JackieBrown

I've been on what amounts to over a month stall, with a loss of only around 3 pounds, but I'm getting smaller, so this extra poundage feels like it's Water weight. Yesterday I switched over to an all fluids diet, with only a very small dinner, and dropped a pound this morning, so I'm hoping against hope that I can literally flush away this extra weight. I'll let you know if it works!

Totally second what @@mae7365 said. I don't try to turn out the light all the time now, but prance around in my sexy undies.

I am almost two months out from my sleeve, and I have to admit that I am both elated and confused. In all of my previous weight loss programs, the scale generally would reflect weight loss. But not this time. For example, right now I'm in an almost one-month stall at around 195 pounds. However, I continue to shrink, and yesterday put on some size 14 pants that fit like a glove. This does not seem physically possible. In the past, I had to get down to around 175 before I was a size 14, but 195?! Weird. I'm not complaining, mind you. The skin on my face, upper arms, and belly is shrinking during this stall, and I even see the rear of my cheekbones near my ears. (Long time no see, old friends!) So, this is not a bad thing. But does anyone know what is going on here? I exercise, eat carefully, drink lots of Water, yadda yadda yadda. Is it water retention? Have I entered a parallel universe? Anybody out there who has experienced the same thing?

Totally hear you. Bought a huge canister of chocolate Protein powder, but I don't think I've finished even a quarter of it, it's so disgusting. On my liquid phase, I got boxes of organic low sodium chicken broth from Trader Joe's, added lots of fresh ginger, and lived off of that. I found that if I sprinkled a packet or two of Gelatin on a bowl of Water to soften it first, it could be stirred into the broth for extra protein. I'm confused about you being allowed milk but no other dairy. Fage 0% yogurt is amazingly good, tastes rich, and is not too sour. I still plow through that like nobody's business. Kefir is great, too. I'd check with your nutritionist and/or doctor about this.

I haven't vomited yet, but I feel nauseous with just a bite of anything too rich. Had a piece of sourdough bread slathered in butter for my birthday with a glass of white wine, but took just a bite or two, had a couple sips of wine, and said, "I'm done." That would never have happened before: I would have finished the basket, asked for extra butter, and had a second glass of wine. And then be wondering when my dinner would arrive. And maybe order a dessert if I was still hungry. And that's a lot of it. I was starving all the time. 3:00 am fridge runs, gigantic breakfasts, constant grazing, always worrying that I'd be hungry an hour later. It was so hard to keep my stomach from growling. Nowadays, it's really like my body is self-policing. Can't figure it out, but I know that it's just happy with lots of Proteins and Water, a bit of vegetables and fruit, and certain things like coconut -- and even then, it's about 1/3 cup of whatever and I'm full as a tick. Whatever this magic is, I am delighted.

(fingers in ears) Lalalalalala. Can't hear you about the vanity sizing. But seriously, I have old clothes from the 90's. And it's not the sizing. It must be the Protein. My stomach started flattening this week, and it's like I have some alien body now. Thought I'd always be shaped like the Stay-Puf Marshmallow Man. But those muscles are poking out. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll be ripped!

You totally need that pre-op diet. It shrinks your liver so that your doctor can move it in order to get to your stomach. If you don't do this, your operation might get postponed or your doc might inadvertently hurt you. I lost about 5% of my body weight before the procedure, and it was a good kickstart to losing all this crappy excess weight. I agree with @@Sharon1964 that you need to look at what food means to you. Maybe talk to a therapist who specializes in WLS. My personal advice is that if those burgers are that much on your mind, then you should seriously rethink this operation. It really is an either/or decision. Otherwise, you are not going to have a good time on what can otherwise be an amazing journey.

I totally understand the worry about whacking off a big part of your stomach. However... I call my former stomach "the gunnysack." It was just a huge, shapeless blob that held as much as I stuffed into it. It was always hungry, it would happily make room for whatever I stuffed into my face, and it wasn't doing me any favors health wise. What I have now is a trim purse that can only hold the important stuff, and so all the junk gets left out. I can't overeat without feeling horrible, and so it's sort of a behavior modifier for me. Fried foods now make me nauseous, sweets look disgusting, and I've found that what makes my little purse happiest is small amounts of Protein. Dessert is some yogurt with stewed prunes, which sounds like a nursing home special, but actually tastes like creme fraiche aux prunes Armagnac. Life is, in short, insanely good!

I'd just suck on that straw until I hit the bottom with lots of noise, staring at the offending person the whole time. Then say, "Hm!" as if they had just confirmed your bad opinion of them, and walk away. No need to be nice with jerks.

