It's very frustrating!

What schedule does your nutritionist/surgeon have you on? Fruit 8 days out sounds completely insane! Also, you should be thinking "protein, protein, protein", so things like fruit, porridge, potatoes are a total waste of space. If you are allowed soft/pureed foods, you should be focusing on stuff like soft cheeses and scrambled eggs. And as much as you probably hate protein shakes, you are still going to need to rely on them for a while to get all your protein in until you can move onto meats that will allow you to get more protein through food.

I took photos pre-op. Will probably take progress pictures every 30 pounds or so. I track my weight every week in a spreadsheet and all of my measurements every month in a different spreadsheet. I also track my food and fitness on SparkPeople.

If it's any consolation, I'm at 5 weeks post op and I've only lost 16 pounds.

I really have been trying not to compare myself to others, but when I see people losing 40+ pounds in the time it's taken me to lose 16, I can't help but feel like maybe I am doing something wrong! How many calories would you say you are eating per day? Are you doing exercise? If so, what intensity and for how long?

Ha! You think you aren't losing fast and I've only lost 16 pounds and was sleeved two days before you! Anyway, I'm sorry to hear you are having trouble getting in all of your protein. I know the pain you are talking about. That constriction kind of pain. I had that a lot early on, even with drinking. But now I rarely have anything like that. I can eat 2-4 oz. at a time depending on what kind of food it is. Toward the high end of that if it's something liquid-y and low end if it's something more dry.

Actually, VSG originated as the first half of duodenal switch, which is somewhat similar to gastric bypass in that it is a malabsorption procedure that does bypass a significant portion of the small intestine.

You won't find many people with sleeves 5+ years out, because they only started doing them as stand-alone procedures about 6 years ago. What kind of information are you specifically looking for?

Those of you who had surgery in early September, what are you know eating and how much exercising are you getting in. I see people on here who have lost SO MUCH more weight than I have. I've only lost 16 pounds since my sleeve on Sept. 1 and now I'm starting to worry that there is something wrong that I'm not dropping weight at nearly the rate as everyone else.

I'm only 5 weeks post op and I've already been out to eat several times. You can always find things to eat, you just can't eat very much. I've had lobster bisque, scrambled egg with feta cheese, and cheese enchiladas with refried Beans, and chili so far on my various out-to-eat excursions. It will be even easier once I'm allowed solid foods starting this weekend!

The main Protein you want to be looking for as the first ingredient in anything is "whey Isolate". It is the best form of protein in terms of absorption. Unless you are allergic to whey, of course. Next you want to look at the total protein in a serving. Don't bother with anything under 20 grams of protein. Also be sure to look at the calories and carbs. Some of the flavored protein powders pack in a lot of sugar and you do NOT want that!

I was very scared about giving up food as well. As messed up as my relationship with food was/is, I still LOVE food and I wasn't willing to give any of it up forever. Sleeve isn't going to fix the emotional side of the equation. That's something you are going to need to continue to work on for yourself. So far (I'm only 5 weeks post-op) I haven't done anything crazy when it comes to food, because I haven't had much choice. I've followed the guidelines about what foods to eat when and my restriction is still very restrictive. So I really haven't had any opportunity to go off the deep end by, say, trying to eat a whole large pizza like I used to. I haven't even had a slice of pizza or a bite of pizza. Because I'm still on mushies and can't have solids until Friday. I have no plans to run right out and grab a piece of pizza first think on Friday either. But that doesn't mean I won't eventually, because those emotions are all still there.

Well everyone's choice needs to be a personal one, because we all have our own issues and interests. For me, I chose sleeve for many reasons. 1) It's permanent. A lot of people see this as a negative, but I felt it was a positive. It meant less likelihood of additional surgeries later on. 2) It's low maintenance. With a band I would have to go back for fills and such. 3) I didn't like the idea of a fill port just under my skin. It weirded me out. I also was worried that as I lost weight it would protrude, like a bone. 4) I read a lot about slippage or erosion. I really didn't want to have to go back and have additional surgeries or potentially do permanent damage to my stomach or esophagus (you know, aside from the whole having 80% of my stomach chopped off). Like I said, everyone has their own journey. Sleeve isn't ideal for people who have chronic GERD. Some people are terrified at the notion of having so much of a vital organ permanently removed from their body. Some people like the additional control of lap-band, being able to adjust the fill as needed years down the road to accommodate your changing needs. There are so many things to factor into your decision and only you know how important each one is to you.

I would definitely hold off on dress shopping. If you are sleeved sometime in November, you could be something like 5 months post-op by the time of the wedding. I've seen people on this site be down 100+ pounds in 5 months! Of course, you could be a slow loser like me and only be down maybe 40 pounds in that amount of time, but still 40 pounds could amount to a big change in dress size.

Now now. I know you had your surgery AFTER me, so no crispies for you yet, mister! I don't know what the specifics are from your nutritionist/doctor, but I'm not allowed anything crispy or crunchy until three MONTHS post-op, so I'm pretty sure you have a while to wait as well!

Thank you for posting this. As brutal as the truth can be, I think it's good for everyone involved. People who are pre-op need to know that this is not the "easy way out". People who are post-op need to know they are not alone in battling the same demons you are fighting. But your first paragraph is critical. You have come so far and changed so much. Are you completely changed? No. You aren't going to be a 100% different person than you were before. But you HAVE changed and for the better. So cling to that and use it as motivation moving forward.

Yes! That is completely normal. I had the exact same thing after every sip for the first week and a half or so. Tiny sip, then a gurgling, then a constriction, then a burp. It went away about a week and a half post-op and I only ever have anything like that now if I drink/eat too fast or too much. As for the lack of energy, that got better once I was able to move on to pureed/mushie foods like scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. Once I was able to do that, my calorie intake went way up and I had much more energy.

30 pounds in 11 weeks is slow? Somebody better tell my sleeve that! I'm just over 6 weeks and have lost 16 pounds. I'd be thrilled to lose another 14 pounds in the next 5 weeks, but that seems EXTREMELY unlikely. Pretty sure I'll be lucky to see ten pounds in that amount of time.

@@jjinWA Great to hear your other daughter has booked surgery as well! That's fantastic!

Happy surgeversary!

How far out from surgery are you? It could have nothing to do with the cucumber you ate, but I know cucumbers can cause digestive distress in some people. My mom hasn't had WLS, but she can't eat cucumbers with seeds at all. She had to get the seedless kind. Drink lots of fluids and contact your surgeon. If your hydration situation gets dire, go to urgent care or the hospital for IV fluids.