MzB

Patience is the key. Your body is still healing, and everyone responds to the surgery differently. Maybe your body just needs to hold on to more Water while it is healing. It also takes a while to figure out the new way of eating. I agree that discussing it at your follow up doc visit is a great idea. Hope things pick up for you soon.

Sleeved on 5/18. I am down 60# so things are going good. Made it to Onederland in August so that is my big achievement. One thing I have noticed is that I can easily get in 900 calories now. I actually find it surprising since I don't think I am eating that different from July. ????. Got to work on the exercise more though. ????

P3 by Oscar Meyer is a good thing for on the go.

@@Future skinny girl Patience is the key that first month. I also lost almost no weight the first two weeks after surgery. I think my body was just in shock and holding on to every ounce of water/fluid I put into it. If you are anything like me, your can start to wonder did this fail for me already? Don't worry, it will start to come off. You will start to see something soon I am sure.

Congratulations! You look awesome. Also, I just wanted to say a big thank you for all the posts I see you make on this site, you are great at encouraging others.

First off, congratulations on hitting the 1/2 way mark! (I just noticed your ticker...) Your body has lost a lot of weight and now that you are lighter it is going to take more effort to lose those pounds. Before just moving that 100 extra pounds on a daily basis made your body work harder than it it has to now. (That is totally a good thing by the way... ) Are you tracking your Protein consumption? I know it isn't that much fun, but the food tracking apps (fitness pal for example) are really helpful to making sure you are getting all your protein in. I was told protein makes a big difference in your body burning fat versus muscle and not enough protein can cause slower weight loss. I'm not totally sure if that is totally accurate but I am all for following the standards. I get the struggle with fluids, I find it challenging as well. There are days when I get busy at work and realized I haven't gotten any drinks in for most of the day. However, I have found that I just don't feel as well if I don't get the fluids in. I don't think it would hurt to do a day or so on your pre-op diet to see if you can get things kick-started again, but I wouldn't do it for very long. The biggest thing is to trust your surgeon's plan and stick to it. It is hard to break our mindset of wanting to make this like all our other diets, but remember this is for the long haul, not the quick fix. Stalls will happen....

Patience Grasshopper....I didn't lose much weight in first few weeks. I think it was like 4-5 pounds total while only eating an average of 300-400 calories. Most of this was probably due to swelling and healing so I didn't sweat it too much. You shouldn't either. The first few weeks are tough because of your body is recovering. Even if you lost a lot in the first week, you body is now probably saying "???? is going on? I had better hang on to Water and stuff as a safe guard!" Then your body figures out that this is the new normal and starts to release the fat for consumption. That is my take on the "3-week stall", it may not be totally accurate, but it helps me get my head around what my body is doing. Hope this helps.

I am assuming that you are getting in all the Protein and fluids you should. (everyone always says that first...) Even then, stalls will happen. Just stay the course and stick to your basics. The weight should start to come off again. Also, have you added in exercise? I was also sleeved in May have have noticed a slow down in weight loss in the last few weeks. I figure it is time to up the exercise level. Good Luck.

Way to go!!!!

Congrats! That is fantastic progress. Keep up the good work.

That is awesome to hear! Congratulations. It is those sorts of wins that make all of this worth it. Have fun shopping for new clothes. Just don't spend too much as you will probably shrink out of those as well.

I agree with OutsideMatchInside. I have been surprised at how much drier my skin is now even with getting all of my fluids in. Lotion and oil are your friend. I am 14 weeks out and still use lotion/body butter about once a week. Also, it is very hot in Texas right now (just in case you hadn't noticed.. haha. That could be further drying out your skin.

@@sbg224 - Hang in there. The weight will come off. One thing that others have said, and I am finding to be true is that this is a marathon, not a sprint. I know those first few weeks it feels like a sprint and everything is measured in days, but remember this is for life, the weight will come off! After you get past two months it starts to feel more normal, but like I said. Stalls will happen. In those moments of "WTF?" Just take a deep breath and remind yourself it is going to be alright. Stick to the mantra - Protein first and get in all your liquids. I have been surprised at how much more liquid my body needs now. ????. Good luck on your journey.

