GummyTummy

Rush, Protein is the key to your ability to lose weight and survive. If you do not get your protein in right now, about two or three months from now, your hair will fall out among other things. I suggest trying premade Protein shakes like http://www.premierprotein.com/ - this kind of shake is smoother and easier to drink than the variety of powder mixes you make at home. You've just got to do it. Your body will not heal right if you don't. Soon you will be able to get it from other sources but right now on liquids, its a must. Even at nearly three months out I still have one of these shakes a day for the first 30 grams of protein I need. Good luck =)

CALORIES! You need them. One to live, and two... so your body doesn't go into starvation mode and start creating fat stores out of anything you do put in it. Its okay to gain weight, just stop watching that scale and eat more healthy foods. 1000-1200 minimum still creates a deficit for overweight people to lose weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.

Ah. I forgot to mention. I had severe chronic pain from heartburn preop, to the point that I figured they might not do my surgery once we determined if there was damage to the esophagus. My surgeon explained that I likely had a hiatal hernia in my esophagus as most obese people typically do. He explained he would push the hernia down and stitch up my diaphragm around the area to fix it, if indeed it was needed, at no cost to me. I haven't had heartburn since the day of surgery. First time in 15 years I have to force myself to remember to take a ppi, because I don't have pain reminding me to take the medicine all the time.

Sleeve was actually the first surgery they did for WLS. It was called stomach stapling back then. They improved upon the reversibility of the stapling by innovating further and removing the stomach muscle, for a reason. People that truly need WLS have usually suffered their entire lives with obesity and it used to be reserved for people with dangerously high BMI. WLS is not something I would ever suggest having undone, because honestly most of us would find ourselves right back in the same boat we were in the first first place. Sleeve and Bypass are weight loss tools, not temporary solutions. Disadvantage to bypass - More dumping syndrome, major mal-absorption of nutrients, multiple areas of internal incisions and rerouting of the plumbing. Sounds hypocritical to say, but I think nature got the routing right, I just got the use of it wrong. I stretched my stomach by eating too much so trimming it down with sleeve was the best option for me.

Giant pants! you don't want your rear showing to everyone on the hospital floor or in your room when you try and stand up for the first time. I ordered a pair of pajama pants from Roaman's about 2 sizes larger than I normally would so they would slide up and not press on my tummy. I lived in them for the first week or so at home. Easy to get on yourself under the sheets if you need to. Plus I was cold! Take Gas-x strips and chapstick too. The hospital may not want to give or have the gas-x and you will likely have severe gas pain when you wake up.

You may have to compromise and go vegetarian without being vegan if that is an option. I can't see how you would be able to have a diverse enough or healthy enough diet as a vegan because there isn't a ton of protein in many vegetables. Cheese is a great source of protein for us sleevers, is that something you would consider eating?

You are progressing in foods way too fast. You shouldn't be eating soft foods at three weeks, I was able to start them at around 5 weeks and even then, you really want to make sure you are chewing a lot. Your stomach is very swollen at three weeks and your staple line isn't done healing at all. Trust me, you will eventually be able to eat meatballs again just take a step back and enjoy some puree, stick with Protein drinks, and let your new tummy heal. The people eating fast food likely stretched their stomachs right back out with something like soda or lots of fast food. Not letting your stomach heal completely will hinder your restriction in the long run. Be careful.

Hi everyone. Just wanted to make a reassuring post to people that may be asking that question and give a little update that made me cheerful about that giant cyclops of a scale I have. YOUR SCALE IS NOT THE TRUEST MEASURE OF YOUR SUCCESS. I have to remind myself of that every day that I am tempted to climb on that thing to see just if this surgery may be the first thing to actually help me lose weight in my entire life. It is easy to get caught up in the misery of numbers not moving, or even when they add up while your body is replenishing glycogen stores during 3 - 6 week and so on stalls. (weight gain happens for some people during this time and is normal, don't freak out.) However, that being said. Sometimes, your scale is your friend. When you need that reassuring feeling of yes, this is working even though I can't see it, or my coworkers / family haven't commented on my losing 50+ lbs. (Don't worry about other people noticing, your heart and arteries notice and they are far more cool and crucial to your well being than people judging your appearance.) I was about a month and a week post op and I went through a three week stall. I started thinking the scale was broken and I know it isn't. We have two and I tested the sig. other on his digital one for skinny people and my giant glaring one for me. They were less than a lb different. So then I wait a few days in my depression of, "this isn't working for me after all" and I go weigh myself today and I went from 307 to 295 / 6 in about 8 days. Moral of the story. If you are doing things the right way, not starving your body, keeping it hydrated, keeping it in the healthy fats and calories you will come to see, YOUR SCALE IS NOT BROKEN ( and neither is your body / sleeve ) Good luck and love everyone. We can do this.

