JamieLogical

Liquids go straight through your sleeve. The only reason some people experience restriction with liquids very early post-op is because of swelling. If you can get more in, then more power to you! You aren't going to damage or stretch your sleeve with liquids. I promise.

You might want to try pushing your protein intake a little higher. It's tough that you are having trouble with certain foods still so far post-op. Ground or shredded meats sound like a good way for you to go, since those are a little easier than solid, dense meats. How do you do with lunch meat and cheese?

@@Mooseknuckle How much protein are you getting in? Do you get all of your water and vitamins? Do you track your food at all? Are you doing any regular exercise?

Hahahaha!

Never heard of it. I'll have to check it out. But that does sound terrible.

Are you pre or post-op? Either way, the best way to kick the carb habit is to go back to putting protein first. You might even want to return to just a liquid diet of protein shakes for a few days.

My surgery weight was 236, so I started pretty much exactly where you did. I "only" lost 14.8 pounds the first month and "only" 8.6 pounds the second month. At 7 weeks, I had lost about 19 pounds, so right where you are. You want to know something great? I still reached my goal and I've been maintaining for over 5 months! So don't give up hope. There are some advantages to slower loss. It's easier on the skin. It's easier on the budget (replacing clothes less frequently). And you get fewer probing questions about your rapid weight loss. Long term, how quickly you lose the weight won't matter in the slightest. Once you are at goal and maintaining, you won't be looking back thinking "if only I'd reached goal a month sooner!"

@@Kindle Maybe you could hit up the airport bar and get a head start on that "liquid diet" you mentioned in another thread for this week.

Ugh! Flying is the worst! Coming back from Mexico after my VSG I my flight from O'hare back to my hometown was canceled and I didn't even know until my connecting flight landed. Found out there was only one other flight to my home town that day and it was departing from a terminal clear on the other side of the airport in 15 minutes! So I literally RAN across O'hare (eight tenths of a mile!) 4 days post-op to catch that last flight. Only to find out it was delayed and I ended up just sitting at that terminal for almost 3 hours!

If you have a GNC or a Vitamin Shoppe in your area, they often have single-serve packs of their various protein powders.

Stalls are a normal and natural part of ANY weight loss process. Two weeks is not a long stall. I know it's frustrating when you are putting in the work and the numbers aren't showing on the scale, but trust me, that work WILL pay off in the end. You need to remember that your sleeve is forever. This is not a "diet" and you will never be done. How quickly you lose the weight is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things once you are at goal, maintain, and living a happy, healthy life. The rate of loss is unique to the individual. I was a "slow" loser by all accounts, but I still reached my goal. And I promise you that after a few months in maintenance, I couldn't care less that it took me longer to get here than most other people. Hang in there, trust in your plan, do the work, and you WILL succeed.

@@jess9395 I'm training for my first half marathon on April 24th. I have a question for you as I start working my way up to some of the longer runs. How do you prepare for your long runs with your food the day before? I am having a hard time figuring out how to get enough calories in to fuel my longer runs. Would love some advice from someone who's already done a half post-VSG.

My NSV this week was getting a TV set up in my master bathroom so I can now relax in my Jacuzzi and watch TV after my half marathon training workouts!

I have 5 scars, 4 incisions and 1 where the drain was. One is right at the bottom of my breast bone and is only about 1/2 inch long. One is to the right of and just below my belly button and is about 3/4 inch long. One is to the left of and just below my belly button and is 1 inch long. One is a little further up and to the left of that and is about 3/4 inch long. The drain hole is way over to the left and is about 1/4 inch in diameter. You can see them in a post I made about my TT scar. That photo was taken about 1 year post-VSG: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/349852-tt-scar-pics/

It's called "food funerals" and is common behavior. The thing you need to remind yourself of is that you WILL be able to enjoy all of your favorite foods again someday, just in smaller quantities.

Every insurance provider is different, so call yours and ask. I had my VSG in Mexico, but I called my insurance provider ahead of time and asked if post-op complications that landed me in the ER would be covered and they said yes.

This does not sound like healthy behavior. I agree with the others that if you are resorting to this sort of thing, you should consider talking to a counselor about it or even just your doctor. If there is something about your monthly weigh-ins (with your doctor, I assume?) that is causing you that much anxiety, maybe have an open and honest conversation with them about why you are feeling so much pressure.

I have said on these forums time and time again. While advice from surgeons and nutritionists should certainly be heeded during the healing stages, ultimately, we are the ones that have to live the rest of our lives and find the balance that works for us. I think it's very important to understand the guidelines and why they may be important and then make an educated decision about how you want to live the rest of your life. I have seen posters on these forums who drink carbonation, drink through a straw, eat and drink at the same time, etc. and have successfully lost and maintained their weight. The trick is figuring out if YOU are capable of doing that. I have made the CHOICE not to drink carbonated beverages, drink through a straw (most of the time), and not eat and drink at the same time. While those were all guidelines I was given in the beginning, it has been MY decision to continue following them based on my own priorities and experiences. We all ultimately have to find our own way to live this life long term.

I'm at 17 months post-op and I can eat 3-4 oz. of most proteins, a little more if it's shredded, ground, or saucy. Something with more liquid content, like chili, I can get in about 6 oz. now.

@@Kindle You should have a much easier time than I did then!

I agree with @@rastus that eating and drinking at the same time and drinking right after eating should be avoided long term. I have been allowed to eat right up to the time I started eating from the first non-liquid food stages, but never drink and eat at the same time. I usually wait about 45 minutes after eating to start drinking again. My nutritionist said 20 minutes, but I find I usually still feel too full that early out.

@@OutsideMatchInside If we can do it without the restriction of the sleeve, then why get sleeved at all? Sure it is simply a tool and we still have to follow the guidelines and USE that tool. But even at 17 months out and maintaining, I'm not certain that if my stomach was back to a normal size, I would be able to keep it up forever, without the restriction to fall back on.

Comparing yourself to others is a recipe for frustration and disappointment. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I "only" lost 14 pounds my first month and "only" 8 pounds the next month, and "only" 6 pounds a month for a while after that, and eventually "only" 2 pounds a month. You know where all those "only"s got me? To my goal weight where I've been maintaining for over 5 months.

That's what I am expecting. I have a butt the size of TX. I hear this on a regular basis: "You have a big butt for a white girl." *sigh* Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. Well, I'm complaining a little bit about being able to see my ribs, that's gross. But I'm not complaining about being a size 10/12. It's still the smallest size I've worn as an adult! And I do look great in them!

The OPs profile says she had surgery in January. She should most definitely NOT be eating a hard shell taco yet.