For me: I have just past the 3 month mark (surgery was May 18). The first few weeks were tough because of my internal stitch pulling, but at the 3-4 week mark it just popped and everything got much better. No real nausea and I could do liquids pretty easily so that was a blessing. However, I didn't lose much weight in first few weeks. I think it was like 4-5 pounds. Most of this was probably due to swelling and healing so I didn't sweat it too much. I was even able to do a trip to Mexico City for work without any issues (I did take some Protein mixes as back up in case the food wasn't going to work). July was a bit more challenging as I hit my first real stall. Thanks to everyone on this board posting about stalls, I didn't panic and kept to my plan. After about 1 1/2 weeks I suddenly started losing again. Yea! Also, I started telling people that I had the surgery, but only if they ask. I did tell my family after the 6 week mark just because I hate that feeling of being evasive when they know something is going on. I had wanted to wait until I was past the most risky time for complications so they wouldn't worry as much. Everyone seems fine with it, but if they aren't I have decided just to shrug and keep moving. It isn't their life and they don't have to live with it so their opinion isn't really that important. Not thumbing my nose at them, just deciding not to let it bother me. August has seen some good changes and a little bit of a concern. I hit Onedurland on my 3 month surgerversary, which is a total loss of 57 pounds. I have also dropped several sizes which lead to a closet purge and a day of trying stuff on. That totally counts as a NSV in my world. People have really started to notice and are asking me what I am doing. If they ask me directly I am honest. I also try to say that there are other ways to lose weight and just doing a high protein - low carb approach can work just as well. I just knew I wouldn't be able to stick to it. I think I am really helping out the sales of Premier Protein which seem to be flying off the shelves of my Sam's and costco. Maybe I should ask to be a sales rep. The one concern I have is rather recent, and I am not really sure if it is a real concern at the point. Over the last week I have noticed an increase in what might be a little bit of heart burn. I am really hoping that I don't get GERD from this so I am watching it closely. I was taking pepcid for the first 3 months on DR. orders (I also had a hiatial hernia fixed when they did the VSG) so I just went off it recently. The other thing is a small pain just to the left of my belly button. This just started in the last few days so I am going to watch it and talk to to the PA about it next week if it doesn't go away. I should be well past the point of having stitches pull or anything like that. I still struggle with eating out and limiting carbs (insert Mexican restaurant chips here...). I am also still figuring out how to fit in exercise but that has always been a challenge for me. Anyway, I would love to hear how this journey is going for everyone else. I know it isn't the same for everyone and I love to hear the different perspectives. It helps so much to know you aren't in this alone.

I went back after one week, but I did wear a binder which really helped my poor abs make it through the day.

I also drink through straws without an issue, but I was careful for the first 6 weeks. Also, I found a CamelBak Water bottle (Eddy model if you are looking online) that had a built in straw which didn't cause me to suck air (bite closure). It has made a world of difference getting in the fluids each day. You might try that as a compromise if you don't feel comfortable just doing straws.

@theother_onefoot- just curious how your diet is going? When do you move to soft foods?

A couple things I learned about the Unjury chicken soup. First, it taste great! It was a lifesaver for my liquid diet phase. Second, it is really important not to get the water too hot. The first time I used it I was traveling and used the hot water from the coffee maker in the hotel room. Turns out this is too hot, and I basically cooked the whey. I try to keep it well below 140 temp now. Also, important note from that same trip... DON'T make this in a closed shaker (I used the kind with the metal spring ball inside). The pressure built up too much and the lid popped open mid-shake! Needless to say I was cleaning chicken soup off the ceiling. ????

I bought one in Amazon. I was done as an out patient so I didn't get one as part of my surgery. The one I got was One of the ones they say is good for post c-sections. It wasn't expensive and it arrived in just a Few days. Huge difference in my ability to get through a day at work. I went back to work after a week and with the binder could make it all day without an issue. I forgot one day and I was in pretty good pain by the end of the day. No one could tell I had it on under my clothes.

The spousal food buddy is something my husband and I are working through as well. It is challenging! We also eat out a lot since we don't have children. He still wants me to order my own thing which is just silly. We're working on it but it is a major change. Good news is he has lost weight as well. ????

I could go back to walking, not running at two weeks. All restrictions on exercise lifted at 6 weeks, but by 4-5 weeks I felt totally fine. ????

Ann, This is great information. I may print this out and put it on my fridge to remind myself to adjust as I go along this journey. Thanks, MzB

JenJen, I am in Dallas and was sleeved on 5/18 with Dr. Nick. I am happy to be a sleeve buddy if you want. The journey has been good for me so far. Happy to share what I have been through and talk about challenges as they come up. I am assuming you are on pre-opt diet. Hope that is going well. A few things I learned... Make sure you buy Gas-X strips before surgery. They were a life saver for me the first few days. I think I went through a whole package in a week. Haha. Bought another package and never had to open it, so the gas does get better. Also, get an abdominal binder. I got my first one at Walgreens, just the basic one in the same isle as the knee braces. I waited until after surgery to get mine and then my husband wasn't sure which to get so it was my first driving trip. Having it before surgery would have been much better. It really helped me with being able to get up and down out of bed and chairs the first few weeks as my cut muscles healed. It also made a huge difference in how I felt by the end of the day when my muscles were tired. After about 3 1/2 weeks I could quit using it. MzB

SleevePerry, for my 6 week checkup I got similar advice and I think it is a doable goal. I am just a little bit further than you in my journey (2 months) and I have found that I can get 700 calories pretty easily. I strive for 800, but only get there occasionally. I have never gotten to 1000/day, but it is nice to know that I I shouldn't worry if I go above 800. Most of what I eat is Protein, I am still struggling to get in some good carbs. I use MFP to track everything, but I focus on the nutrition numbers not the calories. I have even stopped reading them on the labels. Just look at carbs and protein.

I am 8 weeks out from surgery and doing great, but I have to admit I am struggling with how to eat in the new "normal". I did this surgery to lose the weight and keep it off, but I don't like the feeling that I am on basically going to be on a strict Atkins for the rest of my life. I am staying at less than 30g of carbs a day at this point but I feel like I am having to be incredibly strict about only eating protein and almost no carbs. My PA said some carbs were good to have, but all the threads on BP seem to really caution against it. I really want to be successful but I seem to worry that a small piece of bread or rice will totally throw me off. Carbs are scary! LOL. Wanting to feel a little more normal. ????