slvarltx

I gave up the daily weigh in. The worst stalls were at 3 weeks (almost 3 weeks) and then again at week 9 (2 weeks). During the first stall I just stopped the daily weigh in and went to a once a week. I put the scale on a shelf and only get it down to do a weekly weigh in. Much better! For me the weight has been released much easier the further away from Surgery I get. I eat between 1200-1500 calories a day and am averaging 2 lbs per week, though the last couple of weeks have been 3-4 lbs, which I attribute to my higher caloric intake and my body just going with the flow. 25 lbs to goal weight, I can only imagine the weight loss is going to slow down.

I have always loved swimming and have had a pool in my backyard for most of my adult life. Not really into doing laps, but I love to swim underwater and dive down. It is AMAZING how much longer I can hold my breath underwater now. Makes sense of course that I don't have to supply oxygen to an additional 105 lbs of me, but AMAZING to me nonetheless.

Mine is more like a traffic cop...we pulled this food over in a line of food all containing protein and decided to write this one a ticket

For the first 3-4 weeks after surgery, I felt hunger as normally would and then by week 8 it had mostly gone away. Hunger is now more like "I feel weak, I should eat something"

@@mperez1982 Here is the phone number of the crappy surgeon who dismisses the old Water rule as a myth. Why don't you call him and you can both discuss where you got your medical degrees as well as how many surgeries you perform every week. I am sure he would love to discuss this with an expert such as yourself. Dr. Matthew Weiner 248-413-2670 http://drmatthewweiner.com/bariatric-surgery-myths/

I went to universal 3 weeks after surgery, no problems with any of it. Surgeon cleared me before i went...nice having some room between my gut and the safety bar!!

I switched to sashimi to avoid the rice carbs.

Google the statistics on complications with this procedure. 100's of times more likely to get injured driving to the hospital than having complications from the surgery!!!!

Actually, my NUT told me the water rule is old school thinking and that I can drink before, during, and after eating. I like sipping coffee with breakfast

Surgery was 5/8/15...down 65 from surgery date

I must have flip flopped about 50 times! My insurance company required 6 months preparation, which in retrospect was a good thing. I actually lost 30 lbs during the 6 month wait, which really turned into a 9 month wait with submittals/approvals/scheduling. I kept telling myself, maybe I can do this on my own after all. I finally realized the only reason that I lost the 30 lbs is that I believed in the surgery and that if I didn't get it, I would be right back where I started. The first 2 weeks post-op are no fun. 4 months after surgery now, I am down 70 lbs and feel great. The sleeve works as advertised for me, stops me from eating too much. It is a very personal decision that you can't rely on other people to make for you. The vast majority of us on this board have had very positive experiences

Well it has been a year now since my initial consult with my doctor. At the time I weighed 335 lbs and was just finishing up another summer of being miserably hot and desperate to lose the weight I had packed on during the last 15 years. I had just started a new job and found out that my insurance at my new company did cover weight loss surgery! I had tried 2 years ago but found out my old company's insurance did not cover WLS. I had to wait the 6 months that some insurance companies require that turned into almost 9 months while paper work was submitted and surgery dates were set. During that time I decided to try and start living the diet that was proscribed for post surgery. Anything but perfect following it, but I did manage to lose 30 lbs over 9 months. I almost called the surgery off probably 50 times at least in my head, but finally decided to follow through and was sleeved in early May. My weight on sleeve day after my 2 weeks of liquids was 300 lbs. After an initial 20 lbs drop, I hit the dreaded 3 week stall that lasted 3 weeks. Lost another 20 lbs and then stopped for another 3 weeks. I know have a slow and steady trickle of lbs released from my body. My waist has dropped from 48" to 38" and I feel fantastic. I haven't enjoyed summer this much in years as I don't get overheated and can enjoy it. People tell me I look 20 years younger. I hated the surgery at first, but have come to love it. I can drink as much Water as I want, but with solid food, 5 ounces max. The journey continues!

