WorkinOnMe

My NUT/Doc approved me to take Centrum Silver chewables since anything else made me gag. I have to take a double dose daily and calcium. I also take iron because I had an iron deficiency prior to surgery & have taken it for years.

All of what has been mentioned above ... Plus something to keep you busy!!! I went stir crazy the first day until my hubby got something to do. I am not into TV or movies and I read 2 books between the 3 days in the hospital and 1 day home. I was required to be out of work for 2 weeks so really needed things to do in between my mini walks.

3-4 weeks for first stall .... 4ish months for 2nd .... MANY in the 2 years since.

Nectars are the only protein drink I have ever been able to stomach, and I am almost 2 years post op. I bought mine online at nashuanutrition.com because I could get 1 packet of the flavors to try. I like most of them, but there are a couple I didn't care for. I know they are expensive (most are) but since it was the only one I could get down it was well worth it to me!

You said you feel like you are mourning food .... Honestly Hun, you are. And that's ok! I am almost 2 years out, lost about 140lbs, and no longer take ANY prescription medications for comorbidities (just allergies). The few weeks leading up to surgery were HELL for me. I was miserable, fought with my kids, and my husband &I had a really rough time helping each other through. I mourned the loss of food, especially when I watched my family eat what I couldn't. Then I had my surgery. BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE!! My husband went to a couple post-op counseling sessions with me & it actually strengthened our relationship. I started walking & then running road races, which has lead me to a group of amazing women. But most of all my view of food COMPLETELY changed. I am never hungry. I don't miss eating certain things, and if I get 'head cravings' I let myself have a couple bites and that is usually plenty. My entire life has changed. Vent away if you need to ... People here are great sounding boards! But try to remember that this is just a small step as you move towards the rest of your life!! Good luck!

I started 'wogging' post-op in the summer of 2015. Since then I have done many 5Ks & 10Ks, a few 5-milers, a 10-miler, and the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk (the full 26.2)... hydration isn't usually an issue. I carry water bottles with me or stage family along the route with them. For short races like a 5K I usually eat a banana & pb 20minutes before the race, but then have to get protein into me after I am done. My NUT had me use nuts, raisins, dates, protein bars and Huma chia gel packets for longer runs/the marathon. I found I needed salt and one of my running friends suggested pickle juice and it works. This year's goal is a half marathon ... training starts in April! Good luck ... running has become my sanity!!!

I am almost 2 years out & I still dont have a goal weight. It was never about that # for me though .. it was about my glucose & diabetes. THAT goal was to be in the normal range. Happy to say I have maintained that. As for weight... I have lost 70% of my excess body weight. I still drop a pound here & there but nothing drastic. When people ask what my goal is I am honest & tell them I dont have one.

173 again this week .... cant seem to break through this!!!