Anything I have with starch in it, tastes like sugar. Example - one bite of rice tasted like a spoon full of sweetened oatmeal. One bite of potato tasted like sweet potato and so on. It is really a strange deterrent to have starches tasting like sugar. Sugar was not a real vice for me before, but now I get my sweet in with my Protein drink so it isn't a very welcome taste.

One more thing, weight day of surgery was taken prior to surgery and hospital stay. Most people gain about 6-10 lbs in the hospital because of fluids they put in you. So you've actually lost more, even if it is fluid loss.

Hi Carla, Very normal. The hospital pumped about 8-10lbs of fluids into you during your stay and surgery so you lose that right away. Additionally, you will lose your glycogen stores which is basically sugar that has been modified for energy for use in your muscles. On average a person has about 2lbs of glycogen in their muscles, and to store that, about 8 lbs of Water. When your body is starving, it dumps its stores of glycogen and with that, the water that suspended it for use. Not to take away from your joy because it is really exciting to have any loss, but be prepared for the dreaded 3 week stall. For some people it is shorter than others but for most it lasts at least a week or two of no weight loss, and sometimes even gain while your body replenishes and rebuilds the glycogen stores. After the store, you should expect anywhere from 2-4lbs weight loss weekly during your losing phase. Make sure you are getting in your Protein so that your hair doesn't fall out later.

My Doctor said at minimum wait 3 months. I know some on here that say theirs told them to wait 6 months or a year. I think this is primarily because alcohol is completely empty calories and usually associated with sugar that you might still be sensitive to. Remember, your body will burn the drink before it burns fat and also, there is a HUGE risk for us as overweight people to develop alcoholism post weight loss surgery. I've actually witnessed someone go through that first hand as I worked for them in home and saw her take on 6-8 beers sometimes nightly. Counterproductive after her bypass because one, beer is carbonated and two, even though she looked like a twig, she was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and likely has cirrhosis. I don't know how that wasn't stretching her pouch. Anywho, if you are talking about just a drink, I would make sure that most of your sensitivities to foods are done and over with before you test your new tummy. Never drink and drive. and last but not least .... remember you are now likely going to be an incredibly cheap date. Just sip on one drink very slowly and the effects will be felt, as soon as you feel them, I would stop drinking. If anything could make you dump, it would be a drink not sitting well.

Hi Alyce, Salad was safe for me around that point too, but my Nut actually advises against it unless you put some protein with it like cheese or deli meat. The lettuce has no nutritional value and will take up space that you need to be filling with protein. My suggestion is to make yourself about two or three bites worth and then enjoy some grilled chicken or something of the like with it. =) best wishes

Hi all. I am very curious about any of the ladies on here that became mommies after their weight loss journey. Was your pregnancy especially hard, how difficult was it to meet nutrition demands of you +1, and any details you can describe about differences from pregnancy before and after weight loss would be greatly appreciated. I just had surgery so I have to wait for over a year before I can think of becoming a Mom but I want to prepare myself now. I don't see a lot of posts on this topic. Thank you for sharing in advance.

For sure. I see people getting mad at losing only 22 lbs in a month and I am like... did you ever in your life before have the ability to lose 22lbs in a month? Even a lb lost is a move in the right direction. No bridges for you!

There are lifts for everything ladies. And a lot of insurance companies will actually pay for some of the work if you get skin breakdown or it impedes your movements etc. Start documenting things with your doctor, a dermatologist, and pictures so that way if and when the time comes, you have your bases covered.

Hi Love, I was close at around 350 ( 349) to be exact and I think I was 341 date of surgery. There are some people on here that started at over 400, but a lot that I have seen were told they needed to be below that preop so as to have less risk factors. Sorry I am not exactly what you are looking for but hopefully you get some response on here from people that meet your exact criteria.

HOLD MY HAND! I am there too. Actually, since my 6th week out I have only lost around 3 lbs. That is about a lb a week when I was losing about 5 a week. I am indignant if not pissed that this scale won't move below 300 lbs. Supposedly it is normal for us to undergo this kind of stuff as our bodies adjust. First I tried increasing my calories so my body would stop thinking it was starving, now I am trying to scale them back a bit. My doctor said I should be eating 800-1000 calories a day so that my body doesn't go into starvation mode. Maybe that is something you could talk to yours about. I get on here and as supportive of others as I want to be, sometimes I just want to bang my head on the keyboard for my body failing me, then I remember, I failed it for the first 30 years of our relationship. <3 I guess we just need to give it time, but every day after you have had WLS seems like 10 years.

