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I have felt actual hunger since I was 8 weeks post op which is when I began aggressively exercising. I do not believe that you won't feel actual hunger until you are post op 6 months. I also heal very quickly so maybe that has something to do with it. Now, there is a difference between when my pouch is empty and my brain says I need food. That to me is more head hunger that I am learning to deal with. I will drink Water or milk in those cases.

I am absolutely going to have plastics. My girls left, my behind is so flat I don't have one. I had very large upper arms while at my heaviest, now I have saggy saggy skin on my arms. That will be one of the first procedures I have done. I have been wearing long sleeves for the last 10 years and I am ready to wear some sleeveless clothing!

Probably the biggest concern would be how weak you feel in that first month post op. In particular the first 14 days. The other thing would be making you remain hydrated which is very difficult to do under normal circumstances. It really would depend on what your vacation is?

I am sorry to hear you had complications but glad to hear you are now on the mend. Be good to yourself during recovery and keep us posted on your progress!

Yeah! Congratulations and keep up the positive attitude, it helps so much during recovery. I wish you a safe and speedy recovery! Keep us posted on your progress.

Congratulations! I bet you are very happy!

@@Blueststar, Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss so far! You are definitely going to hit your goal and then some. Just remain focused and your parents will see how motivated you are.

What works for me is to use my home digital scale that I purchased right before my surgery. The important thing is to weight yourself at the same time everyday. For me, I do it right when I get up in the am sans clothing. Your weight fluctuates throughout the day so weighing at the same time is critical.

the other issue is mine is in my neck and a lot of the artificial replacements are for lumbar. I wish they had those when I had my lower lumbar done in 2001. That surgery was a bear! It is now why I have such a high tolerance for pain.

@@Recycled, for me it is severe arthritis which has caused bone spurs putting pressure on the nerves as well as the disks in two levels are almost completely gone. It is structural and needs to be stabilized. We did ask about disk replacement and were also told because it is 3 levels they would have to do fusion in this case. I am not at a point where I have to be fearful of being paralyzed but I am concerned about the progression. When it first started in 2003, there was only one level that I needed to worry about, now I am looking at 3. If I wait too long I could cause more damage. I am mostly worried about it slowing or completely reversing all the hard work I have done to get more physically healthy. I work out almost every day for a hour. Afterwards I have to ice my neck and shoulder for a hour and it just burns. When I try to use my neck and shoulder the pain takes my breath away. Then of course I get those nasty headaches that creep up the back of my neck and cause a full on Migraine. On Monday they are going to do a CT Mylogram so they can get a closer look at the nerves and spinal cord. Then after that they will give me their detailed plan for surgery.

@@MrsSugarbabe, I have noticed the same thing about seasoning. My food has to be seasoned well. Also I have been craving spicy food which is really weird because I stayed away from spicy before surgery, now I look forward to it and with even splash hot sauce on some things. What the heck is that about?

That is funny, my nut was pushing it on me like crazy. I am not a fan of the taste so I use my pre made premier Protein for my chocolate and strawberry fix. I did not like the taste of all that sugar.

@@Miss Mac, thanks for the info. Was your pain resolved with this surgery? I am really worried I will go through all of this and will still have that searing pain down my neck and left shoulder. With my lumbar fusion it took 3 years before the nerve pain finally subsided.

Are you saying you have been stalled for 6 weeks? or you just hit the 6 week post op and are now stalled? We need a little more information to help you.

I had trouble with this for about 10 days. Then I could not get out of the bathroom until I started puréed foods and protein. Once I started that phase, I ended up constipated for about the first 6 months, now that has resolved.

Honestly it depends on whether or not your body can tolerate it. I was one of those people that had to switch to Premier Protein shakes and lactose free milk. I just could not tolerate either of those things in the first 3 months post surgery. I still have trouble with regular milk but it is very mild now. Are you asking because you are struggling with it post surgery? If it is not bothering you, it will be fine.

I had surgery on a Monday, it was pretty much gone by the following Monday. I did walk a lot that first week which really helped to move it along. When I wasn't walking I was using a heating pad.

I am so happy that you are taking steps to improve your health! Please don't lose faith that you can do this! I would definately get a second opinion and try the other clinic. Make sure if you are expected to lose that much weight, that you ask for a food and exercise plan that will assist in you getting there. Like someone else said, make sure their program includes a nutritionist and physiologist that can help you work through your eating issues. You need a solid support system around you including your surgical team. In the meantime it sounds like you lost 76lbs last year. How did you do that? Most of us have no problem losing the weight, it is keeping it off where we fall down. It sounds like you have experienced this as well. I would work really hard to move to a high Protein low carb diet now. It will only prepare you for what is to come. Also like someone else said, if you are drinking any calories stop that now, you won't be able to after surgery and many times this is where a lot of weight gain comes from. I know you can do this, you have done it before. Don't let yourself get discouraged to the point you give up, it will only cost you more down the road. I wish you the best of luck! I hope you are able to find a clinic that will give you the support needed for a successful surgery and recovery. I will say a prayer for you!

I used to use ZZZquil all the time prior to surgery. I realized the Benadryl in it made me so groggy and more tired the next day that I don't ever take it anymore. Have no idea what happens post RNY.

It is so important that you are trying now. For me this was one of the things that was hardest to master. Obviously when you do not chew you basically inhale you food eating way too fast. Post surgery that can be one of the most painful experiences. I still struggle with it and it can literally ruin a meal. it happens mostly when you are eating and not paying attention. Usually that is when I am having a meal with other people and I don't pay attention. You will learn fast!

Hi Stayce5, It honestly depends how lucky nag since you are pot op. In the first few weeks it is really hard to get to your Protein and Water goals because you are still very swollen Realistically I started regularly hitting my goals by 5 weeks post op. The whole protein and water thing really is the most critical thing for you to focus on. As soon as you are able you need to get to your goals but if you are just a handful of weeks out, that makes it hard so you do the absolute best you can do. How far out are you at this point? Which surgery did you have?

I was already smoke, soda and caffeine free before surgery so my goals were related to my eating behaviors. - I stopped eating every meal in front of the tv so I could pay attention to my meals and my body telling me I was full - I started focusing on chewing my food like crazy - I started working on no liquid 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after each meal (this was very hard prior to surgery) - now, no problem - I worked on reducing my sugar intake - I worked on increasing my activity level by walking as much as I could All of these things along with, no smoking, no carbonated beverages and no caffeine are very important to the success of WLS.

I was on a 10 day preop liquid diet and lost 13lbs total.

I would not worry about it. Many times when you see people struggling with eating it is sometimes because the don't get all their Protein in and they are healing much slower. Or they have a stricture. From what you described and your weight loss, you are right on track. Everyone is different and heal at different rates. I was like you, completely healed and able to pretty much eat anything at 7 weeks. I have lost nearly 100lbs in 7 months. I have never gotten sick although I have eaten too much on occasion and come close. Good luck with your continued journey!