I was very snappy and irritable until about week 8 I think. For me, I think it was the fatigue of healing while living a normal life. Everything started get back to normal after about 2 months.

Ditto on all the above replies. For the first 2 weeks I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life. 4 months later and down almost 70 from surgery and 100 from first consult, I couldn't be happier. I don't miss food like I thought I would and my energy level is 3 times what it was before. I haven't enjoyed a nice hot summer like I have this year for 20 years...I don't get that hot!

Don't use the chicken soup with anything other than warm Water. Hot water makes the Protein congeal and it is VERY gross.

I lose in fits and starts.... Nothing for 3 weeks and then 10 lbs in a week....I just go itch flow and let the process happen!

I drink a cup or 2 a day. No problems. Double check with your NUT to be on the safe side.

Best revenge is to be insanely happy!

Same exact thing here in a good hot Texas summer. I don't really got hot at all. In the pool in the evening, the Water is 90 degrees and I still turn on the heat to get it to 96 in the hot tub. Saving money on AC though! Turned the thermostat up quite a bit.

I almost backed out about 20 times...lol!!! I am 3 and 1/2 months out and have 0 regrets now. My lifestyle is pretty much the way it is except that I am 90 lbs lighter from when I first started (lost 30 lbs before surgery). I feel fantastic and I only really notice my restriction when I am eating solid food. My head hunger feedback loop is now broken...I actually pick portion sizes now that I can comfortable eat. No sugar coating though. The 2 weeks pre-op and the first 2 weeks post-op aren't a lot of fun. I think you read a lot of misery on these boards as it is not a fun period. Change is hard and your body is basically really mad at you for daring to change. If you can lose the weight on your own, then by all means do it. For me, I just couldn't do it. I left all the shame, guilt, and other bullshit behind and decided to have the surgery. Post-op, you have to be ready to change or you can still work around the operation and gain weight. My surgeon told me 10% of his patients lose nothing because they like to drink milkshakes and eat cheesecake. The sleeve is a tool, not a miracle. At the end of the day, where do you want your body and health to be in a year from now? If you can get there without WLS, then do it! In my personal evaluation, I just saw my self overweight, with high blood pressure, and was ready for a change...no matter what! I am 10 lbs away from losing 100 lbs since Xmas 2014. I hope to have lost 130 lbs by Xmas 2015, but even if I don't make it, I know that I can easily lose another 20 if not 40 by then because I have an amazing tool that allows me to control my compulsive overeating. Best of luck to you!

I actually feel like I am less of a candidate for heat related injuries now than I was before surgery. I eat a lot less and healthier food, so I need a lot less Water just for food processing. I do not get nearly as hot as I used to outside and I can cool off a lot quicker. After the first 10 days, drinking water has never been an issue for me. I am back to drinking 1.5 quarts of water during my 1 hour workouts, and my 1.5 quarts camelback when cutting the grass/biking etc. Living in Texas, I had the same concern, but it has been a non issue for me.

I told a nurse once that said "what are you doing here, you don't need WLS, that's the easy way out" that I once had bronchitis and took antibiotics and I guess that was the easy way out because my body could have healed itself. Crickets.

@ASUgrad My surgeon told me that when the stomach is removed, the primary gland that produces ghrelin is removed as well, dropping levels of this hormone to virtually 0. He also told me that the human body finds a way and ghrelin levels start to rise again are at levels near pre-surgery at 18 months. This is one of the reasons my surgeon pushes for weight loss at the beginning as losing later becomes more difficult. His plan for me is to get to my goal weight (which is looking pretty darn easy) by 18 months and then maintaining that weight for the rest of my life.

What did your blood work say about your deficiency? My TIBC was 237 and my UIBC was 141, so the doctor recommended 65mg elemental Iron tablets per day.

@choosehope I have found throughout this process and even reading on this forum, there is A LOT of confusing and contradictory material from doctors and NUTs. My conclusion from all of this is that WLS is a dynamic field of study and that we don't have all of the answers yet.