When I saw 349 on the scale, I had actually been watching the show Ruby to make myself feel better about just how heavy I was, because you know, I wasn't one of THOSE people. You know, the ones that have to have people come in and bathe them because they can't do it for themselves. How stupid and judgmental of me as an obese person to think that way, but I am working on keeping myself honest with... myself. I was diluting myself. I am no different or better than anyone else, simply because I am super obese and they are handicapped and super obese. The 349 caused me to have about a week long spree of purging. I mean even normal amounts of food, and I had never done that and had always sort of looked cross eyed at the thought of someone indulging in bulimia. I mean, I loved food, that is what got me to this place, or so I thought. Why would I want to make myself miserable after eating? I actually went to my guy with the facts about me purging and told him I didn't want to live that kind of life. I told him I was tired of trying everything from weight watchers to Alli. I told him I would die if I didn't have this surgery because honestly, I would have. Finally, I thought about my future. In my future, there is a life that has yet to come into this world that I wouldn't dare bring into it with a Mom that was less than what they deserved. I want to have children, safely. I want to play with them, run with them, not embarrass them any more than normal sized parents embarrass their children, and I want them to know I am willing to do anything to protect them, I don't want to avoid going out with people because of my size, or avoid meeting new people because I am ashamed of myself. I want to ride the rides at six flags, sit in a movie theater comfortably, and not worry about what I am going to do if I have to fly on a plane. I want to buy normal sized clothing and shoes and honestly, I want to LIVE.

Alright guys. I have seen a lot of posts from people that can't seem to get their unjury or Bari Essentials / Isopure shakes down and I am here to tell you, there is hope. I don't typically endorse products but this has been a saving grace for me with Protein requirements. Premier Protein - premade shakes. They are sold at Sam's Club or costco in packs of 12 or 18. I think that Costco only carries the vanilla and strawberry and cream flavor and Sam's carries the chocolate which is the one I have tried and survive by. This shake is the consistancy of chocolate milk and there is no foam or froth in it like shakes you make at home out of powders. This allows you to drink it essentially like Water, without it tasting like powdered trash or someone else's slobber going down. The Nutrition of it is nuts! 160 calories, 30 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar. It is milk based protein with some whey. One shake is half of most peoples daily value of protein so if you cant stand the 8oz foamy shakes that powders make, this 11oz alternative is the way to go. They are portable so you could easily take them to work or school or on an outing, and they don't have to be refrigerated until after opening, though I highly suggest having it cold. Cost - they are about 1.50 for a shake, so for a month supply of just one a day which is what I use it is about 45 dollars. Most of us ate that much in fast food a week prior to surgery and I know for the BariEssentials products, it was 90 dollars for a one week tub to make your own at home. ( I think that was 3 shakes a day so it might have been slightly less but it was still more expensive.) I hope this helps some of you. Also, I would like to suggest people trading off shake mixes that didn't work out for them with someone else who wants to try something new. Make some posts about what you have and why it didn't work out for you and network with someone else to trade. Just be safe and good to one another.

RJ, You have to remember what those guys are looking at about 80-90 % of the time. "Hi, I am a middle age suburban Mom that has breasts that aren't quite as high as they were the day I turned 18" or " Hi, I'd like to paralyze my face so no one knows I am 32." Unfortunately, they typically aim for cosmetic surgery as opposed to plastics to actually repair damage. In addition, they are human and while you are not gross or grotesque as a person, we can all be objective in looking at the changes and damage we have caused to our bodies with obesity. As much as you may have felt judged by him, perhaps you are missing the mark since it was likely the first time you met him.; some people look pissed when they are in deep thought, some look happy when they are about to kill a bunny...perhaps you misread his expression. If you didn't and he is a giant douche, there are plenty of other doctors out there that would love to help you. Unfortunately, its just like the weight loss, A LOT OF WORK to find the right one. I am sorry about your other situations and for saying this if you aren't religious and it bothers you, but when things really hit the fan, I think about Christ, about the walk he took with the cross he was crucified on, the shame - hurt - and betrayal / hopelessness he must have felt being on display and abandoned by his father, then I think about my issues and they don't seem as large. Beyond that, your spirit is beautiful, no matter what it is packaged in. I have read your posts on here and they are helpful, lovely, and honest - may your body soon reflect what you need it to, but you have the hardest part of life worked out already. Being a fantastic person, that no plastic surgery can morph someone in to. Best wishes

Or tell her, you know... you should think about taking my materials and following the same diet, its really healthy and might benefit you. =D

Try using a soft cheese like American and melting it with some milk while you slowly scramble the eggs, it will add the calories and protein you need but without the elasticity of cheese that can upset your tummy

http://www.premierprotein.com/

Your stomach is a funnel for liquids, creams, purees, yogurts. They all move through very rapidly. You will not feel real restriction until soft/ normal food phases, so make sure to follow your diet plan.