Yesterday was my one year Surgiversary!! Woohoo!!!! Hard to believe that I have made it this far, but alas, here I am... *AND* I have not only survived but I am loving life. There is so much to reflect on, but overall, I truly believe this was the best decision I have ever made and I am now a happier, healthier version of me. That’s not to say that the past year hasn’t been without its share of ups and downs … plenty of those! However, all in all, if I had to go back to the point of no return I can honestly say I would be willing to do it all over again. Here’s how things are looking… HW: 305lbs SW: 265lbs CW: 173lbs Total weight lost: 132lbs Clothes: From a size 5X or 26/28 to a size L or 10/12 Health: Diabetes - Controlled without medication (Fasting glucose avg.105 with no meds from 155 on high dose of meds), Blood Pressure - Controlled without medication, Cholesterol - Controlled without medication, Previous Spine Injury - Controlled with OTC meds as needed. Fitness: From being able to walk less than 15 minutes on a treadmill in physical therapy to having completed 10+ 5K races with my most recent at a sub-13 minute mile pace. Registered to walk my first marathon in September 2016. Goals: I don’t have a target weight, as this was never about a number for me. My surgeon would like to see me at 150lbs. We’ll see. Non-weight goals have been my focus all along and this is the direction I continue to move. What have I learned? LOTS!!! I could seriously write a book, but then again, couldn’t we all?!?! Here are the things that really stick out to me. As a graduate speaker at my program, these are the things I try to stress to new patients as they begin the process. Listen to your team! They really do know what they are doing. My NUT has been super supportive and told me that it was better to ask questions than to worry myself over nothing. I eventually stopped calling her regularly, but just having those niggling little questions answered was a huge weight off my shoulders. When they say drink X-amount of Water, drink it. When they say eat X-amount of Protein, eat it. There really is a reason behind your program and following it will help you a 100 times over. Listen to your body. It will talk to you … and I don’t mean all the gurgles and sounds from your new sleeve! When I found myself getting sluggish and tired I needed to look at my protein and water intake. Was I getting enough? Usually the answer was a resounding NO. When my sleeve revolted and I had uncomfortable cramping, had I eaten something new or different? YUP … usually, but as I continued to re-introduce more foods I found the discomfort would lessen and go away much faster. Certain foods may never like you again. Find something new to try. Your palate will change some & you might like something that you never did before. You know your body better than anyone else. If something seems wrong, don’t ignore it, ask. But try not to let it control you either. Stalls happen, get used to it. I started out weighing myself every day and it quickly took a psychological toll on me. I needed to stop for the sake of my own sanity. I actually had my husband hide the scale on me and only allow me to have it once a week. Now it sits in the bedroom, but I still only weigh on Monday mornings (surgery was a Monday so I stuck with that day). Stalls have plagued me throughout the past year beginning with the dreaded 3 week post-op stall. I don’t like them & I get frustrated, but I am now used to them. Current stall has lasted me 2 ½ weeks so far. The scale will move eventually and I will move on with life until the next one. Choose NSVs as goals and reward yourself when you reach them. Non-Scale Victories are my best friend! I started walking shortly after surgery & built up my distance from one block to the point of doing 3+ miles at a 25 minute mile pace in just 3 months, as an incentive I registered for a popular local race. When I finished my first 5K I bought myself a treat (Coloring Books! Not food-based). When I finished my first 10K I went shopping for a new bedroom comforter set. When I reached my first sub-13 minute pace I bought new running sneakers. My NSVs have kept me motivated and kept the focus OFF the scale … which often doesn’t move as quickly as I’d like. You will change … maybe not your morals and values and the things at the core of your being, but your outlook and your confidence and the way you see yourself. It will be difficult at times. Make sure you have a good support system to help you through, and if you don’t consider seeing a therapist. So many times my husband and my best friend have listened to me rant and rave like a crazed lunatic. They let me cry it out & yell it out, and in the end, talk it out. Sometimes it has been stupid piddly sh!t that set me off, but right then it was all I could focus on and I needed to vent in order to move past it. People say things that they don’t mean to be negative, but being in an overly sensitive state I found things that normally didn’t bother me were my total undoing. I have (mostly) come to terms with the new “ME” … I don’t hide behind my weight anymore. I am not invisible. But I have had to learn how to handle this new found confidence and channel it in a positive way. My friends don’t treat me any differently than before, but some acquaintances and co-workers have been snide and negative. Let it go … they don’t define you, YOU do! This is *YOUR* journey, and yours alone. You will have people support you and encourage you, and there may be those who try to tear you down. Your weight loss will be different than the next person, and different still than the person after that. Do not compare yourself to others or try to keep up with anyone else. I did not go through with my WLS for anyone other than myself, and that is the only comparison I should make. What’s the quote? “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Take the first step, and the next, and the next. Keep moving forward. Remember now and then to look back and see where you’ve been, and look ahead to where you are going, but don’t forget to stop and see where you are right now. Live your life, don’t just exist while trying to get to your goals. I still have a long way to go, and goals that I want to achieve. I want to LIVE my life and not be limited by my size...I want to take a trip and not need a seat belt extender for the plane ride. I want to go to the caverns this summer and not be told I am too big to go in the crawl spaces. I want to try zip lining and be able to fit in the harness. I want to go on a cruise and I want to wear a bathing suit without being embarrassed. I want to be in a size 8/10 at least ONCE in my life. I want to be in photos with my children and grandchildren and not always be hiding behind the camera. The good news is that I am on my way! And even better, I am determined to not only reach my goals, but to enjoy myself as I do. This summer I will do my first 10-mile race, and in September I will walk a marathon. We have a family trip planned and it will be my first plane ride since WLS. I can’t wait to just sit down & buckle up! I bought a bathing suit for the first time in years that doesn’t cover more than it shows. And I have started smiling and taking “selfies” with my granddaughter on a regular basis. My husband and I have grown even closer than before, and together we are building our “life after children”. By the way ... in the photos I attached, the before pictures are literally from the day before my surgery and then two weeks after surgery. The after photos are from two days ago … almost exactly one year from my WLS.

Try here ... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/185975-before-and-after-gastric-sleeve-surgery-photos/

NICE!!! Hooray for you! Isn't it the greatest feeling to cross that finish line!?!? Careful ... it is addicting. Did my first 5K last August and have done at least one race per month since then. Started out walking, moved to "wogging" (mostly walking with a little job here and there), to doing walk/run intervals my last race. Haven't managed a full race all running yet, but working on it. This last one I pulled out a sub 13-minute mile pace for the whole race though, so nothing wrong with walk/run intervals. I am now registered for my first 5-miler, 10-miler, and will soon begin training for a marathon walk in the fall. Best of luck to you ... I look forward to hearing about more races from you!!!

