IncredibleShrinkingMan

@@jessi29 As a guy who has kept in close touch with many women who have undergone the surgery, we have it easier. I tried to deny this at first, but it's supported by the numbers. However, the depression hits us just the same and is very closely associated with rapid weight loss. He may be doing great, but he may be masking the more difficult parts of this (hiding our feelings is also something we do much more readily than women). Don't get ahead of yourself...the paranoia about him leaving is probably contributing a great deal. If you can convince yourself that it isn't true, you will see a marked improvement. And one final thing: the weight loss will come...and will be more slow and steady. Freefall then stall is no way to go about it.

@@ellie123 Congratulations on the new job. That's wonderful! I think it is very normal, and I, for one, had to suffer through a stall of a duration of about 5 months. I am just now starting to lose again, so please look towards the future and have faith in that. It looks like the early going went very well for you, and now you just need to rekindle those good habits. First and foremost, try to clear your head and enjoy your good fortunes, and the rest will slide right back into place!

Very simple...either they are naturally skinny and think it's a big life achievement of theirs...or they were obese and managed to lose weight and keep it off. It's rare, but the latter does happen for one reason or another, and they think it is a testament to their character and superior will-power. That is like telling a short person to get taller by trying harder, or telling a dyslexic person that if she cared more she would learn to read and write more quickly. Sickening!

Ugh...poutine with short rib gravy. Don't judge me.

This brings up two very important issues, @@Alex Brecher. Her poor candidacy is unrelated to her age. The turmoil surrounding her life both before and after surgery should've been a clear red flag, and perhaps psychiatric evaluations are not quite what they are today, and more people like her could fall through the cracks and into an ill-advised surgery. That said, I think two things are unreasonably stringent...first, that there is a very strong presumption against surgery on anyone younger than 18...obesity and its devastating effects start and become very hard to reverse much before then, so why shouldn't the surgical option become available as needed? Must we wait until there are quasi-irreversible effects on health to allow somebody the most sophisticated option available, provided he/she checks out fine in other respects? Second, and in a similar vein, why is the standard 40 BMI or 35 with a co-morbidity? This disease is vicious and destructive long before an individual reaches either of those two standards, and even more uncontrollable once they are reached...therefore, there is a greater risk that in order to become a qualified candidate, you have to reach a point at which there may be less you can do than you could when you were, oh, say an innocuous 10 lbs overweight but clearly struggling with food. This is another reason the psychological evaluation is important. It should not just weed out people with too many problems to be prepared for surgery, but should also be an inclusive tool, in other words, identify people who do not qualify strictly by numbers, but who are headed in a direction that makes surgery a very good, and potentially life saving option, even for a mildly overweight teenager, particularly when there are already some failed diet and exercise attempts under the person's belt.

You said it, @VSGAnn2014. There is hardly anything in this article that is news, the least of which is that Biggest Loser is an awful show by awful people. Leptin was proven to be an ineffective therapy, though. I am surprised they are still talking about it.

This is a very blessed problem to have, @Andrea72. I was craving things within 48 hours of getting back from the hospital. Also, it seems like you are on a particularly aggressive return plan to normal foods. At 4 weeks, I was still on no tougher consistency than scrambled eggs...i.e., late puree, early soft. If you need to stay above a certain calorie amount, I would just say slightly increase the portion sizes of the stuff you know are good to eat, like nonfat yogurt and lean protein...these things hopefully cause the nausea related to smell to be minimal. I think in your case your instincts will be far more useful than your nutritionist's advice, which frankly is the most likely thing to sabotage you. This is a gift...both the sleeve and your apparently changed taste buds. Don't let that get reversed!

ISOPURE...from the Vitamin Shoppe...40 g of protein, no carb, in 20 oz bottle. Slightly sweet tasting, but always did its job with me. Helped me with the pre-op diet a lot, and made clear liquid stage pretty tolerable. I use it to break out of stalls and it usually works!

Hospital stay of one night, and maybe a half a day after that, is pretty standard. That sounds like a pretty quick turnaround from work. My job is as sedentary as it comes, and after Thursday surgery, didn't go back until the following Thursday. They wouldn't approve anything earlier, and didn't really want to approve that either.

Good luck. Hope you are in the zone!

Wow, congratulations! I guess it's time to last-supper up and get stocked up for pre-op! I think the quick turn around is quite a blessing...I went throughout months of mental anguish as to how I would spend my stomach's remaining days.

Fantastic idea. It is just a mental prison. So are all numbers. LOL. I think there needs to be a scale that will only respond to you twice a week. I find myself arguing with my scale from time to time. We don't have a good relationship.

