JamieLogical

Every loses at a different pace. As long as you are sticking to your plan, you have nothing to fear. You are ahead of me at the two month mark. I was only at about 23 pounds down in my first two months and I still managed to lose all my weight and have been maintaining under goal for almost a year.

Some people have more internal swelling post-op than others, which means you may not be able to move through the food stages as quickly. It's very important that you don't push your new stomach too far too fast. So, as long as you are getting your water in, don't try to force it too much with the other stuff. Do tiny, baby sips of your protein shakes and try to get in as much protein as you can, but don't overdo it!

Yeah, you definitely don't feel any difference in your stomach until you try to eat something. You will definitely have some "eyes are bigger than your stomach" situations, especially once you move onto solid foods. It takes a long time to be able to visually gauge how much food you can eat. So definitely rely on a food scale and measuring cups in the beginning to get your portions right.

Very true. Ultimately, we have to live our own lives and figure out what works for each of us individually.

It's definitely east to go the wrong pace on treadmill. One thing I did pretty early on is actually run outside and map/time my run so i knew what my "natural" pace was.

Remember, a cup of water is half a pound. 64 oz. of water is four pounds. If you retain any portion of your daily water due to high sodium, hormonal fluctuations, constipation, sore muscles, etc., then you will see a temporary "gain" on the scale.

I definitely agree with @@Djmohr that the surgeon is only a small piece of the puzzle. It is the rest of the surgical team and staff that will provide you with all the pre and post-op care and information, so it is important you feel comfortable. That being said, the coordinator at most Mexican offices is just the gate keeper. Once you have scheduled your surgery, your interaction with the coordinator will be very limited. I wouldn't necessarily assume that the coordinator represents the level of care and service you will get from the rest of the staff. My communication with the coordinator for Ariel Ortiz was very limited. She sent me some PDFs outlining my surgical options and pricing and I think I spoke with her initially about my concerns over arranging my flight and hotel. But after that I worked the OCC travel coordinator, who was a different person. The VAST majority of my interaction with OCC staff was with the nutritionist, who I spoke to and emailed about a million times pre and post-op. I also had some communication with the cardiologist and radiologist.

Have you eaten an extra 10,500 calories in the past two days? No? I didn't think so! It's Water weight. Your weight is going to fluctuate a couple of pounds here and there due to water retention. Don't freak out about it. Drink a lot of water, maybe add some lemon to it, and make sure you lay off the sodium for a couple of days.

You haven't gained 3 pounds of fat. I promise. Have you eaten an *extra* 10,500 calories in the past few days? Nope! Water weight fluctuates drastically due to a number of factors. You can retain water because of high sodium one day, sore muscles, hormones.... Remember, one cup of water weighs half a pound! You are supposed to be drinking at least 64 oz. of water a day. That's 4 pounds worth. If you retain any amount of that, it can cause some fluctuations on the scale. Don't let it bother you.

@@AnaLiza I was able to lose all of my weight eating 5-6 times a day, getting 10-20 grams of protein per meal/snack. I am not sure why anyone would tell a sleever not to snack. You can eat so little food in one sitting that if you don't snack, there is no way to get enough calories to sustain you. I am a runner and now, in maintenance, easily burn 2000 calories a day (usually more like 2400). So I have to eat at least 7 times a day to get that many calories and not continue losing.

My surgical team continued to follow up with me post-op. At first every couple of weeks and now it's down to once every 6 months, now that I'm almost 2 years out. I also know that I could go to them with a question or concern at any time and receive a prompt response. I actually did that fairly recently when I switched multi-vitamins and got a response within an hour on a weekend evening. My PCP handles my regular blood work.

@@BCs 1000 Wow! So jealous!

I got FMLA for my plastics. I didn't apply for STD, because my employer pays "catastrophic leave" for up to 90 days, which I was eligible for and used instead.

@ There is definitely a lot of shame and stigma associated with WLS that makes us feel like we are "quitting" or taking the "easy way out". But, like you came to realize, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. And there really is nothing "easy" about WLS. It requires just as much commitment, focus, dedication, and lifestyle change as losing weight any other way. The main difference is, it gives us a tool to make that all more realistic. I am glad you put a lot of thought and careful consideration into your decision. It's not a decision to be made lightly. It will change the rest of your life.

I was definitely no where near back to normal at 4 weeks. I wasn't even on solid foods yet until 40 days post-op. Once I was back on solid foods, my energy level increased, but it was still a lot of trial and error to figure out what to eat, how much to eat, how fast to eat, etc. I would say I really didn't have it all down in terms of my new eating feeling "normal" and my head in the right place until about 4 months post-op.

@@jess9395 Yeah, with lipo, the swelling is no joke. The areas where fat is sucked out just fill with fluids for a couple of months.

The main reason is that it can cause gas and discomfort post-sleeve. Some people claim it can stretch the sleeve, but I don't buy that. Another reason to stay away is because almost all carbonated beverages have sugar (never drink your calories!) or artificial sweeteners. Neither of which are very good for you!

Unless the skin is interfering with your ability to lose more weight, because it is restricting your ability to exercise, causing you limited mobility, or causing painful chafing and rashes, then it is best to wait until you are at goal and have maintained for a good 6-12 months. Your skin will bounce back a bit after a few months at a stable weight and you can be confident that you will not gain or lose significant weight once you've been maintaining. So it is definitely best to wait, if you can.

My swelling took a couple of months to go down, so you should be getting closer to the end of it at 7 weeks. I remember one time I just walked on the treadmill for a while and gained three pounds from swelling! It was pretty rough!

I think that feeling you describe is pride and accomplishment.

@@SarahSleeve Will the move affect your surgery? Will you still be using the same surgeon and insurance?

Mine was around $11,000 in all for airfare, recovery house, extended tummy tuck, breast lift with implants, all over lipo, and fat grafting to my butt. But that was back in 2011, so I am sure the pricing has gone up since then and airfare is always a wildcard depending on when you go. In the US I would have probably paid closer to $30,000 and the surgeons in my area aren't exactly the bee's knees, so I might have ended up traveling anyway.

You can go home, but you won't be in any shape to fend for yourself. And yes, the pain is much much worse and lasts much much longer. With my sleeve the "pain", if you can even call it that, lasted maybe 3-4 days? I was still recovering from my TT for probably a good 3 months post-op. The numbness and phantom pain/itching lasted at least 2 years. I would say it was a good 3 years before my scars were completely faded and the numbness and phantom pain/itching were minimal. But, don't get me wrong! It was totally worth all of that! Wait you mean there's still a chance the numbness will go away? I'm a year and a couple months out and still have numbness I figured it was permanent at this point! Get the phantom itching occasionally too I still have numb areas, but nothing like it was in the early going. Just a few spots now.

@@LowBMISleever If it's not too late, get an aisle seat. You will want to get up and walk a bit every once in a while and being on the aisle makes that easier.

@@goplay94123 That is so awesome! Congratulations!