I too waited until the insurance approval was completed. Then I simply told them I was having surgery and would be out of work for 2 weeks. I don't have an application process to go through for FMLA, so it was pretty easy. I took 2 weeks (including hospital stay & recovery), but could have gone back to work after the first week. Everyone is different though, so I would plan for more and then adjust for less if you can.

Checking in early this week so I don't forget or have to fight for wifi .... 172lbs. Have a wonderful week everyone!

Says who?!?! Your body, your journey. Everyone is different. I have friends who were sleeved and my weight loss was completely different than theirs. I have a TON of stalls, one after another after another. My % lost is different than theirs was. But then again, my body is different than theirs, my lifestyle is different than theirs, and my expectations and effort is different than theirs. Follow your program, get plenty of Water and Protein and exercise as much as you are able. Spend some time rediscovering yourself & the things you like to do. As @@Inner Surfer Girl said, stay off the scale a bit and shift your focus. It will all come in time.

I don't consider myself an "old timer" yet, as I am officially one year out as of yesterday. However, I agree with @@Christinamo7 ... regardless of what the % is, I am so much better off. For me, it wasn't about a number for my weight, but rather about a healthier overall me. I have lost 132 lbs, but more importantly I am off ALL prescription medications (except allergy meds), my diabetes is now considered controlled, and I am able to do so much more physically. I know plenty of people who have had WLS & regained. But I also know some who have maintained their goal weight and healthier lifestyle. And it is a total lifestyle change. I no longer eat bread, Pasta, rice, and only minimal potatoes. I have cut out most added sugar. When I look at where I am today compared to a year ago, I am so much better off & wouldn't change a thing!

Post-op for me was pretty easy. I had previously had my gallbladder out & had a reaction so it was a horrible experience. My sleeve surgery was a cake walk compared to that! I was in the hospital 3 days, 2 weeks out of work -- but could have gone back after 1. Began walking longer distances after 3 weeks, swimming after 4.5 weeks (once incisions were healed and cleared by doc) and was at the beach playing in the sand and sun 6 weeks after surgery. That said, everyone is different and running around with a 3 year old is certainly much more taxing on the body. I would play it by ear and try to plan some low key activities for the first couple months just to make sure you are up to it. Good luck!

I fluctuate up & down within 2 lbs on a regular basis ... especially if I am in the middle of a stall. It could be Water, it could be your body adjusting, it could be the scale playing terrible, horrible tricks on you. Seriously though, it happens to me all the time.

I have no idea yet! Hubby asked the same thing & pretty much told me I can "have" whatever I want. I'm thinking I might give myself a few days to decide.

I had scheduled 2 weeks off from teaching but by the end of week 1 I was fine and could have gone back to work. Due to the prearranged time off they didn't allow me to change my time and I ended out the whole two weeks. As the others said, everyone is different. If you can schedule more time with the option of changing it as needed, I would do that just to be on the safe side. Best of luck!

174 this week .... I am seriously considering boycotting the scale!

For the first month I had my husband hide the scale and only give it to me on Monday mornings. He'd take it out when I was in the shower and then put it away again when I left for work. Seems extreme I know, but after week 1 when I was getting on the scale every time I passed it, I was going nuts. And I mean EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Like a super unhealthy number of times each day. Once I made him hide the scale I got in the habit of weighing once a week (unless I have a Dr. appt) and I was okay with that. I also felt better about seeing my progress, because I felt like I was actually seeing progress. Still do it now... every Monday morning. Don't feel like I am losing my mind this way.

You are right ... it SUCKS!! BIG time. This is one year from when I was on mine ... I don't think I will ever forget it because we were away for a dance competition the 3 days just prior to my WLS. 3 days of nothing but food, drink, and fun. It was pure hell. I survived. And I would like to think that I am better for it. Best of luck ... it is SOOOOOOO worth it!!!!

I'd say "Embrace the Stall" ... but I don't want to steal someone else's line Seriously though, give your body a chance to adjust to all the changes it has gone through. I have had my share of stalls in the past year .... some a few days, some a few weeks. It all works out in the end. I can go 3 weeks with nothing, and then BAM! drop 5 lbs. I can go 2 days lose one lb, then 2 days gain one lb. It is always something different. Keep following your program and stay off the scale. You will see it happen eventually.

I can pretty much echo what everyone else is telling you, but I will add this .... BUY NEW UNDERWEAR!!!!! Now. Don't wait. By the time I left the hospital after 3 days my panties were saggy and my butt was uncomfortable. I wasn't up for driving yet, so I put it off til the end of week 1. By then my granny panties were flapping in the wind and if I didn't have my pants on there was no guarantee they would have stayed up at all.