It sounds like this might also be from your drain site, which is the other bigger incision. Mine hurt for about a week. Give it 72 hours. The other sites didn't really hurt that badly. Call the doctor on Monday if there is still no improvement. Good luck!

I hope this is helpful for you. I had two straight therapists try to talk me out of my surgery, and you have to make sure this does not occur. You absolutely need to get the emotional eating addressed, but only go with a therapist that will support your underlying decision and work within those confines. If you end up changing your mind in the next six months, it should come from you and only you. Good luck.

Congratulations on reach the great divide! Wishing you prosperity in your slimmer days...

http://www.asklynnjohnson.com/ If anybody is searching for a coach, I would highly recommend her. She has a very diverse coaching practice. I am mentioning her here because of the subject of the thread.

Try Isopure...it is a no-carb Protein drink (packed with 40 g of protein in 20 oz bottle). The sugary stuff I can imagine would make you thirsty. It has a slightly sweet taste (like sweetened iced tea) but it is actually very refreshing. I try to break stalls with them, and until recently that has worked (it gets harder and harder to break a stall).

Be careful what you wish for. I was asking the same questions and then I stalled big time, and still not out of it, with about 40 lbs more that I really want gone. Just saying. I think the way to stop is easy...just add some more calories from things that aren't going to send you back flying the other way, so high quality, like lean Protein and dairy.

I use Fitbit (and I also recently discovered that iPhone function too), and I have the goal set to 25K, however, I do not realistically expect to attain that each day. My mental benchmark is more like 15K. Living in a big city (Washington, DC) and having a lot of walking to do every day, 10K just sounds a little cheap to me. An extra 5K on top of that tells me I'm getting a legit workout, and an extra 15K tells me I'm getting a great one. Just my personal rationale.

Congratulations in advance!

@@sanjumelts Did they prescribe Colace? Also, go with Miralax. I experienced this problem too, however, I didn't put forward quite the effort you are describing. I just figured it was par for the course.

Those experiencing cravings should understand that, tied with the beginning of pre-op, this is the toughest time. You are back from the hospital and fully recovered, and are still on a very low calorie diet because of what your brand new sleeve can handle. I assure you it will get better, even as soon as you can move onto full liquids (Soups, etc...). I have to tell you that even 9 months out, pizza doesn't really work, and even if you think it might, your sleeve will quickly tell you not to have more than a couple bites. 9 months down the road, you will probably be able to enjoy a whole slice with a knife and fork without the crust at the end. I am trying to be a little reassuring. The sleeve eventually lets you return to everything...except your previous weight. Whether it's pizza or celery, you will never be able to eat that much anymore. I feel your pain. There was a miserable time in life during my early 20s when I consumed at least one large Dominos pie per day, crust and all. I am so thankful that it is gone, even more so than for the weight loss.

First two weeks post-op was roughly another 15 lbs. However, as @@JamieLogical said, that may not equal a size, as much of the weight is water and glycogen storage in your liver. After that, size will follow weight loss a little more closely.

I lost 20 lbs in a two week pre-op at 1000 calories, and that included some serious cheating as well, so adjust upward by as much as 500 calories. I did a lot of exercise to compensate, as I just couldn't stick with 1000 (I can do it with the sleeve just fine). I also found going to liquids the last three days before very helpful.

@@PayItForward - why on earth does that matter? It's working now. Yes, the surgery may be the tipping factor, but it's still a perfectly truthful statement that I did it with diet and exercise, because that, too, is an indispensable part (some people have this surgery and never lose a pound because they don't do that). If you were to ask me "did you have surgery" and I said "no," that would be the lie. See my response to @@Cape Crooner below... As my post admits, it is impossible to give a completely truthful answer. It's just saying more or saying less. You might argue that a certain fact (i.e., surgery) is so significant that not saying it is a lie, but I disagree. Therefore, even saying you had the surgery isn't completely truthful, because there are all kinds of other things you've done too...changed your thinking, gotten a good support group, taken up new hobbies...nor can any one of us have any idea what we have really undergone to achieve our results. Okay, but when people ask HOW did you do it? And I answer doesn't include WLS, you I am not telling the truth. So philosophically speaking, is a failure to answer with a truthful answer a lie? So, why didn't exercise and diet work for you in the past? Okay, but when people ask HOW did you do it? And I answer doesn't include WLS, you I am not telling the truth. So philosophically speaking, is a failure to answer with a truthful answer a lie? Yes.