Happy belated birthday! We're going on 35+ years together, and many guys (not all! I have my eye on you, @Stevehud) have to be told exactly what to do. I've had some major meltdowns in our marriage, but if I gave constructive criticism with detailed notes on What Exactly Is Expected, things got done. Here's my notes: Don't hint or expect something to get done. They're not mind readers. Assign chores, remind them of important dates until they've got it down, and encourage helpfulness. I've found that my husband likes doing certain things and takes pride in them, so I praise him to the skies every once in a while. Be specific, but nice: "Could you put the dishes away" is clearer than "Tidy up the kitchen." "Take out the garbage, please" is better than "Is the can beginning to smell?" Guilting doesn't work well on the men in my life. It must be a woman thing. (*sigh*) Don't let them get away with whining or getting angry or growling. As someone much wiser than me said in another topic, if you accept a behavior, people won't change. And so, you have to be willing to have some major fights now and then. A doormat is for wiping your feet on. A pissed-off woman is a force to be reckoned with. If your guy says or does something that gets you mad, say so, but in a way that is not hostile, but helpful. "You know, honey, I'd appreciate it if you didn't monitor my food. I know you mean well, but you're getting on my last nerve." Anyway, those are my two cents. Sometimes a refurbished husband can turn out to be a gem, so don't give up hope!

So excited for you! It's an amazing journey. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and I'm looking at my 20-year-old self. At least until I get a closer look...

I am more OCD than Rain Man, so I'm another one of those who hop on the scale after everything's been taken care of. No clothes? You better believe it. Part of it is just seeing these lower numbers -- what a great way to start the day. And second is just my obsessive personality combined with curiosity. The thing is, I've gotten so I know *exactly* how much I'll weigh when I get up. And I find that fun.

I love these stories because they make me feel that I am not alone on this journey. I too fooled myself for a very long time about how fat I was. I tried to believe that having big jeans meant being proud of my body, that I was a BBW, and all the usual mindf***s that the media shovels on us when they're not telling us we're ugly. Getting my head straight has been one of the best side effects of WLS. It's like not only did part of my stomach got lopped off, but also the section of my brain that put up with other people's BS. I'm more critical now, but especially of myself, and I've become my own best friend while being my personal drill sergeant at the same time. This is one strange operation -- my butt getting smaller while the scale doesn't move, for example -- but I continued to be amazed and thrilled at what it's done for me.

Maybe you're on to something! It might be muscle mass that is taking over. Anybody know for sure? Lost a pound this week, but my clothes are even looser. Go figure!

Good luck on the scale moving! Mine budged down into new territory this morning, and I'm celebrating with a bowl of stewed prunes!

I am officially 8 weeks out, and I still can't finish most of my food, even in small portions. You're right, I think I drink myself full with all of that Water, leaving little room for anything but my allotments of Protein and veggies. I carry a liter bottle around with me everywhere, and I am always amazed at how fast it gets empty. I hate to repeat myself from other posts, but if you're not all that in to water by itself, don't add flavorings, but rather get some good tasting bottle water. I've found that if I add Crystal Lite and so forth, my tongue expects sweetness at all times. But now that I just drink plain old H2O, I don't crave sweets much anymore. One more addiction down!

Congrats! Get ready for a whole new life... you will be amazed!

I just had a chocogasm reading Miss Mac's description. Am now going to make that...

I will hold you to your prediction! In all seriousness, I'm looking forward to losing some weight, but in the meantime am continually delighted by my smaller butt.

What they said. I just had my first real fried egg today, and it was a big deal for me. Couldn't stand the smell or taste of them up until now. For a while I wanted kefir, then it tasted weird. Then I got into ricotta, and then I said yuk. (This reminds me, I have to clean out the fridge.) You will find that your tastes and appetites change over time, so just listen to what your body wants and feed her accordingly. Drink lots of good water: that will make you feel a whole lot better. And relax... it's just a process. All of this will pass.

Sure you can! My first pureed meal was refried Beans with some crema on top, and it was heaven! That being said, I agree, I would reduce the size of your meals to 2 to 3 tablespoons per meal. Let your stomach have room to handle this much food, and you will feel so much better as a result. At least, that was the case for me. My eyes and mouth want a big bowl of whatever, but I've learned that tiny bits are quite filling, and I don't have screaming bellyaches afterwards. I have to admit that I really was resistant to portion control. That was what all those other stupid diets were about, right? And they didn't work, right? But now it is not about losing weight, it's about listening to your body. So, I'd suggest you take small amounts in a tiny bowl with a little spoon, eat that, wait a while, and only go back for more later on if you are genuinely hungry. This makes eating a whole lot more of a pleasure, believe me!