Trillium

It's tough when I compare my stats with others. I am a slow loser, and knowing there is a "honeymoon period" causes quite a bit of anxiety every time I step on the scale and it hasn't budged. I feel like the clock is ticking. At age 54, I know I won't lose like a younger person, but I am worried that this is my "new normal," my body's set point (it's the weight I spent the most years at, having always been overweight). At 8 months out, I can easily eat 1200 calories a day, have no food aversions, and have to be very careful around carbs. My doc thinks perimenopause is wreaking havoc with my hormones, and I should focus on daily health habits, not continued weight loss. But damn it, I want to reach goal!

I had my sleeve on Dec 29th at Swedish in Seattle!

Just a plug for Bai5 drinks, which are only five calories and naturally sweetened. I love them. My kids to as well, and now I have to hide them in my bedroom!

When I woke in the recovery, it was the middle of the night and very quiet. I wanted to pee. A bumbling but sweet guy who may have been a janitor helped me drag my IV pole to the bathroom. Left alone, I had to steady myself against the wall. The pain meds were working just fine. When I was settled into bed again, a handsome male nurse entered and asked if I needed to use the bathroom. "I went already." "Oh. Did you use the hat?" "I used the toilet." He laughed and showed me the plastic measurement thing the orderly should have given me. "No worries. We can do an ultrasound of your bladder." So I lay there high as a kite as McDreamy lifted my gown and massaged gel onto my pubic bone. Is my bladder really that low, I thought. And then, gee, this is not the worst place to be. Not at all. After he got his data and cleaned me up, he helped me into my robe and we took a few laps around the floor, past the dark rooms and empty nurses station. He joked that I walked faster than most of the staff. As we looped the floor, arm in arm, we chatted about our diets and fitness regimens and vacation dreams. Then he put me back to bed, gently replacing my socks, folding my robe, adjusting my pillows. His smile was like Christmas morning. I'm sure I'm not the first or the last to fall a little bit in love with the night nurse.

I had no comorbidities and was approved at a BMI of 40. It may depend on your record of previous efforts however. I had tried everything in the book.

I talked to my nut and given that I've had no nausea or pain, and a history of compliance, she cleared me to advance slowly to soft foods. Beginning with eggs and yogurt. Let me tell you, a scrambled egg has never tasted so divine. My weight has stalled the last two days but I'm not concerned as I'm shrinking, and can see it in the mirror and the way my clothes fit. I've been walking 30 minutes or more each day and feeling pretty jazzed. Tomorrow is support group. Has anyone else been to one yet? I'm interesting in how clothing exchanges work. Stats: HW 257, SW 228, CW 222. Down 6 lbs since surgery, 35 total.

I just wanted to come back to this craptastic thread (sorry) and say my surgery went really well on Dec. 29th. My doc's post-sleeve diet is three weeks of Clear liquids, which as y'all remember, get old very quickly. I called and asked if I could advance early to "soft" given my excellent recovery (they even released me early as I was up and walking and hydrated), lack of nausea, ability to get daily protein/water/exercise, etc. I argued that as long as I was protecting my stomach, transitioning off fake food could only be good for me. Thankfully my dietician is a big fan of healthy biota and gave me the green light. So today at 12 days out, I had a bit of yogurt, egg, fish, and spinach (all very soft). I feel TERRIFIC. It would not surprise me if an overgrowth of bad bugs is caused by the an excess of sweeteners, natural or not, and antibiotics, etc. I hope that fat bias (and WLS surgery bias) will wane as it becomes clear that this is truly a multicausal disease that is tied less to character than genetics and environment.

Sixteen years ago, I got slim in about 6 months on phen/fen. It made me very productive at work (HR) and I was often the first and last person in the office. I was frank about the drugs when people asked. I figured to lie was a disservice to every fat person who failed to lose on their own, because naturally thin people think (and a lot of fat people, too) that willpower is all that's needed. Which we know now is BS. As my surgeon said "you can't call yourself a failure at something if fewer than 5% of those who try it succeed." It did not occur to me until reading this thread that my candor about phen/fen may have backfired. I've always blamed it on an (very fat) boss who put moves on me, and when I rejected him, reassigned me to a dead-end position. Maybe it was more complex. Maybe it seemed I was not "playing by the rules." Making others look bad, whatever. Ironically, that jerk was found guilty of fraud a few years later! That nightmare assignment was my last full-time job (pre-kids), and I know it won't be easy to re-enter the workforce. But I know I will feel much more confident when slim, and nobody will even know I ever looked different.

Great discussion, as I've been vexed by the presumption in Facebook support groups that everyone belonging to one believes in God, and worse, that everyone believes in the same deity. Note that I am not offended by people praying for me (I honestly think prayer helps healing, not because it moves a God's hands, but because it helps us feel supportive and supported). I welcome all sorts of religious prayers or nonreligious prayers or positive thoughts and wishes, but I would appreciate some humility and cultural sensitivity around the conversation. We live in a multicultural country full of believers and nonbelievers of all kinds, and people need to get with the times. Asking "how can I support you" and not making assumptions would be a huge step forward.

Got sleeved the 29th and came home yesterday. Hard to get the protein in, but doc said focus on water first, so that's what I'm doing.

My surgery is tomorrow at 6:30 pm. I had to do Clear liquids today . . . several cups of coffee, lots of Water, and for dinner, beef broth, then nothing by mouth after 10:30 am tomorrow. Why no liquids for you?

Sounds great! Do you have a time in mind that would work with your schedule?

That would be great! We could start in January as soon as I'm mobile.

My sleeve is the 29th, so a day before yours, and I can identify with your nerves and history of depression. GOOD ON YA for the substantial weight loss already. I am looking for a new therapist to help me through the transition of losing weight and adjusting to my new self. I like my old therapist but he's not really the right guy for this job. What kind of presurgery diet are you on?

Anyone live in the city of Seattle? The traffic is so terrible that venturing outside the city can take hours. Lets meet at Green Lake or another park to get our steps in while we talk and offer each other support. I'm lucky to have a friend a few blocks away who is having her surgery in January (mine is Dec. 29th) but our schedules don't always mesh. It would be great to have standing dates for walk-and-talks that anyone could join.